"Souma? Why bring him up?"
Asuma frowned.
The Third Hokage sat calmly in the courtyard, pipe in hand.
"Kakashi said that interacting with Souma requires… mental preparation?"
"Otherwise why wouldn't Guy take him?"
Asuma's mouth twitched uncontrollably as he recalled that afternoon.
He was an elite jōnin, for heaven's sake.
But standing in front of Souma, he felt none of that status.
Every day was a new lesson in self-doubt.
Sometimes he wondered—
Does Souma even need teachers?
The Third Hokage fell silent for a long moment.
Guy…
Yes, Guy had said he couldn't teach him.
The Hokage looked at Asuma.
"And you can't teach him either?"
"Teach?" Asuma snorted. "We're friends. We… exchange ideas."
"…"
Hiruzen's eyelid twitched.
Friends?
Just like that, Souma's seniority rose by one rank.
"I really admire Kakashi," Asuma continued seriously. "He's the only one who can consistently lead that team. If anyone else tried, they'd crash and burn quickly."
Then he added thoughtfully:
"Honestly, instead of giving Souma a teacher, maybe giving him a partner or assistant is better."
"Oh?" Hiruzen raised a brow.
"For example—today I exchanged my Flying Swallow technique with Souma."
Asuma mimed a reverse slash.
A thin chakra blade burst outward—
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
That technique…
It vaguely resembled the basic level of Souma's soft-fist derivative.
If anything, Asuma had only grasped the rough shell of the idea.
Which meant—
Souma learned Asuma's technique.
Asuma did not learn Souma's.
Hiruzen finally understood.
Anyone approaching Souma with a "teaching mindset" would inevitably be taught instead.
It required immense psychological fortitude.
Except for Kakashi, no other jōnin was mentally equipped for that.
"Yes… I understand."
Hiruzen exhaled.
Kakashi was indeed the only suitable leader for now.
Tenzo could serve as an assistant, maybe learn something, but he couldn't guide Souma.
In fact—
Souma might guide him.
Later — At the Training Grounds
"You're here early, Kasa. Where's Tenten?"
Souma tilted his head.
"…Was my hiding that bad?"
Kasa emerged from the tree with a dark expression.
She had wanted to show Souma her improved stealth—
Yet he saw through her instantly.
She had concealed her breathing, chakra, and presence… everything.
So how—?!
"No," Souma explained kindly. "Your concealment was perfect. You only got caught because my sensory ability improved."
His true body had been training nonstop.
His clone spent days in the Forest of Death gathering natural energy.
Whether from the Bodhi Mark or natural progression, Souma could now sense the flow of nature energy itself.
That's how he pinpointed Kasa instantly.
Kasa's shoulders slumped.
Right. Comparing herself to Souma was meaningless.
"Souma! Kasa! Come split the equipment!"
Tenten bounded over, performing a quick seal.
Boom—
A pile of weapons spilled out.
Kasa stared, stunned.
Souma fell silent.
Laid before them were:
— Five swords of various lengths
— Two stacks of explosive tags
— Ten kunai
— A shuriken
Even a typical chūnin squad wouldn't bring this much gear.
"The swords, kunai, and shuriken are ones I forged myself. Not expensive," Tenten said proudly. "The pricey things are the explosive tags, but I still have plenty."
Then she handed Souma a bundle of thin metal wire.
Souma's eyes lit up.
Chakra steel wire!
She really made it!
"What's this?" Kasa asked.
"A chakra weapon. Tenten's latest research."
Souma infused chakra into the wire and flicked it.
The steel thread writhed forward like a living serpent.
He grinned in delight.
"You borrowed the idea from Kiri's Silent Killing Wire?"
"A little," Tenten admitted. "But it's still just steel wire — useful in limited ways."
"You can forge chakra weapons already? Amazing!"
Kasa felt a pang of jealousy.
Her teammates were freaks.
She had improved her assassination, stealth, and swords… but compared to this, she felt painfully average.
"I have a long way to go," Tenten huffed. "I wanted to finish the chakra blade too, but rushing it would create garbage."
"You've already helped us enormously," Souma said sincerely.
Tenten beamed.
Just then—
"Sorry I'm late, I was at the crossroad—"
"Sensei, spare us your terrible excuses," Tenten said flatly.
"Are we leaving for Suna today or not?"
Kakashi froze.
He glanced at the ground piled with weapons and tags.
This girl… her temper was getting sharper.
He cleared his throat.
"Are you three certain you want to participate in the Chūnin Exams? It's not too late to withdraw."
Tenten frowned.
"Why are you looking at Souma when you say that?"
"Good," Kakashi said, nodding at her sharp observation. "Your awareness hasn't dulled."
He looked at all three of them.
"This year's exam is held in the Wind Country's desert."
Kasa narrowed her eyes.
"Infiltration issues?"
"Every village has spies," Kakashi said quietly. "Souma's reputation is too big. There's no chance Suna doesn't know he's coming."
Which meant:
This could be dangerous.
"You're free to withdraw and join next year."
"We've prepared this long—of course we're going."
Souma chuckled. "Besides…"
He looked at Kasa and Tenten.
"I'm confident I'll survive the desert."
"So am I," Kasa said.
"The environment doesn't change the fact that I'm hard to kill."
"And I'll be fine."
Tenten patted her storage scrolls.
She had dozens more weapons sealed within.
Even if she couldn't pass, surviving was guaranteed.
"Then let's go. We're meeting up with Guy's team."
"Guy-sensei? They're participating too?"
Souma blinked.
He remembered that in the original timeline, Guy's team hadn't joined the first exam.
"You three are close. You can watch each other's backs."
"…Ah."
Souma understood instantly.
Team Guy wasn't here to take the exam.
They were reinforcements — a buffer against being on enemy soil.
Hidden support.
He didn't know what to say for a moment.
Kakashi saw the look.
"They wanted to join anyway," he said. "So they are both allies… and rivals."
"Yes, sir!"
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