"Kakashi! I heard you achieved ultimate victory in the previous battles! Truly worthy of being my eternal rival!"
Kakashi was nonchalantly walking home after some shopping, a large paper bag cradled in his arms, filled with various foodstuffs… seemingly nutritious, but actually all instant convenience food. Just then, someone hurried up behind him, gave his shoulder a forceful slap, and bellowed out these words.
That overflowing enthusiasm, the complete lack of situational awareness, the overly familiar way he acted, and the utter unawareness of his own strength when delivering that slap—Kakashi didn't even need to turn around to know who was beside him. Might Guy. Who else could it be? Kakashi's personality leaned towards laziness, and he was never warm towards others, easily giving off an aloof impression. Consequently, besides someone as thick-skinned and oblivious as Guy, who else would actually become his friend?
The pain from the sudden blow almost made Kakashi lose his composure, but thankfully, he always wore that mask. He didn't bother reprimanding Guy, though. Guy was just like that, even more self-absorbed in his own world than Kakashi. Such criticisms were useless; Guy would just assume it was a joke.
"Wasn't that whole event relatively confidential? How come it feels like rumors are everywhere?" Kakashi asked, pulling an apple from the paper bag and tossing it to Guy as he spoke.
"Well, it wasn't exactly top secret. The rumors aren't everywhere, still just circulating within a small circle. I heard about it from a Jonin-senpai who participated… Besides, it's not a rumor, it's fact, isn't it?" Guy replied.
"True, quite a few Jonin did participate in the battles… or rather, the competition, might be more fitting," Kakashi conceded, finding Guy's explanation reasonable enough.
"So, Kakashi, does this mean you're now Konoha's strongest Jonin?" Guy pressed.
Seeing Guy practically vibrating with the urge to challenge him on the spot, Kakashi immediately launched into a rapid-fire denial. "I'm not, I didn't, don't be ridiculous…"
The title of Konoha's Strongest Jonin was far too exaggerated, regardless of how one looked at it. Even if Kakashi couldn't quote the saying "The tallest tree catches the wind," he understood the principle. Anyone bearing a title like "Strongest" was bound to come to a bad end eventually.
Not only would enemies target him, but more importantly, he'd face strange looks from ninja within his own village.
"Firstly, only a small fraction of Jonin participated in that event, not all of them. How can the winner claim to be the strongest? Secondly, my victory was largely due to luck. In fact, some of the Jonin I fought were clearly stronger than me. I just used some unexpected moves, and such techniques tend to be most effective the first time they're seen. Once witnessed, they probably won't have the same impact again," Kakashi explained.
Kakashi believed Habara was stronger than him. Ninja were supposed to be glass cannons, yet some people betrayed that fundamental rule. Kakashi felt that, at least until he mastered his new combination techniques, he couldn't challenge Habara head-on; he had practically no confidence in winning again right now.
In short, Kakashi's explanation was very convincing; he certainly wasn't the strongest. However, it utterly failed to convince Might Guy.
"Hahaha! Kakashi, regardless, your strength has made unimaginable progress recently! As destined rivals, our last duel seems like a distant memory! How about it, Kakashi? Isn't it necessary to check up on each other's current condition? Although your strength has improved quickly, I haven't been idle during this time either!"
One could easily imagine the expression on Guy's face as he said this—brimming with confidence, no doubt.
Kakashi immediately shook his head. "No, no, no, I really don't think that's necessary at all."
"Haha! Kakashi, you're as shy as ever! Anyway, you don't have anything else going on right now, do you?"
Shy? Am I supposed to confess my love to you or something? This was clearly disdain, Kakashi thought silently. Regardless, he couldn't change his fate of being "arrested" today.
As they say, when a woman chases a man… huh, well, the meaning was clear enough.
A very profound question lay before Habara: could something like "Senjutsu" be mastered through innate talent alone, without a teacher? Theoretically, the concept was relatively simple—like mixing cooking oil, just a 1:1:1 ratio. But would the actual practice be that smooth?
The answer was likely no. Self-exploration would probably be like a blind man describing an elephant—only grasping parts of the whole.
So, the question became: if he couldn't figure it out himself, where could Habara learn Senjutsu?
It was common knowledge that the peak of power in this world was incredibly high, yet the paths or methods to reach that peak were few. Simply put, even just for self-preservation, a systematic, genuine Senjutsu framework was indispensable for Habara. Otherwise, perhaps even someone like Nagato could probably smash his head in easily.
Currently, Habara's use of natural energy was too crude. Against ordinary enemies, it seemed he could just mindlessly overwhelm them. But by his own assessment, the power gap between him and true powerhouses was still quite significant.
