A moment later,
Kyo walked out of the bookstore with a helpless smile on his face.
According to the clerk's introduction,
This place was practically the largest bookstore in the Land of Fire. If even they were sold out, it would be impossible to find a copy anywhere else in a short time.
So, if he wanted to read it immediately, the most convenient way was to find someone else to borrow it from.
And one minute ago,
A Konoha's Shinobi wearing a black mask had just bought the last copy and entered the noodle shop next door.
"Tsk tsk,"
"It seems I'll have to find him after all."
Kyo shook his head with a wry smile, then stepped towards the nearby noodle shop.
After all, since he had managed to get out, Kyo didn't want to miss this chance to complete the side mission.
Moreover,
He had already thought of a method for borrowing the book.
It just might require slightly troubling a certain masked shadow king...
With a faint smile, Kyo walked into the noodle shop named "Kyujo Ramen" next to the bookstore.
And the moment he entered,
He immediately saw the figure of a white-haired young man sitting in the corner.
He wore a black mask, and his Konoha's forehead protector was tilted slightly downward, just covering his left eye.
At this moment, he was sitting with his legs crossed.
He held a copy of "Icha-Icha Paradise" in his hand, flipping through it quite openly, as if no one else was around.
His demeanor was very leisurely.
That's right.
He was the Konoha's Shinobi the female clerk had mentioned—
Konoha's Jonin, Hatake Kakashi!
The moment he saw him,
Kyo's lips curled up, and he walked straight towards him.
However, just as he approached,
Kakashi acutely noticed his presence, immediately put down the book in his hand, and gazed over intently.
"...Can I help you?"
A very cold opening line.
Just like the cold expression on Kakashi's face.
He closed the book in his hand while sizing up Kyo.
Kyo, on the other hand, revealed a warm smile and said with a chuckle:
"Sorry to bother you."
"You must be the famous Konoha's Shinobi, Sharingan Kakashi, right?"
"I'd like to trade a piece of intelligence for the book in your hand."
"Is that alright?"
Kyo's smile was warm and he got straight to the point.
At the first moment, he directly and clearly stated his purpose for coming, without any delay or beating around the bush.
And this peculiar operation immediately left Kakashi bewildered.
'Huh?'
'What's the situation?'
'These days, people are starting to trade intelligence for smut books???'
'Come to think of it,'
'Who is this guy?'
After carefully scrutinizing Kyo for a moment, Kakashi raised an eyebrow and said with some surprise:
"I don't know how you recognized me, but,"
"That's quite a blunt request..."
"However, sorry, I'm not interested in intelligence."
Having said that, Kakashi lowered his gaze again and opened the book, engrossing himself in it.
He didn't plan to pay any more attention to the young man before him.
However, at that moment,
Kyo suddenly sat down directly across from him at the table, then revealed a mysterious smile and said lightly:
"What if I said,"
"This intelligence is about your 'precious person'?"
"...Hmm?"
Hearing this, Kakashi almost instantly lifted his head, then frowned slightly and said:
"You mean Guy? Has that guy caused trouble somewhere again?"
When he heard 'precious person',
He naturally assumed and thought of his precious person in Konoha,
The passionate man, Might Guy.
But to his surprise, Kyo shook his head and said with a smile:
"Wrong guess."
"The precious person I'm referring to is the one who once gave you the Sharingan—"
"His name is... Uchiha Obito."
"?!"
As soon as the words fell, Kakashi's pupil constricted, his breath caught in his throat, and his grip on the book involuntarily tightened.
"Wha-What did you say...?!"
"Obito?!"
Kakashi's heart nearly stopped beating.
He never imagined that at this time, in this place, he would suddenly hear that name buried in the depths of his memory!
Obito, Uchiha Obito!
"That's right."
Kyo nodded, then curled his lips, staring at Kakashi, and said with a smile:
"So, do we have a deal?"
"After all, Kakashi-senpai, it seems you still have no idea that he is, in fact, alive, right?"
"?!"
'What?!'
'Obito is actually alive?!'
After hearing Kyo's words, Kakashi's eye flew wide open, and he was completely dumbfounded.