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Chapter 437: Rising Fame
Chapter 437: Rising Fame
"We've finally arrived. Although the distance traveled was shorter than previous overseas missions, it took us longer to get here," Obito remarked as he gazed at the towering gates of Konoha ahead of them.
Usually, they would have used the journey as an opportunity to train, but this time, due to their significant injuries, they had been unable to rush back as they normally would, resulting in a much slower journey.
Seeing the gates of Konoha, Kakashi felt a sudden sense of relief.
While he might not have exerted the most physical strength on the battlefield, his mental energy had been drained the most.
As the team's vice-captain, Kakashi felt responsible for ensuring the safety of all his teammates, and each mission required meticulous planning, which took a toll on his mind.
"Guy, do you want to head home first, or should we go directly to the hospital?" Kakashi asked Maito Guy as they entered Konoha.
Although Mu Yue had used her shadow clones to escort them, those clones had limited chakra, and using their chakra for healing jutsu would mean they couldn't maintain themselves. Therefore, Guy still needed to go to the Konoha Hospital to recover.
Kakashi, too, needed to be hospitalized, but only for a week.
"Let's go directly to the hospital. My dad is still on the battlefield, so there's no one at home anyway," Guy replied promptly.
Kakashi nodded and prepared to accompany Guy to the Konoha Hospital.
"Why don't we all go together? Even if you don't need to be hospitalized, it's a good idea to get a check-up," Rin suggested.
"Obito, what do you think?" She turned to Obito after speaking.
Looking into Rin's gentle eyes, Obito subconsciously nodded his head.
Rin lightly clapped her hands and smiled brightly, "That's wonderful! We're all on the same page."
Obito belatedly realized that he had initially planned to go straight home to reassure his grandmother that he was safe.
But seeing the radiant smile on Rin's face, he ultimately closed his mouth. After all, going to the hospital together wouldn't take that much longer.
The four of them then made their way to the Konoha Hospital.
"Hey, aren't you Kakashi Hatake? The Konoha White Fang?"
The ninja handling Kakashi's hospitalization paperwork looked at Kakashi's face and then at the newspaper next to him, his eyes widening in surprise.
A strange expression appeared on Kakashi's face. "What's this about Konoha White Fang? That sounds ridiculous."
"This is hilarious! What kind of weird title is Konoha White Fang? Is it because you're not tall enough, Kakashi?" Obito burst out laughing.
"I am Kakashi Hatake, but I am not the Konoha White Fang," Kakashi ignored Obito and calmly replied to the hospital ninja's question.
It was only because of Obito's loud voice that the hospital ninja noticed the presence of Uchiha Obito, Maito Guy, and Haruno Sakura, who were mentioned in the report.
"You guys must have just returned from the front lines. Your exploits on the battlefield have been published in the Konoha Paper and spread throughout Konoha. Everyone is saying that you, Kakashi, could become the next Konoha White Fang," the hospital ninja said with a smile.
If the latest issue of the Konoha Paper featured Mu Yue as the main protagonist, then Kakashi was an important supporting character. Coupled with Kakashi's family background, the level of discussion about him even surpassed Guy's, second only to Mu Yue.
Although the Konoha White Fang had ultimately ended his life in suicide after a failed mission, leaving a huge stain on his reputation, he was still a formidable ninja who had made a name for himself. The term "Little Konoha White Fang" carried no ridicule and was purely an expression of high hopes for Kakashi's future.
After all, at just ten years old, Kakashi already had the achievement of slaying the River Hog Gedo of Mount Watermelon, whether alone or with help, it was still an impressive feat.
"Your choice of titles is terrible," Kakashi bluntly stated.
He could tell that the hospital ninja's words were not meant to be mocking, but Kakashi still disliked the title.
Having gone through a series of events, the Kakashi of today had let go of many things. He had made peace with his past self and even found closure with his deceased father. However, this didn't mean that he would embrace being called the Little White Fang.
He didn't need to become someone else; if anything, his goal was to surpass the Konoha White Fang as Kakashi Hatake, not become the next White Fang.
"Indeed, the White Fang didn't have such achievements at the age of ten. It's not appropriate to use the title 'Little Konoha White Fang,'" the hospital ninja agreed, not feeling embarrassed at all.
After all, he hadn't come up with the title himself, so Kakashi wasn't insulting him.
"By the way, now that you're back, is Mu Yue also back?" The hospital ninja couldn't help but ask.
With the latest issue of the Konoha Paper, Mu Yue had instantly become the hottest topic of discussion in Konoha and even the Fire Country, overshadowing Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
While Mu Yue wasn't exactly unknown in Konoha, the public didn't perceive him as a powerful ninja like the Yellow Flash. This recent achievement of his had caused quite a stir.
"No, he's not back yet. Please hurry up with the paperwork," Kakashi urged.
There was a limit to slacking off, and chatting during work hours was inappropriate.
The hospital ninja suddenly remembered that he was still on the clock and felt guilty. He quickly glanced around and then swiftly finished the hospitalization procedures for Guy and Kakashi.
"Give me the newspaper as compensation for your work mistake," Kakashi said, holding out his hand after the paperwork was done.
"Please don't report me," the hospital ninja pleaded as he handed over the newspaper. He had already finished reading it, so he didn't mind giving it away. Besides, newspapers were cheap.
"Let me see, let me see," Kakashi said, and as soon as he took the newspaper, Obito leaned in, curious to know what was written about them.
"My Fire Release Jutsu is so cool, so I bet my title is super awesome too," Obito thought, imagining titles like 'Flame Demon', 'Fire God', and 'Fire Tiger of Konoha'.
"What are you thinking about? Why would the people who work for the official village newspaper give you a title?" Kakashi pushed Obito's head away, exasperated.
Titles weren't commonly given out in the Konoha Paper, unless they had a high level of recognition.
He was certain that the title 'Little Konoha White Fang' wasn't something the newspaper staff had come up with. It was probably the result of idle gossip.
"Then how did you get a title, even if it doesn't sound very nice?" Obito asked, confused.
"First of all, I don't acknowledge that title as mine. Secondly, having a title doesn't mean it was given by the village," Kakashi explained.
Once they reached the hospital room, Kakashi sat on the bed and unfolded the newspaper, while Obito and the others looked on curiously.
Guy and Sakura were also intrigued to see how their perilous battle would be described.
"Defending Our Homeland: Unprecedented Victory on the Eastern Front, Heavy Losses for the Kirigakure Ninja Force!"
Kakashi's eyes immediately fell on the bold headline, which clearly indicated that the newspaper's content would be about the battlefield they had just returned from.
"The cruel and vicious Kirigakure ninjas took advantage of the weak defenses on the eastern front of the Fire Country and invaded. Initially, our ninjas were at a disadvantage due to various reasons. However, under the leadership of the unit commander, Orochimaru, the situation on the eastern front improved, gradually turning the tables. During this process, the outstanding Jonin of Konoha, Mu Yue, played an indispensable role. Like a sharp blade, he slew many powerful Kirigakure ninjas and obtained crucial intelligence for our side..."
The front page mostly featured Mu Yue and Orochimaru, with little mention of Kakashi and his team. There were also battlefield photos included.
And what was this about being under Orochimaru's leadership? He hadn't even exchanged words with the man.
Kakashi glanced outside and then subtly signaled to Maito Guy, who was sitting closer to the door, to close it.
This hospital room only had two beds, so they only needed to worry about being overheard by those outside.
"Orochimaru is one of the legendary Sannin and the commander of the ninja forces on the Eastern Front. It's best not to speak ill of him again," Kakashi said, shaking his head.
Of course, Kakashi knew the reason. As the commander of the battlefield, any achievements they made would inevitably be linked back to Orochimaru.
However, Kakashi understood that explaining this to Obito would likely fall on deaf ears, so he simply instructed him not to say such things.
Given Obito's status and position, discussing Orochimaru in such a casual and disrespectful manner was highly inappropriate, and if any of Orochimaru's subordinates heard him, they would have every right to teach Obito a lesson.
"What about Jiraiya-sama? He's also one of the Sannin, and he doesn't get this much attention," Obito argued, unconvinced.
After all, he had even mocked Jiraiya to his face on the Grass-Ninja battlefield.
Kakashi hesitated, about to speak, but then stopped. It was true that Obito had offended Jiraiya, but it seemed the latter didn't take it to heart, so there was no issue.
However, people were different, and even without understanding Orochimaru, just looking at their appearances and auras, Kakashi felt that Jiraiya and Orochimaru were very different.
