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The White Snake Sage flooded Qianyu's body with a torrent of natural energy.
Snake scales had already begun to patch his skin.
Qianyu focused his chakra, marshaling it against the raging force within him.
To master Sage Mode, the cultivator first needed a vast reservoir of chakra. Without it, the natural energy would devour them in an instant.
Second was learning to absorb that energy. The method at Ryūchi Cave was completely different from Mount Myōboku's.
Myōboku's way was gentle. Start with toad oil to grasp the trick of drawing in natural energy. Get used to it, then discard the aid. Learn to control it through absolute stillness—only by being 'unmoving' could one gather natural energy.
Ryūchi Cave's method was simple. Brutal.
Like now. Qianyu was force-fed a massive surge of natural power. His body had to endure it. Adapt to it. Or break.
That was why the Sage Modes were so different. Myōboku's required stillness to gather power. Ryūchi Cave's had no such restriction.
Inside Qianyu, chakra and natural energy warred.
Sage chakra was born from balance. Spiritual energy, physical energy, natural energy—all in perfect equilibrium.
But balance wasn't the first step. Not here.
First, he had to subdue the wild, violent natural energy flooding his veins. Only then could he even attempt to bring the three forces into harmony.
In the depths of Ryūchi Cave, Qianyu lost all sense of time. His entire being was consumed by the internal struggle.
…
Fifteen days passed in a blink.
Back at the Leaf Village Defense Force, Kakashi's days had been… frustrating.
Since Qianyu left, the Root ninja still obeyed his orders. But the regular ninja Qianyu had recruited? They were slipping from his command.
It wasn't Kakashi's fault.
It was Uchiha Shisui.
Shisui knew he couldn't command the Root operatives. So he went over Kakashi's head. He took the regular ninja Qianyu recruited, merged them with the ones he'd brought in himself, and assumed de facto control.
On paper, Kakashi was in charge. In reality? His orders were just noise.
Worse, whenever Root detained an Uchiha for questioning—even repeat offenders, two-timers, three-timers—Shisui would intervene. Every time. He'd release them after they paid the bare minimum bail of 100,000 ryō.
Now, in the office.
Shisui stood before Kakashi's desk. He wanted to "refine" the rules. Define clearer boundaries for detaining suspects.
For example, a mere verbal argument shouldn't warrant arrest. A warning would suffice.
He also wanted to standardize which prison a detained ninja should be sent to.
Kakashi listened, his single visible eye fixed on Shisui with a peculiar intensity.
He waited for Shisui to finish.
Then he spoke, his voice flat. "Vice-Captain. Do you think just because my teacher is gone, you can push me around?"
Shisui's expression stiffened. He paused. "Of course not. I'm merely seeking your opinion."
Kakashi's gaze drifted to the bustling ninja outside the office window. "Seeking my opinion? You merged the squads without my opinion. You let detainees pay reduced bail without my opinion. Is that how you 'seek' it?"
He looked back at Shisui. "I recall my teacher saying that as acting captain, I have all the authority of the captain. Your overreach… is significant."
Shisui's jaw tightened. "I only acted for the good of the Defense Force."
A humorless smile touched Kakashi's lips. "For the good of the Force? We both know that's not true, don't we? You saw my teacher's absence as an opportunity. But you're forgetting one thing. He's coming back."
Kakashi leaned forward slightly. "If I were you, I'd leave things as they are. I'm not a political player. You want to merge squads? Fine. You want to change procedures? Whatever. Because I know—the moment my teacher returns, everything you've built will crumble. You can't stand against him. Nothing you do now will matter."
His tone softened, almost conversational. "My teacher has… history with your clan. I don't. That's why I can say this calmly. Consider it advice. The status quo… is your safest bet."
Shisui's face darkened, emotions warring beneath the surface.
Kakashi was right. Every change, every adjustment—it would all vanish when Qianyu returned.
Shisui had known that. But he couldn't just sit still. Qianyu was gone. This was a chance, however small, to do something. To make a few changes that might stick, even after Qianyu came back. One or two victories was all he needed.
But Kakashi's warning was a bucket of cold water. It meant Kakashi would report everything. Every single move.
That last shred of hope was gone.
Kakashi could have stayed silent. Let Shisui spin his wheels. The regulations? As long as Kakashi didn't approve them, they were just proposals. When Qianyu returned, everything would revert anyway.
But Kakashi had warned him. Maybe… maybe it was genuine advice.
There were rumors. That Uchiha Obito, who died in the war, had been Kakashi's close friend. Perhaps Kakashi didn't share Qianyu's hostility toward the Uchiha.
Shisui took a slow breath. The fight drained from his posture. "Thank you for the reminder, Kakashi."
He gave a slight nod and walked out of the office.
Kakashi stared at the empty doorway, baffled.
He'd expected defiance. Threats. Insults. Not… gratitude.
His words hadn't been some noble gesture. He just wanted Shisui to stop making trouble. To make his own job easier. The more Shisui changed now, the bigger the mess Qianyu would have to clean up later. And the more pissed off he'd be.
If Shisui stopped, Kakashi could breathe.
Sure, Qianyu said he didn't care much about the Defense Force. But he'd trusted Kakashi to handle it. Kakashi wanted to do right by that trust. At the very least, he couldn't let Shisui run wild.
"Did he actually think I was being sincere?" Kakashi muttered to himself, scratching his head. "Teacher was right. He really is naive. Well… as long as it works." He glanced at the clock. "Need to wrap up. Gotta buy saury and eggplant. Teacher's wife is making salt-grilled saury and miso-glazed eggplant tonight."
After his shift, groceries in hand, Kakashi headed to Qianyu's house.
He pushed the door open.
And froze.
Uzumaki Kushina was hunched over the kitchen sink, retching violently.
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