He looked toward the voice, his mouth twitching beneath his mask.
The newcomer wore a bright green bodysuit, had thick eyebrows and a bowl cut, and was giving him an enthusiastic thumbs-up. He grinned, flashing a perfectly even row of white teeth like a searchlight sweeping over him.
Konoha's Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf, Might Guy.
Three children followed behind him: a boy in green who looked like he'd been cast from the same mold, a girl with her hair in buns, and an aloof boy in white with pale eyes and his arms folded.
"Oh, it's you, Guy." Kakashi Hatake raised a hand in greeting. "Where are you all headed?"
"We just got back from a mission!"
Might Guy's voice boomed so loudly that the entire street could hear him.
"We heard as soon as we entered the village! Everyone's talking about it-a new member of the Uzumaki Clan has come back to Konoha! Is it true?!"
Kakashi Hatake nodded.
"It's true."
"So it really is true!" Might Guy's eyes went wide. "I also heard the kid is a Redhead, only started at the Ninja Academy today, and used a B-rank ninjutsu at the training grounds this afternoon?!"
News really did travel fast.
Kakashi Hatake nodded again. After a pause, he added:
"That kid... hasn't had an easy life."
That was as far as he intended to go. He wasn't going to say another word.
Unfortunately, for some people, that one sentence was enough.
Might Guy's expression crumpled visibly. A moment later, two streams of hot tears burst forth, pouring down as though someone had turned on a faucet.
"Wah... waaah!"
"Th-that poor child-!"
"Guy-sensei-!"
Behind him, the boy in green also burst into tears. Even the way master and student cried looked like it had come from the same mold.
"Rock Lee-!"
"Guy-sensei-!"
Master and student clung to each other and sobbed, their cries shaking the heavens.
"My fellow student whom I've yet to meet!" the boy in green cried, clenching his fists. "Please, you must stay strong-!"
The girl with the buns sighed, clearly used to this, and stepped aside. The boy in white kept his arms folded and didn't even lift his eyelids.
Kakashi Hatake: "..."
He should never have added that last remark.
At long last, once the pair had cried themselves out, Might Guy wiped away his tears. Then, as though he'd made some momentous decision, he solemnly declared:
"Kakashi! I've decided!"
"That child has suffered so much, I can't bear it! I'm going to give him one of my most treasured green bodysuits, infused with youth and hot-blooded passion! Let him feel the warmth of youth!"
An image sprang unbidden into Kakashi Hatake's mind-
A Redhead child in a bright green bodysuit, standing on the training grounds and giving him a thumbs-up...
No.
Absolutely not.
Not a chance.
"He probably wouldn't like it," Kakashi Hatake refused, his face expressionless.
"How could he not! It's proof of youth!" Might Guy looked heartbroken.
"He really wouldn't like it."
"What's the child's name? Which class is he in?" Might Guy persisted. "I'll deliver it to him myself later!"
"...Classes are about to start." Kakashi Hatake raised a hand and pointed at the sun, changing the subject without batting an eye. "Doesn't your team need to go home and rest?"
The two exchanged a few more idle remarks. Just as they were about to part, Might Guy suddenly leaned closer, lowering his voice with a mysterious look on his face.
"Hey, Kakashi, let me ask you something."
"You haven't taken on any students all these years. This year-are you going to become a jonin instructor and lead a team?"
Kakashi Hatake glanced at him.
"No idea."
Two brisk, decisive words. With that, he turned and left.
"Hey! Kakashi! What kind of answer is that-!"
Might Guy's shout followed him. Without looking back, Kakashi Hatake waved a hand and soon disappeared into the crowd.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Uzumaki Hayashi was slowly shuffling toward the Ninja Academy, his heart aching with every step.
It hurt.
His heart hurt.
The reward that had been within his grasp had flown away. His chance to clear things up had fallen through, too.
What had he ever done to deserve this?
[Ding-]
A crisp chime suddenly rang out in his mind.
Uzumaki Hayashi stopped in his tracks.
[Long-term quest detected: save Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha from prolonged bullying and soothe their hearts-milestone objective achieved.] [The perpetrator of the bullying has been expelled from the Ninja Academy. The rescue targets' circumstances have improved.] [Milestone reward now being issued: B-rank ninjutsu 100%-raise any one B-rank ninjutsu to 100% proficiency.]
Uzumaki Hayashi: "..."
He stood there for several seconds, processing it.
No, wait a second.
Earlier, no matter how much I poked you, you wouldn't make a sound, like you were dead. Now that I'm feeling miserable, you've suddenly come back to life?
And "expelled from the Ninja Academy"-that Sifeng guy got kicked out?
Who did it? The Third?
Well, damn. The old man sure moved fast.
But... hehehe.
The reward was here.
Uzumaki Hayashi rubbed his hands together and gleefully cried out in his mind: Claim it, claim it! Max out Vacuum Sphere for me!
[Claiming reward...] [The current environment is noisy and does not meet the claiming requirements.] [Please proceed to a quiet environment free of disturbances before claiming the reward.]
Uzumaki Hayashi: "???"
Seriously? You're a system, and you need the right environment just to hand out a reward?
What is this, some covert rendezvous? Do I have to find a safe house first?
Figuring it was worth a try, he crouched in a secluded corner by the street and called out in his mind: Quiet enough now, right? Claim it!
The system gave no response.
It was a true professional at playing dead.
Fine. So I really do have to find a proper place.
Uzumaki Hayashi stood up, brushed the dirt off his pants, and glanced around as he began to think.
A quiet environment... school was out of the question. A classroom full of brats could practically blow the roof off with their noise.
Then... back to the little villa?
He turned to look at the Ninja Academy's gates, then thought it over-
The whole class had seen the Third call me away, anyway. If I'm not there now, everyone will just assume I'm still getting chewed out in the Hokage's office.
Heaven knows, earth knows, the system knows, and I know.
What do you call that? Everything lining up perfectly.
Uzumaki Hayashi turned around and headed briskly toward the little villa, even humming a tune.
As for skipping class-
The first time's the hardest. The second time's a breeze.
Before you continue