Those returning with the main force made no great commotion. Instead, they chose to slip into the village in the dead of night. Though they had won this battle, many would never return to Konoha.
After finishing his handover with the Third Hokage, White Fang returned home. Kakashi, who had been asleep, woke alertly. Seeing his father had returned, he rushed over happily.
"Father, will you be going out again this time?"
White Fang gently stroked his head and said, "Probably not for a while. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Ninja Academy."
"Okay. Oh, where's Anyo? I haven't seen him in ages." Kakashi was a little puzzled.
"He's already been promoted to Chunin, and he has plenty of missions waiting for him. He'll have very little time to come here to train from now on. If you want to see him, you can ask him to come along to the academy tomorrow."
"He's already a Chunin? That was fast." Kakashi was a little envious.
White Fang smiled. "Kakashi, believe in yourself. Once you graduate from the academy, you'll rise through the ranks quickly too."
"Of course I will," Kakashi said confidently.
Barely had dawn broken when Anyo came calling on his own initiative, bringing breakfast for father and son along the way.
As Kakashi ate, he asked, "Why are you being so nice today? You even brought breakfast."
Anyo grinned smugly. "I finished my mission and got paid."
"Hmph. Sooner or later, that'll be me too."
With that, Kakashi focused on eating.
After finishing breakfast, White Fang asked, "Did you get everything ready after coming back last night? Have you made any plans for this mission?"
Anyo took out a map and spread it on the floor. "This is the map I drew last night. The red markings are the route I plotted. I'll more or less follow it while gathering intelligence."
One glance told White Fang what Anyo intended. He planned to turn a B-rank mission into an S-rank one. That was rather risky, so White Fang frowned and said gravely, "There's no need to visit every Ninja village, especially Kirigakure. Just look around the outskirts. Don't go inside."
"Oh? Why?"
White Fang explained, "Kirigakure is an extremely closed-off village. We know very little about it, but killing is rampant there. As an outsider, you'd stand out if you went in. It's ill-advised."
"All right, then I won't go." Anyo crossed out Kirigakure on the map.
By then, Kakashi had finished eating. He set down his bowl and chopsticks and called out, "Let's go! Take me to the Ninja Academy."
"You're really sending Kakashi to the academy?" Anyo asked in surprise. "He's still so young."
Kakashi was unhappy to hear that. "How am I too young? I'm going to the Ninja Academy."
White Fang said only, "I believe in Kakashi."
The three then headed toward the Ninja Academy together. Although Kakashi looked calm along the way, he kept urging them to hurry. It seemed he was deeply eager to learn.
As soon as they reached the academy gates, White Fang spotted a very peculiar-looking father and son. Both wore green jumpsuits from head to toe and looked as though they had been cast from the same mold. He took the initiative to greet them. "Nice to meet you. My son will be in your care at the academy from now on. Please get along with him."
"Dad!" Kakashi protested.
To their surprise, the father opposite them grew solemn and said very seriously, "No, that won't be possible."
"Hm?" White Fang took a step back in surprise. "Why? Is this what they call a monster parent?"
"No, Dad, you've got it wrong." Sharp-eyed Kakashi had already figured out what was going on. "This guy didn't get into the Ninja Academy."
White Fang rubbed the back of his head apologetically. "I'm very sorry. Since we were at the academy gates, I jumped to conclusions."
The other father laughed twice, entirely unbothered. "Yes, that's right."
Anyo spoke up then. "May I ask your names?"
"Oh, I'm Might Duy, and this is my son..."
Before Might Duy could finish, his son struck a pose and declared with a confident grin, "I'm Might Guy. One day, I'll become a man stronger than anyone else."
Hearing this, Anyo gave him another couple of looks. So this was the mighty Guy. He was quite cute as a child. The man who, as people said, had nearly kicked the story straight to its finale. In a sense, there really was nothing wrong with what he had just said.
Of course, Kakashi did not think so. Someone who could not even get into the Ninja Academy naturally failed to impress him.
White Fang, however, let his gaze linger on Might Guy for a while before telling Kakashi, "Son, remember that name. He may become your rival in the future."
At that, Kakashi gave the father and son another couple of looks, then shook his head disdainfully. The person he most wanted to surpass right now stood before him: Anyo. He would graduate from the academy as quickly as possible and surpass his father's student soon to prove himself.
Anyo, on the other hand, went over to chat with them with great interest. Soon, the three were talking and laughing together, a sight even White Fang found a little odd as he watched from the side.
After the father and son left, White Fang approached and asked, "Don't tell me you're interested in that Taijutsu technique he's mastered?"
"I'm not planning to learn it." Anyo first put White Fang's mind at ease, then answered honestly, "I'm just interested, that's all. Mostly, I'm curious how powerful it can be."
"I don't know either," White Fang said gravely. "Legend has it that if someone trains the Eight Gates Released Formation to the point of opening the final gate, they can instantly gain Kage Level power. But opening it consumes their life, and there is no saving them."
Anyo added inwardly, That's not Kage Level. That's beyond Kage Level. Although he no longer remembered many details from Naruto, Anyo would never forget that kick from the mighty Guy. In any case, excluding those with cheats, the mighty Guy would unquestionably be the greatest Ninja of the future. Against anyone below Six Paths, he could force a mutual kill. There was simply no reasoning with that.
While Anyo was deep in thought, White Fang suddenly formed hand seals with both hands and pressed them against his stomach.
A Sealing Array took shape instantly.
"What's this?" Anyo looked bewildered.
"This is a Sealing Array. I've sealed your chakra down to Genin level. This scroll will release the seal. Unless you face a life-or-death crisis, you are not to undo it." With that, White Fang tossed Anyo a scroll and left without further explanation.
Holding the scroll, Anyo suddenly understood. White Fang had said he was assigning him a mission, but in truth, he wanted him to go out and train, gaining insight and improving his swordsmanship step by step. That was why he had set the mission at B-rank. He had even taken such pains to seal Anyo's chakra, presumably out of fear that he would take risks for the mission.
At that thought, Anyo could not help feeling moved. He tightened his grip on the scroll and quietly left Konoha.
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