You Have a Day to Be Tied Up Too!

"Hmm?"

Holy crap!

Jiraiya's brows shot up, his focus momentarily shattered.

At that same instant.

A kunai flew toward Jiraiya's waist.

Trying to steal it?

He dodged immediately, but—

Poof!

The Kakashi in front of him transformed into a log.

The next moment, a blade slashed across Jiraiya's waist.

The string holding one of the bells was severed!

However.

Almost simultaneously, Jiraiya's hair surged, snaring Kakashi's hands.

Kakashi gritted his teeth and threw the bell toward the ground.

"Kyohiko!"

Kurenai Yuhi sprinted below, hurling kunai and shuriken.

There were no traps left in the vicinity.

The only thing she could do...

...was clear the obstacles for Kyohiko and find him a safe landing spot.

Whoosh!

A spiked wooden raft flew toward Kyohiko, but a rope holding it was snapped by a kunai thrown by Kurenai, creating a thunderous crash.

Kyohiko looked back and immediately grabbed the edge of the incoming wooden raft.

Then—

He braced himself and exerted force.

He vaulted upward, lunging desperately for the falling bell.

Clang!

He caught it!

The moment Kyohiko grabbed it, Jiraiya's hair arrived.

He was bound into a cocoon and hoisted up like a plucked chicken, left standing side-by-side with Kakashi.

Jiraiya glared fiercely at Kyohiko.

If not for that remark, how could he have been distracted and had the bell snatched away?

This brat...

Small in stature but big in schemes; he looked like he wasn't paying attention to anything, but in reality, he had more tricks up his sleeve than anyone!

"Phew, you brats aren't simple, are you? Squabbling yesterday, and today you're already working together?"

"Lord Jiraiya, that was all part of the tactics!"

Kyohiko chuckled.

Kakashi's face turned red.

Tactics?

Tactics, my foot!

They were just arguing yesterday.

Jiraiya released Kyohiko.

Afterward, he switched to a rope, using a technique to bind Kakashi.

"I said that the one who performed the worst would be tied up with rope and wouldn't get any lunch."

Jiraiya hauled Kakashi down.

Kyohiko followed closely behind.

Jiraiya chuckled, walked over to a medium-sized tree nearby, and tied Kakashi to the trunk.

"Hmph!"

Kakashi turned his head away, offering no defense for himself.

Two lunch boxes were placed beside him.

Kurenai Yuhi walked over as well, standing with them.

Jiraiya pointed at the two bento boxes.

"According to the rules we set earlier, each of you gets one, and he gets nothing. If anyone dares to share with him, that person will also have to take the afternoon assessment."

"But..."

Kurenai Yuhi was anxious and wanted to argue.

Kyohiko, however, had already picked up his box and started eating.

She froze for a moment, then reluctantly picked up the other one.

Jiraiya's lips curled upward. "Well then, I'm going to grab some ramen. You two keep an eye on him."

"Yes."

Kyohiko responded respectfully.

Jiraiya departed.

Kurenai Yuhi felt conflicted, holding the bento but having no appetite.

"I'm sorry. It was me who didn't contribute anything, yet you're the one tied up there."

"..."

Kyohiko kept shoveling rice into his mouth, acting as if he hadn't heard.

Seeing this, Kakashi offered some stiff comfort: "You performed well, too. Besides, you definitely wouldn't have passed the individual assessment."

Kurenai Yuhi's genjutsu had provided excellent cover, and her sensory abilities had precisely pinpointed the target's location.

Not to mention.

The cover provided by the genjutsu, shadow clones, and traps in the middle of the fight.

Therefore.

She had contributed.

Kakashi knew that he had performed the worst—

As a chunin, it was ultimately Kyohiko who had directed the flow of the battle, even accounting for his presence and leaving him enough space and opportunity to strike.

Without the coordination between Kyohiko and Kurenai Yuhi, he would never have been able to cut the bell cord.

By comparison...

Kyohiko was much more like a qualified chunin.

Was he really an unqualified ninja?

Kakashi began to doubt himself, his mood sinking, just as his stomach let out a "growl."

He was hungry!

Just as he felt ashamed.

