Chapter 123: Chapter 123: Kakashi: Time to Snatch the Bell
"Why haven't you left yet?" Tsunade asked, watching Shinho leisurely enjoy his breakfast without a care in the world.
"Kakashi-sensei tends to show up late, so there's no need to rush," Shinho replied, well aware of Kakashi's infamous habit of tardiness, thanks to the original story.
"It's fine when you're here at the village," Tsunade said with a stern tone, "but you can't afford to be careless on missions."
"I know," Shinho nodded, acknowledging her advice. After all, as one commercial once said, Your time is valuable.
"So, when are you planning to leave?" Tsunade asked casually as she slipped into her signature tea-green jacket.
"Around eleven," Shinho said before narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Why? What are you up to?"
"Since you're just lazing around here, why don't you come with me to the Hokage office?" Tsunade smiled slyly. "Oh, are you planning to refuse?"
"Sensei, is that a threat?" Shinho asked with a sigh.
"No, it's not a threat," Tsunade flicked her hair back confidently. "It's an order from the Hokage."
"..."
Shinho had no choice but to agree.
What could he say to that? You'll regret this?
Shinho couldn't help but notice something peculiar. Am I becoming the second "Shadow Hokage"?
"Move it!" Tsunade snorted, adding, "You did take my gift yesterday, so don't slack off now."
"Yes, yes," Shinho replied as he got up and slipped on his shoes.
Together, they made their way to the Hokage's office.
"Shinho?" Shizune called from the office, already busy sorting through paperwork.
She always arrived earlier than Tsunade, meticulously organizing the day's tasks.
"Just passing through," Shinho said nonchalantly.
"Are the documents sorted?" Tsunade asked as she settled into her Hokage chair, swiftly kicking off her high-heeled sandals.
She flexed her bare, pale feet, her toes stretching comfortably as if savoring their freedom.
"These seven files need your attention," Shizune said, handing over a neat stack of papers. "The rest will go to Shikaku-san."
"Got it," Tsunade nodded.
With that, Shizune left for the next office.
"Sensei, please mind your image," Shinho said, glancing pointedly at her bare feet.
"There's no one else here," Tsunade replied dismissively.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Shinho raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
"Come in," Tsunade said with a slightly annoyed look, slipping her sandals back on.
The door opened to reveal Kurenai Yuhi.
Shinho had seen her briefly during the team assignments the day before—long, wavy black hair, red eyes, and an elegant figure accentuated by her stylish clothes. With her fair legs and refined features, she certainly fit the image of a beautiful older woman.
Add some bold red lipstick, and she'd be perfect, Shinho mused.
"Hokage-sama," Kurenai greeted with a respectful bow, her eyes briefly glancing at Shinho with curiosity.
"What brings you here so early?" Tsunade asked with a nod.
"It's about Yakumo," Kurenai said, a concerned look on her face. "Her condition is getting worse."
"That is quite troublesome," Tsunade frowned, clasping her hands in thought.
She had examined Kurama Yakumo's condition before and discovered that her overwhelming mental power was slowly consuming her.
If left unchecked, it would only worsen over time, eventually turning her into a being of pure spiritual energy.
"Hokage-sama," Kurenai pressed, her worry clear. "Is there anything we can do?"
"A mental illness needs a mental cure," Tsunade replied wisely, drawing from her own experience battling her hemophobia.
"The best solution would be for Yakumo to overcome her trauma by herself."
"But that's impossible," Kurenai frowned. "Yakumo isn't a trained ninja. She can't fight her trauma on her own."
"What if someone else enters her mind to help?" Shinho interjected.
In the original story, it was Naruto who entered Yakumo's mental world and, used his invincible talk no jutsu to help her overcome her fears.
"It's possible, but extremely dangerous," Kurenai said, her voice laced with concern. "In that state, she could even kill her own parents."
"Then send more people in," Shinho suggested casually.
"It's not that simple," Kurenai explained. "Yakumo controls everything in her illusionary world. Normal ninjas wouldn't stand a chance."
"What about the Sharingan?" Shinho asked.
"The Sharingan?" Kurenai hesitated, considering the idea.
Everyone knew that the Uchiha were masters of illusion, but the Kurama clan's Bloodline Limit wasn't something to be underestimated either.
"You want to take this mission?" Tsunade suddenly realized.
After all, doesn't your team have three Sharingan users now? she thought, her eyes narrowing. Given what she knew of Shinho, if he was showing interest, there was more to it.
Plus, it was Shinho who suggested adding Yakumo to the Ninth Team in the first place. Was this boy really after the girl?
