Kakashi had no idea what Sasuke was so frustrated about.
When he'd been Sasuke's age, he hadn't been nearly as strong.
At twelve, Sasuke was already stronger than Kakashi had been at twelve.
Kakashi had been Konoha's super genius.
He'd graduated from the Ninja Academy at five, become a Chunin at six, and made Jonin at twelve.
Sasuke hadn't graduated at five or become a Chunin at six, but at twelve, he'd still surpassed Kakashi's strength at the same age.
And unlike Kakashi, Sasuke's strength hadn't plateaued soon after. In just over two years, he'd skyrocketed from Jonin-level strength to the peak of Kage Level.
The dividing line between a genius and a gifted person was Kage Level.
Anyone who could surpass Kage Level was undoubtedly a top-tier genius.
Those who couldn't break through were merely gifted.
Gifted people were still powerful. For most, Chunin was the pinnacle of their lives.
Jonin were already high-ranking, powerful figures in a shinobi village. They could even take part in high-level meetings.
That was true in all Five Great Shinobi Villages.
In some smaller villages, Jonin were already leaders.
Kakashi had been in a slump for a while. Otherwise, he would have reached Kage Level long ago.
Over the past two years, Kakashi had often gone on missions with Sasuke. And Sasuke was his student, too.
Naturally, he knew how hard Sasuke worked.
If anything, Sasuke worked too hard—he was practically torturing himself.
Sasuke gave a bitter smile. "But my strength really has stagnated. I don't know when I'll break through."
Kakashi looked at the bitter smile on Sasuke's face, unsure what to say.
If anyone else had said that, Kakashi would have thought they were showing off.
But Sasuke was the one saying it.
Kakashi knew Sasuke truly believed it—and he really