Chapter 177

Kaito had no idea what kind of decision Asuma had ultimately made, but for him, any decision would be acceptable.

The main concern was the time it would take to train new shinobi afterward; stability was the key and most important factor after all.

At that moment, he was sitting in a private room booked by Kakashi and couldn't help but marvel at the young man's extensive connections.

Not only did he see Iruka and former members of Minato Namikaze's guard team, but also individuals like Kurenai, Might Guy, Ebisu, and Shibi Aburame, among others.

One should note that many among them were not of the same generation. They were merely survivors of the same batch that had endured the worst of the three great wars.

Beyond these familiar faces from the manga, the presence of Yamato—whom Kakashi had duped—also left Kaito somewhat speechless.

And judging by his appearance, Yamato, like Kakashi, had opted to leave the Anbu.

This intrigued Kaito. With both individuals who had once led and organized the Anbu under Hiruzen Sarutobi gone, who was in charge now?

"Could it be a descendant of the Senju clan?" Kaito amusingly pondered. But that was it; the state of the Anbu had little to do with him. He hadn't given thought to meddling in their affairs.

The security division under his command was already substantial enough, requiring all his focus to manage. Where would he find the time or mood to care about the Anbu?

"You could say that, except for Asuma, everyone has come."

While Kaito assessed these future pillars of Konoha—or 'old acquaintances' now making strides in various departments of the Leaf—

They too were quietly sizing him up. After all, Kaito's reputation was massive, and they hadn't expected Kakashi to actually invite him.

Currently, Kaito was the head of Konoha's most prominent clan and also led the security division, making him one of the village's de facto ministers.

Such an individual had, quite bluntly, outpaced all of them. Hence, they were genuinely surprised by Kaito's appearance.

Moreover, they hadn't had much interaction with him. The age gap was evident, and they had only vaguely heard some stories about Kaito.

They knew that he was a prodigy from a young age, and beyond that, his personality was incredibly amiable. The type who, if you had no qualms with him and could engage in conversation,

Would assuredly reciprocate, and might even become a decent friend of yours.

This disposition was starkly different from their impression of the Uchiha clan, though it did resemble the Uchiha clan after their transformation under his leadership.

However affable a person may be, Kaito is an individual whose feats are sufficient to be recorded in Konoha's history books.

That fateful night, that one battle, that world-shattering slash, and the lifeless body left behind by the Third Hokage, all indisputably attest to Kaito's formidable nature.

Of course, they knew there was nothing wrong with what Kaito had done. Following the death of the Third Hokage, details about Root had been continuously disclosed, corroborated by the Third Hokage's own admission.

Almost everyone in Konoha approved of Kaito and the actions of their Seven Great Clans; countless people were profoundly grateful to them.

But to have such a person appear among them, or should I say, among any group of people, would inevitably induce a sense of tension, wouldn't it?

"I say, everyone, could you not look at me with those eyes?"

Seemingly sensing the awkwardness in the room, Kaito helplessly spread his hands.

"Though your gazes do flatter me—after all, everyone has their vanities—

But if everyone looks at me like that, it's not going to be good, is it? Humans do need friends, don't they?"

"Ah... um... yes, yes!"

Kaito's words stunned everyone in the room for a moment before they quickly responded. His words made them wonder if perhaps they had been overthinking things.

"Today is a good day for Kakashi. I've reviewed the records; I know why Kakashi entered the Anbu."

Kaito didn't pay mind to the crowd's mood; maintaining his smile, he turned to Kakashi.

"Unfortunately, some things might be hard to change, but at least you're trying, aren't you?

What I told you at the Third Hokage's funeral, I hope you'll keep it in mind. You are you, not a shadow of anyone else.

Rather than dwelling on a melancholic past, look ahead. Raise your head and look around you; you have so many friends and so many people who care about you.

If you continue in your previous state, you'd be letting down not just Obito and Rin, but also all these friends."

Kaito's words, though sounding like an elder reprimanding a younger or a superior instructing a subordinate, were utterly reasonable.

And those words stirred up enormous goodwill among everyone present, all of whom deeply cared about Kakashi.

Even Guy and Kurenai had once thought of helping Kakashi leave the Anbu, and indeed, they had done something toward that end.

Alas, the death of Sarutobi Hiruzen led this matter to a premature end.

What they didn't anticipate was that Kakashi would voluntarily choose to leave the Anbu, a decision that certainly eased the tension for everyone involved.

"I understand now. Thank you for the reminder, Director Kaito."

Kakashi nodded seriously. He had a lot of respect for Kaito, despite the rollercoaster their relationship had gone through—from initial distrust, to feeling exploited, to ultimately recognizing Kaito's wisdom and becoming trusting.

Kakashi was further grateful when Kaito, in alliance with the Six Great Clans, overthrew the Third Hokage's reign and restored the honor of his own father. In many ways, Kaito changed him, clarifying many things in his heart. And being a member of the Uchiha clan only intensified Kakashi's innate sense of closeness to Kaito.

