“This brat’s concealment has improved again. At this level, he’s probably better than most jonin in the ANBU.”
Even a veteran like Kakashi could no longer sense Haruto’s presence at all.
Not even a vague instinct remained.
“Forget it. The stars of this exercise were always supposed to be Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.”
Truthfully, Kakashi was curious too.
He wanted to see how strong Haruto had actually become.
But this wasn’t the right place or time.
After a brief moment of reflection, Kakashi shifted his attention forward.
Naruto was standing boldly in the middle of the field with his hands on his hips, glaring provocatively at him.
Kakashi sighed helplessly.
“The way this kid’s brain works really is different from normal people.”
“He’s the complete opposite of the Fourth Hokage’s calm and analytical personality.”
Minato Namikaze had been famous for his incredible combat intelligence—a true technical genius.
But Naruto had no tactics whatsoever.
He just charged headfirst into everything.
Did he inherit all of Kushina’s temper and none of Minato’s brains?
Behind a large tree, Haruto watched Naruto’s suicidal behavior through the gaps in the leaves and rolled his eyes.
“The fact that this guy survives all the way to the end of the story really shows how ridiculous protagonist luck can be.”
This was one of the main reasons Haruto had never wanted to be on the same team as Naruto.
People with disaster-attracting constitutions always dragged everyone around them into trouble.
Even Sasuke, hidden elsewhere, was silently cursing Naruto for being a complete idiot.
Sure enough, only a few minutes later, Naruto was flattened by Kakashi’s merciless taijutsu and was now lying on the ground groaning.
The instant Kakashi knocked Naruto down, Sasuke seized the opening.
Like a hunting leopard, he burst from hiding.
His hands blurred through a series of seals.
“Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!”
Kakashi’s eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.
“At his age, he can already use a technique like that? Does he even have enough chakra?”
The Great Fireball Technique was a C-rank ninjutsu.
For a newly graduated genin, it was extremely difficult.
The answer came immediately.
Sasuke puffed out his cheeks and unleashed a massive torrent of flames.
The blazing fireball surged toward Kakashi.
Heat waves rolled across the field.
Kakashi vanished instantly.
BOOM!
The fireball slammed into the spot where he’d been standing.
Flames erupted everywhere.
The ground turned black in an instant, leaving behind a smoking crater more than two meters wide.
Even after missing, Sasuke didn’t panic.
The moment Kakashi disappeared, he drew a kunai and scanned his surroundings cautiously.
Unfortunately, the gap in strength was simply too large.
Before he could react, a hand suddenly shot up from underground and grabbed his ankle.
“Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!”
A tremendous force yanked him downward.
In an instant, Sasuke was buried underground.
Only his head remained exposed.
Kakashi emerged from the soil nearby and crouched in front of him with a smile.
“Not bad.”
“Being able to use the Great Fireball Technique to that extent at your age deserves praise.”
“Unfortunately…”
“You’re still too slow.”
“Too many openings.”
After delivering that painful assessment, Kakashi stood up and brushed the dirt from his hands.
His gaze drifted toward a distant section of forest.
Still buried in the ground, Sasuke gritted his teeth.
“That Haruto…”
“Did you know him before this?”
Kakashi paused.
Several seconds passed before he answered.
“Something like that.”
Sasuke’s pupils contracted.
I knew it.
But Kakashi had no intention of discussing personal matters.
He turned toward the thicket where Sakura was hiding.
The next moment—
He vanished again.
Meanwhile, Sakura was curled up in the bushes, trembling.
She didn’t even dare peek out.
What she didn’t realize was that Kakashi had already slipped silently into the forest and was standing right behind her.
When she finally gathered enough courage to check on Sasuke’s situation—
She turned around.
And found Kakashi’s face inches from hers.
At almost the same instant, his hands flashed through seals.
“Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion—Hell Viewing Technique.”
A strange ripple spread outward.
Sakura instantly fell into overwhelming terror.
Even a basic genjutsu was devastating to someone with such poor mental resilience.
A scream echoed through the forest.
Then silence.
The three rookies had all been dealt with.
Kakashi finally put away his carefree attitude.
His expression became serious.
Because there was still one troublesome student left.
At that very moment, far away in the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage was observing everything through the Crystal Ball using the Telescope Technique.
He was extremely curious.
