Konoha: Tsunade, I Am the Hokage! [4]

Creaaak—

The door opened.

Inside the classroom, all three students held their breath, eyes fixed on the entrance.

But—

No one stepped in for quite a while.

What kind of person does this?

This is just... mean.

Kagenori couldn’t help but complain internally.

Then, the figure finally stepped in.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

A shock of white hair, the kanji for oil on his forehead protector—every bit of him was eye-catching.

His outfit…

Undeniably familiar.

Kurenai’s eyes went wide.

Kakashi was dumbfounded, utterly speechless.

Kagenori, too, was stunned.

Why is it Jiraiya?

One of the legendary Sannin. As far as Kagenori remembered, Kakashi had never been part of a team led by Jiraiya.

But—

He quickly realized.

History changes.

Maybe he was overthinking it—but perhaps his tiny butterfly wings had stirred the wind just enough to shift everything.

He drew a deep breath, voice unable to hide his excitement.

“Are... are you Jiraiya-sama?”

Kagenori knew—

He couldn’t act too casual.

The man before them was one of the Sannin. Countless Konoha shinobi looked up to them. As an ordinary genin from a civilian background, it only made sense to be stunned—moved.

Jiraiya chuckled. “Hahaha, I’ll be your commander for now. Come on—let’s go somewhere with more space to talk.”

“Yes, sir!”

...

Academy Rooftop.

Jiraiya sat on the edge. The three of them stood obediently before him.

His gaze swept across their faces.

“You all probably know who I am, so I’ll skip the introduction. Go ahead—introduce yourselves. Likes, dislikes.”

“Kakashi Hatake. Chūnin. Specializes in kenjutsu and lightning release. I don’t have any likes. I dislike people who break the rules.”

Kakashi’s tone was cool and clipped.

Kurenai looked nervous, fidgeting with her sleeves. “L-Lord Jiraiya… my name is Yūhi Kurenai. I specialize in genjutsu. I like wasabi octopus. I hate cake.”

“Shiba Kagenori. I’m currently most proficient in Taijutsu. I like training and getting stronger. I hate... war.”

Kagenori spoke calmly.

He’d chosen his words carefully.

Likes training, hates war—that suited his background. It revealed nothing too personal, avoided inconsistencies, and prevented unnecessary suspicion.

Over the past year, he’d mostly trained alone. That response also aligned with his behavior.

Jiraiya paused for just a moment.

“Alright. Got it.”

His smile faded, expression turning serious.

“Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, let me be blunt. The Hokage believes the three of you have great potential, which is why I’m taking you on. However—”

He scanned their faces.

“I don’t think any of you are qualified to be my subordinates. Tomorrow morning, report to Training Field #7. I’ll be conducting a full evaluation of your abilities. If you fail...”

His voice turned cold.

“You’ll be sent back to the academy. As for you—since you’re already a chūnin, you can be assigned to another squad. But if you think these two fresh graduates aren’t good enough to team with, you’re free to withdraw now.”

Kakashi’s eyes moved between Kagenori and Kurenai.

Both remained silent.

But—

Their reasons were different.

Kagenori suspected the whole conversation was part of the test. Jiraiya was probably here for Kakashi’s sake more than anyone. Why the change, though...

He didn’t know.

Kurenai, on the other hand, was genuinely nervous.

After all, Kakashi was already a chūnin…

Kakashi didn’t respond immediately. He stared at them for a long moment before saying, “I don’t think they can pass the exam.”

Jiraiya showed no reaction.

“You’re withdrawing?”

“No. I’d like to try.”

Kakashi replied without hesitation.

Jiraiya nodded. “Fine. What about you two? If you choose to leave, the village will assign another instructor. My test will definitely be tougher—but you might pass more easily elsewhere.”

“I’ll take the test.”

Kagenori answered immediately.

Becoming a student of one of the Sannin wasn’t just a rare opportunity—it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Kurenai also had no reason to back out.

“Good. Then you’ve got the rest of the afternoon to prepare. Oh—and don’t eat breakfast tomorrow. Or else—hehehe!”

Jiraiya vanished in a blur.

Leaving the three of them alone on the rooftop.

Kagenori took the initiative. “Let’s head to Training Field #7 now—scope it out, train a bit, get used to each other’s abilities.”

“Hmph. A mission is a mission. If you two fall behind, I won’t hesitate to abandon you.”

Kakashi scoffed, then Body Flickered away without waiting.

Kurenai frowned. “What’s his problem...”

“He’s heading toward the training grounds. Let’s follow.”

Kagenori said, then disappeared as well.

Kurenai hurried to catch up.

Ahead, Kakashi glanced back, noticing them closing the gap. He watched them carefully.

Shiba Kagenori…

He’s fast. His Body Flicker must be pretty advanced. Might actually be competent.

But the girl’s struggling a bit.

Still, she’s good at Genjutsu. Could be useful.

Kakashi kept running.

He didn’t realize—

Jiraiya had been tailing them the whole time.

That silver-haired brat really doesn’t give a damn about his teammates. But that kid… even though he can run faster, he’s keeping pace with Kurenai so she doesn’t fall behind.

The more I watch him, the more I like him.

Not just smart—thoughtful too. He knows how to look after his teammates.

If he’s guided right... maybe he’ll be another Minato.

But if he’s not…

Jiraiya’s heart sank. Another face flashed in his mind.

Orochimaru…

Sigh.

Who knows what that guy’s been up to lately.

Ever since Nawaki died and Tsunade left, Orochimaru had been acting stranger and stranger.

“But,” Jiraiya murmured to himself, “in this world, compassion alone isn’t enough.”

“Kurenai, the Forest of Death is dangerous. I’ll intercept him—we’ll go in together.”

“Intercept?”

Kurenai blinked.

Then, before she could say more, Kagenori vanished.

The next moment, she saw him reappear—already sprinting toward Kakashi.

In just a few blinks, he was right behind him.

Kakashi was stunned.

He’d always believed himself to be the fastest among his peers. The only one who could match him was that freak Might Guy.

As for Kagenori—

They’d been classmates for a year, but Kakashi hadn’t paid him much attention.

But now—

That speed just now…

His Body Flicker’s that strong?!

Kakashi instinctively pushed himself, using the Body Flicker at full power—faster than before.

But—

Kagenori had already overtaken him. His hand pressed lightly against Kakashi’s shoulder.

Unreal!

Kakashi’s pupils shrank.

Even at full speed, he couldn’t catch up.

Unless he used lightning-style chakra to stimulate his body’s reflexes—but that technique wasn’t fully under control yet. Misuse could hurt more than help.

“Kakashi, the Forest of Death is dangerous. Let’s go in together.”

Kagenori paused, then added:

“Even if you’re a chūnin, Lord Hokage once said—team missions are never about one person. You have to look out for your squad.”

Kakashi went quiet.

He was going slow earlier... to stay in sync with Kurenai?

He stopped running and stared carefully at Kagenori.

Shiba Kagenori.

A classmate from school—who turned out to be this strong...

“Sorry!”

Kurenai finally caught up, forehead beaded with sweat, breath heavy. Beads of moisture clung to her temples, dripping down one by one.

“It’s fine,” Kagenori said. “We’re a team. We go together.”

Kakashi didn’t respond—just leapt down into the forest.

“Let’s move. Any later and it’ll get dark in there. It’ll be hard to see the traps.”

---

T/N: i want a nice mc :D, HIRUZEN I AM THE HOKAGE

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!