Kakashi's Proposal

After hearing what Naruto said, Kakashi didn't respond right away.

He slowly got to his feet, brushed the dust off his clothes, and sighed inwardly once more.

"This style, so much like Minato-sensei and Kushina, is really hard to deal with."

Then Kakashi looked over the calm Naruto, the utterly baffled Sasuke, and Sakura. Though they couldn't see his expression beneath his mask, they could tell from his slightly curved eyes that he was clearly smiling with delight.

Kakashi turned to Naruto first, speaking with rare frankness. "You're absolutely right. I have to admit, whether it's strength, observation skills, or even... the ability to gather information, you're top-notch."

At least, given what Kakashi knew, the only reason Naruto could see through everything about him was that he'd done a great deal of information gathering in private.

It couldn't be anything more outlandish than that.

In the end, Kakashi gave Naruto a thumbs-up and announced, "Congratulations to every member of Team 7 on graduating. And Naruto, you did it—you cleanly snatched the bells from me and graduated alongside Sakura and Sasuke."

"All right!"

Those words made Sakura, who'd been on edge the whole time, jump with joy. Her face showed that she felt exhausted despite having done nothing, but was still thrilled to have graduated.

Whatever. She'd graduated, and she'd get to go on missions with Sasuke...

How could she not cheer at such a wonderful thing?

"Naruto..."

Sasuke gazed at Naruto, his eyes narrowing slightly.

His feelings were too complicated to put into words.

There was no jealousy, no resentment.

Sasuke knew better than anyone that the gap between his strength and Naruto's wasn't small.

But strangely, he didn't feel defeated by it. Instead, he felt... reassured?

Naruto was willing to train him and help him grow stronger. That mattered more than anything.

The path of revenge seemed a little brighter now, too.

At the thought, Sasuke let out a soft breath, and his clenched fist relaxed before he even realized it.

"Well, since you've all graduated without a hitch, don't look so glum," Kakashi said with a smile, especially glancing at Sasuke and Naruto. "Starting tomorrow, Team 7 will officially begin taking missions."

"Since we've got a mission tomorrow, I'll head back and train."

Sasuke gave a cold snort and turned to leave.

He'd never admit that he was a little sulky because he hadn't had a chance to do anything today.

He'd almost mastered the knowledge Naruto had taught him over the past two days, but he still needed to practice more.

"Sasuke-kun, wait for me."

Sakura hurried after him, her cheeks flushed as she wondered whether to take the opportunity to ask Sasuke out on a date.

Though she'd probably just get rejected again.

"Naruto."

After Sasuke and Sakura had walked away, Kakashi spoke up, his tone more serious than before. "You really are amazing."

"It's nothing, Teacher Kakashi. Once you've been through enough, you naturally understand a lot of things."

Naruto just smiled and replied lightly.

Then he put his hands behind his head and walked away with an easy stride.

Left alone, Kakashi stood there and shook his head with a quiet laugh. "At your age, how much could you possibly have been through..."

Hokage Building.

After a busy morning, the Third Hokage had spent two and a half hours at work. He'd been about to use the Telescope Technique to check on how Kakashi's test was going.

But then Iruka suddenly knocked and came in.

He'd come to ask about Naruto's Jonin Instructor.

Kakashi and Iruka were old acquaintances, but they hadn't seen each other in years. Besides, the missions Kakashi handled were mostly classified, so it was only natural for Iruka, a Chunin teacher, not to know much about him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi found Iruka a little irritating and thought he was worrying too much, but he still wore a genial smile.

After all, during the Mizuki incident, Naruto had gone to Iruka first—not to him, the Hokage.

The Third Hokage understood the significance of that subtle difference.

At last, after seeing Iruka off, Hiruzen was about to use the Telescope Technique when Kakashi suddenly appeared in his office.

"Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen was slightly taken aback. So much time had already passed.

"Oh? Kakashi..."

Hiruzen asked, "Well? Do you think that child Naruto... can become a shinobi who carries on the Will of Fire?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment, then answered, "Yes, I think he can. In fact, I believe Naruto might surpass Minato-sensei in the future."

"That's quite a high opinion of him."

Hiruzen looked surprised.

"His performance today far exceeded my expectations. But I actually came here to propose something else."

The Third Hokage's expression settled into its usual composure, and he nodded. "Go ahead. Knowing you, you wouldn't come to see me in person unless it was important."

"I used to be unable to escape the shadows of Obito, Rin, and my teacher and his wife. Now I've moved on, so I'd like to propose a plan."

"What kind of plan?"

"Historically, graduating from the Ninja Academy was enough to prove that someone was ready to become a Genin."

"The bell test conducted by a Jonin Instructor was mainly meant to get to know the students and assess their fundamentals. But I took it upon myself to add a hidden test, forcing them to understand teamwork under extreme circumstances..."

Kakashi looked firmly at the Third Hokage and continued, "That was a mistake on my part, but I did it to prevent more tragedies."

"So I think we should make the importance of teamwork and cooperation clear to students at an earlier stage—perhaps during daily classes at the Ninja Academy, graduation exams, or even the Jonin Instructor tests. That way, we can prevent more deaths in advance."

There was no denying that the Academy taught a lot about teamwork, but it mostly focused on how to carry it out in practice.

For instance, when protecting a client or an important person, they could use a diamond formation or another formation.

Or, when traveling, how to maintain their formation on the move.

But they never truly told students how important teamwork and their comrades were.

These were truths Obito had taught Kakashi with his life.

So Kakashi thought Naruto was right: newly graduated Genin shouldn't have to guess.

Instead, the idea should be openly promoted, changing the current system so that all students and shinobi understood it.

Then, if someone else faced a situation like his father's, they wouldn't take their own life.

If he'd understood these truths back then, he wouldn't have been so stubborn, missed his best chance to save Rin, and let Obito die...

"About this..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly, still wearing a gentle smile. But deep in his eyes, a flicker of disappointment was impossible to miss.

He'd thought Kakashi was finally going to offer some constructive tactical advice or propose a mission reform.

So that was all...

Seeing no major change in Hiruzen's expression, Kakashi repeated, "Lord Hokage, this is truly important, just like Lady Tsunade's proposal to add a Medical Ninja to every squad."

"I understand. I'll consider it."

Hiruzen put on an expression that suggested he would certainly do it.

Inwardly, though, he impatiently urged Kakashi to hurry up and leave.

Kakashi bowed solemnly. "I'm counting on you, Lord Hokage."

"All right. Go get some rest."

Hiruzen smiled as he watched Kakashi leave.

After the door closed, Hiruzen rose from his chair and slowly walked to the window. He gazed down at Konoha's bustling streets in the sunshine, his expression gradually growing more solemn.

In his heart, a shinobi should put missions first and take pride in the village.

The lives of shinobi?

Teamwork?

Those things mattered, of course, but ultimately, they were insignificant.

The Will of Fire, in the end, meant burning for Konoha.

Kakashi, you're still too naive...

Just like your father was.