Chapter 391: Reunion with an Old Friend and Return to an Old Place
When a whale falls, all things live.
Amamiya Kenichi looked at Konoha before him.
Although Danzo, the leader of Root, had died, his death seemed to have had little impact on this massive behemoth. Konoha was still Konoha, prosperous and lively as ever. It was as if the previous attacks had never affected the Village at all.
"I wonder how Root is being handled now. Was it merged into the Anbu, or did they appoint a new leader?"
Amamiya Kenichi stood in line, slowly entering Konoha with the people ahead of him.
This time, he had taken on the identity of a merchant.
His goods were all prepared, and people like him were common in Konoha. After all, although Konoha was currently the strongest Ninja Village in the Ninja World, it still needed merchants. Because of that, merchants were also the most convenient infiltration template for many spies.
After inspecting the goods, the Konoha gate guards allowed Amamiya Kenichi to enter.
He skillfully brought his goods to Konoha's large trade market and honestly began selling them there, acting no differently from the other merchants.
The residents of Konoha continued living their ordinary lives, haggling with merchants over differences of a few ryo.
Amamiya Kenichi watched the scene with amusement.
He was not in a hurry to deal with Yakushi Nonou's matter. Ever since Danzo's death, many of Root's activities had fallen silent.
Yakushi Kabuto had not even received any missions.
However, Amamiya Kenichi did not believe Konoha would abandon such trained and experienced intelligence personnel. Restarting them was only a matter of time.
Since he had promised Yakushi Kabuto and wanted Kabuto to devote himself to him, then this favor had to be done.
"Hello, can this item be a little cheaper?"
The arrival of a customer interrupted Amamiya Kenichi's sightseeing.
He turned his head and saw a familiar watermelon haircut enter his view. Those large white teeth shone brightly even under the cloudy sky.
"Ah, esteemed Ninja-sama, this price is already the lowest I can offer."
Amamiya Kenichi froze for a moment, then chuckled and rubbed his hands together, looking exactly like a petty street vendor.
Still, he had not expected to run into Guy here.
"But this price..." Guy looked conflicted.
He stared at the item in his hand. It was a weighted pouch, not exactly a best seller in the Ninja World, but still something with a market.
There were many Taijutsu ninja in the Ninja World. Although most of them were concentrated in Kumogakure, the muscular brothers of Kumogakure could be considered representatives of Taijutsu ninja, and they loved weighted pouches that helped them train.
However, the other Ninja Villages were not without Taijutsu specialists, so weighted pouches generally had no problem selling in any Ninja Village.
After all, ninja training was intense, and the consumption rate of weighted pouches was quite high.
"Don't you still have weighted pouches?" Kakashi walked over.
He glanced at Amamiya Kenichi, not recognizing his old friend, then looked at Guy.
Amamiya Kenichi smiled obsequiously.
His luck today was truly unpredictable. Konoha was so large, yet he could still run into Guy and Kakashi here. Could this be fate?
"They broke. I was wearing them during a mission, and an enemy damaged them," Guy said as he silently took out his money.
Without weighted pouches, his youth would not burn as passionately.
Only with weighted pouches could he truly live up to his youth.
"I really don't understand..." Kakashi and Guy walked off while talking.
Amamiya Kenichi glanced at Kakashi.
Kakashi seemed a little more cheerful now. Had he finally walked out of the shadows of the past?
"Coming here to cause trouble and still getting paid. Being a spy isn't that hard."
Amamiya Kenichi put away the money in his hand.
However, he knew this was because he had the Face Transformation Jutsu. This technique would be an absolute divine art even in his previous life, allowing him to live directly with someone else's face.
But looking at Kakashi's back, Amamiya Kenichi suddenly had an idea.
He knew that Kakashi's Sharingan had now been replaced with a normal three-tomoe Sharingan, and one that could not be closed.
Although Kakashi did not know it, according to the original plot, it would still be some time before Kakashi discovered that his eye was actually a Mangekyo.
