"See? I told you. You couldn't withstand it,"
Nara Kazuki said, grinning at Kakashi.
Kakashi had once again failed to defend himself.
Kazuki had to admit—his newly improved Great Fireball Jutsu
was ridiculously effective against certain targets.
There were flaws, though.
For example, clones or other jutsu could block the attack,
lowering the hit rate.
Kazuki made a mental note—he'd need to find a way to fix that.
"But why...?"
Kakashi looked genuinely bewildered.
When he was hit, he had reflexively used the standard Genjutsu Release method to dispel illusions.
Yet it hadn't worked—
the whispers only grew stronger, gnawing at his sanity.
Kazuki just shrugged.
What was he supposed to say? That he was basically cheating with a system?³
Kakashi didn't press further.
He realized he'd overstepped—
ninja techniques, especially personal developments, were considered sensitive secrets.
Kazuki sighed in relief internally.
Explaining this would've been a nightmare.
[Shadow Clone: 124/1000]
Kazuki glanced at his skill progress bar and frowned.
Learning Shadow Clone Jutsu had been thrilling.
But accumulating proficiency was painfully tedious.
Only when the clone exhausted its chakra naturally and dispersed
would he gain experience points.
Prematurely canceling the clone didn't count.
This was annoying beyond belief.
Still—the potential was immense.
Kazuki couldn't wait to see how much stronger he could get once it ranked up.
"Yo! Kakashi! Kazuki!"
A booming voice called out.
Both their mouths twitched in unison.
It was Might Guy—barreling toward them,
doing a handstand run. Classic.
Kazuki rubbed his face wearily.
Watching Guy in the anime was one thing;
dealing with his endless energy in real life
was another beast entirely.
If he hadn't been a shinobi,
Kazuki was pretty sure trying Guy's workouts would've landed him in the hospital with rhabdomyolysis.
"Guy... you're as youthful as ever,"
Kazuki gave a big thumbs-up.
Thanks to Guy's relentless training routines,
Kazuki's Physical Endurance stat had risen significantly.
Though it was still only at 560/3000—there was a long road ahead.
"Only through sweat and perseverance can we honor the fires of youth!"
Guy straightened up, thumb raised in return, face beaming.
Kakashi felt exhausted just looking at the two idiots.
Physical training he could tolerate—
it numbed the grief and emptiness inside him.
But mental assaults?
Hearing "youth! passion! burning soul!" screamed next to him while frog-jumping laps around the training ground?
Torture.
Still, watching them glow with enthusiasm,
Kakashi quietly followed after them.
Meanwhile, a short distance away,
two figures stood observing.
"Well, Third Lord? What do you think?"
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, asked politely.
Next to him stood Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The retired Third Hokage took a slow puff of his pipe.
Although he had stepped down not long ago,
Sarutobi now looked noticeably older.
"Fourth, I'm no longer the Hokage,"
Sarutobi corrected gently.
"But I understand your intent."
He narrowed his eyes, watching the trio train.
Konoha needs fresh blood.
It needs a new generation of strong shinobi.
"I think Kakashi's ready to join ANBU.
But that Nara kid...
his strength isn't up to par,"
Sarutobi said bluntly.
Minato had dragged him here to witness it personally,
though ANBU recruitment technically only required the Hokage's approval.
Kakashi, as a Jonin, was already qualified.
But Nara Kazuki?
Too weak.
Still a Genin.
Older than Kakashi but far less powerful.
"True,
but Kazuki is growing stronger—I can see it,"
Minato said with a warm smile.
"And don't you find it curious?
Even Kakashi froze when facing his Great Fireball Jutsu.
That says a lot about Kazuki's potential."
Sarutobi hesitated.
He couldn't deny that.
Kakashi was no amateur.
Yet he'd been stunned—
a dangerous lapse for a Jonin.
Clearly, Kazuki had used something unusual.
What exactly, neither Minato nor Sarutobi knew.
But respecting secrecy around clan jutsu and individual techniques was crucial, even for Hokage.
"Even so,
he's still too weak.
He could become a liability,"
Sarutobi insisted.
ANBU operatives couldn't afford weak links.
"How about this,"
Minato proposed.
"Let's assign him a special mission.
If he passes, we reconsider."
Sarutobi thought for a moment,
then nodded.
"Fine.
What mission are you planning to give him?"
Minato had already thought it through.
"There's a situation,"
Minato said quietly.
"A village reported sightings of a cult—worshippers of some 'deity'.
It was supposed to be a simple scouting mission..."
He explained the idea to Sarutobi.
Meanwhile,
Kazuki suddenly shivered.
Why do I feel like something bad's about to happen...?