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Konoha, Year 41, April.
Nearly a full year had passed since the original team Sakumo disbanded.
Shiraishi had aged by a year as well.
Regarding organizational matters, there wasn't much to say. They were progressing steadily in the stage of primitive accumulation, handling everything cautiously. Their operations were mostly confined to smaller nations, avoiding involvement with the five major countries.
Under Shiraishi's leadership, they excelled in the art of concealment, surpassing even experienced ninja in this regard.
Solving the caged bird seal and recruiting a subordinate like Hyugo Shingo was also a great help to the organization.
This prowess extended to protecting the organization's headquarters, a task of utmost importance.
Shiraishi also had concerns about the peculiar white creature, which has same ability as General Tu, capable of swift movement within a target and eluding typical perception ninjutsu.
With Byakugan's assistance, they could counter this threat. Byakugan, with the ability to perceive the essence of bloodline limits, far exceeded regular sensory ninja in terms of observation.
Shiraishi also conducted a thorough comparison between the list of Hyuga branch ninjas provided by Hyuga Shingo and the list of branch ninjas given by Ayane.
He discovered that the proportion of dissatisfied or hostile ninjas within the Hyuga branch was different from his expectations. While some had completely submitted to the clan, others adopted a wait-and-see approach, often aligning with the clan's decisions.
The remainder consisted of branch family ninjas, dissatisfied or even openly hostile to the clan. Although they existed, their numbers were not overwhelming. For now, Shiraishi had no plans to contact these individuals. A larger network posed a greater risk of exposure, and he wasn't eager to draw Konoha's attention.
Nonetheless, he acknowledged that Konoha wasn't that bad maybe he might find potential assets.
Progress on the Sage Mode research was promising. After several months of effort, the success rate had increased by several percentage points.
When not engaged in their organization's work, Shiraishi continued to live as a dedicated Konoha ninja, conducting research at home and assisting at the academy.
As a Konoha ninja, he remained popular, and he often accompanied Ruri when she was on security duty.
Ofcourse, these were pure dates.
◎
Around mid-April, Shiraishi strolled along the streets of Konoha, displaying an unmistakable air of contentment. It wasn't just because it was Saturday, freeing him from his job as a teaching assistant at the academy and granting him more control over his time.
"Yo, Kakashi, long time no see" Shiraishi greeted a familiar figure from behind—a young boy with silvery-white hair. Kakashi wore a face mask and carried a white fang, identical to Sakumo's.
This kid still worships his father so much..
"Isn't this Shiraishi-senpai? What brings you here?" Kakashi turned to face him, his tone neutral and calm.
"When did you and Ruri learn to speak like this?" Shiraishi asked, placing his hands on Kakashi's head and tousling his silvery-white hair playfully, disrupting his hairstyle before relenting.
"What's are you doing?" Kakashi questioned.
"Consider it as revenge for what you said earlier. You're quite the annoyance, you little brant. You don't resemble Sakumo-sensei at all," Shiraishi replied frankly.
"So, what's the purpose of your visit? I doubt it's just a chance encounter," Kakashi remarked, holding a recent best-selling book he'd seemingly been reading as he walked.
After stashing the book in his puch and fixing his tousled hair that was messed up by Shiraishi.
"How's life as a Genin?"
Ignoring Kakashi's actuon, Shiraishi instead Shiraishi asked about Kakashi's experiences as a Genin.
"It's not bad; the missions are pretty straightforward, nothing to worry about"
Kakashi thought for a while, and expressed his thoughts very straightforwardly.
"You certainly aren't humble at all" Shiraishi commented, patting Kakashi on the shoulder.
"By the way, what brought me here today is... Is Sakumo-sensei at home?" Shiraishi asked.
"No, he's out on a mission, but he should be back in a few days," Kakashi responded.
"That's a shame," Shiraishi lamented.
"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, puzzled.
"Today is a big day for me," Shiraishi revealed, looking cheerful.
Kakashi looked at Shiraishi quizzically. "Are you getting married? Is it Ruri-senpai or Senior Ayane-senpai?"
"..." Shiraishi was stunned.
"Why would you think that?"
"Isn't it?" Kakashi pressed.
"Of course not. Why would you even consider that?" Shiraishi retorted.
"Senpai, your words are quite misleading," Kakashi said, helplessly.
Shiraishi had no option but to retrieve a piece of paper from his bag. It was an appointment letter signed by the Hokage himself.
"See, starting today, I'm also a Chunin of the village," Shiraishi proclaimed with a hint of pride. K
akashi could not understand why he felt this way.
