Jiraiya asked Qianyu to stay behind for a private word.
Qianyu followed him to a separate room.
"Lord Jiraiya. What did you want to discuss?"
Qianyu couldn't think of anything worth discussing, nor was he interested. He'd already guessed the topic. Ten-to-one, it was about Kakashi.
"Qianyu, Kakashi's condition… it doesn't seem good. Shouldn't we give him some time off? Let him rest?"
Qianyu's voice was flat. "Lord Jiraiya, Kakashi is my student. I know his condition best. His current state is fine. He's perfectly capable of handling this mission."
Jiraiya's expression turned grave. "The Kakashi from before wasn't so cold. There might be a real psychological issue here. As his teacher, you need to take this seriously."
Qianyu met his gaze. "Lord Jiraiya. I'll say it again. I know Kakashi's condition. He's simply learned a truth."
"What truth?"
Qianyu spoke each word clearly. "For a shinobi, the mission takes precedence over all else, even comrades. Everything is expendable for mission success. That is the truth Lord Sakumo taught Kakashi… with his own life."
Jiraiya's frown deepened. He couldn't agree with that logic at all. But right now, he couldn't refute it. The tragedy of Sakumo Hatake seemed to prove Qianyu's point.
"If there's nothing else, Lord Jiraiya, I'll take Kakashi to begin our mission." Qianyu turned to leave.
At the door, he paused and glanced back. "Lord Jiraiya. If you have a chance to see Minato Namikaze… I'd appreciate it if you could pass on a message."
"What message?"
"Tell him his old theory—'comrades come first'—was wrong. That's been proven now."
With that, Qianyu left the room.
Jiraiya's eyes followed him until he was gone. His expression was heavy. Sakumo's tragedy… he still couldn't understand how it had come to that.
Maybe Sakumo had made a mistake. But it was never a mistake of that magnitude. By shinobi rules, he was wrong. But by the Will of Fire… he wasn't. He never should have faced that universal condemnation.
"How did it end up like this? It shouldn't have… old man…"
What truly worried Jiraiya was Kakashi. As Qianyu's student, there was a real risk he'd be molded into someone just as emotionally detached as Qianyu… or Orochimaru.
He sighed. He'd given his warning. That was all he could do.
…
Qianyu and Kakashi began their mission in the Land of Grass.
Days passed. A rumor began to spread.
An Asura with eyes of blood, and a white-haired boy wearing a mask. Slaughtering madly on the battlefield.
The one called the Blood-Eyed Asura was, of course, Qianyu.
The masked white-haired child was Kakashi.
Officially, their mission was reconnaissance—gathering intel on Iwa-nin movements.
Unofficially, whenever they encountered a small Iwa patrol, they erased it. Completely.
In this relentless cycle of high-frequency combat, Kakashi's strength evolved almost daily. He even picked up Qianyu's habits.
Behead the enemy. Slit their throats. Leave no room for doubt. Make sure they stayed dead.
Kakashi's style was now a perfect mirror of his teacher's.
On the grand strategic scale, their actions didn't shift the war. Iwa's main forces operated as before.
But getting picked off like this… it was grating on Iwa's nerves.
They formed hunter-nin squads. Multiple times. Sent to track down and eliminate the duo.
But Qianyu and Kakashi's mobility was too high. Every pursuit ended in failure.
Meanwhile, every piece of intel they gathered was sent back instantly via summoning creature to Jiraiya and Nara Shinsuke. Thanks to that steady stream of information, they couldn't mount a counter-offensive, but they stabilized the front line.
Iwa, tired of losing ninja for nothing, finally issued an order.
Any Iwa squad of fewer than seven members, with only one Jonin, was authorized to retreat on sight of Qianyu and Kakashi. No questions asked.
Facing those two with such odds was suicide. No point in throwing lives away.
Back in the Land of Hot Water, Qianyu's reputation had been minor, tied to the leader of the Hidden Hot Springs Village, Kuroiwa Tatsuji.
Here in the Land of Grass, he was forging his own name. Blood-Eyed Asura.
"Blood-Eyed Asura. What an ugly nickname."
Qianyu curled his lip in distaste.
Shlick. Shlick.
Blades flashed. Two necks opened. Qianyu and Kakashi withdrew their weapons simultaneously. The bodies thudded to the wet grass.
Kakashi wiped his short blade clean. "Your title is fine, sensei. Mine is 'White-Haired Child.' It's embarrassing. If Kaa-chan finds out, she'll never stop laughing."
Uzumaki Kushina always asked after Kakashi in her letters, so he'd started writing his own notes to include with Qianyu's. In them, Kushina loved to tease him. His first thought upon hearing his new title was the relentless mockery he'd endure.
Qianyu sheathed his blade. "Can't be helped. You are a kid. Be glad it's not 'White-Haired Brat.' If it was, I'd be the first in line to laugh at you. Kushina wouldn't even get a turn."
Kakashi's throat tightened. 'White-Haired Brat'… he'd never show his face again.
"Sensei, where next?"
Qianyu pulled out a map. It was covered in dense 'X' marks.
He scratched his head in frustration. "No idea. We've checked everywhere. How can we not find anyone? Maybe they're really not in the Land of Grass…"
Kakashi thought for a moment. "Sensei, why not check the Hidden Grass Village itself? It's the most populated place in the country right now."
Qianyu shook his head. "Kushina's clansmen are definitely in hiding. They wouldn't go to a crowded, obvious place like the Hidden Grass Village."
Kakashi's face scrunched up. "But… sometimes a crowd is the best place to hide, isn't it?"
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