“Dōichi, calm down.
As long as I’m there, I’ll make sure he stays alive.” Kakashi sounded helpless.
This was the first time he had ever seen Dōichi Kimoto this emotional.
Still, he understood why.
Dōichi genuinely treated Kai as his own disciple.
“You?” Dōichi snapped.
“How many comrades have died beside you already?
Sure, ANBU ninja are supposed to be prepared for that kind of fate… but I don’t want him entering ANBU.” “I just want him to become a ninja who protects the village—someone who can live freely under the sunlight.” Kakashi fell silent.
Dōichi’s words reminded him of Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin.
The unresolved pain he had carried for years tightened in his chest once more.
“He’s different from the others,” Kakashi finally said.
“I’m training him so he can grow stronger—not because I want to treat him as a partner on dangerous missions.” “And if a mission is truly too dangerous, I won’t bring him along.
Is that enough?” Kakashi had already taken a step back.
But Dōichi still shook his head firmly.
“No.
Don’t even think about it.
I absolutely won’t let him risk his life before he has enough strength to protect himself.” Kakashi looked at him quietly.
“You’ve changed a lot, Dōichi.
The old you would never have said something like this.” Dōichi met his gaze.
“Haven’t you changed too?
You’re completely different from how you were during your ANBU days.” After saying that, both of them fell silent.
Because it was true.
They had both changed.
Because of Kai .
Both of them understood clearly that with Kai ‘s talent, if properly guided, he would one day become one of Konoha’s greatest protectors.
The only difference was how they believed he should be trained.
“I’m not going to drag him onto dangerous missions before he’s ready,” Kakashi said at last.
“How about this?
We make an agreement.” “When he becomes strong enough to defeat you, I’ll take him outside the village on missions.” Kakashi looked at Dōichi seriously.
After thinking for a moment, Dōichi nodded.
The reason he agreed was simple: Dōichi Kimoto wasn’t a combat-specialized ninja.
In direct battle, he was roughly at the level of an ordinary Jōnin.
But if Kai could defeat him, then at the very least it would prove he possessed Jōnin-level strength.
If anyone else overheard this conversation, they would probably think the two of them had gone insane.
After all, Dōichi was a Jōnin.
Meanwhile, Kai was merely a rookie Genin who had only recently graduated from the Ninja Academy.
Not only was it uncertain whether Kai could defeat Dōichi— It was uncertain whether he could even become a Jōnin at all.
No matter which hidden village one looked at, Jōnin were considered elite among ninja.
Not just anyone could attain that rank.
Once someone became a Jōnin, even if they weren’t battle specialists, they still possessed the standard combat capability expected of the rank.
And ninja capable of reaching Jōnin level were one in a thousand.
Even among the Five Great Nations, the number of Jōnin only numbered in the hundreds.
Which meant Kakashi was essentially saying that within less than a year, Kai would possess enough strength to defeat a Jōnin.
To ordinary people, that would sound utterly absurd.
But Kakashi and Dōichi, who had both witnessed Kai ‘s talent firsthand, thought it perfectly reasonable.
Both of them believed that by the time Kai was allowed to leave the village for missions, he would already possess Jōnin-level strength.
Normally, rookie Genin squads remained in the village performing missions for roughly three months before they were allowed to take assignments outside Konoha.
The next day, after completing another D-rank mission, Kai successfully mastered Tree Climbing Practice.
Because of the pressure Kai placed on them, Itsuki Yamada and Tano Motoyo had both begun training much more seriously.
Unfortunately, their talent was average, so they still couldn’t fully grasp several of the techniques Dōichi had been teaching them.
That evening, while walking home, Kai suddenly stopped in the middle of a street.
With his powerful perception ability, his expression turned grave as he stared at the seemingly empty road ahead.
Even though he couldn’t see anyone, his instincts screamed danger.
The moment he stepped forward, something terrible would happen.
Just as Kai was preparing to turn around and take another route— Dozens of kunai and shuriken suddenly shot toward him.
The piercing sound of blades cutting through the air made his heart sink.
“Damn—!” “Buzz—!” “Clang!
Clang!
Clang—!” In the instant before the barrage struck him— Kai ‘s eyes narrowed sharply.
His figure vanished from where he stood.
The dozens of kunai and shuriken missed completely, embedding themselves into a wall more than ten meters away.
Sparks burst everywhere as the blades pierced deeply into the stone with terrifying force.
If those projectiles had struck a human body, they would have torn straight through flesh and bone instantly.
Now standing several meters away, Kai turned back and inhaled sharply when he saw the damage.
“Hiss… If that had hit me, I’d be dead.” What Kai didn’t know was that the attacker hidden atop a distant tree was even more shocked than he was.
“That speed… It’s already at the level of the Body Flicker Technique.
And the kid’s got good instincts too.” In that split second earlier, Kai had concentrated chakra beneath his feet and explosively accelerated several meters away.
The principle was practically identical to the Body Flicker Technique.
Yet Kai had never learned the technique before.
That alone demonstrated just how monstrous his chakra control and physical ability already were.
Snapping back to focus, Kai stared toward the attacker’s location.
The surrounding streets were empty.
Drawing a kunai, he assumed a combat stance.
“I can’t stay here long,” he thought rapidly.
“I need to find a chance to escape.
Judging from that attack, this guy is far stronger than me.” In an instant, Kai had already assessed the gap between them.
But he didn’t dare turn his back.
The moment he did, the attacker would immediately strike from behind.
Kai had no intention of fighting head-on.
At the moment, he didn’t know a single true combat ninjutsu.
Even his taijutsu skills weren’t particularly impressive yet.
There was no way basic academy techniques alone could contend with an opponent like this.
He had understood that from the very beginning.
The real problem now was figuring out how to escape.
For a moment, silence returned to the street.
Only the night wind continued to blow.
There weren’t even any streetlights nearby.
The darkness surrounding him sent chills crawling down his spine.
Kai kept his eyes locked toward the enemy’s position.
He had already sensed the attacker’s approximate location.
Right now, he didn’t dare make a reckless move.
Suddenly— Kai sensed a surge of chakra behind him.
“So fast!” His eyes widened.
The attacker had appeared behind him almost instantly.
He hadn’t even had time to react.
But in the next moment, Kai forced himself to calm down.
This time, he didn’t attempt to flee using explosive movement.
He knew very well the enemy was faster than him.
Trying to escape again like before would only get him killed.
In that split second, Kai spun around and unleashed a powerful roundhouse kick.
“Boom—!” The figure behind him exploded into white smoke instantly.
“Damn it—a Clone Technique!” Kai ‘s expression changed.
“Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!” Suddenly, the ground beneath Kai softened.
The street instantly transformed into a muddy swamp.
An enormous adhesive force dragged at his body, rapidly pulling him downward.
In mere moments, half his body had already sunk into the swamp.
And he continued sinking deeper and deeper.
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