The Afternoon – Ninja Academy
“What’s going on? Why hasn’t our jonin instructor arrived yet?”
Teammate A pined loudly. The was almost empty; all the other students had already been taken away by their assigned jonin instructors, leaving only the three of them behind.
Beside him, the bob-cut-haired female teammate, Teammate B, chimed in with a few ents of her own.
They shared a on trait: her of them had the slightest respect for their eight-year-old teammate.
Li out a barely perceptible sigh. His luck was truly awful. Getting stuck with teammates like this—if their jonin instructor turned out to be the one he dreaded—this was shaping up to be a disastrous start.
“Creak.”
The door opened as the sun dipped toward the horizon. Standing in the doorway was a silver-haired man with a mask c his fad a forehead protector cealing one eye. His posture was zy as he greeted them casually:
“Yo.”
“I’m your jonin instructor, Kakashi Hatake.”
It was over.
Link calmly accepted the reality that he would likely be sent back to the academy for another year of training.
Before meeting the inal Team 7, every group assigo Kakashi had failed his test and bee back to the academy.
Kakashi’s evaluation criteria were almost anti-ninja: while the academy traiudents to be tools who prioritized missions above all else, Kakashi valued teamwork above everything.
Whether Kakashi’s eventual acceptance of Team 7 was due to Sarutobi Hiruzen’s personal request, Uchiha bloodline siderations, or the fact that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage’s son remained unclear.
The only certainty was that no one had ever passed his test before the inal trio.
…
“...That’s all,” Kakashi said zily after rambling a bit about being deyed by a bck cat crossing his path.
Teammates A and B, as cssiin, showed ional rea to their superior’s words, following the academy’s strict teags about respeg authority.
“Tomorrow m, meet me at the Third Training Ground for a survival exercise,” Kakashi tinued, skipping any attempt to get to know his team or make jokes. “This exercise will determine whether you remain as genin or return to the academy for further training. So—”
He likely hadn’t even sidered the possibility of letting the three of them pass.
“See you tomorrow,” Kakashi said with a warm smile before leaving.
Teammates A and B immediately started discussing the survival exercise, but one of them turned and addressed Link:
“Hey, kid, do you—”
Link stood up without aowledging them and walked out, leaving the two to grumble about their uncooperative teammate and cold jonin instructor.
He saw no point in f bonds to get along with them.
If his instructor hadn’t been Kakashi, Link might have sidered pying along, building camaraderie with his teammates, and demonstrating leadership to increase his ces of promotion to in.
But now, it didn’t matter.
…
Outside the , Li irritated. The disruption to his p him frustrated. The thrill of successfully graduating the day before was now repced by awkwardness and anger. He took a deep breath to clear his mind.
[Does having Kakashi as my instructor offer any advantages?]
He thought seriously about it. The downsides were obvious: he wouldn’t bee a genin this year, deying his promotion to in.
But there were bes, too. Spending another year at the academy could help him refine his physical abilities and gain more time to master his uhree Teiques.
Additionally, Kakashi’s status in the vilge wasn’t low. As someone directly ected to the Third Hokage and the future mentor of Team 7, making a strong impression on Kakashi could be advantageous.
Link cluded that leaving a memorable impression—positive ative—was beneficial for his future promotions.
[So, tomorrow’s survival exercise—the bell test—’t be taken lightly.]
[Let’s see what I do at full strength.]
…
The Day – Third Training Ground
“What the heck? He’s te again!”
Teammate A grumbled while sitting on a wooden stump, pining about Kakashi’s tardiness.
“Is this guy really a jonin?” he asked, turning to discuss it with Teammate B.
Link sat a short distance away, silently running battle simutions in his head, making it clear he wasn’t part of their versation.
He had no illusions about defeating a jonin. His taijutsu was subpar, his ninjutsu limited, and he doubted he could eve a i alone ae jonin like Kakashi.
His only viable strategy y in his Substitution Jutsu, which allowed him to randomly summon a substitute. After months of training, his chakra reserves now allowed him to maintain a substitution for thirty seds.
If he was lucky enough to summon Star Ptinum, its raw power—capable of shattering three-meter-thick, diamond-hard objects with a punch—might give him a ce against a weakened Kakashi.
But if he ended up summoning Hierophant Green…
“Sorry, sorry!” Kakashi finally arrived just before noon, an insincere apology. He casually pced an arm clo a wooden stump and said, “If you take a bell from me before noon, you pass the test.”
He held up two bells, dangling them in front of the team before attag them to his waist. Then, pulling out a copy of Icha Icha Paradise, he added, “Well then—”
“The exercise begins.”
“Whoosh!” X2
[Idiots.] X2
Teammates A and B immediately hid themselves, cealing their presence like proper ninjas, and silently cursed the “stupid kid” who had stayed in pin sight.
“There’s no point in hiding. A jonin would see through it anyway,” Link said, stretg his body as he spoke in a calm, measured tone.
“Three partits, but only two bells. So, one of us is guarao fail aurn to the academy?”
Kakashi’s eyes glinted with amusement. He had, of course, reviewed their files beforehand. A boy suspected of possessing a unique kekkei genkai, attempting to graduate after just one year at the academy—
Evehird Hokage had taken an i in him, which was why Kakashi had been assigned as his instructor.
Given Kakashi’s history of sending all his students back to the academy, the Third Hokage’s iions were easy to deduce.
“Whoosh~”
Kakashi flipped open his book with one hand and said with a chuckle, “Heh. Real missions are this cruel. Even in a test, one of you is destio fail aurn to the academy.”
Link had already adjusted his body to peak dition. Without hesitation, he quickly formed hand seals—
Transformation Jutsu! e Jutsu!
In full view of everyone, Link’s left arm detached and transformed mid-air into a saw, nding in his right hand. A mysterious smile appeared on his face as he pressed the switch.
“Vroom! Rumble!”
Bleam
