Konoha Notes.

Chapter 473 Kakashi's Inspection and Daily Routine

When conducting tests, it's necessary to address genetic aspects, and some equipment is required.

Kakashi wasn't afraid of any of this; blood tests and injections were nothing to him.

He can stitch up his own wounds without anesthesia, and he has also experienced many worse situations.

But when he saw that the person holding the syringe was Shuji, questions still couldn't help but arise.

"Do you know how to do this? Are you going to do it?"

Shuji was examining the liquid in the syringe against the light: "There's no way around it, it's an important project, there aren't many qualified people to participate, and we're short-handed." "Isn't Lady Tsunade in the Hokage's office?" Kakashi asked.

"She helped the upper management collect special materials."

"Where's your pocket?"

"I'm busy too."

Kakashi watched Shuji adjust the syringe. The posture looked fairly standard, but something just felt off. "Isn't the Second Hokage next door?"

"He's adjusting the precision parameters of the full-body scanner." Shuuji tested the syringe, and a drop of medicine seeped from the tip. "So, the simpler tasks are assigned to me."

He turned his head and gave Kakashi a smile that looked quite reliable.

"Don't worry, emergency first aid is a basic skill for ninjas. Although I'm not as good as Kakashi-senpai, I was still an excellent student back in the day." This address of "senpai" made Kakashi feel a chill run down his spine.

"You haven't touched these things for at least six years," Kakashi pointed out.

He was the one who handled Shuji's promotion materials. Before the promotion, Shuji was in charge of ninjutsu combat. After the promotion, in addition to regular missions, he was always doing big jobs, with a full complement of subordinates.

It's not his place to do such basic work as blood collection and injection.

Shuji recalled for a moment: "No, to be precise, I haven't done it since graduating from the Ninja Academy."

"My role has always been to provide cover and support, so I have very little experience in medical matters."

"However, I have always had a lot of experience with basic anesthesia."

Kakashi looked at the syringe; the tip of the needle gleamed coldly under the light.

"What kind of anesthesia do you mean?"

Xiu Si raised his empty hand and clenched it into a fist.

"This kind."

Then he flipped his fist, and a handful of kunai appeared in his palm.

"There's also this kind."

Kakashi watched expressionlessly, showing no surprise.

The next second, Shuji pulled out another short sword from somewhere, holding a kunai in one hand and a short sword in the other.

"And this kind."

Kakashi noticed that he was holding weapons in both hands, so he looked down at his own arms.

The needle has been inserted into the vein.

He felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and the edges of his vision began to blur.

"My anesthesia technique is indeed quite good." Shuuji's voice sounded somewhat distant.

"This isn't just anesthesia, is it...?"

"You came over without getting enough rest this morning, so the second generation adjusted the formula," Shuuji said, putting down the kunai and short sword in his hands and instead steadying the syringe. "Just take a nap. The check-up will be completed while you're asleep."

Kakashi's thoughts began to weigh heavily, but he still considered the arrangements for his assistant.

"Itachi has assigned me work for the afternoon, and you..."

He tried to finish his sentence, hoping that the person who had caused this trouble would at least take responsibility, take over his afternoon shift, and provide a reasonable explanation to the meticulous assistant.

However, the darkness came too quickly, swallowing up the last few syllables.

When he regained consciousness, the first thing he felt was the sensation beneath him.

A bed is definitely more comfortable than a chair.

Kakashi closed his eyes, letting the thought drift lazily by, before slowly opening his eyelids.

What comes into view is the laboratory's characteristic, undecorated ceiling.

"I'm very happy to tell you that the surgery was a great success and everything went smoothly."

Shuji's voice came from the side. Kakashi turned his head and saw him sitting in the chair next to him.

"However, considering that you'll probably respond with a completely emotionless 'Oh really? Thank you so much,' I'll pass." Kakashi looked back at the ceiling; he only had one question to ask.

"Is it evening yet?"

If only it were evening. The afternoon's work could be perfectly avoided. Even if Itachi was in a bad mood, he couldn't take it out on him, the victim, and then try to seal up that precious window in his office, could he?

