Is Your Talent Even Reasonable?

In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi released the Crystal Ball, a hint of relief appearing on his face.

"Phew!"

Those three kids definitely couldn't beat Jiraiya.

But.

The way they had completed the bell-stealing task was far better than the Third Hokage had expected.

He had originally thought—

If the three of them could put aside their grudges and maintain some degree of teamwork, perhaps Jiraiya would turn a blind eye and let them pass.

But now, Kyohiko and Kurenai Yuhi had deliberately left an opening with their tactics, creating an opportunity for Kakashi.

Kakashi hadn't sulked, either. He had seized the opportunity.

There was conflict, but it hadn't affected the test.

One thing at a time.

That was the mindset of a mature ninja.

And.

The one who had led all this—

Was the child he'd never taken seriously before.

No wonder Jiraiya had gone out of his way to pick him.

The familiar Ichiraku Ramen.

The difference was.

Teuchi was now in the prime of his youth, his masculine face brimming with youthful energy.

Kakashi had put his mask back on.

As Jiraiya entered, he called out, "Boss, four bowls of ramen!"

"Coming right up. Have a seat, all four of you."

Teuchi greeted them with a smile.

"You can sit here. I'll go... buy some grilled meat. Consider it an extra treat."

Jiraiya glanced around.

But.

He shot Kyohiko a sidelong glance, still not entirely at ease.

"Kyohiko, come with me. Let's see what you want to eat."

"Yes."

Kyohiko rose respectfully.

The two of them left.

Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help murmuring, "Lord Jiraiya really thinks highly of Kyohiko!"

"Uh..."

Kakashi's gaze went a little distant. Then he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something.

He remembered it clearly.

Back then—

Jiraiya had suddenly frozen for a moment and lost focus. That was the only reason Kakashi had been able to cut the rope.

It seemed like...

He'd said something along the lines of, "You wouldn't want..."

"Kakashi, you seem to know something?"

As a ninja skilled in genjutsu and sensory techniques, Kurenai Yuhi immediately noticed that something about Kakashi had seemed off just now.

Kakashi thought it over, then answered cautiously and briefly.

"Maybe I know him."

"You mean Lord Jiraiya and Kyohiko?"

"Yeah."

"Kyohiko, you did very well today."

"You went easy on us, or we definitely wouldn't have passed."

Kyohiko wasn't Naruto or Obito.

He understood perfectly well that the gap between him and one of the Sannin was enormous. If Jiraiya really didn't want them to get the bells, it would've been simple—

One Needle Jizo, and all their hopes would be dashed.

And yet.

From beginning to end, the strongest technique Jiraiya had used was Wild Lion's Mane Technique, and even then he hadn't used its full form. He'd only used it as a rope.

That wasn't just going easy on them. He'd practically let them walk all over him.

Jiraiya cleared his throat. "This is a Genin test, after all. It's mainly meant to test teamwork and attitude, not strength. Also, about that matter..."

"Lord Jiraiya, there are places in the village where you'd best be more discreet. You're one of the Sannin, after all, and you represent the image of the Konoha Ninja."

Kyohiko put on the earnest expression of a principled young man.

Jiraiya's old face flushed red.

He'd thought Kyohiko had merely been passing by earlier and hadn't noticed him hiding there.

Now it seemed the kid just hadn't dared to interfere.

He replied awkwardly, "I was doing research. Don't get the wrong idea."

"Oh."

Kyohiko looked as though he believed him.

Jiraiya felt awkward.

He knew that explanation was hard to believe.

"Order whatever you want. It's on me!"

"Not my treat, right?"

"You little brat!"

By the time they finished their ramen and grilled meat, it was already afternoon.

Jiraiya was unusually serious.

"From this moment on, you're a team. I hope you'll keep working together the way you did this morning. Also—"

Jiraiya looked at the three of them. "Have you all trained in tree climbing and Water Walking?"

"Yeah."

All three nodded in unison.

Jiraiya took out a sheet of paper.

"Kakashi and Kurenai have probably already taken this test. You should try it and see which nature transformation suits you best."

