Konoha: Tsunade, I Am the Hokage! [5]

Hokage’s Office.

The Third Hokage pressed his palm to the crystal ball, observing the movements of Kakashi, Kagenori, and Kurenai.

At that moment—

Bang!

A loud noise rang out. The Third Hokage instantly moved his hand from the crystal ball and turned toward the window.

Then—

He caught himself.

Wait... what am I reacting for?

Sarutobi Hiruzen cleared his throat and looked toward the window with a frown. “Jiraiya, would it kill you to use the door for once?”

“Heh, this way’s faster,” Jiraiya replied, as cheeky as ever. He glanced at the crystal ball, then his expression turned serious. “You were watching them? How’s it looking?”

The Third Hokage rested one hand on his pipe.

“Shiba Kagenori is quite impressive.”

“But what’s even more remarkable is his awareness—his mindset. He’s unusually mature for his age. But that’s the thing with children shaped by war—the more mature they are, the more dangerous it becomes. Just like Kakashi. They both need guidance.”

Jiraiya leaned in, peering into the crystal ball with interest.

Inside the projection, Kagenori and Kakashi were dashing through the forest, exchanging blows, locked in a Taijutsu duel.

At first—

Kagenori was clearly on the defensive, consistently outmatched. But his speed allowed him to stay just ahead of danger.

And yet—

As the fight went on, even through the crystal ball, both Jiraiya and the Third Hokage could tell:

Kagenori’s Taijutsu was improving in real time.

What?

That... can’t be possible.

A genius like that actually exists?

Jiraiya gave the Third Hokage a nudge.

Clack!

His pipe slipped.

“Ah! My precious pipe!”

Hiruzen scrambled to catch it. He managed to grab it, but the tobacco had spilled everywhere.

Still—

Now was clearly not the time to be fretting over tobacco.

The Third Hokage’s expression was grim as he stared at the crystal ball.

That rate of improvement...

If he didn’t know for certain that Kagenori was a Senju descendant, he might’ve suspected the boy had awakened a Sharingan and was copying Kakashi’s every move.

“Jiraiya, have you met this boy before?”

“Old man, I’ve run into him on and off over the past year. I can tell you with confidence—this kid’s growth comes entirely from his own hard work. He probably just never had a proper opponent before, and now that he does, all that training is exploding at once.”

“Mmm.”

Hiruzen nodded slowly.

He believed it. He was just shocked—

A child he’d known nothing about turned out to have this kind of talent and determination.

Remarkable.

Huff... huff...

Kakashi was panting heavily.

He couldn’t believe it. Someone actually improves this fast?

A genius?

But—

Then what did all my years of effort and sacrifice mean?

Kakashi refused to believe there was such a thing as talent that allowed you to leap forward in a matter of minutes.

More likely—

He must’ve been training behind closed doors. No real combat experience until now. That’s why all his progress is surfacing now.

And yet—

His opponent’s speed seemed to be gradually increasing as well.

He was still getting stronger.

Kakashi wasn’t panicking. He could still hold his own—but the shock in his heart was real. And as Kagenori’s “strength” continued to grow, their spar grew increasingly intense.

But—

Kagenori knew full well.

If not for the reward I got from Guy, I wouldn’t have been able to level up my hand-to-hand skills this quickly.

What’s more—

Combat is the fastest way to absorb knowledge into real ability!

“You two need to stop! If this keeps up, you’re going to get hurt!”

Kurenai’s voice came from behind, trying to break them up.

But—

Neither of them stopped.

She grit her teeth, then made a decision—her hands flew into a blur of hand seals.

Falling Sakura Illusion Technique!

Petals began to drift from the sky like cherry blossoms.

The moment they saw it, both Kagenori and Kakashi knew it was trouble. They landed instantly and broke off their fight, beginning to dispel the genjutsu.

A moment later, they both opened their eyes again.

Of course—

It wasn’t because they’d dispelled it themselves. Kurenai had canceled the technique shortly after casting it.

She bowed in apology.

“I’m sorry! But things were getting too intense. I don’t know medical ninjutsu—if someone got hurt in the Forest of Death, it could be really dangerous.”

“It’s us who should thank you, Kurenai.”

Kagenori said sincerely.

Kakashi didn’t say anything.

To already be able to use a genjutsu of this caliber at her age...

Kurenai’s genjutsu really was extraordinary.

