The quiet monotony of the hospital room became a restrictive cage moments after the nurse and Tsunade left. Kakashi felt the sudden, profound boredom of enforced inactivity—a dangerous state for a mind accustomed to perpetual motion. He had to get to the hospital library.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed, placing his bare feet tentatively on the cool, linoleum floor. The instant his weight settled, white-hot agony surged through his legs and spine. It was a crippling, restrictive pain, as if his entire chakra circuit were violently squeezed.
'The pain is worse when standing, concentrated in the chakra endings in my feet. This continuous surge, if tolerated, provides real-time knowledge of my damaged circuits. The pain is data. I can handle it.' The thought gave him a clinical satisfaction.
He then looked down at the AHCS (Automated Healing Chakra Supplier), a rectangular metallic device connected to his arm via a needle and tube. A thick glass lens showed the slow, counter-clockwise flow of luminous green healing chakra. He knew he couldn't risk removing the needle; the AHCS was his forced, vital lifeline. If the needle must stay, the entire device must come with him.
Kakashi reached for the AHCS. As his fingers closed around the cold casing, another wave of excruciating pain surged through his body from the jostled flow. He fell heavily to his knees, clenching the metallic device. He pushed himself back up, his face momentarily contorted, then smoothing out into a grin of twisted pleasure.
'Excellent. Pain is the purest form of feedback. It confirms the volatility of the circuits and sets a baseline limit. This is superior to theoretical models. Every throb is a lesson in resilience.'
Disregarding the continued throbbing agony, Kakashi stood, the AHCS device still connected to his arm by the tube and needle, tucked it carefully under his arm, and hobbled purposefully toward the hospital library. His movements were slow, but utterly determined.
The hospital library was a quiet, dimly lit space, smelling faintly of old paper and dust. It was dedicated mostly to medical texts and basic Konoha history. Kakashi quickly ignored the first shelves and made his way to the political and military history section. He was searching for one specific figure: the historical shadow behind the First Hokage's light.
He located a heavy, leather-bound volume titled, The Legacy of the Second Hokage: Architect of the Modern Shinobi System.
He was looking for the architect of the Konoha system, Tobirama Senju. The book established the Second Hokage as the ultimate antithesis to his brother Hashirama: a cunning, clinical, and intellectually ruthless leader whose decisions were based on unemotional, strategic necessity—an philosophy Kakashi found instantly resonant.
Kakashi settled into a secluded chair near the back and began to read with full, intense concentration. The book detailed Tobirama's major works, like the Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Flying Thunder God Technique (Hiraishin), and analyzed his more controversial, high-risk creations, often only hinted at as forbidden.
Kakashi devoured the most important section: "The Calculus of Jutsu Creation." The book explained Tobirama's four-step process for invention:
Finding the Problem: Identify the specific tactical or strategic problem the jutsu will solve. (Seeing a battle as a solvable equation.)Visualization and Form: Imagine precisely how the jutsu will look and function—its elemental form, trajectory, and outcome. (Giving the raw chakra direction.)Chakra Circulation: Devise the specific pathway and intensity needed to circulate chakra through the body to prepare the technique. (Pure anatomy and control.)Execution and Shaping: Give the circulating chakra the desired form using hand signs or nature manipulation. (The decisive action.)
'This is great theory, academies don't teaches this kind of staff . I must find more books that talk about jutsu creation. Having my own signature jutsu like my father will be great.' The systematic nature of the approach appealed directly to his genius, turning chaotic creativity into a logical, four-step process.
A few hours later, back at the hospital entrance, Rin and Obito arrived. Rin held a small, colorful bunch of wild flowers, her expression tight with worry. Obito came empty-handed, unsure how to approach his friend. They hurried to Kakashi's room only to find the bed empty. Rin's worry instantly spiraled into raw panic. She rushed back out and saw the nurse, Shizuko.
"Excuse me!" Rin pleaded, her voice shaking. "Have you seen Kakashi? He was in this room!"
Shizuko looked at Rin kindly, speaking in a reassuring, gentle tone. "Yes, dear. He woke up a few hours ago. Such good news!"
Rin started to panic even more, her voice rising to a frantic pitch. "But he's not in the room now! We can't find him!"
Alarm flashed across Shizuko's face. She set the bowl of soup down in Kakashi's room, immediately noticing the wide-open window. She checked the bed, saw the missing AHCS device, and her professional composure cracked.
"Don't panic," Shizuko said to Rin and Obito, though her voice was strained and hurried. "He's probably fine. " She rushed out and asked a nearby visitor, speaking loudly, her tone strained with urgency, if they had seen a child with white hair and a mask.
A male shinobi, a Jōnin aged around 36, who was sitting opposite Kakashi's room, answered, speaking in a calm, flat tone: "He went downstairs, ma'am."
Shizuko rushed back to the panicking children. She told them, her voice firm with desperation: "Obito, you will go to Kakashi's house. I will look around this place with Rin. We must find him now. Do you understand?"
"Yes!" Obito replied, his voice small and scared.
As they passed the second floor, Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, appeared by an operation room, his face etched with mission fatigue. He asked, his tone light but concerned: "Where are you three rushing? Is everything alright?"
"Minato-san!" Rin cried out. "We can't find Kakashi anywhere! Have you seen him?"
Minato paused, his tone turning serious. "No, I just arrived here a few minutes ago. One of my comrades got poisoned on the mission, so after completing the mission, I directly teleported here. Why? What happened?"
