"Well done. I knew you could do it, Rin."
Kakashi, who had been observing silently from the side, let out a subtle sigh of relief. He hadn't said a word to avoid distracting her during treatment.
Hearing his praise, Rin wiped the sweat from her forehead. A bright, proud smile bloomed across her rosy little face.
"You two did well. You've both met the prerequisites for this test."
"But don't get cocky just yet. That was only the warm-up."
Tsunade held up two rabbits that her Shadow Clone had returned with earlier.
"One each."
"These are now your wounded comrades. Save them, and you pass. If not—well, at least you'll have learned something about disappointment."
With that, Tsunade gathered chakra into her fingertips, forming chakra scalpels. In a flash, she sliced deep wounds across the rabbits' abdomens. One cut was clearly deeper than the other.
And just like that, Tsunade averted her gaze, almost like she couldn't bear to watch what came next.
"Ah!"
Rin gasped, covering her mouth in horror as blood soaked the rabbits' snow-white fur.
Without hesitation, Kakashi stepped forward and took the two rabbits from the clone. He passed the one with the lighter wound to Rin and immediately examined his own.
His pupils shrank.
His rabbit's heart had been pierced. It was barely alive.
A haunting image flashed through Kakashi's mind—Rin, heart impaled, dying in his arms.
No time to spiral. Chakra surged into his hands, forming a soft green glow as he pressed them over the rabbit's abdomen.
I'm not letting this one die.
On the other side, Rin quickly composed herself and began treatment.
Ten minutes passed.
Rin was pale and drenched in sweat. Her breath quickened. The green glow on her hands began to flicker like a candle in the wind.
Not enough... Rin gritted her teeth, digging deep, squeezing the last drops of chakra from her cells.
But even that wasn't enough to fully heal the wound.
Bang!
Her chakra ran dry. Rin collapsed, her forehead hitting the ground—but her trembling hands never left the rabbit.
"Tsunade-sama... I've stabilized it for now..."
"I'm sorry... Please... finish the treatment for me."
Her voice was weak but resolute.
"Why? You've already failed," Tsunade said, her voice calm but laced with curiosity. "Whether it survives or not, you're disqualified as my apprentice."
"It doesn't matter. Just... please save it."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Even if it means giving up the chance to learn from me?"
Rin smiled faintly. "Of course winning matters. Especially when Kakashi paid such a high price just to get me a chance."
"But... a companion's life is worth more than any test. More than anything."
Tsunade was silent for a moment.
"...Just like I was. All heart, no clue."
"By the rules, you failed. So I won't accept you as my disciple. Not yet."
Rin blinked. The disappointment was quiet, but heavy.
Sorry, Kakashi... I let you down...
"But..." Tsunade suddenly continued, "until Shizune reaches Chūnin level, I'll be in the village. While I'm training her, you can sit in and learn. No promises, no hand-holding. Just show up."
"Huh?!" Rin gasped.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama!"
She lit up like someone had flipped on the sun.
Tsunade smiled despite herself.
But then Rin glanced at Kakashi—who was still kneeling, still healing.
Even with chakra reserves on par with a Chūnin, his rabbit still hadn't stabilized.
And he hadn't noticed anything around him.
He was locked in.
Whispering like a prayer.
"You're going to be fine. I swear. Just hold on."
Tsunade stepped closer, brow furrowed.
Most kids would've burned out ten minutes ago. He was pushing forty. And the rabbit still clung to life by a thread.
And still, he wasn't stopping.
Tsunade recognized the injury—through the heart. Impossible to heal at this level.
The rabbit had been intended for Rin, originally. Just to underline the point.
But Kakashi had swapped them. Voluntarily picked the harder path.
Heh. Overachiever problems.
Tsunade had already revised the grading curve in her head: survive for twenty minutes and it's a pass. Kakashi had blown past that.
Rules? Made to be bent. Especially by the ones who wrote them.
"That's enough, Kakashi."
"Most people your age would've passed out ten minutes ago. You've done more than enough."
Still, he didn't stop.
Sweat streamed down his pale face. His hands trembled from fatigue.
"It has to work. I can't... not again... not again..."
"Kakashi? Kakashi!"
Tsunade stepped forward and grabbed his wrist.
"You passed. Let it go."
Kakashi finally looked up.
There was fear in his eyes.
A kind that had nothing to do with failing a test.
Suddenly, his body swayed—and he collapsed.
Tsunade caught him with a sigh.
Rin was barely conscious, too, so she slung the girl over her other shoulder.
Shizune followed along quietly, still processing what she'd witnessed.
Today's test had gone way beyond expectations.
Rin was easy to read—compassionate, talented, maybe even special one day.
But Kakashi…
There was something buried there.
Even when he talked about teamwork and protecting his comrades yesterday, there was a strange hesitation. Like he was trying to convince himself.
White Fang's suicide... is that where all this came from?
No matter. Kids were always complicated. That's why she preferred sake.
And besides—there was the small matter of the apprenticeship fee.
Tsunade casually patted the thick envelope tucked inside her sleeve. Still there. Still fat.
Her lips curled.
"Well, after I drop these two off... there is that new gambling house I haven't tried yet."
After all, what kind of God of Gamblers would I be if I skipped a grand opening?