Tsunade's fist clenched unconsciously.
Hinata and Ino... aren't they enough for you?
"D-rank missions are too boring," Shinho said, throwing out a casual excuse.
Newly graduated Genin, regardless of strength, were always assigned the most basic D-rank missions—usually tasks that had nothing to do with combat. It was meant to familiarize them with working in a team, but to someone like Shinho, it was monotonous.
Of course, his true goal in helping Yakumo was to unlock an achievement.
[Yakumo Kurama.]
[Current Achievement: "Please, My Other Self."]
[Passive Achievement: Unknown.]
"Don't can't be picky about missions," Tsunade warned, shooting him a sharp glare.
Why do you seem particularly angry today?
"Yes, Sensei," Shinho replied obediently.
"Hokage-sama," Kurenai hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Maybe Shinho's plan could work."
During the reign of the Third Hokage, Kurenai had been assigned as Yakumo's teacher. She had grown to care deeply for the girl, especially given her tragic past. More than anything, she wanted to see her healed.
"Let me think about it," Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples.
She was genuinely concerned for Shinho's safety. But after mulling it over, she knew that she couldn't protect him from every danger. Shinho was a ninja, after all, and danger was part of the job. The only way to keep him completely safe would be to never let him leave the village.
"Alright, Kurenai, I'll have Kakashi look into this in a few days," Tsunade finally said.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kurenai exhaled in relief. Though the solution wasn't immediate, at least there was a glimmer of hope now.
"Oh, there's one more thing," Kurenai added hesitantly. "Sakura wants to learn medical ninjutsu."
After meeting her team yesterday, Sakura had persistently pestered Kurenai about learning medical ninjutsu.
But since Kurenai specialized in illusions, not medical techniques, she had to bring it up to the Hokage.
"Sakura, huh?" Tsunade thought about the pink-haired girl and said, "If she has the talent, help her find a medical ninja to train her."
As Hokage, Tsunade was too busy to take on more students personally. Plus, Sakura was a civilian ninja, unlike someone like Hinata, whose status within the Hyuga clan warranted personal attention.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
To Kurenai, that was more than enough. Sakura didn't come from a prestigious ninja family, nor was her talent that warranted the Hokage's attention. This opportunity alone was already a blessing for her.
Kurenai had never considered asking Tsunade to personally teach Sakura. Such a thought was simply unrealistic.
After bowing respectfully, Kurenai left the room.
"Pen." Tsunade asked casually as she held out her hand, taking out a scroll.
Shinho, quick on the uptake, grabbed a pen from the nearby pen holder and handed it to her.
He glanced over at what she was writing.
It was a mission request—the task to help cure Kurama Yakumo, rated as a B-rank mission.
"Give this to Kakashi," Tsunade said, sealing the scroll after completing it.
"Understood," Shinho responded, tucking the scroll away.
"Be careful," Tsunade added with a glint of concern flashing in her eyes.
"Nothing to worry about," Shinho reassured her with a smile. "You should trust me, if not, trust Kakashi-sensei."
Tsunade stared at him for a few moments before finally looking away. She opened a document but seemed distant, her mind clearly not on the papers in front of her.
For the first time, Tsunade truly realized just how important Shinho had become to her.
The mere thought of something happening to him sent a wave of dread through her heart, a feeling she found hard to ignore.
"How is your training going with the Yin Seal?" Tsunade asked after taking a moment to compose herself.
"Everything is progressing smoothly," Shinho replied.
The Yin Seal, an advanced technique, was particularly challenging due to the initial requirement of forming a chakra reservoir on the forehead. The amount of chakra one could store varied from person to person.
In the original story, Sakura took three years to master the technique. With Shinho's superior talent, he expected his training to take significantly less time.
He had only started two months ago, after finishing his basic medical ninjutsu training, and now only the Yin Seal and the Hundred Healings Technique remained—both forbidden techniques.
"Let me see," Tsunade gestured for him to come closer.
Shinho bent down, and immediately, he was overwhelmed by the proximity—her radiant skin and impressive figure were almost blinding.
Tsunade placed her hand on his forehead, inspecting the chakra flow carefully. After a few seconds, she ruffled his hair. "No issues."
Shinho's eye twitched slightly. Why does she always take any chance to pat my head?
Noticing his expression, Tsunade couldn't help but smile. It made her strangely happy.
"I'll start refining my chakra now," Shinho said, stepping back before settling onto the office sofa, sitting cross-legged.
While he said he was refining chakra, in truth, he was focusing on cultivating his Primaeval Essense.
