"What is Naruto doing—some kind of new performance art?"
Kakashi shook his head helplessly and walked over to release Naruto.
However, he didn't let Naruto off that easily. Instead, he tied him to a wooden post.
"Because you performed the worst and even tried to attack your teacher, you don't get lunch today."
After announcing the punishment, Kakashi signaled the others to start eating.
Watching Akira, Sasuke, and Sakura happily eating their bento lunches, Naruto—still tied to the post—felt his stomach rumble loudly.
"Grrrr…"
The sound echoed across the clearing, creating an extremely awkward moment.
Sasuke suddenly stopped eating.
With his usual cool expression, he extended his lunchbox toward Naruto.
Seeing Sasuke do this, Sakura hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and offering her own portion as well.
Akira, however, didn't move.
He simply sat off to the side, leisurely enjoying his food while smiling as he watched the touching scene unfold.
At a moment like this, staying out of it was clearly the best choice.
---
Watching secretly from a distance, Kakashi facepalmed when he saw the scene—especially Akira sitting there completely uninvolved.
"Sigh… what a headache."
"I originally planned to test that brat too, but he saw through everything."
"And there's no way to force him to reveal his real strength… who knows how much that slippery kid is still hiding."
In truth, Kakashi knew perfectly well that Akira had never gone all out in any previous evaluations. That supposed "jōnin-level strength" he showed was clearly watered down.
But since Akira was only willing to display strength at roughly a jōnin level, Kakashi could only go along with the act.
At most, he suspected Akira might secretly be around elite jōnin level.
Anything beyond that seemed too absurd to even consider.
After all, a twelve-year-old with elite jōnin strength was already terrifying—far beyond what Kakashi himself had achieved at that age.
By this point, Akira had not only mastered numerous basic ninjutsu, he had even learned several derivative techniques from the Chidori series.
And that was only the tip of the iceberg—what Kakashi knew.
As for how many trump cards Akira still kept hidden… only god knew.
Just as Naruto had gratefully taken a couple of bites of food—
A cloud of smoke burst open.
Kakashi suddenly appeared in front of them, looking furious.
"You dare openly disobey my orders!"
Dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead as thunder rumbled.
The oppressive atmosphere frightened Sasuke and Sakura so much that their faces turned pale.
At this critical moment, Naruto surprisingly shouted bravely:
"Kakashi-sensei! It's not their fault! I forced them to feed me! If anyone should be punished, punish me!"
Naruto's words instantly softened Kakashi's previously cold gaze.
He scanned the three trembling kids before his eyes eventually landed on Akira—who was still calmly eating nearby.
Kakashi's mouth twitched.
"This brat… can't he at least play along with the mood and give me some face?"
He coughed awkwardly.
Only then did Akira reluctantly put down his lunchbox and slowly stand up.
Seeing the grease still at the corner of Akira's mouth, Kakashi was completely speechless.
But today's main focus was testing the three problem children: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
Taking a deep breath, Kakashi ignored the mood-breaker and addressed the trio again with a stern face.
Just when they thought they were about to be sent back to the academy—
Kakashi suddenly showed his signature squinting smile.
"Congratulations. You all passed."
The sudden reversal left Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura completely stunned.
Their brains couldn't process it.
"You all pass."
Kakashi's tone turned serious.
"Rules and discipline are important for a ninja."
"But those who don't value their comrades… are the worst kind of trash."
As he said this, Kakashi suddenly turned to Akira.
"Akira, am I right?"
That question immediately drew the other three's attention toward Akira.
Four people, eight eyes—all staring at the grease at the corner of his mouth.
Akira looked slightly embarrassed, quickly wiped his mouth, and answered seriously.
"That's right. Kakashi-sensei is absolutely correct."
"Anyone who doesn't value their comrades doesn't deserve to be called a ninja."
"After all, ninja are a profession where teamwork allows everyone to perform at their strongest."
That textbook-perfect answer immediately earned Kakashi's approving nod.
"Exactly, just as Akira said."
"Those who break the rules are scum—but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."
The powerful statement struck Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura like a hammer.
Even Sasuke—normally cold and aloof—showed a faint trace of agreement in his eyes.
It was one of the reasons that, even later when he joined Orochimaru, a part of him still retained a moral boundary.
Kakashi's lesson today had clearly been engraved deep into his mind.
As for Akira—he didn't really care.
He had heard this kind of motivational speech so many times that it barely registered anymore.
Looking at his three thoughtful students, Kakashi smiled and announced,
"Congratulations, the four of you are now officially genin of Konoha."
The moment he finished speaking, Naruto and Sakura immediately jumped up cheering and high-fived each other.
Even Sasuke, who usually kept a stern expression, allowed a faint smile to appear on his lips.
Watching the warm scene, Akira also smiled slightly, making an effort to blend into the group.
Kakashi waved his hand in a good mood.
"You all worked hard today and burned a lot of energy."
"To celebrate the formation of Team Seven, I'll treat you all to ramen at Ichiraku Ramen. How does that sound?"
Sasuke and Sakura had no objections.
Naruto jumped three feet into the air with excitement.
"YES! I want a big bowl of chashu ramen! Kakashi-sensei is the best!"
Akira nodded as well.
Although ramen wasn't really his favorite, there was no reason to ruin everyone else's excitement.
After officially becoming genin, Sasuke quietly glanced at Akira several more times.
Even now—
he still couldn't figure out just how deep Akira's true strength ran.
Because of the clash between Akira and Kakashi earlier, Sasuke had been buried in the ground the entire time and hadn't seen any of it.
As far as he was concerned, Akira had become increasingly mysterious and unfathomable.
