"Besides, this is just pocket change. I'll teach you how to make real money later." Kuragami Uchiha said, patting Kakashi's shoulder with a grin.
"Forget later, teach me tomorrow."
Kakashi replied seriously.
"Oh? Got a mission in the Land of Waves?" Kuragami Uchiha raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah."
Kakashi nodded. "The third Hokage assigned it to me. Recently, a band of robbers has been appearing on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves. Many of them are rebel ninjas from Kirigakure, and regular teams can't handle them. So, the third Hokage is mobilizing the Jonin, and I took one of the missions."
After explaining, Kakashi added with a hint of frustration: "I don't know why, but there seems to be a lot of rebel Kirigakure ninjas lately. And they're strong; many of the smaller nations are struggling with them and have requested help from the village."
Hearing this, Kuragami Uchiha chuckled. Why else? It was all because of the chaos that a certain someone had stirred up in the Village Hidden in the Mist.
"When do we leave?" Kuragami Uchiha asked.
"Tomorrow morning. Meet at the village gate." Kakashi tossed him a mission scroll.
"Got it."
Kuragami Uchiha nodded, storing the scroll. Then, the two of them headed to Yakiniku Q for dinner.
After a pleasant meal, Kuragami Uchiha returned home early to get some rest.
… … …
The next morning, Kuragami Uchiha was up early. He first went to the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters to arrange his duties for the next few days before heading to the meeting point with Swift Thunder.
For once, Kakashi wasn't late, making Kuragami Uchiha, who had to make an extra stop, the last to arrive.
Their team consisted of six members: Kuragami Uchiha and Kakashi as Jonin, while the other four were Special Jonin from the village, all civilians. Since Kuragami Uchiha had the highest status, no one minded his slight delay.
Once everyone had gathered, Kakashi submitted the departure paperwork at the village gate, and the team set off.
After half a day's journey, they arrived at a town in the southeastern region of the Land of Fire.
This time, without needing guidance from Kuragami Uchiha, Kakashi took the lead in handling accommodations. He arranged for the team to stay at the best inn, found a good restaurant, and even took them to the entertainment district. His skills in formal speech still needed improvement, but even Kuragami Uchiha had to admit that Kakashi was getting the hang of things.
… … …
The next day, they continued their journey, soon reaching the capital of the Land of Waves, Uzushiro Town.
Upon arrival, Kuragami Uchiha gave Kakashi a meaningful look. Without a word, the two created shadow clones to accompany their team on their official mission while their real bodies slipped away unnoticed.
"Alright, where to?"
Kakashi asked. The last time Kuragami Uchiha had done this in Tanzaku Town, he never explained where he went, and Kakashi was still in the dark about it.
Kuragami Uchiha smirked as he removed the forehead protector tied to his left arm and stashed it away.
This next task required discretion.
Seeing this, Kakashi sighed and took off his own forehead protector as well. However, this left his Sharingan eye exposed, so he quickly grabbed some bandages from his medical pouch and wrapped them around his head a few times.
"You know, you really look like a certain someone right now..."
Kuragami Uchiha couldn't help but chuckle at Kakashi's new appearance.
Kakashi shot him an annoyed look. "You could've told me earlier that I didn't need to bring my forehead protector. Now, this is the best I can do."
Kuragami Uchiha burst into laughter, then said: "Come on, let's go make some big money!"
He led Kakashi toward the luxurious residential district on the outskirts of Uzushiro Town. As they walked, Kakashi noticed the buildings becoming more extravagant, and his expression grew more uneasy.
"Where exactly are we going?" he finally asked.
"There."
Kuragami Uchiha pointed ahead. Even among the grand estates in the area, one stood out as the most extravagant, belonging to none other than the infamous tycoon of the Shinobi World, the shipping magnate and wealthiest man in the Land of Waves, Gato.
"We're sneaking in. Knock out everyone except the boss. Think you can manage that?"
Kuragami Uchiha turned to Kakashi with a grin.
"Hey, this doesn't seem right..."
Kakashi hesitated. Despite his shift toward a more political mindset, he was still a ninja at heart.
What Kuragami Uchiha was suggesting was beyond his moral comfort zone.
But before he could argue further, Kuragami Uchiha had already vanished into the shadows.
After gritting his teeth, Kakashi had no choice but to follow.
Given their skill level, Gato's guards, who were at best on par with elite Chunin or weak Jonin, stood no chance. Within minutes, the estate was secured, and the two met up outside Gato's bedroom.
… … …
It was the dead of night. Inside the lavish room, Gato lay sound asleep, an arm draped over a young woman.
Kakashi glanced at Kuragami Uchiha, silently asking what came next.
Kuragami Uchiha simply smirked and leaned in, lightly patting Gato's face.
The businessman's eyes fluttered open, only to see three pairs of crimson eyes staring back at him, making him nearly have a heart attack on the spot.
"Who are you?!"
Gato bolted upright, his sudden movement waking up the woman beside him.
Before she could scream, Kakashi hit her with a Genjutsu, instantly knocking her unconscious and erasing her memory.
"Who are you people?" Gato asked again, his hand creeping toward an alarm switch by the window.
But before he could reach it, a shuriken whizzed past and embedded itself less than a centimeter from his fingers. The razor-sharp steel gleamed in the dim light, its edge nearly cutting his skin.
Gato froze, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Then he turned back to the intruders, forcing a nervous smile.
"Gentlemen, I assume you're here for money? If that's the case, we can talk. There's a safe over there containing gold worth a hundred million Ryo. The code is 874591." Gato said while trying to keep his voice steady.
Kakashi shot Kuragami Uchiha a look before walking over to check. After entering the code, he opened the safe, and sure enough, inside was a stash of gleaming gold bars, just as Gato had claimed.
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