Creak.
The door opened.
Inside the classroom, the three of them held their breath and stared toward the doorway.
But—
After a long moment, the person outside still didn't come in.
What kind of person does that?
Way too twisted.
Kyohiko Yoshimine couldn't help complaining inwardly.
The next instant—
A figure stepped inside.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
White hair, and a bold red "oil" character painted on his forehead—impossible to miss.
His outfit…
Every detail was instantly familiar.
Kurenai Yuhi's eyes went wide.
Kakashi stood there, stunned, momentarily unable to believe what he was seeing.
Kyohiko Yoshimine was just as shocked.
Why was it Jiraiya?
This was one of the Legendary Sannin. There had never been any mention of Kakashi being led by Jiraiya before.
But—
Very quickly, Kyohiko came to a realization.
The world was unpredictable.
It might be a bit self-important to think this way, but perhaps it really was his butterfly effect—his small flutter of wings—that had changed everything.
He took a deep breath, unable to hide the excitement in his voice.
"Y-you… are you Lord Jiraiya?"
Kyohiko Yoshimine knew very well—
He couldn't act too calm.
The man in front of him was one of the Legendary Sannin. In Konoha, countless ninjas idolized figures like him. As an ordinary civilian ninja, showing shock and excitement was the natural reaction.
Jiraiya laughed heartily. "Hahaha! For now, you're under my command. Come on—let's go somewhere more spacious and talk."
"Yes!"
...
The rooftop of the academy building.
Jiraiya sat casually on the edge, while the three of them stood obediently in front of him.
His gaze swept over the trio.
"You should all know who I am, so I won't introduce myself. Go ahead and introduce yourselves to each other—what you like, what you dislike."
"Hatake Kakashi. Chunin. Skilled in swordsmanship and Lightning Release. Likes: none. Dislikes: people who break the rules."
Kakashi's tone was cold and direct.
Kurenai Yuhi was visibly nervous, clutching the hem of her clothes as she stammered, "L-Lord Jiraiya, my name is Kurenai Yuhi. I specialize in genjutsu. I like wasabi octopus… and I hate cake."
"Kyohiko Yoshimine. At the moment, I'm more proficient in taijutsu. I like training and becoming stronger. I dislike… war."
Kyohiko spoke calmly.
This was a carefully considered answer.
Liking training and hating war fit his background perfectly. It didn't reveal personal daily preferences and avoided contradictions that might raise suspicion.
Over the past year, he had preferred training alone for precisely this reason.
Jiraiya's movements paused slightly.
"I see."
His smile faded, his expression turning serious.
"Now that you know each other, there are some things I'll make clear upfront. The Hokage believes you all have potential, which is why he assigned me to lead you. However—"
Jiraiya glanced over them again.
"I don't believe you're qualified to be my subordinates yet. Tomorrow morning, report to Training Ground Seven. I'll conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your abilities. If you fail—"
His voice was cold.
"You'll be sent back to the academy. As for you," he looked at Kakashi, "you're already a chunin. You can be reassigned to another team. Of course, if you think these fresh graduates aren't strong enough to be your teammates, you can withdraw right now."
Kakashi swept his gaze over the other two.
Kyohiko Yoshimine and Kurenai Yuhi remained silent.
However—
Their reasons were completely different.
Kyohiko vaguely sensed that the question itself was part of the test. Jiraiya was probably here mainly because of Kakashi, though why things had changed this much… he didn't know.
Kurenai Yuhi, on the other hand, was simply worried.
After all, Kakashi was a chunin…
Hatake Kakashi didn't answer immediately. He studied them carefully for a long moment before saying, "I don't think they have the ability to complete the evaluation."
Jiraiya's expression didn't change.
"So you're withdrawing?"
"No. I want to try."
Kakashi's reply was firm.
Jiraiya nodded. "Fine. And you two? If you withdraw, the village will assign you another instructor. My evaluation will definitely be more difficult. With someone else, you might pass more easily."
