---
Sasuke didn't have any physical injuries; the Genjutsu Itachi cast had only drained his spirit.
After a good night's rest, he was mostly fine.
Sasuke pulled off the tubes connected to his body and jumped down from the hospital bed.
He didn't want to attract too much attention. The more curious people were, the more questions they asked, the higher the chance he'd slip up.
It was rare for Itachi to entrust him with such an important task; he didn't want to mess it up.
Taking advantage of his small size, Sasuke inconspicuously walked past the nurses.
Whispers inevitably reached his ears.
"Such a big family, all gone overnight. That Uchiha kid is really ruthless."
"Yeah, didn't even spare his own parents. His younger brother apparently only escaped because he returned late from school."
"But for such a young child, who knows what kind of psychological trauma he'll have."
Sasuke frowned and let out a soft "Tsk."
This is all a scam my brother cooked up, and they're chatting about it so enthusiastically. What a bunch of idiots.
...
After sending Itachi off to find Obito, Hatake Kuroshi dragged Shisui back to the Hatake residence to catch up on sleep.
On the way, he conveniently found a trash can and tossed the cat-face mask into it. Whether destroying it or burying it, neither was as good as this random act.
After all, the people investigating them were ninjas; the slightest clue would be seized upon relentlessly, making them very persistent.
The two rested until the afternoon of the next day. Hatake Kuroshi pulled a map from the bookshelf and spread it on the table.
Shisui was currently considered dead. Although he could be disguised, habits are hard to change. Staying here carried the risk of being discovered.
But that was secondary.
Mainly, Hatake Kuroshi realized that staying here longer wasn't very meaningful. There were only so many moldable talents among the current generation, and the others were still just children.
He couldn't just keep messing with this one village; he needed to think more long-term.
Shisui and Hatake Kuroshi pored over the map all day, finally settling on the currently chaotic Village Hidden by Mist (Kirigakure) as their destination.
The more chaotic the village, the easier it would be for them to infiltrate using their strength.
After Obito took control of the Mizukage, he had turned the entire Kirigakure into a living hell ruled by tyranny.
At the same time, there were several characters there worth recruiting.
Hatake Kuroshi compared several surrounding ninja villages and decisively slapped the pencil in his hand onto the table.
"Yosh! Let's start here!"
"...Are you going on a vacation?"
After deciding on the route, Shisui watched Hatake Kuroshi pull out all sorts of things and stuff them into a trunk.
Shisui had received ninja training since childhood; the most he ever carried could fit into two pockets.
Even now, since being declared dead, he hadn't carried any personal belongings.
His food, clothing, and necessities were all provided by Hatake Kuroshi.
After all, using items with personal characteristics could inadvertently reveal his identity.
Most importantly, no matter how he looked at it, Hatake Kuroshi was packing useless things into the trunk.
"Isn't it nice to approach a new place with a tourist mindset~?"
"Isn't Kirigakure quite a culturally rich place?"
Hatake Kuroshi himself didn't see any problem, responding matter-of-factly.
Taking a trip to the Village of the Bloody Mist... that sounds like filming a documentary among cannibals.
...
Three days later, at the Hatake residence.
Hatake Kuroshi wrote at home for half an hour before putting down his pen.
Shisui hadn't expected Hatake Kuroshi to actually write a proper resignation letter.
In his view, Hatake Kuroshi's attitude was more along the lines of 'It's your honor that I teach you, kneel and thank me already.'
"Finished writing?"
Shisui leaned over curiously.
On the blank sheet of paper, only a single line of text was casually written.
"Got tired of teaching. I'm still young, going out to play. Return date TBD. Resigning for now."
No honorifics, no specific details, so perfunctory it seemed like a provocation, daring them to fire him immediately.
Is this guy really a teacher?
Shisui couldn't help but mentally resonate with Kakashi.
"How is it? Not bad, right?"
Hatake Kuroshi tilted his head back and proudly held up the white paper.
It was unclear whether he was admiring his own handwriting or the fact that a teacher could write such a perfunctory resignation letter.
"...I don't understand how you managed to be a teacher for so long."
Just as Shisui finished speaking, click, the sliding door of the Hatake house opened.
Kakashi stood at the entrance, looking somewhat surprised at the room's setup.
He had clearly heard Hatake Kuroshi talking to someone from the doorway just moments ago, but after opening the door, only Hatake Kuroshi was visible.
