Chapter 84: Uncle Invites You Over

A nightmare.

Memories that Tsunade had sealed away for years suddenly resurfaced, attacking her in her dreams.

Was it because she had returned to the Leaf Village, and seeing familiar sights brought back memories? Or was it because she had accidentally seen blood yesterday, which triggered this nightmare?

"Lady Tsunade, are you alright?"

Shizune was awakened by Tsunade's distress. Seeing Tsunade's pale face and sweat-soaked body, she couldn't help but be frightened.

"I'm fine, just had a dream."

Tsunade waved her hand dismissively, taking some time to compose herself.

Living on the run from debt was dull and boring.

Tsunade had no money to gamble and didn't dare to show off outside. If someone from the Leaf Village recognized her, her creditors would come after her, and she would have to run again.

So, the master and servant stayed cooped up in the inn until the afternoon.

Tsunade couldn't stand it anymore.

"I'm going out for a bit, I'll be back later." She left a message for Shizune and hurriedly left the inn.

Ten minutes later.

This time, Tsunade didn't get lost and quickly entered the gym, finding Dan.

In the guest room.

"I've agreed. When will the surgery start?" She asked straightforwardly.

"It's simple, just wait for me to invite my friend over."

Dan said this, got up, walked to the door, and called out with a smile, "Itachi, come over here."

"!"

Itachi, who was working out in the equipment area, was initially distracted. But hearing this voice, his body stiffened, and he slowly turned around.

Seeing his uncle grinning and waving at him, he felt a pang of anxiety. He was already developing a psychological shadow.

Could it be... he was going to spar with his uncle again...

The good news was, his uncle just wanted him to run an errand, to invite someone over.

"Kakashi was your team leader when you were in the Anbu, right? So you must have a good relationship with him. It's perfect for you to invite him."

Dan said to his nephew.

Hearing this, Itachi showed a troubled expression: "But, I've left the Anbu, and considering Kakashi's personality..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence, because he noticed that his uncle had stopped smiling and was looking at him expressionlessly.

"Itachi, you must believe in yourself. What's so hard about inviting someone? If you can't even handle this, your uncle here, well, I might get angry."

As Dan spoke, he patted Itachi's shoulder heavily as a form of encouragement.

Itachi: "..."

He endured the pain in his shoulder, not letting himself cry out.

More and more, Itachi felt that his uncle was like a giant baby. Everyone and everything around him had to go according to his wishes, and he never reasoned with anyone.

Unfortunately, this giant baby possessed immense power, making it impossible for anyone to resist his will, especially the unlucky Itachi.

So.

"I understand."

Itachi could only nod, silently turn around, and leave.

Watching his nephew leave, Dan was very satisfied. Itachi had been becoming more and more obedient lately.

All thanks to his uncle's effective education.

It seemed that he needed to intensify his efforts in the future.

"Prepare a meal, I'm expecting a guest." Dan instructed Samui, then returned to the guest room.

"Your friend is Kakashi?"

Tsunade, who had heard the conversation between uncle and nephew, couldn't sit still.

She stood up, furrowed her brows, and asked Dan: "The eye transplant surgery you mentioned... You're not planning to... take back Kakashi's Sharingan, are you? If that's the case, I refuse to perform this surgery."

"Why?" Dan feigned confusion.

"Because Kakashi is part of the Leaf's Anbu. I'm just a regular doctor. I don't want to get involved in the conflict between the Uchiha and the Leaf." Tsunade was very cautious.

"You're mistaken. I, Uchiha Dan, am not that petty."

Dan shook his head, gesturing for Tsunade to sit down. He then took out a container, showing her the three-tomoe Sharingan inside.

"This is..." Tsunade was a bit confused.

"It's not about taking it back, but swapping. We'll replace the Sharingan in Kakashi's eye with this one."

After Dan clarified his intentions, he emphasized, "And, this surgery must be performed without Kakashi's knowledge, so you'll have to help me keep it a secret."

Without his knowledge?

"How can we make sure Kakashi doesn't find out?" Tsunade was even more confused.

"That's your job." Dan hinted at Tsunade using some special methods.

While the two were conspiring,

Elsewhere.

Itachi didn't know where to find Kakashi, so he ended up going to the Anbu to ask.

