The sea breeze blew gently as the small wooden boat sped across the vast ocean, its engine roaring steadily.
Feeling the wind on her face and inhaling the salty air, the Uchiha girl held a coconut, sipping its water while gazing at the unfamiliar island where she had spent five hundred years.
With a splash, she tossed the empty coconut into the sea, then without hesitation, picked up a fresh one from beside her feet.
Kakashi watched this scene, the corner of his mouth twitching.
She had already drunk more than a dozen coconuts along the way; wasn't she worried about getting an upset stomach?
"Kakashi, once we get back to Konoha, make sure to pay a visit to the old man."
Jiraiya glanced at Uchiha Hikari, who hadn't stopped eating the entire trip, and reminded him.
Though the Five Elements Seal had been inscribed and Kakashi was now her guardian—with Jiraiya vouching for Uchiha Hikari out of respect for his late student—all of this still needed to be reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Yeah, got it."
Kakashi nodded.
Jiraiya looked at Uchiha Hikari again, still struggling to reconcile this gluttonous, innocent-looking girl with the ruthless Uchiha weapon described in the historical records.
Compared to their outbound journey, the return trip wasn't fast.
On the way back, they had Uchiha Hikari with the Five Elements Seal inscribed on her, so speeding along wasn't an option. Plus, after she finished the coconuts, as they passed through a small town, Uchiha Hikari declared she was hungry and asked Kakashi to buy her something to eat.
Kakashi, who had gone broke forging his blade, could only turn his gaze toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya felt a headache coming on.
You vouched for this kid, and now that she's hungry, why am I the one paying?
After two days of travel, the group finally arrived at Konoha.
Looking at the village's main gate before him, Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief.
If they hadn't gotten back soon, Kakashi would have cleaned out his wallet completely.
Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief as well.
This was an S-rank mission, and though they hadn't encountered any real dangers along the way, the reward was among the highest for S-rank missions, given that it involved the night of the Nine-Tails' attack and the Hokage's death.
No matter how generous the payout, it was justified.
Once the reward was settled, even after splitting it with Jiraiya and the others, he'd still walk away with at least two or three hundred thousand ryo.
That money would solve his immediate financial problems.
He couldn't exactly take Uchiha Hikari to mooch meals off Yuhi or Asuma, could he?
Well... if he threw away his pride, it might not be impossible.
"Everyone, head on back. I'll handle the mission report."
Jiraiya glanced at Hyuga Hizashi and Aburame Shino.
"In that case, I'll take my leave, Lord Jiraiya."
Hyuga Hizashi nodded first and departed.
Aburame Shino simply gave a silent acknowledgment before vanishing from sight.
"You two, come with me."
Jiraiya turned back to Kakashi, who looked as composed as ever, and Uchiha Hikari, who was holding a basket of cherry tomatoes.
"Want one?"
Noticing Jiraiya's gaze, Uchiha Hikari proactively picked a cherry tomato from the basket and offered it to him.
Looking at the vibrant fruit in his palm, then at the girl chewing with her cheeks puffed out, Jiraiya shook his head helplessly before popping the cherry tomato into his mouth.
Sour and sweet.
Hopefully, he was overthinking things. Such a harmless person, no matter how vicious she might have been, was probably just being manipulated by others...
Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to Jiraiya recount the entire mission, then looked at the two white-haired figures—one tall, one short—standing before him, feeling a slight headache.
"I only asked you to investigate the sealed area."
"But you brought the person right back to me."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth a little.
"Uh, think of it as overachieving on the mission, old man. Don't take it to heart, hahaha..."
Facing Hiruzen Sarutobi's anger, Jiraiya was utterly shameless. Instead of showing any sense of failure or embarrassment, he wore an expression that screamed he'd exceeded expectations and was waiting for praise.
"Kakashi, what were you thinking?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze finally settled on Kakashi.
Seeing the blame directed at him, Kakashi calmly replied without missing a beat:
"The situation at the time didn't leave room for overthinking. From the moment I dove into the water with White Fang, it was inevitable that Hikari would break the seal."
"Since Hikari wasn't sure if Lord Jiraiya was my ally, she dragged her weakened body to actively dodge his attacks."
"For that reason alone, I couldn't abandon her, much less kill her."
"As for bringing her back to Konoha..."
"In that weakened state, leaving her behind would have meant her death."
"And you certainly wouldn't want such an entity wandering outside the village, would you, Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, looking at the white-haired young man before him.
He pondered something in his mind.
He wanted to say something but found himself at a loss for words.
"Old man, just let it go. If it were me, I'd probably have made the same choice."
"I believe Minato would support Kakashi too."
"Besides, I think this little girl is pretty decent; she won't step out of line."
Seeing this, Jiraiya quickly chimed in to back Kakashi up.
Hearing Jiraiya's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at him. After a long moment, he sighed and asked:
"Did you apply the Five Elements Seal?"
Jiraiya nodded eagerly:
"Yes, yes, old man. Don't you trust my sealing jutsu skills?"
Seeing that the two people he valued most in the village held this attitude, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no desire to continue the discussion. He simply said:
"Go on, then. Kakashi, keep an eye on her."
"As for the Uchiha side..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, his slightly clouded gaze subtly landing on the Uchiha girl on the sofa, who was eating cherry tomatoes one by one.
Frankly, if this nameless Uchiha could truly become loyal to Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi would give his full support without hesitation.
Especially now, in this delicate period right after the Fourth Hokage's death and the change of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
But... as he gazed at the nameless Uchiha, who seemed uninterested in everything and focused only on eating, Hiruzen Sarutobi had seen this state in others before.
It was a state bordering on having no will to live.
Having experienced three Ninja World Wars, Hiruzen Sarutobi had seen far too many people like this.
The loss of family, parents, and friends left the survivors without any desire to go on.
But... Hiruzen Sarutobi subtly glanced at Kakashi again.
He was the same.
His father, teacher, and comrades had left him one by one.
Could two people who had lost everything create a light of hope when brought together?
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know.
But he had no choice.
In the end, he chose to agree.
"You don't need to worry about the Uchiha side. For now, Kakashi will be responsible for guarding her."
"As for you, Jiraiya, continue investigating the Nine-Tails incident..."
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