"I have some connections," Chiba proposed. "You could leave Konoha temporarily. Serve as a personal guard for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire."
"The Daimyo's guard?" Sakumo Hatake blinked, taken aback.
"Yes." Chiba nodded. "I heard about it by chance. The Daimyo is actively seeking powerful shinobi for his personal retinue. You're the perfect candidate."
The Twelve Guardian Ninja hadn't been formally established yet. The Fire Daimyo was hungry for talent. For these nobles, the requirements for a direct protector were simple: reputation, strength, character.
Reputation? Sakumo's name currently stood even above the Sannin. Strength? Sakumo could trounce the Daimyo's current guards with one hand tied. Character? Sakumo was the man who'd chosen his comrades over a mission.
Add Chiba's own modest influence to the mix, and if Sakumo agreed, securing the position was a foregone conclusion. The Daimyo's favor and trust would follow.
Chiba still found it hard to fully grasp, but in the original timeline, a word from the Daimyo could have dissolved Konoha itself.
"If you become the Daimyo's direct protector," Chiba continued, "no one in Konoha would dare target you again. Using Kakashi as leverage? Impossible. They'd be scrambling to get on your good side."
This wasn't an exaggeration. No matter how powerful a regional lord was, they'd think twice before offending the emperor's personal guards.
Especially a certain Danzō Shimura, desperate to become Hokage. Earn the Daimyo's displeasure, and that dream would die forever.
"That… is a viable path," Sakumo murmured, a complex emotion in his eyes as he looked at the young man before him. "You've grown up, Chiba."
The boy he'd once shielded now held the key to his salvation.
"No time to waste, Sakumo-sama," Chiba urged with a smile. "My advice? Leave Konoha now and secure the position. Then, let the news spread far and wide."
"I understand, Chiba." Sakumo nodded, his voice thick with feeling. "I owe you more than I can say. If not for you, I would have…"
Chiba waved it off. "Don't thank me. This just repays the debt I owed you from back then."
Sakumo was stunned. A casual remark from years ago, and Chiba had remembered it all this time? He let out a soft, disbelieving laugh. "Traveling all that way to save you back then… that might just be the second-best decision I ever made."
"Oh? What was the first?" Chiba couldn't help but ask.
"Hah! Marrying Kakashi's mother, of course!" Sakumo boomed with laughter.
Chiba: "…"
Damn it. Shouldn't have asked.
After the laughter faded, Sakumo's expression turned serious. "Chiba, I'll depart shortly. After I'm gone… please look after Kakashi for me."
"Of course, Sakumo-sama. You have my word." Chiba's nod was firm.
Once Sakumo was the Daimyo's man, Chiba would have a voice in the capital, too. Another step closer to his little goal of taking over Konoha.
They finished their discussion and stepped outside.
Before Chiba could react, Kakashi dropped to his knees before him. "Thank you for saving my father. And… I'm sorry for my disrespect earlier. Please forgive me."
Kakashi couldn't imagine a future without Sakumo. Alone in this cold world… he'd have slowly become an emotionless shell. But his father was alive. He was alive.
Gratitude threatened to overflow from Kakashi's small frame, just like it had with Pakura.
"No need for thanks." Chiba smiled, pulling Kakashi to his feet and ruffling his white hair, a swell of satisfaction in his chest. "Your father will be leaving on a long trip soon. Spend this time with him."
Future Kakashi wouldn't have to walk that tragic path—father gone, comrades gone, teacher gone… Kishimoto, you heartless bastard.
…
"Bro, if I die someday… think you could bring me back too?"
After leaving the Hatake residence, Nawaki insisted on walking Chiba back to the lab, buzzing around him the whole way like an excited hornet.
"Sure. If I can't revive you, I'll just use the Reanimation Jutsu. Then you can annoy me every single day."
Chiba rolled his eyes, ignoring him. He happily pulled up the system notification he hadn't had time to check earlier.
[Rescue successful. Reward granted: «Constitution Enhancement», «Perception Enhancement», «Reaction Speed Enhancement»!]
"Whoa! Now that's a reward worthy of bringing someone back from the dead!"
Chiba was thrilled. This triple-layered enhancement would likely boost his overall combat power by a whole tier.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique demands extreme perception and reaction speed. With this boost, mastering it should be much easier."
"And the constitution enhancement… how much did it improve? Gotta test it!"
They were away from the village, no one around. Chiba's excitement won out. Time for a field test.
"Eight Gates—Gate of Pain, OPEN!"
SWISH!
