Nara Kazuki was still training with Might Guy, completely unaware that the Fourth Hokage and his wife were currently discussing him. He was too absorbed in the dopamine rush that came from watching his skill progress bars inch forward.
After this recent period of rigorous training, Kazuki had made decent strides across multiple skill tracks. While none were close to leveling up yet, the visible progress alone was enough to fuel his motivation.
Once the morning session wrapped up, Kazuki patted his chest and offered to treat everyone to breakfast.
"But the dango shop isn't open yet," Kakashi said, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Then it's Ichiraku Ramen today," Kazuki said, swallowing down his craving. It was still chilly out, and a bowl of hot, savory broth with noodles sounded like perfection.
"Eh? Then... I'll treat you guys?" Guy scratched his head sheepishly, but Kazuki had already dragged him along to the shop.
Even though it was still early in the morning and the streets of Konoha were mostly empty, Ichiraku had already opened for business.
"Hey, Teuchi-san! I'll have one full combo tonkotsu ramen!" Kazuki called out cheerfully, pulling aside the curtain—then froze mid-step.
Sitting inside was a stern, elderly man whose face Kazuki recognized immediately.
The so-called "Shadow Hokage."
The man who, in his youth, lost his nerve at a critical moment and missed the chance to become Hokage—and had since spiraled into a control-obsessed zealot.
Kazuki had to admit—looking at it from a certain angle, it felt like the shinobi world was filled with lunatics. His Great Fireball Technique probably crit super effectively against this entire cast.
"...Also get a spicy beef ramen for Kakashi. Guy... same as me," Kazuki added, recovering quickly and casually ordering, trying not to focus on Danzō's presence.
This was a dangerous man.
Worse yet, one who operated in the shadows.
Kazuki had no idea if Danzō's name was even publicly known to someone like his current self.
Kakashi and Guy clearly didn't recognize him either.
So the three of them sat down cheerfully and waited for their food, acting as if they hadn't noticed a damn thing.
"Mom, can we eat ramen today?" said a child's voice—one Kazuki instantly recognized, and clearly so did Kakashi.
Kazuki's gaze flicked toward Danzō. The man, who had been quietly eating, suddenly straightened at the sound.
"...What the hell is this? Some kind of twisted shinobi soap opera?" Kazuki muttered internally.
Sure enough, Uchiha Mikoto and a young Uchiha Itachi pushed aside the curtain and stepped in.
Mikoto's eyes briefly widened in surprise as she noticed Danzō, clearly recognizing him on sight.
"Teuchi-san, I want tonkotsu ramen!" Itachi chirped, happily placing his order.
Mikoto, though visibly tense, composed herself quickly.
She knew full well that Shimura Danzō harbored deep distrust—and likely hatred—for the Uchiha clan. But with Minato Namikaze currently Hokage, she still believed the clan could ride out this storm and survive the political vortex.
"One tonkotsu ramen, please," she said with a soft smile, then glanced at Danzō.
"Good morning, Elder Shimura."
Despite knowing the man's contempt, Mikoto maintained the proper etiquette of a clan matriarch.
Danzō simply sneered and stood, walking past her. His eyes flicked coldly over Mikoto, and he pulled aside the curtain to leave without a word to the rest of the room.
Kazuki finally let out a breath of relief.
It seemed Danzō hadn't reached the point of openly declaring war on the Uchiha—not yet. But that disdain was clear as day.
Considering Danzō's character and ambition, Kazuki wasn't surprised. The man had never passed up an opportunity to undermine the Uchiha. His fingerprints were all over the eventual massacre.
"What's an Elder?" Guy asked curiously.
Back in the day, Might Duy—Guy's father—hadn't been taken seriously until he famously kicked the crap out of four enemy ninja. That earned Guy his chance.
So it wasn't surprising he was unfamiliar with Konoha's political landscape.
"Someone high-ranking... whose voice carries a lot of weight, but..." Kazuki trailed off, coughing, biting back what he really wanted to say.
Now wasn't the time to make enemies of Danzō. He still needed time to grow strong.
Kakashi glanced at Kazuki. This guy clearly didn't have much respect for elders.
But Kakashi understood his temperament and didn't comment. Right now, he just wanted to eat.
Mikoto didn't bother them. But Itachi stole a few curious glances at Kazuki. He remembered him—they both liked the same three-color dango.
Still, with his mother nearby, Itachi behaved, quietly slurping his noodles.
After breakfast, Kazuki, Kakashi, and Guy headed outside to train.
"You seriously want to fight me now?" Kazuki asked, picking his teeth and giving Kakashi a weary look.
Kakashi had just suggested they spar. Guy, of course, was all-in, eager to challenge Kakashi himself.
"Yeah. I've got some ideas I want to test... with this eye." Kakashi tugged down his mask, revealing his fully-activated three-tomoe Sharingan.
"Alright, sure. Let's give it a shot," Kazuki said casually. Sparring was fine—he'd be training anyway. A shadow clone off to the side was still casting Great Fireball while practicing Hatake-style Kenjutsu.
"I want to see if I can copy your jutsu," Kakashi explained. "Start by throwing out some basic ones."
Kazuki nodded. He'd already figured out Kakashi's intent the moment the eye was revealed.
So, without hesitation, he clapped his hands and launched a Great Fireball Technique.
Kakashi narrowed his gaze, Sharingan spinning rapidly as he prepared to memorize it all.