Hatake Kakashi

Konohagakure, Third Training Ground.

A young man with long white hair, a black mask, his left eye covered by a forehead protector, and dressed in a black tactical bodysuit under a green jounin vest, stood with his hands in his pockets. He looked at the three students in front of him who looked like mere extras, having just graduated from the Ninja Academy, and said indifferently.

"I am your supervising jounin, Hatake..."

"You're Kakashi-sensei, right?" Extra A interrupted him with an impatient look.

"Let's skip the pleasantries and just get started!"

Heh...

These brats.

Kakashi's expression didn't change as he continued, "The test I'm having you participate in has a failure rate of 66%..."

A moment later, Kakashi looked coldly at the bickering trio of extras, who were already on the verge of turning on each other. A flicker of unpleasant memories seemed to pass through his eyes.

"All of you fail!"

Kakashi's gaze was icy as he looked down at the incredulous trio.

"Go back to the Ninja Academy and start over!"

"But..." Extra B wanted to argue, but under Kakashi's chilling stare, he ultimately swallowed his words.

Although Kakashi hadn't intentionally released any pressure, the vast chasm in status and strength between them left him afraid to say anything more.

The trio of extras walked away dejectedly, and the sound of them blaming and complaining to each other continued to reach Kakashi's ears as they retreated.

Kakashi sighed inwardly, tilted his head slightly, and said calmly toward a patch of woods, "You've been watching for a long time; you can come out now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sasuke stepped out from the hidden thicket.

Sasuke, the younger brother of Uchiha Itachi?

Seeing who it was, Kakashi narrowed his eyes but didn't speak.

"Sorry, I was training here earlier. According to the rules, I should have left long ago during your test."

Sasuke explained with a calm expression.

"But because I saw that the proctor was a senior, I couldn't help but stay and observe for a while out of curiosity."

"You know me?"

Hearing this, Kakashi was slightly surprised; he and Sasuke should have never met before.

"Yes." Sasuke nodded, his tone devoid of any emotion. "The reputation of the Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi, is something I've heard my father mention often. He said that senior Kakashi is even better at using the Sharingan than many members of the Uchiha clan, truly living up to your name as the most renowned genius ninja of that era."

Kakashi was silent for a moment before saying, "Clan Leader Fugaku probably didn't just say those things, did he?"

"Of course! Father also mentioned other things regarding senior Kakashi."

As I thought!

Kakashi mused to himself.

He wasn't an Uchiha, yet he possessed a Sharingan. One must know that every ninja clan guards its Kekkei Genkai and secret techniques jealously, strictly forbidding them from leaking out.

It stood to reason that the Uchiha clan leader hadn't said anything good about him when mentioning him to Sasuke previously.

Is Sasuke appearing before me now to express his dissatisfaction because I transplanted Obito's Sharingan?

Though he suspected as much, Kakashi had no intention of handing over the Sharingan just because of Sasuke's resentment.

Because this was a memento left to him by Obito, carrying the promise he made to his best friend.

Even though he had broken that promise...

But contrary to Kakashi's expectations, Sasuke didn't express any dissatisfaction with him possessing the Sharingan, instead saying something else.

"Father said that although senior Kakashi is not an Uchiha, the fact that you possess a Sharingan means that, according to the rules, it should be reclaimed. However, because Father heard that the Uchiha in question was extremely heroic in his final battle and that senior Kakashi was his best friend, Father ultimately chose to respect his final wishes and suppressed some of the voices within the clan."

Sasuke said calmly, inadvertently offering a favor.

"Is that so?"

Kakashi touched the forehead protector covering his left eye, a look of reminiscence in his gaze.

The fact that he possessed Obito's Sharingan had caused quite a stir in Konohagakure, though for some reason, it had suddenly died down later. He had assumed it was because of his teacher.

But judging by Sasuke's words, the late Uchiha clan leader had also played a very important role in that.

"Thank you."

Kakashi wanted to say more, but in the end, it just turned into those two simple words.

Sasuke didn't continue the discussion on that topic, instead looking in the direction where the trio had left and asking, "Actually, the strength and skills of those three were already enough for them to become ninjas. Why did you fail them, senior Kakashi?"

"Because they lack the spirit of teamwork and do not understand the meaning of comrades."

Perhaps because Sasuke's previous words had an effect, Kakashi was clearly more talkative.

"And those who do not cherish their comrades are not qualified to be ninjas. Even if they barely manage to become one, those who only think about completing missions without understanding the value of a team and their comrades will eventually cause an irreversible catastrophe."

Just like I once did...

A look of sorrow flashed through Kakashi's eyes, and he added a silent sentence to himself.

"Indeed, for a ninja, teamwork is still very important."

As if he hadn't noticed the change in Kakashi's expression, Sasuke nodded earnestly.

"Since Kakashi-senpai values teamwork so much, I imagine you must have been someone who deeply cherished your comrades in the past."

Hearing this, a bitter smile tugged at the corners of Kakashi's mouth beneath his mask, and he said softly, "On the contrary, I was not."

"Hmm!" Sasuke gave a light nod and smiled, "In that case, it seems your teacher, the Fourth Hokage, was truly as the rumors say—a gentle, easygoing, and understanding teacher."

"My teacher was indeed an exceptional person; it was he who taught me the meaning of comrades."

Kakashi nodded, acknowledging Sasuke's words, but unexpectedly, Sasuke shifted the tone of the conversation and continued, "Kakashi-senpai, you eliminated your students at the starting line just because they lacked the spirit of teamwork."

"Yet, in comparison, Lord Fourth did not eliminate you back then just because you didn't understand teamwork; instead, he led by example and used his own actions to help you understand the meaning of comrades."

Kakashi was taken aback, a look of astonishment flashing across his face.

"A teacher's role is to impart knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts, which is why I say the Fourth Hokage is a teacher worthy of great respect."

"Of course, I'm not saying anything against you, Kakashi-senpai." Seeing Kakashi's stunned expression, Sasuke added, "After all, isn't there a saying?"

"Rotten wood cannot be carved!"

Sasuke knew when to stop; seeing that Kakashi was still lost in thought, he took his leave.

His purpose in coming today was merely to leave a deep impression on Kakashi, and judging by Kakashi's expression, he had already achieved his goal; pushing any further would be counterproductive.