Hokage's Office.
The Third Hokage had his hand on the crystal ball, closely observing the movements of Kakashi, Kyōen, and Yūhi Kurenai.
At that moment—
Bang!
A sudden noise rang out. The Third immediately covered the crystal ball and looked toward the window.
Then…
He suddenly realized—
Wait… what am I afraid of again?
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a soft cough and looked toward the window, scolding,
"Jiraiya, can't you enter through the front door for once?"
"Heh, this way's faster," Jiraiya said, grinning as always. But upon glancing at the crystal ball, his expression grew serious.
"You're watching them? How's it looking?"
The Third lifted his pipe with one hand.
"Ryōmine Kyōen is quite impressive."
"What stands out the most is his awareness and mindset—he's remarkably mature. But that's also what makes him dangerous… children shaped by war often need guidance, just like Kakashi."
Jiraiya leaned in to watch the crystal ball with him.
Inside the vision, Kyōen and Kakashi were running while exchanging blows, testing each other's taijutsu.
At first—
Kyōen was clearly at a disadvantage. But with his speed, he always managed to slip away at the last moment, narrowly avoiding direct hits.
However—
As the spar continued, even through the crystal ball, both Jiraiya and the Third Hokage could see—
Kyōen's taijutsu technique was visibly improving!
How is that possible?
Could there really be such a genius in this world?
Jiraiya nudged Hiruzen.
Clatter!
His pipe dropped.
"Ack! My pipe!"
The Third quickly reached out to catch it, but the tobacco inside had already spilled.
Still—
Now wasn't the time to worry about tobacco.
The Third's expression grew solemn as he stared at the crystal ball.
That growth rate…
If he didn't know Kyōen was a Senju descendant, he might've suspected the boy had a Sharingan and was copying Kakashi's movements.
"Jiraiya, you've met him before?"
"Old man, I've run into him a few times over the past year. I can vouch for this kid—he's unbelievably hardworking. All of this is the result of his own effort. I'd bet he hasn't had much combat experience until now, which is why he's improving so rapidly."
"Mm."
The Third nodded.
He believed it. He'd just been too shocked before—
A boy with such talent and willpower, yet completely unknown until now…
Truly remarkable.
"Huff… huff…"
Kakashi was panting heavily.
He could hardly believe it—someone could improve this fast?
A genius?
But then—
What does that make all the effort and pain I've gone through over the years?
Kakashi didn't believe in talent that bloomed overnight.
To him, it was more likely this kid had just been training alone behind closed doors, with no real fight experience—until now, when he could finally show his full strength.
And more than that—
His speed was still increasing.
He was still getting stronger!
Kakashi wasn't overwhelmed, but he was definitely shaken. As Kyōen's power rose, so did the intensity of their sparring—it was getting more dangerous by the minute.
But—
Kyōen understood.
Without the "free training" he got from Guy earlier, there was no way he'd have improved his taijutsu this fast.
Also—
Combat was the fastest way to integrate knowledge and ability into your body.
"Stop fighting, both of you! If this continues, it'll only hurt you both!"
Kurenai tried to intervene from behind.
But—
Neither of them listened.
She gritted her teeth, then decisively began forming hand seals.
Falling Sakura Illusion Technique!
A cascade of cherry blossoms rained down from above.
Seeing this, both Kyōen and Kakashi realized things were about to go bad. They immediately disengaged and focused on breaking the genjutsu.
A moment later, they both opened their eyes.
Of course—
It wasn't that they'd broken the genjutsu themselves. Kurenai had already released it.
She quickly bowed in apology.
"I'm sorry! But your fight was escalating, and I don't know any medical ninjutsu. If someone got hurt in the Forest of Death, it'd be very dangerous."
"It's us who should thank you," Kyōen said calmly.
Kakashi said nothing.
But deep down, he was stunned—
To already be capable of genjutsu at this level, at her age…
Kurenai's illusions were indeed remarkable.
No wonder she'd been selected by Lord Jiraiya.
Luckily, he wore a mask—no one could see his expression. His "cool and aloof" image remained intact.
