Konoha: Tsunade, I Am the Hokage! [3]

Not long after, the instructor arrived.

He took out a list and began reading off the team assignments.

“Team 1... Team 2...”

“Team 3: Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, Ebisu.”

The teacher continued reading above.

Just moments ago, Genma and Ebisu had still been laughing—now their faces froze.

Finally, it was Kagenori’s turn.

“Team 7: Shiba Kagenori, Yūhi Kurenai.”

Kurenai glanced at Kagenori and blinked.

At least it’s just him.

Though both Kagenori and Guy worked hard and were clearly strong, the sparks flying between the two earlier had been a bit much for the young Kurenai to handle.

The instructor kept going.

“Team 8…”

Kurenai’s brows furrowed.

Wait—

Why are there only two people?

Kagenori glanced at her and said quietly, “Don’t worry, we’ll ask about it after we step outside.”

“Um… okay.”

Kurenai nodded, suppressing her unease.

...

Outside.

“Sensei, why does Team 7 only have two members? Normally, it’s one Jōnin and a three-person team, right?” Kagenori asked.

The academy instructor scratched his head awkwardly. “Ah, that... I don’t actually know. You’ll understand once your Jōnin arrives this afternoon.”

“Huh?” Kurenai was completely confused.

The teacher vanished with a quick Body Flicker, leaving Kagenori and Kurenai to exchange looks.

They were both stunned.

Though, truthfully—

Kagenori had a theory, though he wasn’t sure if it was correct.

A certain unlucky, tightly-wound genius—promoted to Chūnin last year, but whose personality and leadership issues made it impossible for him to get along with a team.

Hatake Kakashi.

Could it be him?

...

2:00 PM.

All the teams gathered back inside the ninja academy. Below, the remaining students were still in class, while the graduates waited for their Jōnin to arrive.

Kagenori sat at his desk, quietly thinking about the future.

He’d already started to get a sense of how the system worked.

Being on the same team as Kakashi... might actually have some advantages.

But—

Who would their team leader be?

Minato-sensei, maybe?

As he thought, his fingers absentmindedly twirled a kunai.

Finally, Kurenai couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Kagenori-kun, um... can I ask you something?”

She was a year or two older than him and hadn’t been in the same class, so they weren’t very familiar.

Still—

Now that they were teammates, they had to start building rapport.

Kagenori paused, lowering the kunai.

“What is it?”

“Are you training your finger dexterity?” she asked, watching the kunai dance through his fingers like a flower in motion.

Kagenori froze, then chuckled softly.

“Just a habit.”

“A habit...”

Kurenai nodded, saying no more—but there was a new note of respect in her eyes.

To build a habit like that must’ve taken years of grueling practice… no wonder he and Guy seem to understand each other.

Her imagination filled in the blanks.

Kagenori had no idea what she was thinking. He was just wondering—

Would building team rapport earn me system rewards?

Before he could test it—

Knock knock!

The door creaked open.

Kagenori looked up—and nearly burst out laughing.

There in the doorway stood a silver-haired boy in a face mask. He half-lidded his eyes, walked in like he didn’t care about anything, and sat down stiffly, clearly pretending to act casual.

Kurenai gaped.

She blinked rapidly, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Then—

“You’re not our Jōnin-sensei, are you?!”

“Hmph.”

Kakashi turned away without a word.

Kagenori leaned in and whispered, “Kurenai—Kakashi only made Chūnin last year. No way he’s a Jōnin.”

“Oh... right.”

Kurenai was still dazed, clearly not understanding the situation.

Kagenori sat beside her, lips pressed tight to keep from laughing.

So it really is him!

Which meant—

“Kakashi, does this count as repeating a grade?”

“...”

Kakashi glanced at him, then stared straight ahead and didn’t respond.

Tch.

Kagenori swallowed his urge to tease further and straightened his posture, helping preserve the stiff, silent, awkward atmosphere of the classroom.

In RPG terms...

Kakashi was boss-tier. Way harder to deal with than Might Guy or Genma—definitely not someone you could handle with charm alone.

This one needs a long-term strategy.

Better focus on who the teacher is first.

Kagenori was still thinking when footsteps echoed outside the door.

All three of them turned to look.

Could that be their teacher?

They waited in silence.

But the footsteps faded and went elsewhere.

Kurenai frowned slightly.

She whispered, “Our teacher... just disappeared.”

Kakashi replied flatly, “We’re ninja. Our job is to wait.”

“...”

Kagenori glanced at them, corner of his mouth twitching.

If Kurenai’s perception was right—

Then their teacher probably had a rather twisted sense of humor and was observing them from the shadows to gauge their personalities and capabilities.

Who is it?

And when we meet them... what should I say about myself?

Kagenori began mentally preparing.

...

Outside the room, Jiraiya exhaled slowly.

I can’t believe it.

At my age, and with my status, I’m stuck leading a bunch of fresh graduates?

This is all that old man’s fault!

He watched the students from a hidden vantage point.

The girl’s sharp—good instincts, strong in Genjutsu. Looks like she’s got potential in sensory-type ninjutsu or even medical support.

The silver-haired brat’s a pain in the ass. No wonder no one wants him. He’s a handful.

And the last one...

Yeah, he doesn’t look easy either. Why am I doing this to myself?!

Jiraiya stroked his chin, remembering last night’s conversation.

...

Yesterday
Hokage’s Office

“Old man, I just started planning a trip outside the village. And now you want me to lead a Genin team? You’re messing with me.”

“The village needs you,” Sarutobi Hiruzen said simply.

Jiraiya scowled. After several seconds of silence, he asked, “Are these three kids special or something?”

“One of them is Hatake Kakashi.”

That shut him up.

After a long pause, he said, “Didn’t that kid already make Chūnin?”

“Take a look,” Sarutobi said, handing him a file.

Jiraiya took it—and found it packed with complaints from other shinobi. No one wanted Kakashi on their team. Everyone was passing the buck.

Sarutobi could have forced the issue.

But the old man clearly wanted a member of the Sannin to take care of it personally.

Jiraiya thought of Sakumo’s suicide and sighed. He didn’t reject it outright. His eyes scanned the stack of papers on the desk.

Then—

He spotted another file.

Jiraiya picked it up.

That kid...!

He read carefully.

It was Kagenori’s file.

A Senju descendant.

His parents had died a little over a year ago. Since then, his personality had changed drastically—withdrawn, strange, not well-integrated with his peers.

A war orphan.

Jiraiya held the page in silence.

During the Second Shinobi War, the Sannin had made their names—but many shinobi had died under their command.

A hardworking kid, with a troubled heart...

“The other two haven’t been placed yet, right? Add him to the team. I’m curious about this one.”

“You know him?” Sarutobi looked mildly surprised.

That boy—

He’d graduated early, sure, but Sarutobi hadn’t paid him much attention. He only vaguely remembered that his Substitution Jutsu was very refined, and his Taijutsu wasn’t bad either.

“A bright, clever kid. I think he has potential—maybe even like Minato.”

Jiraiya’s voice was serious.

Sarutobi was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. Kagenori, Kakashi, and one more—your call.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Jiraiya waved it off, then casually scanned the paper—

“Her. I’ll take her too.”

---

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!