Wishing You Double Everything When You Buy Groceries!

Seeing Kakashi standing there blankly, memories flickering across his face as he looked at him, Wu Liang suppressed his goosebumps and said, "Kakashi-sensei, are you thinking about something inappropriate? Does this mean we passed the test?"

Just then, Sasuke and Naruto walked over from the woods and looked at Kakashi and Wu Liang. "What are you two doing? Aren't you fighting anymore?"

"Yo, yo, yo, Sasuke, look! There are four pieces of bell on the ground! That means all of us can graduate!" Naruto said with a grin.

Hearing Naruto's words, Sasuke noticed the shattered bells beneath Kakashi's feet as well. "So Ryo Senju won in the end? He can even beat a Jonin?"

"Oh, hahaha! A Liang, you've gotten even stronger! Even Kakashi-sensei wasn't your match?" Naruto had a big mouth. Hearing that, he immediately decided Kakashi had lost, though he did not seem to be wrong.

"Hehe, I only succeeded because Kakashi-sensei let his guard down. Kakashi-sensei didn't go all out," Wu Liang said smugly for once.

"Mm. A win is a win. There's no need to put yourself down. I did let my guard down, and that's unacceptable. If this were a battlefield, that mistake would have gotten me killed several times over. Get ready to eat lunch. Then tonight, we'll get together and celebrate the official formation of Team 7. Tomorrow, we'll really start taking missions," Kakashi said.

The four gathered around with their lunch boxes when Sasuke suddenly said, "Did we forget something?"

Naruto stuffed mouthful after mouthful of rice into his mouth. "Did we? Aren't we all here? Huh? Where's Sakura?"

"I knew it." Sasuke covered his forehead. "I was wondering why it felt like something was missing. We're still missing Sakura. Where did Sakura Haruno run off to?"

"Oh, Sakura Haruno? I tied her up behind that pillar from the very beginning. I thought you all knew," Kakashi said awkwardly.

After saying that, he hurried behind the large pillar where the alarm clock had been placed, brought back Sakura, who had been tied up tightly, and tore the tape off her mouth. "Ahaha, sorry, Sakura. I forgot about you. But you should work harder too. The other three are all so strong. You were the only one I caught, while they could fight me for quite a while."

Sakura Haruno no longer cared what Kakashi was saying. She had skipped dinner and breakfast last night, then been tied up by Kakashi for so long afterward. Right now, she only wanted to eat. Once untied, Sakura grabbed a lunch box and poured its contents into her mouth. She did not care about maintaining a ladylike image anymore. Whoever wanted that thing could pick it up.

Seeing Sakura wolfing down her food, Kakashi stopped talking. After all, she was a girl who had been treated like that. He had to let her vent a little.

While Sakura was eating, Kakashi seriously said to the little brats, "Let me summarize this exercise. Mm... Ryo Senju, Sasuke, and Naruto fully understood the answer to this exercise. That's right, it was teamwork. That was the answer that determined whether you passed. Other than Sakura, everyone worked together very well. Of course, I also made mistakes. I let her get so hungry that she became dizzy and had no strength left. But Ryo Senju secured your passing results by splitting the bells into four pieces. So, all of you passed."

The four nodded to show that they understood, then continued eating.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, Kakashi said, "All right, rest this afternoon. Tonight, Akimichi Barbecue. I'm treating everyone to barbecue. Dismissed."

After saying that, Kakashi used the Body Flicker Technique and left. Sakura, meanwhile, had eaten so much that her belly was swollen like a pregnant woman's. It could not be helped. Wu Liang and the other two had eaten breakfast, so they did not eat much. Everything left had gone into Sakura's stomach.

"Then I'll head back first. See you tonight." Sasuke left after saying that.

"We should get going too. Looking at Sakura, she can't make it home on her own. Naruto, go take her back," Wu Liang said to Naruto, glancing at Sakura lying on the ground.

"Got it! Mission guaranteed!" Naruto happily helped Sakura up and slowly left with her. Sakura did not accuse Naruto of taking advantage of her either. There was nothing she could do about it; she had lost control for a moment and eaten herself sick.

With Wu Liang's group having all gone home, Kakashi arrived at the Hokage's office and reported everything about the exercise to the Third Hokage.

After listening to Kakashi's report, the Third Hokage said, "So Naruto's strength is roughly between Genin and Chunin, but his Chakra reserves can rival a Jonin's. He simply can't bring out that fighting power. That Uchiha brat's strength is between Chunin and Elite Chunin, and his Chakra reserves match his strength. That civilian girl is a complete rookie. Ryo Senju's combat power is between Special Jonin and Elite Jonin, but his Chakra reserves are unknown? You couldn't detect them?"

Kakashi nodded. "That kid Ryo Senju is very strange. When he used that Konoha-Style Illusion Sword Art Secret Technique Ultimate Art: Phantom Flash, his Chakra surged to Elite Jonin level. But after it ended, I couldn't detect it again. Could it be because of his Sage body?"

The Third Hokage nodded thoughtfully. "You don't need to worry about his strength. I watched him train step by step. Over the past six years, aside from eating and sleeping, he spent almost every day training. Whenever I observed him with the Telescope Technique, he was refining Chakra. There is a reason for his strength."

Kakashi nodded. "Then what about his ninjutsu? Did he create that Secret Sword Art himself? To have such high talent in swordsmanship at such a young age is truly rare."

The Third Hokage looked at Kakashi, took a scroll from his drawer, and handed it to him. "That Illusion Sword Art was indeed derived from Konoha-Style Willow by himself, and it has already reached the level of an ultimate art. When Maruboshi Kosuke told me about it, I was shocked for a long time. But whenever I watched him practice swordsmanship, I no longer had any doubts. His swordsmanship has reached the point where he can unleash sword energy with every casual swing."

