The seven-day had arrived!
Under the Fourth Hokage's orders, Kakashi arrived at the Konoha Police Force headquarters alongside Obito to retrieve Jiraiya and Gintoki.
As he stood there, watching the prisoners inside the jail weep inconsolably, reluctant to part with Gin-san, he fell into a long silence.
"Aniki! Safe travels!"
One prisoner clung to the iron bars, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Idiot! What are you crying for?! We should send Aniki off with smiles!"
Another prisoner scolded through his own tears.
"Sorry!"
"Alright, now I'll count down from three, and we'll all send Aniki off together! Three! Two! One!"
"ANIKI! SAFE TRAVELS—!" ×n
Seeing the prisoners standing at attention, saluting in unison while bawling their eyes out, Kakashi felt his entire worldview shatter.
And when his eyes landed on that slouching figure being escorted toward the exit by several guards, his confusion only deepened.
Why would they show such reverence and respect to this thing?!
This guy is more rotten than a can of expired fish!
"Don't worry, everyone! As one of aniki's underlings, I'll take good care of him in your stead!"
For some inexplicable reason, Obito had somehow synced up with the prisoners' emotions and was now moved to tears, raising his fist and shouting passionately.
"Then we'll leave it to you, kid!"
"Make sure you take care of Aniki out there!"
Watching the prisoners take turns giving Obito instructions and Obito pounding his chest in assurance, Kakashi finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"Why are you joining in on this nonsense?! Why do you look like you've completely blended in with them?! I don't get it at all! This is way too weird!"
Obito wiped his tears, crossed his arms, and snorted with a smirk.
"You're the weird one here! You're the only one who can't understand the greatness of Gin-san, Kakashi!"
"Shut up! There's nothing praiseworthy about that guy! He's already rotten to the core—body, heart, and soul!"
"You bastard! I'll duel you for Gin-san's honor, Kakashi!"
At this, the prisoners erupted into an uproar once more, their gazes turning hostile as they cracked their knuckles, itching to teach Kakashi a lesson themselves.
"Kid! Teach that disrespectful masked brat a lesson for badmouthing Aniki!"
"Beat the crap out of him!"
"How dare you insult Aniki—finish him off!"
"There's a mountain bandit hideout thirty miles east of Konoha—they're all my underlings. If you need backup, kid, just head there!"
"I've got my own crew too—a group of rogue ninjas in the forest sixty miles west of Konoha. Just drop my name, and they'll follow your orders!"
...
For the first time in his life, Obito felt a sense of belonging from so many people.
Tears streamed down his face once more as he pounded his chest, swearing that he'd handle Kakashi and that the prisoners shouldn't worry!
Though killing him was probably going too far—after all, this guy was Aniki's little brother.
A good beating would suffice!
Upon hearing the news that Kakashi was Gintoki's younger brother, the prisoners instantly changed their tune, declaring that since he was family, they couldn't possibly kill him—just make him realize his mistakes would suffice.
Creak—
Click!
Gintoki, escorted out by several guards, only had his handcuffs removed once he was outside the cell.
Looking at the exhausted, speechless expressions on the guards' faces, Kakashi felt an unspoken understanding with them—no words needed.
"All that chattering is so damn annoying…"
Gintoki, digging his pinky into his ear, shot an impatient glance at the prisoners inside before adding.
"Stop causing trouble for others, you bunch of idiots."
"Yes, boss!" ×n
Jiraiya, also released by the guards, couldn't help but turn to Orochimaru, who had been freed alongside him, and speak up.
"Orochimaru… has the times really changed?"
"Jiraiya, remember what you promised me."
Orochimaru replied coldly before vanishing in a shunshin from the prison entrance.
No time to waste here—there were far more important matters to attend to.
...
Three days after Gintoki's release, at dawn.
Having lost yet another round of gambling and coincidentally spent the night drinking with his peers, a thoroughly drunk Gintoki was on his way home, carrying monjayaki for Kakashi and Sadaharu, when a familiar figure blocked his path on a deserted street.
Burp—
Gintoki hiccuped, swaying slightly as he squinted at the white-haired ANBU who looked vaguely familiar.
"What's this? Gin-san thought it was some shy middle school girl too nervous to confess, but turns out it's just a guy."
Hearing this, the ANBU codenamed Hakurei raised an eyebrow before slowly removing his mask.
"Gintoki… I heard I was bedridden with only one breath left…"
Seeing Sakumo's eerily gentle smile, Gintoki instantly sobered up.
"Hey hey, don't be so petty—I left you with one breath, didn't I? Anyway, take this monjayaki as a peace offering and let it go, alright?"
Gintoki held out a plastic bag containing an unrecognizable, pixelated, sticky mass.
Sakumo stared at it in silence for a long moment.
"That's just vomit!"
"Don't talk nonsense! This is monjayaki!" Gintoki retorted loudly—before suddenly doubling over and puking all over Sakumo.
Σ_(」∠) Blegh…
"I'll save this portion for Kakashi and Sadaharu."
Wiping his mouth, Gintoki spoke without noticing Sakumo's darkening expression.
...
"Hey! I'm not a kid anymore!"
"No, you're not. But I'm still your old man!"
Sakumo cracked his knuckles, smiling even as veins bulged on his forehead.
Gintoki backed away, raising his hands in protest.
"Wait, wait! I'm buddies with the current Hokage, y'know? One word from me, and you'll be jobless for life—a permanent Madao!"
But it seemed his threats fell on deaf ears…
...
Half an hour later, a refreshed Sakumo donned his ANBU mask again and walked away.
Completely ignoring Gintoki, who lay sprawled on the ground in a starfish pose, sporting several fresh lumps on his head.
...
The next day, a bruised and battered Gintoki crossed paths with Jiraiya, who sported heavy dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept for days, in front of the Sweet Chestnut Shop.
"Kid, those are my dango..."
Watching Gintoki brazenly grab the skewered dumplings from his plate, Jiraiya weakly protested.
"A few skewers of dango barely cover my emotional damages, old man. Count yourself lucky."
"You getting locked up had nothing to do with me! That was all Orochimaru's fault!"
"Nah, this mess I'm in is entirely your doing. Hand over your retirement savings as compensation for my emotional trauma, you bastard!"
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Thankyou for all the review, its all 5 stars! i bet it all comes from oldies who watch gintama hahaha, kids these days wont know that gintama is the best anime there is!