"So… that last question was a test too?"
Tenten and Tsukikage Kaza had already been released, but both girls still couldn't help their curiosity toward Kakashi's final question.
"That's right," Kakashi said with his usual lazy drawl, flipping open his little orange book . "Though I think Chiba probably figured it out, didn't you?"
"I had an idea," Chiba replied, nodding. "Kakashi-sensei's test was meant to make us understand the importance of teamwork. Since our cooperation wasn't bad, you just kept dragging things out to make a point."
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Kakashi choked in embarrassment, then said with faint irritation, "Hey now, that's a difficult test! Not many manage to pass it."
"True enough," Chiba agreed, "but I've always believed no exam is designed to be impossible. If you truly didn't want us to pass, you could've said so from the start."
Kakashi fell silent.
So this kid deduced the answer backward from the question?
Hard to fool a mind like that.
"So we really passed?" Tenten asked quickly.
"Yay!" Tsukikage Kaza cheered before he could answer.
The two girls were far more excited about becoming official Genin than about Kakashi's teaching philosophy.
But Kakashi still wasn't satisfied.
"You called my test an 'old trick.' Then tell me—what would you have done better?"
"If it were me," Chiba said with an easy smile, "I'd tell them there are only two open slots. Then I'd set up a timed exercise. When it's over, the three of them would have to evaluate each other's performance, and the two with the most votes would pass."
Both Tenten and Tsukikage Kaza froze.
If it were that kind of test…
"No way," Tsukikage Kaza protested. "If you tested like that, hardly any teams would survive intact! Even the legendary Ino–Shika–Chō trio wouldn't make it!"
Kakashi rubbed his temples wearily. "Actually, they'd be fine—they'd just vote for each other."
Tenten hesitated. "But seriously, are there really people like that?"
"Among kids your age, not many," Chiba said calmly. "But some teams are fractured from the start. If simple competition over bells can't teach teamwork, then it's better to give them a dose of harsher medicine."
"Hey!" Tenten glared sideways. "You're the same age as us—don't 'kids' me like some old man."
"Ah… slipped out by accident."
"Alright, alright," Kakashi interrupted, laughing behind his mask. "You're all probably starving, right? To make up for everything, your sensei's treating you to grilled meat. Order whatever you like—it's my treat."
"Really? You're not tricking us , are you?" Tsukikage Kaza asked suspiciously.
Kakashi's credibility with the girls had already hit rock bottom. Nothing he said sounded remotely trustworthy.
"I don't buy it!" Tenten squinted at him. "You're not going to make me pay afterward, are you?"
"Haha, of course not! You've got to show your teacher some faith once in a while. Oh, by the way—kid! You can come out now. We're heading to lunch!"
Moments later, kid appeared from the trees, leading his team along.
Lee and Mami ran up excitedly, circling around Chiba with wide eyes full of admiration. Hyūga Neji, on the other hand, watched quietly, his expression complicated.
He had always thought Chiba was just a bookworm—smart, sure, but certainly weaker than a Hyūga prodigy.
But now…
Neji simply stared at Chiba, unable to find words. At last, he turned away with a cold snort and stood silently to the side.
"Hey, Kakashi!" kid barked, waving his arms. "I said I'd treat them, but you made them go hungry all day—that's going too far!"
"Don't sweat the small details," Kakashi said lazily.
"What do you mean, small details? This is my money we're talking about! Damn it, you planned this from the start, didn't you? You win !"
kid was practically hopping mad, while Kakashi's face—if revealed beneath his mask—would have been a picture of perfect indifference.
He knew kid too well.
Sometimes, silence was the best weapon.
Chiba glanced at Lee and Mami—one bouncing with excitement, the other looking at him with bright curiosity.
And Neji…
was facepalming, clearly exasperated.
"kid's a little… intense," Chiba said quietly, "but he's a good man. His taijutsu is incredible. Though he can't teach you Gentle Fist, that doesn't mean you have to follow that path, right?"
"Huh?"
Neji turned sharply, startled. Then, with a scowl: "Mind your own business."
"You don't seem like the type to brood over rankings," Chiba replied mildly. "Fine, suit yourself."
He smiled faintly and quickened his pace to rejoin the others.
After all—free barbecue was waiting.
Neji frowned deeply.
This kid… always preaching, always sharing techniques so freely—
unlike any of the secretive clan heirs he knew.
Too strange.
He mulled over it for a while, but when he finally snapped back to reality, everyone else was already walking ahead.
"Neji! Hurry up!" Lee called back.
"…Got it," Neji answered coolly, trailing after them.
Hokage's Office
"Ha ha ha ha! Kakashi really went all out this time! And he still got his bells stolen in the end—what a sight!"
The Third Hokage laughed heartily, the smoke from his pipe curling around him.
"Lord Hokage, that's not exactly a good thing," Nara Clan Shikaku said dryly, scratching his head. "Also, you should be careful with your health."
"Yes, yes," the old man coughed lightly, setting the pipe aside. "You're right. Let's get back on topic—what do you think of those three?"
"Strong," Shikaku said seriously. "Chiba especially—his tactics, intellect, and raw ability are all exceptional. Aside from lacking field experience, I see no weaknesses.
"As for Tenten, her weapon control is superb. And Tsukikage Kaza…"
"You were planning to recruit her into the ANBU, weren't you?" the Hokage asked.
"Yes. That was Hayate's original intention," he admitted. "But I disagreed. She's introverted, yes, but she loves talking to her friends. She's a child who yearns for the light."
The Third inhaled deeply, exhaling a slow plume of smoke. "ANBU isn't right for her. I persuaded Hayate to let her join Kakashi and Chiba instead—and let her choose her own path later. That's better, don't you think?"
"It is," Shikaku agreed.
In the crystal orb before them, Tsukikage Kaza was laughing brightly with Mami and Tenten—so different from her usual shy, withdrawn self.
Yes… this girl wasn't meant for the shadows.
And if even Kakashi had struggled so much st those three, that only proved their strength. They weren't just qualified Genin—some Chūnin might not even match them.
Given another year—
with one more experienced ninja added—
they could function as a full, independent squad.
The Hokage's idea wasn't just reasonable—it was promising.
"I agree with your plan, Lord Hokage," Shikaku said at last. "Even if they're not ready for the Chūnin Exams this year, it doesn't matter. Give them time and add one capable senior Chūnin, and they'll be a complete team."
"Oh?" The Hokage smiled, intrigued. "That's high praise."
To call them fit to stand alongside a Chūnin meant—
That in Shikaku's eyes, within a year, they'd grow strong enough that none of them would drag a Chūnin down.
"I have faith in Kakashi," Shikaku said, his gaze steady. "And in Chiba."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
https://www.patreon.com/Mindsmithstudio