However, due to Amamiya Kenichi's interference, that part of the plot had completely changed.
Kakashi probably would not be able to unlock Kamui.
Amamiya Kenichi did not intend to return Obito's Mangekyo to Kakashi either. That would definitely arouse Obito's suspicion.
Moreover, if Obito's personality had changed drastically after Amamiya Kenichi's actions during this period, and he directly took his Mangekyo from Kakashi, then Amamiya Kenichi would have to face an Obito with both Kamui eyes.
Wouldn't that be inviting trouble for no reason?
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Kakashi seemed to sense someone watching him. He turned his head and looked back, but there was nothing unusual behind him.
The boss who had just sold Guy something was enthusiastically introducing his goods to other customers.
"Was it my imagination?"
Kakashi shook his head and followed Guy.
They had arranged to go to a barbecue restaurant with a few friends today.
When the two arrived at the Akimichi clan's barbecue restaurant, Asuma, Kurenai, Hayate, and Shizune were already waiting there.
"Kakashi, Guy, you're a little slow." Asuma greeted his old classmates with a lollipop in his mouth, smiling as he spoke.
"Haha, sorry! I came here while doing a handstand!" Guy had already put on his weighted pouches and was sweating heavily, giving them a thumbs-up.
The others chuckled and shook their heads.
They all knew Guy's personality, so none of them minded.
"Kakashi." Shizune smiled and greeted him.
Kakashi nodded, then quietly followed his friends into the barbecue restaurant.
Inside, the ninja chatted about many things, but most of the conversation was harmless gossip.
For example, the relationship between Asuma and Kurenai, or the embarrassing stories from Guy's school days when he was scolded by their teachers.
"Kakashi, are you planning to find a girlfriend?" Asuma asked, raising his cup.
He sat on his cushion, always feeling the urge to pull out a cigarette from his bag and light it. But when he thought of Tsunade's terrifying gaze, he remembered that all his cigarettes had already been destroyed.
So now, Asuma could only find ways to distract himself.
"No." Kakashi shook his head.
He had no intention of dating for now.
"Kakashi is so handsome and still hasn't found anyone, so I have even less of a chance." Hayate sighed.
Although the ninja had started off discussing ordinary daily matters, conversations always had a way of drifting into strange topics before anyone noticed.
"Asuma, speaking of which, why did you quit smoking?" Hayate looked at Asuma curiously and asked.
He knew Asuma very well. Asuma was a complete chain-smoker, the kind who felt uncomfortable without a cigarette.
"Lady Tsunade said smoking is harmful to the body, so she made Asuma quit," Shizune said.
She knew quite a bit about this matter. In fact, she knew even more than that.
However, those things could not be said. At present, only Lady Tsunade, herself, and the Third Hokage knew. No one else, including Asuma, was aware.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade is ridiculously strict. She said she would punch me if she saw me smoking."
Asuma wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He wanted to smoke too. Quitting was not easy.
For Asuma, smoking was already a habit. He felt uncomfortable without it.
But when he thought of Tsunade's terrifying monstrous strength, Asuma obediently chose to behave.
Soon, the topic shifted to physical health and maintaining the body.
Late at night, the ninja bid farewell to one another and returned to their homes.
As soon as Kakashi pushed open his bedroom door, he saw a pair of sinister eyes.
Caught completely off guard, he instantly fell into a genjutsu.
"Kakashi, you're still too young."
Amamiya Kenichi smiled and took out a prepared syringe, directly stabbing it into Kakashi's neck and injecting the anesthetic.
Kakashi's body went limp, collapsing weakly onto the operating table Amamiya Kenichi had prepared.
After all, Kakashi was not too familiar with his own eye.
Although the Sharingan was powerful, the Mangekyo possessed even greater suppressive power over an ordinary Sharingan.
Back then, Kakashi had fallen into Tsukuyomi just by looking at Uchiha Itachi, suffering badly because of his lack of experience.
