"These are Kirigakure weapons. Won't people here recognize them?" Terumi Mei picked up one of the swords Kakashi had taken, examining it closely. Sure enough, she spotted the distinct symbol of the Hidden Mist engraved on the hilt.
"Just tell me where the nearest pawn shop is," Kakashi replied calmly. "I'll handle the rest."
"There's one just nearby."
They left together, finding the pawn shop two streets over. Kakashi used a flicker of lightning chakra—Raiton—to carefully erase the Kirigakure markings from both sword hilts before handing them over to the shop owner.
"Swords, eh?" The portly pawn shop owner shifted his weight, drawing one of the blades from its sheath. The metallic gleam reflecting off the steel nearly blinded him. He put on a pair of glasses from the counter, squinting as he meticulously inspected the edge for any nicks or imperfections.
"Hmm, I don't know much about swords myself," he admitted. "Wait here a moment, my son has a better eye for these things."
Huffing slightly, the owner took the swords to find his son. Kakashi wasn't worried about being lowballed; identifying the quality of ninja tools was basic training for shinobi. Given the high intensity of ninja combat, their equipment, especially primary weapons like swords—unlike consumables such as shuriken, kunai, or exploding tags—required superior craftsmanship and were naturally more valuable.
Never mind the legendary Seven Ninja Swords, symbolic blades of the Land of Water; even standard-issue ninja swords were rarely seen by civilians. He already had a rough estimate of what these two blades were worth.
"These are indeed fine swords," the son eventually declared after his appraisal.
"Of course, they are," Kakashi affirmed.
The transaction was swift, paid in cash. The price the owner offered was slightly lower than Kakashi's estimate, but it wasn't a major issue. Considering the shop's rent and overhead costs, it was a fair price.
"See? Now we have money," Kakashi said with a hint of smugness as they left.
"How many more swords do you plan on selling next time?" Mei retorted, unable to stand the silver-haired boy's slightly arrogant air. She made a face behind his back, only for Kakashi to catch her. He reached over and playfully ruffled her hair, kneading her cheek like a finished batch of dough.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Anything's fine. I'm not picky."
"Alright, let's go here then."
He chose a restaurant that looked relatively clean. As the girl began eagerly scanning the menu, Kakashi snatched it away and called the owner over.
"Except for this one, this one, and this one... bring us one of everything else."
"Are you serious?" the owner asked skeptically.
"Yes."
The owner clearly doubted their ability to pay and hesitated to place the order. It wasn't until Kakashi pulled out his wallet and paid upfront that the owner hurried to the kitchen to prepare the massive meal for his big-spending customers.
When dozens of dishes finally covered their table, Kakashi picked up his chopsticks and began working his way through the food. He ate deliberately, almost slowly, yet the dishes vanished at a visibly alarming rate. Mei was full after just ten minutes, but Kakashi showed no signs of stopping.
Internally, the food was rapidly digesting, converting into a large amount of chakra. Before, I had to worry about digestion speed, Kakashi thought. Now, the only concern is whether I'll burst from eating too much. The system helps burn off the excess energy, plus its passive upgrades consume chakra anyway. This meal is just replenishing what I used up.
The silver-haired boy's expression remained mostly calm and composed. Outside of necessary emotional responses, his usual stoicism made Mei wonder if he was physically incapable of showing expression.
Finally, with every dish cleared, Kakashi's jaw felt slightly sore. He walked out of the restaurant, leaving behind the bewildered and amazed stares of the ordinary patrons.
Outside the restaurant was a street lined with food stalls, vendors hawking various snacks. Most were sweets, appealing more to a girl's palate. Mei's eyes kept drifting towards one particular stall selling a sweet treat made from rice cakes, seemingly unable to resist.
"Two skewers of this, please," Kakashi ordered.
"Right away, sir!"
Rice cakes drenched in thick syrup? Kakashi mentally critiqued the snack. Why would girls like this stuff?
"Here." He handed one to Mei.
She accepted it gladly. The cloyingly sweet flavor exploded in her mouth, instantly brightening her mood like clouds parting to reveal the sun. The accumulated gloom vanished, replaced by light steps and a sparkle in her eyes that made Kakashi think, This is how a girl her age should be.
"Bought off by a single snack? You've got great potential as a missing-nin," he teased, though without any real malice.
The girl was too busy savoring the treat to reply to his jest. She finished the first skewer and immediately started on the second.
"Want some?" she offered, her voice slightly muffled.
"No."
"Oh."
After finishing the second skewer, she spotted other sweets she used to enjoy. As she expected, Kakashi bought them for her as well.
That guy... Mei thought to herself, He's always teasing me, but he's actually pretty nice.
The space left in her stomach after lunch was now thoroughly filled with sweets. She let out a satisfied sigh.
"Full now?" Kakashi asked.
"Mhmm," the girl nodded, tossing her now-black (transformed) hair and sweeping her bangs aside, revealing her other eye.
"Do you think Kirigakure will send more ninja after us?" she asked, her tone more serious now.
"It's highly likely," Kakashi replied. "But not immediately. The ninja collecting orphans should have only just arrived back in the village, based on the timing."
"They lost a Jōnin this time," Mei mused. "The next ones they send will be Jōnin level at least."
"Maybe even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?" Kakashi suggested nonchalantly.
"Then we're definitely dead!" Mei exclaimed.
"They're not as strong as you might think," Kakashi countered. "Besides, I'm a Jōnin too." He thought briefly of Uchiha Obito. He's probably a Jōnin by now as well.
Mei still didn't believe him. Kakashi was the same age as her, and she had just graduated from the academy. The idea that he could already be two ranks higher seemed absurd. Even during wartime, that kind of promotion speed was too exaggerated.
Seeing the clear disbelief on her face, the boy didn't bother explaining further. If he returned to Konoha now, he'd undoubtedly be hauled into interrogation to explain everything: what happened during his absence, why he didn't return immediately after recovering, why he lost the special teleportation kunai given to him by Namikaze Minato.
There were too many questions, too many suspicious points. Konoha wouldn't simply trust him without scrutiny. More importantly, Kakashi himself didn't want to go back to Konoha yet. Sooner or later, he intended to personally eliminate Danzō and deal with the Konoha elders. He would slowly exact revenge for the circumstances that led to his father, Sakumo's, death.
As they approached the entrance of their inn, Kakashi suddenly froze. He sensed two extremely powerful chakra signatures inside – far stronger, several times stronger, than the Kiri Jōnin he had killed earlier.
"We're switching inns," he stated abruptly, grabbing Mei's arm.
"Huh?" Mei was caught completely off guard by his sudden action. "But our luggage is still inside!"
"Trust me." Kakashi pulled her away, quickening his pace. He turned left, then right, consciously weaving through the streets, trying to put distance between them and the chakra signatures he felt pursuing them.
Relying on his superior sensory abilities, they navigated through seven or eight blocks, finally shaking the feeling of being followed by those two specific chakra signatures. By now, Mei understood this was far more serious than just changing inns. Anyone this boy actively avoided had to be incredibly strong.
Kakashi released her hand. They stood on an empty street. Just then, at the far end of the street, two new, equally powerful chakra signatures appeared.
"They were right," a gruff voice echoed down the street. A man with distinct shark-like features and teeth, carrying an enormous, bandage-wrapped blade on his back, slammed the weapon onto the ground. "You really do have sensory abilities, kid."
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