"Asuma was no good. I gave him a verbal lesson, but I barely got any rewards—just a little weapon proficiency..."
Kyoichi toyed with a kunai in his hand.
His kunai skills had improved considerably, and even his Sword Technique seemed to have risen slightly. But compared with the rewards Shisui had given him before, what Asuma offered this time really was not much.
Forget it.
It was better than nothing.
He created a clone and prepared to make something to eat.
At that moment, a figure shot into the courtyard.
"Kanda Kyoichi, the Third Hokage asked me to inform you that the Jonin Exam will be held five days from now, in the morning. Be sure to report to the Forest of Death then."
"Got it. Thanks!"
After Kyoichi bowed, the Anbu ninja vanished.
After the Anbu ninja left, he pondered for a long while as the many recent developments flashed through his mind.
"Most of the ninja have returned. It looks like the front lines are completely settled. Next, they may start the graduation tests."
"They're holding the Jonin Exam at a time like this. Konoha must be seriously short of team leaders."
During this period, most of Konoha's ninja had been fighting outside the village. There were barely any Genin left inside, and missions like catching pets, fetching water, and carrying firewood had piled up.
Besides, Genin casualties had been heavy, so they also needed a batch of newcomers to fill the gaps.
But...
Genin were not assigned to official teams immediately after graduation. They had to form four-person squads with a team leader.
Most teams were led by Chunin, but quite a few Jonin were needed as well—most Jonin still led the children of their clans.
That had always been an unspoken rule in Konoha.
But now...
Clearly, even Jonin were in short supply.
The Third Hokage might not know it, but Kyoichi understood perfectly well that after this brief period of peace, Konoha would soon go to war with Kirigakure and Iwagakure in succession.
In the dozen or so years since the Second Shinobi World War began, Konoha had barely had a chance to rest. By now, it was already showing signs of a shortage of successors.
No wonder that later, when Kumogakure directly abducted Hinata, the Third Hokage and the Hyuga Clan both chose to endure it.
Kyoichi understood them, but he did not agree.
Hizashi had died unjustly.
Moreover...
Konoha's current state was closely related to the governing strategies of the Third Hokage and Danzo.
Since the village was founded, the First Hokage had been the strongest, but that was due to Hashirama Senju's overwhelming strength. In terms of the village's prosperity, it had actually been at its peak during the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's term.
And what happened?
After Tobirama Senju died, Konoha was constantly embroiled in wars with other villages and kept declining.
Within Konoha, it could not even retain the Sannin.
Whose fault was that?
It could not possibly be the Uchiha's problem.
The Third Hokage's incompetence as a leader was beyond doubt.
Kanda Kyoichi prepared something delicious and mulled over his plans for the future as he ate.
Becoming a team leader had already been part of his plans.
As for what came after...
"In the wars with Kirigakure and Kumogakure, I need to earn more military merit. But more importantly, I need to befriend more people, so that I'll have the ability to fight back if Danzo ever comes after me."
Of course.
Orochimaru had enough strength and status, yet in the end, Danzo still drove him away.
That was because he himself was not clean!
So he could not leave behind any leverage.
With that thought, Kyoichi gained a clear understanding of his path forward, and all confusion vanished from his heart.
As for the present...
He still needed to train and improve himself.
"I don't have classes tomorrow. Perfect. I can go find Might Duy and Might Guy for some practice, build a rapport with them, and, if the timing is right, exchange notes on the Seven Heavenly Breathing Methods and the Eight Gates."
The next day.
New faces in ninja uniforms kept appearing throughout Konoha.
They were all ninja returning from the front lines.
Kyoichi paid them little attention. He ran along the outskirts to train, while a Shadow Clone at home tirelessly practiced Sword Technique.
His Sword Technique had improved considerably.
But...
It might still fall short in actual combat. At the very least, it was not as polished or direct as his other offensive methods.
He still had to keep practicing!
"Teacher Kanda, let's have a match!"
"Focus on your training."
