Neji Hyuga snapped out of his thoughts, his pale eyes softening as he looked at Yasu.
"Why?" he asked quietly. "Why are you helping me?"
"You gain nothing from it."
Of course it's for affection points—and your bloodline, Yasu answered in his heart with brutal honesty. But his face remained calm.
Just as he was about to come up with a random excuse, Might Guy laughed warmly and answered for him.
"Because he doesn't see you as an enemy," Guy said. "And in his eyes, that alone is reason enough."
Neji said nothing.
He didn't look convinced—but he also didn't argue.
Team Guy all trembled slightly.
Someone willing to ignore their own gains just so they could help others… a person that noble wasn't even considering running for Hokage?
Neji's heart shook. He regretted challenging Yasu out of arrogance earlier. And with someone like Yasu choosing not to be Hokage, could someone like him even dream of competing?
Tenten also felt remorse. She had thought Yasu was petty, mocking Neji nonstop after beating him.
So from the very beginning—she had misunderstood him. He had been trying to help Neji all along.
How could she have misjudged him like that?
Lee, meanwhile, was fired up. Yasu is definitely going to become Hokage someday! He had to follow him and master kenjutsu!
[Ding! Might Guy affection +3! Current: 88 points!]
[Ding! Neji Hyuga affection +4! Current: 81 points! Can sign-in!]
[Ding! Tenten affection +3! Current: 69 points!]
[Ding! Rock Lee affection +3! Current: 68 points!]
Yasu silently gave Might Guy a thumbs-up in his heart.
That man could over-interpret anything—and somehow boost everyone's affection levels in one go. Especially Guy and Neji, who both shot past 80 points!
Just then, a figure landed nearby, silver hair fluttering lazily in the wind.
"Hope I'm not interrupting," Kakashi Hatake said weakly.
Guy saw Kakashi appear but, surprisingly, didn't demand a rematch. Instead, he walked over and whispered, "What's with the weapon in Yasu's hand? And what exactly were you dealing with earlier?"
Kakashi sighed helplessly, then smiled. "Nothing serious. I'm just here to take Yasu with me."
"What do you mean 'nothing'? That thing was from the— Wait, what did you say? Who are you taking?" Guy's expression snapped from worried to deadly serious.
"Yasu, of course. I thought it would take much longer, but it went surprisingly smoothly." Kakashi took out a small card and tossed it to Yasu. "Use this identity when you're outside for now."
It was… a Konoha identity card.
"I disagree. Yasu stays with Team 3!" Guy declared firmly, zero hesitation.
"But I'm the one who brought him here. It's my responsibility to supervise him," Kakashi replied, confused at Guy's tone—he wasn't joking at all.
"Responsibility, my ass! Yasu is a taijutsu genius! Give me time and I can push him to unimaginable heights! He stays with me!"
Kakashi frowned and shot Yasu a glare.
He was gone for one hour. What the hell did Yasu do to get Guy this riled up?
"Right now, what Yasu needs most is to cultivate his chakra reserves. If he has enough time to grow, his future achievements will surpass both yours and mine! That's why I must take him!"
"So you're saying this is non-negotiable."
"Exactly. I won't budge on this!"
Yasu's mouth twitched. He never expected Guy and Kakashi to almost fight over him.
But… he had to admit, it felt kind of nice.
Though he'd be even happier if the ones fighting over him were two kunoichi…
The problem was, their plan forced him into a difficult choice.
One side was Might Guy—whose kick could practically end the world.
The other was Sixth Hokage-in-the-making, Copy Ninja Kakashi—who fought everyone to a draw and lived to tell the tale.
Either choice was great.
But the paths were different—taijutsu or ninjutsu.
As Yasu struggled, both men stood in front of him, three eyes staring straight at him.
"Well, kid? What's your decision?"
Yasu blinked. He didn't think they'd leave the final choice to him.
"Only kids pick one. I choose… both!"
Both men froze—then turned away to mutter quietly for several minutes.
After ten minutes, they finally reached an agreement and turned back looking satisfied.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll follow Kakashi on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. And follow me on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Sundays… both of us. Unless there's a mission."
Yasu's mouth twitched again.
Not only did he fail to get perks—his training schedule was jam-packed. Even Sundays were gone. Goodbye, rest.
But at least he'd get to interact with Team 7.
And each of them was overflowing with protagonist halo—and treasures.
Sasuke's Sharingan, Naruto's Uzumaki bloodline and Nine-Tails… a goldmine of affection points.
He wondered what would happen when Byakugan and Sharingan met.
"Alright kid, come with me first," Kakashi said.
As Yasu prepared to leave, Team Guy rushed over.
Neji: "Yasu-kun, don't worry about my matter. Handle your own things first."
Tenten: "Yasu-kun, let's study shuriken techniques together next time, okay?"
Lee: "I'm going with you! I want to learn kenjutsu!"
The moment Lee finished, Guy descended on him and bonked him on the head.
"You idiot! Give me 1,000 push-ups! And 1,000 sit-ups!"
Yasu chuckled helplessly. It would be at least two days before he saw them again. He should finish Neji's sign-in first.
"Sign-in! Neji Hyuga!"
[Ding! Sign-in successful! You've obtained Taijutsu — Revolving Heaven!]
[Ding! Neji Hyuga affection +3! Current: 84 points!]
Yasu's eyes lit up. Revolving Heaven—Hyuga's so-called absolute defense.
Though it didn't require a high-level Byakugan, the chakra consumption was insane.
"Damn it… chakra again!"