Two days later, at the Akimichi family's barbecue restaurant, Aoba, Kakashi, Might Guy, Anko, Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi gathered for a party.
To be honest, the last two were unexpected additions—invited by Kakashi. Who knew they already had something brewing between them this early? Looking back now, their relationship really did drag on. Even by the time Asuma died, the two had never officially gotten together.Aoba didn't like Sarutobi Hiruzen. But he was fine with Asuma - the kid went against Hiruzen's wishes, making it hard for Aoba not to like him. As for Yuuhi Kurenai, her status in Konoha was actually quite respectable.
After the Uchiha clan's extermination, she became one of the few remaining genjutsu specialists in the village. Don't be fooled by how easily her illusions were broken when facing Itachi - that was because Uchiha Itachi's genjutsu was master-level, further enhanced by his Sharingan.
Kurenai had earned her rank as a Tokubetsu Jonin purely through genjutsu prowess, which spoke volumes about her skill.
After the group had eaten and drunk their fill, they sat chatting in the restaurant. That's when Aoba took out several items and laid them before everyone.
"I've been researching sealing techniques lately and made some progress. I prepared gifts for everyone - hope you like them."
"Wow, Aoba! You got us presents? I'm so excited!" Guy couldn't contain his enthusiasm.
Despite his cheerful personality, Guy was actually quite lonely in the village - the type who rarely received gifts during holidays.
Truth be told, most ninja maintained rather cold relationships with each other. The shinobi profession wasn't like ordinary civilian jobs.
Especially when even the lowest among them were Tokubetsu Jonin. Their missions often involved killing and arson, with constantly changing teammates.
Don't think ninja don't have psychological issues - just look at that freak Uchiha Itachi. Most Konoha shinobi had mental problems, and interpersonal relationships tended to be cold.
This was precisely why, later when Naruto grew up, he essentially became the village's collective favorite. His radiant warmth was simply too infectious.
To the originally cold shinobi world, Naruto was like a beam of light that made everyone unconsciously gravitate toward him.
"Kakashi, try this." Aoba handed Kakashi a smooth, circular metal plate.
Upon receiving it, Kakashi noticed intricate sealing formulas engraved on its surface.
"What is this?"
"Attach it to your forehead protector, on the side covering your Sharingan. Let's see the effect."
Kakashi seemed to understand. He placed the metal plate over his Sharingan and secured it with his forehead protector.
"Now, channel a tiny amount of chakra - just enough to activate the formula."
After doing so, a look of surprise flashed across Kakashi's face.
"This effect..."
"According to my design, it should temporarily put your Sharingan in a dormant state. Not deactivated, but in a... low-power mode. Minimizing chakra consumption. This should help alleviate your chakra deficiency issues."
Kakashi's chakra shortage had practically become a running gag in the original timeline. But in reality, this weakness was potentially fatal.
Kakashi's tactical abilities were actually extremely high. Aoba even believed that in terms of battlefield adaptability, he wasn't far behind Uchiha Itachi. With all five chakra natures and knowledge of over a thousand jutsu, Kakashi theoretically had few combat weaknesses.
But due to his chakra limitations, his tactical options became severely restricted. That's why when facing Itachi, he'd been practically helpless.After all, facing an opponent whose tactical skills were no weaker than his own, without any Chakra shortage issues, and with the Sharingan completely suppressing him, Kakashi had truly lost without any complaints.
Aoba believed that the Sharingan had made Kakashi who he was, but at the same time, it also shackled him. So, he wanted to find a way to help alleviate this issue and see just how far Kakashi could go.
"This is really too thoughtful." Kakashi hadn't expected Aoba to present him with such a valuable gift. To others, it might be worthless, but for him, it was like timely aid in a snowstorm.
"As long as it works. It was a bit troublesome to make, so I was really worried the final effect might not be satisfactory."
"No, it's extremely useful. Thank you, Aoba."
"Between friends, no need for formalities. Guy, this is for you."
Aoba opened the box in front of Guy. Inside were four wristband-like objects. Upon closer inspection, however, one could see that the wristbands were assembled from thin metal strips, densely inscribed with intricate and mysterious seals.
"Try them on."
"Then I won't hold back." Guy put on the wristbands and flexed his arms.
"They fit perfectly, but they must have some special function, right?"
"Exactly. Try channeling a bit of Chakra into them."
"Like this?" Guy followed the instructions. Though he couldn't use ninjutsu, he could still manipulate Chakra to a basic degree—otherwise, techniques like tree-walking and water-walking would be impossible.
"This…"
After infusing the wristbands with Chakra, Guy suddenly felt them become dozens of times heavier.
"These are weighted wristbands. They have no other function—they're purely for taijutsu training. With just a small amount of Chakra, the seals will make them extremely heavy.
They can't be used in actual combat, and their defensive capabilities are very limited. But for training, they should work just fine."
"This is… amazing. Aoba, you're truly too considerate. I've always struggled with finding compact, convenient weights for training. These wristbands completely solve my problem."
"As long as they're useful. Honestly, in all of Konoha, you're probably the only one who needs something like this."
In truth, Aoba also carried a set of these wristbands, though he wasn't as fanatical as Guy. Neither the weight nor the intensity of his training could compare.
"Anko, this is yours."
For Anko, it was a small, earpiece-like device.
"Wearing this in the wild will enhance your sensory abilities, especially your hearing, making it easier to pick up faint sounds."
This was custom-made for Anko. The two had fought together once before, and during that time, Aoba had noticed that Anko's sensory abilities were rather average.
As a Special Jonin, she often went on missions outside the village. And in the wilderness, perception was crucial—danger could strike at any moment, and noticing it early naturally increased the odds of survival.
This was also why the Hyuga clan remained one of Konoha's elite clans. No squad setting out on a mission would turn down a Hyuga partner.