That's Why You're So Nice...

"So that's why you've never even done a D-rank mission yourself, yet you still tell them that doing a few more is for their own good?"

Kakashi did his best to fix his hair after Qi Luna had ruffled it into a mess. He looked up and glared at him with an utterly harmless expression, then turned to Yahiko and the others, his tone settling back into a calm register:

"Still, this jerk of a senior was right about one thing."

"My father always tells me that the most important things when carrying out missions are rules and efficiency. And the ultimate purpose of that is to protect everyone in the village, and the people we hold dear!"

"So even the missions that seem dull and tedious are an important foundation, provided by the village's senior shinobi, who risk their lives to ensure the next generation can grow up safely."

Yahiko thought of Tora, the tabby cat with his "lofty status." Then he looked at the silver-haired kid in front of him, who kept calling Qi Luna a jerk and had a knack for saying shocking things. Finally, he glanced at Qi Luna's hand ruffling Kakashi's hair as she wore a "kind" smile.

He felt his earlier complaints get completely crushed, leaving him with nothing but a helpless sense that "the world is too complicated."

He scratched his own equally messy orange hair, then finally managed to say to Kakashi:

"...Got it, you smug little brat..."

Qi Luna looked with satisfaction at Kakashi's "bedhead" and his expression of "I can't stand this, but I can't do anything about it." Then she glanced at her three students, who had gained a new appreciation for the value of low-ranking missions.

Mm! Looks like that lesson went really well!

They must have made a lot of progress in understanding the value of missions, and the importance of protecting intelligence and all that!

But when Qi Luna saw that Yahiko still seemed completely out of the loop, she silently added:

Probably...

Half an hour later, everyone at the Ninja Academy had left for the day. After settling the mission with Yamada, Qi Luna left with Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and Kakashi.

On the way to the Hokage Building to wrap up the mission, they passed through Konoha Park again. Qi Luna found a bench, sat down, and beckoned the others over.

Once they were all seated beside her, Qi Luna spoke at an unhurried pace:

"After today's mission, I think you've all learned quite a bit. It might not help you grow stronger right now, but it'll be a valuable experience that stays with you for your entire lives as shinobi."

"Also, starting tomorrow, I won't be taking any more of those boring D-rank missions. For at least the next year, get ready for my 'hell training'!"

Kakashi, that goes for you too. Starting today, I won't stop you from refining chakra anymore, but don't overdo it. You can train for at most one hour a day. Spend the rest of your time on taijutsu and swordsmanship. You'll have to inherit your teacher Sakumo's title as the White Fang of Konoha someday!

At the words "hell training," Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato instantly turned deathly pale, though their eyes also showed a hint of excitement.

Those four words brought to mind the nightmare of Qi Luna's special training for Kushina. Kushina had fully awakened the power of the Uzumaki Bloodline, but the process...

Her entire body had been wrapped in chakra that raged, eroded, and destroyed her, leaving her literally battered from head to toe!

If Kushina hadn't been Qi Luna's own cousin, with the "medical master" Tsunade standing by to prevent an accident, they would really have thought Qi Luna was trying to kill her—and in the cruelest way possible!

Yahiko swallowed and asked cautiously:

"Sensei, this hell training... what exactly is it like?"

Qi Luna gave them another "kind" smile:

"You'll find out when the time comes. I guarantee you'll never~ for~get~ it!"

The three looked even more miserable at Qi Luna's answer, but they weren't afraid. If anything, they seemed even more resolved to face death head-on!

Kakashi didn't quite understand the others' reactions, but he shoved his hands in his pockets and let the corners of his mouth curl up, as if no opponent could ever challenge him again.

He thought that at last he wouldn't be restricted to training in taijutsu and swordsmanship. He could refine chakra and officially begin studying ninjutsu.

"Little hedgehog Kakashi~ Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. I'll have my shadow clones keep an eye on you at random! If you dare exceed the time limit I set for refining chakra each day, you know what'll happen!"

Just as Kakashi was wearing an expression of finally being "free," Qi Luna immediately warned him. Kakashi plunged from "heaven" straight into "hell," and, without even realizing it, had already learned the true essence of the Will of Fire.

"I really don't get why Father trusts your 'lies' so much. He even says that refining chakra too early can stunt your growth, and that the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, is the best example. You started refining chakra when you were little, and now you're almost six feet tall!"

"Ya ba wa mai wu suo zi gei da!" (So you really are a liar!)

Hearing that he still couldn't escape Qi Luna's clutches, Kakashi's little face twisted with anger beneath his mask. His voice was full of indignation.

"Come on, don't say that. I'm part of the Uzumaki Clan, so of course I can ignore some risks!"

"And I'm your father's most outstanding student, the second-ranked genius in all of Konoha! A peerless genius who developed an entire set of Vortex Style Nintaijutsu on my own! It's only natural that Teacher Sakumo trusts me, isn't it?"

"If Teacher Sakumo didn't trust me, would he trust a three-year-old brat who kept pestering him to start refining chakra?"

Qi Luna leaned back against the bench with both arms draped over its backrest, crossing her legs. Her face was full of pride in her own talent, and her eyes held a hint of disdain for Kakashi's past overconfidence.

Kakashi didn't seem impressed. He turned his head away from Qi Luna, rolled his eyes, and pursed his lips.

"Hmph! You really are pretty amazing, huh?"

"By the way, you always say you're the second most talented person in Konoha. So who's first? Who could possibly make even you admit defeat?!"

Kakashi wasn't the only one who was curious. Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were interested too, and all four of them turned their gazes toward Qi Luna, some more openly than others.

Qi Luna rubbed her chin and looked up at the sky. She thought of that genius who had learned a technique that even she couldn't master, then developed a new technique based on it. Qi Luna couldn't help shaking her head at herself, but she didn't answer directly:

"Come on~ Don't get hung up on the details. I'm just a little humble by nature. If you really want to know who's more talented than me... there's probably only that guy!"

"Who? That guy? Who is he?"

Seeing Qi Luna act all mysterious and only tell half the story, Yahiko couldn't wait any longer and pressed her:

"Well~ You'll find out when Kakashi graduates and becomes a shinobi."

Qi Luna smiled. Without even looking at them, she gave an answer that made no sense to them at all, turning herself into one of those infuriating people who spoke in riddles.