Konoha: Tsunade, I Am the Hokage! [11]

“You guys picking up missions too? If it’s chopping wood or hauling water, want to see who finishes first this time? Loser runs an extra two hundred laps this afternoon!”

Might Guy dashed over, beaming.

Maybe it was because of his last attempt at “piggybacking” on their success, but lately, whenever Guy wanted a contest, he’d always drag Kagenori in with him...

Ever since learning they’d been taking on missions nonstop, Guy had started making these weird bets.

Kakashi’s face was blank as usual—
He was already used to this.

Of both teams, the ones with the most dramatic reactions were Kurenai, Ebisu, and Shiranui Genma—who immediately covered their faces, unable to watch out of sheer embarrassment.

Kagenori smiled faintly. “Not today.”

“Why not?”

Guy paused, momentarily stumped.

Kakashi replied coolly, “We’re heading out of the village for a C-rank mission. We might not be back today.”

“Huh?”

Guy and his teammates all gawked in disbelief.

Out of the village?
No way!

They were all fresh genin, after all. Sure, Kakashi was already a chūnin, and their team leader was Jiraiya of the Sannin, but still...

Okay, fine.

Put that way, it did sort of make sense that their team was the exception.

Shiranui Genma and Ebisu pressed their lips together, suddenly, for the first time, feeling the gap that a top-tier jōnin leader—and a strong team—could make.

It’s true everywhere:
The problem isn’t having little, it’s being left behind.

The two of them couldn’t help feeling a bit stung.

But—

Guy’s eyes were burning with excitement.

“My eternal rivals and friends! So that’s why you’ve been grinding all those D-rank missions lately. The village must have let you take on C-ranks because of that, right?”

“That’s probably part of it, but skill matters too. Kakashi is a chūnin, after all.”

Kagenori shrugged.

Guy fell silent for a moment, but quickly bounced back, full of determination.

“I’ll remember that! Soon, our squad will catch up!”

Set your sights high, and you’ll at least reach the middle.

That’s what Kagenori had taught him.

Now, Guy had a new goal—
Their team would become the second squad among their peers to qualify for C-rank missions!

Shiranui Genma and Ebisu snapped out of it, nodding firmly. “You guys are really strong, but we won’t fall too far behind!”

They’d all been through the genin exams.

Even if they didn’t know what kind of test Jiraiya gave his students, it had to be tough. For Kagenori and Kurenai to pass alongside Kakashi said a lot about their overall ability.

“I always believed in you!” Kagenori nodded.

Before long, a jōnin emerged from inside.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sensei!”

Guy’s team answered immediately and set off down the street toward the village outskirts.

On the way—

“You shouldn’t let it get to you. Just focus on your own growth,” their jōnin, Mitsui Rō, advised.

Ebisu couldn’t help himself. “Sensei, is there really such a big gap between us and them?”

“Sure, they have Kakashi, but the other two can’t be that different from us, can they?” Genma added, still uncertain.

Mitsui Rō shook his head.

He looked at his three students, paused for a moment, and finally sighed. “I didn’t want to discourage you, but from what I’ve heard, in Jiraiya-sama’s squad, the one who performed the best during the exam wasn’t Kakashi—it was Shiba Kagenori.”

“What?”

Except for Might Guy, the other two were struck dumb, utterly incredulous.

But Guy—

“Awooo! I knew it! Kagenori’s so smart and he’s crazy strong when we train together. He’s definitely no slouch! This fires me up—now I have to surpass them!”

Guy’s lost his mind, Ebisu thought.

But still—

He just couldn’t wrap his head around it.

If Kakashi had played the biggest role in their test, he could understand. Maybe he’d even grumble about how unfair it was to have a genius like that on your team—of course the gap would be huge.

But—

Kagenori was a fellow recent graduate. As far as they knew, he’d never had a genius reputation at the Academy. In their eyes, he was just another rookie, starting from the same line as everyone else.

And now Mitsui Rō was telling them—
It wasn’t true at all. Kagenori was actually the best in Jiraiya’s entire squad?!

Was he a genius too?

Genma and Ebisu were stunned.

Mitsui Rō sighed again.

“Maybe it’s hard to accept, but it’s the truth...”

A lot of the clan kids had already heard the rumors through their own channels. Only the civilian genin like them were still in the dark.

“It’s not hard to accept. I know how hard Kagenori and Kakashi work!”

Guy turned, uncharacteristically serious. “The sweat we shed is the true light of youth! Guys, let’s use them as role models, not let this get us down!”

“For once, you almost sound reasonable. When did you get so good at speeches?”

Genma and Ebisu muttered to each other.

Guy grinned, flashing his pearly whites. “Of course! Kagenori said it first!”

Then he bared his teeth in a broad smile.

“Let’s run two hundred laps together this afternoon. Whoever doesn’t finish does a hundred laps on their hands, deal?”

“...”

Now you’re speaking my language.

Genma and Ebisu groaned in unison.

...

“Kagenori, how’s your Water Release practice going?”

“I’m making some progress. I’m working on compressing the water column—if I can condense the stream in [Wild Water Wave], the attack should be way stronger.”

Kagenori answered.

Kurenai didn’t really follow the details of ninjutsu training, so her expression stayed the same.

But—

Jiraiya’s eyes widened, a rare look of shock slipping past his usual composure.

To rattle one of the Sannin...

Kakashi grew curious. “Sensei, is something wrong?”

“You probably don’t know, but what Kagenori just described—compressing the water column—was already accomplished by the Second Hokage. The A-rank [Water Severing Wave] is exactly like what you’re talking about.”

Jiraiya sighed, explaining the jutsu.

[Water Severing Wave].

A powerful Water Release technique invented by the Second Hokage. Even the hardest materials get sliced like tofu before it.

What Kagenori just said...

Was almost exactly the same as [Water Severing Wave].

Kagenori put on an exaggerated look of surprise and daze.

Jiraiya thought for a moment, then said, “Kagenori, show me your [Wild Water Wave].”

“Yes, sensei!”

Kagenori quickly formed the hand seals.

A heartbeat later, water gushed forth—a miniature waterfall, continuous and forceful.

He’s already got it down completely!

Mastered the chakra-saving technique on his own, and grasped the essence of [Wild Water Wave].

Could the Senju’s natural talent be awakening in this kid?

Jiraiya was floored.

Kakashi blinked, just as stunned. He distinctly remembered that only a few days ago, Kagenori hadn’t been nearly this skilled.

He’s progressing way too fast!

Back in his day, maybe he’d improved just as quickly, but Kagenori had never had a reputation before.

So this is what it feels like—
When someone else is the genius in your class?

Kakashi was speechless.

“Not bad at all. Looks like you haven’t been slacking off. But honestly, it’s still a little early for you to start working on compressing and changing the jutsu’s nature. Even if you manage it, you won’t be able to use it in battle yet.”

Jiraiya’s tone grew more serious.

Compression and chakra concentration, whether in training or actual combat, demanded enormous reserves.

“Yes, sensei.”

Kagenori didn’t argue—
He hadn’t planned to push the “compression” nature change just yet anyway.

Next, Jiraiya pulled out two sets of leg weights and tossed them to Kakashi and Kagenori.

Thunk!

The two nearly toppled over.

So heavy!

“These are weighted leg bands—one pair each,” Jiraiya said. “Kurenai, you won’t need these for now, but I’ll be shortening our breaks along the way to keep you training steadily. I’ve got plenty of soldier pills if you need them.”

“Yes, sensei!”

“All right, team—let’s move out! Destination: Tanzaku Town!”

---

This is a fan translation of 木叶：纲手，我才是火影！by 卖身葬节操 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!