Kakashi Hatake looked at the child hugging his scroll with a thoroughly satisfied smile and smiled himself.
"All right, stop grinning." He said, "Head back to the classroom. Your friends are probably getting impatient. Have a proper celebration with everyone today-"
He hadn't finished speaking.
A low cough suddenly sounded beside them.
Uzumaki Hayashi turned toward the sound.
Not far away, Gekko Hayate was walking slowly toward them, one hand behind his back and two scrolls in the other.
Huh.
When did he get here?
He had been so busy basking in his happiness that he hadn't activated Mind's Eye of the Kagura and had failed to notice a thing.
But that cough was very familiar.
Who else could it belong to but Hayate-sensei?
Gekko Hayate came up to him and smiled first. Then his gaze settled on the brand-new forehead protector on his brow, and his smile deepened.
"Congratulations, Hayashi," he said. "You've earned your Genin forehead protector."
"Thank you, Hayate-sensei!"
Gekko Hayate nodded, then turned toward Kakashi Hatake beside him, raising his eyebrows in pointedly exaggerated surprise.
"Oh? Jonin Kakashi?" he asked. "Why are you still here?"
Kakashi Hatake's face darkened.
"...I was the one who assessed him today."
"I see."
Gekko Hayate nodded and smiled at Kakashi.
"Well, thank you, Jonin Kakashi, for looking after our unworthy disciple."
Without waiting for Kakashi to respond, he turned and thrust the two scrolls into Uzumaki Hayashi's arms.
"Here."
"This one is my Dance of the Crescent Moon."
"And this one is Yugao's Oborozukiyo."
"It's all in there. They're yours now."
Then he gave two more quiet coughs.
Uzumaki Hayashi held the two scrolls, completely stunned.
Dance of the Crescent Moon was Gekko Hayate's signature technique. Oborozukiyo was the Illusion Sword Technique Uzuki Yugao had created herself.
These were the