Konoha: Tsunade, I Am the Hokage! [7]

“Hmm?”

Oh shit—!

Jiraiya’s brows twitched. His focus slipped for an instant.

At the same time—

A kunai flew toward his waist.

Trying to steal from me?

He dodged instinctively—but—

Poof!

The Kakashi in front of him turned into a wooden log.

An instant later, a blade slashed across Jiraiya’s waist.

The string on one of the bells was severed!

But—

At almost the exact same moment, Jiraiya’s hair shot out, wrapping tightly around Kakashi’s arms.

Gritting his teeth, Kakashi flung the bell toward the ground.

“Kagenori!”

From below, Kurenai sprinted forward, flinging kunai and shuriken in all directions.

There were no more traps left.

All she could do—

Was clear a safe path for Kagenori to land.

Clang!

A spiked log flew toward Kagenori—but one of its rigging ropes was severed by Kurenai’s kunai, making a loud snap.

Kagenori glanced back, caught the edge of the flying log—

Then—

Braced himself, pushed off, and leapt upward, reaching for the falling bell with all his strength.

Clack!

He caught it!

The moment the bell landed in his hand, Jiraiya’s hair wrapped around him like a cocoon, yanking him up like a freshly caught chicken and hoisting him beside Kakashi.

Jiraiya shot Kagenori a venomous glare.

If it weren’t for that line... there’s no way he would’ve lost focus and let them steal a bell.

This brat...

Small in size, but sharp as hell. Looks like he’s not paying attention, but he’s more scheming than anyone!

“Well, well—look at you kids. Yesterday you were squabbling, today you’re working like a unit?”

“Jiraiya-sama, that was all tactical misdirection!” Kagenori grinned cheekily.

Kakashi’s face turned red.

Tactical misdirection, my ass.

They’d just been flat-out arguing yesterday.

Jiraiya let go of Kagenori, then bound Kakashi up properly with rope.

“I said, the worst performer gets tied up and goes without lunch.”

Jiraiya slung Kakashi over his shoulder and headed off.

Kagenori followed close behind.

They stopped by a tree—neither too big nor too small—and Jiraiya tied Kakashi to the trunk.

“Hmph.” Kakashi turned his head away, offering no defense.

Two bento boxes were set beside him.

Kurenai joined them, standing quietly at their side.

Jiraiya gestured at the lunchboxes.

“Per the rules—one each. He doesn’t get any. If either of you shares with him, you’ll be taking the afternoon test too.”

“But—”

Kurenai’s face showed worry. She opened her mouth to protest.

Kagenori, however, had already picked up his box and started eating without hesitation.

She froze for a moment, then silently picked up her own.

Jiraiya gave a sly little smirk. “Well then, I’m off to get some ramen. You two keep an eye on him.”

“Yes, sir,” Kagenori replied respectfully.

Jiraiya vanished.

Kurenai sat there, holding her bento with no appetite.

“I’m sorry. I was the one who didn’t do enough... but you’re the one who ended up tied to a tree.”

“…”

Kagenori kept eating like he hadn’t heard her.

Kakashi, seeing this, forced himself to respond stiffly, “You did fine. Actually, you did well. You wouldn’t have passed the solo exam anyway.”

Her genjutsu had provided solid cover. Her sensory skills helped pinpoint Jiraiya’s location.

Not to mention—

The illusions, clones, and traps all worked in concert.

She’d contributed plenty.

Kakashi knew it. He’d definitely been the weakest link—

He was the chūnin, and yet Kagenori had ended up leading the whole battle, even leaving him room to attack and giving him multiple openings.

Without Kagenori and Kurenai’s coordination, he never would’ve cut the bell’s string.

Compared to them...

Kagenori was the one acting like a proper chūnin.

Am I really... not fit to be a ninja?

The question crept into Kakashi’s mind, dragging his mood down further—right as his stomach gave a loud, shameful grrrr.

He was starving.

And right at that moment—

“I only ate half. If you don’t mind, you can have the rest. If we take the afternoon test together, we’ll have a better shot.”

