"Ka...kashi?"
Guy turned his head to stare at the newcomer, his brain momentarily short-circuiting.
As Kakashi's sworn best friend and the companion who had grown up alongside him, Might Guy had never been absent from any significant event in Kakashi's life. Consequently, he was intimately familiar with the man who had now become the Emperor of the Empire.
Guy was certain he wouldn't mistake him for anyone else.
The young girl standing before him gave off an incredibly familiar aura. It was the "feeling" of Kakashi.
The white-haired girl had porcelain skin, bright eyes, and pearly teeth. Her eyes were as dark and clear as the bottom of a lake, and between her brows, one could see a cool, aloof composure identical to Kakashi's.
In terms of appearance alone, she was a breathtaking beauty.
"Who are you?" Guy asked, his brow furrowed as he watched the girl.
"Hey, isn't this a bit of a cliché way to hit on someone?" the girl replied, sounding somewhat exasperated. "Old man."
The girl appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, certainly young enough to call the thirty-year-old Might Guy "old man."
Might Guy continued to stare at her, his brows knit in silence. According to intelligence gathered by the Imperial Intelligence Department, Orochimaru was being accompanied by a white-haired girl. And now, a girl who bore such a striking resemblance to Kakashi had appeared right in front of him.
Guy wasn't foolish enough to entertain absurd ideas like her being Kakashi's secret love child or some illegitimate daughter of Sakumo Hatake. It was obvious she had an extremely close connection to Orochimaru.
"You need to come with me."
Without a moment's hesitation, Guy reached out to grab the girl's wrist.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Careful, or I'll sue you!" she chirped. "In broad daylight and under a clear sky, what exactly do you plan on doing to a weak, helpless, and pitiful girl?"
Surprisingly, her personality was quite bubbly and erratic, a sharp contrast to her cool, refined face.
But Guy had no intention of wasting words. His hand clamped down on her wrist like an iron vise. His movements were lightning-fast, leaving the girl no room to resist.
Seeing herself caught, a helpless smile played on the girl's lips.
"Guy..."
The familiar way she spoke his name gave Might Guy the fleeting illusion that he was facing Kakashi himself.
"See you next time."
In that split second of Guy's distraction, the girl's helpless expression shifted into a playful grin.
"Ja-na~~!"
With a puff of white smoke, the girl vanished instantly.
A Shadow Clone?
Guy stared at the spot where she had disappeared, his brow deepening. She had known his identity all along and had intentionally appeared before him.
As for why...
"Truly interesting."
"To think my 'father's' best friend would be such a blockhead."
On a desert peak far from the small town, the white-haired girl, now draped in a coarse, clay-yellow poncho, looked back at the town and laughed brightly.
"That was too dangerous. Might Guy is no ordinary man," a raspy voice drifted from behind her. "Furthermore, if we are talking about 'fathers,' I am your father. I am the one who created you."
The speaker was Orochimaru, who had been wanted by the Radiance Empire for three years.
"So what?" the girl said, tossing her head as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her pure white ponytail swayed in the wind with the movement. "I'm the one with the genes of the Imperial Emperor in my body. Why would I pass up a chance to claim an Emperor as my father just to recognize a wanted criminal like you as my 'old man'?"
"Heh, that would require Kakashi to be willing to acknowledge you first."
Orochimaru remained unbothered by her remarks. Three years of living together had allowed him to fully grasp her personality.
She was a homunculus created by Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams three years ago—the event that served as the fuse for the Fourth Great Ninja War—after he had obtained Kakashi's genetic material. Orochimaru's goal had been to create a weapon, one possessing power comparable to Kakashi's.
Though he had successfully created Kagura—the girl standing before him—her power fell far short of his expectations. Compared to an average ninja, Kagura was exceptional, but compared to the man who had unified the shinobi world, it was nothing more than a pipe dream.
Even among the Empire's Five Special Grade Combat Assets, Orochimaru predicted she only had the strength to defeat Shizune Kato. And Shizune's strength was never primarily measured by raw combat power.
Because Orochimaru had once defected from the Akatsuki, he had left behind methods to monitor the Hidden Rain Village. He had observed the battle between Kakashi and Pain three years ago. Therefore, he remained pessimistic about whether Kagura could ever surpass Kakashi.
