"A fight between Jonin? I'm so looking forward to it!!" Seeing that Might Guy was about to challenge Kakashi to a duel, Tenten blinked her big eyes and exclaimed with excitement.
"Oh! I can already feel the flames of youth burning in Teacher Guy!" Rock Lee shouted right after, his spirit reignited, bursting with energy. "Come on, Teacher Guy! Show us the power of a Jonin!"
It wasn't just the two of them—even Neji, usually calm and reserved, watched Kakashi and Guy with a rare flicker of anticipation in his eyes.
As for Ishikawa and his teammates, while they were also curious, their reaction was far more subdued. After all, they had just come back from the Land of Cedar, where they had witnessed a Kage-level battle firsthand.
"Well then, let's decide it with one round of rock-paper-scissors!" Under everyone's watchful gaze, Kakashi—who always seemed too casual in the face of serious moments—suddenly dropped a bombshell.
Even Might Guy stumbled slightly in disbelief, and the others nearly fell over from shock.
"I should've known better than to expect Kakashi-sensei to be fired up," Ishikawa muttered, face dark. He had assumed Kakashi would take things seriously with everyone watching… but clearly, he had overestimated him.
"Is that your instructor? Dodging the fight is just pathetic." Tenten pouted in disappointment. Lee and Neji nodded in agreement, their expressions full of disapproval.
In their minds, Kakashi must be avoiding the fight because he was afraid of losing.
"Hmph, what do you know?" Taro and Jiro stepped forward indignantly. "Kakashi-sensei is a powerful ninja who once fought the Fourth Raikage! There's no way he'd be scared."
"Sure, he's lazy and always late… but when it comes to strength, no one can doubt Kakashi-sensei. Your teacher doesn't even come close!"
"The Raikage of the Hidden Cloud?" Upon hearing that name, Neji's expression shifted dramatically. His fists clenched as memories of his father's forced death at the hands of the Hidden Cloud and the Hyuga Main Family surged up once more.
At that moment, the way he looked at Kakashi changed completely.
Even Tenten and Rock Lee stared at Kakashi in stunned silence, their mouths agape.
He fought the Raikage? The Raikage? A man on the same level as the Hokage?
How had this man—who looked like he'd rather nap than train—fought someone so powerful and still returned safely with Ishikawa's team?
It just didn't add up.
None of them noticed the subtle flaw in Taro and Hiro's claim. He had only said Kakashi fought the Raikage—not that he had won or even tied. Still, the shock value had already done its job.
Of course, the truth was classified. The Third Hokage had specifically ordered Team 7 to keep Tsunade's involvement—and the fact that she overcame her hemophobia—a secret. Naturally, they couldn't mention that she had also joined the battle.
'This is bad.' Kakashi felt his stomach sink when he heard his student's careless comment.
Sure enough, when he turned his head, he saw Might Guy already cracking his knuckles, eyes blazing with enthusiasm.
"Roar! Roar! Roar! So, you've already fought the Raikage?" Guy bellowed with glee. "You really are my eternal rival, Kakashi! Then let's have a passionate battle today!!"
"Nope. I refuse." Kakashi didn't hesitate for a second. But before Guy could protest, Kakashi shifted the topic: "Personal strength matters, but sometimes luck is just as important. Rock-paper-scissors is a contest of both luck and spirit. Let's just end today with that—or else we'll be stuck in a draw."
Might Guy paused, fists still clenched, before slowly nodding with conviction. "So… luck is also a kind of strength? Very well! Rock-paper-scissors it is! I'm fired up!!"
"Idiot… you've been tricked," Neji sighed, rolling his eyes. He couldn't believe his teacher was this gullible.
"No, luck is important," Ishikawa said, stepping forward with a faint smile. He casually draped an arm around Neji's shoulder, causing the latter to freeze. "Just like in our fight earlier."
"You—!" Neji's expression turned stiff. He instinctively tried to brush Ishikawa's arm off but stopped when Ishikawa leaned in and whispered:
"If we were friends… maybe I'd tell you what really happened with the Raikage." In an instant, Neji's movements halted. He stared at Ishikawa in stunned silence, disbelief flickering in his eyes.
Does this guy… know about my hatred? Otherwise, why would he suddenly say something like that?
"I don't know what kind of grudge you hold against Kumogakure, but your reaction was clearly different the moment you heard the Raikage's name. So Neji, if our enemy is Kumogakure… I think we might just become friends," Ishikawa said, watching Neji's surprised expression, then added calmly.
As the saying goes, a hero still needs three companions!
In the ninja world, even someone like Naruto or even Sasuke, had others to rely on. So why shouldn't he find a genius to depend on?
And Hyuga Neji—he was undoubtedly qualified!!
"Rock, paper, scissors…" Just as the two boys stared at each other, Kakashi and Might Guy raised their hands with great flair.
In the next instant, a solid fist and a pair of scissors made the outcome clear!
"Hahaha! Brother! We won…!" Taro let out a long breath of relief and practically cried with joy, like someone injected with adrenaline.
God knows how nervous he had been—if they had lost, he'd have had to run ten laps around Konoha. Ten laps!!
Some were overjoyed, while others fell into despair. Compared to the jubilant Taro and Jiro, Tenten and Rock Lee had gone pale, their legs trembling. Even Neji, standing beside Ishikawa, had a stiff face and a twitching mouth…
"I accept the loss!" Might Guy declared tearfully, then called out, "Lee! Tenten! Neji! Come with me and shed the sweat of youth!"
He immediately flipped into a handstand. "As your teacher, I'll accompany you for the full course—running upside down!"
"Upside down? Impossible! Just running with your feet is hard enough—how can you run with your hands?" Jiro gasped, swallowing hard. Taro, beside him, was stunned speechless.
"Let's go…!" Might Guy didn't care about their shock. With a roar, he took off running on his hands, followed closely by Lee and Tenten.
"I'll find you later, Ishikawa." Neji gritted his teeth and called out as he took off after them.
Running around Konoha ten times was brutal—almost impossible—but… he wanted to see just how far this Jonin teacher could push his limits. How strong was this Guy-sensei who could be Kakashi's rival?!!
"Phew… Finally dodged a bullet…"
"With a teacher like that, there's no chance to slack off. Those three are miserable!" Taro and Jiro wiped sweat from their foreheads as they watched Team Guy suffer under the scorching sun. At that moment, they truly appreciated the blessing of having a lazy teacher like Kakashi.
"Really?" Kakashi suddenly turned his head, voice calm but eyes filled with mischief. Ishikawa and the others instantly sensed danger.
"Luck can be a form of strength… but relying on it alone is naive." Kakashi gave them a pointed look. "The three of you—follow them. Run until you're out of breath. Don't even think about slacking. I'll be watching you…"
"What!?"
"No way, Kakashi-sensei!" The two younger brothers immediately turned pale.
"Stop whining and get moving," Ishikawa scolded in frustration. "If you two hadn't run your mouths, this wouldn't have happened!"
Just their luck. Well, might as well treat it as extreme training…