Night.
Kakashi sat with Jiraiya by the lake, warming themselves by a campfire.
The flames danced, drying Jiraiya's soaked clothes that hung above them.
Jiraiya, shirtless, looked grumpily at Kakashi beside him and said, "It's the second day of your marriage. Instead of accompanying your wife, you're hanging out here with an old man like me. Won't your wife throw a fit?"
Kakashi glanced lightly at Jiraiya, flipping the grilled fish he had caught from the lake. "Should I leave, then?"
Jiraiya felt a phantom toothache.
He didn't know who this kid learned from; the moment he opened his mouth, he seemed trying to piss people off.
Neither of them spoke further. Instead, they stared at the flames licking the grilled fish within the bonfire. Silence rose in that moment, with only the crackling sound of burning wood echoing in the night.
The dancing flames made their faces flicker between light and shadow.
"I need to go there."
Finally, Jiraiya took the initiative to speak.
"You lost. You should listen to me."
Kakashi remained unmoved by these words. He simply poked the bonfire with a stick, allowing the heat to distribute more evenly over the grilled fish.
"I am your Grandmaster!"
Jiraiya felt a bit helpless; this kid just wouldn't listen to reason.
"I am the Hokage."
Kakashi stopped Jiraiya's words in their tracks.
Jiraiya: "..."
Is it too late to object to Kakashi becoming Hokage now?
"The matter of the Rinnegan is grave. I cannot just ignore it," Jiraiya said seriously.
"Then why didn't you bring your Rinnegan disciple back to the village?" Kakashi retorted with a measured tone, leaving Jiraiya speechless once again.
This...
If he had brought Nagato back to the Hidden Leaf back then, perhaps none of this would be happening.
While Jiraiya felt annoyed with himself internally, he remained stubborn on the surface. "You can't stop me!"
Kakashi stood up. He glanced at Jiraiya's bare upper body, specifically the hideous scar on his chest. Then, gazing at the lake surface under the moonlight, he spoke unhurriedly:
"Three days ago, when Tsunade was bathing, you shamelessly peeped on her again."
???
Tsunade bathed three days ago?
And I actually missed it!
What a tragic missed opportunity!
Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, but then he immediately reacted, shouting angrily, "Don't you slander people, kid! I never peeped on Tsunade bathing!"
Kakashi looked at Jiraiya with a smile in his eyes and pointed to the chest that had once been caved in by Tsunade's punch. "Do you think Tsunade will believe you, an old pervert with a criminal record, or me, the impartial Fifth Hokage?"
???
Only then did Jiraiya realize—this bastard Kakashi was planning to frame him!
If he dared to leave, Kakashi would dare to drag his name through the mud in front of Tsunade!
This was simply too much!
"Don't you go too far, kid!"
Jiraiya stood up, grabbing Kakashi by the collar, clearly annoyed.
Kakashi glanced at his Hokage robe, which was now wrinkled from Jiraiya's grip. A look of mischievous amusement appeared on his face.
"What should you call me?"
Looking at Kakashi, who looked like he had complete control over the situation, Jiraiya felt a wave of discouragement. He took a step back, reached out to smooth the Hokage robe he had wrinkled, and said weakly:
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Jiraiya sat back down, grumpy.
The night breeze stirred the bonfire. Jiraiya had already made up his mind: even if Kakashi wasn't paying attention, he would sneak away.
At worst, he'd come back and take a scolding.
He had thick skin anyway.
"Naruto is only six years old."
As if he knew what Jiraiya was thinking, Kakashi suddenly spoke up.
"You're practically a grandfather to Naruto. Don't you want to watch him grow up?"
Jiraiya sat silently in place, not speaking.
"You have to understand..."
"If you die just for the sake of a so-called prophecy, in my opinion, that is undoubtedly the height of stupidity."
"I won't pursue your past mistakes, and I will cover for you."
"In the future, even if there are enemies, I will face them."
"If you want to die, fine."
"But you shouldn't die such a worthless death."
"I've said all I can say. I hope you will consider it."
Kakashi knew that if Jiraiya wanted to leave, he couldn't restrict Jiraiya's movements without breaking his legs.
So, he could only offer kind advice.
In Kakashi's view, Jiraiya's death in the original story was undoubtedly foolish and not worth it.
Wasting such an important combat asset just to find out the intelligence that 'Pain is not the main body.'
If Tsunade had been the one there, she probably would have realized at a glance that all six Pains were made from corpses.
Even Ibiki Morino, when fighting the Animal Path, realized he was facing a corpse just by touching the opponent's cheek.
Who is Jiraiya?
One of the Konoha Sannin, the most top-tier combat power in the Hidden Leaf at the time.
To die like that was too much of a waste.
Even if he had to die, Jiraiya should have died on a magnificent battlefield, died expanding the territory for the Hidden Leaf, or died defending against foreign enemies.
Not wasting his precious life just to scout out such useless intelligence.
Kakashi knew Jiraiya's personality was very stubborn, but he had done everything he could.
Everything that followed depended on Jiraiya's own choice.
Jiraiya watched Kakashi's departing figure in the night and sighed softly in his heart.
I've been underestimated, haven't I?
Does Kakashi really think that if I go to investigate Nagato, I will definitely die?
"Welcome home!"
The moment he returned home, a fragrant breeze hit his face, and his newlywed wife threw herself into Kakashi's arms with a joyful face.
"Why are you back so late?"
Hikari clung to Kakashi's body like a clingy cat, looking up at her husband with a small face filled with thick love.
"I ran into some things today."
Kakashi smiled with pity and gently stroked Hikari's cheek.
"What happened? Can I help?"
Feeling the slightly rough palm on her cheek, Hikari smiled infatuatedly.
"I wanted to learn Sage Mode, so I went to Mount Myōboku with Jiraiya and met Gamamaru. As a result, I was given a prophecy and rejected at the same time."
Kakashi told her the truth.
"?"
"Those damn toads really have a death wish. I'll go kill them all right now and make them into toad-skin clothes. If you need it later, Kakashi, I can use them to make tonic for you."
Hikari's expression shifted, but she continued to smile infatuatedly at her lover.
However, her words were full of terrifying implications.
"Uh, that won't be necessary. After all, Mount Myōboku has been of service to the Hidden Leaf."
"And if I, the Hokage, killed them all just because I was rejected, it would inevitably give people something to talk about."
Kakashi was stunned for a moment and rejected Hikari's proposal.
"Mmh, I'll listen to you. I'll let them off the hook!"
Hikari nodded heavily.
At this moment, Mount Myōboku had no idea they had just walked a lap around the gates of hell.
————
Supporting me on Pa-treon to gain early access to advanced chapters and enjoy expedited updates. Your support is greatly appreciated.
pat-reon .c-om/Dragonhair
(Just remove the hyphen - and space, to access Pa-treon normally.)