In front of Konoha’s main gate, Kamizuki Hikari looked at the familiar sight of the village and shouted with excitement. What he got in return were two gate guards casting disdainful glances at him. Beside him, the three members of the young Ino-Shika-Chō trio instinctively stepped closer to Kakashi’s side. Being seen together with this senpai was simply too embarrassing. As for Kakashi, he tugged at his forehead protector as if to show he wasn’t acquainted with this person. At that moment, Kakashi finally understood why Kamizuki Hikari and Maito Gai got along so well—they both had a natural knack for being total goofballs. After completing the registration, the group entered Konoha. Seeing the familiar surroundings, everyone finally lowered their guard. They strolled along until they arrived at the Hokage’s building. "Hikari, you come with me to report the mission. You three can head home first." Hikari didn’t think too much of it. He let the three kids return home while he accompanied Kakashi to the Hokage’s office. At the office door, they encountered Hyūga Hiashi who was just about to leave. After enduring two piercing glares from the Byakugan, Hikari heard Hiashi say, "You two can go in. I still have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave." "Take care, Clan Head Hiashi!" Hikari and Kakashi politely bid him farewell and watched him go down the stairs. Both of them let out a sigh of relief at the same time. "You two can come in now. Clan Head Hiashi knew you were coming back and deliberately stepped out." Shizune’s voice came from inside, dispelling their confusion. No wonder it felt so coincidental. But why did he leave? Hyūga Hiashi was one of Konoha’s four advisors, a position of significant authority. The mission they were reporting wasn’t highly classified either, so with his status, he could have stayed and listened. Carrying these doubts, the two entered the office, only to see Shizune sitting at the Hokage’s desk, busily working. "Shizune, weren’t Hokage duties already divided among the advisors? How come you still have so much work?" Hikari asked bluntly. Shizune looked up helplessly. "These aren’t just Hokage duties. There’s also Shikaku’s, Kakashi’s, and mine. While you were away, Clan Head Hiashi stayed by my side—partly to ensure my safety, and partly to prevent others from accusing me of acting on my own." "Wow, I never thought Hiashi would be such a gentle person at heart!" Hikari sighed, then handed over his mission report. "Shizune-chan, make sure to give me a good rating, okay? My future depends on your approval this time!" "Heh, nice try!" Shizune shot him a playful glare. "Don’t think I don’t know you’re loaded. You can’t fool me with that act.If you keep babbling, I’ll downgrade your evaluation!" "Don’t be like that! Given our relationship, Shizune-chan, you can’t do this!" Even someone as "great" as Hikari had to bow his head to the tyrant Shizune in order to protect his finances. "Enough nonsense. I’ll process your mission soon. Kakashi, I remember you were supposed to be at the frontlines with Tsunade-sama. Why are you back so early? What’s the situation there?" Her question left Hikari puzzled. But seeing Kakashi’s slightly awkward look, he wisely held his tongue. With his sixth sense as a man, Hikari was certain there was something going on between these two. Could it be that Kakashi was planning to shirk responsibility, like some kind of scumbag? Just then, Kakashi—who was being silently slandered in Hikari’s thoughts—sneezed helplessly. The most update n0vels are published on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 Rubbing his nose, Kakashi replied, "Tsunade-sama defeated the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage A. The negotiations have been completed. Once the two villages send over their reparations, Tsunade-sama will return to Konoha in triumph." Shizune slapped her forehead. "I knew that, but with so much going on lately, I completely forgot." Hikari curled his lips. He didn’t buy that excuse at all. "Well then, I just remembered I have patients waiting. You two continue talking. I’ll excuse myself." "Hikari, you..." Kakashi tried to stop him, but all he saw was Hikari’s disappearing figure. "Kakashi-senpai, if you have other matters to attend to, you can leave as well." Shizune said with ’calmness’—though her eyes betrayed a faint trace of disappointment. Even if Kakashi was a scumbag, he couldn’t just turn and walk away at a moment . Besides, he had come back with official duties. Tsunade knew it was hard on Shizune to handle all these responsibilities alone, so she had thoughtfully sent the handsome Kakashi back to help. Her hope was that through working together, the two would grow closer. For the sake of Shizune’s future happiness, Tsunade had truly put in effort. "No, it’s fine. Shizune, let me help share some of this workload." A soft feminine voice called out beside Hikari, making him turn his head instinctively. There she was, a familiar figure standing gracefully like a budding daffodil, elegant and refined—wait a second! Looking closely, Hikari’s eyes grew serious. "Yakumo, your genjutsu has grown even stronger." "This is all thanks to you, Hikari-senpai. If you hadn’t helped me restore my body, I never would have become this strong." Yakumo stood there with a sweet smile, though no one else noticed her presence. To be precise, what stood before Hikari was only an illusionary projection created by Kurama Yakumo’s genjutsu. "No need to thank me. If there’s nothing else..." Hikari started to excuse himself, eager to return home. But Yakumo cut him off before he could finish. "I’ll be waiting for you at Kurenai-sensei’s house. Come quickly, don’t make me wait too long!" With that, her illusion dispersed, leaving Hikari no chance to refuse. "Sigh, my life really is full of suffering..." Muttering complaints, Hikari formed hand seals. His shadow extended across the ground, producing a black clone that ran off toward Izumo’s house, while his true body quietly headed for Yūhi Kurenai’s place. After all, Kurenai was one of Konoha’s most admired kunoichi. If he openly went to her home, the Sarutobi clan would surely trouble him the next day. Then again... if those people knew that Asuma was already ’dead’, Hikari wondered how they would react. Would they be happy, or grieve? Forget it—it didn’t matter. Their problems had nothing to do with him. The most pressing matter now was that Obito, that guy who recognized neither family nor friends, was about to come to Konoha. As one of the most troublesome figures in the shinobi world, Hikari needed to prepare carefully. Space-time jutsu was already difficult to handle, and Obito’s ocular powers were even more troublesome than ordinary space-time techniques. 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