Nevertheless, Kagura was still a powerful existence, which was why Orochimaru kept her by his side.
"Mind your own business," Kagura retorted. "I am the wind—the free wind. A wind that wants to travel the whole world. I don't need anyone's approval; my own is enough. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll have a change of heart and decide you're not such a bad guy after all."
"Is that so?" Orochimaru replied with his signature smirk. "Regardless, it's not important. If you don't want to be dealt with by Might Guy, we should leave. After all, you don't want to be captured by that man and executed, do you?"
"Heh, you think I'm a coward who fears death like you?" Kagura sneered at him. "Even if a blade was at my throat, I wouldn't even blink."
"Fine, let's go."
With that, she ignored Orochimaru and began walking into the distance. Taunting Might Guy with a Shadow Clone had already been extremely dangerous. If she lingered, she'd likely have to catch a Daytime Tiger with her face. Kagura wasn't a masochist, so despite her mocking words, she followed her instincts and chose to retreat.
Accustomed to her temperament, Orochimaru kept a steady pace behind her. "Hiruko contacted me yesterday. He said the solar eclipse required for his Chimera Technique is approaching, so he needs a pair of Sharingan."
"What does that have to do with us?" Kagura asked as she walked. She had no interest in that "old man" who disguised himself as a young boy.
"The Two-Tails was recently revived in the Land of Lightning. The most effective ways to deal with a Tailed Beast are Wood Style and the Sharingan. The Empire's only Wood Style user, Tenzo, is currently planting trees in the Land of Earth. The choice of who will be sent to capture the Two-Tails is obvious."
"Even if Itachi Uchiha isn't there, there will certainly be members of the Uchiha Clan with the Sharingan among the team. Hiruko wants us to cooperate with him to capture an Uchiha possessing a three-tomoe Sharingan."
Kagura glanced at the man beside her. "And what if it turns out to be Tenzo?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Then we'll just have to run for our lives. Or, perhaps Hiruko will find he has a better option. After all, Tenzo's Wood Style is a Kekkei Genkai that is in no way inferior to the Mangekyō Sharingan."
The Chimera Technique required a ninja to gather five types of Kekkei Genkai during a solar eclipse and use a secret method to fuse them into their own body, becoming a so-called "Perfect Ninja."
Hiruko's original target had been Kakashi's Sharingan, but the events of three years ago had proven that the technique he had placed on Kakashi had long since been invalidated by Kakashi's overwhelming growth. He had no choice but to find a different path.
The revival of the Two-Tails in the Land of Lightning was the perfect opportunity. If handled correctly, they could easily obtain a pair of Sharingan.
As the "Twin Walls" of the Empire and members of the Five Special Grade Combat Assets, both Itachi Uchiha and Tenzo were on Hiruko's list of candidates. Of course, this was contingent on Hiruko being able to defeat either of them. Otherwise, even having the Sage of the Six Paths on his list would be a waste of effort.
"Sounds fun. Let's go check it out."
Kagura's bell-like laughter drifted from ahead, causing Orochimaru to lick his lips.
What a pitiful, tragic, yet admirable existence. Enjoy the beauty of this world while you still have time...
By the lake on the mountain behind the Hidden Leaf Village, Kakashi sat alone, cross-legged, fishing.
His slightly long white hair hung loosely, and a simple white robe was draped over his shoulders. As the wind blew, one could catch glimpses of the nearly perfect physique beneath.
The white-haired man gazed lazily at the bobber floating on the water. With a slight flick of his wrist, the fishing rod snapped upward, and a large fish was hauled out of the water.
Even though the current Konohagakure had been built into a highly modernized city, Kakashi had preserved this lakeside in its original state. Whenever he took a break from his cultivation, he enjoyed sitting here in solitude.
"Your Majesty."
Hayate Gekko arrived at the lake and spoke from the shore.
"Mm."
Casting his hook back into the water, Kakashi responded calmly. If it weren't something important, Hayate would not disturb him during his rest.
"Lord Guy has sent word," Hayate began, his expression slightly hesitant. "In that town where Orochimaru appeared, he discovered a white-haired female following him."