Rin quickly explained, her voice tight with fear: "We can't find where Kakashi is. He left his room. He's connected to a healer!"
Minato's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed in understanding. "I know how to find him. Don't worry. This won't take long."
He instructed them, his tone calm and authoritative, to place their hands on his back. As soon as all three did, Minato stretched out his right hand, and in a blinding yellow flash, they were instantly gone.
In the hospital lobby, Kakashi was sitting in a chair, completely lost in his book. Suddenly, he felt this weird, unfamiliar pull near his shoulder. It wasn't a physical force, but a strange distortion in the air, pulling toward him. He snapped the book shut (keeping his finger on the page, of course!) and looked back, totally unfazed, as a whole crowd suddenly popped into existence next to him.
Rin, completely blown away by relief and pure rage, totally lost it. She hauled off and smacked Kakashi on the head, screaming at him at the top of her lungs: 'You idot! Seriously, what's wrong with you? Didn't Tsunade-sama told you to stap put! You almost died that day! How could you scare us like that?
Obito flinched, retreating a step and watching Rin. He thought, 'I will never offend Rin ever again. She is terrifying.'
After shouting for some time, Rin looked away, tears still stinging her eyes, and her tone softened to a sad whisper. "I brought you flowers. They are on the bed of your room. Don't you dare leave them there to wilt."
Obito, still paralyzed, thought, 'What do you say to your friend in this situation? Oh, I don't know. Better stay quiet. I hope they don't look at me.'
Shizuko, the female nurse, regained her composure, throwing up her hands in exasperation. Still furious, she reached out and put another punishing punch on Kakashi's head. Her tone was laced with exhaustion and anger: "Don't you wander off anywhere you want without saying anything! You are a patient, not a Jōnin on a solo mission! Honestly, I've had enough for the week!"
Rin, her anger spent, managed a sad smile. She spoke softly: "We will be going for today. Take care of yourself."
As they started walking toward the exit, Kakashi stopped them. He spoke clearly, his voice low with genuine, if calculated, gratitude: "Thank you, Obito and Rin. Thank you for saving me. I won't forget it."
Rin shook her head, tears in her eyes. Obito, relieved to escape the emotional wreckage, offered a clumsy thumbs-up and said, in a loud, competitive voice: "Come to school as soon as possible. I just learned a new fire jutsu. I will show you! It's super strong!"
Kakashi instantly shot back a rare, dry joke. His tone was mocking and superior: "What is it for, grilling chicken? Because that's all your Fire Style usually can achieves."
Obito's face instantly twisted in a mad expression of offense. He yelled back: "I will grill you alive! Just come to school! You just wait, Kakashi!"
Rin chuckled, seeing their brief, familiar childishness return. Then they both left.
Shizuko, the nurse, looked at Kakashi with a tiered expression and said, in a defeated tone: "Just take your books and go back to your room. I brought your breakfast. And don't you dare leave again." She then left.
Minato stepped closer to Kakashi, his tone quiet and knowing. "Just a tip: try not pissing off cute girls. They are very dangerous. And trust me, a furious Kunoichi is worse than a dozen enemy ninja." He then started to think about his own girlfriend and started to walk away, but Kakashi stopped him.
"How did you appear behind me without me noticing?" Kakashi asked, his professional curiosity overriding all else.
Minato smiled, his tone gentle and proud. "Without you noticing? I clearly saw you looking at me the moment I got here."
Kakashi replied, his tone analytical: "I looked back when I felt something was off with the air and the space behind it. I cannot tell what was off, but something was off, and then you were here."
Minato showed his open palm, which had a faint, complex spiral mark. He explained with a pedagogical tone: "Can you see this writing? This is a sealing-type jutsu. I can teleport to wherever this seal is placed. It is called the Flying Thunder God Technique."
'Flying Thunder God Technique?' Kakashi thought, a wrinkle forming beneath his mask. 'That's a weird name. Couldn't he have made it shorter? It's too clunky. Something like Instant Transportation Jutsu would be much more efficient.'
Kakashi immediately demanded, his voice sharp with genius curiosity: "What, what, what kind of technique is that?"
Minato commented, his tone casual: "I placed it on your skin when I went to check on you when you were unconscious. Hope you didn't mind."
Kakashi immediately understood the implications. He replied, his tone appreciative and businesslike: "Of course not. But why on my skin, Minato-san?
Minato shrugged. He explained logically: "You just changed your clothes. I would have teleported toward your clothes if I had placed a seal on your clothes. Your body is a much more reliable anchor."
Kakashi nodded once. "I understand. I am indebted to your intervention, Minato-san."
Minato started to leave and then looked back, his gaze warm and sincere. "Stay safe, Kakashi. You've got the makings of someone truly great. Don't waste that brilliance being reckless."
The lobby became empty once again. Kakashi stood up, took the strange AHCS device, and a few heavy books about the Second Hokage and his experiments. He knew, from his current reading, that there were a lot of forbidden experiments and jutsu that would not appear in this public book. Still, Tobirama obviously did some forbidden things that were only written in forbidden scrolls or taken to his grave.
He went to his room, quickly gulped down his liquid food, and finished the book he had taken from the library. After finishing it, a soft but utterly sinister smile came to his face beneath his mask.
'Maybe I should make a new jutsu of my own'