Yasu couldn't help but feel envious of the treasures of the future Team 7 carried.
Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha both possessed kekkei genkai, along with incredibly powerful offensive ninjutsu.
Sakura Haruno, though lacking devastating offensive techniques, held Creation Rebirth—undoubtedly a second life for a ninja, making her a treasure in her own right.
Most importantly, Naruto's Uzumaki bloodline and the Nine-Tails made him an exceptional source of chakra.
Clearly, these three were prime candidates to max out affection points.
The only mystery was why Sasuke's affection seemed slightly lower than the others'.
"Sign-in: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno!"
[Ding! Naruto Uzumaki sign-in successful! You've obtained Thousand Years of Death! Affection +5! Current: 55 points!]
[Ding! Duplicate technique detected! Low-level Thousand Years of Death, all lower-level experience has been experience added into high-level version!]
[Ding! Sakura Haruno sign-in successful! You've obtained Clone Technique! Affection +5! Current: 55 points!]
Yasu's lips twitched. Thousand Years of Death had experience levels? Could it be that a higher-level version made the technique deadlier, striking perfectly in a single blow?
As for Sakura's Clone Technique, it was one of the few jutsu Yasu could currently perform.
Though basic, it was one of the most god-tier techniquesif used properly and with the body flicker technique.
After finishing the sign-ins, Yasu realized he was now surrounded by the three of them. Their expressions clearly said they weren't here for a friendly chat.
Yasu wasn't planning to do Kakashi any favors.
If any of them moved a finger, he'd collapse to the ground in defeat—without at least a thousand coins, there'd be no recovery.
"By the way, Yasu, if you deliberately lose, I promise you'll regret it for the rest of your life," Kakashi said, seemingly seeing through him.
"Oh, come on!"
Since Kakashi had put it that way, Yasu had no choice but to focus seriously on the three.
Naruto couldn't wait any longer. Crossing his hands, he suddenly created over a dozen shadow clones around Yasu.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Yasu frowned.
The Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu was Naruto's signature move, used even more than the Rasengan. Its most dangerous trait was that each clone could deal real damage—but like balloons, they popped with a light touch.
Despite Naruto's naïveté in daily life, his combat talent was remarkable.
The clones scattered, making it difficult to locate the real target. Even Kakashi raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"The speed… the tactics… I underestimated these three kids. Could Yasu actually lose?"
Though Yasu had pulled off stunning counterattacks against the ANBU, he had an obvious weakness: limited chakra.
A single strike of Kakashi's sword drained his energy completely.
Naruto's clone technique perfectly countered this limitation. If Yasu wasted his scarce chakra on creating clones, he'd soon be exhausted.
And with Sasuke and Sakura nearby—Sakura could be ignored for now, but Sasuke, the Uchiha heir, could see everything with his Sharingan.
Yasu's every move was exposed; executing flawless counterattacks would be extremely difficult.
"I underestimated these kids," Kakashi murmured, shaking his head. Just as he prepared to intervene, Yasu vanished from sight.
"Where did he go?!"
Kakashi stared in disbelief.
In the instant he looked away, Yasu had completely disappeared—no trace of him anywhere.
Such speed had only been seen in three legendary figures:
Might Guy, the green beast of Konoha, whose taijutsu was lightning-fast and nearly invisible without the Sharingan.
Shisui Uchiha, the master of body flicker, who could appear silently beside any opponent.
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, whose Flying Thunder God technique was a spatial-level jutsu, impossible for the naked eye to follow.
And now, Yasu—just twelve years old—had reached an almost reaching their level.
At that moment, Kakashi finally understood why Might Guy had been so adamant about keeping Yasu.
Had he known Yasu's speed earlier, he would never have compromised.
"Damn it… what else is this kid hiding?"
Kakashi scowled and pulled up his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan.
Even with it, he could barely make out Yasu—only traces of movement were visible. Yasu's speed had clearly surpassed even Might Guy.
And at just twelve years old!
"How did he train to become this fast?!"
Yasu's incredible speed combined with mastery of Kakashi's sword techniques meant that with proper chakra training, he could become the next Konoha White Fang—possibly surpassing the original.
Yet speed alone wasn't invincible.
Skilled trackers could still find him, even without the Sharingan. There were countless ways to catch him.
Yasu was a rough diamond, awaiting refinement before he could shine.
"Having such talent… why bother with taijutsu? Tomorrow I'll have a serious talk with Guy. Mondays through Saturdays are all mine; Sundays, I'll give him. That's fair to him," Kakashi muttered to himself.
Although Yasu seemed to dominate, Kakashi remained cautious.
Body flicker drained chakra—if Naruto's clones weren't dealt with quickly, Yasu could be worn down.
Additionally, Naruto's hiding places were cleverly chosen, demanding more than routine methods to locate him.
"This kid's battle sense is impressive. He'll definitely become an outstanding ninja," Kakashi nodded, looking at the remaining two.