"Halt! Itachi, you deserted the Anbu, and you have the nerve to come back?" An Anbu ninja blocked his path at the entrance.

"I left some personal belongings in the storage locker. I didn't take them with me." Itachi made up an excuse.

However, the Anbu ninja didn't like him and still wouldn't let him in.

Fortunately, Tenzo happened to pass by and helped Itachi out of the situation.

"Do you know where Captain Kakashi is? I have something to discuss with him." Itachi took the opportunity to ask Tenzo.

"Kakashi-senpai, huh..."

Tenzo stroked his chin in thought, his eyes lighting up as he confidently said, "I heard that a new book in the 'Icha Icha' series has been released. He's probably at the Shueisha bookstore!"

Upon receiving this news.

Itachi hurriedly headed towards the bookstore.

Kakashi, hands in his pockets, walked down the street, deep in thought.

Yesterday.

He and Tenzo had encountered a mysterious enemy. After reporting to the Third Hokage, they successfully protected the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

A crisis was averted.

The Third Hokage took this matter very seriously and immediately mobilized the Anbu to search for the enemy's whereabouts in and around the Leaf Village.

After returning home, Kakashi thought about it all night.

He finally came to a startling conclusion:

The Sharingan of the mysterious masked man was Obito's right eye!

That's why it resonated with his left eye, allowing them to share each other's vision.

Apart from this, Kakashi couldn't think of any other explanation.

After all, during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge.

After Obito's death, the Leaf Village couldn't recover his body. It was always suspected that it was taken by the Iwagakure ninjas.

Moreover, Kakashi noticed.

The masked man's teammate, the one with the Venus flytrap-like hairstyle, was proficient in Earth Release, and could disappear instantly by merging with the ground.

Was he indeed a Rock ninja?

However.

Why would a Rock ninja use Wood Release?

This point left Kakashi puzzled, and his brain was almost overheating from thinking about it.

He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it.

The only thing Kakashi was certain of was: If he encountered that masked man again, he would do everything in his power to reclaim Obito's right eye.

Whether he kept that eye with him or returned it to the Uchiha clan, Kakashi couldn't bear the thought of Obito's eye being desecrated by a Rock ninja.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the bookstore.

The next second.

Kakashi's gaze was drawn to the most prominent spot on the bookstand. He was deeply attracted by the title and cover of a book and couldn't look away.

Yes.

It was 'Icha Icha Paradise', the middle volume.

Snapping back to reality, Kakashi quickly went in to buy a copy, then hid in a corner of the bookstore, engrossed in reading.

Another blissful day of slacking off.

The Kakashi of the past.

Due to the deaths of his father Sakumo Hatake, his comrades Obito and Rin, and his teacher, the Fourth Hokage and his wife, he was plunged into a deep darkness and sadness.

Until his 18th birthday.

Jiraiya had given him 'Icha Icha Paradise' as a gift, saying that Kakashi was the first reader of this book.

Kakashi was flattered and quickly became engrossed in 'Icha Icha Paradise' after opening it.

He was hooked.

The content of the book was enough to make one blush at a cursory glance.

But Kakashi found Jiraiya's hidden philosophy of life and the way of the ninja between the lines.

The more he read, the more he discovered.

That's why he cherished this book so much.

Now, nearly three years later, the middle volume of 'Icha Icha Paradise' was finally published.

At this moment, Kakashi was flipping through the pages eagerly, putting all his worries and anxieties behind him.

Just as he was engrossed in the content of the book.

"Kakashi-senpai." A voice suddenly sounded in front of him.

Looking up, Kakashi was somewhat surprised to see Itachi. "Itachi, what brings you here?"

"Well... my uncle invited you to his house."

Itachi said nervously, worried that Kakashi wouldn't agree.

As expected. "Your uncle? Oh, you mean Uchiha Dan. I'm sorry, I'm currently on a mission and can't leave."

Kakashi politely declined the invitation.

As he spoke, he discreetly put away 'Icha Icha Paradise'. If Itachi asked, he couldn't exactly say that his mission was to slack off and read, could he?

Itachi sighed inwardly, having no other choice.

Reluctantly, he played the sympathy card with Kakashi: "My uncle said that if you don't come, he'll be angry with me. Please help me, Kakashi-senpai, I beg you."

