Hokage's Office.
The Third Hokage's hands rested on his crystal ball, observing the movements of Kakashi, Jingyan, and Kurenai.
Just then...
Thump!
A strange noise came from the window. The Third Hokage immediately covered the crystal ball and glanced toward the sound.
Then... he caught himself.
Wait, what am I afraid of?
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat and looked at the window, scolding, "Jiraiya, can't you ever use the front door?"
"Heh, this way is faster."
Jiraiya, as informal as ever, glanced at the crystal ball, and his expression turned serious. "You're watching them? How are they doing?"
The Third Hokage held his pipe with one hand.
"Ryohou Jingyan is indeed impressive."
"The most important things are his awareness and his mindset. The boy is very mature, but for a child of war, the more mature they are, the more dangerous it can be. Just like Kakashi, he needs proper guidance."
Jiraiya leaned in, joining him in observing the crystal ball.
In the image, Jingyan and Kakashi were running side-by-side, exchanging blows as they sparred in taijutsu.
At first...
Jingyan was consistently on the back foot, but he always managed to use his speed to evade the worst of the attacks and turn a dangerous situation into a safe one.
But...
As the fight went on, even through the crystal ball, both he and the Third Hokage could see it.
Jingyan's taijutsu skills were improving in real-time!
How is that possible?
Could...
Could a genius like this truly exist in the world?
Jiraiya nudged the Third Hokage.
Clatter!
The pipe fell from Hiruzen's hand.
"Oh, my precious!"
The Third Hokage quickly caught it, but the tobacco from the bowl spilled everywhere.
However, this was clearly not the time to worry about spilled tobacco.
The Third Hokage's expression was grave as he stared intently at the crystal ball.
That rate of improvement...
If he wasn't certain that the boy was a Senju descendant, he would have thought Jingyan had activated a Sharingan and was copying Kakashi's taijutsu.
"Jiraiya, you've met him before?"
"Old man, I've run into him constantly for the past year. I can guarantee you, this kid works incredibly hard. This is all the result of his own effort. He probably just hasn't fought against anyone before, so this is a breakthrough after a long period of accumulation, allowing him to improve at a divine speed."
"Mm."
The Third Hokage nodded.
He believed it; he was just astonished. A child he had known nothing about possessed such talent and perseverance.
Truly remarkable!
...
"Hah... hah..."
Kakashi was panting heavily.
He found it genuinely hard to believe that someone could improve this quickly.
A genius?
But then—
What did all my years of hard work and effort amount to?
Kakashi absolutely refused to believe that any talent could allow for such rapid progress in such a short time.
The person in front of him was more likely someone who had only ever trained in seclusion, and therefore had no actual combat experience. He was only now able to display his true strength.
Not only that.
The boy's speed seemed to be unconsciously increasing.
He's still getting stronger!
Although Kakashi wasn't at the point of being flustered or overwhelmed, the shock in his heart was unavoidable. And as Jingyan's "strength" grew, their battle became more and more dangerous.
However, Jingyan knew the truth.
Without the "wool" he had fleeced from Guy, there was no way he could be improving his hand-to-hand combat skills this quickly.
Furthermore—
Combat is the fastest way to integrate knowledge and abilities into one's very being!
"You two, stop fighting! If you keep this up, it won't do either of you any good," Kurenai pleaded from the side.
But...
No one was listening.
She gritted her teeth, made up her mind, and formed a set of hand seals.
Demonic Illusion: Falling Cherry Blossoms!
Petals of cherry blossoms began to rain down from the sky.
When Jingyan and Kakashi saw this, they instantly knew it was trouble. They immediately disengaged, landed on the ground, and began to break the genjutsu.
After a few moments, both of them opened their eyes at the same time.
Of course, it wasn't because they had broken the illusion, but because Kurenai had quickly dispelled it herself.
Kurenai hurriedly bowed in apology.
"I'm sorry! But your fighting was getting more and more intense, and I don't know any medical ninjutsu. If something happened, it would be very dangerous in the Forest of Death."
"Kurenai, we should be the ones thanking you," Jingyan said.
Kakashi said nothing.
To be able to use a genjutsu of this level at her age!
Kurenai's genjutsu was truly impressive. No wonder she had been chosen by Lord Jiraiya.
Fortunately, he was wearing a mask, so no one could see his expression, preserving his cool and aloof image.