Kagenori held out his lunchbox.

Kurenai glanced down—

Only half eaten.

She realized at once.

Kagenori didn’t resent Kakashi at all. He had already planned to take the test with him.

That decided it for her.

“You two used up a lot of energy in close combat. I just played support. A third of mine is enough to recover my strength—I'll give the rest to you both.”

“If you're both going in, there’s no reason to leave me behind.”

Kurenai smiled gently.

Kakashi blinked. For a moment, he couldn’t say anything—something was stuck in his throat.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I just don’t want the team short one member. And technically, feeding you doesn’t violate the rules.”

“Exactly,” Kurenai nodded, then glanced sidelong at Kagenori, just subtly enough—

As expected.

The real Kagenori-kun was warm, thoughtful, quietly considerate. Even at a time like this, he was thinking about Kakashi’s feelings.

Yesterday had clearly been his way of correcting Kakashi’s behavior.

She reached forward.

“Can I take off your mask?”

“…Alright.”

Kakashi forced out a reply.

The mask came off, revealing a strikingly handsome face.

Kagenori handed over the lunchbox and used chopsticks to feed him.

Whether there was another test or not, they still had to eat.

Tch.

Jiraiya sure is playing along. Still hasn’t shown up, huh?

Kagenori fed Kakashi bite after bite—

And for Kakashi, each one was harder to swallow than the last. Emotion, shame, and a churning stomach—this was the most difficult meal he’d ever had.

Just then—

Whoosh!

A figure landed before them.

“You broke the rules. Looks like you're all set for the re-test, huh?” Jiraiya’s expression was cold and stern.

“That’s right,” Kagenori replied without hesitation.

Jiraiya snorted. “Very well. This afternoon—I’ll be using my full strength...”

Kakashi’s breath caught. His face went pale.

“No, I—”

“You all pass.”

Jiraiya’s second sentence stunned all three of them.

Kakashi and Kurenai stared blankly. Even Kagenori looked genuinely surprised.

But then—

Smack!

Jiraiya clapped a hand on Kagenori’s shoulder.

“Quit pretending. You figured it out, didn’t you?”

“More or less. As one of the Sannin, if you were willing to lead a genin team, it’s unlikely you’d give us a truly unwinnable test. So I figured teamwork would offer a real chance at passing.”

Kagenori spoke evenly.

Jiraiya was a bit surprised. “But you could’ve ditched him. That wouldn’t have stopped me from accepting you as my subordinate.”

“If being your disciple means abandoning a comrade... then how could you ever trust me to watch your back?”

“Hahaha!”

Jiraiya burst out laughing.

Then his face turned serious.

“You’re right. In war, in missions, sacrifice is often inevitable. But if someone doesn’t value their comrades’ lives, why would anyone trust them with their life? Or a mission?”

Jiraiya’s words—and Kagenori’s—struck Kakashi like a thunderclap.

The lives of my comrades...

He said nothing.

But yesterday’s words from Kagenori now echoed again in his mind:

"You came back two years after graduation for a reason. How you see others... is how they’ll see you."

Yesterday, he’d been furious. Angry.

But now... he found himself questioning.

Could it be...

In those past missions... was I wrong not to go back for them?

No!

A shinobi follows the mission. The rules come first.

Inside Kakashi, the ideals he'd clung to and the thoughts stirring now were locked in fierce battle.

Kagenori hadn’t expected to change him in a day.

A stubborn case like Kakashi—if he could be “enlightened” that easily, he wouldn’t have been such a toxic presence on the team to begin with.

But this?

This was a start.

Then—

[As Hokage, you gained trust not by manipulating others, but through the force of your character.]

[Reward: Chakra Control Boost]

Hm?

Kagenori glanced at Kurenai, not especially surprised—just vaguely amused.

He hadn’t completed his main goal...

But the side reward wasn’t bad either.

Can’t complain. Chakra control’s always worth improving.

A solid win.

---

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!