Yeyu was quite satisfied with the Five-Fold Rashomon.
Completely ignoring the Third Hokage's words, Yeyu muttered, "This jutsu may not be very useful, but it sure looks cool when I use it."
The Third Hokage was dumbfounded.
Kakashi watched Yeyu, the corner of his mouth twitching. "He really is just a kid."
When Yeyu said that, both the Third Hokage and Kakashi took another look at him.
They found Yeyu's words exasperating.
But deep down, they were happy.
It proved that Yeyu was still just a kid, with thoughts appropriate for his age.
The Third Hokage gave a wry smile. "This is an S-rank forbidden jutsu, not something you use to show off. Though you may have enough chakra to perform it..."
"But in battle, you should carefully consider which jutsu to use and always keep some chakra in reserve."
"Especially since this jutsu consumes so much chakra."
The Third Hokage was teaching Yeyu what to watch out for in actual combat.
Yeyu was extremely strong, but he had little combat experience.
So the Third Hokage wanted to pass on some survival tips for the battlefield.
Kakashi agreed. "Lord Hokage is right. You must always keep some chakra in reserve on the battlefield, in case something unexpected happens."
"Try not to use jutsu that consume a lot of chakra."
"And if you do use one, save it for the most critical moment."
The two of them genuinely hoped Yeyu would grow up strong.
With talent like his, as long as he grew up normally, he could one day surpass every Hokage except the First.
He might even catch up to the First.
Kakashi wasn't Yeyu's mentor, yet he had higher hopes for him than he did for his own three students.
If Yeyu wanted to learn Chidori now, Kakashi would probably teach him personally without even making him ask.
After discussing how to use the Five-Fold Rashomon, the three of them headed back to rest.
Yeyu went back to rest.
The Third Hokage and Kakashi did not.
At the Training Ground, the Third Hokage stood on the trunk of a large tree, with Kakashi beside him.
They looked at the five open spaces left in the forest of the Training Ground, each more than fifty meters long and over twenty meters wide.
Those were the places where the Five-Fold Rashomon had been summoned.
The Five-Fold Rashomon Yeyu had summoned was over fifty meters wide and more than twenty meters thick.
It was practically a stone mountain.
But its defensive power and durability were far greater than those of a stone mountain of the same size.
It was a specially made defensive ninja tool from another dimension.
It was forged from steel and had been reinforced with defensive seals.
Thinking back to what had just happened, the Third Hokage felt as if he were dreaming. "Yeyu has exceeded my expectations."
"I really hope he can grow up quickly. Then I can retire."
The Third Hokage meant every word.
Yeyu was only twelve, but if he were twenty, the Third Hokage would train him for a year or two and then put him forward for the Hokage Position.
Kakashi was also very pleased with Yeyu.
"If he grows up normally, he might surpass the Fourth Hokage."
The Third Hokage smiled. "Kakashi, you aren't jealous of him, are you?"
Kakashi shook his head. "Lord Hokage, you jest. I wish he were my student. If anything, I'm a little jealous of you."
"You could actually assign him to my team."
Kakashi paused, then smiled. "You wish. I was the one who discovered him, so naturally, I'll train him myself."
"But I really hope you'll support him. His foundation is unstable."
At that, the Third Hokage's expression grew much more serious.
Kakashi nodded, just as seriously. "Don't worry, Lord Hokage. I'll always support him."
The reason the Third Hokage said all this to Kakashi was that Kakashi commanded great respect among Konoha's Jonin.
Jonin were a village's top combat force and the key factor in determining its strength.
Among the ninja of Kakashi's generation, he was highly respected and was a representative figure of his age group.
With Kakashi supporting Yeyu, it would be much easier for the Third Hokage to put Yeyu forward as Hokage in the future.
Yeyu was only twelve, but the Third Hokage was already preparing for him to take over the Hokage Position one day.
Yeyu was different from Minato Namikaze back in the day.
During the Third Ninja World War, Minato Namikaze had turned the tide and helped Konoha win several battles single-handedly.
The Third Hokage believed that under the same circumstances, Yeyu would certainly be no worse than Minato Namikaze.
But it was peacetime now, and Yeyu couldn't rise through the ranks by earning military merit.
So they could only secure the support of as many people in the village as possible.
Yeyu's strength was certainly enough for him to become Hokage. He could do it even now.
But he was too young, and he had no military achievements. Almost no one in the village even knew him.
If Kakashi supported him, that meant the people backing Kakashi would support him too.
With the Third Hokage's support, and the two Hokage Advisors on his side as well, there wouldn't be many obstacles to Yeyu becoming Hokage at twenty.
The Third Hokage thought about a lot of things.
He even wondered whether he should introduce Yeyu to a ninja clan and help him marry into it.
Of course, the Third Hokage couldn't tell Yeyu any of this yet.
He was only twelve, after all.
On their way back, the Third Hokage and Kakashi made a special stop at Root headquarters to warn Danzo.
The Third Hokage was unusually forceful, infuriating Danzo.
The Third Hokage had never spoken to him so sternly before.
It made Danzo hate Yeyu even more.
Even though he had never met Yeyu.
The next day, Yeyu arrived at the Hokage Office.
The Third Hokage had plenty of administrative matters to deal with and was indeed quite busy.
As Hokage Assistant, Yeyu didn't have to do much, but the Third Hokage discussed how to handle important matters with him.
In reality, he was teaching Yeyu how to handle them.
Around noon, Kakashi came to the Hokage Office.
He was carrying a bento.
"I'm going to test Naruto and the others. Do you want to come watch?"
Yeyu looked up from the task the Third Hokage had assigned him and saw Kakashi leaning against his desk. Beside him sat a lunch box coated in black lacquer.
Yeyu looked at the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage smiled. "Kakashi, why didn't you bring one for me, too?"
Seeing the bento Kakashi had brought, the Third Hokage teased him.
Yeyu remembered that today was indeed the day Kakashi was testing Team 7. He seemed to have told them not to eat, too.
He'd also told them to show up early, yet Kakashi wasn't going until noon.
Yeyu looked at the bento Kakashi had put on the desk. "You brought that for me?"
Kakashi nodded.
"Kakashi-sensei, I heard you're pretty stingy. You brought me lunch? That's surprising."
The smile on Kakashi's face instantly froze.
"W-Who's spreading rumors about me?"
"This is slander against my good name."
Kakashi was furious. He had wanted to maintain a good image in front of Yeyu.
Where had Yeyu heard something like that?
Before you continue