I Hope You Can Help Naruto

Uzumaki Hayashi swallowed twice, pushed the door open, and walked in.

The hinges gave a soft creak.

He was inside now, but his puzzlement still lingered-he hadn't even knocked yet. How had the old man known it was him outside the door?

A sensory ninja? Or had the old man timed this, waiting for him tonight?

Either way, it raised the difficulty of this "battle of wits" a notch.

Even as Uzumaki Hayashi mentally prepared for a battle of wits, he put an obedient smile on his face.

"Grandpa Third."

The greeting seemed to touch the old man behind the desk right in the heart. The wrinkles on his face eased as he smiled and beckoned him over.

"You're here? Come, sit."

Uzumaki Hayashi obediently sat down.

"Do you like tea?" the Third asked.

"It's all right."

"Then try this."

The Third stood up with the teapot, came around to his side, and personally poured him a cup. Steam rose from its rim.

Uzumaki Hayashi cradled the cup, blew on it, and took a sip.

Whoa. Good tea.

Who knew how many times better it was than anything he'd drunk in his previous life? He'd have to find a chance to ask where they bought these leaves.

Then the old man returned to his seat with the teapot, set his cup beside him, and said nothing more.

He simply sat behind the desk, smiling at Uzumaki Hayashi without a word.

Holding his cup, Uzumaki Hayashi didn't know whether to keep drinking or put it down.

The tea was good, but what exactly was this old man looking at?

That stare was slowly making his skin crawl.

After a while, he couldn't stand the awkwardness anymore and forced himself to speak.

"Grandpa Third, what's... going on?"

"Ah-"

The Third seemed to snap out of his thoughts and gave a couple of embarrassed chuckles.

"Sorry, sorry. I was just thinking... if only my grandson could be like you."

Grandson?

Uzumaki Hayashi held his teacup as something stirred in his mind.

The Third's grandson... wasn't that Konohamaru?

Wait, now that he mentioned it-did that mean the kid still hadn't started calling Naruto his big brother?

Then what about the Sexy Jutsu? Naruto's earth-shattering, heaven-defying Sexy Jutsu-how come he hadn't seen it even once?

Was it because he'd come here? With him looking out for Naruto at school, had the kid's life become so easy that he couldn't even be bothered to invent the Sexy Jutsu?

The more he thought about it, the guiltier he felt. These days, Naruto spent every day hanging out with him, either eating ramen or fooling around. Where would he find the time to dream up such a great invention?

So this really might be his fault?

That wasn't right!

That was the very foundation of Naruto's survival! Without the Sexy Jutsu, how was he supposed to fight that white-haired little girl later?!

While turmoil raged inside Uzumaki Hayashi, the Third noticed none of it. The old man paused, then looked at him and continued.

"Hayashi, you're very gifted..."

Oh?

He was going to praise him!

Uzumaki Hayashi immediately straightened up and adopted a posture of rapt attention.

Go ahead, praise away. He'd gladly accept it. Honestly, this old Third just had to praise him to his face. How embarrassing.

His lips had barely begun to curl when the Third caught it. The old man smiled too, then resumed speaking.

"So, you know, yesterday Kakashi asked me to let him become a Jonin team leader."

"-But he had one condition."

At this point, the Third deliberately paused, as though trying to pique his interest.

Uzumaki Hayashi promptly played along, leaning forward and asking encouragingly:

"What was his one condition?"

The Third smiled.

"That you lead the team alongside him."

Uzumaki Hayashi froze.

He raised a hand and pointed at his own nose.

"Me? I can lead a team too?"

Once his surprise passed, he couldn't help calculating again. Lead a team with Kakashi? Wouldn't that upgrade his top-tier bodyguard into a long-term coworker? Lifetime after-sales support, extended straight past graduation-where else could he find a deal like that?

"Heh." The Third chuckled again. "So you'll need an assessment of your own."

"The others' Genin exam won't have anything to do with you."

"Your Genin exam will be a one-on-one spar with Kakashi. Only when you earn his approval can you become a Genin."

Uzumaki Hayashi: "..."

Wait.

What exactly was going on here?

He had to fight Kakashi?

Seriously?!

He had only raised his chakra to Special Jōnin level a couple of days ago, and now he was supposed to fight the Copy Ninja? That was Kakashi Hatake, the man with the Sharingan!

Hold on.

No, think it through again.

He only needed Kakashi's approval-not to actually beat him into the ground. That made it a whole lot easier.

Besides, this was Kakashi, the man who could fight anyone to a draw. What if that passive ability kicked in and forced a fifty-fifty match against him-

Wouldn't that mean he'd pass for sure?

Look on the bright side: even the examiner was one of his own. Where else could he find an assessment like that?

At that thought, Uzumaki Hayashi smiled and agreed on the spot.

"All right. Grandpa Third, I'll take that assessment."

The Third looked at the boy.

So earnest, so decisive, without even a word of hesitation.

He smiled with satisfaction, already applauding the boy in his heart.

He knew Kakashi's temperament. For all these years, no matter how many people urged him to take on students, he had refused to budge. This time, he had come forward of his own accord, and his sole condition was this boy.

And the boy? Upon hearing that he would face Kakashi one-on-one, he had agreed without even blinking.

Talent, temperament, responsibility-there wasn't a single fault to find in any of them.

A child like this had perfectly inherited the Will of Fire as he envisioned it.

"Good." The Third nodded. "Then I'll take that as a yes."

After those words, the smile on his face slowly faded.

The atmosphere in the office grew heavy along with it.

The Third picked up the pipe on his desk and held it without lighting it.

He raised his eyes to the red-haired boy before him, looking somewhat reluctant. Only after a long while did he speak.

"Then, Hayashi."

"Would you be willing to do Grandpa Third one more small favor?"

A small favor?

Uzumaki Hayashi wondered uneasily.

Everything had been fine a moment ago. How had the atmosphere in the room turned so gloomy in the blink of an eye?

Besides, what could a student who wasn't even a Genin yet do for a Hokage?

But at the sight of the old man's somber face, he swallowed his questions and nodded.

"Grandpa Third, please tell me."

Watching the boy agree made the Third feel even worse.

He set the pipe back on the desk, fell silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"I hope you can..."

"Help Naruto."