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Three identical maps appeared.
All were maps of Konoha, ranging from the Valley's End to the village entrance, including various experimental zones and the Forest of Death from the previous Chūnin Exam.
"This is the Konoha map," Kitahara Hitoshi said. "You two will handle these sections."
He took a red pen and marked specific areas on Tobirama and Kakashi's maps.
"You're responsible for these regions. Memorize everything. I'll handle the rest."
"...Kakashi."
"...Tobirama."
Kakashi looked at Tobirama. Tobirama lightly knocked his forehead and shook his head, indicating confusion.
"What's the purpose of mapping the village?" Tobirama asked.
"It's for the assessment," Kitahara Hitoshi replied. "Konoha has held the Chūnin Exams 37 times, but there's never been a Jōnin assessment. Since it's the first one, we need real data."
"No..." Kakashi quickly spoke up. "Aren't a lot of Chūnin participating too?"
He remembered Kitahara requesting Chūnin and above, meaning all of Konoha's Chūnin and Jōnin, including elites. But if it was truly a Jōnin assessment, wouldn't that disqualify Chūnin outright?
So what was the real objective?
"...Kitahara Hitoshi."
"Kakashi-sensei, you're overthinking it. This isn't the Chūnin Exam. It's Konoha's first official Jōnin assessment. The previous division between Chūnin and Jōnin was just a guideline set by the Third Hokage. This exam is to determine who actually qualifies as Jōnin. Chūnin can still stay at their level, and if someone surpasses the standard, they can rise. But if someone doesn't meet even the Chūnin level, failing is expected."
"This..." Kakashi fell silent.
Big Pillar Hanhan: Hmm...
Da Zhuzi Hanhan: So, it's a massive screening.
Senju Tobirama: Just like Kakashi said earlier. It's finally happening. We thought a lot about the Chūnin selection before, hence the Chūnin Exam. But for Jōnin, assessment is harder. It used to rely on mission contribution and general strength. So... I'm curious how Kitahara-kun will evaluate Jōnin.
Senju Tobirama: But this village-mapping plan seems excessive. I don't understand his goal.
Big Zhuzi Hanhan: Let him do it.
Big Pillar Hanhan: Tobirama will cooperate.
Big Zhuzi Hanhan: I want in too.
Senju Tobirama: Hmm.
Tobirama knew his eldest brother's body was still with Orochimaru and hadn't been recovered.
So...
Senju Tobirama: Damn Sarutobi.
Tobirama cursed the Third Hokage.
Dragon Returns to the Sea - Jiraiya: ...
Jiraiya remained silent. He knew Tobirama blamed Sarutobi for failing to manage Orochimaru. Orochimaru betrayed the village and stole both First and Second Hokage bodies. Though Tobirama had a reanimated body, the First Hokage's physical body remained missing.
Jiraiya himself shared the blame. After all, the Third Hokage tasked him with pursuing Orochimaru. But he failed. He could only watch Orochimaru escape.
So the fact that they couldn't stop Orochimaru from taking Hashirama's body—he was partially responsible.
Life isn't easy, Jiraiya sighed.
He spent decades seeking the Child of Prophecy, only to return to Konoha unable to change anything. As the Third Hokage's student, he hadn't done much for the village, maybe even brought trouble. He failed to stop Orochimaru's betrayal. Tsunade gave up. Orochimaru went rogue.
The entire line of the Third Hokage... had they helped the village, or just dragged it down?
So during the live broadcast, Tobirama agreed to his brother's request and began documenting every part of the village in detail according to Kitahara's instructions.
He drew everything precisely.
After all, Tobirama was not only a master of research and ninjutsu but also skilled in illustration.
For Kakashi, the task was simpler.
Though his drawing was poor, he used Obito's Sharingan to cast illusions directly onto Kitahara Hitoshi, transmitting the visuals he recorded.
In this way, everything proceeded smoothly.
Two days later, they finished documenting the village completely.
As a result—
"So... are you thinking about continuing to use Obito's Sharingan?"
Kakashi finally faced Kitahara Hitoshi's question.
His original intent in accepting Obito's eye was to carry his friend's will and remind himself that companions mattered more than missions.
A man who abandons comrades is worse than trash.
"..."
Kitahara Hitoshi stayed silent.
Kakashi was going in circles.
In his youth, with his father still alive, he believed in the value of comrades. But his father's mission failed, and the rescued teammates turned on him. His father took his own life.
After that, Kakashi changed.
To him, missions came before everything. But Obito's death altered his path again.
He came to believe the opposite—companions mattered most. Mission or not, you never leave comrades behind.
"Yes." Kakashi nodded. "But the Sharingan constantly drains my chakra. It's limiting my growth."
"..."
Kitahara Hitoshi handed a chakra fruit to the ninja rabbit as he reflected.
Kakashi was considered a genius in his youth. With five chakra attributes and Obito's Sharingan, he became Konoha's number one technician, mastering over a thousand jutsu.
But the Sharingan also came with cost—chronic chakra depletion.
He had created Chidori at age twelve, evolving it into Raikiri. But because of chakra limitations, he couldn't advance further.
Sharingan had helped him, but also held him back.
It made him a ninja who lived off talent but became a shadow of the Uchiha.
