Before long, the teacher arrived.
He pulled out a sheet of paper and began reading off the team assignments.
"Team One... Team Two..."
"Team Three: Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, Ebisu."
The teacher continued reading from above.
Shiranui Genma and Ebisu, who had been laughing earlier, finally couldn't laugh anymore.
At last, it was Kyohiko's turn.
"Team Seven: Kyohiko Yoshimine, Kurenai Yuhi."
Kurenai looked toward Kyohiko and blinked.
At least it's only one of them.
Though both Kyohiko and Guy worked very hard and should be quite strong, the sparks that flew when those two clashed earlier were simply too much for young Kurenai to accept.
The Academy teacher continued reading down the list.
"Team Eight..."
Kurenai panicked.
Wait, what?
Why are there only the two of them?
Kyohiko looked at Kurenai and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, we'll ask when we get outside."
"Uh, okay."
Kurenai nodded, suppressing her doubts.
Outside the door.
"Sensei, why does Team Seven only have two people? Usually, it's one jōnin squad leader and a three-person team, right?"
Kyohiko asked.
The Academy teacher was also embarrassed, scratching his head. "Well, I don't know either. When you meet your jōnin squad leader this afternoon, you should find out."
"Huh?"
Kurenai looked completely bewildered, unable to make sense of the situation.
The Academy teacher quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to escape, leaving only Kyohiko and Kurenai staring at each other.
Now it was their turn to be dumbfounded.
Of course.
Kyohiko had a guess in his heart, but he wasn't sure if it was correct—
There was an unlucky guy, a pressure case, who had become a chūnin last year, but whose personality and conduct made it impossible for him to handle teammate relationships—a genius youth.
Hatake Kakashi.
Was it him?
...
At two o'clock in the afternoon, each team gathered in the Academy. Downstairs were the other ninja who hadn't graduated yet, still in class, while they waited for their jōnin squad leaders to arrive.
Kyohiko sat in his seat, thinking about his future direction.
He had figured out some of the system's mechanisms.
Being on the same team as Kakashi seemed to have some benefits.
It's just—
He didn't know who the jōnin squad leader would be.
Namikaze Minato?
As he pondered, he unconsciously twirled a kunai.
At this moment, Kurenai finally couldn't hold back.
"Kyohiko-kun, I, I have something I'd like to ask."
She was a year or two older than Kyohiko and wasn't in the same class, so they weren't very familiar.
However.
Since they would be teammates in the future, they still needed to get to know each other.
Kyohiko stopped the kunai.
"What is it?"
"Are you practicing finger dexterity with that?"
Kurenai curiously pointed at the kunai dancing like a flower on Kyohiko's fingers.
Kyohiko paused slightly, then smiled wryly.
"It's just a habit."
"A habit..."
Kurenai nodded and said nothing more, but the look she gave Kyohiko now held a measure of respect.
Forming a habit required years of training, and surely involved hardships and bitterness she couldn't understand.
No wonder he had common ground with Might Guy.
She freely filled in the blanks in her imagination.
Kyohiko had no idea what the young girl was thinking; he was just wondering—
Would building closer relationships help him gather wool?
Before long.
Knock, knock!
The door was knocked.
The next moment, the door opened. Kyohiko looked up and almost laughed out loud.
A silver-haired boy wearing a mask stood outside the door, his eyes half-closed as he walked in, his expression stiff, forcing himself to act nonchalant as he sat down.
Kurenai's mouth fell open.
She blinked, her face full of disbelief.
Then...
"You're not supposed to be our jōnin squad leader, right?!"
"Hmph."
Kakashi turned his head away and said nothing.
Kyohiko quietly reminded her.
"Kurenai, Kakashi only became a chūnin last year. He can't possibly be a jōnin."
"Oh, right."
Kurenai's thoughts were in chaos, still unable to figure out the situation, her face screaming confusion.
Kyohiko sat beside them, pressing his lips together to suppress his laughter.
It really is him!
So.
"Kakashi, does this count as being held back?"
"..."
Kakashi glanced at him, then looked straight ahead, not answering his question at all.
Tsk.
Kyohiko suppressed his desire to taunt and sat up straight, maintaining the terrifyingly quiet and well-behaved atmosphere in the classroom.
According to the monster level classification from games in his previous life...
The Kakashi before him was at least boss-level difficulty to conquer, absolutely not the kind that could be handled with words like Might Guy or Kenji.
He needed to take his time with this!
Better see who the teacher is first.
As Kyohiko was pondering, a series of footsteps sounded outside.
All three of them simultaneously stared at the door.
Could this be their teacher?
After waiting for a long time, the footsteps came to an abrupt halt, as if going to another classroom.
A trace of confusion appeared on Kurenai's face.
She said in a low voice, "Our teacher suddenly disappeared."
Kakashi said flatly, "As ninja, we just need to wait."
"..."
Kyohiko glanced at them, the corner of his mouth twitching.
If Kurenai's sensing wasn't wrong—
Then their teacher seemed to have quite a mischievous streak, wanting to observe the personalities and abilities of the three of them through this.
Who could it be?
