"Cough, cough… There are no missions today or for the next two days, so you can all go home and rest. In three days, I'll give you special training in Knife Skills when there are no missions!"
Seeing the three of them tangled up in a petty money dispute, Kakashi found the perfect excuse to slip away. He had no interest in meddling with such trivial matters. Ishikawa's injuries would heal at the hospital within three days anyway.
"Alright, alright, I give up on you guys! One thousand ryō each, that's all there is." Ishikawa sighed helplessly as he watched Kakashi leave, his two snot-nosed subordinates still clinging to the argument.
He still needed to get the broken White Fang Knife from Kakashi and have it reforged into a Chakra Knife. Time was too valuable to waste on bickering.
"Thank you, Big Brother." Taro and Jiro exchanged glances, nodded bitterly, and accepted the compromise. One thousand ryō was better than nothing. Besides, they owed their lives to him during this mission—there was no way they could let their Big Brother bear the loss and feel disheartened.
"See you in three days. Remember to bring a long knife then." Ishikawa quickly pulled out two thousand ryō, handed it to them, and disappeared after leaving those words.
The moment he was out of sight, Ishikawa raised a hand to cover half his face, concealing the activation of his Red Eye. His perspective ability flared instantly.
Soon, his vision locked onto Kakashi—casually browsing through a shop in Konoha, purchasing illicit publications.
"So this is Kakashi's chakra? About ten times greater than mine… Yet that Sharingan constantly drains him, dragging his reserves down. The chakra he can actually wield in battle is only about half."
"In other words, Kakashi's true usable chakra is two units. Should I… let him touch the doorknob?"
Closing his Red Eye, Ishikawa walked along deep in thought.
He had once considered using Hashirama Cells to help Kakashi balance the Sharingan, but that was too dangerous for now. With the doorknob's ability to eliminate rejection reactions, such extreme measures were no longer necessary.
Still, wasn't it too risky to attempt it now? He could always anesthetize Kakashi, secretly activate his cheat, and fuse the Sharingan while he slept… but how would he explain it afterward?
"Forget it, I'll wait. There's no rush. I can activate the cheat whenever the time is right." Ishikawa smirked faintly when he finally caught sight of Kakashi's sleazy appearance.
"Oh? How did you know I was here?" Kakashi looked at his disciple in surprise, giving an awkward smile as he tucked away the little red book with its bold, revealing cover.
This kid… surely he didn't use the Spiritualization Jutsu to possess a stray dog and find him again?
"That's not important, Sensei." Ishikawa shot a scornful glance at the book, his eyes sharpening. "I want that broken knife. You promised me."
"That knife, huh? You're impatient…" Kakashi rubbed his nose sheepishly and immediately left the store, which was far from a place suitable for children.
"If you're set on reforging it, go to the Artisan's Studio in the southeast corner of the village. That's the only place in Konoha capable of forging metal Chakra tools. Oh, and if the materials aren't enough, you may have to melt down that Chakra short blade from the Land of Craftsmen."
"Thank you for the reminder, Sensei." Ishikawa nodded without hesitation. Sacrificing that hundred-thousand ryō short blade didn't matter. He only needed one Chakra Knife—he had no interest in dual-wielding.
"By the way, do you still want my help contracting Animal Summons?" Kakashi asked as they walked, remembering the hawk and snake that had perished in the last mission.
"Not for now. I'll search for summons once I've grown stronger." A sharp glint flashed in Ishikawa's eyes.
With the Red Eye's support, ordinary beasts were of little use to him. Far better to wait and form blood contracts with intelligent summons capable of speech and chakra techniques.
"That's wise. Ordinary beasts won't serve you in the long term anyway," Kakashi agreed. Ishikawa could still rely on small animals for possession and reconnaissance if needed, so there was no real loss.
The two spoke idly as they made their way through the village. Before long, Ishikawa found himself standing before Kakashi's house.
As expected, after a frantic search, Kakashi handed the broken White Fang Knife to Ishikawa with a complicated expression.
Then, without another word, he waved Ishikawa away and remained alone at home, staring at the photo of the Minato team, falling deep into remembrance…
"Sensei, you make me feel ashamed." Ishikawa glanced back at the melancholic Kakashi, muttered to himself, and walked away.
Facing such a Sensei, yet still being so hesitant—it was truly inappropriate! Forget it. He would wait until their team disbanded before helping Kakashi remove the Sharingan's side effects.
According to the timeline, the Chunin Exams were approaching, and they didn't have much time left…
---
An hour later.
"Bastard! Ten thousand ryō just for processing—why don't you just rob me?!" Walking out of the Artisan's Studio, Ishikawa cursed in frustration, his face filled with heartache.
As the saying goes, an extra inch of length brings an extra ounce of strength. Since he was reforging a Chakra Knife, Ishikawa naturally wanted to go all out and craft a long blade.
But ten thousand ryō was only the labor fee—it didn't even include materials. According to the artisan, if he wanted to forge a long knife and incorporate that Chakra short blade, he would also need additional Chakra metal, which would cost at least thirty thousand ryō.
Helplessly, Ishikawa abandoned the idea of forging it today and decided to go home to gather the money.
As for how? Aside from borrowing from Kakashi, the only option was to sell some of his accumulated ninja tools.
Thinking of this, Ishikawa headed toward Konoha's Ninja Tool Shop with a helpless expression, intending first to check the current purchase prices.
By the time Ishikawa dragged his exhausted body home, night had already fallen—it was past eight o'clock in the evening.
Of course, understanding the market price for ninja tools didn't take that long. After lunch, Ishikawa had gone to the small forest to practice Lightning Release nature transformation, and that was why he returned so late and worn out.
"Then I'll just sell some ninja tools tomorrow… what a hassle," Ishikawa muttered as he casually placed the broken White Fang Knife on the table, grabbed a bath towel, and headed into the bathroom.
After a quick wash, the drowsy Ishikawa changed into pajamas and collapsed straight onto the bed, preparing for his evening training.
He needed to master as much of the Mystical Palm Technique as possible within the next three days, then dedicate himself fully to training Lightning Release Armor and Knife Skills.
---
As midnight approached—
Ding-a-ling…
Along with the sudden ringing sound, the Time-Space Room descended once more.
"Ishikawa, I found—huh? This… this is White Fang??" Rin Nohara, who had just appeared, was about to comment on the Red Eye when her gaze fell on the broken White Fang Knife gleaming on the table. Her face instantly changed.
"What? Is there a problem?" Ishikawa rubbed his eyes, groggy and confused.
It was just White Fang—and broken at that. What was so surprising about it?
"Look at this." Rin Nohara didn't explain. She immediately retrieved the broken White Fang short blade she herself had shattered with Rasengan from her cabinet.
Her voice was solemn, her expression tense, as she held it out to Ishikawa.
"Why… why are the break marks on these two blades different in worlds that influence each other?"