Kakashi smiled faintly. "Good. You've got a clear sense of yourself."
Then his tone shifted — calm, but serious.
"Your teacher, Kimoto Tōichi, and I… we used to work together."
Arata stayed silent. He had already guessed as much.
Kakashi didn't wait for him to answer. He explained the arrangement he'd made with Tōichi — the pact about training Arata together and the condition tied to it.
When he finished, he looked at the boy. "So, what do you think about it?"
Arata blinked. "I think I don't really have the right to refuse, do I?"
Kakashi shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I want your thoughts, not your obedience."
Arata thought for a moment, then shrugged lightly. "Having one more teacher isn't a bad thing."
Kakashi frowned slightly. He wasn't sure if that was confidence or indifference.
"You don't seem very excited. You realize how rare it is to have an Anbu jōnin as your mentor, right?"
"I do," Arata said simply. "But that doesn't make me particularly happy. More teachers mean more training — not exactly something to celebrate."
Kakashi was taken aback. He had expected arrogance or enthusiasm — not this measured calm.
"I could teach you a lot, you know," Kakashi said, a bit defensive despite himself.
"I believe that," Arata said, meeting his gaze. "You're famous enough that even the Academy instructors talk about your record. Everyone knows the name 'Copy Ninja Kakashi.'"
It was true. Kakashi's reputation in Konoha was legendary. Only someone as oblivious as Naruto could fail to know it.
Which made Arata's composure even stranger.
Kakashi studied him for a while, then sighed. "Don't you want to become stronger?"
"Of course," Arata replied. "But being a strong shinobi isn't my dream. I just want to live quietly — do my missions, stay alive, retire with all my limbs still attached. That's enough for me."
He spoke without hesitation — and somehow, that calm tone made Kakashi's chest tighten.
So young… and yet already sounding like someone who'd seen too much of the world.
"You have no ambition at all?" Kakashi asked softly.
Arata smiled. "I didn't say that. I said I want a peaceful life. To live peacefully in this world, you have to be strong. So yes, I'll get stronger — but only to protect what matters to me. Nothing more."
Kakashi fell silent, then laughed under his mask.
"You sound like an old man, you know that?"
"Maybe," Arata said. "But even old men die in this job. Better to be a careful old man than a reckless corpse."
Kakashi shook his head, half-exasperated, half-amused. "You're something else."
Then his expression turned serious again.
"Still, I don't want you to sell yourself short. Whether you believe it or not, I can see your potential. You could become something far greater than you imagine."
He straightened, stepping closer so that the moonlight caught his silver hair.
"From today," Kakashi said firmly, "I'm your second teacher. And I want you to reach jōnin-level strength within a year."
He paused — then smirked.
"Actually, no. Let's make it six months."
Arata froze, eyes widening.
"…Six months?"
"Mm-hm."
"To reach jōnin level?"
"That's right."
Arata's lips twitched. "You must be overestimating me, Kakashi-sensei. That kind of progress is—"
"Impossible?"
"Unrealistic," Arata corrected. "Even for someone with my… advantages."
He wasn't wrong.
The gap between a chūnin and a jōnin wasn't a step — it was a chasm.
A single jōnin could slaughter an entire team of mid-level shinobi.
It wasn't just about power — it was experience, intuition, and the ability to stay alive under killing intent.
Even with his system, Arata knew he wasn't close.
He could learn techniques quickly, yes. His chakra control was exceptional.
But real battle? He had barely any.
He remembered the Fourth Great Ninja War — how even Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, with godlike power, had been sealed by Naruto and Sasuke. Not because she was weaker — but because she had no experience.
Power without understanding was just an illusion of strength.
And Arata knew that truth deeply.
Kakashi watched him think, the boy's expression turning distant and focused.
For all his calm, there was a spark in those eyes — curiosity, calculation, and something else Kakashi recognized instantly: discipline.
He smiled beneath the mask. "You don't need to believe it right now. But remember this, Arata — I've seen geniuses all my life. And very few scare me the way you do."
Arata sighed softly. "If you say so, Kakashi-sensei. But don't expect miracles in half a year."
"Miracles?" Kakashi chuckled. "No, I don't believe in those. I believe in effort — and in terrifying potential."
For a moment, neither spoke. The lake shimmered between them, reflecting the moon like a blade's edge.
Then Kakashi rested a hand on Arata's shoulder.
"When you reach that point," he said quietly, "I'll take you with me — on missions no ordinary ninja ever sees."
Arata blinked, unsure whether to feel honored or horrified.
Half a year.
To reach jōnin level.
Me? A jōnin in six months…?
He couldn't help it — he laughed under his breath.
Maybe it was impossible.
But in that moment, under the cold moonlight and Kakashi's unwavering gaze,
Arata felt something stir in him — a quiet, dangerous thrill he hadn't felt in years.
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