Yue was a bit worried about whether there was something wrong with Itachi's body.
Under normal circumstances, cells separated from the body could survive for about twelve hours if the temperature was suitable. Not to mention, the cells of people in the ninja world were generally much stronger.
However, Yue currently lacked the equipment and ability to conduct deeper research. For now, he could only find time to ask Itachi if he felt any discomfort. Everything else would have to wait.
After thinking for a while without coming to any conclusions, Yue decided to put this matter aside until he was older. His body was not even five years old yet, so there was no need to rush—there was no way to rush it anyway.
He carefully packed everything up and hid the box in the corner of his cabinet. Yue had to be cautious; if Minato or Kushina discovered it, explaining things would be a hassle.
After confirming there were no problems, Yue left his room. Not seeing Kushina in the living room, he tiptoed to her bedroom door and peeked inside. She was lying on the bed, taking a nap.
With nothing else to do, Yue returned to his room and created five shadow clones.
The six of them made the small room feel a bit cramped, but they had to make do. He didn't want to waste time—every moment had to be maximized.
The shadow clones focused on studying sealing techniques, while Yue's real body entered the Kagura Mind's Eye state. He had always wanted to understand these floating specks of light—the natural energy that Minato had mentioned.
He deliberately controlled the range of his perception to just ten meters, avoiding invading others' privacy.
"This cold, gloomy chakra... That should be Kakashi. Why is he here?"
As soon as he activated his perception, Yue noticed Kakashi crouching on their rooftop. He had no idea what Kakashi was doing there.
Yue observed him for nearly twenty minutes, but Kakashi remained completely still.
Based on his understanding of the house's structure, Yue estimated that Kakashi was positioned right in the shadows.
Recalling how he had seen Minato talking to Kakashi yesterday when he went to get some documents, Yue figured they had probably been discussing this very thing—Minato assigning Kakashi to watch over Kushina.
Maybe this was Minato's way of trying to pull Kakashi out of the darkness…
After thinking for a moment, Yue decided to ignore him. If he wants to squat there, let him.
Immersing himself in the Kagura Mind's Eye state again, Yue once more "saw" the glowing specks floating in the air, like fireflies.
Compared to when he had been in the forest behind the house, the density of these light specks was much lower here. Inside his room, there were barely any at all.
Outside, however, near the potted plants by the window, the concentration of light specks was much higher. Yue guessed that natural energy was naturally drawn to living organisms.
A few sparrows had flown onto the windowsill, tilting their heads curiously at him through the glass. They pecked at the window occasionally, as if trying to get inside.
"Chirp, chirp… chirp, chirp…"
On the rooftop, Kakashi remained hidden in the shadows.
The cheerful chirping of birds reached his ears. What was normally a pleasant sound for most people was unbearably noisy to him—an unwelcome distraction from his mission.
Ever since those two incidents, Kakashi had completely shut himself off emotionally. Though he still mouthed the words "Those who can't protect their comrades are trash," deep down, his world was now reduced to missions alone.
Since he no longer had comrades, there was no need to think about protecting anyone.
When he received this assignment from Minato, Kakashi didn't have any particular thoughts about it. He simply saw it as a standard bodyguard mission—just one that would last a bit longer, about nine months.
This was his second day on duty.
After several months in Anbu, Kakashi had earned the nickname "Cold-Blooded Kakashi." Just as he had fully immersed himself in darkness and bloodshed, using them as a way to escape his past, Minato suddenly pulled him out and tasked him with protecting Kushina.
For the past two days, he had been keeping most of his attention on Kushina while occasionally observing Yue, his young junior. He had no idea what Yue was up to, but the kid would pull the curtains shut from time to time.
The constant chirping of the sparrows eventually caught Kakashi's attention. Normally, he had no interest in such things, but since his mission target was his teacher's wife, he couldn't ignore potential disturbances. He peeked out from his hiding spot to investigate.
The sparrows, startled by his sudden movement, scattered in all directions.
"Just a few sparrows..."
After confirming there was nothing unusual, Kakashi withdrew back into the shadows.
At the same time, Yue opened his eyes.
He was now certain—he could sense the emotions of animals.
Just moments ago, when the sparrows were startled by Kakashi, Yue had clearly felt them warning him of Kakashi's presence.
"With my perception and predictive abilities, I'm basically immune to ambushes."
In ninja battles, intelligence was key, and ambushes were often decisive. Yue might not have any particularly mysterious secret techniques, but being immune to sneak attacks was already a massive advantage.
Getting up, Yue opened his window. Carefully controlling his body to stay undetected, he began moving toward Kakashi's position.
Every step was deliberate, like a feline predator stalking its prey. At the same time, his Kagura Mind's Eye kept monitoring Kakashi's every movement.
After ten minutes of careful maneuvering, Yue finally positioned himself on the opposite side of Kakashi, separated only by the corner of the roof.
So far, he hadn't sensed any reaction from Kakashi. However, he couldn't be sure whether Kakashi had noticed him—a true ninja's first skill is endurance.
The two of them remained motionless for a full thirty minutes. Yue figured there was no point in waiting any longer—soon, the sunlight would reach Kakashi's hiding spot, forcing him to move.
With a swift motion, Yue flashed to Kakashi's side, throwing a straight punch at his abdomen while raising his left hand defensively.
The next instant, Kakashi caught Yue's right hand and immediately countered with a punch of his own.
"So he did notice me after all…"
Yue used his fingertips to deflect Kakashi's wrist, diverting the punch, then pushed off the wall with his right foot, twisting mid-air to deliver a spinning kick toward Kakashi's head.
Kakashi was forced to let go of Yue's arm and block the kick with his own forearm.
BAM!
The impact forced Kakashi half a step to the side. Feeling the power behind Yue's strike, Kakashi no longer held back—he raised his knee and swung his other arm at Yue.
Though Kakashi's speed was incredible, Yue's predictive ability allowed him to react in time. He pressed down on Kakashi's knee, using it as leverage to flip over Kakashi's back and throw a punch at the back of his head.
However, Kakashi's reflexes were equally sharp—he crouched down and countered with a rising kick.
Yue swiftly grabbed Kakashi's leg and aimed a punch at his knee joint.
But before he could strike, Kakashi suddenly exerted force, swinging Yue toward the wall. Yue had no choice but to retract his punch and brace himself against the wall to absorb the impact.
Both fighters momentarily froze, then quickly pulled back to a safe distance.
"I was going to chat with you, but it looks like Mom noticed the fight. I'll head back for now."
Yue tossed out the words before slipping back into his room through the window—he had sensed that Kushina was awake.
Kakashi, meanwhile, melted back into the shadows.
"His physical abilities are terrifying... Already on par with when I first became a Jonin. And his strongest skill is probably still his swordsmanship…"
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