So Jingyan is the real powerhouse!

"Are you two also here to take on missions? If it's chopping wood or hauling water, how about a competition to see who finishes first? The loser has to run two hundred extra laps this afternoon!"

Might Guy ran over, looking delighted.

Perhaps because of the last attempt to "fleece" them, Might Guy now dragged Kyohiko Yoshimine into every duel...

Ever since he found out they had been grinding missions like crazy lately, Guy had started making these bizarre bets.

Kakashi remained expressionless—

He was already used to it.

Among the two teams, the ones with the most obvious reactions were Kurenai Yuhi, Ebisu, and Genma Shiranui. As bystanders, they all covered their faces, looking utterly embarrassed and unable to bear the sight.

Kyohiko smiled faintly. "Not today."

"Why?"

Might Guy was slightly taken aback.

Kakashi said coldly, "We are leaving the village to execute a C-rank mission; we might not make it back today."

"Huh?"

Might Guy and the other two widened their eyes, their faces full of disbelief.

Leaving the village?

That's impossible!

Even though everyone had just graduated as genin, the other side had Kakashi, a chunin, and their team leader was none other than Jiraiya, one of the Sannin...

Alright!

When compared like that, it seemed they did have a reason to leave the village.

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu pursed their lips, feeling for the first time the gap created by the team leader and the overall strength of the squad.

No matter where you go, one rule is universal—

People don't worry about scarcity, they worry about inequality.

The two of them felt a bitter taste in their hearts.

However.

Might Guy's eyes lit up.

"My eternal friend and rival, no wonder you were grinding D-rank missions like crazy. It must be because that's the only way the village would allow you to take on a C-rank mission, right?"

"Perhaps, but there is also the factor of strength; after all, Kakashi is a chunin."

Kyohiko shrugged.

After hearing this, Might Guy fell silent for a moment, then rallied himself. "I will remember your words. Soon, our squad will catch up!"

Aim high to achieve the middle!

This was the principle Kyohiko had taught him.

Now, he had a new goal—

Their squad would definitely be the second team in their grade qualified to take on C-rank missions!

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu were stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily. "You guys are indeed strong, but we won't fall too far behind either!"

Everyone had gone through the assessment.

Although they didn't know what Jiraiya's assessment was, it certainly wasn't simple. The fact that Kyohiko and Kurenai Yuhi could complete the assessment alongside Kakashi showed that their overall strength was extraordinary.

"I have always believed that!"

Kyohiko nodded.

Before long, a jonin walked out from the room.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Sensei."

Guy and the others immediately responded, then walked along the street toward the outskirts of the village.

On the way.

"You three, don't take them too much to heart. Just focus on doing your own thing."

Mitsui Ryu said.

Ebisu couldn't help but ask, "Sensei, is the gap between us and them really that large?"

"Even though they have Kakashi, the other two shouldn't be that much different from us, right?"

Genma Shiranui also looked suspicious.

Mitsui Ryu shook his head.

He looked at the three of them, remained silent for a moment, and finally sighed. "I didn't want to discourage you, but as far as I know, in Lord Jiraiya's assessment, the one who performed the best wasn't Kakashi, but Kyohiko Yoshimine."

"What?"

Except for Might Guy, the other two were completely petrified, unable to believe a word of it.

And Might Guy...

"Aooo! I knew it! Kyohiko is so smart, and he was always strong when we trained together; he's definitely not weak! My blood is boiling—I must surpass them!"

Guy has gone mad.

Ebisu thought to himself.

However.

He still found it hard to believe—

If they had said that Kakashi played the biggest role in the assessment, they wouldn't have been too surprised. At most, they would have just felt a bit bitter that their team had a top-tier genius like Kakashi, creating such a massive gap between them.

But.

Kyohiko Yoshimine was a graduate of the same year, and as far as they knew, he hadn't been known as a genius back at the Ninja Academy. In their eyes, he was a ninja who started from the same baseline.

Now, Mitsui Ryu was telling them...

That wasn't the case at all, and that he had actually performed the best among the three in Jiraiya's team?!

Was he a genius too?

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu were in disbelief.

Mitsui Ryu sighed.

"Perhaps you find it hard to accept, but it is the truth..."

This matter was too shocking; many students from prominent clans had already learned of it through various channels, leaving only them, the commoner genin, in the dark.

"There's nothing hard to accept about it. I know how hard Kyohiko and Kakashi work!"

Might Guy turned his head, looking uncharacteristically serious. "The sweat we shed is the radiance of youth! Friends, cheer up! We should take them as our role models instead of letting this discourage us!"

"For once, I think you actually have a point, but since when did you become so eloquent?"

The other two muttered to themselves.

Guy chuckled: "Of course! That's all stuff Kyohiko has said before!"

Then, he flashed his pearly white teeth.

"How about we run two hundred laps together this afternoon? If you can't finish, we do one hundred laps on our hands!"

"..."

That's more like him!

Genma Shiranui and Ebisu's faces turned sour.

"Kyohiko, how is your Water Release training coming along?"

"I've made some progress. I'm currently pondering whether I can compress the water stream to turn the Water Wave into a single line; the power should be much greater."

Kyohiko replied.

Kurenai Yuhi didn't understand much about ninjutsu training, so her expression didn't change much.

But—

Jiraiya's expression turned dazed upon hearing this, unable to hide his shock.

To shock one of the Sannin like this...

Kakashi felt curious: "Teacher, what's wrong?"

"You might not know this, but the 'compression' of the water stream that Kyohiko mentioned is something the Second Hokage already achieved. The A-rank Water Severing Wave is exactly the technique you're describing."

Jiraiya sighed and revealed the ninjutsu he knew.

Water Severing Wave.

A powerful Water Release technique invented by the Second Hokage; even the hardest objects were like tofu before it.

The state Kyohiko described...

Was almost identical to the Water Severing Wave.

Kyohiko feigned a look of surprise and bewilderment.

Jiraiya pondered for a moment and said: "Kyohiko, show me your Water Wave."

"Yes!"

Kyohiko agreed and quickly formed the hand seals.

The next instant, a stream of water erupted, rolling forth like a small, ceaseless waterfall.

He had truly mastered it completely!

He had self-taught the technique to conserve chakra and had already grasped the essence of the Water Wave.

Could it be that the talent of the Senju clan had awakened in this child?

Jiraiya was dumbfounded.

Kakashi blinked, even more shocked than Jiraiya.

He vaguely remembered that just a few days ago, Kyohiko had not possessed such skillful technique.

The progress was simply too fast!

Although he himself had been much the same back in the day, Kyohiko had truly been unremarkable before this.

So that was it—

Was this how it felt to look at things from a different perspective?

Kakashi froze.

"Not bad. It seems you haven't slacked off on your training during this time, but for now, it is still too early for you to practice compressed nature transformation; even if you mastered it, you wouldn't be able to use it."

Jiraiya said with a serious expression.

Compression and gathering—whether for training or release—required a massive amount of chakra.

"Yes."

Kyohiko did not refute him—

He had never intended to practice "compressed" nature transformation immediately anyway.

Subsequently, Jiraiya took out two pairs of leg weights and tossed them to Kakashi and Kyohiko.

Thud!

Both of them nearly toppled over.

So heavy!

"These are weighted leg bands; one pair for each of you."

Jiraiya said, "Kurenai, you don't need these for the time being, but I will reduce our rest time on the road and have you train continuously as much as possible. I have plenty of Military Rations Pills."

"Yes!"

"Good, let's move out—to Tanzaku Town!"