Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

After receiving the intelligence from Uchiha Itachi, Kakashi immediately returned to report everything to the Hokage.

Faced with the explosive information Itachi had provided, the Third Hokage was thrown into complete shock.

He promptly summoned Nara Shikaku and several veteran Konoha jōnin for an emergency strategy meeting.

The revelation that the Fourth Mizukage had once been a member of the Akatsuki left everyone present utterly bewildered.

As a result, the fact that Uchiha Obito was also listed among Akatsuki's members somehow became a secondary concern.

After all, they had already experienced the bizarre case of Uchiha Shisui—dead, then alive, then joining Akatsuki, then dead again.

Compared to that, the news about Uchiha Obito hardly attracted any attention.

At least, that was true for the Third Hokage and Shikaku.

They had already become numb to such surprises.

Furthermore, Obito's body had never been recovered.

After being honored as a Hero of Konoha, his remains had somehow vanished during Danzō's tenure.

That situation was still unacceptable.

Even now, the Third Hokage continued ordering ANBU to search for Shisui's missing body.

Therefore, the name Uchiha Obito—a name unfamiliar even to Konoha's leadership—failed to attract much focus.

The only person truly obsessed with it was Kakashi.

Following the meeting, he personally requested permission to investigate further.

He spent nearly a month examining the area around Kannabi Bridge and following every clue he could find regarding Obito.

Unfortunately, despite all his efforts, he found absolutely nothing.

The constant travel left him physically and mentally exhausted.

After returning to the village and informing the Hokage that his investigation had yielded no results, Kakashi's only desire was to get a good night's sleep before heading to the Land of Wind to reunite with his students.

However—

Before dawn the next morning.

He was summoned to the Hokage's office once again.

"Hokage-sama, if this keeps up, Naruto and the others are definitely going to start complaining about me..."

Entering the office with a weary expression, Kakashi assumed it would be another discussion regarding Akatsuki intelligence.

Yet upon entering, he discovered only the Third Hokage seated behind the desk.

Well...

Not quite alone.

There was another living creature present.

Kakashi's attention was immediately drawn to the plump figure sitting atop the desk.

"Croak! Finally!"

"I've been waiting for hours!"

An orange-red toad wearing goggles around its neck glared at him.

"You're Kakashi, right?"

"I'm Toad Kōsuke."

"Jiraiya received your message."

"He said he's waiting for you at the usual place."

"..."

Kakashi stared at the talking toad in surprise.

Not because talking animals were unusual.

His own ninja hounds could speak as well.

But the significance of this particular toad's appearance was obvious.

"Looks like you'll have to make another trip to the Land of Hot Water."

The Third Hokage rubbed his forehead helplessly.

"That brat probably doesn't want to come back to Konoha and see me."

"...Understood."

Kakashi immediately straightened.

Finding Jiraiya had been one of the primary objectives of this mission from the beginning.

Silently apologizing to Naruto and the others in his heart, Kakashi accepted the assignment.

This time, he genuinely couldn't help breaking his promise.

Soon afterward, under the admiring gaze of Konoha's two gate guards, Kakashi once again left the village in a hurry—despite having only just returned.

"Croak! Then I'll head back and notify Jiraiya!"

Toad Kōsuke waved toward the Third Hokage.

Then, after forming hand seals with his tiny forelegs, he canceled the Summoning Technique and vanished in a puff of smoke.

The office fell silent once more.

Official working hours had not yet begun.

The Third Hokage slowly pulled out his pipe—a rare sight these days.

Lighting it, he took a long drag.

Then he gazed at the ceiling.

For a moment, the childhood images of his three students appeared before his eyes.

He blinked.

"Looks like I've really gotten old."

"I haven't even seen them, and I'm already reminiscing."

"I always thought they should live their own lives."

"But now..."

"If they were all still here..."

"Would I really have to work this hard?"

His gaze shifted toward the wall displaying the portraits of the Hokages.

Stopping on Minato's picture, he murmured softly:

"If only everyone could come back..."

Land of Hot Water.

Yugakure.

Traveling at full speed, Kakashi still required several days to arrive.

During one of his brief rests along the way, he suddenly realized something.

Ever since becoming Team Seven's leader...

He seemed to have spent nearly all his time running around outside the village.

"Naruto always says I'll eventually suffer divine punishment for being late."

"At this rate, maybe this endless workload is my punishment."

Kakashi chuckled bitterly and entered the village.

Unlike his previous visit, Yugakure was packed with tourists.

The season was ideal for hot springs, and visitors filled the streets.

Watching the countless young women wandering around town, Kakashi suddenly understood why Jiraiya had chosen to stay here.

Soon, he arrived at the inn where he had left his message earlier.

"Welcome—"

"Oh!"

"You're that customer from before!"

The innkeeper immediately recognized him.

Business had improved significantly since his last visit.

Kakashi nodded politely.

"Madam, I'm looking for someone."

"Looking for someone?"

She blinked.

Then suddenly slapped her forehead.

"Oh right!"

"That perverted old—"

"Cough!"

"That respected elder of yours!"

The innkeeper quickly corrected herself.

"You came at just the right time!"

"He went out early this morning, so he isn't here."

"But I heard the bathhouse next door caught a white-haired peeping creep!"

"They've got him tied up and are beating him right now!"

"You should hurry over!"

Kakashi froze.

The legendary Sannin...

Jiraiya-sama...

Tied up and beaten?

Walking outside, Kakashi only needed a few steps to reach the neighboring bathhouse.

Sure enough.

A crowd had gathered outside.

And someone was being beaten in the middle.

"Owowowow!"

"Stop hitting me!"

"I told you already!"

"I'm just an author!"

"I was gathering material!"

"Research! It was all research!"

"What kind of garbage research is that?!"

"You peeked at my wife and daughter!"

"I'm gonna beat you to death!"

"That's right!"

"Beat that pervert!"

The crowd cheered enthusiastically.

Clearly, this was not a misunderstanding.

This was simply a peeping tom being caught red-handed.

Standing at the entrance, Kakashi stared blankly.

The crowd blocked most of his view.

All he could see was a distinctive head of wild white hair.

White hair.

Peeping.

Writing books.

...

Kakashi truly had not expected to encounter one of Konoha's greatest legends—and a man he deeply respected—in such circumstances.

Technically speaking, Jiraiya was the teacher of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

That made him Kakashi's grandmaster.

Although ninja generally didn't emphasize such formal lineage, Kakashi remained both a devoted reader of Jiraiya's books and someone who held enormous respect for the man.

"Owowowow!"

Listening to those completely undignified screams, Kakashi honestly felt that if this had been literally anyone else...

He would have turned around and walked away.

Without hesitation.

But in the end, he stepped forward.

Grabbing the burly man's raised fist before it could strike again, Kakashi sighed helplessly.

"Please show some mercy."

Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> [email protected]/AiraTales7 (replace @ with a)