Kakashi's Test / The Mist Ninja Attack

Chapter 6: Kakashi's Test

After accepting the mission, the group gathered their gear and set out in less than half a day.

Keiichi was the last to arrive at the village gate, but when everyone saw his outfit, they were a little surprised.

He had a pair of goggles on his forehead, with dark, opaque lenses.

At the sight of them, Kakashi's expression grew distant, as if he were thinking of someone from his past.

Keiichi had done it partly to curry favor with Kakashi, hoping the goggles would make him look kindly on him and watch over him during the mission. After all, a Jonin like Zabuza was dangerous.

Having already spoiled the story for himself, Keiichi knew that Kakashi once had a friend named Obito. He was quite certain Kakashi had no idea that he knew, so he had nothing to worry about.

More importantly, the goggles could also help conceal his eyes. If he ever obtained a Kekkei Genkai like the Byakugan or Sharingan through an exchange, they would keep people from noticing. It was a sensible precaution.

Once everyone got used to his getup, they would stop finding it strange with time.

"Keiichi, did you just buy those goggles?" Kakashi asked gently, though his gaze was somewhat sharp.

"Yeah."

"What made you decide to buy goggles all of a sudden?"

"Of course, it was because of you, Kakashi-sensei."

"Because of... me?"

"Your eye must have been injured, right? Seeing you made me realize just how fragile eyes are and how much they need protection," Keiichi replied matter-of-factly.

"Is he really that afraid of getting hurt?" Naruto looked baffled and couldn't help quietly complaining to Sakura.

"Yeah, he's such a weirdo." Sakura hadn't gotten a very good first impression of him either.

Keiichi's answer made perfect sense. Even Kakashi couldn't find fault with it. Still, looking at the familiar-looking goggles, he couldn't help letting out a sigh.

The past was full of sorrow...

Now that everyone had gathered, they were finally ready to leave. Naruto and Sakura were so excited. This was their first mission outside the village, after all, so of course they were overjoyed.

Sasuke still looked as aloof as ever, but his pace had clearly quickened. He was obviously excited, too.

Only Kakashi and Keiichi seemed completely at ease, as if this were no big deal.

Kakashi found that rather interesting. Keiichi seemed as if he were used to this, but according to the information Kakashi had, this should have been his first mission outside the village. Why was he so calm?

Should he test him?

Kakashi decided to go for it, bringing it up as casually as if they were chatting.

"Naruto, if anything dangerous happens, I'll have to prioritize protecting Mr. Tazuna. You can hide behind Keiichi. He'll protect you."

As soon as he heard that, Naruto exploded.

What?

I need protection from a guy who's even afraid of getting hurt? Give me a break!

I'm going to be Hokage! I should be the one protecting him!

Naruto immediately leaped in front of Keiichi, scrunching up his face as he pressed his head toward him until their noses were nearly touching. His eyes were full of defiance.

Sasuke pursed his lips. He was used to seeing this by now, though it had accidentally brought back an unpleasant memory from deep within him...

Keiichi hurriedly took half a step back, completely dumbfounded.

Sixth, I don't think I've done anything to provoke you. Do you really have to stir things up so obviously?

As soon as Naruto saw Keiichi retreat, he pointed at him and turned to laugh at Sakura and the others. "Look! He's scared! He's not so impressive after all!"

"Kakashi-sensei, you're joking," Keiichi said with a bitter smile.

But Kakashi didn't take the hint. He continued in his leisurely tone, "Naruto, what if I told you that Keiichi recently killed a Sunagakure spy who'd infiltrated the village—and that the spy was a Chunin? Would you still think he wasn't impressive?"

"What?!" Naruto stared at Keiichi in disbelief, stunned.

Even Sasuke couldn't help turning his gaze on Keiichi, looking him up and down.

He'd never fought a Chunin, but he knew what Jonin were capable of. A Chunin had to be far stronger than a Genin like him. Who was this guy named Keiichi, anyway? Had he really graduated in the same class as them?

Maybe he was only a little weaker than me. I underestimated him.

"You... you really took down a Chunin?!" Naruto's shock was written all over his face.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're exaggerating. If I were really that strong, Tatsuya-sensei wouldn't have died, and my teammates wouldn't be lying in the hospital. I was just lucky," Keiichi said with a bitter smile.

"Oh? Was it really just luck?" Kakashi asked with a knowing smile.

"Kakashi-sensei, please give me a break."