The sudden surge of chakra made Nawaki jump back, putting distance between them. "Whoa! What the hell?! You're not gonna beat me up for talking too much, are you? Don't you start copying my sis!"
"Fifth Gate—Gate of Closing, OPEN!"
"Sixth Gate—Gate of View, OPEN!"
Chiba ignored him. Chakra roared through his pathways like a torrential river, crashing through two more gates in quick succession.
"Seventh Gate—Gate of…"
He started to push for the seventh, but a faint, tearing sensation in his meridians made him stop. Wise call.
"I can comfortably sustain the Sixth Gate now. Could force the Seventh if I had to. This enhancement is no joke."
He released the gates, heart pounding with excitement. How long had he been training the Eight Gates? And he was already brushing against the threshold of the Seventh. The Eighth Gate—Night Chiba—was within sight.
"Holy shit, how?!" Nawaki dared to approach once the violent chakra faded, his face a mask of utter injustice. "You save one guy and suddenly get stronger again?! Chiba, do you, like, steal power from everyone you heal or something?"
Chiba's heart jumped. Had Nawaki actually figured it out?
Then he reconsidered. Nawaki? Yeah, right.
Back at the lab, Chiba's expression turned grave. "Nawaki, keep an eye on Danzō Shimura's movements for me recently. I wrecked his plans. I'm worried he'll come for me."
"Danzō Shimura? You're saying he was behind what happened to Sakumo-sama?!" Nawaki's eyes went wide.
"I can't speak for others, but Danzō is absolutely involved." Chiba's tone left no room for doubt.
It was almost funny. In this world, when something bad happened and you couldn't find the culprit, you could just blame Danzō. You'd be right ninety-nine times out of a hundred.
…
Half a month later, news of Sakumo Hatake's appointment as the Fire Daimyo's personal guard reached Konoha.
The village gossip about him vanished overnight, as if it had never existed. Now, when villagers spoke of the "White Fang," it was with pride.
Konoha Root Headquarters.
BANG!
Upon receiving the report, Danzō Shimura slammed his palm down, reducing the table before him to splinters.
The Root ninja kneeling before him flinched violently. "A-according to our intelligence, Hatake Sakumo's sudden change of heart and defection to the Daimyo… it was all orchestrated by Chiba."
"Chiba… That damn Chiba again!" Danzō snarled, teeth grinding. "I haven't even settled our previous score, and he dares to cross me now?!"
His face was a thundercloud. He paced the hall like a caged beast.
Finally, he stopped. His gaze, dark and predatory, settled on his subordinate. "No. We must eliminate Chiba. Immediately."
The boy's growth rate was terrifying. Strength, influence… without anyone noticing, the brat had reached a level that genuinely alarmed Danzō.
Backed by the Sannin. Protected by major clans thanks to his medical skills. And now, Sakumo at the Fire Daimyo's side…
It hit Danzō then. This wasn't just Chiba slipping his control. The boy had amassed enough power to stand against him directly.
"B-but Lord Danzō, the Hokage values Chiba highly," the Root agent stammered. "If we act rashly…"
"Fool! Why does Hiruzen favor him? To use him as my replacement!"
Danzō's foot lashed out, kicking the man to the floor. "If I fall, every single one of you is dead!"
Hiruzen's intentions were painfully transparent. Danzō saw it at a glance. Hiruzen thought his "sword" was too bloodstained, that his tool had developed its own will. He wanted a newer, more obedient blade.
This move against Sakumo had partly been to weaken Chiba's faction. But instead, the little bastard's influence had only grown.
"What we face now isn't a struggle for power," Danzō hissed, speaking to his subordinate, or perhaps to himself. "It's a fight for survival. Do you understand?"
If he lost his authority, given all the darkness he'd orchestrated… even if Hiruzen and Chiba didn't come for him personally, his fate was sealed.
"I understand, Lord Danzō." The Root ninja's voice hardened.
It made sense. If Danzō fell, they were all dead anyway. Might as well go all out, fight for a sliver of hope.
Eliminate Chiba, and Hiruzen would have no one else to turn to. He'd have to keep using Lord Danzō.
"Good." Danzō waved a dismissive hand. "Go. Send agents to secure Chiba's… close acquaintances. Hold them. Await my command."
"Uh." The ninja hesitated. "You mean the Sannin? Or his colleagues in Anbu? Or perhaps…?"
"Idiot! How did I end up with such an imbecile?!" Danzō's fury erupted again. Another kick sent the man sprawling. "There's that civilian girl! Rin Nohara! Grab her! Is something so simple beyond your comprehension?!"
"Yes, Lord Danzō!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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