- One day after the surgery -
The sterile scent of the Konoha Hospital hung heavy in the dimly lit, private medical ward. Sasuke sat completely still on the edge of the examination table, his hands against his knees. A thick layer of medical gauze wrapped tightly around his head, completely covering his eyes and casting his world into pitch-black darkness.
Tsunade stood directly before him, her hands glowing with a soft, steady green medical chakra as she hovered her palms just an inch over the bandages. She was meticulously checking the delicate neural pathways and ocular micro-vessels she had flawlessly reattached the day before.
"The integration is moving perfectly, Sasuke," Tsunade said, lowering her hands as the green glow faded. Her voice was uncharacteristically gentle, carrying the gravity of a physician who knew exactly what kind of legacy she had just sewn into the boy. "Your father's chakra is aligning cleanly with your own. But an ocular transplant of this magnitude still requires absolute rest for the cells to bind."
Sasuke didn't move a muscle, his voice slipping out through the quiet room, low and raspy from just recently waking up and a little thirsty. "How long?"
"The optic nerves need time to merge completely before they can handle the strain of light, let alone your chakra," Tsunade explained, stepping back toward her tray of medical instruments. "You will remain in this dark room, and those bandages stay on for several days. Do not attempt to channel chakra to your eyes, and absolutely do not try to open them until I give the word. If you rush this, you risk permanent rejection of the tissue."
Sasuke concentrated on the feeling in his eyes. He could feel a strange, deep, and heavy throb vibrating behind his eyelids, a foreign yet intimately familiar pulse of chakra that felt powerful. It was the residual weight of his father's chakra.
"I understand," Sasuke muttered quietly, settling back into the hospital bed to rest.
Before leaving the ward, Tsunade paused. She picked up the jar, holding it up to the room's dim light. Her sharp medical eyes studied the dark irises. As the world's leading medic, she found something about them deeply troubling. The ocular tissue was abnormally dull, the cells' natural vitality oddly diminished.
It doesn't make sense, Tsunade thought, her brow furrowing slightly as she swirled the jar. The degradation is too advanced. She knew Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan just recently, and based on what she knew, he hadn't used them to anywhere near this point.
'Is it because his eyes were removed from his optic nerves? No, then Fugaku's own eyes would've had the same dull look. Fugaku surely used his Mangekyō more than Sasuke, who just awakened the eyes. Is it because of the merging chakra?'
Tsunade was full of questions and medical interest; the only theory that she had was that Sasuke's own 'light' was merging with Fugaku's eyes, the Ocular powers merging and growing steadily, leaving Sasuke's own original eyes dull.
'Maybe Kakashi will have an answer.'
Tsuande thought before silently leaving Sasuke to his rest.
- With Kakashi -
Kakashi maintained a rapid sprint directly across open ocean, effortlessly keeping his footing over the dark, choppy waves. As he closed the distance to the mist-shrouded horizon, he used pulses of chakra to clear the way forward.
*Swish.
The fog directly ahead split wide open. Three figures materialized on the water's surface, their sandals striking the ocean with sharp, practiced snaps.
They wore the standard pinstriped flak jackets of Kirigakure, but their faces were hidden behind the bone-white porcelain masks. Twin blades were already drawn, catching the faint, diffused light piercing through the mist.
"Halt," the center guard commanded, his voice cutting through the damp air like a razor. "You have breached the internal sensory perimeter of the Hidden Mist. State your identity and business." He spoke, cold sweat already running down the back of his neck as the sensor of the squad had all but had a panic attack.
Kakashi stopped his forward glide, standing perfectly balanced on the crest of a rolling wave. He didn't drop into a defensive stance. Instead, he stood with his hands resting casually in his pockets, surveying the trio with unbothered calm.
'I used a bit too much chakra to clear the mist.'
Kakashi thought as he felt the trio's unease.
'One of them is a sensor too; she seems to be the most shaken up.'
Before Kakashi could reply, another man flashed in front of the masked-nin using a swift Body Flicker. He landed smoothly between the guards and Kakashi, immediately bending forward into a respectful bow.
"Forgive the rudeness of these three, Lord Kakashi," Ao said, his deep voice carrying absolute authority. "They are young, and they do not fully grasp who stands before them."
Behind him, the three masked-nin went utterly rigid in shock; they looked back to Kakashi in shock, having been knocked out by this man not long ago by a mere glance. The reason they had been so on edge was that the sensor in the squad felt Kakashi's chakra approaching and, for the first time in her life as a kunoichi, was scared beyond anything she had ever felt.
Kakashi didn't shift his casual posture, his eyes curving into a relaxed squint.
"You're Ao, correct?" Kakashi asked, his tone smooth and conversational. "It's perfectly fine. I take no offense to them stopping me. They're just doing their jobs."
Ao straightened up, his single exposed eye scanning Kakashi with deep intensity. He could sense absolutely no chakra leaking from the Copy Ninja, Kakashi having drawn it in after accidentally giving the three a scare.
