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Not long after returning from the Hokage headquarters, Danzō received a document from the Third Hokage dismissing him from his position as an advisor elder.
Danzō picked up the document and glanced at it.
Then he heavily slammed it to the ground.
Suddenly, his right eye throbbed in sharp pain.
"Ugh… ah…"
Clutching his right eye, Danzō groaned, "Someone, come!"
Very quickly, medical personnel belonging to Root came forward to examine him.
After a long round of treatment, and injecting him with two types of medicine, the pain in Danzō's right eye gradually subsided until it was only mild.
"What's going on? Why is my Sharingan hurting?"
The medical staff replied with a serious expression, "My lord, the transplanted Sharingan is decaying. In about a week, it will lose its pupil power and become useless."
"This one is failing so quickly?" Danzō frowned. It wasn't the first time he had encountered a Sharingan decaying, but previously each eye had lasted him several years.
This one, however, had started decaying almost immediately after being transplanted.
"My lord! Every Sharingan has a different constitution. Some are highly adaptive and remain stable."
"Others, like this one, decay extremely fast in the body of someone who isn't from the Uchiha clan."
"Oh?" Danzō hadn't expected that his only remaining Sharingan would turn out to be one with poor compatibility.
The Uchiha were like a spiky hedgehog now—impossible to get close to. Where was he supposed to obtain another Sharingan?
His thoughts shifted. "What about Kakashi's Sharingan? How's its constitution?"
The medical-nin froze for a moment, but under Danzō's cold gaze, he quickly replied, "Kakashi's Sharingan was implanted several years ago. Its adaptability is very high—extremely stable."
Danzō gave a cold snort. "Summon Armor."
Hokage's Office.
The Third Hokage had summoned Kakashi.
"How is Naruto doing lately?"
Kakashi still carried that lazy, slouched look, but at the mention of Naruto, his expression shifted slightly.
"Naruto's been doing pretty well. Because Sasuke, Hinata, Neji, Shikamaru, and Kiba often spend time with him."
"No one bullies him at the academy anymore."
Hiruzen nodded at Kakashi's answer.
"Have you gotten to know Naruto yet?"
"I used the time at Ichiraku Ramen to get to know him. Now, whenever we bump into each other, we chat for a bit." Kakashi's spirit was still bleak, worn down, and numb.
But when it came to Naruto, he was attentive.
The Third took a long drag on his pipe. Ever since Uchiha Natsuki had appeared, the entire Uchiha clan had undergone great changes.
Meanwhile, the Hokage's own line had seen talent wither. His disappointing son was rebellious to the core and impossible to discipline.
At present, the most promising one was the man standing before him—Hatake Kakashi.
The Third Hokage intended to cultivate Kakashi more, to help him grow quickly, so that one day Kakashi could share some of the burdens.
If only by then… sigh…
Hiruzen exhaled heavily in his heart.
Then he said to Kakashi, "Orochimaru may have defected some time ago, but he left behind quite a few research bases in Konoha."
"Yesterday, the ANBU discovered one of Orochimaru's bases. Go investigate it and see if there's anything useful."
Outside the Ninja Academy.
Sasuke walked in front with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Behind him trailed Sakura, followed by Naruto and Hinata.
Naruto strolled lazily with his hands behind his head.
In this world, Naruto's body and mind were much healthier. He no longer had a crush on Sakura—just a normal friendship.
By contrast, Hinata, who walked closely behind him, was far more eager to be near.
"Sasuke, you got first place again. You're amazing!" Sakura gushed with hearts in her eyes.
Sasuke found girls like her extremely annoying, buzzing around him like flies every day.
No matter which road he took, girls followed. At first it was a whole crowd, causing a commotion. Later, perhaps after they coordinated among themselves, they split up and took turns, one girl after another.
Sasuke remained cold, refusing to answer. He turned his head and noticed Naruto's casual posture. "Hey! Naruto, if you don't work harder, you're going to end up the dead last again."
Naruto dropped his hands. "Tch, arrogant Sasuke. This time was just a fluke. Next time I'll definitely score higher than you."
Sasuke gave a proud snort. "That's impossible. Uchiha are the strongest."
"Quit bragging, Naruto. You can't even beat Neji, how could you ever surpass Sasuke?"
From behind, Hinata whispered softly, "I believe in Naruto. Next time, he'll definitely do well."
Naruto burst into cheerful laughter. "See, Sakura? At least someone believes in me!"
He gave Hinata a big thumbs-up. "Hinata, you've got the best eye for people!"
Hinata's face instantly turned scarlet.
"Eh? Hinata, what's wrong? Your face is so red. Do you have a fever?" Naruto leaned in close, even reaching out a hand toward her forehead.
He's so close! What should I do? What should I do!?
Hinata trembled nervously all over, on the verge of fainting.
"You idiot, Naruto!" Sakura yanked him back and planted herself between him and Hinata. If Naruto's hand really touched her, Hinata would surely pass out—after all, it wasn't the first time.
"Hey! I'm not an idiot!" Naruto protested.
Soon, the group was bickering playfully again.
Such youthful energy. From the treetops, Natsuki watched with a sigh of admiration. But then he noticed Kakashi appearing within his line of sight.
"Yo, Naruto, there you are." Kakashi was fully geared up, clearly heading out on a mission.
And yet he still made the effort to come over, say hi, and leave an impression. Truly diligent.
"Kakashi-nii, are you going on a mission?" Naruto waved happily. He had so few friends, and here was someone who had taken the initiative to befriend him.
So his impression of Kakashi was very good.
"Yeah, I've got a mission. I'll be busy for a bit, but next time I'll treat you to ramen." With that, Kakashi hurried off.
"That guy… isn't he Kakashi?" Sakura said in shock.
"Naruto, how do you know him?" she asked, incredulous.
"Eh?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.
"You mean Kakashi-nii?"
Naruto scratched his head. "I met him at Ichiraku Ramen. We ran into each other a few times, got familiar, and he even said he wanted to be my friend."
"Do you even realize what Kakashi represents?" Sakura shook Naruto's shirt furiously.
"N-no… I don't," Naruto replied, still looking lost.
Sakura turned toward the direction Kakashi had gone. "That was Hatake Kakashi! A super genius. Back when he was only five years old, he already graduated from the academy!"
"What!?" Sasuke's eyes widened instantly. At their age, they had just entered the academy, and yet this man had already graduated at five.
"Eh!?" Naruto's jaw dropped.
"Kakashi-nii is that strong!?"
"He never told me that!" Naruto was stunned.
Sakura rolled her eyes, unwilling to bother explaining further.
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