"I've only eaten half. If you don't mind, you can have the other half. If we take the afternoon assessment together, our chances of winning will be higher."

Beside him, Kyohiko held out his lunch box.

Kurenai Yuhi looked down—

He had only eaten half!

She realized it then.

Kyohiko didn't hold a grudge against Kakashi; he had planned all along to take the assessment with him.

She made her decision immediately.

"You two consume a lot of energy in close-quarters combat, while I mostly provide support. I only need to eat a third to recover my strength, so I'll split the rest between you two."

"If you're both taking the test, there's no reason to leave me behind."

A smile bloomed on Kurenai Yuhi's face.

Kakashi blinked, unable to speak for a moment, feeling a lump in his throat.

"Don't misunderstand. I just don't want our team to be short a person. Besides, feeding you doesn't violate the rules for us taking the assessment together."

"Right."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded, then glanced at Kyohiko calmly—

As expected.

The real Kyohiko had a very gentle, considerate, and understanding personality; even at a time like this, he was still thinking about how to look after Kakashi's feelings.

Yesterday was clearly just to correct Kakashi's mistakes.

She reached out.

"Can you take off your mask?"

"Okay—"

Kakashi managed to choke out the word.

The mask was removed, revealing a handsome face.

Kyohiko handed over the lunchbox and fed Kakashi with chopsticks.

Regardless of whether they would truly have to re-test in the afternoon or pass directly, they still had to eat.

Tsk!

Jiraiya was certainly playing along; he hadn't shown himself yet!

Kyohiko continued to feed him.

As he ate, he had to endure the stirring emotions and bitterness in his heart...

This was the most difficult meal Kakashi had ever eaten.

Just then.

Whoosh!

A figure landed in front of them.

"You dare to violate the rules? It seems you want to retake the exam, is that it?"

Jiraiya wore a cold expression.

"That's right."

Kyohiko nodded.

Jiraiya let out a cold, mocking laugh: "Very well, I will use my full strength this afternoon..."

Kakashi's breath hitched, his face turning pale.

"No, I..."

"I'll let you pass."

After Jiraiya finished the second half of his sentence, Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi were stunned, and Kyohiko also wore an expression of surprise.

However.

Jiraiya slapped his hand onto Kyohiko's shoulder.

"Stop pretending, you brat. Did you guess it?"

"In a way? As one of the Sannin, since you were willing to serve as the team leader, you wouldn't give us an impossible test. So, I figured there had to be a chance for us to pass together."

Kyohiko said.

Jiraiya looked somewhat surprised and said: "But you could have abandoned him; that wouldn't have stopped you from becoming my subordinates."

"If I could abandon a comrade just to become your student, would you dare to watch my back?"

"Hahaha."

Jiraiya laughed heartily.

Then, he said seriously: "Exactly. In war and on missions, sacrifice is inevitable, but if a person doesn't hold the lives of their comrades in their heart, how could other ninja dare to entrust their lives or missions to them?"

The words of Kyohiko and Jiraiya...

Exploded in Kakashi's ears like a thunderclap.

The lives of comrades?

He remained silent.

Kyohiko's words from yesterday echoed in his mind once again.

"There's a reason you graduated two years ago and are back here now. How you view others is how they view you..."

If Kakashi had been angry and annoyed yesterday.

Now, there was a bit more reflection.

Could it be--

In past missions, should he not have given up on saving those people?

No!

As a ninja, the mission and the rules are what matter most.

Inside Kakashi, his past philosophy and his current thoughts clashed like heaven and man, unable to determine a victor for the time being.

Kyohiko didn't expect to settle it in one go.

If a stubborn old mule like Kakashi were so easily "reformed," he wouldn't have become a cancer to his team.

This was just a good start.

However, the next moment--

[As Hokage, you did not deliberately try to win hearts, yet you successfully gained trust through the charisma of your personality.]

[Reward: Chakra control ability increased]

Hm?

Kyohiko glanced at Kurenai Yuhi, not surprised, but his mood was rather complex--

The main target wasn't taken down.

But a secondary one was acquired...

Still acceptable.

No matter how much one improves their chakra control, it's never a loss.

A huge profit!