Hatake Satoru had various strange buffs piled onto him, the kind that felt like they shouldn't belong on him.
Like being more likely to skip class than a student, or shamelessly saying he wasn't a responsible person, or like now, acting in a way that clearly wasn't like a teacher and tricking Shisui.
In every sense, it was strange.
But this person was also interesting, fun in every sense of the word.
He was just an ordinary person, and by rights, they should have been like parallel lines that never crossed. But now he was so close with them, which was truly strange.
Shisui sighed as he paid, Hatake Satoru definitely had some secret deal with these people.
That's why he didn't charge money when he left. No wonder this C-rank mission had been hanging around and was unpopular. If you could turn it down, you should.
He was a teacher but always found ways to mess with people; his teacher ethics were seriously flawed.
Hatake Satoru wouldn't go so far as to kidnap Uchiha Itachi, though watching him grab Uchiha Itachi and leave made him seem pretty old.
But actually, it was just his status as a teacher, combined with his current height, that made him look older than he was.
However, in reality, it was similar to the situation after the war when Chunin and Jonin were everywhere.
The school lacked teachers, and Hatake Satoru had no intention of continuing his studies to advance.
So, by normal standards, Hatake Satoru's age as a teacher was the same as some people's age as students, so he wasn't considered very old.
As for Hatake Satoru's height, it was just that he had entered puberty recently and started growing very quickly.
Before that, he just looked like a big kid.
Hatake Satoru used this advantage to create distance between himself and them.
Before, when Uchiha Itachi saw Hatake Satoru, the most he thought was that this guy was like an older brother in age.
Since he entered his growth spurt, his height shot up towards uncle territory.
Kakashi also basically got rid of his childish height around the same time. Although neither of their faces had matured much, their heights unhesitatingly shot upwards.
Originally, in the Anbu, Kakashi was considered a bit small and thin, but now he looked very different.
Well, even if the faces of these two had matured, it wouldn't have mattered much. One covered his face, and the other covered his eyes, so almost no one could tell how much their facial features had grown.
You could only vaguely tell from their height; taller people always gave a feeling of presence.
Kakashi, because he was still being sharpened by missions, and of course, it's also possible that the Anbu's food was better than him cooking for himself.
So, even though he was growing, Kakashi didn't get too thin; instead, he gained some muscle.
And the Anbu uniform, which showed arms and legs, made him look healthier.
Hatake Satoru still maintained his youthful appearance, so he was slender and tall, always wearing long-sleeved black clothes, wishing he could cover himself completely.
However, because he was always hopping around, he looked quite energetic, so even though he was slender, he didn't seem stiff.
He looked quite light and agile, which lessened his serious teacher aura.
Shisui soon caught up to Hatake Satoru and Uchiha Itachi, who were heading towards the Uchiha compound. Hatake Satoru's quick dash was indeed to leave him to pay alone.
He hadn't actually walked that fast.
"Oh~ chasing pretty fast~."
Hatake Satoru paused slightly, turned to look at Shisui catching up, and smiled at him with a look of pure innocence.
"Sorry Shisui, I'll pay you back later."
Uchiha Itachi, standing beside them, clearly realized what was happening and said to Shisui in a bit of a panic.
He knew how many times he had tried to get that little dinosaur and how much money he should have paid.
Compared to his peers, Uchiha Itachi's use of kunai and shuriken far exceeded their abilities.
If it were a different shop, he might have knocked down that little dinosaur in a few moves.
But this shop, upon seeing Hatake Satoru bring someone in, would surely change its rules and charge more.
After all, Hatake Satoru would get a commission from the shop.
What a pure and innocent kid, to be friends with someone like this...
Watching Uchiha Itachi flustered, looking like he had been tricked by Hatake Satoru, Shisui had this thought for no reason.
"It's fine, it wasn't much money anyway."
Shisui said reassuringly.
He wouldn't actually have Uchiha Itachi pay, but he knew saying that would please Hatake Satoru.
As expected, as soon as Shisui looked up, he saw Hatake Satoru's slightly smug smile.
This guy, truly...
Shisui couldn't help but shake his head. Hatake Satoru didn't have any real malice; this was probably just him playing a prank.
You couldn't hate him, but you couldn't quite say you liked him either.
The three of them strolled towards the Uchiha Clan compound. It wasn't actually that far, as Konoha was quite small overall.
The Uchiha compound hadn't moved out of the village yet and was still in its original location.
However, due to the rejection from many people in the village, a subtle sense of isolation had formed.
There were rumors in the village that the Uchiha Clan was responsible for the Nine-Tails incident, and most people were whispering and gradually ostracizing the Uchiha Clan.
But this situation wasn't too obvious or deliberate yet; you could just see some people avoiding them, though most people were still interacting normally.
Hatake Satoru observed his surroundings thoughtfully, watching people's reactions and behavior to judge the current situation.
"Haven't you been here before?"
Shisui looked at Hatake Satoru's reaction and asked curiously.
"No, my home and where I take classes aren't related to this place."
Hatake Satoru shrugged innocently.
Moreover, after the Nine-Tails crisis, he hadn't contacted Uchiha Itachi at all, so how could he have come here to visit?
But coming before wouldn't have been useful either; it was only now that he could observe the current situation.
Hatake Satoru didn't pay too much attention.
Because the atmosphere within the Uchiha Clan had been a bit strange lately, although Uchiha Itachi and Shisui didn't know what was going on, they instinctively pulled Hatake Satoru into a small alley and headed home.
It was better to avoid most people. You never knew if you'd be questioned about something, though Hatake Satoru's identity wouldn't cause any major issues.
It's better to have fewer troubles.
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