A special thank you to all my patrons.
The List of My "Wandering Reader":
-[ ]
-Lord_Clamiral
-Cain
-Shahzaam
-Goha21
-Splendid
-Jacob Mooe
-Nathan king
-Varun Madhu
-Mp Gaming
-Paul Panzer
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
"Moreover, Kurenai's strength is more than sufficient to serve as a team leader for the new genin. Even if she's only at the level of a special jōnin… Her genjutsu is passable, at least. In other areas, she's relatively weaker—no glaring weaknesses, but no outstanding strengths either."
The advantage of kekkei genkai users was laid bare in situations like this. Take an Uchiha shinobi, for example. While Kurenai had to painstakingly hone her ninjutsu skills to grow stronger, an Uchiha only needed decent talent and a sufficiently developed Sharingan for their power to rise naturally. That was an innate advantage.
Otherwise, the shinobi world wouldn't have the saying: "If you encounter an Uchiha jōnin one-on-one, your best option is to flee." It wasn't that other jōnin were weak—it was just that Uchiha jōnin were overwhelmingly strong.
With Kurenai gone, Kazuki decided to go back to sleep—to sleep like the dead. Unfortunately, his plan was short-lived. Less than ten minutes after closing his eyes, he sighed in resignation.
"Kakashi, next time, you could just knock on the door. Or the window. There's no need to barge straight into my room."
"Sir, the Hokage has summoned you. The Hidden Cloud has sent envoys to the village, and your presence is required for the reception."
Once Tsunade had dumped external affairs onto Kazuki, she truly left everything to him. And now, with Cloud envoys arriving, she simply said, "Let Kazuki handle it." So here Kakashi was.
"Fine, I'll head over soon."
After returning from the Hidden Cloud, Kakashi had spent some time at the Daimyō's residence before quickly submitting a request to return to the village. Tsunade approved it personally, and even if the Daimyō was displeased, he had no choice but to accept the personnel change.
Unexpectedly, Kakashi dove straight back into the ANBU upon his return. What an unlucky guy. The shadows in his heart were already vast, yet he kept throwing himself into the darkness. Who knew when he'd finally break free?
In the original story, Kakashi had seemed to move on, but his heart remained closed off—only barely tolerating interactions with a select few. It wasn't until Pain's assault on Konoha, when Kakashi died and met his father, Sakumo, in the afterlife, that things changed. Sitting together by a fire, father and son shared a silent moment. Only after being resurrected did Kakashi finally open his heart completely.
After dressing, washing up, and making himself presentable, Kazuki arrived at the Hokage's office. When he stepped inside, he was mildly surprised by the identities of the Cloud envoys.
"Long time no see."
He smiled faintly at the two and gestured for them to sit. No need to stand around awkwardly.
"Long time no see."
Samui nodded coolly, while Mabui's lips twitched, her left hand instinctively moving toward her back. Clearly, the aftereffects of Kazuki's surprise kick from before still lingered.
"Congratulations to you both for passing the jōnin exams."
Kazuki glanced at the standard jōnin vests they now wore.
"If you really want to congratulate us, then show some sincerity. Your village's abrupt withdrawal from the exams caused significant damage to our village's reputation."
Samui's gaze turned icy. 'How dare you bring that up?'
Konoha had led the charge in leaving the Hidden Cloud, with other villages following suit. The result? A massive humiliation for the Cloud. While few dared mock them openly, the quiet ridicule was inevitable. And the root cause? Kazuki—because he was the one who walked out first.
"Your village was the one acting in bad faith by excluding Konoha. You should've considered the consequences before pulling such a stunt. Did you really think we'd just play along like fools? That's not how double standards work."
Kazuki shrugged. Whatever. It's not like Konoha was the one embarrassed. Besides, the Cloud started it. As one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha wasn't beneath them—no reason to grovel.
Seeing her companion grit her teeth, on the verge of snapping back—or worse—Mabui quickly grabbed her arm and shook her head. They weren't here to pick a fight. Their mission was to deliver an invitation. If they botched negotiations before even presenting it, they'd be held accountable.
Samui and Mabui were both rising stars in the Hidden Cloud, known for their composed demeanors—a rarity among Cloud shinobi. This had earned them the Raikage's trust. In the future, Mabui would even become his secretary—a position requiring absolute discretion given the classified intel involved.
But that was years away. Right now, neither had fully mastered the art of stoicism. A few exchanged sentences with Kazuki, and Samui was already close to losing her temper.
'Do all blonde, well-endowed women have violent tendencies?' Kazuki couldn't help but wonder. Tsunade was like that, and now Samui seemed to fit the mold.
Once Samui cooled down, Kazuki stopped provoking her. After all, they were guests—official envoys of the Hidden Cloud. Mistreating them would reflect poorly on Konoha.
"What brings you to our village? Currently, all external affairs fall under my jurisdiction. The Hokage is occupied with other matters and doesn't have time for this. So, if you have business, state it plainly."
"Can you make the decisions here?"
Kazuki didn't answer. Instead, he placed the Hokage Advisor's seal on the table.
Does this answer your question?
"Our apologies."
Mabui bowed slightly before producing an invitation and setting it on the table.
"Samui and I have been dispatched by the Raikage to deliver this invitation. We request Konoha's prompt response so we may report back."
Their mission was twofold: deliver the invitation and await a reply before returning. Clearly, A was impatient—eager to unite the Five Great Villages and strike a decisive blow against Akatsuki. Hence the dual-purpose delegation.
"In that much of a hurry?"
Kazuki picked up the invitation and skimmed it.
As expected, the hot-tempered Raikage had reached his limit. After repeated setbacks in the Hidden Rain, he was ready for all-out war. A direct assault by the Cloud alone would be costly, so A sought an alliance. With all five villages united, they could crush Akatsuki under sheer force.
The justification was ready-made—all that remained was action.
After reading, Kazuki deliberately frowned, hesitating as if struggling with his words.
Samui and Mabui tensed, bracing for a refusal.