Kagerou had come to understand his own capabilities with clarity. His swordsmanship had reached the threshold of the Kage level, but even within that tier, there was a vast range of power. After all, both Senju Tobirama and Terumi Mei were considered Kage-level during the Fourth Great Ninja War, yet Tobirama's strength was clearly in another league.
By comparison, Kagerou's kenjutsu sat at the lower end of that spectrum. As a result, his overall combat ability placed him closer to a pseudo-Kage; formidable, but not quite among the elite just yet. To truly reach A-rank standing, he saw two paths forward: either elevate his proficiency in other areas such as Fire Release or taijutsu, or push his swordsmanship even further within the Kage tier. Either approach would bring his overall strength in line with a kage.
As Kagerou stepped out of the weapon shop, the weight of his new gear settling comfortably on his back, he nearly bumped into someone rounding the corner.
"Yo, Kagerou!" came a familiar voice.
He looked up to see two familiar faces. Hyūga Tatsumaki and Hatake Chiyu, his former teammates from their genin days.
Tatsumaki wore his usual easygoing grin, hands tucked into his sleeves, his pale byakugan eyes scanning the street behind Kagerou with casual disinterest. As a member of the Hyūga clan's branch family, Tatsumaki rarely let the oppressive traditions of his clan get to him. He laughed easily, joked often, and kept things light; that is, until someone mentioned the seal etched into his forehead. That topic shut him down faster than any genjutsu.
Beside him stood Chiyu, her white hair pulled back in a loose tail, a scroll case slung over one shoulder. Unlike Tatsumaki, she was less talkative, with a calm and calculating presence. The Hatake clan wasn't large, especially compared to powerhouses like the Uchiha or Hyūga, but it still held a seat on the Konoha Council. This was largely thanks to the Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang. Someone who was even stronger than the Legendary Sannin. Chiyu had definitely inherited the same talent from the clans samurai bloodline.
Kagerou gave them a nod. "Didn't expect to see you two out here."
"We should be the one saying that to you," Tatsumaki replied with a smirk. "Especially since you reportedly haven't left your house for the past several months."
Tatsumaki and Chiyu were the only two that knew Kagerou's talent with a sword. The original Kagerou had once been forced to use his kenjutsu to save his life during a dangerous mission, and they had seen him. several times after that, Chiyu offered to help him train with the sword, but he always refused decisively.
A hint of warmth permeated in Kagerou's chest, he was glad to have such caring friends in this world. In his past life he had friends too, but slowly lost contact with them as he worked long hours in his job.
"Why don't we grab a bite to eat?" he offered happily. "It'll be my treat,"
"Now that's rare, when was the last time you invited the two of us out?" remarked Tatsu in a teasing voice. "Of course! Let's go!"
Without waiting for Chiyu or Kagerou he began striding to one of the restaurants. Chiyu and Kagerou exchanged a glance before sighing in unison, then fell into step behind him. Tatsu always moved at his own pace, expecting the world to catch up to him.
As they walked, Kagerou matched his pace with Chiyu, both of them trailing a couple steps behind their overly eager teammate. After a couple seconds, he turned to her and broke the silence.
"How's the clan been holding up?" he asked quietly, careful to keep his tone neutral. Chiyu didn't like other's sticking their nose into her problems.
She didn't answer right away. Her expression remained composed, but there was a faint tightening at the corners of her mouth. "Not great," she admitted. "Ever since Sakumo-sama's mission failure, things have been... stagnant. The Hatake name still carries weight, but there's not much structure behind it anymore." And Sakumo-sama refuses to leave his room.
She glanced ahead, making sure Tatsumaki wasn't paying attention, then continued, "Kakashi's the official patriarch, but he's just a chuunin. No real political influence. And most of the senior jounin in the clan are either retired or constantly out on missions. No one's had the time, or interest, to focus on council matters or internal leadership. Especially with the war going on."
Kagerou nodded thoughtfully. "That explains why the Hatake seat has been quiet lately."
Chiyu gave a small shrug. "It's not like we have many options. The clan's still strong in skill, but politically? We're fading."
Kagerou hesitantly prompted, "Why don't you step in politically? I mean your a powerful elite jounin with a lot of influence in the village. If you took an interest in politics I'm sure the village and the clan would be all for it."
Chiyu sighed like she was expecting this question the whole time, "I don't have time to get involved with all that, I'd much rather spend that time training or on the battlefield. There's a fricking war happening for god's sake..."
Kagerou didn't prod further. He knew when to take a step back. Still, he couldn't help but worry for the future of the Hatake clan. In the original Naruto show, the only Hatake alive was Kakashi. Either that or the rest of the clan wasn't shown.
Kagerou didn't want anything to happen to Chiyu or Tatsu, they were basically his only 2 friends. As well as his sensei if that could be counted. Could it?
They walked in silence, both of them immersed in their own thoughts. Ahead of them Tatsu was already calling out to a server from a restaurant.
Kagerou spotted the restaurant ahead and the corner of his mouth twitched. Of course. The Akimichi clan's famous barbecue place, one of the most expensive restaurants in the village, known across the Land of Fire. He should've expected it the moment he offered to cover the meal. Same old Tatsu, never missing a chance to splurge on someone else's coin.
Kagerou slumped his shoulders and resigned to his fate. Then he remembered something – in worst case scenario he could get some money from Kaizan. When the system created a background for him it also gave him a house and an amount of money appropriate for a kage-level ninja who had done hundreds of A-rank and even a few S-rank missions. Kaizan had accumulated a fortune for himself.
With that in mind Kagerou relaxed and began to order, knowing he wouldn't be effected in the short term by this meal, no matter how much Tatsu ate.
Maybe he could even go back to the weapon shop and go on a shopping spree with Kaizan's money...