"Your teamwork is good, but Kakashi's Lightning Style and swordsmanship are suited to surprise attacks and assassinations, while Kurenai's genjutsu is more for restraining and supporting. You're missing someone who can fight on the front line."

Jiraiya's meaning was clear.

Kyohiko was the best fit for the team's frontline fighter.

"Yes, I understand."

Was Kyohiko avoiding ninjutsu because he didn't want to train?

No, he'd simply never had the chance!

Although he was a descendant of the Senju, his branch had split off from the clan, leaving him with practically no collection of ninjutsu. After two generations, they'd been reduced to living off compensation payments. Without any ninjutsu scrolls...

Buying test paper would just be a waste of money, wouldn't it?

He took the chakra paper.

Before long, a patch of it turned damp.

Jiraiya said, "Judging by how the paper reacted, you naturally have a Water chakra nature. Learning Water Style Ninjutsu will be the fastest and easiest for you."

A person was born with certain chakra natures, but they could also develop others later.

Having a particular nature just meant it would be easier for Kyohiko to learn Water Style.

In theory, he could train in other natures as well.

"I heard Kakashi specializes in Lightning Style. If I learn Water Style, we can work together perfectly with his Lightning Style."

As he spoke, a hint of admiration appeared on his face. "Besides, my idol is the Second Hokage. His Water Style is famous throughout the Shinobi World. Even Kirigakure can't stand against it!"

The Second Hokage...

A trace of nostalgia appeared on Jiraiya's face, too.

His Water Style had indeed been unimaginably powerful.

It seemed—

Although the blow had changed the boy's personality considerably, deep down he still cared about Konoha.

After a moment of reflection, Jiraiya came back to himself.

"Good. I'll teach you Water Wave in a moment. Kurenai, your genjutsu is strong, but you need to train more in Taijutsu. Kakashi, your problems are the fewest, but also the most serious: you need to take the initiative to work with your teammates. Understand?"

He gave each of them a few pointers.

All three nodded in unison.

With Kurenai Yuhi and Kakashi standing to the side, Jiraiya began teaching Kyohiko ninjutsu.

"Water Wave is a basic Water Style technique, but it's useful in many situations and easy to use. It's not too difficult, either, so give it a try."

Then he explained the sequence of Hand Seals.

Dragon, Ox, Rabbit.

Jiraiya was still speaking when Kyohiko followed along with the Hand Seals. Then—

"Water Style: Water Wave!"

A torrent of water burst from his mouth.

Jiraiya blinked, momentarily dumbfounded.

Even with the extra Hand Seals and the steps involved in forming the technique, the whole process had gone smoothly.

His chakra control was pretty good!

For a Genin.

Kyohiko was already quite skilled.

"That's amazing!" Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help exclaiming softly.

He'd learned it for the first time...

And mastered it right away.

That kind of talent was seriously impressive.

But.

Kyohiko knew that he hadn't succeeded on the first try because he was especially talented. It was simply because Water Wave was an easy technique, and because of the reward he'd received that morning.

After his chakra control improved, performing ninjutsu had become so easy!

Jiraiya didn't want him getting cocky. He thought for a moment, then said, "It's a C-rank technique, just a basic Water Style jutsu. Try Water Wall next. It's a B-rank defensive technique."

"Okay."

Kyohiko nodded.

He listened carefully as Jiraiya explained the Hand Seals, then increased his chakra output and spat out a stream of water.

Before long—

A wall of water about a person's height rose around him, protecting him perfectly.

Jiraiya was stunned, then shocked.

You little brat!

How was your chakra control so good, too?

It was almost as good as Kurenai Yuhi's.

She was a genjutsu ninja. She'd been practicing genjutsu since childhood and had a talent for it, which was how she'd developed such excellent chakra control!

But Kyohiko?

For more than a year, he'd focused on Taijutsu, the Substitution Technique, and the Body Flicker Technique. He'd probably only trained his chakra control through tree climbing and Water Walking.

How the hell was that reasonable?

Thinking back to how painful it had been for him to learn ninjutsu, Jiraiya's mind nearly collapsed. He sank into a long, silent reflection.