Chapter 123: Guardian Shinobi (Bonus Chapter 1/6)

He was dressed neatly and had groomed his appearance, but his spirit had vanished, and his eyes were as calm as if he possessed no thoughts at all. He was likely a decadent man still capable of basic self-care; as for tidying his clothes or cleaning the house daily, he probably did so only to keep Kakashi from worrying.

"Mr. Hatake, your current situation should be clear to you by now. As someone with a strong samurai spirit, you have always been different from a typical ninja. Your outstanding strength combined with your lack of a clear political stance is likely the cause of your current predicament. I have a suggestion, and I wonder if you would be willing to accept it?"

Kahn spoke directly to Sakumo Hatake. A man like this was no fool; he was simply too committed to his own convictions. Even if Sakumo were to lower his principles just a little, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo would be unable to touch him. If Kahn had beaten around the bush, he might have been dismissed as a standard politician.

After hearing Kahn out, Sakumo tilted his head to look at Rin Nohara and spoke slowly: "I did not host you properly last time, please forgive me. You are Kakashi's classmate, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am Rin Nohara. I am terribly sorry for intruding so abruptly..." Rin answered nervously, noticing Sakumo addressing her. When she had visited the Hatake residence with the head of the Konoha Newspaper previously, Sakumo had rarely spoken, and she had feared he disliked her.

Kahn added from the side, "Rin Nohara came to find me early this morning, hoping to learn if there was any way I could help resolve your dilemma, Mr. Hatake. But if you are unwilling yourself, no one can help you. Perhaps Kakashi will also fall into decadence because of you. After all, he must deeply admire his father, the one known as the White Fang of Konoha. If the target of his lifelong pursuit collapses, even the title of a genius will not be able to save him."

Upon hearing Kakashi’s name, something shifted within Sakumo. If there was anything left that he truly cared about, it was Kakashi. However, he was well aware of who Kahn was. Having been attacked by Cloud ninja spies twice in the village—with the second incident showing suspicious signs—Sakumo’s keen intuition allowed him to naturally perceive the rift between Kahn and the upper echelons of Konoha.

"What is your meaning?"

"Guardian Shinobi. If you are interested, I believe the Daimyo will personally discuss this with the Third Hokage. Whether Hatake Kakashi stays in Konoha or travels to the capital of the Land of Fire, he will not be targeted."

Kahn spoke plainly to Sakumo. The Daimyo would gain an admired subordinate; Hiruzen Sarutobi might be reluctant to let him go, but he could trade that for the Daimyo’s financial support, and Sakumo would escape the whirlpool that was Konoha. If Kakashi remained in the village, Hiruzen would not dare to target him, lest he completely offend both Sakumo and the Daimyo who favored him.

"Serving as a Guardian Shinobi is far better than suicide, don't you think, Mr. Hatake? At the very least, you would still be able to watch Hatake Kakashi grow up and serve the Land of Fire."

Kahn smiled at Sakumo. Rin, standing to the side, was shocked to hear this; she had never imagined that Kakashi's father might commit suicide. The room fell silent. Sakumo did not answer immediately, but he was thinking—a vast improvement over his previous state of total apathy. Several minutes passed as the two engaged in a test of patience, leaving only Rin, who lacked the composure, to sit nearby and fidget with her fingers.

"I understand. Thank you for your reminder. I will give it serious consideration, Mr. Kahn."

Sakumo spoke suddenly, his eyes reflecting a change. Compared to doing nothing in Konoha, going to the capital of the Land of Fire was indeed an option. Moreover, the Guardian Shinobi sent by Konoha were still Konoha ninjas; they only served the Daimyo in name.

"In that case, I shall take my leave, Mr. Hatake."

Kahn nodded with a smile and rose to depart. Seeing this, Rin—though she did not fully understand what had transpired—also stood, bowed to Sakumo, and took her leave.

Sakumo becoming a Guardian Shinobi would not cause Kahn any trouble; on the contrary, Sakumo would still have to follow the Hokage’s orders. Once Orochimaru became the Fourth Hokage, a single transfer order could bring Sakumo back to the village. It was best if Konoha’s strength did not decline too sharply; otherwise, they would lack the power to unify the ninja world, and there would be no point in partnering with them. Kahn would rather play his own game.

After leaving the Hatake residence, Rin remained confused. She trotted to catch up with Kahn and asked cautiously, "My Lord, is it over now?"

Kahn nodded. "Yes, it is over. Barring any accidents, Sakumo Hatake will leave Konoha to become a Guardian Shinobi. This is the best choice. Rin, you have your result now, so go back and be a diligent student."

"Yes, I understand, My Lord."

Though she agreed, Rin still harbored doubts. Thinking of how kind and rarely angered the nobleman had been, she boldly asked again, "My Lord, what if there is an accident?"

"An accident? Then Sakumo Hatake would likely commit suicide, and Hatake Kakashi would become decadent as a result... but you could do nothing, because you are too weak and merely a student at the ninja academy." Kahn suddenly turned and leaned slightly toward Rin. "If you pry too much, you might be dragged off by the Military Police Force or the Anbu!"