Later, when they meet and introduce themselves, how should he respond?
Kyohiko's mind rapidly worked through these thoughts.
...
Outside the door, Jiraiya sighed deeply.
Who would have thought.
At this age and status, he still had to personally come out to help lead a team, and lead a bunch of kids who just graduated at that.
Really.
It's all the old man's fault!
He secretly observed the situation inside.
"The little girl is very sharp and skilled in Genjutsu. It seems she also has potential in sensing... Perhaps I could consider training her toward medical and support directions."
"The silver-haired brat isn't easy to get along with. No wonder nobody wants him—quite a troublesome guy."
"As for the last one."
"Tsk, he doesn't look easy to handle either. I've really brought this trouble upon myself!"
Jiraiya stroked his chin, recalling last night's situation.
Last night in the Hokage's office.
"Old man, I just made plans to travel outside the village, and you're making me take on students? You did this on purpose, didn't you!"
"The village needs you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
Jiraiya's mouth twitched, and after several seconds of silence he said, "Are the three kids you want me to lead very special?"
"One of them is Hatake Kakashi."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
Jiraiya immediately fell silent. After a long while, he finally said, "Isn't that kid already a chūnin?"
"Take a look at this."
Sarutobi Hiruzen handed it over.
Jiraiya took it and saw it was full of complaints from ninja about Kakashi. Currently, almost no team dared to take Kakashi—everyone was shirking the responsibility.
Sarutobi Hiruzen could of course make a forcible arrangement.
However...
The old man wanted him, one of the Sannin, to help straighten the boy out.
Jiraiya thought of Sakumo's suicide and sighed inwardly. Without immediately refusing, his gaze swept across the desk.
Then.
He noticed there was another dossier in the pile of papers.
Jiraiya picked it up.
It's that kid!
He read through it carefully.
It detailed Kyohiko's situation.
A Senju descendant.
More than a year ago, this child's parents died, and since then his personality had changed greatly—he became somewhat withdrawn and peculiar, not fitting in with the rest of his class.
An orphan of war!
Jiraiya held the paper, silent for a moment.
During the Second Shinobi World War, the three of them became famous as the Sannin, but many ninja also died under their command and leadership.
Such a hardworking child, his personality...
"The other two aren't fixed yet, right? Add him. I'm interested in this kid."
"You know him?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was slightly surprised.
This child...
Though he graduated early today, Hiruzen had no particularly deep impression of him—he only remembered that the boy's Substitution Jutsu was very skilled and his Taijutsu was quite good too.
"A very hardworking, very smart child. I believe he has the same potential as Minato."
Jiraiya said.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent for a moment, then nodded lightly. "Good, then him, Kakashi, and who else? You decide everything."
"Doesn't matter."
Jiraiya replied, then his eyes scanned over and picked the one that looked most pleasing to the eye.
"Let's go with her."
Creak.
The door opened.
Inside the classroom, the three held their breath and focused their gazes on the doorway.
However.
For a long while, the person outside the door didn't come in.
What kind of person is this?
What terrible taste.
Kyohiko couldn't help but complain inwardly.
The next moment—
A figure stepped inside.
"Sorry to keep you three waiting, huh?"
A head of white hair, the character for "oil" on his forehead, looking particularly eye-catching.
His outfit...
All too familiar.
Kurenai's eyes widened.
Kakashi was dumbfounded, unable to believe it for a moment.
Kyohiko was also very shocked.
How could it be Jiraiya?
This was one of the Sannin—he had never heard of Kakashi being led by Jiraiya before.
However.
He soon came to his senses.
Things are unpredictable.
Though it might be somewhat presumptuous, perhaps it was his own butterfly wings that, with a small flutter, had influenced everything.
He took a deep breath, his voice unable to hide his excitement.
"Are, are you Lord Jiraiya?"
Kyohiko understood clearly.
He couldn't appear too calm—
The person before him was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. Many ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village idolized them, and as an ordinary civilian ninja, he should show shock and excitement upon meeting him.
Jiraiya laughed. "Hahaha, you're temporarily under my command. Come on, let's go somewhere more spacious to chat."
"Yes!"
...
The rooftop of the school building.
Jiraiya sat on the edge, with the three standing obediently in front of him.
His gaze swept over the three.
"You should all know who I am, so I won't introduce myself. Why don't you introduce yourselves to each other—what you like, what you dislike."
"Hatake Kakashi, chūnin, skilled in kenjutsu and Lightning Release. I don't have likes, and I dislike people who break the rules."
Kakashi was cold and direct.
Kurenai was very nervous, clutching her clothes, stammering, "Lord Jiraiya, my name is Kurenai Yuhi, skilled in Genjutsu, I like octopus with wasabi, and I dislike cake."
"Kyohiko. Currently I'm better at Taijutsu. I like training and getting stronger, and I dislike... war."
Kyohiko said.
This was the result of his careful deliberation.
Liking training, disliking war.
These answers fit well with his background and wouldn't reveal more information about his daily preferences, avoiding any discrepancies or conflicts with the past that might arouse suspicion.
Over the past year or so, he had preferred to train alone, partly due to these concerns.
