"What's wrong with Kakashi-sensei? He looked like he was in a lot of pain when he left," Naruto asked, puzzled by how badly Kakashi seemed to want to get away.
"Thanks to your Shadow Clone, the medicine got on his skin. But don't worry, it'll just make him feel itchy. He'll be fine after a bath," Nanfeng said casually.
He knew exactly what his homemade medicine could do. Unfortunately, Konoha's medical ninjas were so weak. If he could get guidance from Tsunade or Shizune, today's battle would've been much easier.
"Heh, doesn't that just prove we work well together?" Naruto said, scratching his head.
"Enough. Let's hurry up and review the battle. If we can improve our tactics, today's result might've been better." As a training maniac, Sasuke had quickly spotted the flaws in their performance.
Nanfeng agreed. The three of them draped their arms over each other's shoulders and headed to their usual training spot. Their review of the day's battle might take a very long time!
After half a day of discussion, they reached one conclusion: Jonin were far beyond them in both combat ability and experience. Naruto's Shadow Clones might not have much chakra, but they were just as strong as the original.
Naruto was confident he could knock a Chunin flat with one punch. But against Kakashi, it had no effect at all!
"And most importantly, we didn't even see his trump card today. He still hasn't used that hidden Sharingan," Nanfeng sighed. All things considered, he had too few abilities at his disposal. He'd only managed to spot Kakashi's location at the end thanks to the Sharingan (Modified).
Fortunately, Kakashi had examined Nanfeng's eyes up close and hadn't realized they were a special ocular technique.
"Why does he have a Sharingan?" Sasuke asked, somewhat surprised. Plenty of people in the ninja world coveted the Sharingan, but this was the first time he'd seen one in someone else's possession.
"Think about his titles: Konoha's Great Latecomer and Copy Ninja Kakashi. It must be a keepsake from a former teammate, entrusted to him along with their will. They say that after that, he became someone who valued his teammates above all else. He should be someone we can trust," Nanfeng said with a sigh.
If Kakashi knew that Obito was still alive and had become the big boss of the ninja world, Nanfeng wondered how he'd react. But when he thought of how they had awakened their Sharingan, he fell silent.
"Valuing your teammates... I value you two, too," Sasuke murmured.
"Don't worry. If either of you stops valuing your teammates, I'll punish you," Nanfeng said. "The most important thing for a ninja, in my opinion, is to cherish their comrades. People who disregard the rules are called trash in the ninja world. But if they don't value their comrades, they're even worse than trash!"
As soon as Nanfeng finished speaking, someone behind them began to clap. The three turned around in confusion and were surprised to see Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Of course, Nanfeng's surprise was an act. He'd said those things because he'd sensed Hiruzen's approach.
"Nanfeng is right. Ninjas are people, too. If someone can't cherish the companions by their side, they can hardly be considered part of the human race. Kakashi reported your battle to me. You did very well. And Nanfeng, it seems your medicine hasn't improved much?" the Hokage said, watching him with an amused smile.
Nanfeng felt awkward. He'd made the Itchy Powder, and the Hokage had been the first to try it. It had been an accident, but it had still kept Nanfeng on edge for quite a while.
"The people at the hospital could only teach me so much. I haven't studied medicine very diligently, either. I still have to make time to train every day. If I had another teacher later on, maybe I could make a breakthrough," Nanfeng said honestly.
"I wonder what the old Hokage wants with us today," Naruto asked curiously. He didn't have much respect for the Hokage. After all, this was the guy who'd scribbled all over Hokage Rock. Did anyone really expect him to show respect?
Dream on. And because Hiruzen felt guilty about Naruto, he was especially tolerant of him about things like this.
"I came to congratulate you. I visited the other teams, too. This isn't a privilege reserved for you," the Hokage explained with a smile. "Life as a ninja will get harder from here, but your first missions should be fairly simple. I hope you'll adapt to the rhythm of a ninja's life soon. After all..."
The Hokage seemed to think he'd said too much. He stopped, sighed, and turned to leave.
"Lord Hokage!" Nanfeng called as Hiruzen started to walk away.
"Hm?" The Hokage turned back, looking puzzled. He didn't know if Nanfeng had something else to say.
"Nothing. I just wanted to thank you," Nanfeng said sincerely. He understood why the Hokage had shown up: to warn someone who was watching them from the shadows.
With the Hokage looking out for them, no matter what Danzo had in mind, he could only hold back for the time being.
The Hokage smiled and patted Nanfeng on the shoulder, then left as Naruto and Sasuke watched in confusion. Were those two speaking in riddles?
Nanfeng didn't explain. It wasn't time yet. For now, they should enjoy what little free time they had...
"This is so dull. Are we really ninjas, just here to catch cats for other people?" A few days later, Nanfeng had had enough of Genin missions. They were either pulling weeds or babysitting, and today they even had to catch someone's cat!
But when he saw how the cat's owner petted it, Nanfeng suddenly understood why the cat kept running away.
"You're Genin. Aren't these the kinds of missions Genin do? If you want higher-ranked missions, gain more experience. Once you become Chunin, you can start living the kind of ninja life you imagined," Kakashi said irritably.
He was actually enjoying life lately. No fighting, just watching them carry out missions every day. He'd also get to finish reading the Icha Icha Paradise he'd fallen behind on. This really was...
A life like paradise!
Before you continue