After saying this, without waiting for Kakashi's refusal, he bowed deeply to him.

"This..."

Kakashi was caught off guard and felt somewhat helpless.

He remembered the night of the Uchiha clan meeting.

At that time, when the Uchihas wanted to take back his eye, it was Dan who stopped them and let Kakashi leave.

Although Kakashi didn't want to accept Dan's favor, a face-to-face thank you seemed... necessary.

Alright then.

With that thought, Kakashi said to Itachi, "I agree."

Upon hearing this, Itachi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The two of them left the bookstore together, heading towards the gym.

Along the way.

The surrounding villagers' discussions reached their ears intermittently, most of them about Dan.

From Dan's childhood expulsion for beating up a teacher, to his hiding in the village during the war instead of defending the Leaf, to his current actions of harming the Anbu and selling the bodies of fellow villagers for money...

All sorts of "heinous" crimes were exaggerated as they were passed around among the villagers.

In short.

In the eyes of the Leaf villagers, Uchiha Dan had become an unforgivable villain.

"How is this man still alive!"

When Dan's name was mentioned, everyone was filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could execute him themselves.

Kakashi was somewhat dazed.

The rumors his father, Sakumo Hatake, faced back in the day were probably not even a tenth as bad as what Dan was facing now.

"I wonder how Dan views all of this?" Kakashi couldn't help but ponder.

Itachi thought for a moment, then said, "I think with my uncle's personality, he wouldn't care about these things. If people say he's cruel and evil, he might even take it as a compliment."

Actually, Itachi left something unsaid.

Perhaps in his uncle's eyes, the villagers were just a bunch of chattering monkeys. No matter how loud they were, Dan would just treat it as monkey business.

Kakashi had no response.

If his father had had such a "big heart", perhaps he wouldn't have committed suicide.

Soon.

The two of them arrived at the entrance of the Body Modification Department and walked in.

Upon entering the gym, Kakashi saw the Inohi, Tetsuhi, and Hachidai trio training.

"Kakashi?"

Inohi, upon seeing Kakashi, remembered that the gym leader had let him go last time, so he didn't cause any trouble. Instead, he nodded at Kakashi.

In the eyes of the Uchiha clan members.

Kakashi was invited, and it was certain that he was discussing something important with the gym leader.

Kakashi felt uneasy about the friendly gestures released by Inohi and the others.

He didn't want to develop any relationship with the Uchihas.

So.

After seeing Dan, he would thank him for last time's incident and then leave as soon as possible.

"Uncle, I've brought Kakashi-senpai."

Itachi led Kakashi into the reception room, then retreated and closed the door.

A table full of food was set on the tatami mat.

In the room, besides Dan, there was also a strange blond nobleman sitting next to him, looking at Kakashi.

"Please sit." Dan gestured to Kakashi.

After Kakashi sat down opposite him, seeing the latter's puzzled gaze, Dan took the initiative to introduce: "This is Dr. Dan, a wandering doctor with superb medical skills. He shares my name, and he's a friend I just made."

As soon as his voice fell, Dr. Dan, also known as Tsunade, said to Kakashi: "Copy Ninja Kakashi, I've heard a lot about you! It's an honor to finally meet you in person today."

"You're too kind."

Kakashi politely replied, then directly asked Dan what he wanted with him today.

Upon hearing this, Dan said with a chuckle:

"No other meaning. I just wanted to get together with you, on behalf of the Uchiha clan, to thank you for spreading the fame of the Sharingan."

"It's the Sharingan that made me who I am. I should be the one thanking the Uchihas." Kakashi was very modest.

"In that case, let's have a drink."

Dan immediately picked up a bottle of sake, poured a glass himself, and handed it to Kakashi.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, thinking it would be rude to refuse, so he picked up the glass and drank it.

Then, after eating a few bites of food and chatting about some trivial matters.

Kakashi said: "I'm sorry, but I have a lot of Anbu tasks to handle, I can't be away from my post for too long, I have to go back."

What he didn't expect was.

"Of course. Work is the most important thing, you should go back." Dan was very straightforward, not holding Kakashi back at all.

Just like that?

Kakashi was taken aback, not understanding why Dan had invited him over.

Could it be that he was overthinking?

"Then I'll take my leave."

