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[NUT] Chapter : 16
🕑 Added 2025-05-28 10:37:39 +0000 UTCWhen Kakashi next appeared, it was in the Hokage’s office.
“Hokage-sama,” he greeted Hiruzen Sarutobi flatly, saying nothing more as he stood waiting.
“Ah, Kakashi. You’ve arrived,” the old Hokage said, setting aside a stack of papers. He reached for his pipe, lit it with practiced ease, and inhaled deeply.
The acrid smoke filled his lungs, flushing his wrinkled cheeks with color. A rough cough followed, and the smoke curled lazily into the air, its heavy scent settling in the room.
Despite the lingering haze, Kakashi remained silent.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, half to clear his chest and half to break the quiet tension.
“The dead are gone… but the living must carry on,” he said at last—a statement of comfort, of resolve, or perhaps both. His tone was somewhere between sympathetic and expectant.
Kakashi’s response was dispassionate. “If that’s all, I’ll be going.”
He wasn’t the boy he used to be.
“You’ve spent enough years in the shadows of the Anbu. It’s time to step into the light again. Konoha still needs you.”
Hiruzen’s voice grew more serious, more intent.
Kakashi gave a curt nod. “Understood.”
Whether it was agreement or simply compliance to avoid further talk, even Hiruzen couldn’t say.
“A new batch of academy students is about to graduate. Go evaluate them.”
Satisfied with the answer, Hiruzen leaned back. He preferred when things went his way without resistance.
“…Alright. I’ll see to it,” Kakashi replied, pausing briefly.
They could have just given him the assignment. Why all the small talk?
He sighed inwardly.
“Not just yet,” Hiruzen added, stopping Kakashi as he turned to leave. “There’s something else. You’ll lead a team. But that can wait until next time.”
Watching Kakashi’s eagerness to exit, Hiruzen couldn’t help but feel slightly offended—was he really that unbearable to be around?
But with official matters on the table, sentimentality took a back seat.
He puffed on his pipe again, then retrieved a scroll from his desk. Standing up, he crossed the room—both to hand it over and stretch his legs after sitting too long.
Kakashi accepted the scroll without a word, suppressing his distaste for the heavy tobacco smoke wafting from the old Hokage.
He unrolled the scroll, scanned its contents, and then slowly rolled it shut.
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Good,” Hiruzen said with a nod.
This time, he didn’t say anything else—just lifted a hand in farewell.
After Kakashi left, Hiruzen sniffed the sleeve of his robe, puzzled.
“Doesn’t even smell like anything… What’s with these kids and their sensitive noses?”
His muttering lingered in the smoky room, echoing softly beneath the quiet hum of paperwork and memories.
Kakashi stepped out of the Hokage's office and inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh air.
The oppressive weight he'd felt inside began to ease.
After a moment, once the discomfort fully faded, he glanced at the scroll in his hand and opened it again. He studied its contents briefly, then rolled it shut.
Reaching into his ninja pouch, he felt for something important—and sure enough, he hadn’t forgotten his beloved book. That settled it: no need to return home. With a light step, he turned toward the village gates, ready to head out immediately.
This mission was a high-priority one: track down and capture a traitorous ninja who had once belonged to Konoha.
The man had managed to stay hidden for a long time. Konoha had put a 10-million ryo bounty on his head, but he never reappeared—until now.
Apparently, he had crossed someone with real power, someone influential enough to double the reward. Thanks to that leak, the fugitive had finally resurfaced.
Naturally, Konoha couldn't afford to ignore it. But Kakashi doubted they were acting purely out of a sense of justice. A 20-million reward was a tempting incentive, even for the village.
Of course, what Sarutobi Hiruzen truly thought of this mission was something Kakashi couldn’t begin to guess.
As far as he was concerned, the goal was simple: find the target, bring him back alive.
And if the wealthy backer kept their promise, Kakashi stood to earn a hefty cut of that 20 million bonus.
Not that he cared much about money. Honestly, he had little idea what to spend it on—except one thing.
One of his role models happened to be a famous author, and Kakashi took his duties as a junior quite seriously.
He made it a point to collect every volume of his senior’s works. A full set, signed when possible. That was his only hobby, his sole indulgence.
It was the one bright thread that ran through his quiet, weary life...
—
Elsewhere, deep in a forest, Juzo came to a sudden halt. Itachi, walking behind him, paused and quickly understood.