This time, it was Itachi's most respected senior who was behind it.

"Of course not." Shuji's answer shattered his illusions decisively. "Only four hours have passed. It's exactly noon now. You still have plenty of time to have lunch and then go to work refreshed, Chief Kakashi."

Kakashi silently pulled up the thin white blanket, covering his head and curling up inside.

Reality is such a trash game, there's not a single surprise in it.

"What were the test results?"

"The Sharingan did not cause any genetic modifications to your body."

This time, the response was from a different voice.

Kakashi pulled the blanket down a little, revealing his eyes.

Tobirama Senju stood at the foot of the bed, his expression as serious as ever.

"Based on the data, the Sharingan's chakra does indeed continuously affect your meridian system, but this effect remains at the level of functional adaptation. It does not involve rewriting the gene sequence, nor does it trigger the expression of any dominant genetic traits."

Director Hatake sat up, the blanket slipping off. He stretched his stiff neck and said casually, "At least it shows that my body's underlying code wasn't actually rewritten just because of one eye."

"That doesn't sound like a bad thing."

Tobirama said, "From an individual perspective, this means that no matter how much time passes, the burden that the Sharingan places on your body is fixed. Even if you use it for longer periods, it only means that your meridian system has adapted to the high chakra supply to your eyes, not that your body has been modified by the eye power."

"Of course, the power of a single Sharingan is insufficient to support the possibility of a deep reshaping of the host's body."

"After all, this kind of modification of the host by external chakra is essentially an invasion."

Shuji joined the conversation.

"Speaking of which, there's still a three-tomoe Sharingan in our inventory that we haven't used yet."

"If you're interested in trying it out, I can leave it for you to use."

Kakashi immediately shook his head, and his speed increased significantly compared to usual.

"Please, Lord Shuji, let me keep one eye that belongs to me."

"If another one comes, my chakra will probably take me out before the enemy does."

"Don't be so pessimistic," Shuuji smiled. "Your chakra control has always been excellent. Besides, the Second Hokage just said that one eye might not be strong enough. What if both eyes can create some kind of strange resonance, unlocking unexpected potential?"

"Furthermore, in order to become a useful assistant in the experimental building, I recently learned the Soul Binding Technique from the Second Hokage." "I'm somewhat skilled in ninjutsu."

"Let's save these surprises for those who need them more." Kakashi threw back the covers, stood up, and said, "My life is already full of surprises in every sense of the word; I don't need any more for now."

He walked to the coat rack by the wall, took down his Jonin vest, and put it on deftly.

"The only hope left in my life is that Sasuke, or someone else, will be discovered as soon as possible."

Then he turned to Tobirama Senju: "Second Hokage, regarding Sasuke's report..."

"I understand. Although I'm in the laboratory, I'm not completely unaware of anything."

Kakashi didn't say anything more. He straightened his collar and left the lab.

After he left, Tobirama said, "The only thing that can be proven now is that the Sharingan is not purely an effect of chakra modifying the optic nerve." "If it is, judging from the logic of bloodline limits, it has already triggered a feedback to the genes."

"Therefore, the possibility that the bloodline passed down by the Sage of Six Paths contains the gene for eye techniques is increasing."

Shuji said, "It's also possible that it simply wasn't long enough."

"Kakashi has only possessed the Sharingan for about ten years, which may be too short a time for a genetic change."

Even after Madara Uchiha obtained Hashirama's cells and fused Ashura's and Indra's chakra, he only obtained the Rinnegan on his deathbed.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Nagato's reanimated body still retained the Rinnegan's abilities. Those eyes originally belonged to Madara, but Nagato's chakra information completely preserved the Rinnegan's function.

If he had lived at a slightly worse time, the Allied Shinobi Forces would have faced two pairs of Rinnegan with fairly complete functions.

Of course, Nagato possessed the Rinnegan for far longer than Kakashi possessed the Sharingan. The power of the Rinnegan is also far superior to that of the Sharingan. Furthermore, it must be considered that Nagato was a combination of the Uzumaki and Senju lineages.

