Another Minato!

Creak.

The door opened.

The three inside the classroom held their breath, all looking toward the entrance.

But.

After a long while, no one came in.

What kind of person was this?

What a nasty prank.

Kyohiko couldn't help grumbling inwardly.

The next moment—

A figure stepped inside.

"Have you three been waiting long?"

A head of white hair and the character "oil" on his forehead made him stand out.

His outfit...

It was unmistakable.

Kurenai Yuhi's eyes widened.

Kakashi was dumbfounded, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Kyohiko was shocked too.

How could it be Jiraiya?

He was one of the Sannin. Kyohiko had never heard that Kakashi had been assigned to a team led by Jiraiya.

But.

He quickly came to his senses.

The world was full of surprises.

Maybe he was being presumptuous, but perhaps it was his own butterfly wings, beating ever so slightly, that had changed everything.

He took a deep breath, unable to hide his excitement.

"Y-you're Lord Jiraiya, aren't you?"

Kyohiko knew.

He couldn't act too calm—

The man before him was Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. Many shinobi in Konoha looked up to them as role models. As an ordinary civilian shinobi, he was supposed to look shocked and excited upon meeting him.

Jiraiya laughed. "Hahaha! For now, you're all under my command. Come on, let's find somewhere spacious to talk."

"Yes!"

The roof of the school building.

Jiraiya sat on the edge, while the three stood obediently before him.

His gaze swept over them.

"You all know who I am, so I won't introduce myself. Why don't you introduce yourselves to each other? Tell us what you like and dislike."

"Hatake Kakashi, Chunin. I'm skilled with a sword and Lightning Style. There's nothing I like in particular. I dislike people who break the rules."

Kakashi was cool and direct.

Kurenai Yuhi was very nervous. Clutching the hem of her shirt, she stammered, "Lord Jiraiya, my name is Kurenai Yuhi. I'm skilled in genjutsu. I like octopus with wasabi, and I dislike cake."

"Kyohiko Yoshimine. I'm currently better at Taijutsu. I like training and getting stronger. I dislike... war."

Kyohiko said.

He had thought it through carefully.

He liked training and disliked war.

Those answers suited his background and revealed nothing about his everyday preferences. They also avoided any inconsistencies with what he'd said before, so there'd be no reason for anyone to become suspicious.

For the past year or so, he'd preferred training alone, partly because of these concerns.

Jiraiya paused slightly.

"Good. I understand."

His smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "Now that you've introduced yourselves, I'll be frank with you. Lord Hokage believes you have great potential, so he asked me to lead you. But..."

Jiraiya looked around at them.

"I don't think you're capable of serving under me. Tomorrow morning, meet me at Training Ground 7. I'll conduct a comprehensive assessment of your abilities. If you can't pass..."

He said coldly, "You'll be sent back to the Ninja Academy. As for you, you're a Chunin, so you can join another squad. Of course, if you think they've just graduated and aren't capable enough to be on your team, you can withdraw now."

Kakashi glanced at the other two.

Kyohiko and Kurenai remained silent.

However.

Their reasons were different.

The former vaguely guessed that this question was itself part of the assessment. Jiraiya might have taken charge of the team mainly because of Kakashi, but Kyohiko didn't know exactly why things had changed like this...

Kurenai, on the other hand, was worried.

Kakashi was a Chunin, after all...

Hatake Kakashi didn't answer right away. He studied them for quite a while before saying, "I don't think they're capable of completing the assessment."

Jiraiya's expression didn't change.

"Are you withdrawing?"

"No. I want to give it a try."

Kakashi replied.

Jiraiya nodded. "All right. What about you two? If you withdraw, the village will assign you another teacher. My assessment will definitely be more difficult. You might still pass under someone else."

"I'll take part."

Kyohiko answered without hesitation.

Becoming a student of one of the Sannin was an opportunity like no other.

Kurenai had no reason to back down either.

"Good. Then you have the whole afternoon to prepare. Oh, and remember not to eat breakfast tomorrow morning. Otherwise, hehehe!"

Jiraiya vanished in an instant.

Only the three of them remained on the rooftop.

Kyohiko took the initiative. "Let's go check out the area outside Training Ground 7 together. We can train while we're at it and get familiar with each other's abilities."

"This assessment is a mission. If you're not capable enough, I won't hesitate to leave you behind."

Kakashi snorted.

Then he spoke as he vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

Kurenai said in annoyance, "Why is he like that..."

"He's headed toward the training ground. Let's follow him."

As Kyohiko spoke, he disappeared with the Body Flicker Technique.

Kurenai hurried after him.

Up ahead, Kakashi glanced sideways behind him. Seeing the two catch up, he watched them discreetly.

Kyohiko Yoshimine...

He was pretty fast. His Body Flicker Technique seemed well practiced. His abilities might be decent.

But the other one was having a harder time keeping up.

Still, she was skilled in genjutsu, so she could be useful.

Kakashi continued running.

He didn't notice—

In the shadows, Jiraiya had been following them the whole time.

"That silver-haired brat doesn't consider his teammates at all. But that boy, despite being faster, has been keeping a steady distance to match Kurenai's pace."

Jiraiya liked Kyohiko more and more.

The boy wasn't just clever; he was also exceptionally considerate and looked after his teammates.

With the right guidance, he might become another Minato.

But with the wrong guidance...

Jiraiya's heart sank as the image of another teammate flashed through his mind.

Sigh!

He had no idea what Orochimaru had been up to lately.

Ever since Nawaki died and Tsunade left, Orochimaru had grown stranger and stranger.

"Still, looking after your teammates isn't enough to handle a situation like this."

"Kurenai, the area around the training ground is dangerous. I'll stop him. Then the three of us can go in together."

"Stop him?"

Kurenai was stunned.

Then she saw Kyohiko vanish in an instant.

When she looked again, he was already chasing after Kakashi. In just a few blinks, he'd caught up and was only a short distance behind him.

Kakashi was even more surprised.

He was confident that he was the fastest among his peers. The only one who could keep up with him was that other guy who trained just as hard, Might Guy.

As for Kyohiko Yoshimine...

They'd been classmates, but they'd only been in the same grade for a year, so Kakashi didn't remember much about him.

And yet.

That speed just now...

Was his Body Flicker Technique really that good?

Kakashi, intent on competing, used the Body Flicker Technique with all his strength. He moved slightly faster than before.

But.

The next moment, Kyohiko was already in front of him, one hand resting on his shoulder.

Incredible!

Kakashi's pupils contracted.

Even at full strength, he still couldn't match Kyohiko—

Unless he used Lightning Style chakra to stimulate his body's vitality. But he still hadn't mastered that technique, and using it incorrectly could injure him instead.

"Kakashi, the Forest of Death is dangerous. Let's go in together."

He paused briefly.

"Even though you're a Chunin, Lord Hokage said that a team battle is never a one-man fight. You have to consider the rest of your team."

Kakashi fell silent.

Had Kyohiko only slowed down earlier to accommodate Kurenai?

He stopped and studied the person before him carefully.

Kyohiko Yoshimine.

There was actually a classmate at the academy this strong...

"I-I'm sorry!"

Kurenai finally caught up. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and droplets had gathered at her temples, trickling down one by one.

Kyohiko said, "It's all right. We're a team, so we should stick together."

Kakashi didn't respond. Instead, he jumped down.

"Let's go. If we wait any longer, it'll get dark in the forest, and the traps will be hard to spot."