"I didn't expect my little brother to be this popular."
"These guys... I never realized they were like this."
"But Obito—trying to take my spot? I'll need to teach him a lesson later."
From a nearby rooftop, Kazuyama Gekkō held Pakura in his arms as they watched everything happening below.
It wasn't just Kakashi and the others. Anyone who had been close to Kazuyama was now giving Hayate special attention.
Even Might Guy had given him a green jumpsuit. Seeing Hayate's face twist like he'd just swallowed something bitter made Kazuyama laugh with satisfaction.
What caught Kazuyama's curiosity most, though, was Kakashi—he'd given Hayate a short sword and taught him Kenjutsu.
Tsk, tsk... So Hayate was on the path of the swordsman now. Well, that was fine. Unlike him, Hayate could really take to swordsmanship. Not a bad thing at all.
With that thought, Kazuyama decided to go home later and pick out a couple of quality blades from his own armory to give to his brother.
If nothing there felt right, he'd go raid his sensei's weapon vault. One way or another, he was going to get him a Kusanagi blade.
After all, the Kusanagi wasn't a single unique sword—it was a whole series. Orochimaru had one. Kazuyama had one. And if his memory was right, there was still another lying dormant in that vault. He'd make sure Hayate got one too.
"It wasn't just those kids. Ever since you went missing and the war eased up, a lot of people came to check on Hayate."
"Even the Hokage stopped by and offered quite a bit of financial help."
To Pakura, the sight below was perfectly natural. It wasn't just the younger ones—even many influential figures who had been close to Kazuyama had come by.
The Hyūga and Uchiha clans had both sent their young heirs to visit.
"Uh... did Jiraiya and Minato come too?"
"Mhm..."
"Don't tell me... that stack of books I found in the house was from them..."
Kazuyama suddenly remembered the pile of, well... less-than-wholesome books he'd seen when he first came back.
Pakura shot him a glare, thinking, Aren't those your type of thing?
"Lord Jiraiya said those books were his life's work, and that you'd made a major contribution. He sent them over as soon as they were published, hoping Hayate would realize how 'great' his brother is."
"Right... the great Kazuyama Gekkō—the guy who uses the Transparent Escape Technique to peep on people all day."
A backstab! A raw, brutal backstab!
Good going, white-haired Jiraiya. After all the hard work Kazuyama put into gathering 'research materials,' this was how he repaid him?
Very well...
At the same moment, somewhere near a bathhouse, a certain white-haired man suddenly sneezed.
"Someone's peeping!"
"Over there!"
A hint of panic flashed across his face, and he immediately vanished in a blur.
...
Kazuyama wrapped his arm around Pakura and used the Flying Thunder God Technique again, warping directly to the rooftop of the Ninja Academy.
He'd left a seal here for just such occasions.
"Pakura, when's your class?"
"This afternoon. I don't have any morning classes, but I promised Kakashi and the others I'd help them train."
Kazuyama nodded, a grin spreading across his face.
"Then let's go. Time to meet my lovely little disciples..."
With Pakura in his arms, he leapt off the roof, landing softly on the ground below.
"Hey! Next time you jump off a building, can you give me some warning?"
"I'm wearing a skirt!"
Kazuyama looked at her, flustered, as she tried to press her skirt down. He immediately started apologizing.
"Pakura, I'm sorry! I forgot!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't hit my face!"
Before he could say another word, her fist was already headed straight for him.
As they bickered and joked, the two arrived at the training ground, waiting for Kakashi and the others.
Silently, Kazuyama activated his Transparent Escape Technique and vanished from Pakura's side.
"What are you doing?"
"Hehe, just giving them a little thrill."
"...You really are something else as a teacher."
"Of course! I love my students."
...
Soon enough, Kakashi and the others arrived at the field.
After dropping Hayate off at his classroom, they headed straight for the training ground. Guy ran off to continue his training elsewhere.
But the moment they stepped onto the field, they froze in surprise.
Pakura-sensei was there... but what was with the outfit?
She was wearing a skirt?
It actually looked really nice...
But how was she supposed to train like that?
"Pakura-sensei."
"What's with that outfit?"
Rin hurried over and gave Pakura a curious once-over.
Before she could say anything else, Obito wailed dramatically from behind.
"Pakura-sensei, please don't do anything rash!"
"Even if Kazuyama-sensei is missing, he's not dead!"
"You don't have to follow him in death!"
Pakura fell silent as Obito sobbed like he was watching a tragic play. Beside her, Kazuyama Gekkō also went quiet.
Kazuyama (thinking): Is this kid brain-damaged?
Pakura (thinking): I should probably teach him a lesson.
"Pakura-sensei, what happened?"
"Why are you dressed like that?"
Rin ran over and sent Obito flying with a kick, then turned back with genuine concern.
Pakura shook her head calmly.
"I'm fine. I just changed outfits, that's all. I won't be the one training you today."
"So don't worry."
"Hey, are you coming out or not?"
When Pakura spoke to what looked like empty air, the six kids blinked in confusion.
But Kakashi, Obito, and Rin all stiffened at once. They seemed to realize something.
"Alright, alright! Geez, Pakura, did you have to ruin the surprise?"
"I was just trying to spook them a little."
Kazuyama's exasperated voice echoed out as he deactivated Transparent Escape, reappearing right beside them. His eyes, however, locked onto Obito with a not-so-friendly gleam.
Obito shivered on the spot.
Obito (thinking): What did I just say... Oh no. For a second there, I saw my great-grandmother welcoming me home.
"Kazuyama-sensei!"
"I knew you weren't dead!"
Kakashi rushed over, visibly relieved. Deep down, he never believed their teacher would die so easily.
With both the Flying Thunder God Technique and Transparent Escape at his disposal, Kazuyama wouldn't die unless he purposely got himself killed.
"Of course not. It was just One-Tail—how could that take me down?"
"But I did notice someone was eyeing my position while I was gone, wasn't he?"
"Obito... wouldn't you agree?"
Kazuyama beamed at him, but the smile carried serious weight.
Obito nearly folded under the pressure as he stammered out an excuse.
"Ah—Kazuyama-sensei, it was all for Hayate's sake! I swear, my intentions were pure!"
"I was just being kind, really!"
Kazuyama kept smiling, which somehow made it worse.
"Today, I'll be your sparring partner. Let's see how far you've all come."
"Obito... if you can't impress me, I promise you'll have a very... memorable morning."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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