The Pakkun Family

The morning breeze swept past, catching a leaf and sending it fluttering until it landed on the lake, stirring up ripples.

A few minutes passed, and within the field of vision, there was no one else besides Namikaze Minato, who was watching the show, and Might Guy, who was pinned underneath.

Kakashi frowned slightly and shouted toward a random direction, "Come out! I'll count to ten. If you don't show yourself, I'll kill your teammate, Might Guy."

As he spoke, Kakashi adjusted the angle of his short blade, the tip piercing into Might Guy's neck, breaking the skin and drawing a trickle of crimson blood.

A few seconds later, a voice drifted from an unknown location.

"Go ahead and do it. I believe Might Guy is prepared to sacrifice his life for the team. Executing a mission is a ninja's duty; to complete it, what is the loss of a mere life? Though Might Guy may lose his life, he will reap victory and honor. His spirit will live on in my heart forever, immortal."

Kakashi: "..."

How can such a person exist? Willing to sacrifice a teammate's life just to carry out a mission. Oh, wait, in the original plot, I also abandoned a teammate to choose the mission, and that was in actual combat. Never mind then.

"Ugh..."

The earnest Might Guy was moved to tears by Uchiha Mai's words. Uchiha Mai truly understands me! Was I really such a noble and important person? I will not allow myself to be captured by the enemy and become a bargaining chip to threaten my teammates!

Might Guy steeled his heart and thrust his neck forward against the blade, attempting to slit his own throat to relieve his teammate of any burden.

Holy crap, you're serious!?

Kakashi instinctively pulled the blade back a few inches, nearly forgetting that Might Guy was the type to take things too seriously; he might actually throw his life away over a training exercise. Just like Rock Lee in Shippuden, who burned through everything during the Chunin Exams, willing to be shattered to pieces just to defeat Gaara.

"Kakashi, do it! I, Might Guy, live with glory and die with greatness! For the victory of the team, what is the sacrifice of my one life?" Might Guy struggled incessantly, his face flushed red as he shouted, "Fire at me!"

Greatness my foot.

Kakashi couldn't help but rub his forehead in agony. It was just an internal team exercise; he couldn't actually kill Might Guy just to threaten Uchiha Mai into coming out. Even though training in Konoha during wartime was brutal, it wasn't so cruel that human life was treated as nothing.

Kakashi said indignantly, "Uchiha Mai, if this were a real battlefield, I would have already struck. Because of your cowardice, your teammate would have perished by my hand."

A few seconds later, another voice echoed from the woods.

"Tactical deduction requires assumptions, but blind assumptions are undesirable. You and I both know this is just an exercise, so you would never deal a fatal blow to Might Guy. At most, you'd beat him up or chop off his fingers or arms. That's fine, go ahead. Konoha's medical ninjas are highly skilled; they can reattach them easily. Conversely, if you know this is just an exercise and cannot threaten me, yet you still brutally maim Might Guy, and he suffers permanent damage or bleeds to death, that will be your responsibility."

Isn't this just moral kidnapping? Who doesn't know how to do that?

Namikaze Minato, watching from the sidelines, nodded slightly, then shook his head. Uchiha Mai knew this was just an exercise, so he ignored Kakashi's threats—a rational application of the rules. This flexible, cunning way of thinking was well-suited for a ninja lurking in the shadows. On the other hand, Uchiha Mai's indifference toward his captured teammate still made Minato feel a bit uncomfortable.

Kakashi gritted his teeth, but he had no way to deal with Uchiha Mai.

Before long, another voice came from the woods: "Kakashi, we can actually negotiate."

A glimmer of hope appeared. Kakashi asked, "How do you want to negotiate?"

"You stop the bleeding for Might Guy and use your chakra to temporarily set his muscles and bones. In return, I guarantee that I will never take the initiative to destroy the alarm clock."

Kakashi's mouth twitched, and he said speechlessly, "You call this a negotiation? Your teammate gets to keep his life, and all I get is your promise not to destroy the alarm clock. Even if the clock is broken, you still won't win. The conditions aren't equal."

"You and I both know you would never let Might Guy die here, nor do you want him to suffer any permanent damage. Besides, you want to win even more than I do, don't you?"

Kakashi remained silent for a long time before deciding to agree to Uchiha Mai's terms. When your opponent is despicable, cunning, and knows how to reasonably exploit the rules, it is best not to play games with him. Kakashi released his chakra, stimulating the cells around Might Guy's wound to stop the bleeding.

He then moved his fingers with lightning speed, weaving several hand seals before slamming his palm onto the ground. Chakra surged from his hand into the earth, tracing out an intricate, mystical formation.

Summoning Jutsu!

With a soft pop, a pug wearing a Konoha forehead protector leaped out of the summoning circle. It looked exactly like Pakkun, one of the eight ninja hounds belonging to Kakashi in Shippuden.

Uchiha Mai, hiding in the shadows, felt a flicker of confusion. This pug looked just like Pakkun—it was highly likely that it actually was him.

But do ninja hounds really live that long?

Furthermore, while this ninja hound resembled Pakkun, its build seemed slightly larger than the Pakkun seen in Shippuden.

After landing, the pug glanced left and right, then tilted its head up and asked, "Kakashi, do you need my help with something?"

Kakashi picked up the Shuriken that Uchiha Mai had thrown earlier, crouched down, and held it in front of the pug's nose. "Pakkun, I need you to help me track someone. He's hiding in the woods nearby."

As the saying goes, one should never enter a forest blindly; rushing in recklessly makes it difficult to find the enemy and leaves one vulnerable to ambushes from every direction.

However, if a ninja hound could lock onto the enemy's general location, the situation would change entirely, eliminating many of the uncertainties.

Pakkun, ninja hound Pakkun—how did he end up aging in reverse, shrinking in size by the time Shippuden rolled around?

Uchiha Mai felt a wave of doubt and shouted out, "Kakashi, what's your ninja hound's name?"

Why ask such a sudden question?

Though puzzled, Kakashi replied, "Pakkun. His full name is Benjamin Parker."

"Is his spouse named May Parker, and does he have a nephew named Peter Parker?" Uchiha Mai quipped.

Shocked. Ninja hound Pakkun was utterly shocked. His dog eyes filled with disbelief as he exclaimed, "How do you know that?"

Uchiha Mai: "..."

Ah, so that's how it is. It really is a crossover with Spider-Man.

Case closed. The ninja hound Pakkun from Shippuden must be this one's nephew.

Despite his astonishment, ninja hound Pakkun didn't forget the task at hand. He sniffed the Shuriken, locked onto the scent, and bolted off in a specific direction.