"Kiyosuke-san, what does Kakashi-sensei look like under his mask?"
One day, the three little ones suddenly ran up to Kiyosuke, eager to ask what Kakashi looked like behind his mask.
"Hm? You're all curious too now? Come to think of it, I did see it once when I was a kid."
Kiyosuke showed a nostalgic expression, which immediately caught the trio's attention. Then he chuckled and said,
"Curious, huh?"
"Mm-hmm!"
All three nodded vigorously.
"Figure it out yourselves."
Kiyosuke laughed heartily. Kakashi's face was shrouded in mystery—not something just anyone could see. Not even Naruto and the others were allowed to know, maybe to preserve that sense of mystique. Then again, Kakashi was a bit mean—he wouldn't even tell his own subordinates what he looked like.
"Ugh! Kiyosuke-san, that's exactly why we came to you!" Naruto shouted. He'd been counting on Kiyosuke to spill the truth about Kakashi's real face.
"Well… let's just say, he's a pretty handsome guy. That face could give mine a run for its money."
Kiyosuke was known throughout Konoha as a certified heartthrob. There weren't many in the village who could rival him in looks. Kakashi was one of them. The other was Haku.
Other than those two, no one else in Konoha came close!
"Arghhh! Now I'm even more curious!!"
Even Sasuke looked intrigued. And once Sakura heard Kakashi might be as handsome as Kiyosuke, she was just as eager to find out. At least he was good-looking—imagine if he had thick lips, buck teeth, or some weird tiny mouth under that mask…
"Alright, Sasuke! We'll tail Kakashi-sensei twenty-four seven until we catch him taking off that mask!" Naruto declared.
Nope. He even wore it to sleep!
But the three kids didn't seem discouraged. In a way, this was just part of Kakashi's playful back-and-forth with his students.
Kiyosuke simply watched from the side.
"Alright, figure it out yourselves. I've got stuff to do, so I'll be off."
Waving them off, Kiyosuke turned to leave. He still had missions and training lined up with Hinata's team. He wasn't about to waste time getting involved in such nonsense.
As the three continued whispering among themselves, someone nearby had heard everything.
"How interesting... Let's see what you've got."
The man with the dead-fish eyes smiled wickedly...
...
"Alright, today's mission is an escort mission. C-rank. We'll be helping the merchant get a few carts of goods safely to the Land of Iron."
At Konoha's main gate, Kiyosuke pointed to a few carts as he gave the rundown.
"Understood."
Shino nodded calmly.
"Got it! Right, Akamaru?"
"Woof!"
Kiba and Akamaru were full of energy, and Hinata responded in a small voice.
"Alright, let's move out."
He turned to the merchant.
"Got it! Let's go!"
The merchant was absolutely thrilled. He never imagined that for the pay of a C-rank mission, he could actually get someone like Kiyosuke. With him around, there was no need to worry about himself or the cargo.
He could even sleep peacefully at night. This was amazing.
Kiyosuke rode in the last cart. Shino took the front, while Kiba and Hinata flanked the convoy.
Shino sent his insects ahead to scout the road. Hinata locked down a one-kilometer radius with her Byakugan, and Kiba and Akamaru memorized the scent of everyone in the group.
Kiyosuke's team leaned heavily toward reconnaissance. There was no need to worry about ambushes on the road. Nothing could escape Hinata's vision.
Shino's bugs and Akamaru's sense of smell weren't just for show, either.
Of course, the road wasn't completely safe. There were bandits along the way—but they were so weak it wasn't even worth Kiyosuke lifting a finger. He let the three kids deal with them for practice.
The result: they tied the bandits to trees and left them to their fate.
If they were lucky, they might free themselves and escape. If not—well, the forest was full of wild beasts. Bound like that, they could easily end up as dinner.
But hey—if you chose to become a bandit, you had to be ready for this kind of outcome. No one to blame but yourself.
"Kiyosuke-sensei, I remember the Land of Iron doesn't have any ninja, right?"
On the road, Hinata asked quietly.
Kiyosuke nodded.
"That's right. No ninja. This country's strength lies in its samurai. It's a neutral nation with its own unique culture, its own governing system, and its own military force. A long time ago, the ninja villages agreed not to interfere with the Land of Iron. No one knows exactly why, but what we do know is that all three Great Ninja Wars avoided this country."
"In fact, the Five Kage Summits are usually held there—because it's neutral territory."
"Are samurai really that strong?" Kiba asked.
"The strong ones are. They're different from us ninja, who use flashy techniques and varied jutsu. Samurai rely on their swords. Skilled ones can take down ninja in a single strike."
Samurai could use chakra too. They focused it into their blades and attacked that way.
It was a more straightforward style, but samurai spent their lives honing their swordsmanship. As they aged, their physical strength might decline, but their technique only got more terrifying. A typical ninja wouldn't stand a chance against such a veteran.
The strongest samurai currently was the general of the Land of Iron—their leader—Mifune.
"I see… I really wanna fight one of them!"
Kiba laced his fingers behind his head and said it like it was no big deal.
Kiyosuke replied,
"I'd advise against it. A samurai your age probably wouldn't be a match for you, but the older ones? They'll end you in a flash."
Samurai and ninja peaked at different ages.
For ninja, power surged around age fifteen or sixteen. That's when the body's developing, chakra reserves are growing, jutsu speeds increase, and battlefield experience starts stacking up. But by their fifties or sixties, most start declining.
Samurai, on the other hand, only really start shining in their twenties. Against ninja of the same age, they're already dangerous. That's when their mind, body, and spirit reach their peak. The only thing they lack at that stage might be pure technique—but that, too, comes with time.
"Huh? Really?"
After hearing the explanation, Kiba asked,
"But if it's you, Kiyosuke-sensei, wouldn't you just one-shot them? I mean, you're immune to physical attacks!"
Being immune to physical damage was basically cheating!
"I wouldn't one-shot them. It might be easier for me to handle them, sure—but Kiba, not everyone's invincible. You think I'm strong, but that's only because your view of the world is limited."
"Exactly."
Shino chimed in out of nowhere.
"Kiba, your perspective is what's holding you back. You need to broaden your horizons."
"Hmph! All I know is Kiyosuke-sensei is the strongest! He's taken down two Hokage! Hey, Kiyosuke-sensei—how about giving me some special training, huh?"
Kiba grinned as he asked.
"I'm afraid you couldn't handle it. When I was your age, I was already on the battlefield. One wrong move, and I would've died. You guys are already living in a much more peaceful era."
That's why these kids didn't have any real sense of danger. And the next generation—Naruto's son's generation—would be even more sheltered.