Early in the morning, Kakashi stepped out of a small roadside inn. The streets were still mostly empty. A late-autumn wind, already carrying a hint of winter cut through the air, making passersby shiver and regret not wearing another layer.
The cold didn't bother Kakashi.
He might have been young, but he was still a ninja. His body was strong, and his chakra kept the chill at bay.
Today, disguised as an ordinary Grass shinobi, Kakashi continued his mission: learning how everyday ninja in the Hidden Grass felt about the recent war.
Yesterday he had visited a tavern and a hospital. Today he planned to try the training grounds, places where ninja gathered to practice.
You couldn't draw conclusions from a small sample. If he wanted reliable information, he needed to talk to a wider range of people.
The problem was that he didn't know how things worked in the Hidden Grass. Did they have organized training grounds like those in Konohagakure? Or did their ninja simply train wherever they could find space?
If it was the latter, he might spend the entire day just searching for the right place.
Compared to quietly gathering information in a tavern, this approach was much harder. In a tavern he could simply sit and listen. Today he would likely need to start conversations and guide them toward the topic himself.
Fortunately, the recent peace treaty was the hottest topic in the shinobi world right now. Bringing it up wouldn't feel out of place.
Walking along the chilly late-autumn street, Kakashi unexpectedly spotted a familiar flash of red hair.
It was the woman he had seen at the hospital yesterday, the wandering survivor of the Uzumaki clan.
Kakashi frowned slightly.
She seemed to be getting harassed by a drunk man in the street.
Uzumaki Hanrei looked at the staggering man blocking her path, her voice trembling slightly.
"Please stop following me. If I don't get to the hospital soon, Dr. Inoue will scold me again."
The drunk acted as if he hadn't heard a word. He swayed from side to side, still blocking her way, mumbling:
"What's wrong with having a drink with me? Don't tell me you think I'm already drunk. I'm nowhere near that!"
Kakashi glanced around.
Some pedestrians walked by as if nothing was happening. Others slowed down, watching with open curiosity.
Clearly, no one intended to stand up for an outsider.
Kakashi stepped forward, his expression flat.
"You looking to get yourself killed?" he said coldly. "You're blocking my path."
The drunk noticed the Hidden Grass forehead protector on Kakashi's head and immediately stumbled backward several steps. Panic flashed across his face.
"I–I'm sorry, sir! I drank too much and didn't realize I was blocking a ninja's way!"
Kakashi sneered inwardly.
So you're only drunk when it suits you.
"Then get lost," Kakashi snapped. "If you delay my mission, dying won't even begin to pay the price."
"Yes! Right away!"
The drunk bolted down the street at full speed, faster than someone running a hundred-meter dash. His earlier drunken staggering vanished completely.
As he fled, he cursed under his breath.
Just my luck. I heard a pretty red-haired woman showed up in the village. Thought I could have a little fun since she's all alone… and then I run into a ninja on duty. Damn that red-haired woman!
Kakashi swept his gaze across the street.
The onlookers instantly acted as though they had urgent business elsewhere and hurried off.
Hanrei looked at Kakashi with deep gratitude.
"Thank you, sir. What's your name?"
Kakashi thought for a moment.
"Me? I'm Kakato."
"I'll definitely repay you properly someday," she said, bowing slightly. "But I really have to go now."
She waved goodbye and hurried toward the hospital.
Kakashi watched her leave, feeling a strange heaviness in his chest.
After all, yesterday one of those so-called ninja had bitten her arm hard enough to draw blood. And yet she didn't seem to direct her resentment toward ninja as a whole.
It doesn't matter, Kakashi told himself firmly. Focus on the mission.
Lord Fourth and Captain Aaron had both placed great trust in him. He couldn't disappoint them.
After hesitating for a moment, Kakashi finally headed in the same direction as the hospital.
Just by coincidence.
Purely coincidence.
After all, who knew? Maybe there was a training ground nearby.
That same morning, Aaron finished washing up, grabbed breakfast outside, and then strolled leisurely toward the Grass ANBU headquarters.
Why was he so relaxed?
Because the mission was practically finished and the enemy leader had personally helped him along the way.
As he passed the ANBU entrance, it seemed the story of how he had impressed the Grass leader had spread through the entire organization. Even the guards at the gate called out "Lord Morishita" louder than usual.
Entering an unfamiliar office, Aaron sat down and glanced around.
Nothing extra had been added yet. The documents he was supposed to review hadn't arrived.
He didn't mind.
Instead, he began handling some of the paperwork expected of an ANBU squad leader, mainly the assignment of missions.
He treated it as practice for the day he would eventually become a full team commander.
Of course, since he wasn't the real Morishita, his understanding of the squad members came mostly from written files. When assigning missions, he relied heavily on his first impression of their names.
"Sakata Gintoki… Just reading that name gives off strong 'lazy middle-aged slacker' vibes. Perfect, he gets a long A-rank mission. Time to get to work."
"Momonosuke… That name reminds me of something unpleasant. Let's give him an S-rank mission. Young people need challenges."
In a cheerful mood, Aaron quickly finished all the documents that Morishita was supposed to process.
He felt absolutely no guilt about it.
The Hidden Grass wanted to drag Konoha into a prolonged war and weaken it.
But now Aaron's fate was tied to Konoha's. Its prosperity directly affected his own strength.
If the Hidden Grass wanted Konoha to decline, that meant they wanted him to suffer.
Which made them his enemies.
Causing trouble for an enemy, making them lose resources and manpower was something he could do without the slightest hesitation.
If not for his own strength, he would likely have died during that mission to retrieve the peace treaty documents. Four Grass ninja had tried to kill him without any hesitation.
Why should he feel guilty returning the favor?
Just as Aaron was reflecting on the brutal reality of the shinobi world, a knock sounded at the door.
An ANBU operative stepped inside, holding a sealed folder.
"Lord Morishita, this is the information the village leader asked me to deliver. He said that once you've prepared the plan, you should send it to him for review."
Aaron accepted the folder and flashed a bright smile.
"Understood."
The ANBU ninja nodded and quietly left the room.
"A plan, huh…"
Aaron tapped his fingers on the desk, a mischievous idea forming in his mind.
He still didn't understand why Danzo Shimura had suddenly changed his mind and stabbed him in the back.
But one thing was certain; he wasn't going to swallow that insult.
He needed to find a way to cause Danzo some serious trouble.
The Hidden Grass was no weak village. If he could maneuver things so that they clashed with Danzo's covert organization, Root, it would make Danzo's life very unpleasant for a while.
Aaron smiled to himself.
It was a promising idea.
After all, it wouldn't cost him much effort and irritating Danzo was always worth it.
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