The Hokage's Office.
The Third Hokage rested his hand on the crystal ball, observing the movements of Kakashi, Kyohiko Yoshimine, and Kurenai Yuhi.
At that moment—
Bang!
A sudden noise rang out. The Third Hokage immediately pressed his hand against the crystal ball and turned toward the window.
Then—
He realized something.
Wait, what am I afraid of?
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat lightly, looked toward the window, and scolded, "Jiraiya, can't you come in through the front door for once?"
"Heh, this way's faster," Jiraiya replied casually. He glanced over, then his expression turned serious. "You were watching them? How is it?"
The Third Hokage held his pipe in one hand.
"Kyohiko Yoshimine is indeed quite impressive."
"More importantly, it's his awareness and way of thinking. That child is very mature—but children forged by war are the most dangerous. Just like Kakashi, he desperately needs proper guidance."
Jiraiya moved closer, joining him in watching the crystal ball.
In the image, Kyohiko Yoshimine and Kakashi were running while exchanging punches and kicks, testing each other's taijutsu.
At first—
Kyohiko was clearly at a disadvantage, but relying on his speed, he always managed to escape danger and avoid the brunt of the attacks.
But—
As the fight continued, even through the crystal ball, both Jiraiya and the Third Hokage could tell—
Kyohiko's taijutsu technique was continuously improving!
How was that possible?
This…
Could there really be someone in the world like this?
Jiraiya nudged the Third Hokage.
Clatter!
The pipe slipped from his hand.
"Hey—my precious pipe!"
The Third Hokage hurriedly caught it, but the tobacco inside spilled everywhere.
Even so—
Now was clearly not the time to worry about spilled tobacco.
The Third Hokage's expression grew grave as he stared intently at the crystal ball.
That rate of improvement…
If he weren't certain Kyohiko was a descendant of the Senju, he would have suspected that the boy had activated the Sharingan and was copying Kakashi's taijutsu in real time.
"Jiraiya, have you seen him before?" the Third Hokage asked.
"Old man, I've run into him many times over the past year or so. I can guarantee you—this kid is extremely hardworking. Everything he has comes from his own effort. He probably just never fought anyone before, so now that he finally is, all that accumulated foundation is exploding at once."
"I see."
The Third Hokage nodded.
He believed it. He had simply been too shocked earlier—
A child he had never truly noticed before actually possessed such talent and perseverance.
Remarkable.
...
"Huff… huff…"
Kakashi was breathing heavily.
He genuinely found it hard to believe that someone in this world could improve at such a speed.
A genius?
But then—
What did all his years of effort and hardship amount to?
Kakashi refused to believe that any kind of talent could allow someone to grow so rapidly in such a short time.
The person in front of him was more likely someone who had trained behind closed doors for a long time, completely inexperienced in actual combat, and was only now finally bringing out his true strength.
Not only that—
His speed seemed to be increasing unconsciously.
He was still getting stronger!
Kakashi wasn't yet in danger of losing control or being overwhelmed, but the shock in his heart was unavoidable. And as Kyohiko's "strength" continued to rise, their exchanges became increasingly dangerous.
However—
Kyohiko himself understood this clearly.
Without the benefits he had previously gained from Might Guy, there was no way he could have improved his fists and kicks so quickly.
And more importantly—
Combat was the fastest way to integrate knowledge and ability into one's body!
"Please stop fighting! If this continues, it won't be good for either of you!"
Kurenai Yuhi called out from behind them.
But—
No one listened.
Gritting her teeth, she made up her mind and formed hand seals with both hands.
Petals of Falling Cherry Blossoms Technique!
Petals drifted down from the air.
The moment Kyohiko Yoshimine and Kakashi saw this, they knew something was wrong. They immediately disengaged, landed, and began dispelling the genjutsu.
After quite some time, the two of them opened their eyes at the same moment.
Of course—
It wasn't that they had broken the illusion themselves. Kurenai Yuhi had already released the genjutsu.
She hurriedly bowed in apology.
"I'm sorry! But you were fighting more and more intensely, and I don't know medical ninjutsu. If something happened in the Forest of Death, it would be very dangerous."
"Kurenai, we should be the ones thanking you," Kyohiko said.
Kakashi said nothing.
At this age, she could already use genjutsu of this level!
Kurenai Yuhi's genjutsu was truly impressive.
No wonder Lord Jiraiya had chosen her.
Fortunately, he was wearing a mask, so no one could see his expression—at least his cold image remained intact.
