41 - Fire temple part 2/ To land of Snow...

Fire Temple…

A few hundred meters away from the temple grounds, two Anbu operatives, Dog (Kakashi) and Kirito, paused in a dense forest to change their attire.

"Time to switch outfits, kid," Dog remarked, removing his mask.

"Do I still have to call you 'big brother,' or...?" Kirito questioned, shedding his hoodie and mask.

"No, this time you'll be my uncle's son," Dog answered, explaining their cover story.

"Isn't that still the same as calling you my brother?" Kirito retorted with a sigh, slightly puzzled by the distinction.

"See, the two of us have different hair colours. If I refer to you as my uncle's son, it implies a more distant relationship than directly saying 'little brother.' It allows for a bit of separation," Dog clarified with a smile.

"I guess I get it, but it still feels odd," Kirito grumbled, removing Dog's hand from his shoulder.

Their conversation led them to the entrance of the Fire Temple. As they entered the temple, Kakashi was hailed by someone from behind.

"Kakashi, is that you?" a familiar voice called out with surprise.

Both Kakashi and Kirito turned to see who was addressing them. Kirito felt a sense of familiarity looking at the man, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen him before.

Kakashi greeted the man with a smile. "Asuma, what a pleasant surprise to find you here."

"It's really you, Kakashi," Asuma exclaimed, approaching with a smile.

As the two old friends exchanged pleasantries, Kirito observed Asuma. His memory nagged at him, suggesting that he had seen this man somewhere before.

Kakashi's introduction caught Kirito's attention. "Oh, right, you've never met Kirito before," Kakashi mentioned, placing a hand on Kirito's shoulder.

Growing increasingly annoyed by Kakashi's treatment, Kirito interjected, "Come on, senpai, stop treating me like a kid." He removed Kakashi's hand from his shoulder in annoyance.

Asuma seemed to recognize Kirito's name, which surprised Kirito. However, he quickly shifted his attention to Kakashi, his curiosity piqued. "Is he the Kirito Uzumaki? What's he doing so far from the village?"

Unbeknownst to Kirito, Asuma had access to a great deal of information as the Hokage's son.

Kakashi confirmed Asuma's inquiry, brushing off the surprise. "Yes, he's Kirito, and he's my partner for this mission."

Asuma's disbelief was evident, but Kakashi dismissed it. "If you're sceptical, you can always ask your father when you return to the village."

Kirito, on the other hand, found his attention diverted as he noticed someone nearby. "Oi, Asuma, are you just going to stand there like a lost dog?" a jovial voice called out, accompanied by the presence of a bald, monk-like figure.

"Chiruku, you bald bastard! When did you get back?" Asuma shouted back, his tone tinged with mock annoyance.

Asuma and Chiruku shared a friendly exchange, expressing their camaraderie and familiarity.

Chiruku and Sora, the young monk in training, joined Kakashi and Kirito. Asuma introduced them to his friends. "Meet Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, and this is Kirito, the young genius. They'll be accompanying the temple shinobi on our journey to the Land of Snow."

Kakashi and Chiruku exchanged pleasantries, while Sora observed Kirito curiously. "Nice to meet you too, kid. And this is Sora, a monk in training," Chiruku introduced.

Kakashi and Chiruku engaged in conversation, sharing mutual respect. Meanwhile, Sora quietly observed Kirito, wondering what made him stand out as a young genius.

After a while, the group bid farewell to Asuma and Chiruku, continuing their journey with the Fire Temple shinobi. However, the Fire Temple group appeared somewhat distant and uninterested in socializing with their Konoha counterparts. Kakashi and Kirito didn't push for closer interactions, and their own pride prevented them from engaging further.

**Meanwhile, in the Land of Snow...**

In the Land of Snow, the current Snow Lord Sosetsu Kazahana and his young daughter Koyuki observed the people arriving at their castle from the balcony.

"Look, father, that boy has weird hair," Koyuki commented with a smile, pointing out a Konoha shinobi with distinctive hair colours.

Sosetsu regarded the scene and chuckled, then gently reprimanded his daughter. "Koyuki, you shouldn't make fun of others like that."

Undeterred, Koyuki continued to giggle and point at the unique-looking boy.

As the boy—Kirito—walked with his group, he suddenly felt a gaze on him and scanned the surroundings, trying to pinpoint its source.

"Is there something unusual, kid?" Kakashi asked, noticing Kirito's distraction.

Kirito shook his head. "No, it's nothing. I must have been mistaken."

Unbeknownst to Kirito, Koyuki had been observing him with curiosity, finding his appearance intriguing.

Back in the present moment, Koyuki stood up and whispered to herself, "That was a close one."

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