Moreover, Sasuke had a strange intuition that Kakashi treated Akira very differently from the way he treated the other three.
It was as if Akira were Kakashi's prized disciple, while the rest of them were merely students—or subordinates who needed supervision.
In truth, Sasuke's instincts were frighteningly accurate.
In Kakashi's heart, the three of them were indeed only subordinates for now.
Akira, on the other hand, was his true personal disciple.
The difference in importance between the two was like night and day.
---
After the group finished stuffing themselves at Ichiraku Ramen, they went their separate ways to rest at home.
After all, the real missions would start tomorrow.
However, when Akira pushed open the gate to his courtyard, he saw an unexpected figure.
Standing in the middle of the yard, hands clasped behind his back and dressed in the loose Hokage robe, was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Akira froze for a moment, standing at the doorway in surprise.
"Hokage-sama?"
In truth, the moment he stepped through the gate he had already sensed the powerful and familiar chakra inside.
What he couldn't understand was why the extremely busy Hokage would come here in the middle of the night.
And alone at that—without even a single ANBU guard.
The Third Hokage turned around. Seeing Akira's puzzled expression, he smiled kindly.
"You must be Akira. Kakashi mentions you quite often."
"He says you're an exceptionally talented child, with potential no less than he had in his youth."
Akira stepped into the courtyard and casually closed the gate behind him, pretending to be surprised.
"Kakashi-sensei? He really says that about me?"
From the moment he saw the Hokage, Akira had already put on his mask.
At least for now, the shrewd old Hokage didn't seem to suspect anything unusual.
The Hokage nodded, his gaze warm yet probing.
"Yes, he praises you highly."
"I've heard that for the past few years he's been privately guiding your training. In a sense, he's your mentor, isn't he?"
Akira smiled modestly and answered flawlessly.
"Yes, that's right."
"Kakashi-sensei has taught me many practical ninjutsu. In my heart, he's the teacher I respect the most."
Akira kept the conversation strictly in a question-and-answer rhythm, never saying a single unnecessary word.
This behavior actually made the Hokage feel it was normal.
After all, Akira was only twelve. Being somewhat nervous in front of the Hokage was only natural.
"I'm a bit curious," the Hokage continued.
"How many ninjutsu have you mastered so far?"
Now he had revealed his real intention—testing the waters.
"Kakashi told me he's taught you at least five B-rank jutsu."
"Being able to master five B-rank jutsu already far exceeds the standard for a genin."
"As long as you complete more missions and gain experience, promotion to Special Jōnin or even full Jōnin will only be a matter of time."
This was spoken sincerely.
Once someone passed the Chunin Exams, the rest was simply a matter of accumulating missions.
But Akira had no interest whatsoever in ninja ranks.
He smiled politely and declined.
"I think I'm still too young and still have a lot to learn."
"I'd rather stay by Kakashi-sensei's side for now and keep learning step by step. That feels more solid."
What Akira had just said was essentially a polite rejection of the Hokage's recruitment.
The hidden meaning behind the Hokage's earlier words was obvious—he wanted to take Akira away from Kakashi and train him directly under the Hokage or even bring him into the ANBU.
However, although Akira declined, he made it clear he intended to follow Kakashi loyally.
And Kakashi himself was one of the Hokage's most trusted subordinates.
So in a roundabout way, Akira was still aligned with the Hokage's faction.
Of course, that "loyalty" was also something Akira deliberately displayed to avoid suspicion.
Seeing the invitation fail, the Hokage didn't become angry.
Instead, he appreciated the boy's steady temperament even more.
"Mm. Staying with Kakashi is indeed a good choice."
"Among all of Konoha's jōnin, he currently has the most well-rounded abilities. You'll learn many things from him that can't be found in books."
"By the way, I saw the Fire Style jutsu you used today. It was impressive."
"Although it's technically only C-rank, its power rivals that of many B-rank jutsus."
"Being able to develop such a jutsu proves your strength has at least reached the level of a chūnin."
"If you ever need training resources, come to me. As long as it doesn't violate the rules, I'll make sure you're taken care of."
Akira thought for a moment and bowed politely.
"Thank you for your kindness, Hokage-sama. But for now I'm not lacking anything. If I ever need help, I'll definitely come to you."
The Hokage nodded with satisfaction.
He continued chatting casually with Akira for another ten minutes, mostly asking questions while Akira responded.
Throughout the entire conversation, Akira's demeanor was flawless—neither overly humble nor arrogant.
This left the Hokage with an excellent impression, convincing him he had discovered an unpolished gem.
---
Late at night.
After seeing the Hokage off, Akira lay on his bed, hands behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling.
In the darkness, his eyes suddenly changed.
The black-and-white pupils instantly turned crimson.
Then an intricate and eerie pattern slowly emerged—the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"With my enhanced physique now, activating the Mangekyō Sharingan no longer has any side effects. My vision isn't affected at all."
"Still… this ocular power seems stuck at a bottleneck. It hasn't reached the endless level of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan yet."
"I wonder if, as my body continues to strengthen, these eyes might eventually evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō on their own."
Akira sighed softly, feeling the powerful chakra flowing through his body.
"As for Wood Style, the fusion is only partially complete."
"For now I can only use jutsus like Deep Forest Emergence and Wood Clones."
"But something like True Several Thousand Hands… that absurd S-rank ability is still far out of reach."
In truth, Akira had successfully fused Wood Style chakra as early as last year.
By combining the nature transformations of Water Style and Earth Style, then infusing them with his extreme Yang Release life force, Wood Style had been born.
***************************
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