Jiraiya's movements paused slightly.
"Good, I understand."
He put away his smile, his expression becoming serious. "Now that you know each other, there's something I need to make clear. The Hokage believes you have great potential, which is why he had me lead you, but..."
Jiraiya looked around.
"I don't think you have the potential to serve under me. Tomorrow morning, you'll go to Training Ground 7, where I will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your abilities. If you can't pass..."
He said coldly, "You'll be sent back to the academy. As for you, since you're a chūnin, you could join another squad. Of course, if you think they just graduated and aren't capable enough to be on your team, you can withdraw now."
Kakashi glanced at the other two.
Kyohiko and Kurenai fell silent.
However.
Their reasons were different.
The former vaguely guessed that this question itself was part of the assessment, and that Jiraiya leading the team was probably mainly for Kakashi's sake, but as for why there had been such a change...
He wasn't clear.
Kurenai was worried.
After all, Kakashi was a chūnin...
Hatake Kakashi didn't answer immediately. He looked carefully for quite a while before saying, "I don't think they have the ability to complete the assessment task."
Jiraiya's expression remained unchanged.
"Are you withdrawing?"
"No, I want to give it a try."
Kakashi answered.
Jiraiya nodded. "Fine. What about you two? If you withdraw, the village will arrange another instructor. My assessment will definitely be more difficult—you might be able to pass with someone else."
"I want to participate."
Kyohiko didn't hesitate.
Becoming a student of one of the Sannin was no ordinary opportunity.
Kurenai had no reason to back down either.
"Very good. Then you have this afternoon to prepare. Oh, and remember not to eat breakfast tomorrow morning, or else, hehehehe!"
Jiraiya's figure vanished instantly.
On the rooftop, only the three remained.
Kyohiko took the initiative. "Let's go check out the area around Training Ground 7 together, and train together while we're at it—get familiar with each other's abilities."
"The assessment is a mission. If you're not capable enough, I'll abandon you without mercy."
Kakashi snorted coldly.
Then, he used the Body Flicker Technique and left.
Kurenai said with disgust, "How can he be like that..."
"He's heading toward the training ground. Let's follow him."
Kyohiko said, and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Kurenai hurried to follow.
Up ahead, Kakashi glanced sideways at those behind him. Seeing the two catching up, he observed them covertly.
Kyohiko...
His speed is quite fast. His Body Flicker Technique seems well-practiced, so his abilities might be acceptable.
But the other one is struggling more.
However, she specializes in Genjutsu, so she could be useful.
Kakashi continued running forward.
He didn't notice—
In the shadows, Jiraiya had been following behind them all along.
"This silver-haired brat really doesn't consider his teammates at all. On the other hand, that kid clearly has even greater speed, but to match Kurenai's pace, he's maintaining a consistent distance."
The more Jiraiya looked at Kyohiko, the more he liked what he saw.
This child wasn't just smart—he was perceptive and thoughtful, able to look after his teammates.
If guided properly, he might be another Minato.
If guided improperly...
His heart sank as the image of another teammate flashed through his mind.
Ah!
Who knows what Orochimaru has been up to lately.
Ever since Nawaki died and Tsunade left, Orochimaru had become increasingly strange.
"However, in this situation, just looking after teammates won't be enough."
...
"Kurenai, the area around the training ground is dangerous. I'll go stop him, and then the three of us can go in together."
"Stop him?"
Kurenai was stunned.
Then she saw Kyohiko before her vanish instantly.
Looking again, he was already chasing after Kakashi. In a few blinks, Kyohiko had reached not far behind Kakashi.
Kakashi was even more surprised.
He was confident his speed was first among his peers—the only one who could compare to him was that guy Might Guy who also trained desperately.
As for Kyohiko.
Though they were classmates, they'd only been in the same grade for one year, and he had no deep impression of him at all.
However.
That speed just now...
His Body Flicker Technique was that strong?
Kakashi deliberately competed, using the Body Flicker Technique with full force, his speed becoming slightly faster than before.
But.
The next moment, Kyohiko was already in front of him, his hand pressing down on his shoulder.
So impressive!
Kakashi's pupils constricted.
Even at full strength, he still couldn't match him—
Unless he used Lightning Release chakra to stimulate his body's activity, but he still couldn't control that technique well. If used improperly, it would harm himself instead.
"Kakashi, the Forest of Death is quite dangerous. Let's go in together, all three of us."
He said, pausing slightly.
"Although you're a chūnin, the Hokage has said that squad combat is never one person's battle—you need to consider the rest of your team."
Kakashi fell silent.
The only reason he wasn't going faster was to accommodate Kurenai?
He stopped and examined the person before him seriously.
Kyohiko.
There was actually a classmate with this level of ability at the academy...
"S-sorry!"
Kurenai finally caught up, her forehead covered in fine sweat, with beads of perspiration forming at her temples and dripping down.
Kyohiko said, "It's fine. We're a team—we should be together."
Kakashi didn't respond, but instead jumped down.
"Let's go. If it gets any later, the visibility in the forest will become dim, and then it'll be hard to identify traps."