Naruto: Imitation Ninja

"Big Brother and the others have left…"

Standing in place, Xiao-chan and her elder sister watched as Xingliu and his group completely disappeared from sight.

"But since Big Brother pinky promised me, he'll definitely come back to find us."

"Mm…"

Xingliu, now far removed from the gambling den, had no idea what had transpired. Even if he did, he would have merely chuckled lightly and remarked, "How adorable."

---

On the other side, Xingliu and his companions had returned to the hospital using spatial movement. They were doing their best to pacify a group of visibly impatient individuals, including Might Guy.

Their frustration was understandable. Anyone would feel restless seeing a close friend lying unconscious in bed while being told to wait helplessly.

Even the likes of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, would struggle to stay calm under such circumstances. After all, wouldn't he be the first to rush out to seek a cure himself?

This was precisely why Minato couldn't sit still earlier and had personally gone to "capture" Xingliu, who had been idling away at the gambling den.

"You %&@$#@! How dare you leave us waiting here for so long while you played cards at a gambling den?!"

True to form, even someone as good-natured as Might Guy was ready to lay hands on Xingliu after hearing about his reckless behavior.

"Alright, alright, I apologize! But haven't I brought back a top-tier medical ninja capable of curing Kakashi?" Xingliu said, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"One of the Legendary Sannin from Konoha… isn't that title alone worth waiting a mere couple of hours for?"

"Besides, Kakashi's life wasn't in any immediate danger…"

Of course, Xingliu wisely kept that last thought to himself. He knew full well that if he voiced it, everyone in the hospital would eagerly take the opportunity to "teach him a lesson" about social decorum.

Would Minato save him then? Hardly. Xingliu suspected the Hokage would watch from the sidelines, feeling it was only fair. If anything, Minato might even take the lead in reprimanding him later—after all, Kakashi was his disciple.

---

While everyone was bickering, Tsunade had already taken the opportunity to examine Kakashi's condition thoroughly.

Aside from a superficial cut from Itachi Uchiha's blade, there were no major physical injuries.

"I've done a preliminary assessment of Kakashi's condition," Tsunade said, removing her mask and addressing the group. "Just as Xingliu initially suspected, the damage is primarily psychological. His physical injuries are negligible."

"If it's purely mental trauma, I'm 80% confident I can wake him up. However…"

Her sudden hesitation caught Might Guy's attention. Unable to wait any longer, he urged her to speak.

"Tsunade-sama, please don't hold back. Just tell us what needs to be done to wake Kakashi up, no matter the cost."

The others nodded in agreement. A small price for Kakashi's recovery would be worth it.

Tsunade sighed. "Kakashi's mental injuries are more severe than I anticipated. Although I can certainly wake him up, it may result in temporary memory confusion—what we commonly refer to as amnesia."

"Hiss—"

Everyone inhaled sharply at the mention of "amnesia." Would Kakashi end up as a mumbling fool incapable of coherent thought?

If that were the case, they'd rather let him recover naturally.

Noticing their expressions, Tsunade quickly clarified. "Relax. This amnesia will only cause short-term memory disruption. His memories will gradually recover over time."

"The possibility of him becoming a permanent simpleton is less than 1%."

Predictably, Might Guy wasn't reassured by this. "But there's still a 1% chance he'll end up mentally impaired! Why can't there be a foolproof solution?"

His grumbling drew no reaction from the group, who were well accustomed to his antics. Instead, they collectively turned their attention to the Fourth Hokage.

"Fourth Hokage, what's your decision? If you approve, I'll start preparations immediately. If not, Xingliu and I can head back to the gambling den for another round of mahjong."

Minato didn't immediately respond. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Xingliu, who was lounging on a nearby chair.

"Xingliu, do you have any way to mitigate these side effects?"

Minato had asked almost rhetorically, but Xingliu's casual reply took him by surprise.

"Oh, it's just temporary amnesia, isn't it? You forget that anything Uchiha Itachi can do, I can do too. I'm not some idiot lying flat on a hospital bed."

"Very well. Once Tsunade-sama finishes her treatment, you'll handle the side effects," Minato instructed, relief evident in his voice. With this resolution, a heavy burden lifted from his shoulders. Now, all that remained were the towering stacks of paperwork back in his office.

"Since Kakashi's situation is settled, I should get back to work," Minato announced, disappearing in a flash of light with the Flying Thunder God technique.

---

The sudden disappearance elicited no reaction from the group—they were long accustomed to Minato's comings and goings. After all, he and Xingliu were the only two in Konoha capable of such spatial techniques.

Still, the contrast between the two couldn't have been starker. Why did the same ability feel so different in the hands of these two men?

---

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