That was why many ninja said that ninja combat was an intelligence war, and Jiraiya was a firm supporter of that idea.
Looking at Kakashi lying limply on the operating table, Amamiya Kenichi silently took out several syringes.
Although this was not a laboratory, it did not matter. Performing a simple minor surgery was not difficult for Amamiya Kenichi.
"My friend, let me look forward to how much you can grow without the Sharingan dragging you down."
Amamiya Kenichi excitedly rubbed his hands together, then began modifying Kakashi.
"I!"
Kakashi suddenly sprang up from the bed.
He cautiously observed his surroundings, but saw nothing.
The room was empty, as if the pair of sinister eyes he had seen before losing consciousness had only been an illusion.
Even so, Kakashi carefully checked his entire body and indeed found no problems.
That was until he saw a note on the table.
[My friend Kakashi, long time no see. Today, I specially came to give you an opportunity. You can now freely control your Sharingan. I wish you good fortune in battle.]
Kakashi silently looked at the note in his hand.
A moment later, the note burned to ash.
Kakashi looked into the mirror.
His eyes in the mirror were normal, but with a single thought, three tomoe appeared in his eyes. Both eyes had turned into three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Amamiya..." Kakashi sighed.
He was not an idiot. He had already guessed who had done this.
What he had not expected was that Amamiya Kenichi actually possessed such a technique.
Conflict surfaced in Kakashi's eyes.
Out of his responsibility as an Anbu ninja and a ninja of Konoha, he felt that he should report this matter to the Third Hokage.
But if he did, he might have to undergo inspections, and his friend would probably receive an even higher bounty.
A ninja who cannot complete a mission is not a qualified ninja.
But a ninja who does not cherish his comrades is even worse.
In the dim room, Kakashi lay back on the bed.
He would leave this matter alone for now.
Meanwhile, at the Konoha orphanage, Amamiya Kenichi propped up his chin and looked at this once-familiar place.
When he first transmigrated, he had lived in this run-down orphanage.
However, the director at that time had not been Yakushi Nonou, but an ordinary uncle.
Now, that uncle was nowhere to be found, and the director of the orphanage had become Yakushi Nonou.
"There's no need to worry about Kakashi. Although I didn't help him awaken the Mangekyo, I think that with Kakashi's personality, opening the Mangekyo shouldn't be a problem. After all, I've already given him the most important key."
Amamiya Kenichi licked his lips.
He had considered whether to help Kakashi awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, but after thinking about it, he gave up.
He wanted to see what kind of Mangekyo Kakashi could awaken on his own.
This talented ninja should be capable of opening the Mangekyo.
Amamiya Kenichi walked into the orphanage.
Konoha's orphanage had always been a rather peculiar place.
It housed many war orphans, but even among war orphans, there were distinctions.
For example, children whose parents had been Konoha ninja usually would not end up in this place.
They could live off the assets their parents left behind.
Konoha's orphanage usually took in civilian war orphans whose parents had died without leaving anything behind, and who had no relatives willing to take them in. Those children could only stay in the orphanage.
Because of that, the orphanage was not highly valued.
Fortunately, Konoha still had some kind-hearted people who sponsored it with money, so the orphanage could at least maintain a relatively stable state. The orphans' meals were barely acceptable.
Amamiya Kenichi strolled through this familiar yet unfamiliar place.
He had once been part of it.
After being taken away by Orochimaru, Amamiya Kenichi had also donated some of the money he saved to this place, for no reason other than wanting his former little companions to eat a little better.
But that was not Amamiya Kenichi's purpose for coming today.
He quickly arrived at the orphanage dormitory.
The orphanage dormitories were all in one building. The boys slept in one room, the girls slept in another, and the orphanage teachers slept in the middle.
Because of that, this was the easiest place to find Yakushi Nonou.
As soon as he opened the door, a kunai swiftly shot toward Amamiya Kenichi's eyes.
He immediately caught it with one hand.
.....
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