"I'll take part."
Kyohiko Yoshimine answered without hesitation.
Being trained by a Legendary Sannin was an opportunity beyond measure.
Kurenai Yuhi had no reason to back down either.
"Very well. You have the rest of the afternoon to prepare. Oh—and remember, don't eat breakfast tomorrow morning. Otherwise… hehehe."
Jiraiya vanished in an instant.
Only the three of them remained on the rooftop.
Kyohiko Yoshimine spoke first. "Let's go check out Training Ground Seven together. We can train on the way and get familiar with each other's abilities."
"The evaluation is a mission. If your abilities aren't up to par, I'll abandon you without hesitation."
Kakashi snorted.
Then, as he spoke, he used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared.
Kurenai Yuhi said unhappily, "What's with him…"
"He's heading toward the training grounds. Let's follow," Kyohiko said, disappearing in a flash of movement.
Kurenai Yuhi hurried after him.
Ahead, Kakashi glanced back from the corner of his eye and observed them quietly.
Kyohiko Yoshimine…
His speed was quite fast. His Body Flicker Technique seemed well-trained. His strength might actually be decent.
The other one, though, was clearly struggling.
Still, she specialized in genjutsu. That made her useful.
Kakashi continued forward.
What he didn't notice—
Was that Jiraiya was following them from the shadows.
"That silver-haired brat really doesn't think about his teammates at all. On the other hand, that kid—he clearly has more speed, yet he's deliberately keeping his distance to match Kurenai's pace."
The more Jiraiya watched Kyohiko, the more satisfied he became.
This kid wasn't just smart—he was meticulous and considerate, able to look after his teammates.
If guided properly, he might become another Minato.
If guided improperly…
Jiraiya's heart sank as another teammate's face flashed through his mind.
Sigh.
Who knew what Orochimaru was up to these days?
Ever since Nawaki's death and Tsunade's departure, Orochimaru had become increasingly strange.
"But in this situation, simply taking care of teammates isn't enough."
...
"Kurenai, the area around the training grounds is dangerous. I'll stop him. Then the three of us will go in together."
"Stop him?"
Kurenai Yuhi froze.
Then she saw Kyohiko Yoshimine vanish instantly.
In the blink of an eye, he was already chasing after Kakashi. After only a few blinks, Kyohiko had closed the distance, appearing just behind him.
Kakashi was even more shocked.
He was confident that his speed was the best among his peers. The only one who could compare was Might Guy, who trained just as obsessively.
As for Kyohiko Yoshimine—
They had been classmates for barely a year. Kakashi had never paid him much attention.
But that speed just now…
Was his Body Flicker Technique really that strong?
Kakashi deliberately accelerated, pushing his Body Flicker Technique to its limits, moving even faster than before.
But—
In the next moment, Kyohiko was already in front of him, a hand resting on his shoulder.
Incredible!
Kakashi's pupils shrank.
Even at full power, he still couldn't match him—
Unless he used Lightning Release chakra to stimulate his body's activity. But he hadn't mastered that technique yet. Using it improperly could injure himself instead.
"Kakashi, the Forest of Death is dangerous. Let's go in together—the three of us."
Kyohiko paused slightly before continuing.
"Even if you're a chunin, the Hokage once said that squad missions are never a one-man fight. You have to consider the rest of your team."
Kakashi fell silent.
Had he slowed down earlier purely to accommodate Kurenai Yuhi?
He stopped and studied the person in front of him seriously.
Kyohiko Yoshimine.
There was someone like this in the academy all along…
"S-sorry!"
Kurenai Yuhi finally caught up, her forehead covered in fine sweat, beads of perspiration forming at her temples and dripping down.
Kyohiko said, "It's fine. We're a team. We should move together."
Kakashi didn't respond. Instead, he jumped down.
"Let's go. If we're any later, the forest will grow dim, and it'll be hard to spot traps."