Keiichi put his hands together and begged with an apologetic expression, repeatedly trying to placate Kakashi. He didn't look like a strong fighter in the slightest.

Did those goggles hit a sore spot and make him dislike me instead? I was too clever for my own good, Keiichi thought to himself.

"Fine! I've decided. I'm going to beat you right now, and then I'll be a strong fighter with Chunin-level strength too!" Seeing Keiichi's manner, Naruto got fired up. He rolled up his sleeves and looked ready to fight him, as if defeating him would prove something.

But faced with Naruto's aggression, Keiichi kept backing away, refusing to fight.

As if. If Kakashi weren't standing right there, I'd show you just how cruel this world can be, Naruto!

You don't often get a chance to beat up the future Seventh Hokage without worrying about him holding a grudge!

But with his teacher standing right there, Keiichi couldn't teach Naruto a lesson he'd never forget. So why bother and risk revealing his strength? Kakashi's Sharingan made him wary.

"Don't fight, you're all teammates..." Sakura looked worried as she watched from the side, but she only said it. She made no effort to break them up.

Fight already! Come on, I want to see the show! Clearly, that was what Sakura was really thinking.

Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, making no move to stop them. He wanted to see just how strong Keiichi was.

"So these are Konoha Ninja? They're just a bunch of immature kids." Tazuna covered his face, deeply worried about his fate. Maybe he shouldn't have gone to the Leaf Village in the first place. They seemed so unreliable.

After chasing Keiichi for quite a while, Naruto finally got tired and crouched there, panting, his eyes full of frustration.

Why do you keep running? If you don't let me hit you, how am I supposed to beat you and prove my strength in front of Sakura?

Keiichi slowly walked back, keeping a reasonable distance from Naruto. He shook his head and spread his hands at the others with a bitter smile.

You're all witnesses. I wasn't the one looking for trouble.

Kakashi looked amused. They hadn't ended up fighting, but he'd still managed to learn a few things.

This kid named Keiichi had pretty good stamina.

Naruto had Uzumaki Clan Bloodline, so his stamina was naturally extraordinary. He wasn't very good at conserving his energy, but even so, most people couldn't outlast him.

Keiichi was different. His movements were simple and efficient, conserving a great deal of energy. His fundamentals were solid, and even after running for so long, he wasn't flushed or out of breath. That alone said a lot.

As expected, he had some real skill if he'd managed to take down a Chunin.

It was also clear that he was hiding something, but that was fine. They had plenty of time together. Kakashi would eventually learn what he was capable of.

At Kakashi's urging, the group set off again. They traveled in silence until nightfall. When Keiichi returned to his tent, he made sure no one was nearby before using his fingers to open the system panel.

He wanted to see just how many Magic Modification Points he'd earned after spending the whole day with the main cast.

Chapter 7: The Mist Ninja Attack

But he was quickly disappointed: the Magic Modification Points column was still at zero.

The plot modification rate, however, had increased to 0.00324%.

This showed that joining the main cast had indeed changed the plot to some extent, but the impact was still extremely small.

To exchange for even the most basic reward, he needed to raise the plot modification rate to at least 0.1%. At this rate, that goal still seemed impossibly far away.

Clearly, unless he actively did something to influence the plot, it would be difficult to reach that goal.

More importantly, he still hadn't figured out exactly what caused Magic Modification Points to appear. The system hadn't given him an instruction manual, so he had to figure it out for himself.

In fact, if he didn't care about the consequences, he could make major changes to the plot right now.

For example, he could tell Sasuke the truth behind the Uchiha Clan's massacre. That would surely make him defect much earlier.

Or he could tell Kakashi that the Third Hokage didn't have long to live, and that a man named Orochimaru was about to come to Konoha to take revenge.

But where had he gotten that information?

If he couldn't explain himself, and nothing confirmed what he said, they would think he was talking nonsense. If it did turn out to be true, the consequences would be hard to predict.

So until he had enough strength to protect himself, he didn't dare reveal a single word about what he knew of the future.

Even accidentally revealing a single jutsu had brought the Torture and Interrogation Force to investigate him. Who knew whether saying those things would attract Danzo's attention?

If Danzo set his sights on him... would he ever be allowed to live in peace?

So tempting as those ideas were, it was safer not to do anything reckless.

The next day, the group set off again. Naruto was back to his usual energetic self, chattering endlessly to his teammates. He clearly didn't notice how annoyed Sasuke and Sakura were with him, and kept talking excitedly like a blabbermouth.