As Kakashi looked over the training methods recorded in the scroll and listened to the Third Hokage, he said, "Although his Konoha-Style Illusion Sword Art Secret Technique Ultimate Art: Phantom Flash can be separated into an A-rank genjutsu and sword technique, the genjutsu alone is impossible for anyone below Jonin level in spiritual power to train. Even if they managed to learn it, they could not use it as perfectly as he did. The sword technique is the same. The Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track recorded in the scroll is utterly baffling. Its force-generation techniques are so complex that many Jonin would be intimidated by them, let alone the Phantom Shadow Swordplay that works with the sword moves. How did he create this? No wonder he contributed it without hesitation. I'm afraid no one can train it. After all, it's too hard these days to find someone outstanding in both swordsmanship talent and spiritual power."

The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe and looked at Kakashi. "When I first received this Illusion Sword Art, Hayate Gekko was the first person I thought of. But after reading it, he said he couldn't train it. Still, the swordsmanship and genjutsu theories within benefited him tremendously. You were the second person I thought of, but for various reasons, I wasn't able to give it to you in time. Now that you've seen it, can you train it?"

Kakashi looked at the scroll, shook his head, and frowned. "No. Even though I watched him use it once, those unbelievable attack steps are far too exquisite. And what are those force-generation terms in the scroll supposed to mean? I understand 'shadowing one's target,' but what do 'unpredictable transformations,' 'the great staff moves forward,' 'one thunder, two flashes,' 'facing danger without retreat,' and 'avoiding it as one avoids filth' even mean? Are those even technical terms? Also, I don't really understand his genjutsu."

The Third Hokage sighed. "Sigh... I don't know how A Liang came up with those terms either. Even Maruboshi Kosuke, who trained in Konoha-Style Willow, couldn't explain them. And he bluntly said that even if someone could learn the genjutsu, it would be difficult to combine it with swordsmanship, because that required extremely high talent in swordsmanship."

After hearing that, Kakashi closed the scroll and returned it to the Third Hokage. "Then that concludes the mission report. Tomorrow, I'll bring them here to receive their first mission."

"Go."

After the Third Hokage spoke, Kakashi disappeared from the room.

After Kakashi left, Danzo's voice came from behind the Third Hokage. "Hiruzen, do you regret giving that little brat to me now?"

The Third Hokage's pen paused over the documents. "Why would I regret it? Haven't you seen that child's performance over these years? I don't believe you never sent Root ninja to investigate him. Although he's a little lazy by nature, he is passionate about training, has a good mindset, and feels a strong sense of belonging toward Konoha. What are you trying to say?"

Shimura Danzo's smiling expression froze. "What am I trying to say? This child is not simple. At only twelve, he already possesses strength that can rival a Jonin, and his swordsmanship talent is even more exceptional. People like that are the most dangerous. He will be difficult for Konoha to control. If he ever betrays the village one day, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"Betray the village? Why would he betray the village? Did you do something to wrong him, or take some dangerous action? Hmm, Danzo, I'm warning you. Don't you dare set your sights on A Liang. I know what you want to do, but you cannot touch A Liang. I'll say it again: if you dare touch him, I'll make sure you regret it." The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, turned around and looked calmly at Danzo. Though his tone was forceful, his face became increasingly calm, making it impossible for Danzo to tell what the Third Hokage was thinking. But the faint anger flashing in the Third Hokage's eyes prevented Danzo from acting rashly. After all, he had no confidence in defeating the Third Hokage. He never had, and even after obtaining a pair of Sharingan, he still did not.

"Enough. I need to deal with these documents. Leave. If I discover any unusual movements from you, you know the consequences. The final line in my heart is that my teacher's descendants cannot be touched. I know there is already one within your Root, but don't let them out to do anything foolish. Otherwise..." The Third Hokage stared hard at Danzo, his meaning unmistakable.

"Hmph. You'll regret this." Uneasy under the Third Hokage's gaze, Danzo snorted coldly to conceal his panic and left the Hokage's office.

That night, Kakashi took the four of them to Akimichi Barbecue for a celebration. There, he learned that Wu Liang and Naruto's reputations as huge eaters were well deserved. Looking at the bill, he could only pay through tears. I need to stay far away from those two in the future. They can eat way too damn much.

If Wu Liang knew what he was thinking, he would definitely spit in his face. Could they compare to Hinata when it came to eating? Hinata was a super glutton who could eat dozens of bowls of ramen. Wu Liang's appetite was nothing to her.

Early the next morning, Kakashi was unusually not late. The five entered the Hokage's office together, and Kakashi officially received his first D-rank mission as a team leader: clean up the garbage in the small river.

Looking at the mission sheet, Kakashi asked, "Third Hokage-sama, why is everyone else only responsible for one kilometer, while we have to handle the downstream section with the most garbage? And for two kilometers at that?"

Hearing this, Wu Liang and the other four also looked at the Third Hokage with displeased expressions, waiting for his explanation.

"Mm, well..." The Third Hokage exhaled a smoke ring and muttered, "After all, there are five of you, and one of you failed the exams for six consecutive years."

After hearing the Third Hokage's words, Wu Liang could not hold back any longer and shouted, "You— I wish your wife and family get double everything whenever they buy groceries!"

Watching Wu Liang and the Third Hokage trade insults, Kakashi rubbed his forehead with a headache. Ryo Senju really starts arguing with the Third Hokage regardless of the occasion. I have a bad feeling about this.