Chapter 442: Kakashi's Sausage Lips
"Let me give you one more friendly warning: don't test it on yourself. If you really want to understand what it's like, go see whether Konoha has a restaurant serving Curry of Life and order a portion there. You'll understand the power immediately. But no matter what, absolutely do not use this on yourself. And also…"
Orochimaru repeatedly warned Kakashi, going through a long list of taboos and precautions.
"Curry?"
Kakashi's expression changed the moment he heard the word curry.
But since Orochimaru had said so, for Obito's sake, and for the sake of the plan, he still had to test it.
Orochimaru could clearly see how much Kakashi cared about Obito, so he knew Kakashi wouldn't trust him that easily. That was why he kept repeating the warnings.
Kakashi didn't return to Konoha.
Since Orochimaru knew about the Curry of Life but wasn't sure whether Konoha had it, that meant Amegakure definitely did.
Sure enough, after wandering around the streets of Amegakure for a while, Kakashi found a restaurant serving the Curry of Life. He walked in and ordered the spiciest, ultra-hot version available.
What vaguely unsettled Kakashi was that before agreeing to take his order, the owner actually made him sign a liability waiver agreement.
"…Looks like it really is fine."
Kakashi cautiously leaned closer to the steaming curry rice and gave it a small sniff. Just as Orochimaru had said, the restaurant's version used a specially prepared food-grade spice level.
Not only was it weaker than Orochimaru's customized formula, but before actually eating it, there was no choking sensation or burning in the eyes.
And now, that proved true.
"According to Orochimaru, only by truly tasting the spice level of this curry can I experience fifty percent of the spray bottle's power."
Gripping the spoon tightly, Kakashi scooped up a mouthful of curry rice, took a deep breath, and stuffed it into his mouth.
"..."
On the streets of Amegakure.
Nohara Rin and Yakushi Nono were just leaving the medical department. As they walked toward the village outskirts, they discussed the matter of caring for the masked man.
"I understand."
Nohara Rin nodded seriously.
Yakushi Nono had just explained the mission details. Rin herself didn't need to personally take care of the masked man, but when he woke up, his first impression absolutely had to be that Rin had been caring for him the entire time.
Why didn't she need to actually take care of him?
First of all, the masked man's injuries had already been treated. And even if they hadn't been, with Rin's current medical ninjutsu skill level, it still wouldn't be her turn to step in.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—the trio consisted of a jinchūriki, an Uchiha, and a random civilian.
Rin, Obito and Kakashi—now they were also a jinchūriki, an Uchiha, and…?
As for why they wanted to give the masked man the illusion that Rin had been caring for him the whole time—it wasn't to move him emotionally.
It was to pressure him.
And how exactly would they apply that pressure?
Well, stay tuned.
"Ohhhhhh! OHHHHHHHHHH—!"
"?"
Nohara Rin suddenly heard a familiar "scream of agony" and turned her head in confusion.
She saw Kakashi tumbling and crawling out of a restaurant, his entire face flushed bright red.
"Rin?! Help! Please save me!!"
The moment Kakashi spotted Rin passing by, he rushed toward her with tears streaming down his face, frantically pointing at himself.
"Huh?"
Uchiha Sasuke, who had just returned to Amegakure after using genjutsu to obtain a large amount of Rinnegan usage techniques from Uchiha Madara and was planning to buy some supplies before entering secluded training, happened to witness the scene.
Sasuke immediately concealed himself and hid behind a corner wall.
"Looks like Kakashi got injured and needs treatment… This is a perfect opportunity. I'll finally get to see Kakashi's real face!"
"Gulp."
Sasuke swallowed hard.
Who would've thought?
The three members of Team 7 had tried before. They'd even called Shikamaru and the others to help. Every attempt ended in failure.
But today, he, Uchiha Sasuke, would enjoy this truth alone!
As expected, the strong were lonely.
All by himself, he was about to uncover the truth so easily!
He refused to believe that in Kakashi's current tearful and miserable state, he'd still bother hiding his real face!
Sasuke guessed correctly.
Kakashi truly had no energy left to think about anything else.
He didn't even notice Sasuke appearing and disappearing nearby.
Besides, Rin had already seen his face before, and Yakushi Nono didn't matter anyway.
Nohara Rin led Kakashi into a shaded area to keep him from disturbing other pedestrians.
"Kakashi, what exactly did you do to yourself?"
Rin removed Kakashi's mask, preparing to treat his injuries.
"!"
Sasuke instantly focused all his attention on them. He pushed his Rinnegan's visual power to the limit.
He absolutely had to see it!
Uh…
This time, nothing obstructed his view.
No sudden crowd of passersby appeared to block his sight.
He truly saw Kakashi's real face with ease.
Only…
Back when Naruto first invited him into the "Kakashi Face Reveal Operation," Naruto had once tempted him by saying Kakashi might have buck teeth or thick lips.
And now…
Kakashi really did have thick lips?
Looking at Kakashi's mouth, which resembled two oversized sausages stacked together, Sasuke suddenly didn't know what to say.
"It's the peppers… waaah, it burns…"
Tears streamed endlessly down Kakashi's face.
Now he completely believed Orochimaru's words.
This stuff really could counter the Uchiha, and there was no danger to life. It was incredibly safe.
Even after being burned into such a miserable state, his vitality remained excellent.
If anything, it had become even better.
Otherwise, there was no way he could've produced such a clear and emotionally powerful "OHHHHH" scream earlier.
"Kakashi, spiciness is essentially a pain response. I'll give you some painkillers first to suppress it. We still have things to do."
Nohara Rin took a medicine bottle out of her pocket and handed it to Kakashi.
"Waaah, you all go ahead with your work. Thank you so much…"
Kakashi clutched the medicine bottle emotionally.
"..."
Rin turned around, the corners of her mouth twitching.
The illusion was shattered. Completely shattered.
She was probably never going to forget the sight of Kakashi with those sausage lips for the rest of her life.
----
Meanwhile.
In the Sunagakure Village.
Everyone had spent an entire day and night pursuing the "Danzo" disguised by Sarutobi Hiruzen before finally catching up.
The reanimated shinobi didn't know fatigue, but Ōnoki wasn't an Impure World Reincarnation body. Even with the advantage of flight, it was useless in the end, and he could only choose to return first and keep watch over Uchiha Madara.
But the moment Ōnoki returned to the original location, he saw Uchiha Madara trapped in genjutsu, laughing maniacally like an idiot.
Another member had rejoined the "Four Great Maniacal Laughing Uchiha."
"Who was it? Who exactly used genjutsu on Madara?"
Ōnoki felt an overwhelming sense of crisis, while simultaneously feeling an inexplicable sorrow for Madara.
The once invincible Uchiha Madara had now been controlled by the genjutsu of some unknown nobody, and might even have leaked critical information.
How tragic.
He absolutely couldn't end up like that.
Maybe when he was close to dying of old age, he should just use Dust Release to erase himself completely.
That way, not even a single hair would remain, and he wouldn't have to worry about Orochimaru using Impure World Reincarnation on him.
(End of this chapter)