Bonds

After sending off the Jonin who had come to complain about Kakashi, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the detailed records of this year's soon-to-graduate Ninja Academy students.

The records laid out each student's abilities and traits, down to the smallest detail.

There were exceptions, of course. Kazan was one.

No one had expected the Dead Last, mocked for years for practicing Taijutsu instead of Ninjutsu and barely passing his classes, to be a genius too.

No one except Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He knew Kazan hunted in the Forest of Death.

"Should I put Kazan on Kakashi's team?"

He had watched them for a long time last night through the Telescope Technique. To his surprise, Kakashi and Kazan had gotten along well. Kakashi had even taught Kazan a Forbidden Technique.

A bond seemed to be budding between the two young geniuses, born from their clash.

"Better keep them apart. Minato isn't suited to teaching a Taijutsu specialist!"

Having Minato Namikaze teach Kazan would not be a good choice.

The Hokage had always chosen the Ninja Academy graduates' teams with care.

He used his judgment and experience to put together squads with distinct strengths.

Kakashi and Kazan were the two graduates he was watching most closely this year. Kakashi, in particular, needed stronger ties to the village. He could not be allowed to become a heartless machine that knew only how to carry out missions.

Then his thoughts turned to the conflicts across the Shinobi World.

Friction between the great Shinobi Villages had been constant for nearly a year. The Land of Fire and Konoha, situated at the center of the continent on its richest land, were targets for everyone.

If full-scale war broke out, could he lead the village to victory as his teacher had?

The man once hailed as the Shinobi Hero was no longer sure.

Elsewhere.

At the Ninja Academy.

When class ended, Kazan returned to his classroom.

His classmates surrounded him at once. They could not believe Kazan had knocked Kakashi down with his fists.

It was unbelievable—more absurd than Obito Uchiha taking first place on an exam.

"Kazan, are those rumors going around the village true? Did you really beat Kakashi?"

Asuma was nervous. If the rumor was true, the pressure on him had just grown.

Kazan looked at the kids around him, their faces full of unease, anticipation, and nerves, then nodded.

"It's true?!!"

The classroom erupted.

Even so, they struggled to believe a pair of fists could really defeat Kakashi.

It felt too much like a dream.

Only Might Guy had suspected Kazan was strong. His father had always told him to aim for Kazan's level.

Trusting his father, he had worked hard. But even he had never imagined Kazan had already surpassed Kakashi.

Kurenai alone focused on something different.

"Why were you late today?"

"Huh? I told you. I overslept."

"You haven't overslept once since you started school at five!"

Kurenai Yuhi remembered because she had always paid attention.

"Oh, that. The old Third Hokage made me repair the street we damaged last night."

"Together with Kakashi?"

The question came from Rin Nohara, not Kurenai.

"Yeah."

"Then... how was Kakashi? Did the task go smoothly?"

"Same as ever. He's doing fine."

"I see..."

Rin Nohara relaxed.

She had been born in Konoha and had never left the village.

Like the others, she longed to see the world beyond Konoha. Unlike hot-blooded boys such as Obito, though, she understood the dangers outside the village.

Hearing that Kakashi was all right put her at ease.

As for the claim that Kazan had beaten the crap out of Kakashi, Rin Nohara did not believe it. The boy she adored would never do anything like that.

"Hey, Kazan! Fight me!"

Obito had not heard what they were talking about, but he had seen Rin Nohara chatting happily with Kazan.

Instinct told him it was because Kazan had beaten Kakashi.

So all he had to do was beat Kazan, right?

Kazan glanced at Obito, unable to reconcile the boy before him with the boss he would become.

"Next time."

"Why wait? Let's do it now!"

Obito charged, determined to prove he was as capable as anyone.

Bang!

Kazan's right fist struck Obito square in the cheek.

A dark blur streaked past everyone's eyes. Then they saw Obito fly out the window from a single punch.

"Obito!" Rin Nohara cried, hurrying out of the classroom to check on him.

What is this girl thinking, anyway? Kazan wondered.

The person Rin Nohara had loved from beginning to end was Kakashi.

Even at the moment of her death, the official record said, "Rin Nohara died at the hands of the one she loved."

Yet her concern for Obito went beyond friendship.

Forget it. It's none of my business.

Kazan lowered his fist.

At noon.

After lunch, Kazan went back to punching his wooden stakes.

But then—

Bang!

Before long, he shattered one.

"Just a ten-percent increase, and these stakes can't hold up anymore."

Kazan looked at his fist.

Garp's training method was simple and brutal: throw punch after punch at full strength.

He had started with wooden stakes, moved on to decommissioned warships, and eventually used mountains as punching bags.

Through blow after blow, he had forged his peerless Iron Fist.

Of course, Garp had extraordinary talent. How could an ordinary person reach the pinnacle of fighting strength just by punching stakes?

"The problem is, Konoha doesn't have warships for me to punch." Kazan thought for a moment. "I'll go to the Forest of Death instead."

With that, Kazan created another Shadow Clone.

"You're handling this afternoon's classes."

"Don't dump such a pain on me."

In a sense, the Shadow Clone was Kazan himself. It could speak and had the same thoughts as he did.

"Training my body with a Ghost Shadow Clone won't make me stronger. It'll only leave me feeling tired."

"Quit complaining. I'm off!"

After a few instructions, Kazan leaped away from the Ninja Academy, leaving the Shadow Clone to sit through class.

Before long.

The sound of Kazan's punches—bang, bang, bang—rang through the Forest of Death.

He drove one fist after another into the forest's giant trees, putting his full strength behind every blow.

Hakimi caught his master's scent and rushed over, only to find Kazan relentlessly punching a tree.

Though Hakimi had no idea what Kazan was doing, he did not interrupt. Instead, he stood guard.

Crash!

As a giant tree toppled, Kazan, drenched in sweat, finally stopped punching.

Then fatigue washed over him like a tide.

It was not from the punches. The Shadow Clone he had sent to practice the Six Powers that morning had run out of Chakra.

A flood of training memories poured into Kazan's mind at once. Exhausted, he dropped to the ground and fell asleep on the spot.

"Awoo?!" Hakimi startled and licked him a few times. Once he realized Kazan was only asleep, he went back on guard.