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"Hm?"
…What the—?!
Jiraiya's brow twitched. For a split second, his focus slipped.
At that exact moment—
A kunai shot straight toward his waist.
Trying to steal it?!
He dodged immediately, but—
Thunk!
The "Kakashi" in front of him turned into a chunk of wood.
A real silhouette flashed in from the side, and a blade sliced across Jiraiya's waist.
The string holding a bell snapped cleanly!
But almost at the same time, Jiraiya's hair shot out like living vines, wrapping around Kakashi's arms.
Kakashi grit his teeth and tossed the bell toward the ground.
"Leo!"
Down below, Kurenai sprinted like crazy, throwing kunai and shuriken nonstop.
The traps had already been cleared.
All she could do now…
…was clear Leo's landing path and make sure he had somewhere safe to drop.
Crack!
A wooden spike trap flew toward Leo, but one of its ropes snapped after getting hit by Kurenai's kunai, making a loud bang.
Leo glanced back and immediately grabbed onto the flying wooden plank.
Then—
He pulled hard, swung his weight upward, and launched himself at the falling bell.
Clang!
Got it!
The moment Leo grabbed it, Jiraiya's hair wrapped around him.
He was bundled up like a cocoon and yanked upward like a caught chicken, hauled right next to Kakashi.
Jiraiya glared at Leo.
If it weren't for what he said earlier, how would Jiraiya have gotten distracted enough to lose the bell?
This brat…
Small body, sharp brain—pretends he's clueless but notices everything!
"Hah… you kids aren't bad. Yesterday you were at each other's throats, today you're coordinating like a real team?"
"Lord Jiraiya, that was all strategy!"
Leo grinned.
Kakashi's face immediately turned red.
Strategy?
Strategy my ass!
Yesterday was just a full-on argument!
Jiraiya dropped Leo to the ground.
Then he used rope and ninjutsu to tie Kakashi up properly.
"I said the worst performer gets tied up and eats no lunch."
He slung Kakashi over his shoulder and carried him down.
Leo followed close behind.
Jiraiya chuckled, walked over to a medium-sized tree, and secured Kakashi to the trunk.
"Hmph!"
Kakashi turned his face away, not bothering to defend himself.
Two bento boxes were placed beside him.
Kurenai walked over and stood with them.
Jiraiya pointed at the lunches.
"Same rules as before. One each. He doesn't get any. If either of you gives him food, he joins this afternoon's exam."
"But…"
Kurenai panicked, wanting to argue.
Leo had already picked up a box and started eating.
She froze for a moment, then had no choice but to pick up hers too.
Jiraiya smirked. "Well then, I'm off for ramen. You two keep an eye on him."
"Yes, sir."
Leo bowed respectfully.
Jiraiya left.
Kurenai stared at her lunch, mood sour, appetite gone.
"…Sorry. I didn't help much, and now you're the one tied up."
"..."
Leo kept eating like he didn't hear a word.
Kakashi sighed and forced himself to speak. "You did well. And you wouldn't pass the test alone anyway."
Her genjutsu had been extremely helpful—covering their movements, giving accurate location intel.
Plus—
She helped with illusions, clones, traps…
She had definitely contributed.
Kakashi knew he really had been the worst performer.
He was a chūnin, yet Leo had been the one guiding the whole fight. Leo even left openings for him to attack.
Without Leo and Kurenai's coordination, he never would've reached the bell.
Compared to Leo…
Leo was more like the one who should've been the chūnin.
Was he really that unqualified as a ninja?
Self-doubt gnawed at him. His mood sank—and right on cue, his stomach growled loudly.
He was starving.
Just as shame was setting in—
"I ate half. If you don't mind, you can have the other half. If we take the exam together this afternoon, we'll have a better shot."
Leo held out his lunch box.
Kurenai lowered her gaze—
He really only ate half.
She suddenly understood.
Leo wasn't holding a grudge at all.
He had planned from the beginning to take Kakashi into the afternoon exam.
She immediately made a decision.
"You two burn more energy in close combat. I'm mostly support—I only need about a third to recover. You two can split the rest."
"If you're both joining the exam, there's no way I'm sitting out."
Kurenai smiled softly.
Kakashi blinked. His throat tightened so much he couldn't speak.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Leo added. "I just don't want our team to be short a member. And feeding you doesn't technically break the rules."
"Right," Kurenai nodded, then secretly glanced at Leo—
Just as she thought.
The real Leo was gentle, considerate, thoughtful—even in a moment like this, he still cared about Kakashi's feelings.
Yesterday he was clearly trying to correct Kakashi's attitude.
She reached toward Kakashi.
"Can I take off your mask?"
"…O—okay."
The word came out painfully stiff.
She removed it, revealing an annoyingly handsome face.
Leo passed him the lunch and fed him with chopsticks.
Whether they'd retake the exam or pass immediately… they still needed to eat.
Tch.
Jiraiya was really playing along—he still hadn't come back!
Leo fed Kakashi quietly.
Kakashi chewed, swallowing against the lump of emotion in his throat…
This was the hardest meal he'd ever eaten.
Right then—
Whoosh!
A figure landed in front of them.
"You dare break the rules? Looks like you want a retest."
Jiraiya's voice was cold.
"Yeah," Leo answered.
Jiraiya let out a chilling laugh. "Alright then. This afternoon, I'll fight you with everything I've got—"
Kakashi froze. His face went pale.
"Wait, I—"
"—I'm letting you pass."
Jiraiya finished the sentence.
Kakashi and Kurenai were stunned. Leo also put on a surprised face.
But then—
Jiraiya slapped Leo's shoulder.
"Quit pretending. You figured it out, didn't you?"
"More or less," Leo admitted. "You're one of the Legendary Sannin. If you agreed to lead a team, you wouldn't give us something impossible to pass. So going together seemed like the best bet."
Jiraiya actually looked surprised.
"But you could've just left him behind. That wouldn't stop you two from becoming my subordinates."
Leo raised a brow. "If I'd abandon a teammate just to become your disciple, would you trust me to watch your back?"
Jiraiya burst out laughing.
Then he turned serious. "Exactly. In war and on missions, sacrifice is inevitable. But if someone doesn't value their comrades' lives, how can other ninja trust him with theirs?"
Leo's and Jiraiya's words hit Kakashi like a thunderclap.
Comrades' lives…
He fell silent.
Yesterday's harsh words from Leo echoed again.
"You came back two years after graduating. There's a reason. The way you see others is the way others see you…"
Yesterday he'd only felt anger.
Today… there was reflection.
Had he been wrong during past missions?
Should he NOT have abandoned those people?
No.
He was a ninja. Rules and missions came first.
But deep inside—
Those beliefs were colliding with everything he'd heard today. He couldn't tell which was right anymore.
Leo didn't expect to change him in one day.
Someone as stubborn as Kakashi wouldn't be "converted" that easily.
This was just the first step.
But the next moment—
[As Hokage, you didn't need to manipulate people. Your natural charisma won their trust.]
[Reward: Chakra Control Increased]
…Hm?
Leo glanced at Kurenai, feeling complicated.
Didn't win the main target.
Instead got the secondary one…
Still, not bad.
Better chakra control was always a win.
Total profit.
"....."