Konohagakure, Hokage Tower.
"Bounty hunters... mercenaries..."
"This must be Ōnoki's doing."
After hearing Kazuyama Gekkō's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened.
He had reached out to Takigakure to invite them to participate in the Chūnin Exams, and that bastard had responded by hiring assassins to target his team. The result? The Village Head of Takigakure ended up dead.
As for Kakuzu—Hiruzen had heard of him before. A man who would do anything for money. It seemed the rumors of his strength weren't exaggerated.
"Lord Hokage, I really think we should start preparing early."
"If Iwagakure is already mobilizing outside forces, it likely means war is brewing again."
"Better to be ready than caught off guard."
"And hey, I just got married. The battlefield's really not my thing right now."
"I can help Pakura with her teaching. My stealth training is actually pretty solid."
Kazuyama smiled cheerfully at the Hokage, whose eyes rolled so hard it looked like he might cramp.
Hiruzen knew Kazuyama's personality well—otherwise, he would've blown up long ago.
He had strength, guts, and smarts—just no desire to fight.
Ah, whatever. That brat's been like this forever.
"Get out of my office. Just looking at you gives me a headache."
"Hey, hey! Put that crystal ball down!"
"You little brat! Don't run!"
Hiruzen lunged, but he was a second too late. Just as he roared, Kazuyama snatched the crystal ball and vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
If he'd taken anything else, Hiruzen wouldn't have cared—but he took the crystal ball!
That was one of Hiruzen's most treasured items—the medium for the Telescope Technique. Without it, the technique was useless.
Back home, Kazuyama dropped the crystal ball on the floor and grinned to himself.
Pakura and the three kids had gone to the mission hall to report in.
Ever since they got married, Pakura was officially considered part of Konoha, meaning she could participate in the village's mission system.
So this time, she got a cut of the mission payout too.
Of course, that was thanks to Kazuyama fighting for it. It wasn't much, but even the tiniest gain was still worth taking.
"Telescope Technique, huh..."
"Can't believe that old man came up with something this cool..."
"Let's give it a shot..."
Kazuyama focused on using the Telescope Technique. If he remembered right, the technique allowed him to remotely observe a specific person, but only if he knew their chakra signature.
Who did he know well enough...?
Minato Namikaze...
Kakashi and the three brats...
Hm? Fugaku!
Right—he knew Fugaku's chakra signature too.
It was a mix of basic fire chakra and the Yin attribute tied to the Sharingan.
Kazuyama started focusing on Fugaku, forming the image in his mind, then channeled his chakra into the crystal ball.
In moments, the Uchiha district appeared within the sphere, and Kazuyama quickly increased his chakra output.
As the crystal ball absorbed more energy, it began to glow faintly—and soon, Fugaku Uchiha's face came into clear view.
"Wow, Fugaku's actually holding a baby?"
Kazuyama clicked his tongue as he watched the little infant in Fugaku's arms. Baby Itachi looked... ridiculously squishy.
Now, about Fugaku—he and Mikoto had gotten married because of the pregnancy, and Itachi had been born during a lull in the war. Besides managing clan affairs, Fugaku had also become quite the capable dad.
"No way, this guy's actually that good?"
"I need to give him something to stress about..."
Setting the crystal ball on the table, Kazuyama dashed out like a gust of wind, activating the Transparent Escape Technique as he made a beeline for the Uchiha compound.
He was going so fast, he might've broken his personal record.
Reaching Fugaku's house, Kazuyama didn't hesitate—he hopped the wall, left a Flying Thunder God marker on a tree in the courtyard, and even added a backup trigger. If Fugaku noticed it, he could cancel it instantly. No way he'd leave a loose end.
Then he crept silently in Fugaku's direction.
Based on what he knew, Fugaku should be on baby duty while Mikoto rested.
Watching Fugaku beam with the expression of a proud dad, Kazuyama clicked his tongue again. Yep—no matter how tough a guy is, put a baby in his arms and this is what you get.
...
Back home via Flying Thunder God, Kazuyama picked up the crystal ball and resumed observing Fugaku.
Suddenly, his hands were full of Itachi's toys—stuff he'd swiped earlier on a whim.
Once Itachi had fallen asleep, Fugaku stood up and stretched his body.
"Heh..."
Kazuyama chuckled wickedly. Messing with Fugaku was fine, but not the baby. He had his limits—he might be a menace, but even he had standards.
The baby wasn't part of the plan.
With the toys in hand, he activated the Flying Thunder God again and teleported directly into Fugaku's yard.
Clack!
With a crisp sound, a wooden elephant toy dropped into the courtyard.
Fugaku, ever sharp, had been on high alert lately thanks to the baby's arrival. The moment he heard a noise, he charged out like a tiger descending the mountain.
Seeing the toy on the ground, Fugaku let out a sigh of relief.
"A toy...?"
"How'd it get out here?"
Being a dad was exhausting, but Fugaku was nothing if not responsible—especially when it came to his kid.
He picked up the toy, eyes scanning the surroundings cautiously.
But after a moment, he relaxed and gave a small, self-deprecating chuckle.
He was probably just overthinking it. This was the Uchiha district—who would dare cause trouble here?
Besides, the one most likely to stir things up had just gotten married. He probably wasn't in the mood to mess around.
Word was that guy was out on a mission and hadn't returned yet.
Watching Fugaku's expression, Kazuyama nearly doubled over laughing. He was sure Fugaku had no idea he was already back in the village—he'd only returned today, after all.
As Fugaku turned to go back inside with the toy, Kazuyama activated Flying Thunder God again.
Another toy dropped—this time near the house, as if it had been tossed from inside.
"Hm?"
"Itachi? Are you awake?"
Fugaku frowned at the toy's odd placement.
He bent down to pick it up, but the next second—thud!—another toy came down from the sky and smacked him right on the head.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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