However, wasn't this something to be mourned rather than celebrated?
Kakashi refrained from uttering the painful truth: that everyone else in their original team had already become Jounin.
"From this day forward, I'll be your superior" Shiraishi declared.
Kakashi, once again sighing helplessly, produced a similar letter of appointment from his puch. "Sorry, senpai. I didn't mean to steal your thunder. This morning, I became a Chunin."
Shiraishi's smile froze. Then, something dawned on him, and he gazed at Kakashi in astonishment. "Wait, Kakashi, you're only six years old this year, and you're a Chunin?"
There must be something wrong.
Six years old only.
Shiraishi recalled that when he was six, he had just started at the academy. While Kakashi had begun at four, an early age for such training, it still took him a year to graduate at the age of five, a record-breaking achievement in Konoha. Now, one more year had passed, and he was already a Chunin?
Shiraishi realized that Kakashi's strength exceeded that of his peers. However, achieving Chunin status wasn't solely about strength; it was about leadership and psychological qualities as well.
"This is signed by Hokage-sama himself. If Shiraishi-senpai doubts if its real, I have nothing to say," Kakashi responded.
"Well, I wanted to show off"
'Thinking about becoming a Chunin at seventeen, and here you are achieving it at six... 'Shiraishi sighed with a tinge of self-pity.
"As expected of Sakumo-sensei's child. It seems I can't treat you like a kid anymore," Shiraishi chuckled, showing genuine appreciation.
Kakashi, upon hearing Shiraishi's praise, felt content, especially as he sought to live up to his father's reputation.
Shiraishi, his emotions now in check, clarified the purpose of his visit: to congratulate Kakashi on becoming a Chunin.
"Then Shiraishi-senpai came to...."
"Congratulate me for becoming a Chunin, but now you should also celebrate your becoming a Chunin, Kakashi."
Kakashi, however, wondered what there was to celebrate about merely becoming a Chunin. Nevertheless, he agreed, understanding that Shiraishi was an old comrade of his father's and a good friend.
Following Shiraishi to a familiar barbecue restaurant, they found Ruri and Tsunade already waiting. Next to Tsunade sat a young girl with short black hair, a bit older than Kakashi.
"Ayane-senpai isn't here?" Kakashi inquired, noting her absence.
"She had some business to attend to today, but she'll send her congratulations when the gift arrives," Tsunade explained.
"That's a shame. I would have liked to see a great battle," Kakashi remarked.
Shiraishi inwardly regretted bringing the kid along. Kakashi's behavior was much like his own when he was younger, not particularly cute.
"Hello, Tsunade-nin" Kakashi greeted Tsunade with respect before taking his seat.
"I've been waiting for you all, but where's Sakumk?" Tsunade inquired, noticing Sakumo's absence.
"He's on a mission outside," Kakashi replied.
He then turned his attention to the girl seated beside Tsunade. "Who's this..."
"This is Shizune; you could say she's like a relative of mine," Tsunade introduced with a smile.
Because today is the big day when Shiraishi became a Chunin, it would be inappropriate to bring a couple of relatives and friends here, but she was worried that Shizune would be alone at home, so she brought her here for a meal.
Kakashi nodded at the girl named Shizune, who returned the gesture with a smile.
"By the way, today isn't just the day I became a Chunin, but also the day Kakashi became a Chunin," Shiraishi announced, sparking amazement among the group.
Shizune, who had just graduated from the academy and looked several years older than Kakashi, was particularly shocked.
"That's quite the chatterbox," Kakashi responded to the attention, attempting to appear nonchalant.
Fortunately, everyone recognized Kakashi's genius, considering his father was the renowned Konoha White Fang. While becoming a Chunin at six seemed impossible, Hokage's approval suggested Kakashi's qualification, ruling out any special arrangements.
"Young people these days are becoming more and more frightening" Tsunade mused, glancing at Ruri, who sat next to Shiraishi. She felt the weight of his age when confronted with such talent.
Looking at Kakashi again, who, although young, already has the demeanor of his father White Fang, Tsunade marveled at the village's bright future but when she recalls about her situation, she feels a little depressed.
"Tsunade-sensei, is something bothering you?" Shiraishi asked, noticing Tsunade's change in demeanor.
"Ah, it's nothing. Just feeling a bit emotional," Tsunade replied, attempting to dispel his earlier gloom.
"Suddenly, I feel a bit embarrassed celebrating your Chunin promotion today. Kakashi became a Chunin at the age of six," Ruri commented.
"But Ruri, when you were six, weren't you still in the academy like me?" Shiraishi retorted before his face turned pale.