Therefore, he trusted Kaito, took his advice to heart, and truly decided to change!

"Call me Kaito. There's no 'Director' here; you are not my subordinates after all."

Kaito spoke with a laugh. But then, as if remembering something, he added,

"Of course, if you're interested in becoming my subordinates, that's an option. The Security Division is always recruiting, after all."

Kaito's light-hearted comment instantly relaxed the atmosphere. One couldn't say he was a social recluse or agoraphobic in his previous life. Nonetheless, he had gained some skills in socializing during his college years and working career. Diffusing tension wasn't particularly challenging for him.

With his intervention, the atmosphere quickly livened up. However, to his surprise, Anko Mitarashi quietly moved to his side.

"May I call you Kaito directly?" Anko looked up at Kaito with wide eyes, a look that was rather appealing, truth be told.

Anko, in Naruto's era, was someone Kaito found quite attractive. Unfortunately, they weren't of the same generation. And from what he recalled, in Boruto's era, her incessant indulgence in sweets had distorted that figure he admired so much.

But the woman standing beside him now was not that future matron who had let herself go. At this point, her figure was more reminiscent of the Naruto era, even appearing somewhat more youthful.

"Of course," Kaito said, nodding with a smile. "Then I'll simply call you Anko."

"Huh, you actually know Anko?" Sitting not far away, Kurenai couldn't help but shoot them a curious glance.

"Of course, I know each and every one of you, just as you know me."

Kaito spoke with a smile. He had always retained his memories of the original characters. This, which seemed rather ordinary to him, evidently left quite a different impression on the others, Kakashi aside.

The fact that a personage like Kaito could remember them was an honor indeed, deepening their fondness for him even further.

"Is there something on your mind? Feel free to speak," Kaito shifted his gaze toward Anko, asking somewhat curiously.

"Well, recently...," Anko hesitated for a moment but finally spoke. "I felt as if my teacher has returned."

"Your teacher?" Might Guy looked at Anko quizzically; his reaction wasn't particularly fast.

Consumed by the thought of sparring with Kaito, he hadn't really registered what Anko was talking about. However, the others did— their faces subtly shifting, as they were unaware of this matter.

"Ah, that. I am aware, I even met with him," Kaito immediately understood what Anko meant. He chuckled softly before continuing slowly.

"He indeed visited Konoha briefly, with a simple mission: to pay his respects to his own teacher. Both the Hokage and Lady Tsunade are aware of this, and I had Shisui—my deputy clan head—monitoring him.

His skills are formidable and he possesses a heightened anti-surveillance instinct. Shisui couldn't trace him in the end, so we had no choice but to let him leave."

Kaito's words made everyone involuntarily swallow. They hadn't expected such a dangerous individual to lurk in the background during the funeral of the Third Hokage.

Orochimaru's reputation was not just for external show; he was an internally revered and feared figure.

"Why didn't you kill him..." At this point, Anko's fists tightened. "Given your power, you should have been able to..."

"What are you thinking?" Kaito interrupted Anko abruptly, suddenly questioning whether he should have answered her question in the first place.

After all, Anko's relationship with Orochimaru as a student and teacher was quite complicated.

When you really think about it, it makes sense. Anko had such reverence for Orochimaru, yet when Orochimaru left, he didn't even consider taking her along. This seemed to indicate he didn't have much faith in her. Moreover, Orochimaru left her with an immature curse mark, a thing truly agonizing to bear.

Kaito also remembered that Orochimaru's defection led to the elimination of quite a few ninjas in Konoha. These were people wholly supportive of Orochimaru, or at least those with significant ties to him. Konoha was worried these individuals knew too much.

Anko was fortunate enough to survive this purge, but it's evident that the ordeal, compounded with Orochimaru's abandonment, filled her heart with real resentment. She genuinely hoped Kaito could eliminate Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru isn't someone who can be so easily eliminated. To some extent, he is also taking the blame for his own teacher," Kaito gently shook his head. The idea of taking down Orochimaru wasn't practical. This guy was almost unkillable.

Besides, Orochimaru's worth was considerable. How could Kaito possibly want to eliminate him? Kaito was waiting for Shisui's Body Flicker Technique to improve before making trouble for Orochimaru.

However, Kaito seemed to think of something quickly. His gaze involuntarily fell upon the back of Anko's neck. Although it was covered by clothes, Kaito was quite sure that it should be right there!

After some thought, Kaito finally spoke with a smile.

"I'm sorry; this is something I probably can't do for you. However, there are other matters where I could be of assistance."

"What kind of assistance?" Anko's voice was somewhat dispirited, but Kaito's words still made her lift her head.

"Something that shouldn't have been on you in the first place has nonetheless left an almost indelible mark."

Kaito chuckled softly. Subconsciously, his fingers began to tap on the table.

"Such as, a certain mark..."

//

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