Kyōen didn't point it out either.
"We're teammates. That fight helped us understand each other's strength. That way we can better strategize for tomorrow's assessment."
Teammates… partners…
Kakashi coldly muttered,
"Just don't slow me down."
Kurenai's blood pressure spiked.
She was usually gentle—but this "genius Kakashi" kept shattering her expectations in the worst ways.
Why is this guy such a jerk?
She took several deep breaths. When she looked at Kyōen, she found him calm as ever.
Did he expect this?
Of course.
They'd been in the same class.
Unlike her—she was a year younger.
But then—
Kyōen spoke again.
"Maybe you weren't going all out earlier. You still had your blade, after all. But even so—do you really think you could take down Lord Jiraiya on your own?"
Kakashi turned to look at him, silent—but clearly staring.
"The point of teamwork is to cultivate trust. If you ignore your comrades' safety, even if we pass the assessment, we'll be nothing more than tools in your eyes."
"If that's how you operate, you'd be better off in the ANBU."
"You graduated two years ago and came back—there's a reason for that. The way you see others… that's how they'll see you. People like you… no one wants to be your teammate."
Kyōen finished calmly and turned to Kurenai.
"Let's scout the area. We might need the terrain knowledge tomorrow."
So—
He hadn't just been mentally prepared. He'd been holding it in, and now he'd finally let it out.
Such cutting words!
Wasn't he afraid this might start a real fight?
Kurenai stared blankly at Kyōen, then at Kakashi.
Kakashi's eyes were full of rage. His fists were clenched.
But—
Kyōen had no regrets, nor did he plan to apologize.
Someone like Kakashi couldn't be reasoned with through kindness. Even if he changed one day, it might only happen after a teammate's death…
Kyōen didn't want to be the next Obito.
And even if he was, there might not be a Madara to save him.
Besides—
"Redemption" is too slow.
Kyōen wanted to resolve this quickly and earn his reward from "clearing" the Kakashi "boss." He didn't have time to play emotional games.
Of course—
He didn't expect to succeed in one shot.
If not once, then twice—or three times. It'd be more effective than waiting for some heartfelt breakthrough.
Step one: Make him understand that respect is mutual.
Kyōen wasn't stronger than Kakashi in a one-on-one—but that didn't mean Kakashi had the right to keep tossing out arrogant comments.
Step two: Hopefully, Jiraiya would cooperate behind the scenes.
Kyōen thought to himself.
Kurenai hesitated, then chased after him.
"Wait up, Kyōen-kun."
"I'm not great at trap detection. Mind helping me scout? Try not to disturb anything if you can."
"Sure."
The two headed deeper into Training Ground 7.
Kakashi was still fuming.
Not far behind, one of Jiraiya's shadow clones sighed silently.
That silver-haired brat really doesn't know how to respect people… No wonder he gets so many complaints.
But still—
That kid's outburst was sharp. He hit Kakashi right where it hurt—and shut the brat up.
Still a kid after all…
No matter how mature or composed, anger could still break through.
Jiraiya chuckled.
Now that's what a kid should be like.
But—
What'll you all do in tomorrow's assessment?
Evening. The three parted ways.
After the confrontation, there was obvious tension between them. No one spoke much afterward.
"Was that really okay…?" Kurenai asked quietly.
Kyōen's outburst earlier had completely flipped her impression of him within just half a day.
So he's not just calm—he's also incredibly patient.
"Kakashi acts the way he does for a reason. I get it. I used to be in a similar place… but if we want to fix the problem, we can't just let him have his way. That's not right."
"I see…"
Kurenai murmured.
Kyōen stopped walking.
"We're near your house. I won't walk you any further."
"Huh?"
Kurenai snapped out of her thoughts, looked around, and realized they were already at the entrance to her street.
Just now—
She hadn't noticed at all. Her mind had been full of today's events and this boy in front of her.
"See you tomorrow. Let's do our best."
"Right! Thanks, Kyōen-kun. I learned a lot today."
Let me know if you'd like a short summary or character insight added for each chapter as you go.