BOOM!
A huge explosion occurred in the distance, on the outskirts of Konoha. However, there was no action taken, every ninja in Konoha were calm about it. It had been two weeks, Kakashi becoming successor for Hokage's position and new Council member were known to other Ninja's. And Kakashi's Shadow Clones, regularly do training in the Forest of Death to reduce the time it took to create thunderclouds for Kirin had become somewhat normal. Meanwhile, Kakashi himself had attended a few Konoha Council meetings during this time, clearly bored by the experience.
Just like Shikaku, he always wore a bored expression during the meetings, which was mostly hidden under his face mask. The meetings really dragged. There was nothing new to discuss about Konoha; it was always Danzō bickering against anything Hiruzen presented, and in the end, nothing good was ever finalized. Kakashi believed that even Naruto and Sasuke's bickering before their every spar was more fun than these Council meetings.
They were just an eyesore for him, especially Danzō, who targeted him, since Kakashi is Hokage's successor. Kakashi had even started to keep his left Sharingan eye open during meetings, not hidden under his forehead protector, just to show Danzō that he wasn't intimidated in any way.
"Haa..." Kakashi stretched, letting out a long sigh, stepping out of the Hokage Residence after another useless Council meeting. He had wished to send his Shadow Clone to such meetings, but Hiruzen had strictly prohibited him from doing so. The Third Hokage was a sensor-type ninja and had, unsurprisingly, caught Kakashi using this trick to get away from a meeting, twice already.
'Just about two months left for the Konoha Crush to happen. I just wish that even Danzō gets killed there, or should I kill him myself and blame it on Orochimaru as well? No, I saved him for Sasuke to kill!' Kakashi thought, walking toward Training Ground Three, where one of his Shadow Clone was teaching Sakura. Sasuke and Naruto were training by themselves using their scrolls. His remaining Shadow Clones were training in the Forest of Death.
'Well, I've improved the time it takes to create thunderclouds. I should stop Kirin's training,' Kakashi guessed aloud, nodding to himself.
"KAKASHI! MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL!!" As he walked, he heard a loud call from a familiar voice. He turned and saw a tall man in green spandex, Might Guy, with his Genin team following behind.
"Guy, where are you going?" Kakashi asked, waving his hand in greeting. Neji and Tenten bowed to Kakashi in greeting, while Lee enthusiastically gave him a thumbs-up.
"I'm not coming; we're going for another mission to pick at mission counter! My team will join the Chūnin Exams, and there's no better training than real combat!" Guy said loudly with a nice guy pose.
"Yeah, that's correct. My team is also joining these Chūnin Exams, and I'm training them as well," Kakashi said with a nod. His mood was getting better from talking to Guy; the Council meetings were truly boring.
Guy was surprised. He didn't know that Team Seven was also joining. But before he could say anything, Lee asked aloud, "Really! Will Sasuke from the Uchiha Clan be joining the Chūnin Exams? Yosh! I can fight him there and show my Youth!"
Guy smiled at Lee's enthusiasm and asked Kakashi, "Are you sure about that? Your team only just graduated. Are they really ready for this? I didn't even let my team join the last Chūnin Exams of previous year."
Kakashi simply waved his hands dismissively, stating they are ready enough, while Tenten stared at Guy and complained, "Guy-sensei, the first time, you didn't even tell us about the Chūnin Exams, and you only told us when it was already over!"
Guy said in his defense, "As I said, you weren't ready at that time. Haha, but don't worry, Tenten, you can show your Youth this time." Tenten just sighed at Guy's ever-loud energy.
Neji's pale white eyes dropped to the floor as he muttered, "Sasuke Uchiha, huh!"
Kakashi noticed him muttering, glanced at him for a moment, and immediately got an idea for his next Fūinjutsu training. 'The Caged Bird Seal would be a good seal to study. Why didn't I think about this before? I almost forgot about it.'
He then asked Neji, "Neji, can I request you for something?"
Neji looked up at Kakashi, slightly surprised, then nodded. "Yes, what is it?"
"Can you show me your Caged Bird Seal?" Kakashi requested. His request shocked all four of them. Guy, Lee, and Tenten looked at Kakashi with wide eyes; even they didn't mention the Caged Bird Seal in front of Neji.
Guy stepped closer to Kakashi and whispered in his ear, "Kakashi, why are you asking for that? Don't you know..."
"I know. It's not that I'm doing this purposely to mock Neji," Kakashi cut in and simply said, looking at Neji, who, upon hearing him, began thinking about the Caged Bird Seal. His past memories of his father's death and the rigid rules of the Hyuga Clan, and his belief in Fate came to his mind. He stood in a daze, his fists clenched tightly.
"Neji," Kakashi said, gently shaking Neji's shoulders to get him out of his sad thoughts. "Don't mistake my request as a mocking joke at your situation. I'm practicing Fūinjutsu, sealing techniques, but I've pretty much learned all the Fūinjutsu seals in Konoha, aside from the forbidden one. I think the Caged Bird Seal would be a good study material."
