As soon as the Third Hokage finished speaking, Kakashi refused the suggestion without hesitation: "Let's not, Lord Third. Let White Fang rest peacefully with my father in the family shrine."
The living room of the Hatake ancestral home fell silent again. Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe for a long time before finally taking out a scroll and placing it on the table.
"Lord Third, what is this?" Kakashi asked in confusion.
"The Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. Naruto is about ready to start formal ninja training. This technique suits his body type the best. You can teach him the basic Shadow Clone Jutsu, and when he's a bit older, you can give him this."
Kakashi was silent. He could refuse other matters, but when it came to Naruto, he really couldn't say no.
"Then, on Naruto's behalf, thank you, Lord Hokage," Kakashi said as he put the scroll away.
"It's only right," Hiruzen replied. "I neglected Naruto's care before because of my busy duties. Now that he has you, I'm relieved. As for another jutsu, I've found a more suitable teacher for Naruto—he'll teach him personally in a few years."
Kakashi's expression changed slightly. If the Third was specially mentioning a jutsu for Naruto to learn, it was probably either the Fourth Hokage's famous Flying Thunder God or the Rasengan he developed later. Naruto might not be suited for the Flying Thunder God, so he guessed Sarutobi was referring to the Rasengan—and the person to teach it...
"Is Lord Jiraiya coming back?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes," Hiruzen replied with a smile. "That guy's been wandering long enough. It's time he came back and helped this old man a bit."
Kakashi didn't answer. He understood that bringing up Jiraiya now was a warning, both to him and to Uchiha Seiryu behind him. Unlike the now-aged Third Hokage, Jiraiya, master of Mount Myoboku's Sage Arts, would instantly become the strongest person in the village. Even though Seiryu was strong, there was still a gap between him and Jiraiya at full strength.
But was that really true?
Kakashi couldn't help but recall the night he'd seen Seiryu with that faint purple eye shadow at the corners of his eyes. And would Jiraiya really want to get involved in all this?
Seeing Kakashi lost in thought, Hiruzen spoke again: "Kakashi, are you really not going to consider running for Fifth Hokage? I'll have Jiraiya assist you."
"Please don't joke, Lord Hokage. Lord Jiraiya is far more qualified than I am," Kakashi said.
"You can't say that. I know that brat's personality too well. He'd never take on this burden from me," Hiruzen sighed.
"Lord Jiraiya will understand your intentions, I'm sure," Kakashi replied.
"Alright." Seeing Kakashi's firm attitude, Hiruzen dropped the topic. "Let's not talk about the Fifth for now. What are your plans?"
"Seiryu invited me to work at the Police Force, in charge of detaining and interrogating special-status criminals," Kakashi said. There was nothing to hide; as soon as he reported, the Third would know anyway, so saying it directly was more straightforward.
"The Police Force, huh?" Hiruzen's eyelid twitched. Kakashi's relationship with Seiryu seemed even closer than he'd thought, but he kept a calm face. "That's not a bad place. Seiryu is a good kid, full of the Will of Fire."
"Indeed, his understanding of the Will of Fire often makes me ashamed," Kakashi said expressionlessly.
"With young people like you around, I'm sure the First and Second Hokage would be very happy," Hiruzen said with emotion. "Well, Kakashi, I won't bother you any longer."
"I'll see you out." Kakashi went to stand, but Hiruzen pressed him back down.
"Coming so late already counts as an old man's imposition. I'll walk back myself—it'll help me digest, and I have to say, those noodles were delicious. No wonder Naruto loves them so much."
Even though the old man said so, Kakashi still escorted him to the door.
"Kakashi," Hiruzen said before leaving, his tone heavy, "Since you've picked yourself up again, you need to keep up your training. This old body of mine can hold out a few more years; I hope I can personally put the Hokage robe on you."
Kakashi didn't respond, but his silence was answer enough.
…
…
Time passed day by day, and soon three days had gone by since the village lockdown. After that incident, the village's security had visibly improved. The Police Force's workload had eased, and complaints had plummeted.
Kakashi had already started work at the Police Force's new facility by the Naka River. The Anbu sent by the Third to investigate the kidnapping of clan children with Orochimaru's involvement had also arrived. The Police Force dug up some old files, and the joint investigation team led by Seiryu was officially established.
Before the investigation began, Seiryu gave instructions in the meeting room: all involved members of the three clans were to be severely punished, their industries confiscated, and the victims' families compensated.
However, halfway through the meeting, Uchiha Inaho knocked on the door.
He whispered something to Seiryu, whose expression instantly turned… complicated.
…
Two hours earlier —
At the base of the Hokage Rock, which overlooked the village's largest hot spring district—a favorite spot for both ninja and civilians to relax after a long day—a white-haired pervert appeared.
This white-haired pervert was hiding in the bushes near the open-air baths, sticking his butt out and giggling creepily.
But before long, he was spotted by someone in the bath, whose scream brought the patrol squad running.
It took three teams to catch him, but eventually the white-haired pervert was dragged back to the Police Force. When some Uchiha captains saw who it was, they couldn't believe their eyes. Wasn't this the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya?
"Excuse me, everyone, the Police Force has urgent business I need to handle." Seiryu, forcibly suppressing the twitch in his mouth, excused himself from the meeting.