"Shiraishi-senpai, are you feeling alright?" Kakashi asked, concerned the pale-faced Shiraishi.
"Don't mind, adult matters"
Shiraishi dismissed him, recognizing that Kakashi's asked that question on purpose. "This kid is truly insufferable."
Shiraishi vowed that he'd teach Kakashi a lesson when they left Konoha in the future.
◎
Two days had passed since Shiraishi's promotion to Chunin, yet apart from those with close ties to him, hardly anyone took notice.
On the contrary, Kakashi's promotion to Chunin at just six years old had brought him notoriety within the village. It seemed that the apple didn't fall far from the tree.
As a result, Kakashi became a sort of adopted child for many parents.
In light of this, Shiraishi had abandoned any thoughts of competing seriously with Kakashi. To match Kakashi's rate of promotion within the ranks, he'd have to reveal his true strength, a fact he was reluctant to admit. Kakashi, after all, was among the most gifted ninja Shiraishi had ever encountered.
Nevertheless, Shiraishi was an adult and couldn't be compared to a child.
Several days had passed, and life had seemingly returned to normal. That was until an incident occurred while Shiraishi was en route to his guard to meet Ruri.
"Have you heard? It appears the mission ended in failure..."
"Yes, a ninja of his caliber giving up a mission is disgraceful..."
"Seems he's only good for so much..."
"Such a person doesn't deserve to be a ninja..."
Conversations amongst the people, both civilian and ninja alike, carried an air of secrecy as they huddled together to discuss the matter.
Shiraishi briefly glanced at them but paid no heed.
A few steps away, he noticed an Uchiha from the Police force hurrying over from another street. As the police approached, the hushed conversations ceased, replaced by nervous gazes directed at the approaching Uchiha.
The police just stared at these people coldly and didn't say anything.
Shiraishi, who hadn't thought much of it at first, now sensed something was amiss. The security team didn't typically get involved in handling ordinary rumors; it was reserved for major incidents.
Thinking of this, he was a little puzzled, so he walked quickly towards the police building.
Upon arrival, he found a group of civilians and ninja gathered in the lobby. Ruri stood there, her face cold, sending shivers down the spines of those assembled. Her teammates, too, appeared far from welcoming.
Ruri spotted Shiraishi and, after instructing her team to keep an eye on the crowd, led him to a secluded corner.
"What happened? There are some unknown rumors on the street for no reason, and the security team has arrested so many people here. Did something happen in the village?"
Shiraishi asked in bewilderment.
"Don't you know?" Ruri inquired.
"I've been in the lab for the past two days. I just came out today. What's happening?" Shiraishi replied, seeking clarity.
Ruri took a deep breath, a rare expression of helplessness and frustration crossing her face. "Sakumo-sensei is in trouble."
"How?"
Shiraishi frowned.
Could Sakumo really be in trouble? He couldn't help but recall the rumors he'd heard on the street earlier, and an unsettling feeling washed over him.
"We don't know the source of the rumors. They began circulating this morning and have since spread like wildfire throughout the village. The origin has been traced," Ruri explained, an unusual note of concern in her voice.
"The cause?" Shiraishi probed.
"Sakumo-sensei failed a mission this time. It's said that he abandoned the mission to save a comrade," Ruri disclosed.
Shiraishi was taken aback. Such an event seemed inconceivable, considering the person's strength, which defied common sense. Yet, could these rumors truly spread the entire village due to this?
"Where are the higher-ups, and have they offered any explanation?" Shiraishi wondered aloud. It was implausible that the top brass were oblivious to this. The widespread deployment of the security team alone would have attracted their attention.
"I don't know. There hasn't been any directive from above. We're following security protocols to deal with those who significantly disrupt public order," Ruri replied.
"But that's just a temporary fix," Shiraishi noted.
"Indeed. If the higher-ups would clarify the nature of Sakumo' sensei'ss mission and the consequences of its failure, the situation might improve. However, currently, they've chosen to remain silent, leaving the villagers to speculate freely," Ruri lamented.
Shiraishi's face darkened. Free speculation? He was unwilling to cast others in the worst light. Still, if these rumors continued unchecked, they would overshadow the actual source of the issue and be used as a weapon by those spreading them.
This situation was deeply troublesome.
"Regardless, let's go see Sakumo-sensei first. He isn't the kind to waver so easily," Shiraishi decided. He needed to understand the situation better, hoping to find a solution.
"Alright, I'll accompany you," Ruri agreed. If the higher-ups wouldn't act, they would have to take matters into their own hands.
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