Kakashi's words again shocked them all. This was even more shocking for Neji and Guy, who, unlike Rock Lee and Tenten, knew that studying the Caged Bird Seal was not something to be taken lightly. The curse mark itself was not a topic of public debate or legislation. Even the Hokage and the Council members did not interfere with the Hyuga Clan's internal affairs regarding this seal. While it was not officially "prohibited" to study the Caged Bird Seal, the very nature of this seal made any attempt to do so highly dangerous.
The Hyuga Clan's main family would never let anyone study their secrets and this curse seal. In essence, the Caged Bird Seal was a symbol of the Hyuga Clan's autonomy and their deep-seated traditions, which even high-ranking Konoha shinobi were reluctant to challenge. Kakashi also knew this and understood Guy and Neji's expressions.
"Don't be shocked," Kakashi said with a shrug. "Aside from a forbidden Fūinjutsu, I also don't know many Jūinjutsu seals either. It was just a curiosity to study one."
He then stepped closer to Neji's ear and whispered, "And who knows? If I'm able to crack this curse mark, wouldn't you want to break free from this seal?"
Neji was speechless for a moment. Kakashi's words were directly threatening the authority of the Hyuga Clan's main family, but most importantly, they also threatening his own beliefs that fate is unchangeable and his Fate is sealed by this curse mark.
"Well, if you don't want to, I wouldn't force you, but it would only take me few seconds to study it, though proper studying take time." Kakashi said, not giving Neji much time to think. They were currently some distance from the Hokage residence, and the longer Kakashi talked about it, the more chances there were for some hidden Anbu to hear him. He thought it was better to get a quick peek at Neji's Caged Bird Seal.
"FEW SECONDS!" Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten shouted in disbelief. Even though they hadn't tried it themselves, they knew that studying any sealing technique within seconds should be impossible, even if it isn't in a proper manner. Guy, however, knew what Kakashi meant. A single peek at Neji's cursed mark with his Sharingan and he could have a 4K picture of it in his mind.
"Kakashi, are you serious about this?" Guy asked, his tone serious.
Kakashi casually waved his hands. "Didn't you already knows? I'm a Council member now and a successor for the Hokage's position, and this might even help Neji."
Guy held his gaze on Kakashi for a few good seconds and then nodded. With Hiruzen's backing and Kakashi's new status, the main family of the Hyuga Clan would not bother him about this, alot, and would stay silent with some complaints.
"What do you think, Neji?" Guy asked. Neji's expression was complex. His belief in fate was unchangeable, yet Kakashi's words about cracking this seal and freeing him from this barrier sounded so good to his ears.
Neji put his hand on his forehead protector, his gaze sharp on Kakashi as he said, "Just a few seconds."
Kakashi smiled under his mask, immediately tucking up his forehead protector from his left eye. As he opened it, a three-tomoe spun in his crimson red eye. Neji swiftly took off his forehead protector, revealing his forehead with a light green "X" mark and a hook-type design around both sides of it. The Juinjutsu of the Hyuga Clan was present in front of them. Kakashi's Sharingan spun slowly, capturing the design and symbols of the Caged Bird Seal.
Neji swiftly put his forehead protector back on, hiding the curse seal again. Guy, Lee, and Tenten only got a glimpse of it. Only Kakashi, thanks to his Sharingan, was able to capture it completely. Neji looked at him but didn't say anything. He still believed that fate was sealed from the moment one was born. However, Kakashi's words still impacted him slightly, which was why he had shown him his curse mark, hoping that something he didn't believe in could be possible.
Kakashi then said, as he covered his Sharingan back with his forehead protector, "Neji, you have a misconception about one thing. Fate isn't sealed from birth; it can be changed with a strong will. And once a great man said, 'There is no weapon more deadly than the will.' Fate is hard to change, but not completely unchangeable."
Neji looked up at Kakashi with a strange expression, a mix of hope and disbelief. Tenten also looked up at him with thankful eyes, as Kakashi's actions might help Neji.
"Who is that great man, Kakashi-sensei?" Rock Lee asked.
Kakashi immediately responded, "Bruce L... Cough... The First Hokage, Hashirama-sama. Well, I have to go; you're also going to the mission counter for a mission. I'll take my leave. Bye." Saying that, Kakashi immediately flickered away.
His words made Rock Lee's eyes shine as he looked at Neji and Guy, yelling with tears of happiness, "GUY-SENSEI, NEJI, EVEN THE FIRST HOKAGE-SAMA BELIEVES THAT WITH WILL, ONE CAN CHANGE THEIR DESTINY!"
Neji looked dazed, thinking that even such a strong person believed that fate could be changed. After all, everyone knew about Hashirama and his infamous strength, which hailed him as 'The God of Shinobi' of his time. However, Guy tilted his head, thinking to himself, 'When did Hashirama-sama say something like that, and why didn't I know about it?'