Kyoichi did not take the bait.
Might Guy followed him for a while. Unable to hold back, he suddenly launched a flying kick at Kyoichi.
Kyoichi tilted his head and dodged.
Might Guy flew over his head, but at that very moment, a green blur charged rapidly from behind.
"Guy! You actually dared to launch a sneak attack on Teacher Kanda!"
Bam!
With a dull thud, Might Guy was kicked away and nearly crashed into a rock.
Might Duy had arrived.
The corner of Kyoichi's mouth twitched.
Although he had seen it once or twice before, he still found the personalities and conduct of Might Duy and Might Guy, father and son, somewhat difficult to get used to.
But considering how heavily Duy struck every time and how the boy was still fine, it was no wonder their line could master the Eight Gates—their ability to take a beating had been trained from childhood.
He ignored the father and son and continued running forward.
They would catch up anyway.
However.
After running a few steps, Kyoichi narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the woods.
Someone was watching him?
After sensing for a moment, he roughly understood.
That chakra...
Kakashi Hatake!
He kept running without revealing anything, pretending that he had not sensed Kakashi's presence.
After getting a little closer...
Suddenly, the bushes rustled.
The next moment, Kakashi appeared behind Kyoichi, pressing an unsheathed short blade against his neck.
"Hmph."
He was nothing special after all.
Just as Kakashi was about to lower his short blade, the Kanda Kyoichi before him slowly dissipated.
A clone?
Impossible!
When had he...
Kakashi's eyes widened. Though shocked, he reacted extremely quickly, leaping away at once. Even in midair, he formed hand seals and cast a ninjutsu.
An Earth Release ninjutsu!
After landing, he was about to burrow underground and move stealthily.
But...
He discovered that his ninjutsu had actually failed—
A layer of someone else's chakra covered the ground, blocking his Earth Release ninjutsu.
How impressive!
In that split second, his opponent had used a Body Flicker Technique that Kakashi could not discern to switch places with a clone. Then he had sealed the ground beneath Kakashi's feet with Earth Release chakra, preventing him from retreating.
This was a veteran of the battlefield.
At that moment...
Clang!
"As expected of Kakashi Hatake."
Kyoichi's kunai pressed against Kakashi's short blade.
In the blink of an eye, his opponent had rapidly analyzed the situation and made a decision. His reaction speed was truly impressive, and his strength was not weak either. If Kyoichi had not received his system enhancements, Kakashi would have defeated him at their very first exchange.
But...
The current Kyoichi was not afraid at all!
Under Kakashi's horrified gaze, Kyoichi directly seized his short blade.
Only then did Kakashi notice that Kyoichi's entire hand had turned black.
Hardening Technique?
No.
This was another Earth Release ninjutsu—Earth Spear!
He immediately tried to use Lightning Release chakra to break it, but his opponent's strength suddenly became terrifying. Kakashi could not hold on to the blade, and in an instant, his weapon was wrested away.
What frightening strength!
Looking at the short blade that had been taken from him, Kakashi knew he had been thoroughly defeated. If his opponent had been an enemy just now, he could have killed Kakashi with the kunai in his right hand.
How powerful!
His opponent was only six or seven years older than him, yet their strength was on entirely different levels.
What Kakashi found most unacceptable was this:
At the moment his blade had been taken, he had even felt that after another six or seven years, he still would not be a match for the man before him. He had never experienced such a crushing sense of defeat before.
No!
If he could use Lightning Release ninjutsu, then after a few more years of growth, he would definitely be able to defeat this man.
Kakashi clenched his fists and encouraged himself inwardly.
"Kakashi, I told you yesterday that you weren't his opponent. You actually came to challenge Brother Kanda again."
After Might Guy arrived, he mocked Kakashi unabashedly from the side.
However.
His own face was also bruised and swollen. Clearly, he had taken a fierce beating from Might Duy.
Thanks to 'Dieu Bang' and 'Angel Nan' for the rewards
Before you continue