Just what kind of boy could earn Kakashi’s respect to such a degree?
When he saw Kakashi preparing to deal with Haruto, he nearly dropped his pipe.
Kakashi carefully put away his ever-present copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
Then he slowly lifted the forehead protector covering his left eye.
The crimson Sharingan was revealed.
The Third Hokage’s eyes widened.
“Is he taking this seriously?”
“Against a freshly graduated genin?”
What happened next shocked him even more.
He searched through the image repeatedly.
But he couldn’t find Haruto.
The screen showed nothing except swaying leaves.
The boy had completely vanished.
“This concealment…”
“It’s already at the level of elite ANBU.”
“Did Kakashi teach him all of this too?”
The Third recalled Kakashi mentioning that he’d taught Haruto various ninjutsu.
Clearly, he’d taught far more than that.
Tracking.
Counter-tracking.
ANBU survival techniques.
The entire package.
His confusion only deepened.
“Just what kind of talent could make Kakashi invest this much effort?”
“Could he really surpass Uchiha Sasuke?”
At this point in time, both the Third Hokage and Kakashi considered Sasuke the most talented member of the new generation.
After all, this was an era of peace.
Children couldn’t be compared to the shinobi forged during wartime.
The Third increased the chakra flowing into the Telescope Technique and continued searching.
Only after a long effort did he finally notice a faint silhouette hidden behind an ordinary tree.
Even then, it was barely visible.
The concealment was astonishing.
If he were physically present instead of viewing from above, finding Haruto would have been nearly impossible.
“Haruto…”
“So you’re the type who hides his true abilities.”
“This level of stealth is practically made for assassination.”
The moment the Third’s observation locked onto him, Haruto immediately felt it.
A powerful gaze.
Outwardly, he remained motionless.
Leaning against the tree with his eyes closed.
But internally, alarm bells were ringing.
“The old man is watching.”
“I’d better hold back.”
“Can’t overdo things.”
Truthfully, Haruto no longer feared the aging Third Hokage.
Whether he could win was another matter.
But escaping wouldn’t be difficult.
Still, he preferred his peaceful life.
He had no desire to become a rogue ninja and spend his days running from hunters.
Meanwhile, after searching for quite a while, Kakashi finally arrived beneath Haruto’s tree.
Only because Haruto had intentionally leaked a trace of his presence.
Standing in the shade, Kakashi looked upward and smiled bitterly.
“Your concealment is getting more ridiculous every year.”
“Even I almost couldn’t find you.”
Of course, Kakashi had no idea that everything he was doing was being observed by the Third Hokage.
He wasn’t a sensory-type ninja.
If he truly wanted to locate Haruto, summoning his ninken would solve the problem immediately.
But it never occurred to him that the Hokage would be bored enough to spy on a genin exercise.
Standing atop a thick branch, Haruto looked down at him with a faint smile.
“Kakashi-sensei.”
“I already understand the purpose of this little game.”
“I think I could just sit here until the exercise ends.”
“What do you think?”
Several black lines appeared on Kakashi’s forehead.
“Their test is over.”
“But now I need to conduct a separate evaluation for you.”
“It’s been a whole year since the last one.”
“How do I know you haven’t been slacking off?”
Haruto immediately understood what he meant.
“Kakashi-sensei.”
“I swear, the gap between us is still heaven and earth.”
Kakashi froze briefly.
Then he caught the hint.
The “heaven” was referring to the person watching from above.
He smiled helplessly and lowered his voice.
“We still need to put on a show.”
“Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain things?”
Haruto shrugged.
“So what’s the plan?”
“You going to capture me?”
Kakashi considered it.
“No need.”
“You should be around upper-chunin level by now, right?”
“I just hope you haven’t neglected your training.”
Haruto smiled knowingly.
“Fine.”
“If you’re that determined, Kakashi-sensei.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The moment he finished speaking, the tomoe in Kakashi’s Sharingan began spinning rapidly.
He entered combat mode instantly.
If they were going to put on a performance, it needed to look convincing.
Haruto flicked two specially-made shuriken from his pouch.
At the same time, his hands flew through seals.
“Fire Style: Flaming Shuriken Ring!”
The two spinning shuriken immediately became wrapped in blazing flames.
Driven by chakra, they spun even faster.
Burning rings of fire formed around their edges.
They looked like miniature flaming chakrams.
