Long Time No See

"Kid, what are you doing here?"

Kakashi stared with eyes that had lost their light, his mouth twitching as he glanced at the dishes already piled into a small mountain. The kid's appetite had grown even bigger.

Never mind Miss Ayame smiling radiantly beside him-even Teuchi's tiny eyes had widened a little. Unfortunately, Kakashi still couldn't tell whether there was a Rinnegan or a Tenseigan in those narrow slits!

Slurp!

Dōmeki practically poured a bowl of ramen into his mouth before he had a moment to answer Kakashi.

"Senpai, what nonsense are you talking about? What else would a ninja from another country be doing in Konoha besides taking the Chunin Ninja Exams? Surely I'm not here to attack Konoha?"

"The Chunin Ninja Exams?" Kakashi slapped his forehead as realization dawned. "Of course!"

A moment later, he suddenly grabbed Dōmeki by the collar and roared.

"Who are you trying to fool? With your strength, how could you possibly be just a Genin?"

Dōmeki gently freed himself from Kakashi's grip and tossed his Genin registration certificate in front of him.

Kakashi opened the certificate with trembling hands. On it were the words: "Dōmeki Shun, Otogakure Genin, ninja registration number: XXX."

Kakashi stared wordlessly for a long while before sighing. "Maybe I should have Sasuke and the others try again at the next Chunin Ninja Exams?"

"What a coincidence." Dōmeki rubbed his chin. "Your students are taking the exams this time too, senpai?"

The red-haired boy's smile brightened. "Then I'll have to take very good 'care' of my adorable juniors!"

The hairs on Kakashi's body instantly stood on end. He stared at the boy in alarm.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you planning to do? Please go easy on them!"

Dōmeki smiled without answering, leaving Kakashi even more anxious.

Finally, Kakashi shook his empty wallet, bid farewell to Dōmeki and his two companions, and dashed toward the Hokage building.

Some troublesome characters had come for this exam. He had to let the Third Hokage know!

The next day, Dōmeki's enthusiasm hadn't waned, and he dragged Haku and Kimimaro out early to explore Konoha.

They visited Hokage Rock, a tricolor dango shop, and even Naka Shrine, the Uchiha's former compound.

But then-

"Kakashi-senpai, I'm just a tourist. Is it really necessary to keep an eye on us like this? Our reunion was so pleasant yesterday!"

Dōmeki stopped and looked toward a corner.

A moment later, Kakashi stepped out from behind it. He sighed.

"I knew I couldn't hide from you. But letting a dangerous kid who lies through his teeth wander around Konoha isn't exactly reassuring!"

Dōmeki narrowed his eyes. "Lies through my teeth? What do you mean?"

"Some time ago, my students and I went on a mission," Kakashi said slowly. "We ran into a troublesome opponent there!"

"The Demon, Zabuza Momochi. You know him, don't you, kid?"

Kakashi's expression turned grave. "Before he died, he told us the real cause of the Mizukage's death!!!"

"Huh? Zabuza-senpai didn't pin the blame on an innocent child like me, did he?"

Dōmeki looked startled. Then his expression changed, and he grinned at Kakashi.

"Now that Zabuza's dead, did his Kubikiribōchō end up in your hands, senpai? Would you be willing to sell it to me? One of my juniors is very interested in it!"

Kakashi's expression froze. He had meant to sound the boy out, but Dōmeki's wildly wandering train of thought threw him off. Still, he firmly shook his head.

"One hundred million!"

Dōmeki pulled a sealing scroll from his sleeve. The conspicuous character for "hundred million" on it nearly blinded Kakashi.

"You have money, and you still made me treat you?"

Kakashi lunged for the boy again in agitation, but Dōmeki easily dodged him.

"That was our agreement!"

Dōmeki said lightly.

In the end, though, Kakashi resisted the temptation of the money and firmly turned down Dōmeki's offer.

Disappointed, Dōmeki continued wandering the streets, letting Kakashi openly follow behind him.

Suddenly, the boy's gaze sharpened, as though he had spotted something interesting. Kakashi followed his gaze, and his expression instantly stiffened. That was-

A classic scene was playing out in the middle of the street.

Ignoring the blonde girl trying to stop him, a boy with face paint was confronting a blond boy and a pink-haired girl. Meanwhile, a redhead hanging upside down from a tree by the roadside was staring down a black-haired boy sitting on a branch and trying to look cool.

Pink, blond, and black versus red, blond, and black!

Watching the show, Dōmeki quietly nudged Haku and whispered a warning.

"Haku, you'd better watch out for that blond kid! He's obviously a little pervert!"

"Lord Shun, I'm a boy too."

"Then you need to be even more careful."

Dōmeki glanced at the blond kid's main wife and his secondary consort. The scary thing about that blond brat was that he didn't discriminate between men and women.

Kakashi, who had been listening in with his ears pricked, was left with black lines all over his face.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't go slandering my student. Naruto is, is..."

Kakashi had meant to argue, but after stammering for a while, he still couldn't bring himself to deny that Naruto was a pervert!

Across the street, Temari was explaining the Chunin Ninja Exams to the bewildered trio, after which both sides exchanged names and threats.

Kakashi finally couldn't resist stepping forward to interrupt them. He also wanted to introduce Naruto and the others to Dōmeki's group.

"Kakashi-sensei, didn't you forget to tell us about the Chunin Ninja Exams?"

The outspoken Sakura Haruno complained to her unreliable teacher, only to receive a casual brush-off. But after Kakashi changed the subject, the three people he introduced caught her attention.

"Handsome guys!" the other personality in Sakura Haruno's mind shouted.

The Sunagakure trio, who were just about to leave, also glanced at Dōmeki and his companions.

After the expressionless Gaara's gaze swept over the three, a warning immediately sounded in his heart, but his body was also itching to move. None of these three are ordinary!

Temari's face flushed for a moment. Then she noticed the Otogakure Forehead Protectors on the three of them. Sensing her younger brother's rising fighting spirit, she hurriedly tried to stop him in a whisper. "They're from Otogakure. Avoid a conflict if you can!"

"But..."

Temari's eyes swept over the three again and finally settled on Dōmeki's face. An incredulous look appeared on her face.

Though a long time had passed and his appearance had changed, she could still recognize faint traces of her old impression in the contours of his face.

"Dōmeki Shun!"

The entire street instantly fell silent at the girl's murmur. Kankuro looked at her, then at the red-haired boy across from them, before asking in surprise,

"Big sis, you know that guy?"

Hearing her voice, Dōmeki calmly waved and smiled.

"Yo, Miss Temari. Long time no see!"