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Gaara Entered the Village, Like Granny Liu Visiting the Grand View Garden!
In Tsukuyomi Space, everyone had just agreed with Minato's statement.
Kakashi had trauma related to Orochimaru, but that was because he had been afraid of Orochimaru when he was young. Now, however, Kakashi had grown into a top-tier ninja.
So Kakashi should not have been afraid of Orochimaru anymore.
Then all he had to do was defeat Orochimaru in the Genjutsu.
Orochimaru = fear.
Defeat fear.
Thus, the psychological trauma would be cured.
But...
"Ah..." Kakashi in Tsukuyomi Space was directly crushed with one hand by the Orochimaru conjured by Kitahara Kaede.
He let out an incomparably agonized scream.
The sheer misery of the sound moved even the Senju brothers and Izuna, who had been locked in a brawl until then.
What was even more terrifying was that although the previous Kakashi had just been crushed, the scene quickly shifted to an identical new one.
Little Kakashi's eyes widened in terror.
Yet the Orochimaru conjured by Kitahara Kaede once again seized his throat with one hand.
"Ah..." Kakashi cried out in pain again.
And so it went.
Over and over.
After Kakashi had been crushed five times, with a new scene appearing each time and the cycle repeating, the Orochimaru conjured by Kitahara Kaede finally spoke.
"You harbor fear toward Orochimaru."
"Normally, there are two solutions."
"One gentle method is for you to defeat Orochimaru."
"The other is for you to encounter something even more terrifying than Orochimaru. That way, even if you truly encounter Orochimaru again, you will realize that you are no longer afraid of him."
"Because compared to this, the Orochimaru you see again will not be dangerous at all!" Kitahara Kaede said.
"Ah..." Kakashi was being crushed again at that moment.
What he was actually thinking was, since there were two methods, couldn't he just experience the gentler one?
Why use such a painful, withdrawal-like method?
Observing Kitahara Kaede? (^_- ) Small Group
Hashirama Senju: This guy is terrifying.
Tobirama Senju: Uh... I misjudged him too.
Might Guy: Isn't that a little too terrifying?
Unmarriageable Older Single Woman: Good thing we did not become enemies with him.
Minato Namikaze: Fifth Mizukage, are you online?
Unmarriageable Older Single Woman: Mm, I have already arranged for Kirigakure's Genin to take the exams. Of course I can come online.
Unmarriageable Older Single Woman: But I think Kitahara's plan is actually quite good.
Unmarriageable Older Single Woman: Kakashi was still young when he faced Orochimaru, and now he has grown up and become stronger. But Orochimaru has become stronger too, right?
Unmarriageable Older Single Woman: So what Kitahara is simulating now is a level of cruelty that even an enhanced, stronger Orochimaru could not achieve.
Unmarriageable Older Single Woman: After experiencing ultimate cruelty, even if Orochimaru appears before Kakashi again, he will not need to be afraid.
Unmarriageable Older Single Woman: Because the real Orochimaru is not as cruel as this.
Brother of Hashirama Senju: I see. Still, Kakashi is having a miserable time.
Brother of Hashirama Senju: He clearly has the Mangekyō Sharingan too, but... it seems completely ineffective.
Izuna had died too early, and the Sharingan's abilities had not been fully developed, so he did not know much about the Sharingan.
But he understood one thing now... even members of the Uchiha were not as skilled at using the Sharingan as Kitahara Kaede.
Might Guy: Ah... I'll pray for Kakashi.
Might Guy: But will Kakashi's body be injured by this kind of Genjutsu?
Tobirama Senju: It probably will not be harmed. But as for his mind...
Tobirama did not finish, but everyone's view continued onward. They saw more than a dozen additional little scenes where Kakashi was nearly strangled to death.
On average, there was one little scene every ten seconds.
In other words, Kakashi experienced near-death once every ten seconds on average—six times a minute.
"..."