No wonder Lord Jiraiya had picked her.

Thankfully, he wore a mask—no one could see his face, and his cool, aloof image remained intact.

Kagenori didn’t press the issue.

“We’re a team. This fight helped us gauge each other’s strengths—so we can better plan for tomorrow’s evaluation.”

Team… partners…

Kakashi said coldly, “As long as you don’t drag me down.”

Kurenai’s blood pressure spiked.

She was usually gentle, but this so-called genius Kakashi kept overturning her expectations.

How can someone be so insufferable?

She took a deep breath, but when she looked at Kagenori, she noticed something—

He wasn’t surprised at all.

Did he see this coming?

Of course.

They’d been in the same class.

Unlike her—she was a year behind Kakashi.

But then—

Kurenai froze.

“Maybe you weren’t going all out just now—you still had your blade. But no matter how good you are, could you beat Lord Jiraiya alone?”

Kagenori said it calmly.

Kakashi turned to look at him but said nothing.

“The purpose of teamwork is to cultivate comradeship. If you disregard your teammates' safety, then no matter how well you do on the test, we’re just placeholders to you. Tools.”

“If that’s the case, you’d be better off in the ANBU.”

“You came back after graduating. That wasn’t for nothing. However you see others—others will see you the same way. With your attitude, no one will want to be on your team.”

Kagenori finished and turned to Kurenai.

“Let’s go scout the terrain. We might need it for tomorrow.”

So—

He hadn’t just been calm. He’d been holding it in the whole time—until now.

That was... harsh.

Wasn’t he afraid they’d actually start fighting?

Kurenai stared blankly at Kagenori, then glanced toward Kakashi.

His eyes were burning with anger. His fists clenched tightly.

But—

Kagenori didn’t regret it. Nor did he intend to apologize.

With someone like Kakashi, talking nicely wouldn’t work. Even if he did one day change, that transformation might cost a teammate’s life.

Kagenori had no intention of being Obito.

And if he was—there might not be a Madara around to save him.

Besides—

Changing someone through emotions takes too long, Kagenori thought. I need to break through Kakashi, this ‘boss-level’ challenge, and reap a big reward. No time for a slow-burn drama.

Of course—

He wasn’t expecting a single confrontation to do it.

If once wasn’t enough—

Then he’d do it twice, three times. Far more efficient than emotional manipulation.

Step one was making it clear: Respect is mutual.

He wasn’t stronger than Kakashi—not yet. But that didn’t give Kakashi the right to keep acting like an arrogant jerk.

Step two—

Well, that depends on whether Jiraiya’s willing to play along.

Kagenori glanced toward the woods.

Kurenai hesitated, then followed after him.

“Kagenori-kun, wait up!”

“My trap detection skills are average. Can I ask you to keep an eye out? Best not to touch anything.”

“Okay.”

The two of them headed deeper into Training Field #7.

Kakashi was still fuming.

In the trees behind them, Jiraiya’s shadow clone let out a quiet sigh.

That silver-haired brat really does have a problem with teamwork. No wonder everyone keeps complaining about him.

But—

That kid sure packs a punch when he’s angry. He nailed Kakashi’s weak spot in one go—and shut him up.

He’s still a kid after all.

No matter how composed or disciplined he seems—he still feels anger, still lashes out.

Jiraiya couldn’t help but smile.

Now that’s what a kid should be like.

But—

What about tomorrow’s test...?

...

Evening.

The three of them went their separate ways.

After the argument, an obvious rift formed between them. No one said much after.

“Was that really okay?” Kurenai asked softly.

Kagenori’s earlier outburst had shaken her perception of him.

So he wasn’t just calm. He’d been suppressing everything.

“Kakashi has his reasons. I get it. I was in a similar place once. But just giving in to him doesn’t solve anything. That’s not how you fix people.”

“I see...” Kurenai murmured.

Kagenori came to a stop.

“We’re near your place. I won’t walk you any farther.”

“Eh?”

Kurenai looked around, startled to realize they were already at the edge of her street.

She hadn’t noticed at all—her mind had been full of thoughts about the day, and about the boy beside her.

“Goodnight. Let’s do our best tomorrow.”

“Yes! Thank you, Kagenori-kun. I learned a lot today.”

---

T/N: im trying to get my bearings translating a naruto fic, like making capitalizing Taijutsu or keeping it taijutsu but hmmm...

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!