As Tsunade looked at his focused face, she couldn't help but think he looked pretty handsome.
But, at her age, she wasn't one to swoon like a teenage girl. She quickly turned her attention back to her documents.
"Hokage…" Nara Shikaku had just entered the room but paused when Tsunade held a finger to her lips.
Shikaku glanced at Shinho, instantly understanding the situation. Lowering his voice, he handed Tsunade the necessary files before quietly slipping out of the room.
As he closed the door behind him, Shikaku couldn't help but smile to himself. Shinho, it seems, isn't just any ordinary student.
Teacher-student relationships varied across the board. Some were merely formalities, but clearly, Tsunade and Shinho's connection was much deeper.
Shibi sure is lucky, Shikaku thought, feeling a pang of envy toward Aburame Shini for having such a talented son. He then thought about his own family, chuckling at the comparison—Shikamaru wasn't going to bring him closer to the Hokage anytime soon.
Maybe one day, one of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio will become Hokage, he mused, heading back to the Hokage Guard's office.
….
9:00 AM.
Training Ground One.
Kakashi arrived on time. For once, he wasn't late. After all, his three students weren't just any ordinary kids—one was the Fifth Hokage's student, one was the Fourth Hokage's son, and one was the heir to the Uchiha clan.
Wanting to make a good impression, Kakashi decided to be punctual today.
But as he looked around the empty training ground, a gust of wind blew past, leaving him utterly perplexed.
He had been stood up… by all three of his students?
Who leaked my schedule? Was it Sasuke? He's the only one who'd know about my habits… Kakashi thought, settling himself against a nearby tree and pulling out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
Time passed, and finally, at 11:00 AM, the three arrived—right on time for their planned tardiness.
"Why are you all late?" Kakashi asked, stowing away his book and jumping down from the tree.
"Sorry, a black cat crossed my path on the way here," Shinho said nonchalantly.
He even stole my excuse! Kakashi felt a twinge of irritation.
"My alarm clock broke, so I lost track of time," Sasuke said with a calm expression.
"Uhm… uh… I don't have a good excuse…" Naruto stammered, having forgotten to come up with a reason.
He had simply followed Shinho's instructions from the note and showed up late.
"Fine, just don't let it happen again," Kakashi said sternly. "Time is of the utmost importance to a shinobi. Understand?"
"Yes!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically.
"And what if Kakashi-sensei is late?" Shinho asked with a smile.
"..."
"That's… also unacceptable," Kakashi replied after a moment's hesitation.
This kid's really something!
Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that Shinho had orchestrated this whole thing on purpose.
"Well, since we're all here, let's move on to the task," Kakashi said, pulling out a scroll. "I've got a D-rank mission lined up to get us started."
"Sounds good!" Naruto shouted excitedly. "What kind of mission is it?"
"Wait a moment," Shinho interrupted, holding up his hands and cutting off the conversation. "Kakashi-sensei, aren't we supposed to do the bell test?"
"The bell test?" Kakashi asked, shaking his head. "You're all strong enough. There's no need for the bell test."
"The bell test isn't just about strength—it's about teamwork and survival training," Shinho explained. "So, Kakashi-sensei… let's do the bell test."
"...?"
Kakashi felt a strange sense of unease.
Is this kid trying to make me go through a survival test?
Sasuke already knew Kakashi's abilities inside and out.
Naruto, being trained by Guy, was no stranger either. Shinho, however, was still somewhat of a mystery. According to Kakashi's reports, Shinho specialized in medical ninjutsu and raw strength.
He's dangerous in close combat, but nothing I can't handle.
Kakashi thought confidently. After all, with his Sharingan, predicting and avoiding Shinho's attacks would be no problem. He also wasn't aware of Shinho's ability to use insects as his clan's signature technique had been kept quiet.
"Sensei," Sasuke said, stepping forward, "I want to do the bell test as well."
"I want to too!" Naruto chimed in, not wanting to be left out, even if he wasn't entirely sure what it meant.
"Alright," Kakashi sighed, finally relenting as he pulled out two bells from his pouch. "You know the deal. Only those who grab a bell can pass."
"Huh?" Naruto's face went blank with shock.
Does that mean I have to compete against Shinho and Sasuke?!
No matter how he looked at it, losing to either one of them would be an unbearable experience for him.
"Idiot!" Sasuke snapped, annoyed.
Didn't you listen when Shinho explained? It's about teamwork, use your damn brain!
"Enough talking," Kakashi said, tying the bells to his waist and narrowing his eyes. "Alright, you little pubs, come at me with all you've got."
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