"Do you take missions too? If they're chopping wood or drawing water, how about we see who finishes first this time? The loser has to run two hundred extra laps this afternoon!"
Guy came running over, delighted.
Maybe it was because of last time's attempt to "squeeze every bit of value out of things." Now, whenever Might Guy challenged someone to a duel, he dragged Kyohiko along...
After learning they'd been grinding through missions lately, Guy had started making these bizarre bets.
Kakashi remained expressionless—
He was used to it by now.
Of the two teams, the most obvious reactions came from the three uninvolved spectators: Kurenai Yuhi, Ebisu, and Genma Shiranui. They all covered their faces, looking embarrassed and unable to bear watching.
Kyohiko smiled faintly. "Not today."
"Why?"
Guy paused in surprise.
Kakashi said coldly, "We're leaving the village for a C-rank mission. We might not be back today."
"Huh?"
The three of them gaped, utterly incredulous.
Leaving the village?
That couldn't be right!
They'd all just graduated as Genin. Sure, the other team had Kakashi, who was a Chunin, and their Jonin leader was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin...
All right!
Put that way, the other team did seem to have a good reason to leave the village.
Genma Shiranui and Ebisu pressed their lips together. For the first time, they felt the gap created by having a Jonin leader and by the strength of their respective teams.
No matter where you went, there was one rule that held true—
People didn't mind having little, but they minded others having more.
The two of them felt bitter.
But—
Guy's eyes lit up.
"My eternal friend and rival, that explains why you've been grinding through D-rank missions! The village must have let you take a C-rank mission because of that, right?"
"That might be part of it, but strength matters too. Kakashi is a Chunin, after all."
Kyohiko shrugged.
Guy fell silent for a moment. Then he rallied again. "I'll remember what you said. Our team will catch up soon!"
Aim high, and you'll at least reach the middle!
That was the lesson Kyohiko had taught him.
Now, he had a new goal—
Their team would be the second team of their graduating class to qualify for C-rank missions!
Genma Shiranui and Ebisu were stunned for a moment, then nodded firmly. "You're strong, no doubt about it, but we won't fall too far behind!"
They'd all gone through an assessment.
They didn't know what Jiraiya's assessment had involved, but it certainly hadn't been easy. Kyohiko and Kurenai Yuhi had passed alongside Kakashi, which showed that their overall strength was no ordinary thing.
"I've always believed in you!"
Kyohiko nodded.
Before long, a Jonin came out of the building.
"Let's go."
"Yes, Teacher."
Guy and the others answered at once, then headed along the street toward the outskirts.
On the way—
"Don't dwell too much on them. Just focus on doing your best."
Their Jonin, Mitsui Ryu, spoke up.
Ebisu couldn't hold back any longer. "Teacher, is the gap between us and them really that big?"
"They have Kakashi, but the other two shouldn't be much stronger than us, right?"
Genma Shiranui looked doubtful too.
Mitsui Ryu shook his head.
He looked at the three of them and fell silent for a moment. In the end, he sighed. "I didn't want to discourage you, but from what I've heard, the best performer in Lord Jiraiya's assessment wasn't Kakashi. It was Kyohiko Yoshimine."
"What?"
Other than Guy, the other two went completely stiff, unable to believe it.
And Guy...
"Yeah! I knew it! Kyohiko's so clever, and he's strong when we train together. There's no way he's weak! My blood's boiling! I have to surpass them!"
Guy went wild.
Ebisu's private assessment: He's insane.
But—
He still found it hard to believe.
If Kakashi had been the one who made the biggest difference in the assessment, they wouldn't have been too surprised. They might have felt a little envious that the other team had a top-tier genius like Kakashi, which explained the huge gap between them.
But—
Kyohiko Yoshimine had graduated the same year as them. As far as they knew, he hadn't been considered a genius at the Ninja Academy. In their eyes, he'd been a ninja starting from the same line as them.
Now Mitsui Ryu was telling them...
That wasn't true. Kyohiko had actually performed the best out of the three on Jiraiya's team?!
Was he a genius too?
Genma Shiranui and Ebisu could hardly believe it.
Mitsui Ryu sighed.
"You might find it hard to accept, but it's the truth..."
It was such shocking news that many of the clan-born ninja had already heard it through various channels. Only ordinary Genin like them were still in the dark.
"There's nothing hard to accept. I know how hard Kyohiko and Kakashi work!"
Guy turned to them, unusually serious. "The sweat we shed is the radiance of youth! Friends, pull yourselves together. We should look up to them, not let this crush us!"
"For once, I think you're making a little sense. But when did you get so good at talking?"
The other two muttered.
Guy grinned. "Of course! Those are Kyohiko's words!"
Then he flashed his pearly whites.
"How about we all run two hundred laps this afternoon? Anyone who can't finish has to run a hundred laps on their hands!"
"..."
Now that was more like him!
Genma Shiranui and Ebisu grimaced.
"Kyohiko, how's your Water Style Ninjutsu coming along?"
"I've made some progress. I've been wondering if I can compress the water column, make Water Wave's stream into a thin line. It should hit harder that way."
Kyohiko answered.
Kurenai Yuhi didn't know much about ninjutsu training, so she didn't react much.
But—
Jiraiya looked dazed, unable to conceal his shock.
Seeing one of the Sannin so astonished...
Kakashi grew curious. "Teacher, what's wrong?"
"You might not know this, but the 'compression' of the water column Kyohiko just described is something the Second Hokage already achieved. The A-rank Water Severing Wave is exactly like the technique you described."
Jiraiya sighed, explaining the ninjutsu he knew.
Water Severing Wave.
A powerful Water Style Ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage. Even the hardest things were like tofu before it.
The state Kyohiko had described...
Was almost exactly the same as Water Severing Wave.
Kyohiko forced himself to look surprised and dazed.
Jiraiya pondered for a moment, then said, "Kyohiko, show me your Water Wave."
"Yes!"
Kyohiko answered and quickly formed Hand Seals.
The next instant, water gushed out like a small waterfall, surging without pause.
He really had mastered it completely!
He'd mastered, without a teacher, a method for using chakra more efficiently—and he'd already grasped the essence of Water Wave.
Could the Senju Clan's talent have awakened in this child?
Jiraiya gaped.
Kakashi blinked, even more shocked than Jiraiya.
He vaguely remembered that just a few days ago, Kyohiko hadn't been anywhere near this proficient.
He'd improved far too quickly!
Though, back then, Kakashi himself hadn't been much different. But Kyohiko had never stood out before.
So this—
Was what it felt like from the other side?
Kakashi froze.
"Not bad. You've clearly been practicing a lot lately. But for now, it's too early for you to train in compression as a nature transformation. Even if you master it, you won't be able to use it."
Jiraiya spoke seriously.
Compression and concentration required a great deal of chakra, whether in training or in actual use.
"Yes."
Kyohiko didn't argue—
He hadn't planned to start training in the "compression" nature transformation right away.
Then Jiraiya took out two pairs of weighted ankle bands and tossed them to Kakashi and Kyohiko.
Thud!
The two nearly toppled over.
They were heavy!
"These are weighted ankle bands. One pair each,"
Jiraiya said. "Kurenai, you don't need them yet. But on the way, I'll cut down on our rest breaks so you can train continuously as much as possible. I have plenty of Military Ration Pills."
"Yes!"
"Good. Let's go—to Tanzaku Town!"
Before you continue