"Teacher Kakashi, you... lost."
Naruto's voice was soft, but everyone's expression shifted.
Sasuke and Sakura were completely stunned by his words. They looked at each other, confusion written all over their faces.
What Teacher Kakashi had said just now had sounded perfectly reasonable.
He had even convinced them both.
The ninja world was imperfect, and its rules were cruel.
Why had Naruto suddenly said Teacher Kakashi had lost?
At Naruto's words, Kakashi didn't get angry. Instead, he seemed even more intrigued. "Oh? How did I lose?"
"Teacher Kakashi, first of all..." Naruto spoke at an unhurried pace, looking straight at him. "You and I aren't taking part in some debate where whoever persuades the other wins and gets what they want."
"I'm simply questioning the rules you made. They're unfair, and they'll cause many students who should have graduated without trouble to suffer through more unnecessary 'hardship' instead of useful training."
"Secondly..." A maturity far beyond his years showed in Naruto's blue eyes, as if he could see right through Kakashi. "We both know why you set rules like these: because of the painful past you can't erase and the regret you can't let go of."
"And the questions I asked just now have already addressed the real source of that regret."
Naruto paused briefly, watching Kakashi's reaction.
After countless cycles, he knew Kakashi all too well.
The conflict in Teacher Kakashi's heart, his pain, the kindness buried deep inside him...
Kakashi looked calm on the surface, but the faint shifts in his eyes didn't escape Naruto.
"My first question made you realize that you'd always thought sending Genin who didn't understand teamwork back to repeat the year was the responsible thing to do."
"But in truth, that wouldn't change anything. Those who were meant to be sacrificed would still be sacrificed. The only difference would be whether they died because of you, and whether they died in front of you."
"But you're not a cold, heartless person, Teacher."
"So your so-called 'personal standards' were more like a way of confirming what I really thought—or a 'test'?"
Nothing like this had happened in any of the previous cycles.
Naruto wasn't sure what would happen next, but that didn't stop him from making this guess based on his countless past experiences.
He had reached this conclusion after observing Kakashi closely through countless cycles.
"You've already realized that the only way to reduce ninja casualties at their source and keep past regrets from happening again is to make teamwork an explicit part of the assessment for all Genin—and require every Jonin Instructor to enforce it."
In a sense, Naruto had cheated.
He had been through too many cycles. He'd long since figured out what was truly in Kakashi's heart.
He knew what Kakashi wanted, what he lacked, and what he really hoped to do.
That was why every word Naruto said struck the deepest vulnerable spot in Kakashi's heart.
That was why Naruto had started by saying, "Teacher Kakashi, you lost."
After hearing Naruto out, Sasuke and Sakura fell into a long silence, their hearts shaken.
Kakashi, too, stood frozen, as if he was about to say something...
But Naruto didn't give him the chance.
"Lastly..."
Before Naruto could finish, he suddenly sprang into motion, charging toward Kakashi.
This time, he was several times faster than he'd been during their fight.
This was the true extent of what Naruto could do with his still-growing body—power pushed close to its limits.
Even Kakashi, who wasn't using his Sharingan, couldn't react in time.
Kakashi saw a blur, and Naruto was already right in front of him.
A powerful sense of danger flashed through Kakashi's mind.
So fast?
Had Naruto been holding back just now?
Kakashi had no time to think. He struck back on instinct.
But Naruto easily countered every move Kakashi made, as if he could predict them in advance.
A few seconds later, Naruto slammed Kakashi to the ground with a sharp kick.
Then Naruto pinned Kakashi's arms down with his knees and pressed a cold Kunai to his throat.
"Lastly, to continue what we were talking about, I'd like to add something." Naruto's calm voice came from above Kakashi. "You're right, Teacher Kakashi. The ninja world is cruel. An enemy won't stop killing or abandon their beliefs just because I talk them into it."
"But the same goes for Genin who already have the skills to graduate."
"As 'Genin' who've been judged competent by the academy in every regard, they should already be prepared to die on the battlefield. You shouldn't be the one to unilaterally declare them 'unqualified' and make them leave the academy."
"Then they can graduate under another Jonin Instructor with the exact same skills, only to die anyway..."
"And the same goes for me."
"Why do I have to persuade my enemies? And if I do have to persuade them, why shouldn't I knock them flat first? After that, even if I talk complete nonsense, won't they have to agree?"
"Just like now."
With that, Naruto put away the Kunai and slowly stood up. He looked down at Kakashi, who was still half-sprawled on the ground, his face full of disbelief.
Sunlight fell from behind Naruto.
"Teacher Kakashi, maybe you could propose it to the Third Hokage."
"Just as Lady Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, proposed that any four-man squad sent on a long-term mission behind enemy lines be required to have a Medical Ninja, greatly reducing Konoha Ninja casualties during missions—you could completely change Konoha's Genin selection and team assessment systems."
"Konoha needs reform. Starting with this unforgettable survival exercise wouldn't be a bad idea."
Kakashi just stared blankly at Naruto.
It was nearly noon. The dazzling sunlight streamed down from behind Naruto.
Kakashi looked up and saw only a figure wreathed in light, its face almost impossible to make out.
For an instant...
Kakashi thought he saw the true Yellow Flash.
In that brief moment of dazed confusion, he mistook the blond boy before him for his former teacher.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
No...
Maybe Naruto shone even brighter than Minato-sensei.
Kakashi couldn't help thinking so.
After this survival exercise, all four members of Team 7 had changed deep down.
Sakura would never again think of Naruto as the dead-last who foolishly followed her around.
Sasuke was more convinced than ever that only Naruto could truly make him stronger.
And their newly assigned Jonin Instructor?
Irrelevant.
Kakashi, too, finally understood what Naruto's words really meant.
That was right...
He shouldn't keep drowning in the shadows of the past.
It was time to move on and look ahead.
For example, he could do what Naruto had suggested.
He could propose reforms to the Third Hokage, preventing past tragedies at their source instead of deliberately making things difficult for newly graduated Genin from his position as a Jonin Instructor.
At the same time, Naruto became more certain that Sasuke was right.
Not the Sasuke of the present.
He meant the Sasuke from his first life, the one who had told him during their second battle at the Valley of the End, "This ninja world needs reform."
Why had every cycle begun anew in the sixty-eighth year of Konoha?
Because everything Naruto had done in the previous cycles—including stopping wars, changing major events, and even reviving the dead—had only brought change on the surface. He had never touched the rotten system at the very heart of the ninja world.
In this cycle, Naruto intended to change the entire ninja world from the ground up, and make those outdated, merciless systems a thing of the past.
Maybe even that wouldn't break the endless cycle of reincarnation.
But at least...
Everything Naruto did in this cycle was based on Orochimaru's advice, and on reconsidering countless details from the past.
Even if he still ended up trapped in another cycle,
Naruto would have no regrets.
Before you continue