With that, Kahn parted ways with Rin. Beyond Kabuto, he also planned to have people investigate the location of the Sky Ninja ruins and summon all the remaining Sky Ninja. Once the energy problem was solved, the ancient Sky Ninja fortress could take to the skies again, and energy was precisely what Kahn did not worry about. In the Marvel world, he had the Vanko father and son; to develop clean energy, they were researching a third-generation large-scale Arc Reactor. Though called "large-scale," it did not require much palladium, yet the energy released upon success would be comparable to a small nuclear power plant. The Sky Ninja fortress could easily maintain long-term flight with an Arc Reactor, and with Kahn’s alchemical methods, he could make the fortress even lighter.

Then there were the resources of the ninja world. Many rare resources in the Marvel world were strictly controlled, while the ninja world remained largely untapped. In such a feudal, undeveloped world, rare resources were the most precious treasures. Kahn had calculated that within ten years, he would build the largest mining conglomerate in the ninja world and use it to bolster Marvel or other worlds.

...

"Lady Tsunade, let's go to the Konoha Hospital a bit later. I want to show you the power I have newly mastered."

Early in the morning, Kushina dragged Tsunade out of bed and stopped Nawaki, who was also heading out. She said confidently, "And Nawaki, you come too!"

Nawaki shook his head and declined, "Kushina, I am about to leave for the front lines. Let's do it next time, once you are more proficient with the Tailed Beast's power..."

Last time, after Kushina managed to control the Nine-Tails' power up to seven tails, she had come to spar with Nawaki, only to end up completely immobilized by his Wood Release.

"Stop making excuses, it will be quick."

Kushina wanted to show off the power she had just acquired, so she insisted on keeping Nawaki there. After Tsunade finished washing up and ate breakfast, the three went to an abandoned training ground near the Forest of Death. Tsunade and Nawaki had expected the spar to be similar to the last one, but the strength Kushina displayed shocked them both.

The Nine-Tails Chakra Mode—Nawaki might not have been familiar with it, but Tsunade had a deep impression of it; her grandmother Mito had been able to enter this state. Nawaki was nearly defeated in the first exchange. Had he not been trained by Orochimaru to be immensely vigilant, he would have been caught by her flash-like speed and the Adamantine Chains immediately.

However, Nawaki reacted quickly. After taking a significant hit, he countered with Wood Release. In the end, it was only by using large-scale Wood Release techniques that Nawaki managed to hold out for a long time before finally succumbing; he ended up bound by Kushina’s Adamantine Chains.

After it was over, Kushina looked triumphant. Although Nawaki had not used his full strength, neither had she; she hadn't deployed the full speed of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode because she was not yet accustomed to it—if she pushed to her top speed, her ankles would still snap. Kushina also possessed the Tailed Beast Bomb as a finishing move, though she hadn't mastered it yet, having only received a suggestion from Kahn.

Once they finished sparring, Tsunade immediately stepped forward and asked, "Kushina, how did you suddenly enter that state? Didn't you say you could only control seven tails last time?"

Her progress was too fast, almost a leap. Last time, she had only controlled seven tails with the help of a potion. Tsunade was deeply confused; by all logic, it should have taken Kushina at least four or five years to reach this state.

"The Boss helped me, otherwise I wouldn't have improved so quickly," Kushina said with a smile. Kahn had not asked her to hide the Extremis virus, as it was too obvious—any injury she sustained would reveal it. Besides, Konoha had no way to deal with Kahn now, and her relationship with him had progressed rapidly; even if Hiruzen Sarutobi knew, he would be helpless to act.

"You mean Mr. Kahn? Kushina, don't tell me you also..." Nawaki guessed, having been a beneficiary himself and knowing exactly what she meant.

"That's right, the same serum that helped Nawaki recover. The Boss injected me with a dose. Lady Tsunade, I think I’ve also gained the power of Wood Release—at least, my Adamantine Chains can slowly absorb chakra from the Nine-Tails..." Kushina finished and made a cut on her arm. It didn't bleed; instead, a faint red glow flickered, and the wound healed as if it had never existed.

"It really is the Extremis serum. This guy... he’s truly generous!" Tsunade clicked her tongue. After the initial research was successful, she and Orochimaru had each received one dose, and she had given hers to Nawaki. This item was far too precious. Later, Tsunade had wanted to buy a dose from Kahn, but he had refused no matter what. It was impossible to measure the value of such a thing with money; after injecting it, Nawaki had become a renowned Jonin before even reaching his prime. One dose could create a God of Shinobi, so it was only natural it would be precious. However, Tsunade was a little envious that Kushina had obtained it so easily. Could it be that she...

"Kushina, you didn't..." Tsunade was just about to ask, but suddenly noticing Nawaki standing by, she quickly waved her oblivious brother away and leaned in to whisper in Kushina's ear.

"How could that be? No, absolutely not!" Kushina blushed and denied it vehemently. She did indeed owe the Boss a favor, but that had absolutely not happened.

However, Kushina couldn't help but let her mind wander. If the Boss really did ask for that, should she delay it for a while... or should she just agree?