He really was miserable.
Fortunately, everyone discovered that only ten minutes remained of today's three-hour observation period for Kitahara Kaede.
So they had entered Tsukuyomi Space as well, meaning they only needed to watch for ten minutes.
But once today's Small Group closed, no one knew how much longer Kakashi would have to endure.
Kakashi was dazed.
Kakashi was dazed.
"Teacher Kakashi!"
"Kakashi!"
In his daze, Kakashi heard someone calling his name.
"Kakashi..." Then Kitahara Kaede appeared before his eyes and raised his hand.
"Ah!" Kakashi instantly jolted awake.
He opened his eyes and found himself in the familiar Konoha Hospital, staring at the hospital ceiling.
But...
"I feel like... I went through something, but I forgot it." Kakashi said as he pushed away the blanket.
He felt as though he had lost a portion of his memories.
He saw that all three students from Team 7 were there too.
"What happened to me?" Kakashi asked.
"After we finished training, we saw you collapsed by the roadside, so we brought you to Konoha Hospital," Naruto said.
"Oh—" Kakashi drew out the sound.
"Then how much time has passed?"
"You were lying there for two days!" Naruto said. "Teacher Kakashi, hurry and find the Third Hokage!"
"Huh?" Kakashi was confused.
"Tomorrow is the final registration deadline for the Chunin Ninja Exams. We went to the Ninja Academy to register, but newly graduated Genin need their Jonin Instructor to sign a guarantee before they can participate."
"They said it was some measure to protect newbies," Naruto said nervously.
He wanted recognition. He wanted... to prove that he could be a ninja.
He wanted those who hated him and looked down on him to shut up.
So he needed the stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams.
So Kakashi falling behind meant he was holding them back.
"I almost forgot." Kakashi hurriedly stood up, but when he looked at Kitahara Kaede again, he found his legs trembling.
???
Why?
He felt especially afraid of Kitahara Kaede.
Yet at the same time, he felt like he was no longer afraid of anything.
It was a very subtle feeling.
After Kakashi went to register, the students of Team 7 walked through the streets.
They were not planning to train today.
Or rather, Sasuke and Naruto were usually the ones training, while Kitahara Kaede watched from the side.
But perhaps because the Chunin Ninja Exams were approaching, more and more Genin candidates from other ninja villages were arriving in Konoha.
"So this is Konoha of the Five Great Ninja Villages—"
"It really is huge."
"And its boundaries are clearly defined. There is only one gate for both entry and exit."
"Even the gatekeepers are Chunin."
"It truly has strength."
Three people dressed like Sunagakure ninja approached from ahead.
Then they stopped.
Kitahara Kaede's team stopped as well.
"It seems the Hidden Leaf Village does not just have strength... its people are quite handsome too."
The speaker was from—
"Men really are nice..."
Her tone was teasing, but her cheeks were slightly flushed as well.
This was Temari, the beautiful girl of Sunagakure who had not seen much of the world.
Thus, this Sunagakure team was naturally the group of the Fourth Kazekage's three children from the poor little village of Sunagakure—Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara.
"He really is a good-looking man!"
"He looks quite strong too."
"I'll test him." Gaara was the youngest of the three, yet he radiated a dangerous aura.
The corners of his mouth slowly split into a smile.
Then Gaara, carrying a gourd on his back, suddenly vanished from beside Temari and Kankuro. With a raised hand, he appeared before Team 7.
Boom!
However, Sasuke and Naruto moved in perfect sync, attacking together and sending Gaara flying with a combined punch.
P.S. Let me recommend three completed books by a friend.
[Comprehensive Anime: Signing In to The Quintessential Quintuplets at the Start]
[Comprehensive Anime Daily Life: I Have a Converter]
[Comprehensive Anime: Adopting Anime Characters at the Start]
They are all million-word comprehensive anime novels, with no ghostwriting. Truly conscientious work.
Before you continue