The mission in the Land of Waves was over.
Noah's interference had changed the plot significantly.
For example, the famous "Great Naruto Bridge" was gone. When it was eventually finished, who knew what it would be called? "The Great Leaf Bridge" out of gratitude? Zero chance. No matter how weak the Land of Waves, it was still a nation-they wouldn't name a landmark after another village.
"They'll probably pick a name more meaningful to them," Noah thought.
In the final battle, the Leaf's side had achieved total victory, wiping out Gato and claiming much of his wealth. Most of it would be handed to the village, which would then decide how much Noah and the others received.
Combat intensity had been generally low; no one except Naruto had any injuries. And Naruto's recovery speed was legendary.
After resting two days to wrap up the mission's loose ends, they headed back to the Leaf together.
Along the way, Kakashi briefed the young ninjas on the current state of the world, to prevent them from getting themselves killed later. Most importantly, the Mid-Level Ninja Exams were coming up, and Kakashi wanted to prepare them.
These exams weren't missions; he wouldn't be there to protect them. Or rather, any protection would have to be discreet.
He used Zabuza as the ultimate "cautionary tale." Zabuza might have looked weak-relatively speaking-but he was still a legendary figure.
When Kakashi told them Zabuza's story, Naruto and Sasuke fell silent. Compared to Zabuza, who clawed his way out of the bloodiest era of the Hidden Mist, Naruto and Sasuke were like flowers in a greenhouse, growing slowly under layers of protection.
Even if they didn't feel it deeply, they realized how stable life in the Leaf truly was.
The realization was a massive blow. Naruto, who dreamed of being the Leader, and Sasuke, who lived for revenge, both pushed themselves to the limit in training, exhausting themselves daily before continuing their journey.
Noah, by contrast, remained calm.
The only difference was that he often looked like he was meditating, his body glowing with a golden hue.
"What are you doing?" Kakashi finally asked.
"I'm regulating the energy inside me," Noah replied after a moment. "It seems powerful. I want to see what happens when I activate it to its maximum extent."
"Maximum extent? Does that require preparation?"
"Not really, but since I haven't used it in a while, I need to organize it properly. Keeping it active is the best choice."
In truth, Noah didn't need preparation. The Holy Light was his, and he was an expert in the "passive mode" it had adapted to in this universe. But to give Kakashi and the others time to adjust, he played it safe. Too many strange phenomena at once would be troublesome. He wanted to have fun, but smartly.
Once Kakashi understood Noah's situation, he didn't pry further. It was beyond his expertise.
Still, he felt he should teach the boy the basics. From what he could see, Noah had Earth and Water affinities, and Kakashi was a master of Earth techniques. As a potential future Leader, Kakashi's serious instruction would be beneficial.
Yet Noah's grasp of techniques was startling. Within half a night, Kakashi had nothing left to teach. Noah asked questions Kakashi couldn't answer clearly.
It led to a sudden identity crisis for the teacher.
Seeing things going south, Kakashi ended the session after only a few days.
"That's all I can teach you. The rest depends on your own practice."
Without a doubt, Kakashi had pegged Noah as a genius. He knew what a genius looked like because he was one. Noah was the real deal. Incredible learning ability, grit, natural talent. His "small" energy reserves were only due to age; otherwise, he was perfectly normal.
Barring accidents, Noah would grow into an elite ninja at least on par with Kakashi himself. And that ignored Noah's "special bloodline." If he truly belonged to the First Clan, reaching the top would be easy.
Inside the administration building, Kakashi reported the mission details to the Third Hokage. He didn't forget to mention his theory about Noah, which immediately caught the Leader's full attention.
Geniuses were common to the Third Hokage, who had seen plenty-the brilliant Orochimaru, his own student, the Uchiha geniuses, even Kakashi himself.
But Noah was different. Reattaching a severed limb? Reviving a fish cut in half? Energy brimming with life force and massive reserves?
Connecting the dots, the Third Hokage was almost certain: this boy was of the First Clan bloodline.
A First Clan descendant, likely unaware of his lineage, and talented-this gave the Leader many ideas.
First, the boy could be used to lure Lady Tsunade back. The Third was old. If it weren't for the lack of a successor and the need to clean up Danzo's mess, he'd have stepped down already.
Who would inherit leadership? Naturally, someone from his faction. He didn't want his life's work undone. The best candidate, with the least scrutiny, was his student, Tsunade-the First Leader's granddaughter.
Orochimaru was out. Jiraiya was a great choice, but unsuitable as a leader. Among younger ninjas, Kakashi was a top pick, but the Third had to leave future options.
He decided: use Noah's "potential bloodline" as a reason to bring Tsunade home.
"I understand, Kakashi," the Third Hokage nodded. "Keep this a secret for now. Understood?"
"I understand, Lord Hokage," Kakashi replied. Expected. How the Leader handled it wasn't his concern; he was just the messenger. He was curious, though, what resources would be allocated to Noah.
"Just continue teaching him well. By the way, you said his speed is very fast, right?" The Third was an old fox; he knew exactly what Kakashi was thinking.
"You couldn't even see him clearly?"
"Yes," Kakashi confirmed. "Extremely fast. Even with my special eye, I couldn't see his top speed clearly."
"I see." The Third took a long drag of his pipe and exhaled. "Then teach him that technique. Let's see if he can truly master it."
"You mean..." Kakashi blinked, then quickly caught on. "I understand, Lord Hokage."
It seemed they planned to have him follow the Fourth Leader's path. Kakashi sighed but admitted it was an excellent choice. The boy was already fast, and his background was clean. Such talent shouldn't be wasted.
Besides, that technique wasn't for everyone. So far, only two people had mastered it fully. If Noah learned it, great; if not, the village lost nothing.
"Give this to him."
While Kakashi pondered, the Third Hokage handed him a scroll.
"Consider this a mission reward. Zabuza didn't die, but that's fine. Minor matter; we have no obligation to clean up the Mist Village traitors. Seal the mission report."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Kakashi took the scroll solemnly and left.
The Third Hokage watched him go and exhaled deeply.
One of the First Clan, eh? What an interesting boy.