He said so, getting up with a sense of trepidation, and walked towards the door.

But he hadn't taken more than a few steps.

Kakashi felt a strong dizziness, his vision quickly blurred, and he swayed on the spot for a few moments before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

He passed out.

Seeing this.

"Your medicine is really good." Dan looked at Tsunade and praised.

"Of course." Tsunade wasn't modest at all.

Just now, in the glass of sake that Dan poured for Kakashi, she had mixed in a sleeping potion she had concocted.

Her sleeping potion was colorless and tasteless, and it was only after secretly experimenting on Jiraiya many times that she had developed it. Even he couldn't resist its effects.

Let alone Kakashi.

"So, let's get started. Do you need a surgery room?" Dan asked.

"No need, it's a minor surgery." Tsunade flicked her hair, full of confidence.

So.

Dan picked up Kakashi and placed him on the tatami mat, treating it as an operating table.

Then.

Tsunade stepped forward, lifted Kakashi's headband, used a tool to pry open his eyelid, revealing the Sharingan that could never be closed.

"Speaking of which..."

Before starting, Tsunade couldn't help but ask, "What's the point of using a three-tomoe Sharingan to replace another three-tomoe Sharingan?"

She couldn't understand this.

Dan's answer was, "Kakashi's left eye has a special commemorative significance for the Uchiha clan."

Hearing this, Tsunade didn't ask any more questions. She had heard that Kakashi's eye was a gift from a comrade before his death, but she didn't know who it was specifically.

She didn't care either.

Under Dan's gaze.

Tsunade quickly formed hand signs, then raised her right hand, and a pale blue mist of chakra enveloped her entire palm.

Chakra Scalpel.

This was a medical ninjutsu more complex than Mystical Palm Technique. It could be used to save people and hurt people, and it was more precise and sharp than a real scalpel.

Performing eye transplantation with this technique was a piece of cake.

"Dr. Dan, you're too good. Even compared to the legendary medical sage Tsunade, you're not inferior, even surpassing her."

While observing the surgical process, Dan started to flatter again.

Sure enough.

Hearing her own name, Tsunade was startled, her hand shook inadvertently, and she almost cut off half of Kakashi's face.

After realizing that Dan was just making a casual comment.

"You're too kind. How could I compare with Lady Tsunade? She's the sun and moon in the sky, and I'm just a tiny firefly."

Tsunade was unusually modest on the surface, but she was actually boasting about herself.

For Tsunade, this was indeed a minor surgery.

In less than ten minutes amidst their casual conversation, the eye exchange was completed.

Dan took the Sharingan from Tsunade, put it in a container, and then put it into a storage scroll.

Together with Shisui's eye.

In this way.

He had collected three Mangekyou.

Whether it was Shisui's Kotoamatsukami or Obito's Kamui, their abilities were too overpowered and could pose a fatal threat to Dan.

So these eyes had to be in his hands.

Tsunade cleaned the blood around Kakashi's eye, put the headband back down, and covered it.

"Will he notice anything strange when he wakes up?" Dan asked.

"Don't worry, he won't notice anything."

Tsunade patted her chest, guaranteeing it.

That's good.

Dan then opened the door and called Itachi in again.

"Kakashi-senpai, Kakashi-senpai..."

A voice was calling in his ear, causing Kakashi to slowly open his eyes.

He saw Itachi, as well as Dan, and others, all around him.

"What happened... to me?"

Kakashi's head was still a bit dizzy.

"You can't hold your liquor, you passed out after a few drinks."

Dan teased Kakashi, then instructed his nephew, "Itachi, take your senior back to rest well."

With Itachi's support, Kakashi left the gym.

"Itachi, you don't need to accompany me any further, I'm feeling much better."

After walking a distance, Kakashi said to Itachi.

After parting with Itachi, he came to the glass window of a roadside shop and lifted his headband.

Whoosh.

That three-tomoe Sharingan was still in his eye socket.

Kakashi touched it again, feeling that this eye was somewhat different from before, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly how.

Perhaps, he really was drunk, which was why he was being overly suspicious here.

Thinking about this.

Kakashi shook his head, put down his headband, and stopped overthinking.

He then took out the middle volume of "Make-Out Paradise."

And quickly became engrossed in it.