They might as well rename him Uchiha Kakashi.
"But you think Sasuke and Naruto are stronger now, right?" Kitahara asked.
Kakashi nodded firmly.
"And the Ōtsutsuki..."
"Even if I'm just a regular ninja, I want to become stronger," Kakashi said.
In short, Kakashi saw the changes in the ninja world. Enemies were growing more powerful. So were allies and rivals. Only he was left behind.
He couldn't stay still.
He trained, but he'd hit a ceiling. A bottleneck he couldn't break.
That bottleneck was what blocked his path to Kage level—and beyond.
Kitahara Hitoshi remembered that before he crossed over, aside from being the Hokage's right hand, there was always a rumor about Kakashi. That rumor said Kakashi hadn't truly developed Obito's Sharingan. Even so, he still became a Kage-level powerhouse. In other words, Kakashi had the potential to rise regardless of whether he had Obito's eye or not.
But the issue now was that he did get it, and afterward, it felt like a shackle. He sensed himself stuck at Elite Jōnin level—and being Elite Jōnin now meant almost nothing. So...
"Then you're wrong," Kitahara Hitoshi said calmly. "The Second Hokage continued Orochimaru's research. He can give you a normal eye. Your talent still exists, and you can grow."
"…"
"The limit is Kage-level. But tell me, do you think Sasuke and Naruto are strong right now?" Kitahara Hitoshi asked.
"Very strong," Kakashi nodded.
With the power of the Six Paths, Planetary Devastation, Ultra Shadow abilities, and the awakened chakras of Indra and Ashura, it was impossible not to be envious. While Sasuke and Naruto still lacked practical combat experience, it was obvious that if they focused and trained, they'd master their strength in at most three months. Sasuke had been refined by Itachi's release and personal journey. Naruto, watching battles and absorbing them, would naturally grow fast.
In short, they were strong.
"But they're all hooked up," Kitahara Hitoshi said.
"Eh?"
Hashirama's expression mirrored Kakashi's confusion.
Tobirama cut in coldly, "Brothers, be quiet. Whether it's Naruto and Sasuke, or you and Madara, you've all got cheat buffs. You all skyrocketed in strength thanks to outside forces. Isn't that unfair? Let normal ninjas breathe."
Tobirama had every right to say that.
Minato hesitated. Honestly, Tobirama couldn't be completely criticized. The Second Hokage not only established the Ninja Academy, but also founded the Uchiha Police Force, Anbu, the archives, and set the standards for Chūnin and Jōnin selection. In his era, he was a revolutionary genius.
And let's not forget the number of forbidden techniques he mastered and the depth of his research. He even absorbed over ten years' worth of Orochimaru's studies. In some ways, Tobirama was also a cheat-level character.
Even Terumi Mei had thoughts on this. Like Tobirama, she'd been called a Second Generation copy. But her Water Style was like a sea. Her talent was undeniable. The way Kitahara Hitoshi talked now, it made perfect sense. His actions and insights had been clear ever since the Chūnin Exams. He was effort and genius combined—always logical.
But Naruto and Sasuke, and even Hashirama and Madara, all had the blood of the Sage of Six Paths. That was on another level entirely.
That was the cheat.
Outside the chat group, Kitahara Hitoshi continued speaking.
"Sasuke and Naruto got hooked up. But Kakashi-sensei, if you want to break through Elite Jōnin and reach Kage-level, just take off the Sharingan. You can do it in two years."
"One."
"Have you ever considered that Obito's Sharingan itself is a cheat?"
"You copied over a thousand jutsu with it. Then you personalized those jutsu, made them your own."
"That's just basic Sharingan utility."
"Mangekyō Sharingan has its own uniqueness," Kitahara Hitoshi said.
"Special… unique?"
"Yes. As for true mastery, you'd only need ten days to enter Kage-level."
"B…" Kakashi was stunned. "So…"
"Obito loved you," Kitahara Hitoshi said. "He may have hurt many, but not you."
Kakashi fell silent. "What… does that mean?"
"It means nothing." Kitahara Hitoshi stroked his chin. "Your Mangekyō Sharingan is the cheat Obito left behind. If you can control it, you'll be across that Kage-level threshold."
Tobirama nodded. "That makes sense."
He admitted, "I overlooked this before, but now it's clear. Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan really is something."
Minato asked, "Then what should Kakashi do?"
As Kakashi's former teacher, Minato was deeply invested.
Tobirama replied, "Danzo once embedded himself with many Sharingan, but he wasn't Kakashi. He could barely handle it."
"Most of Danzo's Sharingan weren't even Mangekyō—just 1-Tomoe or 2-Tomoe types."
Shisui joined in. "Oh? That guy Danzo…"
"He harvested them after the Uchiha Massacre," Tobirama said.
Shisui asked, "So what are you suggesting?"
"I dissected Danzo. He had Hashirama's Wood Style cells implanted."
Tobirama continued, "And Orochimaru's notes confirmed it. That's why I can transplant my brother's cells into Kakashi too."
Hashirama blinked. "Ah…"
Shisui was speechless.
Minato, deep in thought, realized Tobirama had dissected Danzo without hesitation. As expected, his hatred for Danzo was deep-rooted.
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