Keiichi stayed at the back of the group, keeping some distance from Team 7. He neither got close to them nor kept them at arm's length.

He knew exactly how special this team was. Countless eyes were watching them, and someone might be following along in secret to protect and monitor them. Every move he made could be reported back to the Hokage Building.

Since the old man Hiruzen had tasked him with secretly protecting and monitoring Naruto and Sasuke, there was no guarantee he wouldn't add a second or even third layer of security.

Even if Hiruzen hadn't done so, Konoha still had an organization called Root. They weren't under Hiruzen's command.

And even if all that was just Keiichi's paranoia, there was still Kakashi up ahead.

Despite his carefree appearance, Kakashi had tested him more than once. Keiichi didn't want to cause any misunderstandings.

Just as Keiichi was thinking about how to earn Magic Modification Points, a puddle by the road caught his eye.

It hadn't rained yesterday, so where had the puddle come from?

The moment the thought crossed his mind, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He'd encountered this sort of thing more than once in his previous life. Perhaps he'd grown complacent after living in peace for so long—he was half a beat too slow.

Keiichi quickly leaped backward and shouted, "Enemies!"

But as soon as the words left his mouth, two chains wrapped around Kakashi and suddenly tightened. The next instant, they sliced him to pieces!

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and the others stared at the scene in shock, their faces turning pale with fear.

Naruto hadn't reacted at all. He was still consumed by the fear of death when the two attackers sprang out of the puddle and appeared behind him. Their chains seemed about to wrap around him in the same way.

Sasuke was the quickest to react. He immediately threw a Shuriken, pinning the chains to a tree trunk. The attackers pulled on them together, but for a moment, they couldn't budge them.

Taking advantage of that brief moment, Sasuke charged forward, his eyes full of murderous intent.

But the two Kirigakure Ninja were decisive. They immediately snapped the chains and jumped apart, no longer bothering with Sasuke, who looked like a difficult opponent. Instead, they went straight for Tazuna.

After all, their mission was only to kill Tazuna. There was no need to get entangled with these Konoha Ninja.

Sakura, who was closest to Tazuna, fought down her fear and stepped in front of him. But she was trembling all over, and it was hard to say if she could even fight at all.

Naruto was doing even worse. Still trapped in the moment when he'd nearly been killed, he was paralyzed with fear and unable to move.

Fortunately, the two attackers were focused only on killing Tazuna and ignored Naruto, rushing past him on either side.

At that moment, Keiichi did nothing in response to their actions. He kept his eyes fixed on Naruto and Sasuke. Unless the Mist Ninja attacked Naruto, he wouldn't lift a finger.

Hiruzen had given him just one task: protect those two. Protecting Tazuna was Team 7's job, not his.

Besides, Keiichi was calmer than anyone else there. How could Kakashi die so easily? He had to be hiding nearby, watching how his students performed—and perhaps checking out Keiichi's hand as well.

As expected, just as the two attackers were about to strike down Sakura, who stood in their way, Kakashi suddenly appeared and effortlessly subdued them. One punch each was enough to knock them out.

Keiichi looked at Kakashi with even greater wariness. Judging by what he'd just seen, those two were at least Chunin-level, yet Kakashi had knocked them out in a single exchange. Keiichi could never have done it so casually; he would have had to pay a price to win.

The difference between people really was that great.

The Hatake Clan might have fallen on hard times, but they were still a clan with a family name. The Warring States period had only ended not long ago, and having a surname meant coming from a ninja clan. Whether they were an illustrious clan or a humble one, their bloodline was still different from that of ordinary people.

In his previous life, he'd suffered from his civilian background. His potential for advancement had been limited, and no matter how hard he trained, he couldn't break through that ceiling. If the Fourth Great Ninja War hadn't been followed by a long period of peace, he would have died on the battlefield sooner or later, a true cannon fodder.

"Sasuke, Sakura, you did well! Naruto, you've really disappointed me," Kakashi began evaluating his students.

Sasuke had actually held his own against both attackers, and even when Sakura first faced enemies stronger than herself, she still remembered her mission. Naruto alone had stood there like a wooden post, doing nothing—and he'd ended up injured, too.

Naruto stared at the wound on the back of his hand, silent and dejected.

Then Sasuke started rubbing it in. "Hmph. Does your wound hurt, coward?"

Those words nearly set Naruto off.

But before he could say anything, a flash of light suddenly shot toward him.