Naruto: Kakashi, the Ultimate Shinobi

"Kakashi, how are you holding up?"

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up with a rare smile. His mood seemed lighter than usual.

"Not bad. Do you have another assignment for me today?"

"Yes. As you know, the village is currently short-handed. You'll need to take on more missions for a while."

"I understand."

Hiruzen nodded and tossed a scroll to Kakashi. "This one's an escort mission. You'll be guarding a merchant transporting a shipment from the Land of Fire to the Land of Wind."

"The Land of Wind?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that.

"Yes. Although our alliance with the Hidden Sand Village is intact, the Land of Wind is far from stable right now." Hiruzen lowered his voice.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked, intrigued.

"The current jinchūriki of One-Tail, Bunpuku, is dying. The council in Sunagakure is in disarray over who should be the next jinchūriki. Security is tighter than usual."

"I see."

Kakashi did some mental math. It was nearing December—Gaara should be born in January. That meant Shukaku would soon be resealed into a newborn. So this turmoil made sense.

"That's why this mission requires discretion. Avoid drawing attention or crossing into restricted zones in the Land of Wind. We don't want unnecessary conflict."

"Understood."

"The details are in the scroll. Be careful and return swiftly. Konoha still needs your strength." Hiruzen's voice softened as he offered a rare show of concern.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

With that, Kakashi vanished in a flicker of movement.

Once gone, Hiruzen returned to his desk, sighing at the mountains of paperwork. The Hokage's duties were never light. In the official timeline, Kakashi had only taken the position out of necessity—his lazy demeanor wasn't suited for such grind.

Back home, Kakashi carefully studied the scroll, processing the mission's details.

He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"The client is a merchant named Ryugasaki Yamaichi. We're escorting his caravan and cargo from Song Town in the Land of Fire to Suna City in the Land of Wind. Estimated duration: two weeks, given the caravan's pace."

"It's ranked A-level. That means potential ninja interference. The cargo? Rare and heavy metals—valuable, possibly chakra-conductive."

"The route passes near the Land of Gold. They have a small shinobi village—Kinmura. That might explain the threat."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

"Kin-nin are notoriously poor. If they've caught wind of the shipment, theft isn't out of the question. But how would a mere merchant anticipate this? Most trade escort jobs don't exceed B-rank… yet this one offers A-rank pay."

"No businessman spends beyond necessity unless he knows it's worth it. This Ryugasaki Yamaichi isn't ordinary."

Satisfied with his deduction, Kakashi stood. The mission wouldn't be easy. But he had recently begun training in the Eight Gates under Might Guy, and with his Sharingan evolving toward the Mangekyō, he wasn't the same man he was months ago.

Against most jonin-level threats, he could hold his own. Even against a Kage-level opponent, he could escape if needed.

Unless it was someone insane, like Madara or Hanzo.

But during this period, there shouldn't be such monsters lurking.

All in all, it felt like a trial run—to test both strength and intuition. Plus, it was a chance to see more of the world.

Decision made, Kakashi headed out to stock up for the mission.

Passing Jiraiya's home, he noticed the place was empty. A note hung on the door: Gone traveling.

Typical.

Kakashi felt a small pang of regret for not seeing the old man off. But ninja lives were like this—reunions brief, separations long.

He made a silent vow: next time they met, he'd leave a deep impression on the Toad Sage. Maybe even ask for a few techniques. After all, Jiraiya was known for raising monsters—Minato, Nagato, Naruto…

Even Sarutobi couldn't compare in mentorship quality.

The following morning, Kakashi sealed his gear, strapped his beloved White Fang blade to his back, and left Konoha with his travel permit.

Song Town was just a few hours away. Moving swiftly, he arrived before sundown. Using the client description from the scroll, Kakashi easily located Ryugasaki Yamaichi.

The man was about Kakashi's height, perhaps in his mid-thirties, wearing an off-white travel robe. He was seated casually in a tavern, sipping sake with a platter of sashimi beside him—relaxed, refined.

Kakashi confirmed his identity and took a seat across from him.

Ryugasaki didn't seem surprised at all. He took another sip and said, "You must be the Konoha shinobi assigned to this mission."

"Yes. You're Ryugasaki Yamaichi, correct?"

"That's me. I'm surprised they sent someone so young for an A-rank escort. You must be quite talented."

His words praised, but his expression was unreadable.

Kakashi felt a flicker of caution. Most civilians underestimated young ninja. This one showed no such doubt. Clearly not an ordinary merchant.

"You flatter me."

"Heh. Care for a drink?" Ryugasaki offered, lifting his cup.

"Thanks, but I avoid alcohol during missions."

"Ah, a pity. The sake here's excellent."

Ryugasaki downed his drink in one go, sighing contentedly.

Kakashi frowned inwardly. This guy was too calm. Most merchants would be nervous, jittery, afraid of being robbed. But this man? He exuded composure. It confirmed his earlier suspicion—this mission was more than it appeared.

Still, he wasn't afraid. In fact, he felt… energized.

Qian Ting… whose blood will you drink this time?