“You must be Kakashi!”
To everyone’s surprise, Guy showed no reaction whatsoever to Kakashi’s earlier criticism.
Instead, he grinned brightly.
His white teeth practically sparkled.
Then he enthusiastically gave Kakashi a thumbs-up.
“Thank you for the encouragement!”
Kakashi froze.
“…Huh?”
Guy pointed at himself proudly.
“Might Guy!”
His voice rang across the examination grounds.
“From today onward, I will become a man stronger than anyone else!”
“I’ll prove my worth through taijutsu!”
His declaration was passionate.
Sincere.
And completely ridiculous.
At least from Kakashi’s perspective.
The silver-haired boy stared at him for several seconds.
His expression gradually shifted from indifference to confusion.
Then from confusion to disbelief.
Finally, he settled on silent bewilderment.
This guy…
Had he misunderstood everything?
Kakashi had clearly been mocking him.
Yet somehow Guy had interpreted it as encouragement.
The entire conversation had gone completely off the rails.
For the first time in quite a while, Kakashi found himself at a loss for words.
At that moment, three figures approached from nearby.
Orochimaru.
Tsunade.
And Sakumo Hatake.
The legendary White Fang’s gaze naturally fell upon Guy.
His experienced eyes immediately noticed details most people overlooked.
The calluses covering the boy’s hands.
The scars hidden beneath his sleeves.
The unusually developed muscles for someone his age.
The marks left behind by years of relentless training.
Sakumo remained silent for a moment.
Then he looked toward his son.
“Kakashi.”
His voice was calm.
“Don’t underestimate others simply because you’re talented.”
Kakashi immediately felt trouble approaching.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Sakumo continued speaking.
“If that boy continues training like this…”
A faint smile appeared.
“He may surpass you someday.”
Kakashi’s eyelid twitched.
Again.
Why was it always like this?
“Dad.”
His dead-fish eyes became even more lifeless.
“That’s the second time you’ve said that.”
Not long ago, his father had said something similar about Tanya.
Now it was Guy.
At this rate, every child in Konoha would apparently surpass him someday.
“Even if you’re trying to keep me humble, you don’t need to tell everyone they have more potential than me.”
There was genuine helplessness in his voice.
Still, despite his complaints, Kakashi trusted his father’s judgment.
Sakumo Hatake was not the sort of person who praised others casually.
Anyone he acknowledged undoubtedly possessed something extraordinary.
Unfortunately—
Kakashi was equally confident in himself.
His talent.
His work ethic.
His abilities.
He simply couldn’t imagine being surpassed by someone who couldn’t even perform basic Academy techniques.
Especially not Guy.
After a moment, he looked directly at Guy.
“I’ll remember your name.”
His voice returned to its usual calmness.
“Might Guy.”
A faint challenge appeared in his eyes.
“Don’t disappoint me.”
With that, Kakashi turned around and left.
Guy immediately waved after him.
“Leave it to me!”
“I won’t let my rival down!”
Kakashi nearly stumbled.
Rival?
When had that happened?
Watching the scene unfold, Sakumo rubbed his forehead helplessly.
Then he turned toward Orochimaru and Tsunade.
“Sorry.”
His smile was slightly embarrassed.
“It seems my son is still immature.”
Orochimaru simply nodded.
Sakumo quickly followed after Kakashi.
Meanwhile, Tsunade crossed her arms and clicked her tongue.
“What an annoying brat.”
She watched Kakashi disappear into the distance.
Then her attention immediately shifted elsewhere.
More specifically—
Toward gambling.
“I’m heading to the casino.”
A dangerous smile appeared.
“Maybe today’s my lucky day.”
Orochimaru’s expression remained completely blank.
He had heard that exact sentence hundreds of times.
Tsunade then looked toward Tanya.
“Remember to make dinner tonight.”
“And buy plenty of alcohol.”
Clearly, she had already arranged her evening schedule.
Without consulting anyone.
Suddenly—
A frantic voice echoed from the Academy gates.
“Oh no!”
“Oh no!”
“I’m going to be late!”
Everyone instinctively turned.
A boy wearing goggles sprinted toward the examination hall.
Sweat covered his face.
His breathing was ragged.
As he ran, he repeatedly muttered to himself.
“Don’t be late.”
“Don’t be late.”
“Don’t be late.”
Tanya watched the scene.
Then slowly turned toward Orochimaru.
“Teacher.”
“Hm?”
“Were there many people like that when you took the entrance examination?”
The question instantly triggered an old memory.
A very embarrassing memory.
Orochimaru’s expression became subtle.