Yes, Nagato is a descendant of the Senju clan; this is something Black Zetsu explicitly told Obito.

"If it takes even longer to promote integration, then this plan is meaningless for you at this stage," Tobirama shook his head.

"Let's continue to observe Hyuga Neji's progress."

Kakashi walked out of the laboratory building and, instead of going to eat first, headed towards the mountain flower shop.

With Haiyi's health improving, Yamanaka Reino resumed normal business operations. Several pots of seasonal flowers were displayed at the entrance of the flower shop, their petals still glistening with morning dew.

Kakashi greeted them, bought lilies as usual, and then went to the cemetery to rearrange them in front of Rin's grave.

Compared to before, he's spending more time in the village now. Although he has less free time overall, he can still come every two or three days. There are more and more things he wants to say, but the more he tries to say something, the less he can find the right words.

In the end, he just stood there, looking at the name engraved on the stone tablet, then turned around and walked to the other side.

The names on the stone tablet represent those who died in the line of duty, and Kakashi's gaze lingered on the spot he knew best.

"Spotted...?"

Every time he came back, he wanted to reflect on what kind of lousy person he had been—the Kakashi Hatake who failed to protect his comrades and betrayed their trust.

Now, every time I come here, it's to prepare for our final meeting.

When Kakashi returned to the secret service building, the sight in the office made him scratch his head: "Jiraiya-sama, you're still here?" Jiraiya sat stiffly behind his desk, the pile of documents in front of him almost burying him. The papers were stacked into a small mountain, some stacks even teetering on the verge of falling.

Seeing Kakashi's innocent expression, Jiraiya's eyes were filled with resentment: "I never thought I'd fall behind in this area, Kakashi."

His voice sounded a bit like he was gritting his teeth.

"Well done!"

With that, Jiraiya pushed open the window and jumped out. His movements were swift and clean, giving Kakashi no time to react.

More wind rushed in through the wide-open window, and the documents on the table began to flutter. A few pages slid off the top of the pile, twirling as they fell to the floor. Kakashi bent down and picked up the scattered papers, his movements unhurried.

Then a pair of ninja shoes appeared in front of him.

Kakashi looked up from the shoes.

Black pants, a dark blue Jonin vest, and finally, that calm face.

"Kakashi-senpai."

Itachi stood in front of him, holding another stack of documents in his hands.

"It's almost time."

"What did you do to Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi asked, while continuing to pick up the papers on the ground.

"Nothing was done," Itachi replied. "It's just that people keep coming in looking for a stamp."

Kakashi remembered it clearly: "I walked out through the main gate today."

They should have known he wasn't there. There are guards at the main entrance of the office, and everyone entering and leaving is recorded. Even if he left early, the night shift and day shift would have taken over; they should have known this much.

"Yes," Itachi nodded, "but all that came were documents that needed to be stamped and had already been reviewed. Jiraiya-sama's status was just enough to make him act as if it were a matter of course."

Kakashi looked at his assistant's calm face.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"The afternoon schedule is already set, so the work that could have been done in the afternoon can only be done in the morning," Itachi said. "This is the most efficient solution."

Kakashi was speechless.

When Kakashi reached the seventh floor, he saw a Konoha Chunin with green hair talking to a richly dressed person.

The man in fine clothes saw Itachi and immediately walked over.

"Uchiha Assistant, supplementary materials regarding the previous complaint..."

Itachi stopped and gestured for Kakashi to go first.

Kakashi nodded and continued downwards. The green-haired Chunin followed and walked to his side.

"Director Hatake, the students from the Ninja Academy have arrived. I've led them to the conference room on the second floor to wait."

Kakashi looked at him. His green hair stood out under the corridor lights.

"You're Green, right? Green Sunflower?"

"Yes." The Chunin nodded, his expression serious. "I was just transferred here this year. Because the Bureau of Affairs expanded its Education Division, I, who was originally in charge of instructing Genin, was reassigned here."

"yes……"

Kakashi stepped down the last step and turned toward the second-floor corridor.

The door to the conference room at the end of the corridor was closed, but you could hear people talking inside.

"That's really excellent."

He pushed open the door.