“So?
How’d it go?”
“Mm.
First impression, the team seems solid.
No one specialized in nature-transformation ninjutsu or genjutsu, but they make up for it by being well-rounded across the board.”
Kakashi said, after thinking it over for a moment.
Guy laughed.
“I was asking about a duel.
Let’s settle whose students are stronger.”
“…”
He actually expected me to take that question seriously.
My mistake.
Kakashi let out a silent sigh, then quietly pulled out Icha Icha Paradise.
“Not interested.”
“Well then—how about letting my squad come watch instead?”
Guy’s eyes gleamed with an idea.
Kakashi blinked.
He glanced sideways at Guy, then let out a short laugh.
“Guy.
That was your real goal all along, wasn’t it?”
“Ha, fair enough.
Lee’s nothing to worry about—I know his ability and his temperament inside and out.
Mayumi’s talent is nothing special, but her taijutsu and kunai work are solid, makes for a decent support player.”
Guy, rare as it was, sounded genuinely serious.
Kakashi thought it over.
“And Neji?”
“That’s the one.
For some reason, that kid seems to have quietly made Chiba into his personal rival.
I figured it’d do him good to actually see what Chiba can do firsthand.”
Guy laid out his reasoning.
Kakashi walked a few steps, then said, “Aren’t you worried it might crush their confidence?”
“Not a chance.
I trust my students.”
Guy said it with total conviction.
“If you’re that certain, I suppose I should agree, but—”
Kakashi glanced sideways at him.
Guy didn’t hesitate for a second.
“Fine, I concede the point!”
“No—I’ll treat everyone to yakiniku after the exam.
All of us together.
Please.”
Guy pressed his palms together in a plea.
Kakashi let out a quiet sigh, waved a hand, and kept walking.
A few steps later—
“Training Ground 25, midday.”
“Thank you so much!
Truly my eternal rival, moving the time to midday just for my sake!”
Guy looked thoroughly moved.
Kakashi’s mouth twitched, but he offered no explanation, simply continuing on with his book in hand.
Forest of Death, Training Ground 25.
Chiba and Tenten sat together.
Wasa crouched in the shadow of a tree branch overhead, eyes fixed on the distance.
“Come down.
He’s probably not showing up any time soon.”
Chiba said, unbothered.
“Ugh, that habitually late instructor of ours.
I’m going to beat him with a stick the moment he shows his face!” Tenten fumed, then looked up.
“Wasa, come down.
None of us ate breakfast—we should conserve our energy for whatever this exam turns out to be.”
“All right.”
Wasa dropped down and settled beside them to rest, same as the others.
Not until midday—
A figure finally sauntered into view.
Kakashi waved, unmistakable amusement in his eyes.
“Sorry, overslept.
Just got here.
Well, you all look like you’re holding up fine.
Did you eat breakfast?”
“No!
And it’s already midday—you said morning!”
Tenten snapped.
“Ah, well, I could’ve been here earlier, but I took a wrong turn somewhere.
Anyway, enough chatter, let me lay out the rules of the exam.”
Kakashi’s mask hid whatever expression sat beneath it.
But.
Chiba was fairly sure the man was smiling right now.
Absolutely shameless.
Though, in fairness, he enjoyed watching kids fume with helpless frustration too—this time it just happened to be him and his teammates on the receiving end.
“These two bells.
See them?”
Kakashi gave the bells a shake, a bright, clear jingle ringing out.
“Only two?”
“That’s right.
Only whoever gets a bell becomes my student.
Whoever doesn’t goes back to the Academy for another year to try again.”
Kakashi’s eyes narrowed.
“How is that fair?!”
Tenten’s eyes went wide.
This—
This was outrageous.
She’d assumed the test was just a way for the instructor to gauge their ability.
Instead—get held back a full year over one failed exam, after everyone had already worked so hard to graduate?
Chiba’s gaze sharpened.
Fighting over the bells.
Classic Hokage-faction tradition.
Don’t they have anything new?
He kept the complaint to himself.
“Of course, your team’s a special case.
If Chiba is willing to sacrifice himself, I’ll let the two of you pass and send him back to the Academy alone.”
Kakashi’s eyes locked on Chiba, giving the bells another shake.
He said nothing more, but the implication was clear enough on its own—
Don’t say a word.
Chiba stayed silent, watching Tenten and Wasa instead.
Both of them tightened their fists.
After a few seconds, Tenten said, furious, “Don’t you dare underestimate me.
I might not be that strong, but even if it means going back to the Academy, I’d never sacrifice Chiba!”
“That’s right.”
Wasa nodded firmly, fury churning in her eyes.
Kakashi adjusted his headband.
“A shame.
You’ve turned down your only guaranteed path through.
Admirable spirit, I’ll admit, but I won’t be holding back.
Oh, and for what it’s worth—no team has ever passed this test under me.
Every single one has gone back to repeat the year.”
“Bring it on, then.
We’ll settle who’s staying and who’s leaving after we’ve actually got the bells in hand!”
Tenten declared.
Kakashi pulled out Icha Icha Paradise, saying flatly, “I’ll give you some time to prepare.
Once I flip the hourglass, we begin.
Friendly advice—you’d do well to come at me with intent to kill.
Otherwise you’ll regret it.”
“Scatter!”
Chiba threw up a hand.
The next instant, all three of them vanished from where they stood, regrouping deeper in the forest.
“So, what’s the plan?”
Tenten looked to the other two.
“Same as what Wasa said—we settle who stays and who leaves after we’ve got the bells.
Our opponent is the Copy Ninja, Kakashi.
Even if he’s holding back, the gap between us is still massive.
We need to work together.”
Chiba said simply.
“If we’re working together, we need someone calling the shots.
I’ll follow your lead, Chiba.”
Wasa looked at him.
“Same here.”
Tenten tightened her grip on her kunai.
Facing down a jōnin, pretending not to be nervous would be a lie—but they had no real sense of Chiba’s actual strength.
Whatever it took to beat a Hiruzen clone using taijutsu alone, it had to be well beyond either of them.
“All right.
I’ll lead the attack.
Tenten, you support.” Chiba turned to Wasa.
“I know the least about you specifically, but I’ve heard the Tsukihikari family specializes in assassination work, so find your own opening to strike.”
“Understood!”
Wasa nodded lightly.
“Just don’t stray too far from us, or you’ll get isolated and picked off first,” Tenten added.
“Right.
So, do we set traps first, or—”
“Our skill level’s too low for elaborate traps to matter much.
What matters most is coordination.
We can rig up a few simple spike traps in the branches, mostly for cover if we need to retreat.”
Chiba laid it out point by point.
Tenten and Wasa nodded along, everything he said striking them as thoroughly sound, and their nerves eased noticeably as they listened.
They set to work, methodical and quick.
Afterward—
“When Kakashi comes looking for us, I’ll open with the first strike.”
“Understood!”
Before long, all three had settled into hiding.
At the same time, Kakashi flipped the hourglass and started into the trees, book in one hand.
His attention was divided, sure, but a jōnin was still a jōnin—facing down genin shouldn’t tax him much regardless.
Still.
Thinking back on what he’d seen of Chiba’s skill, he couldn’t help feeling a touch more wary than usual.
That kid was not going to be easy to handle.