Watching the masked ninja flee in desperation, Hakusei Tōya didn't give chase. He simply raised his right arm and activated the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Airquake.
Crack! Snap!
The sky fractured like a shattering mirror under the pressure of the quake.
Rumble!!!
Whooosh!
The resulting shockwave unleashed a howling tempest. Trees were uprooted, the ground tore apart, and earth was flung into the air.
The fleeing Grass ninja froze, utterly stunned by the sight.
He couldn't comprehend what kind of monstrous strength this was.
Just the shockwave from a single punch had triggered all of that.
"Is this… really something a ninja can do? Can taijutsu really reach this level?"
Realizing there was no escaping, the Grass ninja gave up entirely. The light faded from his eyes. He stood there blankly, muttering to himself as the wind ripped him apart.
Looking at the wreckage, Tōya felt a bit of a headache from the scale of destruction he'd caused.
Thankfully this wasn't inside the village, otherwise, he'd be in deep trouble.
He'd basically fired a cannon to kill a fly.
Blasted half a forest just to take down one special jōnin.
Still, when he glanced over at Kakashi, who was clearly shaken to his core, he figured it had been worth it.
Kakashi was handpicked by Minato to be one of his subordinates.
A prodigy who'd become a jōnin at just twelve.
And… there was also the awkward history. They'd taken the same chūnin exam, Kakashi passed, and Tōya failed.
So, just to assert a little dominance, Tōya had chosen not to finish the enemy off with a simple Body Flicker and a punch. Instead, he gave Kakashi a show with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Plus, seeing Mr. Cold-and-Collected Kakashi standing there with a face full of existential crisis, it was kind of entertaining.
Kakashi's eyes were wide. He barely noticed the leaves and dirt clinging to his body as he slowly stood up, staring at Tōya in disbelief.
Thinking back on his earlier assumptions, a wave of shame washed over him.
"Fu, Fujiwara-senpai… you… this…"
Embarrassment, shock, shame, curiosity, a swirl of emotions left Kakashi stammering, completely at a loss for words.
Tōya responded calmly,
"What's with the look? That's just standard chūnin-level strength. Still not quite up to par with Konoha's genin."
After all, late-stage genin from Konoha could level cities when they got serious. His performance today was nothing by comparison.
"…Standard chūnin?"
Kakashi was speechless.
This was what he called chūnin-level? Who the hell had ever seen a chūnin obliterate half a forest with one punch?!
He'd been a chūnin himself, he knew better!
"Kakashi."
Tōya's tone suddenly turned serious.
"I know what happened to you was tragic. But you're a shinobi. Once you accept a mission, you're responsible for taking it seriously."
"If you die, that's on you. But if your carelessness gets your teammates killed, or causes the mission to fail, that's unacceptable."
Kakashi's face flushed with shame.
First, he'd failed to detect Guy tailing him.
Then he ignored Tōya's warning.
Finally, he got distracted mid-battle and was injured because of it.
It was one screw-up after another.
And if Tōya really had been just a regular chūnin, they'd both be dead already.
"…I'm sorry, Senpai."
Kakashi lowered his head and apologized.
"Louder. You think you can be a ninja with a voice like that?"
"I'm sorry, Senpai!"
Kakashi shouted.
Tōya gave a satisfied nod and continued,
"Do you know how much Minato values you? How much he expects from you?"
"I wasn't going to tell you this, but I've been… disappointed by your performance."
"The reason Minato assigned me to this mission with you is because you're about to be inducted into the new ANBU. You'll be my subordinate."
Kakashi went silent.
Tōya's words made it clear just how much Minato believed in him.
For someone like Tōya, a hidden powerhouse, to be asked to lead and guide him… that couldn't have been easy for Minato.
And yet he'd completely let his sensei down.
How could Tōya still be willing to accept him after all that?
"…Even though your performance has been awful," Tōya said, voice steady but not cruel, "considering you're the son of the White Fang, and for Minato's sake, I've decided to give you one more chance."
"I'll teach you a taijutsu technique. If you can master it within a week, I'll keep you on the team. If not, it's over, no matter who comes to vouch for you."
With that, he tossed a scroll to Kakashi.
Inside was the training method for one of the Six Techniques, Shave (Soru).
With the foundation of Whitebeard's taijutsu, and his knowledge of the Rokushiki's mechanics, Tōya had already recreated several of the simpler techniques and integrated them with chakra control.
For example, when using Shave, he could supplement each burst with chakra at his feet. This reduced the physical requirements and boosted speed.
The reason Tōya was developing the Six Techniques was to build a stronger ANBU.
If every new member could master them, the unit's combat capabilities would skyrocket.
A stronger ANBU meant a stronger Konoha.
And the more prosperous Konoha became, the stronger Tōya would get as well.
"Taijutsu, huh…"
Kakashi took the scroll, curiosity piqued.
Opening it, he quickly realized, it was different from what he'd learned before.
His usual taijutsu was chakra-centric.
But this scroll placed a heavy emphasis on physical conditioning.
Closing the scroll carefully, Kakashi looked up with determination.
"I'll do it. I'll master it."
In that moment, something changed inside him.
The dead couldn't be brought back, but he could honor the living.
He wouldn't let Minato down again.
Watching Kakashi's spark of renewed will, Tōya nodded inwardly.
This had been his goal all along.
He didn't want to lead some emotionally broken mess muttering, "Rin… oh, my Rin…" or "As a human, I am truly sorry…" every five minutes.
He'd planned to teach him the technique eventually anyway, why not turn it into a test and light a fire under him?
And even if Kakashi failed, he had backup plans.
The system's points had many uses.
Not only could they improve his Template sync, but they could also be used to enhance his own abilities, aka, stat boosts.
They could even be used to boost someone else's stats, though only if that person was part of Konoha.
If Kakashi couldn't learn it, sure, he'd be a bit disappointed.
But considering Kakashi had become a jōnin at twelve, Tōya had high hopes for him.
And of the Six Techniques, Shave was one of the easiest.
"What about them?"
Kakashi pointed at the three unconscious attackers still sprawled on the ground.
With Tōya's overwhelming strength and his talk of Minato's plans, Kakashi now saw him as the clear leader between them.
Tōya responded flatly,
"We bring them back. Hand them over to the Interrogation Division.
Anyone who tries to ambush Konoha's ninja needs to pay the price."
Even after the war, Konoha, once the strongest of the Five Great Nations, was still no pushover.
A dying camel was still bigger than a horse.
And if they found out which group was behind the attack…
Unless it was one of the other Great Nations, a single jōnin squad would be enough to wipe them out.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter