Kyoichi's reply completely sidestepped "Sakumo's choice" itself, instead tackling the problem from another angle.

It wasn't exactly the answer Kakashi had been expecting, but…

After thinking it over, he had to admit—it made sense.

Why had Sakumo been forced to make that choice?

Because the village wasn't strong enough. There weren't many jōnin capable of carrying out that mission. If both the quantity and quality of jōnin improved, many such dilemmas would vanish on their own.

"Revitalize the village through education…"

Kakashi had never thought about it like that. To him, education was just… education, nothing more. But after hearing Kyoichi, he realized there was a whole maze of connections behind it.

So this… is the world of the jōnin?

Too complicated…

"To make the village stronger, education alone isn't enough. Plenty of shinobi from other villages have toured Konoha, thinking they could just copy our 'education model' to strengthen their own village… and went home with their legs broken."

When someone could learn quickly and grasp the meaning, Kyoichi was happy to talk more.

Otherwise, explaining everything would be a huge bother.

As he spoke, he briefly described the situation in other villages.

"To put it simply, in recent months, orders for our military ration pills from other villages have multiplied several times over. Many of the raw materials also come from us."

Kakashi froze for a moment at that, then fell silent in thought.

Materials… ration pills.

Both brought in considerable profit—and the latter was a consumable product. Once you used them, you had to buy more.

Unless other villages managed to develop their own cheap ration pills, there was no way they could replace Konoha's exports in this area.

Kakashi was already familiar with the village's new ration pills.

They restored less stamina than the standard ones, but they were cheaper and had more practical uses. For example, in the Academy…

Most children didn't need the full restoration effect of standard pills.

The weaker effect was actually perfect.

And just like that, Kakashi understood what Kyoichi meant.

If you wanted a strong village, you needed more than just education—you needed improvement in every aspect.

Without powerful ninjutsu and taijutsu, what good would education do?

Without ration pills, how would you maintain that strength?

Running a village took more than just completing missions—it required strategy and vision.

He felt a little embarrassed.

The old him had been obsessed only with completing assignments, never adapting his thinking. No wonder Kyoichi-sensei always called him a blockhead…

"Alright, if you've figured things out, Minato and I are both glad. Work hard when we get back—at most a year or two, and you'll be a jōnin."

Kyoichi smiled.

Kakashi's strength wasn't the problem.

After mastering the Chidori Sword Technique, Chidori Current, and several lightning-style techniques to complement his blade, his combat ability had shot up to the point where he could already handle jōnin-level missions.

What he lacked was the mental flexibility.

Once Kakashi became a jōnin—a new genius rising—how could the next generation not be motivated to keep up?

Perfect…

Hearing the word "jōnin" left Kakashi elated. His heart raced—

But then…

He realized it was basically dangling a carrot in front of him.

One or two years?

So… was it one year, or two?

Good question…

Still, even knowing that, hearing he could become a jōnin made him a little excited.

"Alright, enough talk. I need to go capture someone."

Kyoichi stood.

Kakuzu had been on the run for a long time, and it seemed he'd finally settled down.

It was time to bring him in.

"Can I come?"

"Rest up. Not that I don't want to take you, but I'll be going by Flying Thunder God—it's tricky to bring someone along. Work hard, kid. Learn the technique, and you can go wherever you want, just like me."

"Uh…" That's not the full truth!

Long-distance teleportation still needed clones to assist…

Kakashi could only complain inwardly.

Still, Flying Thunder God really was convenient.

Damn… I'm jealous.

He watched as Kyoichi vanished. The next instant, he sensed Minato disappear from outside as well.

Both teachers had gone.

It should be fine, right?

---

[Mission complete: "Conviction" guidance — Kakashi now fully trusts you and regards you as a life mentor.]

[Evaluation: Excellent]

[Reward:

1. Lightning Cutter

2. Choice of one Purple Electricity technique]

Kyoichi didn't hesitate—he chose the second option.

Lightning Cutter was just an advanced form of Chidori.

Honestly…

If he wanted to study it, it wouldn't be hard—no need to waste a rare reward on it.

But Purple Electricity…

In terms of penetration and raw power, it was weaker than Lightning Cutter.

However…

It was far more versatile.

It didn't require high-speed movement, so no Sharingan was needed to control it—anyone who could learn it could wield this powerful lightning-style technique.

And, most importantly—

It required no hand seals!

Hand-seal ninjutsu was too much of a hassle. Most of Kyoichi's go-to techniques required no seals. Techniques like Raikiri and Chidori, which needed seals but didn't offer overwhelming power in return, were… underwhelming.

Purple Electricity was much better.

Still…

Since he was about to teleport to Kakuzu, he didn't have time to explore it in depth. He simply got a feel for its usage and principles.

The next moment—

He used Flying Thunder God to appear right beside Kakuzu.

Kakuzu was in a dim underground base. Aside from him, there were only a few errand boys and some newcomers.

"Kakuzu-san…"

"I need an explanation. Why is it that every time, your people never show up? This time, you said you'd help take down Kanda Kyoichi, but in the end it was just us!"

Every time, they stirred up trouble—

And every time, the people behind them never stepped in to help. Every time they went after Kanda Kyoichi, they ended up throwing their lives away.

A cold glint flickered in Kakuzu's eyes.

If they didn't give him a good reason, he'd kill them and walk away.

After all…

They were only together out of mutual interest. They weren't true comrades. And it wasn't as if he hadn't killed actual comrades before.

"No big deal."

"We originally intended to send the Three-Tails' jinchūriki. But unexpectedly, that Kanda Kyoichi directly attacked Kirigakure itself. We didn't foresee that."

"Oh?"

Kakuzu's brow twitched.

Attacked Kirigakure?

That guy was insane!

He found it hard to believe—

But… something like that wouldn't stay hidden for long.

After a moment's silence, he said coldly, "I'll confirm it myself. If it's not true, you'll pay for your betrayal. You should know—I've lost an important partner because of this."

"Of course…"

White Zetsu gave a slight bow and was just about to respond when he felt a sudden ripple in space.

His instincts screamed danger—he turned and ran.

But—

In the next instant—

A flash of gold. Minato Namikaze appeared beside him, kicked him into the air, severing his connection to the ground.

With his hands forming seals, by the time White Zetsu landed, the sealing formula was complete.

Four Symbols Seal—Bind!

Meanwhile—

Kyoichi turned toward Kakuzu, using chakra sensory to scan the area. The base held many shinobi, some of them rogue-nin from Kirigakure.

Clearly…

In all his years "governing" Kirigakure, Madara had poached quite a few from within. And though he was still searching for Uchiha traces, without the use of Sharingan, it was nearly impossible to identify them by chakra alone.

"I didn't catch all of it, but… Sasori doesn't really seem like an 'important partner' to you."

"You—!"

Kakuzu's face went pale.

Kanda Kyoichi?! How was he here—

And the other one was Minato Namikaze?!

Could it be…

Memories flashed through his mind, his expression turning grim.

"When did you tag me with a jutsu mark?"

"Take a guess."

"…The first time we met, was it?"

Kakuzu took a deep breath, everything now clear.

The only reason he'd escaped before wasn't that these two couldn't catch him—

It was that they hadn't bothered to.

From the start, he'd been a fish in their net.

"…Even so, don't think I'll just let myself be captured."

***************************

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