A clever technique.
Though only C-rank in classification, the power behind it was remarkable.
One of the shuriken screamed toward him.
Just before impact—
Kakashi transformed into a log.
Substitution Technique.
The missed shuriken slammed into the ground and exploded.
Flames erupted outward.
Everything within five meters turned to ash.
A crater over three meters wide appeared instantly.
The second flaming shuriken curved through the air as though it possessed intelligence.
It pursued Kakashi, who had already flashed dozens of meters away.
The distance vanished in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, Kakashi’s experience was immense.
His hands formed seals rapidly.
His chest expanded.
“Water Style: Wild Water Wave!”
A massive torrent erupted from his mouth like a waterfall.
Water and fire collided.
HISSSSS—
Steam exploded outward.
Despite being struck by an overwhelming volume of water, the flaming ring didn’t immediately extinguish.
Instead, the flames surged violently.
The spinning shuriken accelerated even further.
A miniature fire tornado formed around it.
Only through sheer chakra output did Kakashi finally suppress it.
Several seconds later, both techniques vanished simultaneously.
The battlefield was left with a gigantic crater.
Scorch marks covered the surrounding terrain.
Watching through the Crystal Ball, the Third Hokage was stunned.
“This technique…”
“He perfectly infused Fire Style chakra into the shuriken.”
“Then used rotational force to enhance both cutting power and burning range.”
“That level of chakra control is extraordinary.”
“Otherwise the shuriken would melt before even being thrown.”
“The difficulty and destructive power are greater than many B-rank Fire Style techniques.”
“Did he create this himself?”
The Third found it difficult to believe.
The seemingly lazy boy possessed talent at such a level.
Though Fire Style: Flaming Shuriken Ring wasn’t some earth-shattering S-rank technique—
With this alone, killing an ordinary chunin would be effortless.
In other words, Haruto’s actual combat ability had already stepped into the realm of Special Jonin.
Perhaps even Jonin.
He wasn’t as dazzling as Kakashi had been at twelve.
Nor had he created a masterpiece like Chidori.
But in a time of peace, talent like this was incredibly rare.
A rare smile appeared on the Third Hokage’s face.
He was tired.
Very tired.
Watching Konoha’s gradual decline filled him with anxiety.
Among the new generation, aside from Naruto and Sasuke, he had seen very few who could carry the village’s future.
Konoha was no longer the dominant force that once overwhelmed Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
Its shortage of top-tier fighters was his greatest concern.
But now—
He saw hope.
Perhaps Haruto possessed potential equal to Kakashi’s.
“A seedling worth nurturing.”
“If guided properly, his future achievements may surpass even Sasuke and Naruto.”
“And for someone so young to possess such chakra reserves…”
“He reminds me a little of the Fourth Hokage.”
While the Third was secretly delighted, the situation shifted again.
After using that powerful Fire Style technique, Haruto suddenly staggered.
His face paled.
As though he’d exhausted his chakra.
In a battle between experts, a single opening was enough.
Kakashi immediately seized the opportunity.
Like a phantom, he appeared behind Haruto.
A hand struck lightly against his neck.
Haruto raised both hands.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
“Still not enough.”
“I couldn’t even last five minutes.”
His acting was flawless.
And Kakashi, after years of cooperation, was no less skilled.
Retracting his hand, Kakashi spoke calmly.
“You’ve improved significantly.”
“Keep it up.”
The performance was so convincing that the Third Hokage never noticed a single flaw.
After six years of careful concealment, hiding his strength had become second nature to Haruto.
Even Kakashi himself didn’t truly know how deep Haruto’s abilities ran.
Soon afterward, the two emerged from the forest together.
Sasuke, who had been waiting outside, saw them and disappointment flashed through his eyes.
“Even you couldn’t take a bell?”
Haruto glanced at Sasuke, who was still planted in the ground like a giant radish, and laughed.
“Come on.”
“The opponent was a jonin.”
“And not just any jonin—one of Konoha’s strongest.”
“Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to lose?”
He sounded completely unconcerned.
After all, he had already sensed that the feeling of being watched had disappeared.
Kakashi walked over and yanked Sasuke out of the ground like pulling a carrot.
Then he released Sakura from the genjutsu.
Pointing toward Naruto, who was hanging upside down from a tree branch and swaying in the breeze, Haruto joked—