Yoruha smiled faintly before accepting the bento from Kakashi Hatake.
“I’ve never actually watched how a Jonin evaluates a Genin team.”
Beside them, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded calmly.
“Since Kakashi invited you, go take a look.”
Then the old Hokage’s expression became unusually serious.
“But don’t casually release your aura.”
“Neither Naruto nor Sasuke can withstand it.”
Hiruzen was genuinely worried about that possibility.
Even Kakashi nearly lost consciousness after experiencing Yoruha’s Conqueror’s Haki directly.
Meanwhile, both Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were still inexperienced twelve-year-olds.
If Yoruha released the same pressure carelessly—
The consequences could become psychologically disastrous.
Yoruha nodded lightly.
“I know.”
Then he paused thoughtfully.
“Still…”
“Wouldn’t it seem rather arrogant if I went to observe their assessment immediately after becoming a Chunin?”
The Third Hokage froze briefly.
Then he suddenly laughed loudly.
“Hahaha!”
“That’s true.”
“But perhaps that isn’t a bad thing either.”
Hiruzen looked at Yoruha meaningfully.
“If they feel frustrated…”
“…then let them turn that frustration into motivation.”
“Having someone tangible to chase after may help them grow faster.”
What Hiruzen did not say aloud—
Was that he already viewed Naruto and Sasuke as future subordinates standing beside Yoruha someday.
“Yoruha…”
“…you’ll understand eventually.”
From Hiruzen’s perspective, Naruto and Sasuke possessed extraordinary future potential.
Especially Sasuke.
Although the village remained cautious regarding the remnants of the Uchiha Clan, almost nobody truly viewed Sasuke himself as a threat currently.
After all—
He was only a lone orphaned survivor.
More importantly, Hiruzen genuinely intended to protect and nurture him.
In fact, the Third Hokage remained quietly wary of Danzo Shimura regarding Sasuke’s Sharingan.
Meanwhile, many Konoha ninja families viewed Sasuke extremely favorably.
Handsome.
Talented.
The last Uchiha.
Even among Jonin families, numerous people secretly hoped to eventually establish marriage ties with him.
That popularity naturally explained Sasuke’s overwhelming status at the Academy.
Naruto’s situation, however, differed completely.
Although few civilians openly discussed the Nine-Tails anymore, many veteran ninja still feared the possibility of another rampage.
Especially because Naruto occasionally lost emotional control as a child, unintentionally leaking small amounts of Kurama’s chakra.
Years ago, many within Konoha actually wanted Naruto treated similarly to how Kushina Uzumaki was initially handled after becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—
Strict supervision.
Restricted movement.
Heavy monitoring.
Some even opposed allowing Naruto to enter the Ninja Academy entirely.
But Hiruzen rejected those proposals firmly.
He wanted Naruto to grow up as normally as possible.
And now—
The Third Hokage quietly hoped both Naruto and Sasuke might someday stand beside Yoruha rather than against him.
Because from Hiruzen’s perspective—
Yoruha’s future path already far exceeded ordinary shinobi.
Soon afterward, Yoruha finished the bento entirely inside the Hokage’s office before leaving alongside Kakashi.
Interestingly—
Kakashi actually prepared the lunch personally.
While walking through Konoha’s streets, Yoruha asked curiously:
“The food was surprisingly good.”
“Why make it yourself?”
Kakashi answered without hesitation:
“To save money.”
Yoruha’s expression immediately became strange.
“…That really is a convincing reason.”
“So the rumors were true.”
Kakashi genuinely was extremely stingy.
Still—
His cooking skills were unexpectedly excellent.
Simple ingredients.
Simple preparation.
Yet the flavor balance was genuinely impressive.
Then Yoruha noticed a familiar orange-covered book partially visible inside Kakashi’s ninja pouch.
His eyelid twitched slightly.
“…You actually read that?”
Kakashi casually removed the book.
Make-Out Paradise.
Written by Jiraiya himself.
Kakashi looked mildly surprised.
“You’ve seen it before?”
Yoruha answered calmly:
“I skimmed several pages once at a bookstore.”
Back then, curiosity made him wonder why Kakashi became so obsessed with the series.
After secretly reading several pages—
His conclusion was simple:
Average.
Meanwhile, Kakashi’s expression suddenly became serious.
“You’re still too young to read this kind of material.”