"Your understanding is appreciated," Ao replied, gesturing toward the looming stone towers of the village. "The Mizukage is waiting. Allow me to personally escort you."
Kakashi silently followed as Ao led the way. The three Hunter-nin quickly stepped aside, parting the path on the water and even bowing deeply as Kakashi passed by them.
Once they had moved far enough into the fog to be completely out of earshot of the guards, Kakashi spoke up, his voice casual.
"They won't be punished, right? It was my mistake for flaring my chakra to clear some mist."
Ao kept his pace steady, his eyes fixed forward, but a faint, grim smile touched his lips.
"They won't be disciplined for doing their duty, Lord Kakashi," Ao replied smoothly. "Though a lesson in identifying a threat before drawing a blade never hurts. Your arrival simply caught us all off guard."
Kakashi let out a quiet, amused huff. "Even you then?"
"Especially me," Ao replied
He didn't elaborate out loud, but beneath his eyepatch, his Byakugan had been active the exact moment Kakashi breached the territorial waters. To Ao's sight, Kakashi's brief chakra flare hadn't just cleared the fog; it had looked like a miniature sun igniting on the dark ocean. It was a massive, dense concentration of energy that nearly blinded him, nothing like a standard ninja and more like a contained natural disaster. Seeing that level of power suppressed so cleanly into a casual stride was exactly why Ao had broken protocol to step in himself, having been ordered to meet Kakashi when he was much closer, but Ao really didn't want those three to do something stupid; from that exchange alone, Ao knew the chakra displayed was nothing compared to what he suspected the man could show.
Instead of heading straight for the main roads, Ao guided Kakashi down a secluded, winding path heavily obscured by a massive bank of low-hanging sea fog. The vapor here was exceptionally dense, clinging to the jagged rock faces and choking out all peripheral vision. It was a classic security measure, a blind zone designed to disorient outsiders and keep the exact layout of the outer borders hidden from prying eyes. Kakashi followed the older man's silhouette through the whiteout, his eyes scanning the damp stone walls as they wound deeper into the terrain.
As they walked past the heavy iron security gates, the dense sea fog finally gave way to the shadowed, towering landscape of Kirigakure. The village was a stark fortress of massive, cylindrical stone structures carved directly into the deep, misty ravines. Kiri shinobi and local merchants moved through the damp streets, their chatter grinding to a sudden, tense halt the moment they recognized the flak jacket and silver hair of the man who had defeated Yagura.
Ao guided him efficiently through the crowded plaza, bypassing the whispering crowds and leading him directly toward the grand, green-roofed Kage building.
The double doors of the central administrative tower opened smoothly, and Ao led Kakashi up a series of winding stone staircases, bypassing the heavily armed guards stationed at every landing. When they reached the top floor, Ao knocked twice on the heavy, dark wood door of the Mizukage's office before pushing it open.
Mei Terumi sat behind a large, curved desk overflowing with maps and official scrolls. The faint scent of sulfur and ocean water hung in the air, a reminder of her deadly elemental chakra. She looked up as they entered, her brilliant green eyes widening with a flash of genuine surprise when they landed on the Leaf ninja.
"Thank you, Ao. You are dismissed," Mei said, her voice smooth and melodic, yet carrying the undeniable weight of a Kage.
"Yes, Lady Mizukage," Ao replied. He offered a final, respectful nod to Kakashi, his single eye lingering for a fraction of a second on the Leaf shinobi before he stepped backward out of the room. The heavy wooden door clicked firmly shut behind him, leaving the two of them entirely alone in the quiet office.
Mei leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers as she looked Kakashi up and down, a fascinated smile playing on her lips.
"Well, hello, handsome."
Kakashi smiled despite himself, shaking his head in amusement. He really should have expected that from her.
"Hello yourself."
Mei raised a delicate brow.
"Seems you haven't been working on the compliments."
"Maa, beautiful, confident, strong. These are all things that you know you are, no?" Kakashi replied simply, causing Mei to chuckle softly.
"Perhaps," Mei conceded, her eyes tracking him with playful intent. "But it's nice to hear them from someone I'm actually interested in. I'm happy to know those are the things that cross your mind when you think of me. Though, I think I'll add a few more to your list before you leave."
"Of that, I have no doubt."
Kakashi said before taking the seat in front of Mei, which she had motioned to.
- Chapter End -
I've been thinking lately about Hinata in this story, not just how she can be improved; I've actually thought about that for a while and already know how I'll have Kakashi help improve her, because, just in case you've skipped chapters, Kakashi has been training everyone who I believe could have been better with certain sensei, like Tenten. In this fic, Tenten is steadily studying fuinjutsu and is quite good with kenjutsu. More on her later, but back to Hinata. I don't hate her character, and realistically can't see her interested in anyone but Naruto. I'm conflicted on whether I should make something of that and make Naruto surpass his father in more ways than one, or leave Hinata to suffer basically. I don't really want to leave her to the wolves; she's a genuinely sweet character, and cares about Naruto. What do you all think? I'll try my best to make it natural if yes, but that's as far as it's going. No one will be getting a massive, ridiculous harem.