"You're awake?"Early the next morning, Nara Kazuki climbed out of bed —and immediately spotted Kakashi sitting there, staring at him.
Kazuki instinctively patted himself down —clothes intact, no suspicious soreness —and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Kakashi watched the whole process, his eye twitching, fighting an almost irresistible urge to punch Kazuki straight into the floor.
What the hell is wrong with this guy's brain?!
"Good morning, Kakashi!"Kazuki cheerfully clapped him on the shoulder.Kakashi simply narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
Kazuki didn't mind.
Instead, he recalled last night's events.
Thanks to years of corporate survival skills, Kazuki had managed to get Jiraiya royally drunk —even though it came at the cost of almost poisoning himself.
He hadn't used chakra to sober up either, to maintain the illusion of "brotherly bonding" with Jiraiya.And while he had drunk enough to nearly puke, at least he hadn't done anything stupid.
"With that... most of the plan is complete,"Kazuki thought, eyes half-lidded."Now, all that's left... is waiting."
"You're... heading back to the village?"Kakashi asked, visibly surprised.
Kazuki nodded like it was the most natural thing in the world.
There was something weird about Kakashi's tone —almost as if he was recalling some forbidden temptation —but Kazuki didn't care.
"You're not gonna..."Kakashi trailed off, confused.
Wasn't Kazuki the one who wanted to bring Jiraiya back?
And now he was just... leaving?
Kazuki gave him a glance.Kakashi caught the hint and shut up.
Because Jiraiya might still be lurking around, eavesdropping.
Without another word, the two of them began the journey back to Konoha.
Kazuki resumed his usual training regimen:Morning — Fireball stacking.Afternoon — Shadow Imitation mastery.Other jutsu were practiced here and there, but his focus was laser-sharp on these two techniques.
Jack of all trades, master of none —Kazuki wasn't about to fall into that trap.
After all, Naruto himself — currently still a fetus — would one day become Hokage by mastering a single technique: the Rasengan.
Pure dedication could build an empire.
As they neared Konoha, Kazuki never once mentioned Jiraiya.
Which only made Kakashi more curious.
Once they handed in the mission report, Kakashi couldn't hold it anymore —he dragged Kazuki into a barbecue joint and forced him into a booth, repaying the camera debt at the same time.
Same meat.Same faces.One major absence — no Jiraiya.
"You think... why did Jiraiya-sama really leave the village?"Kazuki asked, seeing right through Kakashi's fake casual tone.
Clearly, the kid wouldn't sleep without an answer.
"To pursue Orochimaru after he defected,"Kakashi said after a pause —the official Konoha version.
Once upon a time, the "Three Legendary Sannin" had been Konoha's pride.
But then came Orochimaru's betrayal —gambling, drugs, forbidden experiments...
Ahem.And Jiraiya had taken it upon himself to hunt him down.
Kazuki shrugged.
That much was true.
Jiraiya had chased Orochimaru for years —until he discovered the Akatsuki's existence, led by his former students.
After that, Jiraiya split his focus — still hunting Orochimaru, but also investigating Akatsuki.
Eventually, during a solo mission, he infiltrated Amegakure using the Rain Tiger's Free Movement Technique —only to die by Nagato's hand after uncovering too much.
See?See, Obito?
At least Nagato killed his own master after agonizing over it —giving Jiraiya multiple chances to escape.
Obito?Obito slaughtered his sensei without hesitation.
No wonder the fandom hated Obito more.
"So you really thought,"Kazuki said lazily, "that a few words from me would drag Jiraiya back?"
Kakashi stayed silent.
Because honestly...he had hoped.
After all, Kazuki had gotten close enough to Jiraiya that they called each other "brothers."
Yet Kazuki hadn't even tried to convince him.
Kazuki didn't bother explaining further.
Even if he had begged, Jiraiya wouldn't have returned.
Unless...Unless Kazuki spilled secrets he had no way of knowing.
Like revealing that Kushina Uzumaki was pregnant —and that an unknown Mangekyō Sharingan wielder was plotting an attack.
If Kazuki said that, Jiraiya would run back to Konoha without hesitation.
But how would Kazuki explain knowing such things?
Another possible bait would be claiming Orochimaru had returned to Konoha —but once Jiraiya discovered it was a lie, he'd be gone again.
No.
The best timing would be closer to Kushina's due date.Only then would it make sense to bring Jiraiya back naturally.
And honestly, maybe by then, they wouldn't even need him.
Still —extra insurance was never a bad thing.
Kakashi stared at Kazuki through narrowed eyes.Typical Nara Clan behavior.Genius-level intelligence...Cryptic as hell.
After thoroughly fleecing Kakashi at the barbecue place, Kazuki swaggered home, belly full and spirits high.
"Let's see now..."Kazuki muttered, checking his system.
[Chakra Refinement: 999/1000]
"Almost there,"Kazuki's eyes lit up.
Just a few more rounds, and he'd finally unlock the next upgrade.
And if he was lucky...maybe something game-breaking would pop up.