"What is it?"
"A few days ago, a Missing-nin from the Hidden Mist Village named Hoshigaki Kisame arrived in the Land of Waves. Apparently, he was introduced by Konan-san."
As she spoke, Kaho glanced curiously at Nagato.
Naruto also looked over.
Nagato nodded calmly and said, "At the time, the situation in the Land of Rain was critical, so I had the members leave first."
Naruto's expression showed understanding. He then asked Kaho, "Is Kisame still in the Land of Waves?"
Kaho nodded and said, "Zabuza-san was responsible for contacting him. After their meeting, Kisame joined the Security Department and is now working alongside Zabuza on field assignments."
"This..."
Naruto had a strong impression of Kisame. After all, this was a man ruthless enough to have his own summon eat him to protect information.
"Let's leave it at that for now. Kisame's strength is considerable, and his addition is beneficial to the Land of Waves."
"However, there's one thing I need you to handle, Kaho."
"What is it?"
"Inform Kakuzu to have his fleet pay extra attention to intelligence from Sunagakure in the coming days."
While Konoha's seclusion was understandable, Sunagakure's lack of response to the Land of Rain's activities was unusual.
Kaho nodded and said, "Understood. I'll notify Kakuzu immediately."
"Good. You can go ahead with that."
"Then I won't disturb you any further, sir."
With that, Kaho left.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, and the two arrived at the hospital in good spirits.
When Kabuto saw Nagato's eyes, he was momentarily stunned.
"How does it look?"
Naruto asked Kabuto.
Kabuto had already conducted a thorough examination of Nagato and was now reviewing the report.
"The main issue is severe depletion of life force and chakra. As long as we replenish enough life force and chakra, healing his legs won't be difficult. However..."
"Is there another problem?"
"Yes. It seems to be a rejection reaction from the eyes. Even with sufficient Chakra replenishment and physical recovery, a significant amount of Chakra will still be needed to balance the rejection from the eyes. So, his body will likely remain relatively weak."
Kabuto explained the situation in detail, inwardly marveling at the sheer amount of Chakra the Rinnegan required. He thought that if Kakashi had transplanted a Rinnegan back then, he would have been drained dry in an instant.
After all, even the Uzumaki Clan's sturdy physique was struggling to handle it.
"Don't worry about that. The Chakra issue has already been addressed."
"Focus on replenishing Nagato's Chakra and life force first. Once his legs are healed, I'll handle the rest."
The method to reseal Gyuki had already been prepared. From Bee's memories, Naruto also knew techniques to extract Tailed Beast Chakra. If Nagato couldn't handle it alone, Naruto could step in to assist.
"Understood. Should we begin the treatment now?"
"Yes. Let's get him recovered as soon as possible."
After giving his instructions, Naruto left the hospital.
Instead of heading back to rest, he went to the school.
"Hmm? Naruto! What brings you here?"
Kakashi, who had been idling in his office, subtly covered the adult novel on his desk with a lesson plan and looked at Naruto with curiosity.
Seeing this, Naruto's mouth couldn't help but twitch, and he said with exasperation: "Kakashi, you're a proper teacher now. You need to set a good example."
Kakashi's face, hidden behind his mask, showed no emotion. His voice was calm. "Don't worry. Unless someone uses the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear out of nowhere, no one will notice."
"..."
Naruto decided not to press the issue and refocused on his purpose.
"I came to give you something."
"What is it?"
Then, the three tomoe in Naruto's eyes rotated, and Kakashi was pulled into a Genjutsu.
A flood of information entered Kakashi's mind. Even for an Elite Jonin like him, it caused a slight headache.
But as he processed the information, his eyes widened in shock.
"This is..."
"It's Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, along with some complementary Taijutsu. Since you specialize in Lightning Release, it should complement your Hatake Sword Techniques well."
"Naruto, this..."
The weight of this gift was immense. The Lightning Release Chakra Mode, though only a B-Rank Jutsu, had an incredibly high ceiling. It was also a secret technique of Kumogakure, typically inaccessible to outsiders and reserved for the Raikage's direct lineage.
"Just take it. Techniques like these are meant to be passed on to those who can use them. If they're left gathering dust, they lose their meaning. Once you've mastered it, teach it to Sasuke when you have time. It should suit him well too."
Naruto cut off Kakashi's hesitation.
"I understand."
Seeing Naruto's insistence, refusing would have been overly formal.
"Good. The technique is yours. Train hard. I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, Naruto's figure disappeared directly, but Kakashi stood there for a moment, still processing what had just happened.
After a long pause…
"Kakashi? Kakashi?"
"Huh? What is it?"
Mikoto's voice pulled Kakashi out of his daze.
"It's time for your class."
Mikoto's expression was a mix of curiosity and mild reproach as she reminded him.
Kakashi quickly snapped back to reality and glanced at the clock on the wall. Sure enough, it was time.
"Ah, thank you, Mikoto-sensei."
Kakashi grabbed the lesson plan from his desk and stood up, ready to head out.
"Kakashi, wait!"
Mikoto's tone suddenly turned stern, her voice carrying a hint of frustration.
Kakashi also stopped in a daze and asked in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Seeing Kakashi's clueless expression, Mikoto couldn't help but facepalm, her voice tinged with exasperation.
"While I can understand your personal interests, I really hope you won't mislead the children."
As she spoke, she pointed at the 'lesson plan' in Kakashi's hand.
Kakashi looked down and immediately winced, his toes curling in embarrassment.
'Holy shit!'
This wasn't a lesson plan… it was the 18+ novel he'd been reading earlier. At some point, it had swapped places with the actual lesson plan.
"Mikoto-sensei, this is actually something I confiscated from a student..."
Kakashi tried to explain, but Mikoto could only sigh inwardly. After all, Kakashi was now Sasuke's teacher.
"I understand, I understand, just go ahead and teach your class, Kakashi."
Kakashi quickly stuffed the novel into a drawer, grabbed the real lesson plan, and hurried out of the office, his steps slightly frantic.
As he left, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Mikoto had reminded him. Otherwise, he might have become the school's latest gossip, or even a campus urban legend.
'Naruto is indeed narrow-minded.'