His gaze dropped to the ring on his thumb.
“That ring is our Akatsuki’s secret weapon,” Juzo said with a grin, catching Itachi’s glance.
“Oh,” Itachi replied coolly, unimpressed by the boast.
After Juzo's brief explanation, Itachi's mind was drawn into a strange space.
He stood atop a towering stone pillar, surrounded by others just like it. One by one, translucent figures appeared on each platform. Itachi had seen this scene before in anime—but witnessing it in person was something else entirely.
“Itachi, how are you adjusting to life in Akatsuki?” Pain’s voice cut through the stillness.
Perhaps as a subtle introduction to the rest of the group, Pain had chosen this question over formalities. It was his way of saying, Here’s our new member: Uchiha Itachi.
“…I’m adapting,” Itachi answered calmly.
His reply drew glances from the other figures.
“Itachi, you’ve grown up so quickly. Would you like to partner with me? I’ll take good care of you,” came a familiar, slithery voice—Orochimaru.
The distant background of the space was cold and dark, and the stone pillars beneath each figure were in fact the fingers of the Gedo Statue, hands upturned, each finger slightly curled. Every finger bore a ring, each member assigned to one.
Itachi's ring rested on the ring finger of the Gedo's right hand. Orochimaru’s was on the little finger of the left—meaning the distance between them was not far.
“Tch. We just started working together, and now you’re forming teams? Who do you think you are?” Juzo snapped, clearly irritated.
Itachi remained silent, fading into the background. Now wasn’t the time to make waves. He would stay quiet, learn, wait for the right moment.
His time would come.
Before the argument could escalate, Pain’s quiet voice cut through again, diffusing the tension.
What followed was brief: a few updates on group missions, a mention of Akatsuki’s lofty ideals, and then—abruptly—the meeting was adjourned.
Itachi was puzzled. The whole gathering felt like a formality, and he couldn’t quite understand Pain’s intentions.
Still, compared to the dim void of the summoning space, the bright world outside felt far more comforting.
“Surprised?” Juzo asked, catching Itachi’s expression. “The money flow’s been slow lately, so Pain’s just keeping things warm.”
“…Isn’t that basically passive resistance?” Itachi muttered after a long pause, unsure what else to say.
Juzo tensed slightly, wary that Itachi might suggest ramping up their mission pace—and trigger unwanted competition.
But Itachi’s next words put his mind at ease.
“Then… for the sake of harmony, let’s slow down too. As long as we’re not the slowest.”
Those words perfectly echoed Juzo’s inner thoughts.
“Right… For the harmony of the organization,” Juzo agreed solemnly, as if making a weighty decision.
The two shared a glance, struggling to hide the grins tugging at their faces, both donning masks of composure.
Had Pain witnessed this moment, he would likely have cursed aloud.
A bunch of actors… every last one of them.
A few days later, Itachi and Juzo arrived at their destination.
“Is the bounty target really that bold? To show up in a place like this so openly…”
Itachi, dressed in a straw hat with a long sword at his waist, spoke in a low voice as he gazed at the lively town ahead.
Juzo, also wearing a straw hat, remained silent at first. After a moment, he responded just as quietly.
“He’s here. In that town.”
“What’s the full intel on this guy? And can you do something about that giant sword of yours? It's like a beacon for trouble.”
Despite his curiosity about the target, Itachi’s obsessive need for subtlety was triggered by the unmistakable presence of Juzo’s oversized weapon.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were well known—and instantly recognizable.
He had a nagging feeling this mission wouldn’t be as simple as it looked.
“…Alright,” Juzo muttered.
But instead of sealing the sword away with a scroll, as Itachi had expected, Juzo calmly picked up his massive blade, sat on a stone, and pulled out a giant roll of bandages from who-knows-where.
Under Itachi’s increasingly blank stare, he began wrapping the sword.
“You’re… a real genius,” Itachi said eventually, utterly deadpan, watching Juzo finish with a sword still visibly shaped and barely concealed.
“Heh… I’m flattered.”
Juzo gave a sheepish grin, clearly misreading Itachi’s tone as genuine praise.
Itachi sighed and decided to let it go. At least Juzo had listened—sort of. Sure, the end result was like putting a hat on a wolf and calling it a sheep, but making a fuss would be pointless now.
“The target’s an experienced jonin. He fought in the Third Great Ninja War. A Konoha man, like you,” Juzo explained, clearly pleased with his work.
