In the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen released the crystal ball and a hint of relief appeared on his face.
"Huff!"
These three children surely wouldn't be able to defeat Jiraiya.
But.
To complete the bell-stealing task this excellently, it was far beyond the Third Hokage's expectations.
He had initially thought—
If these three could put aside past grudges and maintain some level of teamwork, maybe Jiraiya would turn a blind eye and let them off the hook.
But now, Kyōen and Asuma had actively left openings in their tactics to create opportunities for Kakashi.
Kakashi hadn't thrown a tantrum either, but instead, had taken advantage of the opening.
There were conflicts, but they didn't affect the exam.
It was a fair game.
That was the mindset of a mature ninja.
At the same time.
The one leading all this—
Was the very child he had never paid much attention to before.
No wonder Jiraiya had singled him out.
...
The familiar Ichiraku Ramen shop.
The difference now was that the youth behind the counter was full of vitality, his masculine face radiating youthful energy.
Kakashi had once again put on his mask.
Jiraiya entered the shop and shouted, "Boss, four bowls of ramen!"
"Coming right up, please have a seat."
Teuchi greeted them with a smile.
"You all sit here, I'll go… get some grilled meat as a side dish."
Jiraiya glanced around.
However.
A quick sideways glance, and his heart wasn't entirely at ease.
"Kyōen, come with me, let's go see what you'd like to eat."
"Understood."
Kyōen respectfully stood up.
The two of them left.
Asuma couldn't help but softly exclaim, "Lord Jiraiya really values Kyōen!"
"Uh…"
Kakashi's gaze was slightly dazed, then he hesitated, almost speaking but not quite.
He clearly remembered.
Back then—
Jiraiya had suddenly frozen for a moment, his attention diverted, which was when he had cooperated to cut the rope.
It seemed like he had said… something like, "You don't want to either..."
"Kakashi, do you know something?"
As a skilled genjutsu and sensory ninja, Asuma immediately sensed that Kakashi seemed a little unusual.
Kakashi thought for a moment and cautiously gave a brief reply.
"Maybe we've met before."
"Jiraiya-sama and Kyōen?"
"Yeah."
...
"Kyōen, you did well today."
"You were merciful, otherwise, we wouldn't have passed."
Kyōen was not Naruto or Obito.
He understood very well that the gap between him and the "Three Ninjas" was enormous, and it would have been ridiculously easy for them to prevent him from getting the bell.
One single needle from the Earth Deity would've blocked all illusions.
However.
Jiraiya had only used the strongest jutsu he had, and it was nothing but a chaotic lion's roar technique, an incomplete version, merely using the rope as a prop.
That wasn't easing up; that was practically letting them off easy.
Jiraiya lightly coughed and said, "After all, this is a Genin exam. The main focus is teamwork and attitude, not strength. Also, about that matter…"
"Jiraiya-sama, there are some places in the village where you should be cautious, after all, you're one of the Three Ninjas, representing the image of our Konoha ninjas."
Kyōen displayed the integrity of a young man.
Jiraiya blushed in embarrassment.
He had previously thought Kyōen hadn't noticed his presence while he was hiding, just passing by.
Now he realized that Kyōen had simply chosen not to get involved.
He awkwardly replied, "That was for research purposes, don't misunderstand."
"Oh."
Kyōen gave an expression as though he believed him.
Jiraiya was embarrassed.
He knew well that his explanation was hard to believe.
"What do you want to eat? Feel free to order, it's on me!"
"It's not my tab, right?"
"You little brat!"
...
After finishing the ramen and grilled meat, it was already afternoon.
Jiraiya was unusually serious.
"From now on, you're a team, and I hope you can continue with the teamwork attitude you had this morning. Also—"
Jiraiya looked at the three of them, "Have you practiced tree climbing and water walking?"
"Mm."
The three nodded in unison.
Jiraiya took out a piece of paper.
"Kakashi and Asuma should have already been tested. Now you test and see what type of jutsu is best suited for you."
"Although you cooperate well, Kakashi's lightning release and sword skills are suited for surprise attacks, and Asuma's genjutsu is more for support and controlling, but you're lacking a direct combatant."
Jiraiya's implication was clear.
Kyōen was the best fit to be the frontline fighter in the team.
"Understood."
Kyōen didn't avoid ninjutsu practice—he had simply never had the opportunity.
Although he was from the Senju clan, having split off from his family, he didn't have much in the way of ninja techniques. After two generations, the family's resources had dwindled, and without ninja scrolls…
Buying test papers would've been a waste of money.
He took the chakra paper.
Not long after, a damp patch appeared on the paper.
Jiraiya said, "Based on the paper's reaction, you directly have water chakra, so learning water-style ninjutsu will be the quickest and easiest for you."
The elemental affinities for ninjutsu could be innate, but they could also be developed later on.
Kyōen's affinity just meant that water-style jutsu would be easier for him to learn.
"In that case, I've heard Kakashi is good at lightning release. If I learn water-style, we can complement each other," he said, a look of admiration on his face, "Also, my idol is the Second Hokage, his water-style is legendary. Even the Mist Village isn't his match!"
The Second Hokage…
Jiraiya's face showed a moment of nostalgia.
That man's water-style was indeed extraordinarily powerful.
It seemed that, despite the setbacks, this child's character had changed a lot, but deep down, he still leaned toward Konoha.
After a moment of reflection, Jiraiya snapped back to the present.
"Alright, I'll teach you Water Chaos Wave later. Asuma, your genjutsu is strong, but you need to work on your physical skills. Kakashi, your issue is the least, but also the most critical—you need to actively cooperate with your teammates. Got it?"
He assessed each of them.
The three nodded in unison.
Asuma and Kakashi watched from the side while Jiraiya began to teach them ninjutsu.
"Water Chaos Wave is a basic water-style technique, but it's versatile, easy to use, and not too difficult. You can try learning it first."
Then he explained the hand seal sequence.
Rat, Ox, Rabbit.
Jiraiya continued speaking while Kyōen followed the hand seals and then—
Water Style: Water Chaos Wave!
Water surged from his mouth, forming a powerful torrent.
Jiraiya blinked, momentarily stunned.
Despite the additional hand seals and steps involved in performing the jutsu, it was still done in an orderly manner.
Good chakra control!
For a Genin, Kyōen's ability was already impressive.
"Wow, amazing!"
Asuma couldn't help but whisper in admiration.
First time learning it…
And he mastered it right away.
Such talent was truly remarkable.
But.
Kyōen knew deep down that his success wasn't due to innate talent. It was simply because Water Chaos Wave was relatively simple, and more importantly, it was a reward from earlier that helped him.
With improved chakra control, releasing ninjutsu had become so easy!
Jiraiya didn't want him to get complacent, so after some thought, he said, "This is a C-rank technique, just a basic water jutsu. Now try the Water Wall, a B-rank defensive technique."
"Okay."
Kyōen nodded.
He listened carefully to the hand seals, then increased his chakra output and sprayed water.
Before long—
A water wall, about as tall as a person, appeared around him, perfectly protecting him.
Jiraiya was stunned, shocked.
What the heck!
How is your chakra control so good?!
You're almost as good as Asuma!
That kid was a genjutsu ninja, practiced genjutsu since childhood, and had innate talent—he had this level of chakra control!
Kyōen?
He had mainly focused on physical skills, substitution, and body flicker technique over the past year. His chakra control had only been developed through tree climbing and water walking.
Is this even reasonable?
Thinking back to the pain he went through learning ninjutsu in his youth, Jiraiya's mindset cracked, and he fell into deep contemplation.