Because he immediately thought of one particular blond idiot.
Years ago.
During their own Academy entrance examination.
Jiraiya had done almost exactly the same thing.
Rushing through the gates.
Panicking.
Nearly crashing into an examiner.
Creating chaos before the examination had even begun.
The memory was surprisingly vivid.
For a brief moment, Orochimaru glanced toward Tsunade’s retreating figure.
The image of the three of them standing together as children surfaced in his mind.
A trace of nostalgia flickered in his golden eyes.
Then disappeared.
“There are.”
He nodded slightly.
“Every year.”
Tanya immediately understood.
Apparently, military academies were universally plagued by similar problems.
No matter the world.
“Alright.”
Orochimaru finally spoke.
“Let’s head back.”
“The Academy starts officially tomorrow.”
His gaze rested briefly on Tanya.
“Don’t be late.”
Tanya nodded.
Her thoughts had already moved elsewhere.
Specifically, toward her shadow clone.
She needed to carefully allocate chakra reserves.
The clone would attend classes.
The original body would continue training.
Everything had to be arranged perfectly.
The next morning—
A shadow clone carrying a backpack walked toward the Ninja Academy.
Meanwhile, Tanya’s real body headed directly toward the training grounds.
The plan was simple.
Efficient.
Academy attendance would be handled.
Training would continue uninterrupted.
As for discovery—
She wasn’t particularly concerned.
Tsunade spent most of her time gambling.
Orochimaru was constantly occupied with research.
Neither was likely to notice.
The Academy’s opening ceremony was exactly as tedious as Tanya expected.
Speech after speech.
Rules.
Formalities.
Endless introductions.
The shadow clone sat expressionlessly throughout the entire event.
Compared to Imperial military briefings, this was somehow even more exhausting.
Finally, the ceremony ended.
The students entered their classroom.
Tanya took her assigned seat.
She had barely placed her bag down when several figures suddenly blocked her view.
“Hm?”
She looked up.
Several boys stood around her desk.
At the center was a familiar-looking child with short dark hair.
His expression carried obvious arrogance.
And even more obvious dissatisfaction.
“You’re Tanya?”
The boy half-sat on the desk in front of her.
His hands remained in his pockets.
He looked down at her.
The resentment in his eyes wasn’t even concealed.
This was Sarutobi Asuma.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi’s son.
Over the years, Asuma had heard Tanya’s name far too often.
Look at Tanya.
Learn from Tanya.
Tanya is talented.
Tanya works hard.
Tanya this.
Tanya that.
Eventually, irritation had become resentment.
Today, he intended to personally see what was so special about the orphan his father constantly praised.
Meanwhile—
Tanya was confused.
Very confused.
Who is this?
She carefully searched her memory.
Nothing.
No recollection whatsoever.
It wasn’t surprising.
Most of her time was spent training with Guy.
Studying under Orochimaru.
Or conducting personal training.
She had never really interacted with Hiruzen’s son.
Nor did she have any interest in tracking important political figures within Konoha.
For now, however, a more immediate problem existed.
The body currently sitting here was merely a shadow clone.
Its chakra reserves were limited.
Starting a fight before classes even began would be inconvenient.
More importantly—
It would create unnecessary trouble.
So Tanya chose the simplest option.
She remained seated.
Calm.
Silent.
Watching.
Waiting to see what Asuma intended to do next.
Unfortunately, Asuma immediately misunderstood.
A smug grin spread across his face.
Clearly, he believed he had already won.
Turning toward a nearby girl, he proudly raised his chin.
“See?”
His voice carried obvious satisfaction.
“I thought the old man kept praising some amazing genius.”
He laughed dismissively.
“But she’s nothing special.”
Then he pointed directly at Tanya.
“She’s scared.”
“She doesn’t even dare say anything.”
Nearby, a red-eyed girl frowned slightly.
Kurenai Yuhi.
Although still young, she already disliked bullying.
The scene made her uncomfortable.
Not far away, another observer watched quietly.
Kakashi sat with his arms crossed.
His expression remained unreadable.
Unlike the others, he wasn’t interested in mocking Tanya.
He was simply curious.
Very curious.
This was Orochimaru’s disciple.
The child praised by his father.
How would she respond?
If she truly remained frightened into silence—
Then perhaps his father’s judgment had been wrong for once.
Around the classroom, whispers spread among the students.
Some watched with curiosity.
Others anticipated a confrontation.
A few simply wanted entertainment.
After all—
The person causing trouble was Asuma Sarutobi.
The Hokage’s son.
And among children his age, very few people were willing to challenge him.