Jingyan didn't rub salt in the wound.
"We are partners on the same team. That fight just now was to understand each other's strengths. That way, we can better plan our strategy for tomorrow's test."
Team... partners...
Kakashi said coldly, "Just try not to hold me back."
Kurenai's blood pressure began to rise.
She had always been gentle, but her image of the genius Kakashi was being shattered again and again.
How can this guy be so unpleasant?
She took several deep breaths, but when she looked at Jingyan, she found him to be completely calm.
Did Jingyan-kun already expect this?
That makes sense. They were once classmates.
She, on the other hand, was a grade apart from Kakashi.
But...
The next moment, Kurenai froze.
"Perhaps you weren't using your full strength just now. After all, you still have your blade. But no matter how strong you are, can you defeat Lord Jiraiya all by yourself?" Jingyan said flatly.
Kakashi turned back, not speaking, but staring at him.
"The point of cooperation is to cultivate comradeship. If you ignore the safety of your teammates, regardless of whether we pass the test, we'll just be passersby in your eyes, tools to be used..."
"If you want to be a lone wolf, you should have just joined the Anbu."
"There's a reason you graduated two years ago and are back on a team like this. The way you look at others is how they will look at you. No one will want to be teammates with someone like you."
After Jingyan finished, he said calmly, "Kurenai, let's go scout the terrain. We might need it for tomorrow."
So that's it...
It's not that he was prepared for it, but that he was suppressing his emotions, and they only just now burst out.
Such sharp words!
Isn't he afraid they'll start fighting for real?
Kurenai stared blankly at Jingyan, then looked at Kakashi.
At that moment, Kakashi's eyes were filled with fury, and his fists were clenched tightly.
But...
Jingyan didn't regret it, nor did he plan to apologize.
With someone like Kakashi, talking nicely wouldn't work. Even if he might change one day, it would likely require the sacrifice of a teammate...
He had no intention of becoming another Obito.
And even if he did, there was no guarantee a Madara would be there to save him.
Besides...
The process of "reforming through kindness" was too slow. Jingyan was hoping to quickly "conquer" this "boss" Kakashi and farm a big reward. He had no time to slowly play emotional games.
Of course, he didn't expect to conquer him in one go.
If once wasn't enough...
Then two or three times would still be much better than trying to win him over with sentiment.
The first step was to make this guy understand that respect is mutual.
His individual strength was indeed inferior, but that didn't mean Kakashi could just throw out his "outrageous remarks" time and time again.
As for the second step—
That would depend on whether Jiraiya could cooperate with his plan.
Jingyan thought to himself.
Kurenai hesitated for a moment, then chased after Jingyan. "Jingyan-kun, wait for me."
"My skills in detecting traps are average. I'll need your help to observe them. It's best if we don't disturb them."
"Okay."
The two of them headed deeper into Training Ground 7.
Kakashi was furious.
Behind them, Jiraiya's shadow clone sighed silently.
That silver-haired brat really doesn't respect anyone. No wonder so many people have complained about him!
However, that other kid is fierce when he gets angry. That speech directly hit Kakashi's sore spot and shut the silver-haired brat up.
He's still just a kid, after all.
No matter how mature or restrained he is, he still gets angry. He can't remain completely calm.
Jiraiya couldn't help but smile again.
Now that's more like a child!
But...
What are you three going to do about the test tomorrow?
...
In the evening, the three of them went their separate ways.
After the argument, a clear rift had formed between them, so much so that there was little communication for the rest of the day.
"Is this really okay?" Kurenai asked in a low voice.
Jingyan's words from earlier had also completely overturned the first impression she had formed of him over the past half-day.
So he's just better at holding it in!
"There's a reason Kakashi is the way he is. I understand it well; I was once in a similar state. But if you want to solve the problem, you can't just blindly indulge him. That's not the right way."
"So that's how it is..." Kurenai murmured to herself.
Jingyan stopped walking.
"Your house is just up ahead. I won't walk you any further."
"Ah?"
Kurenai snapped back to reality and looked around, only then realizing they had reached the street corner where her home was.
Just now...
She hadn't been paying attention at all, lost in thought about the day's events and about the person in front of her.
"See you tomorrow. Let's do our best together."
"Yes! Thank you, Jingyan-kun. I learned a lot today."
--------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (51 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (50 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (50 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (30 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (100 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.