He lightly tapped Yoruha’s shoulder using the book itself.
Yoruha remained silent.
Objectively speaking—
His current body truly was too young.
Soon, the two arrived at Training Ground Three.
By now, it was already close to afternoon.
Far later than Kakashi originally intended.
Because of accompanying Yoruha earlier, Kakashi had delayed Team 7’s evaluation even longer than in the original timeline.
The moment they entered—
Yoruha immediately noticed exhausted figures lying across the training ground.
Naruto sprawled across the dirt while clutching his stomach dramatically.
Sakura sat nearby equally exhausted.
And even Sasuke’s usually composed appearance looked somewhat miserable.
Yoruha glanced toward Kakashi.
“Kakashi-sensei…”
“You’re definitely attracting hatred right now.”
Kakashi merely shrugged casually.
“Watching real teamwork exercises is useful experience.”
“Your personal strength is overwhelming…”
“…but teamwork experience still matters.”
Yoruha gave him a strange look.
He strongly suspected Kakashi intentionally brought him here to provoke Naruto and Sasuke slightly.
Rather than approach directly, Yoruha quietly leaped onto a large tree branch nearby and sat down calmly to observe.
Meanwhile—
The moment Kakashi officially appeared before Team 7, Naruto immediately exploded.
“You’re TOO LATE!”
“We’ve been starving all day!”
Even Sasuke looked visibly irritated.
Only Sakura restrained herself slightly due to image concerns.
Kakashi scratched his head innocently.
“Sorry, sorry.”
“I got lost on the road of life.”
Yoruha nearly laughed from the tree branch.
Some things truly never changed.
The survival exercise itself unfolded almost exactly as before.
Two bells.
Three students.
One impossible requirement.
Teamwork hidden beneath apparent competition.
Although Yoruha’s existence slightly altered certain details—
The final outcome remained unchanged.
Eventually, after Naruto shared food with Sasuke despite Kakashi’s earlier prohibition, Kakashi officially announced their success.
“You pass.”
Team 7 instantly erupted with relief and excitement.
Even their hunger momentarily became irrelevant.
Meanwhile, throughout the entire assessment—
None of them noticed Yoruha’s presence inside the trees nearby.
At certain moments, he stood less than fifteen meters away from Sasuke.
Yet Sasuke failed to sense him entirely.
After the assessment concluded, Kakashi suddenly called out lazily:
“Yoruha.”
“You can come down now.”
Yoruha’s expression immediately became helpless.
“…So he really is doing this on purpose.”
As expected—
The moment Naruto and Sasuke heard Yoruha’s name, both instantly turned toward the surrounding forest.
Yoruha calmly jumped down from the tree branch and walked over slowly.
Sasuke’s expression sharpened immediately.
“Yoruha.”
“I’ll eventually discover how strong you really are.”
Nearby, Naruto’s body instinctively stiffened slightly upon seeing him.
The terrifying memory from Mizuki’s incident still lingered deeply.
Still—
Naruto quickly clenched his fists angrily afterward.
“Damn it…”
“Why am I still scared of him?”
“I’m going to become Hokage someday!”
“If I can’t even surpass Yoruha…”
“…then how could I ever become Hokage?!”
Naruto desperately wanted to erase the fear lingering inside him.
Meanwhile, Sakura looked completely confused.
“Why is Yoruha here?”
Yoruha walked over calmly before glancing toward Kakashi helplessly.
“Kakashi-sensei.”
“Was calling me over really necessary?”
“This was supposed to be Team 7’s assessment.”
Kakashi chuckled lightly.
“Your Team 11 had no assessment.”
“So treat this as supplemental experience.”
Yoruha sighed softly.
“My team only has one member.”
“And Hokage-sama never assigned me any tests.”
Naturally, nobody intended to evaluate Yoruha traditionally anymore.
After personally witnessing his strength, the Third Hokage already considered him more than qualified for Chunin rank.
But hearing Yoruha say that casually only irritated Naruto and Sasuke further.
They nearly starved while struggling desperately through Kakashi’s brutal assessment.
Meanwhile—
Yoruha skipped every test entirely.
Direct Chunin promotion.
Hokage assistant position.
Special treatment everywhere.
And no evaluations whatsoever.
They were all academy graduates from the same year.
So why was the difference between them so absurdly enormous?