Tsunade, I am the Hokage!

The door opened.

Inside the classroom, the three of them held their breath, looking toward the door.

But.

For a long time, the person outside did not enter.

Who is this?

How strange.

Kyohiko couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

The next moment—

A figure stepped inside.

"Have you three been waiting long?"

With white hair and the word "oil" on his forehead, he looked particularly striking.

His appearance...

It all felt familiar.

Yuhi Kurenai's eyes widened.

Kakashi was stunned, unable to believe it for a moment.

Kyohiko was also shocked.

How could it be Jiraiya?

This person was one of the three legendary ninja, and he had never heard of Kakashi being led by Jiraiya.

But.

He quickly came to his senses.

Things could change unexpectedly.

Though it may be self-indulgent, maybe it's just me, the little butterfly, flapping its wings and affecting everything.

He took a deep breath, his tone barely concealing his excitement.

"Are you Master Jiraiya?"

Kyohiko knew.

I can't be too indifferent—

The person in front of him was Jiraiya, one of the three legendary ninja. Many ninja in Konoha Village considered them idols. As an ordinary civilian ninja, he should show surprise and excitement upon seeing them.

Jiraiya laughed and said, "Hahaha, you'll be my temporary subordinates. Let's go somewhere spacious to talk."

"Yes!"

They stood up. Jiraiya sat on the edge while the three stood in front, behaving politely.

On the rooftop of the teaching building.

He glanced at the three of them.

"You should all know me, so I won't introduce myself. You can get to know each other and tell me what you like and dislike."

"Hatake Kakashi, a Chunin, skilled in swordsmanship and lightning techniques. Doesn't like anything, but hates people who break rules."

Kakashi was cool and direct.

Yuhi Kurenai was very nervous, fidgeting with the corner of her shirt, and stammered, "Master Jiraiya, my name is Yuhi Kurenai, I'm skilled in genjutsu, I like spicy octopus, and I hate cake."

"Ryomine Kyohiko, currently more skilled in taijutsu, likes training and getting stronger, hates… war."

Kyohiko spoke.

This was the result of his careful consideration.

Likes training, hates war.

These answers matched his background and wouldn't reveal additional information, such as personal preferences, avoiding inconsistencies with previous responses and arousing suspicion.

Over the past year, he preferred training alone and had concerns in this regard.

Jiraiya paused briefly.

"All right, I understand."

His smile faded, and his expression became serious: "Now that we know each other, I'll clarify something first. Lord Hokage thinks you have great potential, so he asked me to lead you, but…"

Jiraiya glanced around.

"I don't think you have the potential to be my subordinates. Tomorrow morning, go to training ground number 7. I'll conduct a comprehensive assessment of your abilities. If you fail…"

He said coldly, "You'll be sent back to the ninja academy. As for you, Kakashi, you're a Chunin, so you can join other teams. Of course, if you feel they've just graduated and aren't skilled enough to be on the same team as you, you can quit now."

Kakashi looked at the other two.

Kyohiko and Yuhi Kurenai remained silent.

But.

The reasons were different.

The former vaguely guessed that this question was itself a test, and Jiraiya might be leading the team primarily to test Kakashi. But why was there such a change…

He didn't know.

Yuhi Kurenai was concerned.

After all, Kakashi was a Chunin…

Hatake Kakashi didn't answer immediately. He watched them carefully for a while and said, "I don't think they're capable of completing the assessment."

Jiraiya remained calm.

"You want to quit?"

"No, I want to try."

Kakashi replied.

Jiraiya nodded: "Okay, what about you two? If you quit, the village will assign another instructor. My test is definitely harder; you might not fail if you go with someone else."

"I want to participate."

Kyohiko didn't hesitate.

Becoming a student of one of the Sannin wasn't an ordinary opportunity.

Yuhi Kurenai had no reason to retreat.

"Very good. You have the afternoon to prepare. By the way, remember not to eat breakfast tomorrow morning, or else, hehehehe!"

Jiraiya's figure disappeared instantly.

Only the three of them remained on the rooftop.

Kyohiko took the initiative and said, "Let's go to training ground number 7 to look around. We can practice together and get familiar with each other's abilities."

"The assessment is a mission. If you're not capable enough, I'll abandon you without mercy."

Kakashi scoffed.

Then, he left instantly.

Yuhi Kurenai said in annoyance, "Why is he like that?"

"He's heading toward the training ground. Let's follow him."

Kyohiko said this and disappeared in an instant.

Kurenai quickly followed.

Ahead, Kakashi glanced back and saw the two catching up, observing them discreetly.

Kyohiko…

His speed was quite good, and he seemed to have practiced the teleportation technique well, so his strength might be decent.

But the other one was more challenging.

However, she was skilled in genjutsu, so that was useful.

Kakashi kept running forward.

He didn't notice—

In the shadows, Jiraiya was following behind.

"This silver-haired kid doesn't consider his teammates at all. On the other hand, that kid, who clearly has a faster speed, always maintains a distance to match Kurenai's pace."

The more Jiraiya observed Kyohiko, the more he liked him.

This child wasn't only clever but also attentive, able to care for teammates.

With proper guidance, he could become like Minato.

If not…

His heart sank, and an image of another teammate flashed in his mind.

Why!

I don't know what Orochimaru has been up to lately.

Since Nawaki died and Tsunade left, Orochimaru has become stranger.

"But, in this situation, just caring for your teammates isn't enough."

"Kurenai, the area around the training ground is dangerous. I'll stop him. The three of us will go in together later."

"Stop him?"

Kurenai was stunned.

Then, she saw Kyohiko in front disappear.

When she looked again, she saw him chasing after Kakashi. In the blink of an eye, Kyohiko wasn't far behind Kakashi.

Kakashi was even more surprised.

He was confident he was the fastest among his peers, with only Might Guy able to rival his speed due to rigorous training.

As for Ryomine Kyohiko.

Although they were classmates, they'd only been in the same class for a year, so he didn't have a deep impression of him.

However.

The speed just now…

Was his teleportation technique so powerful?

Kakashi, ready to compete, used the body-flicker technique with all his might, increasing his speed from before.

But.

The next moment, Kyohiko was already ahead of him, with a hand pressing down on his shoulder.

So impressive!

Kakashi's pupils narrowed.

Even with all his strength, he couldn't outpace him.

Unless he used Lightning Chakra to enhance his body's activity, he hadn't fully mastered that technique yet, and improper use could injure him.

"Kakashi, the Forest of Death is quite dangerous. Let's go in together."

He said, pausing briefly.

"Even though you're a Chunin, the Hokage said that team battles aren't solo battles. You have to consider the rest of the team."

Kakashi was silent.

The reason he was unhappy just now was simply for Kurenai's sake?

He stopped and looked carefully at the person in front of him.

Ryomine Kyohiko.

There were talented classmates like this in the academy.

"Yes, sorry!"

Finally, Kurenai caught up, her forehead covered in sweat, with beads of perspiration forming at her temples and trickling down.

Kyohiko said, "It doesn't matter; we're a team, so we should stick together."

Kakashi said nothing but immediately jumped down.

"Let's go. It'll get dark in the forest soon, and it'll be hard to see the traps."