Kyohiko didn't press the issue.
"We're teammates. That fight helped us understand each other's strength, so we can plan tactics better for tomorrow's evaluation."
Team… teammates…
Kakashi replied coldly, "As long as you don't drag me down."
Kurenai Yuhi felt her blood pressure spike.
She was usually gentle by nature, but the genius Kakashi she had imagined kept overturning her expectations again and again.
How could someone be this unpleasant?
She took several deep breaths. But when she looked at Kyohiko, she found him surprisingly calm.
Kyohiko-kun was mentally prepared for this?
That made sense.
They had been classmates before.
Unlike her—she was a year below Kakashi.
But—
The next moment, Kurenai Yuhi froze.
"Maybe you weren't using your full strength just now. After all, you still have a blade," Kyohiko said calmly. "But no matter how strong you are, can you defeat Lord Jiraiya alone?"
Kakashi turned around. He didn't speak, but he stared straight at Kyohiko.
"The purpose of teamwork is to cultivate companions. If you ignore your teammates' safety, then whether or not you pass the evaluation, we're nothing more than passersby—tools in your eyes."
"If you insist on acting alone, you'd be better suited for the ANBU."
"You graduated, then came back two years later—it's not without reason. The way you look at others is how others will look at you. Someone like you… no one will want to team up with."
After saying this, Kyohiko added calmly, "Kurenai, let's survey the terrain. We might need it tomorrow."
So that was it…
He hadn't been mentally prepared—he had been suppressing his emotions, only finally releasing them now.
What sharp words.
Wasn't he afraid it would turn into a fight?
Kurenai Yuhi stared blankly at Kyohiko, then turned to look at Kakashi.
At this moment, Kakashi's eyes were filled with anger, his fists clenched tightly.
But—
Kyohiko didn't regret it, nor did he intend to apologize.
With someone like Kakashi, gentle words wouldn't work. Even if he eventually changed, who knew whether a teammate might have to be sacrificed along the way?
Kyohiko didn't want to become Obito.
And even if he did, there might not be a Madara to save him.
Besides—
Trying to "soften" someone like this was far too slow. Kyohiko was counting on clearing Kakashi—the "boss"—as soon as possible to reap the rewards. He didn't have time to play emotional games.
Of course—
He never expected to succeed in one attempt.
If once wasn't enough…
Then twice, or three times—anything was better than slow emotional persuasion.
The first step was making this guy understand that respect was mutual.
His individual strength might not match Kakashi's, but that didn't mean Kakashi could keep throwing out his extreme views unchecked.
As for the second step—
That would depend on whether Jiraiya could cooperate tacitly.
Kyohiko thought to himself.
After hesitating for a moment, Kurenai Yuhi still followed after him.
"Kyohiko-kun, wait for me."
"My trap-detection ability isn't very good. Please help me observe them—and it's best not to trigger anything."
"Alright."
The two of them walked deeper into Training Ground Seven.
Kakashi was furious.
Behind them, Jiraiya's shadow clone let out a silent sigh.
That silver-haired brat really was disrespectful—it was no wonder so many people had filed complaints!
Still—
That kid's temper was fierce when it flared up. Those words had stabbed straight into Kakashi's sore spot, leaving the silver-haired brat completely silent.
In the end, he was still just a kid.
No matter how mature or restrained, he would still get angry. He couldn't remain perfectly calm.
Jiraiya couldn't help but smile.
That's more like a child.
But—
What would happen in tomorrow's evaluation?
...
By evening, the three of them went their separate ways.
After the argument, a clear rift had formed between them, and there was little communication afterward.
"Was that really okay?" Kurenai Yuhi asked quietly.
Kyohiko's words earlier had also shattered the first impression she had formed of him over the course of the day.
So it wasn't that he was always calm—he was just better at enduring it.
"Kakashi is the way he is for a reason. I understand him very well. I was once in a similar state. But if you want to solve the problem, you can't just blindly give in—that would be wrong."
"So that's how it is…" Kurenai Yuhi murmured.
Kyohiko stopped walking.
"This is near your home. I won't walk you any farther."
"Huh?"
Kurenai Yuhi snapped out of it and looked around, only to realize they were already at the street near her house.
Just now—
She hadn't even noticed. She had been lost in thought, reflecting on everything that had happened today… and on the person in front of her.
"See you tomorrow. Let's do our best."
"Yes! Thank you, Kyohiko-kun. I learned a lot today."