Imagine if Tendo Pain got serious and hit Habara with a Shinra Tensei. Could he withstand it? He could probably survive it, but surviving might leave him incapacitated.
The channels for learning Senjutsu basically boiled down to Orochimaru and Jiraiya. In terms of alignment, Habara's relationship with Jiraiya might seem more plausible. However, the requirements for Jiraiya to take someone to Mount Myoboku definitely weren't just "be a Konoha ninja"—Habara wasn't even originally from Konoha.
In relationships maintained by emotion, where judgments were swayed by subjective impressions, Jiraiya likely wouldn't consider Habara a trusted confidant. Furthermore, the Pervy Sage's goal had always been the "Child of Prophecy." Habara's personality was so… unconventional; he didn't look like the world-saving Child of Prophecy by any stretch of the imagination.
Conversely, Orochimaru, who operated purely based on relationships of mutual interest, felt substantively closer—more tangible and accessible. Habara had previously managed to snag some benefits from Orochimaru, subsequently claiming the Ryumyaku of Roran for himself. So perhaps he could continue obtaining advantages from Uncle Snake. As the saying goes, if you want wool, fleece the snake.
Habara needed to find an opportunity to reconnect with Orochimaru.
As evening approached, Habara clocked out right on time. He first left the core Konoha area through the main gate, then circled around the high outer walls for half a turn before arriving at his own residential area.
When he reached his doorstep, he found someone already waiting there.
"You are?" Habara stopped, looking at the person blocking his doorway.
The person stepped aside, clearing the entrance, and handed Habara a rather formal-looking envelope. However, they didn't answer Habara's question or introduce themselves, instead stating directly, "Habara-sama, my clan head invites you for a meeting tomorrow."
Alright, he didn't really need to introduce himself. Just looking at his eyes, Habara knew this was a Hyuga ninja.
"The '-sama' suffix isn't necessary. You mean the Hyuga clan's Patriarch Hiashi invites me for a meeting?" Habara's face was full of confusion. He'd had minimal contact with the Hyuga clan all this time. Why would they suddenly want to see him? They had no connection whatsoever.
Compared to the Hyuga, Habara's interactions with the Uchiha could be considered frequent.
"Yes, Habara-jonin," the Hyuga ninja replied.
Habara opened the invitation directly. After reading it through, he pondered for a moment before replying, "Inform your clan head that I will arrive as scheduled."
In truth, the invitation contained no substantial information, just polite formalities. Habara still didn't know why the Hyuga clan wanted to see him, but he decided to agree first. After all, they were being polite, and they were all villagers of Konoha; there was no need for Habara to be impolite.
The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, Habara arrived at the Hyuga clan's residential area right on time. The Hyuga ninja he encountered there were extremely courteous, and the arrangements made were very respectful.
However, the subsequent meeting setup threw Habara for a loop. The invitation he received yesterday stated that Hiashi Hyuga was inviting him, but the person actually receiving him today was Hiashi's younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga.
There was a considerable difference between the elder and younger brother. The elder brother, patriarch of the Main House, could represent the entire Hyuga clan, whereas Hizashi was merely a member of the Branch House.
If faced with someone more particular, this distinction alone might be enough cause to leave in a huff. Fortunately, Habara was a very magnanimous person. He didn't particularly care whether he was facing the elder or younger brother; he just wanted to figure out what these people wanted from him.
In the reception room, Hizashi Hyuga explained Hiashi's absence in a manner that was extremely humble, apologetic, yet sincere. "My deepest apologies, Habara-jonin. My elder brother was unable to be here due to an unforeseen urgent mission. I hope you can understand his absence."
"It's alright. Missions take priority," Habara smiled, indicating he didn't mind. "I've had very little contact with your Hyuga clan. I wonder why you sought me out this time?"
He got straight to the point, cutting off any potential pleasantries or warm-up talk from Hizashi. Be polite when necessary, discuss business when necessary; let's not waste each other's time.
Seeing Habara's genuine directness, Hizashi dropped his smile. He composed himself, adopted a serious attitude, and waved towards the entrance of the reception room.
At his gesture, a middle-aged woman led a small child into the room.
"This is my son, Neji Hyuga. I make this bold request, hoping that a powerful ninja such as yourself, Habara-jonin, might consent to instruct my humble son in the ways of ninjutsu…"
Habara: "Er…"
He lowered his head, his gaze meeting the child's clear, innocent eyes. Who's this? Ah, so it's the "human-shaped perennial woody plant incubator."
Immediately after, Habara seemed to understand something… Wool comes from the snake? Nonsense! Clearly, the wool is coming off me this time!