"Eh, you're back just in time!"
"Saves me the trouble of leaving you a note. I'm going out traveling for a while."
Hatake Kuroshi's head suddenly popped closer. Kakashi couldn't help frowning and dodging slightly to the side.
Traveling? The wars had only ended a few years ago, and relations between countries were merely in a state of fragile détente. Traveling out of the village at this time?
Kakashi looked at Hatake Kuroshi with an expression that screamed, "If your brain is sick, go get it treated."
But if he were to actually try and stop him, there didn't seem to be a good reason.
Their estrangement wasn't new. When he moved out to the dorms on his own, Hatake Kuroshi hadn't asked him much about it.
Not inquiring about each other's plans had become a tacit understanding within their strained relationship.
"Do whatever you want. Just don't make me come identify your corpse."
"Eh? Wouldn't normal people say something like 'Have a safe trip' at a time like this~ You really don't know how to talk."
"Hope you've graduated from puberty by the time I get back~"
Hatake Kuroshi paid little mind to Kakashi's suddenly stiff expression, grinned, patted his head, grabbed the resignation letter from the table, and pulled open the door.
Three or four days had passed since the Uchiha clan massacre. Although it was widely discussed initially, the buzz had clearly died down now.
Everyone was back to their usual routines; after all, it was someone else's family that died, not their own.
Once the gossip ran its course, it was time to return to normal life.
Hatake Kuroshi was strolling leisurely towards the Academy when a clear, bright shout rang out from nearby.
"Kuroshi-nii!"
"What are you doing here? Don't you have class today?"
Naruto's pair of azure eyes lit up as he dragged Sasuke beside him and ran over.
Sasuke couldn't break free, his face souring as he stared resentfully at Hatake Kuroshi.
"Not just today, I won't be going to class anymore after this~"
"I'm going out to play for a while."
Seeing the yellow and black heads approach him, Hatake Kuroshi smugly waved the envelope in his hand.
The expression on his face clearly mocked: I get to resign and stop being a teacher, while you still have to attend class every day.
If it were framed as a farewell, Naruto might inevitably feel sad and reluctant.
But Hatake Kuroshi phrasing it as 'going out to play' instantly diverted the child's thoughts.
Naruto's gaze focused brightly on the resignation letter in Hatake Kuroshi's hand.
"That's great! Kuroshi-nii, can I write a resignation letter and go play too?"
"There's no such thing as resigning from being a ninja, you big idiot."
Sasuke couldn't help but retort disdainfully from the side. Their status was different from Hatake Kuroshi's.
Within just a few days, Itachi had left, and his clansmen had relocated.
Hatake Kuroshi leaving wasn't much of a shock to Sasuke anymore.
Besides, the two of them never really got along well anyway.
And in Sasuke's opinion, it was already miraculous that someone as capable yet ill-natured as Hatake Kuroshi had stayed in Konoha for so long.
"Why are you insulting me! You haven't resigned before either."
They already have that best friend vibe. Seeing the time and place, these two probably skipped class together. Their relationship is really good.
Hatake Kuroshi nodded with satisfaction, pinching both their cheeks, one hand each.
"Well, not now, but maybe later."
"Alright, I'm off. I'll bring you guys souvenirs when I come back."
Though when I'll be back is uncertain.
Hatake Kuroshi coolly departed from the spot.
...
The moment the Principal saw Hatake Kuroshi's face, his head started throbbing.
Upon hearing he was here to submit his resignation letter, his entire face immediately lit up with enthusiastic warmth.
Although Hatake Kuroshi was a good teacher who could improve results, his various rule-breaking and bizarre antics had also caused the Principal considerable headaches.
"No problem! You are indeed still young. Going out to explore isn't necessarily a bad thing."
The Principal patted the few remaining hairs on his head; his balding crisis could finally see some improvement.
As long as Hatake Kuroshi resigned voluntarily, it didn't matter how perfunctory the letter was; the fact that he submitted it was enough.
Regarding his tutoring jobs, Hatake Kuroshi had also gone door-to-door to say goodbye.
Just saying farewell to people he had connections with took an entire day. He hadn't felt it much while teaching regularly.
Only now, saying goodbye, did he realize he had formed connections with quite a few people.
Well, it's not necessarily a bad thing.
Hatake Kuroshi walked some distance from the village gate. Shisui, who had been hiding, jumped down from the woods beside him.
"Let's head to the docks."
---
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