"Is there something strange about this woman?" Kakashi asked, his eyes fixed on the bobber.
With Guy's strength, there was virtually no one in the shinobi world who could be his match, save for Kakashi himself. Even if a hidden threat like Isshiki Ōtsutsuki appeared, Might Guy had the means to escape even if he couldn't win. Therefore, the only possibility was that the woman hadn't actually faced Guy. If she had, she would be dead.
"Lord Guy reported that the girl met him using a Shadow Clone, and... her appearance is extremely similar to yours," Hayate said hesitantly.
Kakashi's hand on the fishing rod paused.
Extremely similar appearance?
Memories flashed through Kakashi's mind, eventually settling on the blood he had shed three years ago when he had used his own body to tank a strike from the Reanimated Rin's Tailed Beast cloak.
As much as Kakashi disliked Orochimaru, he had to admit one thing: Orochimaru's biological technology was truly beyond anything else in the shinobi world. If Kakashi hadn't intervened, Orochimaru would have eventually created a homunculus named Mitsuki in the future.
Kakashi understood the situation now.
A homunculus created from my genes?
Kakashi only had two wives, Kurenai and Hikari, and his only children were Mirai and Ichigo. His father, Sakumo Hatake, had been a man of singular devotion; he had never remarried after his mother, Asuna, passed away. It was impossible for there to be any other blood relatives out there.
The situation was clear. While it was possible for two unrelated people to look identical, Kakashi didn't believe in such coincidences.
"I see." Kakashi stood up, packed his fishing gear, and tossed the fish back into the water.
She's just a homunculus. Nothing to worry about. If she becomes an eyesore, I'll just kill her.
"When Itachi returns, have him handle this."
Guy was a man of straightforward methods—he was good at killing. But if the homunculus had revealed herself in that manner, it was clearly a way of notifying Kakashi of her existence. Otherwise, there was no need for her to use a Shadow Clone to approach Guy.
He would let Itachi Uchiha deal with her. With Itachi's insight and methods, Kakashi was confident he could resolve the matter.
"Yes. I will notify Minister Uchiha immediately," Hayate replied respectfully.
"Wait until the capture of the Two-Tails is finished," Kakashi said, waving a hand as he walked toward a small wooden cabin. "Itachi deserves a break. By the way, how is Shion doing lately?"
"Lady Shion has shown no abnormalities recently, but there have indeed been suspicious individuals loitering near her residence."
Shion's body acted as the seal for the physical form of Moryo. Three years ago, Kakashi had intended to unseal and subdue Moryo so that Shion could master its power. However, considering she was young, mentally immature, and her body likely couldn't handle the strain—plus the fact that it was their first meeting and her loyalty was unproven—he had postponed the plan.
Now, Shion had lived in the Hidden Leaf for three years. She had witnessed the peace and tranquility of the world under his rule and seen the quality of life improve for everyone. Kakashi himself had spared no effort in allowing this scarred world to recover.
Now that Shion was approaching sixteen, her heart truly belonged to the Empire. It was time to begin the plan to unseal Moryo.
"Ignore those people for now. I recall Shion's birthday is coming up, isn't it?" Kakashi changed his clothes in the cabin and began walking toward the Imperial Radiance Building.
"Yes, in two months," Hayate confirmed.
"Remember to have Naruto and Sakura take Karin to celebrate Shion's birthday when the time comes."
Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then removed a necklace from around his neck. It was a replica he had crafted, modeled after the chakra necklace once owned by Hashirama Senju. It contained Kakashi's own chakra and a stored extension technique of his White Lightning. It could save the wearer's life in a moment of crisis.
Kakashi had originally intended to give it to Kurenai, but for now, it was better to give it to Shion as a precaution. Two months was enough time for him to craft a second one for Kurenai.
"Wrap this necklace up and send it to Shion on her birthday."
Hayate took the necklace and nodded. He understood Kakashi's concern for Shion. As the Imperial Secretary General, he was well-versed in the secrets of the shinobi world. Under Kakashi's influence, Hayate had also made a point to learn more. He knew exactly how many ghosts and monsters still lurked beneath the surface of this world where the wars had supposedly ended.
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