Before long, six steaming bowls of ramen were placed on the counter.
Kai turned to look at Kakashi.
Kakashi blinked in confusion.
“What are you staring at me for?
Hurry up and eat.” Kai said nothing.
But it didn’t take Kakashi long to understand exactly what he was thinking.
Kakashi looked speechless.
“So you’re curious about it too, huh?” He naturally knew Kai wanted to see what he looked like beneath the mask.
Kai grinned.
“I’m curious.” He already knew Kakashi was probably handsome.
But he wanted to know how handsome—handsome enough to make Teuchi and Ayame practically swoon whenever they saw his face.
Kakashi sighed helplessly before slowly removing his mask.
The moment Kai saw his real face, even he froze briefly.
“Kakashi-sensei… wow.” “No wonder you wear a mask.
Otherwise, girls all over Konoha would probably camp outside your house every day.” Kakashi genuinely was extremely handsome.
Kai knew perfectly well how destructive that kind of appearance was to girls.
Sure enough— Teuchi and Ayame were already staring at Kakashi with sparkling eyes.
Kakashi simply shook his head and started eating his ramen.
“Hurry up and eat.” Kai stopped teasing him and began eating as well.
However, before he had even finished half his bowl, several more people entered the shop.
At first, Kai didn’t pay much attention.
But the instant one of them saw Kakashi, he shouted loudly enough that Kai nearly pulled out a kunai on reflex.
“Yo, Kakashi!
Didn’t expect to see you here!” Kai looked toward the newcomer and immediately felt a headache coming on.
Kakashi clearly felt the same way.
Looking at the man dressed in a bright green jumpsuit with impossibly shining white teeth, Kakashi sighed helplessly.
“Guy…” The newcomer was none other than Might Guy.
Behind him followed his three students: Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten.
The moment Neji entered, his gaze immediately locked onto Kai .
What Kai didn’t know was that Neji had noticed him instantly.
Because Kai gave him a very dangerous feeling.
A powerful sense of threat.
It was something Neji had never experienced from someone his own age before.
Guy casually sat beside Kakashi, while Neji and the others took seats near Kai .
Once seated, Guy finally noticed Kai properly.
Looking between him and Kakashi, Guy appeared surprised.
“Kakashi, is this your student?” Since Guy had been away on missions recently, he didn’t yet know who Kakashi’s team members were.
Kakashi paused briefly before nodding.
“Yes.” Completely missing Kakashi’s subtle expression, Guy immediately laughed loudly.
“Kakashi!
Your student looks full of youthful energy!” “How about studying taijutsu under me instead?!” Kakashi’s mouth twitched slightly.
“No thanks.
I’ll teach him myself.” Guy burst into laughter.
Of course, he was only joking.
Well… mostly joking.
If Kai genuinely wanted to learn from him, Guy would absolutely teach him.
Taijutsu specialists were rare in the shinobi world .
The more there were, the happier he’d be.
And if Kakashi’s student became his student in taijutsu… Wouldn’t that mean he had finally beaten Kakashi in something?
Guy was always happy whenever he could win against Kakashi.
Meanwhile, sitting beside Kai , Tenten curiously looked him over.
“Hi!
I’m Tenten.” “So you’re Kakashi-sensei’s student?” “Nice to meet you.
I’m Kai .” Seeing Tenten introduce herself, Lee and Neji also stepped forward.
“My name is Rock Lee!” “I am Guy-sensei’s student, and I strive to defeat geniuses through hard work!” After speaking, Lee flashed a shining grin nearly identical to Guy’s.
The resemblance was so strong that Kai felt awkward just looking at him.
Neji, on the other hand, calmly said: “I’m Hyūga Neji.” “There’s something different about you.” He spoke directly.
Kai gave him an unusual feeling.
A very abnormal one.
Kai merely laughed awkwardly.
“Really?
Maybe.” Seeing Neji’s unusually serious expression, Kakashi quickly interrupted.
“Guy, stop talking and order already.
Teuchi’s been standing there waiting forever.” Guy didn’t think much of it and immediately started ordering food.
Kakashi then glanced toward Kai .
“Hurry and finish eating.” Kai understood exactly what Kakashi was worried about.
Neji possessed the Byakugan.
If he activated it and examined Kai ‘s body, he would absolutely notice the abnormally massive chakra reserves within him.
Kai nodded and quickly finished all three bowls of ramen.
After eating, Kakashi immediately dragged him out of Ichiraku Ramen.
Guy didn’t notice anything unusual.
But Neji had already become interested in Kai .
The feeling Kai gave him was completely different from everyone else his age.
Neji trusted his instincts.
That sense of danger definitely wasn’t an illusion.
After leaving Ichiraku Ramen, Kakashi and Kai walked through the streets together.
Kakashi suddenly said, “Neji noticed you earlier.
Did you feel it?” Kai nodded.
“His attention stayed on me the whole time.
It was kind of strange.” Kakashi sighed softly.
“Neji was the top graduate of the previous year.” “And he possesses the Byakugan.” “After training for a year, his strength has already reached Chūnin level.” “He’s developed a ninja’s instincts.” Kai nodded.
“I’ve heard of him before.
He was pretty famous back at the Ninja Academy.” After all, Kai and Neji had attended the same school for five years.
Neji was simply one year older.
The Ninja Academy operated on a six-year system.
But back then, Kai had intentionally kept a very low profile.
Combined with his previously mediocre talent, Neji had never paid much attention to him.
Kakashi looked at Kai seriously.
“If he discovers how enormous your chakra reserves are, it could become troublesome.” “Guy’s a loudmouth.
There’s no way he’d keep your situation secret.” That was also one reason why the Third Hokage had never allowed Guy into ANBU despite his repeated requests.
Guy was suited for direct combat missions.
But anything requiring secrecy or confidentiality was completely unsuitable for him.
Kai nodded.
“Yeah… I can see that.” “But honestly, after how quickly you dragged me out of there, it probably only made Neji more suspicious.” Kakashi looked helpless.
“I didn’t have a choice.
If we stayed any longer, I was worried Neji would actually activate the Byakugan.” Kai smiled slightly.
“Even if he found out, I don’t think it’d be a huge issue.” “Based on Neji’s personality, he doesn’t seem like someone who would casually spread information around.” Kakashi nodded.
“You’re right.
He probably wouldn’t.” “But it’s still better to be careful just in case.” Soon, the two arrived at Konoha’s back mountain.
Standing beside the lake beneath the waterfall, Kakashi turned toward Kai seriously.
“I’ve prepared two different training plans.” “I want you to choose which one you want.” Kai looked at him calmly.
“I’m listening.” Kakashi raised one finger.
“The first plan is simple.” “I directly teach you a high-level ninjutsu and rapidly raise your combat strength.” Then he raised a second finger.
“The second plan is more traditional.” “I start by teaching you basic ninjutsu first, then gradually increase the difficulty over time.” After speaking, Kakashi quietly watched Kai .
Kai thought silently for a while before raising his head calmly.
“I choose the first option.” He had expected Kakashi to disapprove.
Instead, Kakashi smiled.
“Exactly what I expected.” “I knew you’d choose the first plan.” “In fact, I was hoping you would.” “After all, you’re different from ordinary people.” “If I trained you the same way as everyone else, it would actually hold you back.”
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