BlackStar_BH:
More Power Stones and comments, guys!
Enjoy the new chapter!
____________
What does it mean to be a shinobi?
The shinobi of Konoha found themselves asking this question as they read the first chapter of the second volume… Many of them felt that they had lost something back in their year of graduating as genin… They had lost a teacher like Kakashi.
"Isn't the goal of this test to take the bell?"
Shikaku Nara paused for a moment, looking at the chapter with analytical eyes. He knew that the purpose of the test was teamwork, but all of that was supposedly for the sake of taking the two bells from Kakashi… Yet, judging from Kakashi's stance, even he realized that he might have been mistaken.
"Why all this complexity? What's the real purpose behind the test?"
Not far from him, Kizashi Haruno felt dizzy. Having graduated as a genin only two years ago, he had never gone through such a complicated test. He felt that he was lacking a lot—perhaps this was the reason he couldn't become a chūnin and failed the promotion exam.
"I'm a chūnin now, and I never encountered such complications back when I became a genin right after graduation from the academy."
Choza Akimichi, fifteen years old, a chubby boy holding a bag of potato chips (bought from the art store), spoke this time. He was a member of a team with Shikaku Nara.
"Why do they have to return to the Academy if they fail?"
Sitting beside them was the other member of their team, Inoichi Yamanaka, the one who asked this critical question… Fifteen years old, a prodigy of the Yamanaka clan, forming a trio with Shikaku and Choza that complemented one another.
They had already been given the name Ino–Shika–Chō.
…
"It seems Kakashi is deliberately trying to make things difficult for them."
Koharu Utatane spoke calmly, expressing her opinion.
"Do you think that's because of how unique their backgrounds are?"
Hamura Mitokado asked beside her.
"That could be true. Naruto is the Kyūbi's jinchūriki, and Sasuke is a Uchiha. That's an unstable lineup," Shimura Danzō said calmly.
"And what about Sakura?" Koharu asked, thinking that Sakura might have a great background as well.
"She seems to be nothing more than an extra frame to fill out Team Seven," Danzō replied indifferently. The name Haruno left no impression in his memory; they were merely a civilian clan, it seemed.
"Haha! Man, you're harsh," Hamura laughed.
…
Not far away, Konoha's shinobi were talking among themselves in low voices as they read the chapter. They weren't the only ones talking, however—the art store was filled with noise.
The sounds of pages turning and heated debates echoed here and there. Some disagreed, some agreed; some defended their favorite character, while others downplayed the presence of certain characters.
All kinds of comments and reactions filled the air, but everyone agreed on one thing: how amazing Kakashi's character was at that moment.
…
Sakumo looked at the manga panel where both Sakura and Naruto desperately wanted to understand the meaning behind the bell test.
"It's teamwork," he read aloud, the words coming from Kakashi's mouth.
Sakumo then looked at his son beside him, who was staring intently at the scene with wide eyes.
His gaze toward his son was filled with complexity and conflicting emotions. 'I wonder what happened to your counterpart.'
Up to this point, Sakumo wasn't certain whether what he was seeing in this manga was merely fictional drawings by Uzumaki Rubiro, but somehow, he felt that there was a great story behind the Hatake Kakashi he saw in the manga.
Especially after Kakashi spoke about the names engraved on the stone, saying that some of them were the names of his best friends.
Beside him, young Kakashi's eyes widened when he reached that scene.
"Dead? Best friends? What?"
Kakashi's eyelashes trembled at that moment.
"Whether in the past, the present, or even the future, there will always be heroes who die for the sake of the village. Don't be sad, my son,"
Sakumo said with an encouraging smile as he patted his son on the shoulder.
On the other side, Might Duy's spirit burned even more fiercely as he shouted, "Kakashi is amazing! He's truly amazing! The way he tests the minds of these young genin… It's incredible!"
…
[—
"You guys… I'll give you one more chance. But after lunch, I'll make it even tougher to get the bells."
Kakashi said before turning to leave.
"Those who still wish to challenge can eat lunch. But don't give any food to Naruto,"
He said firmly.
"Huh?" Naruto was shocked.
"It's punishment for trying to eat by yourself."
"If anyone gives him any food, they will fail immediately."
Kakashi calmly looked at the trio as he said this with a serious expression.
"My word is law."
"Do you understand?"
Kakashi vanished immediately after saying that.
"Heh!! I don't need any food. I'm fine!!!"
Despite saying that, Naruto's stomach growled loudly, a clear sign of hunger.
"Here." Sasuke handed Naruto his bento.
"Hey, Sasuke-kun, sensei just said…" exclaimed Sakura.
"Don't worry, I don't sense him nearby. After lunch, we'll work together and get the bells."
"Without food, he'll just be in the way, and that will only hurt us."
Sasuke said calmly.
'Sasuke-kun…'
Hearing that, Sakura didn't hesitate to give Naruto part of her food as well.
—]
…
A smile appeared on Hiruzen's face as he watched this scene.
