In Kageyama Kokugetsu's eyes, Konoha's restaurants were nothing special—picking the tallest dwarf. If not for wanting a bit of ceremony and being lazy, he'd have cooked at home.
After eating his fill at Yakiniku Q and soaking half an hour at the hot-spring house, he took a cup of sour plum juice. Refreshed, he strolled home at an easy pace.
"Kokugetsu."
Just off Hot Spring Street, someone called his name. He turned.
"Yo—Rin and Kakashi."
"And this beautiful lady is?"
"Sweet talker. I'm Uzumaki Kushina."
With sleek red hair, a white sleeveless blouse under a dark green long dress, Kushina covered her mouth and laughed.
Kageyama had been classmates with Kakashi, Obito, Nohara Rin, and Might Guy. As for their ties—passable. Lacking confidence before, he'd avoided getting too close to their team, lest he be dragged into trouble.
Now he had fewer scruples.
"Hello, Sister Kushina," Kageyama said cheerfully.
Perhaps from having read more than a few doujin about her, he felt a certain fondness—and curiosity.
Was the hair really that red?
"Hello," Kushina smiled.
"Kakashi, you look wrecked. What happened?"
Kakashi's eye was dull, his face blank—as if he'd overindulged three days and nights and burned out.
"Obito… sacrificed himself," Rin said, face dim.
"Ah… no wonder."
"Kakashi, grief is grief, but don't drown in it."
"My parents fell one after the other in the war, and my only remaining family, my grandmother, passed not long ago."
"I was devastated too, but in the end I stood up. We have to live on for those who're gone—and live well."
Kageyama smiled, all bright resilience.
Kushina and Rin stared, surprised; their gaze softened, maternal warmth welling up.
Kakashi's eye flickered. He stared at this boy who, like him, stood alone in the world. After a time he spoke, sincere.
"Kokugetsu, thank you. I'll try to pull myself together."
"That's the spirit. You're our class's first jonin prodigy," Kageyama grinned.
"I'm not far behind. I'm already a tokubetsu jonin."
"Congratulations, Kokugetsu," Rin beamed.
"Impressive. Congratulations," Kushina praised.
"Not bad. Keep it up," Kakashi nodded.
They chatted a while, then Kageyama declined Kushina's invitation and headed home, humming. If he hadn't eaten, he wouldn't have minded a free meal. Having eaten, there was no need.
Back home, he unrolled the Eight Gates Formation scroll and studied it carefully.
After one thorough read, his brows knit.
The Eight Gates demanded training that was extraordinary, overload, beyond limits over long periods.
Only then would the body's parts and organs adapt to the load when the Gates opened, minimizing the destruction from the surge. Forcing them open would not do.
Extraordinary? Overload? Beyond limits?
If he had Might Guy's will, he wouldn't have risked everything to scheme against Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Having succeeded, why grind himself to dust?
Forget it—he'd take a laid-back path with the Eight Gates.
Isshiki's physique was extremely tough. Letting it grow naturally should reach the threshold for the Opening Gate.
And he'd find a chance to link up with Orochimaru, see if he could brew tonics to strengthen each part of the body.
For now, sleep. It had been too long since he'd slept without a care.
A night's good rest.
The next morning, refreshed, Kageyama left home for Konoha Hospital.
At the door a nurse met him and led him to the office of Dr. Shiramori, a medical jonin and head of surgery.
After a few polite words, they went to the operating room.
Eye replacement wasn't a difficult procedure here; even a medical chunin like Nohara Rin could do it easily.
"Doctor Shiramori, my arm's been off lately. Could you check it?" Kageyama said from the table after finishing his hand signs.
The doctor, arranging instruments, turned—and met Kageyama's black eye.
A faint gold gleam in that eye, and Dr. Shiramori sank into genjutsu, unable to pull free.
A pure Rinnegan was all but immune to visual genjutsu, but it didn't cast visual genjutsu itself. The technique Kageyama used rode eye power to smash into the brain, but it wasn't a visual genjutsu; it needed hand signs and couldn't be fired instantly.
Inside the illusion, Dr. Shiramori examined Kageyama's arm, found a minor issue, treated it, and then performed a normal eye transplant.
When it was done, Kageyama thanked him and left Konoha Hospital with a new look.
On the way, he pulled a mirror from Daikokuten and studied his style, then frowned.
"This eye patch ruins my looks—like a one-eyed thug."
"Maybe I should take a page from Kakashi. That's not bad—kind of a rakish cool."
He acted at once, taking off the patch and slanting his forehead protector across his brow from his arm.
"Much better."
"Mask or no mask?"
He thought a moment. "Forget it."
"If I wore one, Kakashi would think I'm copying him—and get insufferable."
"And masks are a pain for eating, drinking, and kissing."
"Heh. From now on Konoha will have two—two stylish one-eyes."
"I wonder what Kakashi will say when he sees it. Kind of looking forward to it."
Whistling, Kageyama went home to keep learning his body and its powers.
A week later Sarutobi Hiruzen called him in and asked how he was adapting to the Byakugan.
Kageyama said he could use it at a basic level.
From Hiruzen he learned that Iwagakure had backstabbed Kumogakure, the Third Raikage was under siege, and Konoha had shifted to the offensive.
Kirigakure, meanwhile, was massing troops, ships, and supplies as if to invade on a grand scale.
Hiruzen was puzzled. Kageyama was not.
Most likely Uchiha Madara was manipulating the current Mizukage, using a grand offensive as cover for his plan.
As for that plan, Kageyama had no intention of stopping it.
Not out of admiration—but because a prosperous, harmonious Konoha wasn't in his interest.
A relatively chaotic and weaker Konoha made rising easier—and that couldn't happen without Obito stirring the pot.
Not ruining Madara's plan was one thing; making things hard for Obito was another.
From the bottom of his heart, Kageyama had never wanted to save Uchiha Obito.
Others he could consider.
The next morning, as part of a support detachment, Kageyama came to Konoha's gate.
Kakashi and Rin, also in the support force, had arrived even earlier.
Seeing them, Kageyama's right eye brightened, and he walked straight over.