"How could you even think of something like that?"
Kakashi stared at Chiba, utterly horrified.
kid…
Had that man already made contact with Chiba?
Of course.
A genius like this boy was a moon hanging over Konoha—who could possibly ignore his light?
And kid, with his usual ambition, would surely want to recruit him.
Kakashi immediately straightened, his tone grave. "That man is not to be trusted, Chiba. Whatever he tells you, don't believe a word of it."
Chiba coughed lightly. "Sensei, that's not what I meant. I mean… if the ninja tools were taken by Lord kid, then we could continue researching them in secret. It'd buy us time."
Kakashi's eyes flickered rapidly as the meaning sank in.
He understood now—but…
Such a ploy would never stay hidden for long. And technically, kid was part of Konoha.
If he seized the tools, it would be no different from the village doing so.
That was Kakashi's first thought.
But then, after a brief pause for reflection, he realized—it wasn't quite the same.
Chiba wasn't talking about keeping them; he wanted to study them thoroughly before returning them.
And since the Artisan Ninja Village was clearly at fault this time, they wouldn't dare raise too much noise.
Everyone would have a convenient excuse to save face.
The only real casualty would be kid's reputation.
But as the Shadow of Konoha, kid had no reputation to lose in the first place.
For him, such a thing was trivial.
Kakashi scratched his head. "Ahem… well, I'll discuss it with the Hokage when we get back. But you shouldn't be scheming like this, you know."
"Opportunities like this don't come often," Chiba replied quietly. "And this time, we've got the moral high ground."
Kakashi nodded faintly.
Having served as an ANBU captain, he wasn't the sort to cling to idealistic principles.
He knew that sometimes… unconventional methods were necessary.
Researching ninja tools wasn't something that could be done in a few days.
The more time they bought, the greater Konoha's advantage.
Chiba was right—it was a rare opportunity.
By the time he finished explaining, Kakashi and even Tenten seemed invigorated.
Tsukikage Kaza, however, cared little for ninja tools—she just wanted to get back to practicing her swordsmanship.
So after a quick rest and another soldier pill, the four resumed their journey home.
By dusk, they finally returned to Konoha and went to report to the Third Hokage.
Kakashi first gave a concise overview of the mission.
He was about to let Chiba's team go so he could speak privately, but Chiba had his own matter to bring up.
"Lord Hokage, that chakra metal you promised me last time—you haven't used it yet, have you?"
"…"
The Third sighed, resigned, and nodded.
"Don't use it just yet," Chiba said cheerfully. "Once I've got something worth testing, it'll come in handy."
The Hokage waved a hand, half amused, half helpless, motioning for them to leave.
He had other matters to discuss with Kakashi.
Chiba and the others bowed and exited the office.
But as soon as Chiba stepped outside the Hokage Tower, someone grabbed his hand.
"Tenten? What are you—"
"Chiba-kun~ you—you have chakra metal now, right? Could I maybe, um… try working with it?"
Her soft, almost pleading tone carried a hint of sweetness.
Tsukikage Kaza, standing nearby, blushed furiously.
Tenten's way too bold!
And besides—chakra metal was unbelievably rare! How could she just ask to use it?
"Of course you can," Chiba said calmly. "But I'll need to forge a sword first—and maybe a chakra-conducting wire. In the meantime, study hard and prepare."
"Really?! I will! I promise!"
Tenten clenched her fists in excitement.
To have chakra metal right before her eyes—it might be the only chance of her lifetime.
But then, her excitement faded into hesitation.
"B-but maybe I shouldn't… Chakra metal's so precious. Even the Hokage probably doesn't have much of it. What if I waste it?"
"Don't worry."
Chiba smiled faintly. "If you're afraid, that just means you need to push yourself harder."
"Mm!"
Tenten nodded vigorously.
She was determined. No rest until she produced results.
Tsukikage Kaza hesitated, then murmured, "Still… it is chakra metal."
"If it helps nurture a true master of ninja craftsmanship, what's a bit of chakra metal worth?" Chiba said with a stretch. "Tenten has talent in this field—I should support her."
"Come on, let's head home. Tomorrow's likely to be busy."
That's you, not us, Tsukikage Kaza thought quietly, hiding a small smile.
She knew perfectly well that Chiba was no ordinary genin.
If he were, the Third Hokage wouldn't have built a team around him—or assigned none other than Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, as his mentor.
The thought made her recall Yuichi, and she suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"What's funny?" Chiba asked.
"Oh, nothing," she said, smiling. "I was just thinking… both you and Kakashi-sensei are good at learning others' techniques. Maybe someday, the title of 'Copy Ninja' will belong to you."
"Unlikely," Chiba said flatly.
Copying was the most basic form of imitation.
True mastery was digesting what you'd learned until it became wholly your own.
He didn't bother explaining that part out loud.
In front of the Hokage Tower, he and Tsukikage Kaza parted ways and went home.
Upstairs, the Third Hokage watched them leave, took a deep drag from his pipe, and turned to Kakashi.
"So—the Four Celestial Symbols Men, you said? Who has their ninja tools now?"
"Tenten," Kakashi replied. "She wants to study them—and she's got real talent. She's even been keeping a ninja tool research notebook."
He briefly described Tenten's notes. Though inspired by Chiba's methods, her ideas were entirely original. Her creativity couldn't be hidden.
The Hokage listened in thought.
Then Kakashi added "his own" idea about how to handle the situation.
The Hokage couldn't help chuckling. "Kakashi… this idea came from Chiba, didn't it?"
"Ahem." Kakashi cleared his throat. "Regardless of where it came from, it benefits Konoha. And the Four Celestial Symbols Men did attack our squad—they tried to ignite a war between the Lands of Iron and Fire."
"If you hadn't noticed something was off, any other squad would've been wiped out."
The Hokage nodded gravely.
"It's true."
Kakashi wasn't being modest.
The situation with the Kiyoda Clan and the Four Celestial Symbols Men had been resolved flawlessly, thanks to Kakashi's strength—and Chiba's strategic planning that divided and conquered their foes.
No ordinary team could have pulled it off.
"The Artisan Ninja Village is clearly in the wrong," the Hokage mused. "I'm not worried about them. What concerns me are the other hidden villages."
He took another puff of his pipe.
"The Four Great Ninja Tools are highly coveted. Every village wants them—but no one dares make the first move for fear of triggering another war. I worry this might be bait."
Kakashi nodded slightly, about to respond when—
"Hiruzen, I actually think Kankurō's idea is quite good."
A calm yet imposing voice came from the doorway.
kid stepped inside.
"This time, we were the ones attacked. We're the victims here. What's there to worry about? At the very least, we can stall for time and use it for research. Retreating solves nothing."
Kakashi frowned faintly.
The Third Hokage raised his pipe, taking a long drag to hide his expression. Then he waved his hand toward Kakashi.
"You're dismissed for now."
The rest of this conversation… would be between him and kid alone.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
https://www.patreon.com/Mindsmithstudio