Hatake Sakumo's Sigh

Kakashi did not hesitate for even a second after hearing what Qingyu had to say.

"Umino-sensei, I want to go too."

He spoke with his hands tucked deep into his pockets.

Qingyu was not surprised.

Kakashi, in truth, possessed the competitive spirit of a youth.

"Me too, me too!"

Obito waved his hand vigorously, terrified that Umino Shika might not see him.

Umino Shika glanced at Obito, then lowered his head to continue flipping through the roster.

"You stay behind."

"Why?!"

Obito's face flushed bright red in an instant.

"I can fight the upperclassmen too! I did special training over the break, and I even learned a new Fire Style..."

"It's precisely because it's you that you can't go."

Umino Shika raised his eyelids.

Obito stood frozen in place, his mouth agape, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Beside him, Sarutobi Asuma turned his head away, struggling to hold back his laughter.

Umino Shika paid Obito no further mind and put away the roster.

He had no intention of letting Obito go and embarrass himself.

Winning or losing was secondary; the real issue was Obito's boisterous personality. If he were to make a fool of himself in front of the upperclassmen, others might think he, as the instructor, was intentionally targeting the Uchiha clan.

After school, Umino Shika walked down the hallway and knocked on the door of another office.

Sitting inside was the Chunin instructor for the upperclassmen, Koji Moku.

"A cross-grade challenge?"

Koji Moku set down his lesson plan and took a sip from his teacup.

Life was meant to be enjoyed.

Chunin instructors spent most of their time teaching at the academy and did not need to go to the front lines or execute dangerous missions.

"Qingyu from your class is truly a formidable youth."

"It's not just Qingyu; Kakashi wants to participate as well."

Umino Shika sat down opposite him and briefly recounted what had happened in class today.

"I see. So his existence has sparked a sense of ambition in the others?"

Koji Moku remarked.

"As it happens, I have a few unruly thorns on my side who think they're the best in the world. Letting them clash with the geniuses from the lower grades to dampen their arrogance might be a good thing."

"Then let's set it for after school tomorrow?"

"Fine, we'll use the training ground."

Koji Moku stood up and patted Umino Shika on the shoulder.

"But you'd better prepare yourself mentally; the students under my wing aren't so easy to deal with."

At the Hatake residence.

When Kakashi pushed open the courtyard gate, Hatake Sakumo was sitting on the veranda, polishing his short blade.

This blade was forged from a special chakra metal, offering high efficiency in chakra conduction.

As the saying goes, caring for a blade is like caring for a lover.

Thus, Hatake Sakumo cherished this short blade that had accompanied him through a lifetime of battles.

He intended to pass this blade down to Kakashi once he grew up.

He believed that his son would surely cherish it well, carve out a great reputation for himself, and never let the blade's glory fade.

"Father."

Kakashi took off his shoes at the veranda and sat down cross-legged.

"After school tomorrow, Qingyu and I are going to spar with some upperclassmen."

Hatake Sakumo's hand stopped mid-polish.

He turned his head to look at his son, who was usually a man of few words.

"Was it Qingyu who proposed it?"

Hatake Sakumo felt this did not seem like something Kakashi would do.

"Mm, he said he no longer feels any pressure from his own grade and wants to challenge stronger opponents."

As expected, Kakashi's answer was exactly as Hatake Sakumo had imagined.

"This child..."

Hatake Sakumo shook his head.

"Qingyu's talent is manifesting even earlier than I anticipated."

Back when he first watched Qingyu practice swordsmanship in his own courtyard, he had felt that this child was extraordinary.

Yet, he had not expected that after only a single vacation, Qingyu would already be dissatisfied with opponents from his own grade.

This kind of drive could not be explained by talent alone.

"I will go to watch tomorrow as well."

Hatake Sakumo stood up, placed his hand on Kakashi's head, and rubbed it gently.

"Prepare well."

Kakashi looked up, met his father's gaze, and then nodded heavily.

Since his father was coming, he could not afford to lose even more.

The next day after school, on the Ninja Academy training grounds.

Quite a few people were standing around the perimeter.

In addition to Qingyu and Kakashi's classmates, there were some upperclassmen who had heard the news and rushed over, whispering about these two audacious lowerclassmen.

Hatake Sakumo stood under a tree a little further away, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Tekka, is that the Qingyu you were talking about?"

Uchiha Domon narrowed his eyes, his gaze landing on the figure holding a katana across the field.

He was older than Uchiha Tekka and was one of the top-ranked students in his class.

"That's him."

Uchiha Tekka stood beside him and nodded.

"But Qingyu is a decent guy."

He added as an afterthought.

Uchiha Domon tilted his head to look at him.

This guy Uchiha Tekka seemed to have changed his attitude quite a bit since losing to Qingyu last time.

He used to grit his teeth whenever Qingyu was mentioned, yet now he was actually speaking up for him.

"I have my own judgment."

Uchiha Domon withdrew his gaze and looked back at the field.

He shifted his eyes away from Qingyu and scanned the other upperclassmen nearby.

He was not the only one summoned by Teacher Mume this time.

Inuzuka Saori from the Inuzuka clan was also there; she was a girl with a ponytail, and a grey-white female dog crouched at her feet, its size a full circle larger than an ordinary dog.

It was said she could already perform a transformation with her ninja hound and was quite famous among her peers.

There was also a kid from the Hyuga clan's main branch, Hyuga Osamu.

He wore the traditional white attire of the Hyuga family, his hands behind his back, his chin slightly lifted, and his white pupils filled with arrogance.

Hyuga Osamu likely felt that his opponent was Kakashi.

After all, the son of the White Fang, the genius of the Hatake family, was qualified to make him take action.

As for Qingyu...

A half-breed without a clan name, carrying half the blood of the Uchiha, was not worth a second glance.

Although he had heard that Qingyu had defeated Kakashi, Hyuga Osamu felt it was because Kakashi had been careless and failed to dodge.

After all, in this world, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the sons of mice will dig holes.

While Qingyu's lineage was prominent, he lacked any famous forebears.

Even if one died on the battlefield and became a hero, at best, they were only a Jonin.

"Rin, do you think Kakashi can win?"

Obito asked while squatting next to Rin Nohara.

Although his challenge qualification had been rejected by Umino Shika, he had still followed along to watch the excitement.

Anyway, as long as he was by Rin's side, Obito felt that going anywhere was fine.

"Kakashi is very strong."

Rin Nohara clasped her hands in front of her chest, her gaze fixed on the arena.

"But I would rather see classmate Qingyu make a move."

"Don't you agree, Obito?"

Rin Nohara's words caused Obito's expression to collapse instantly.

Three sentences, and Obito's heart, which had been warmed all day, turned to ice!

He was fuming!

It was that brat Qingyu again!

Koji Moku and Umino Shika stood side by side at the edge of the training ground, deciding the order of appearance after a brief discussion.

The first to step up was Kakashi.

His opponent was a male student from a higher grade than Kakashi, Shiya Oyama.

Kakashi walked out from the crowd and drew the short blade from his back.