"It seems he's finally understood the meaning of teamwork," the Third Hokage said, showing deep admiration for this scene that embodied so many of the feelings he himself had long wanted to convey to Konoha's children.
'But I couldn't deliver them with the same effectiveness as this manga,' he thought inwardly. That was true—this manga, with only two volumes so far, had managed to convey many messages to the people, messages he hadn't been able to firmly establish, even a small part of, during his entire reign as Hokage.
"Hmph, teamwork? That's a clear violation of a teacher's rule! Kakashi clearly told them that Naruto was being punished—he must not be fed."
"But as expected from a Uchiha brat, they're professionals at breaking rules,"
Danzō said coldly. He had always hated the Uchiha because of their rebellious nature.
By nature, the Uchiha dreamed of dominating the village and making the other clans of Konoha their followers.
But since their power was inferior to that of the clans as a whole, they were unable to achieve this ambition.
To Danzō, however, this ambition was still alive. To him, the Uchiha were both an obstacle that had to be eliminated and a means to make himself stronger… He fully agreed with the ideas of his teacher, the Second Hokage.
At that moment, many crimson eyes turned to glare coldly at Danzō.
Uchiha Hugaku, the clan head, raised his hand and said, "Ignore him."
Even though Danzō was sitting some distance away from the Uchiha clan members, his words had clearly reached their ears.
The clan leader made sure to rein in his clan members' anger so that unnecessary chaos and conflict wouldn't erupt at such a time.
He had an implicit agreement with Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, to partially ignore Danzō.
"Ahem… Danzō… it seems you yourself didn't grasp the purpose of Kakashi's test,"
Hiruzen coughed lightly to ease the tense atmosphere before speaking to Danzō.
"Heh… do you think I'm a fool, Hiruzen?" Danzō said mockingly.
"Teamwork is one thing, and adhering to rules is another… And it seems the Hatake boy resembles his father perfectly—he also believes that sticking to rules is an outdated fashion,"
Danzō said coldly as he looked at Sakumo, who ignored his poisonous looks and remarks.
"Enough, Danzō. You've crossed the line."
At that moment, a calm voice rang out, yet it carried an overwhelming presence.
Danzō calmly looked toward the owner of the voice. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply nodded and chose to retreat.
It wasn't wise to speak any further.
Mito continued to stare coldly at Danzō, but when she saw that he had finally stopped talking, she withdrew her gaze, ignoring him, and returned to the events of the manga.
The Third Hokage let out a sigh of relief as the tense atmosphere settled down, as Danzō didn't dare challenge Lady Mito's authority at that moment.
…
Elsewhere, Kushina was smiling as she saw the happy look on Naruto's face when both Sasuke and Sakura offered him their food.
"He really seems happy…" she said.
"And Kakashi too," Minato smiled as well.
"It seems they passed the test…"
"That's what teamwork truly means."
"How did you understand that, Minato?" Kushina asked curiously.
"I went through the same situation that Team Seven did," Minato replied with a smile.
"Reading this chapter makes me feel like I've gone back to the past from two years ago."
…
Hiashi Hyūga looked at the scene of Iruka with the Third Hokage and said,
"To think that Kakashi never accepted any students before…"
"That's unexpected," his brother Hizashi Hyūga replied with a knowing smile.
"Is Kakashi truly that strict, or were there simply no students worthy enough for him?"
This time, the voice was deeper and less childish—clearly that of an adult.
A man with long hair and eyes with oval pupils, clearly indicating his Hyūga lineage—the clan head and the father of both Hiashi and Hizashi.
Hyūga Masanori!
Current head of the Hyūga clan, 48 years old.
(Author's note: An OC character, like the current Uchiha clan head and the other clan leaders who have appeared or will appear later. To build a complete world, the original author's gaps must be filled.)
"I see Konoha entering barren years ahead, without true talent," Hyūga Masanori added thoughtfully.
"I heard that Sakumo's son is extremely talented…" another member of the Hyūga clan spoke.
"It seems his standards are as high as his talent," another Hyūga man replied.
"Look, he seems extremely angry…" Hiashi Hyūga's eyes widened when he saw Kakashi's furious expression in the chapter.
"Did they fail!?" Hizashi asked anxiously.
"What!?"
At that moment, not only were the Hyūga readers shocked, but all the other readers as well when they saw what happened in the final scenes of the chapter.
It seemed that only a few had expected this outcome.
____________
Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
____________
Chapter 56: Defining Trash. Sakumo's Tears.
Chapter 57: Shinobi Rankings and Missions in Konoha!
Chapter 58: A Protection Mission to the Land of Waves!
Chapter 59: The World Map and the Appearance of Enemies!
____________
BlackStar_BH:
The chapters currently available on Patreon are up to Chapter 79.
There are 25 advanced chapters available now:
5 chapters in the Silver tier ($5 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Gold tier ($10 subscription), 5 more chapters in the Platinum tier ($15 subscription), and 5 more chapters in the Diamond tier ($20 subscription).
On Patreon and Ko-fi, too.
In the coming days, chapters will be made available for all tiers, reaching up to 50 advanced chapters… Enjoy!