"If I tell you not to say it, then don't say it. Consider it an order from your vice-captain," Kakashi said after some thought.
"But we're not on a mission or a battlefield right now, so your vice-captain status doesn't apply," Obito retorted.
Obito felt that Kakashi was trying to pull rank unnecessarily.
"If you don't want to be assigned menial tasks during our next mission, it would be wise to listen to me more often," Kakashi threatened without hesitation.
"You'll regret this, Kakashi!" Obito's face darkened.
He had no doubt that Kakashi would carry out his threat; after all, their squad's performance had been exceptional.
"I am the vice-captain, so I have every right," Kakashi asserted, not backing down.
Obito fell silent at this, and he continued reading the newspaper quietly.
It wasn't until they reached the bottom half of the page that they found a more marginal mention of their own exploits.
The article described Kakashi's squad as a group of young but exceptionally determined genius ninjas with unwavering willpower. Despite encountering formidable foes like the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, they had not abandoned their comrades and had fought valiantly to protect the village. It highlighted how Obito and Kakashi had joined forces with Maito Dai to repel the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and how they had slain one of their members, Suigetsu Hozuki, on their own before Mu Yue's arrival.
While Kakashi's squad had made it into the Konoha Paper, there were slight differences in the length of the descriptions.
Maito Guy received the most coverage, followed by Obito and Kakashi, who had teamed up to kill Suigetsu. Next was Genma Shiranui, with the least being dedicated to Rin Nohara, Ebisu, and Hiashi Hyuga, whose names were merely mentioned without any individual recognition.
"Now, no one will dare look down on my dad anymore," Maito Guy said proudly, his chest swelling with pride as he read about his father's exploits.
Maito Dai's mention was only slightly less than his own, which brought Guy great satisfaction.
"It's too little," Obito complained, feeling that the description of their mission was too brief.
"If you had been the one to kill Suigetsu and the four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, you would have gotten more coverage," Kakashi said indifferently.
There was only so much space in a newspaper, and given their current status, it was already a miracle that they had gotten this much attention.
"One day, I'll make sure that the best spot in the Konoha Paper is reserved for my achievements!" Obito declared enthusiastically.
He was confident that if he became the Hokage and ended the war, he would surely make the front page.
"I hope your plan isn't to become a reporter for the Konoha Paper and secretly replace the content," Kakashi said as he folded the newspaper and set it aside.
Rin covered her mouth and giggled, "Don't underestimate Obito, Kakashi. Even he wouldn't do something like that."
Although Rin was defending him, Obito felt a bit strange hearing this.
"That's true. He's probably just dreaming of becoming the Hokage and making the headlines," Kakashi said, lying back on the bed.
Obito's heart skipped a beat. Could there be a mind-reading jutsu?
As if reading his thoughts, Kakashi said, "It's not that hard to guess what you're thinking."
Obito scratched his head. How could Kakashi possibly know what he was thinking? It was as if his thoughts were written all over his face, and Kakashi would have to be blind to miss it.
In the end, Obito fled the hospital as if he were running for his life.
"If only there really was a mind-reading jutsu," he thought on his way home.
The human heart was indeed mysterious, especially when it came to girls. Obito often struggled to understand what Rin was thinking.
If he had a jutsu that could read her mind, he would ensure that she was happy all the time.
"Grandma, I'm home!" Obito announced as he stepped through the door.
Hearing his familiar voice, his grandmother walked slowly to the entrance and, upon seeing his face, broke into a relieved smile.
"You must be hungry. Let me make you something to eat," she said.
After examining him closely, she made her way to the kitchen.
"Hehe, I am a bit hungry," Obito admitted, gladly accepting his grandmother's offer.
While Mu Yue's cooking was delicious, he always missed his grandmother's cooking when he hadn't had it for a while.
"Our Obito has really grown up. Yesterday, the clan leader even came by personally to deliver some rewards for you. He said you're an outstanding Uchiha," his grandmother said proudly.
She had single-handedly raised Obito, and the pride in her voice was evident.
Although she hadn't read the newspaper and didn't know the specifics of what Obito had done, she was sure it must have been something impressive.
"Also, the clan leader said you should pay him a visit when you get back," she added.
(End of Chapter)
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