The next moment, Kakashi's figure suddenly accelerated.
Sakura, who was hiding in the grass, was directly grabbed and then thrown into the air by Kakashi.
Just as he was preparing to repay the favor in kind and also use the Hell Viewing Technique on Sakura, Naruto had already divided into ten shadow clones, noisily charging toward Kakashi.
With a punch and a kick, Kakashi quickly cleared Naruto's shadow clones.
By this time, Sakura had also adjusted her posture mid-air, landed, and hidden herself again behind the trees, disappearing from sight.
Sasuke also threw kunai and shuriken to interfere with Kakashi, accumulating chakra for his next Fire Release.
Kakashi's offensive advance was blocked again, and he finally began to take the three genin in front of him seriously.
This level of strength was somewhat off.
Sasuke's consecutive Fire Release and superb throwing technique, Sakura's one-handed hand seals and excellent genjutsu, and then Naruto, who seemed reckless but took on the role of initiating combat and absorbing damage, while also being able to unleash a large-scale Wind Release... If this combination also had a sensory ninja...
Just as Kakashi was thinking this, a kunai flew from a tree in the distance, striking directly at the spot where Kakashi was about to land.
The moment the kunai hit the ground, fragments scattered everywhere.
This naturally wouldn't harm Kakashi; he used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge it, but this caused him to once again display strength exceeding that of a chunin.
Having reached a safe distance, Kakashi looked with a headache at Sasuke and Naruto, and Sakura who didn't know where she was hiding. There was no point in continuing to fight like this.
He would naturally win, but that would be relying on raw strength, which would no longer serve the purpose of teaching the three of them teamwork.
"You three seem to have forgotten one thing."
Kakashi slowly spoke, deciding to attack their mentality.
"There are only two bells. One of you is destined to be eliminated. It seems you've already discussed this? Or have you forgotten?"
Naruto's expression changed, and he looked at Sasuke uneasily.
Sasuke snorted coldly. It wasn't like he was going to be eliminated anyway.
Sakura jumped out from the grass, hiding her hands behind her back as she looked at Kakashi, and said with a smile, "If someone has to be eliminated, then let it be me."
"Anyway, my parents don't really like me being a ninja, and the person I like isn't a ninja either. Besides, not being a ninja won't stop me from improving my strength."
Kakashi looked at Sakura seriously, wondering if her words were true or false.
But regardless, it meant Kakashi's psychological attack had also failed.
Naruto even looked touched, on the verge of tears, and might start powering up at any second.
Helpless, Kakashi dropped his stance and said, "Forget it, let's stop here. You pass."
The three looked at each other. They passed just like that?
"Eh? Kakashi-sensei, don't be like that!"
Sakura cried out anxiously: "I was just saying that casually! I want to be a ninja, I still need to protect Ryun-kun!"
"How about just eliminating Naruto instead!"
"Hey?! No way!"
Sakura glared at Naruto: "Naruto, you idiot, shut up!"
Sasuke sighed and said, "Stop arguing, idiots. None of the three of us are going to be eliminated. This is just Kakashi-sensei's test."
Sasuke had realized by now; the village had no reason to eliminate any of them, because their strength was already beyond the genin level.
Even if Kakashi-sensei disliked one of them and didn't want to lead them, wouldn't the village just assign a different teacher?
Only Naruto was still in the dark.
Naruto looked blankly at Sasuke, then at Sakura.
Sakura shrugged, as if she had understood all along. This made Naruto yell even louder.
Kakashi looked at the three in front of him with a gratified expression. Although his test had failed, he could see that their sense of cooperation was pretty good.
But... their growth like this was probably inseparable from that guy fishing over there, right?
"Alright, to celebrate you passing the test, I'll treat you all to grilled fish!"
Sakura and the others cheered, but then their smiles faded.
Ryun looked askance at Kakashi and said, "You're celebrating your students' success, so why are you eating my grilled fish?"
"Well, I saw you grilling a lot, so I thought I'd drop by for a free meal!"
"You and Sakura are a couple, you're not being this stingy, are you?"
Sakura, who had been looking dissatisfied, immediately beamed with joy and busied herself preparing for the grilled fish feast.
Seeing Sakura so happy, Ryun didn't say anything more, and he was also curious about what Kakashi really wanted by coming over.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Kakashi shot Ryun a meaningful glance.
Ryun understood and followed him. As they walked, Kakashi's kunai suddenly pressed against Ryun's throat.
"Kakashi-san, what is the meaning of this?"
"Not dodging or avoiding, are you that confident in your strength?"
"No, I believe Kakashi-san wouldn't harm a fellow Konoha ninja."
Of course, Ryun's greatest confidence lay in his Flying Thunder God and his regenerative ability.
Kakashi sighed softly, withdrew the kunai, and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to test your strength."
"Does that mean I disappointed you, Kakashi-san?"
Kakashi shook his head and said, "Don't call me 'san', just Kakashi is fine. You may be young, but your influence in Konoha is anything but small. You might even hold a high position in the future."
Seeing that Ryun didn't object, Kakashi tacitly assumed he understood everything.
This meant he could talk to Ryun on an adult level.
"Alright then, Kakashi, what did you want to see me about?"
"Well, simply put, I'm telling you that from now on, they're my subordinates."
Kakashi's expression turned serious, saying, "I don't mind you training them privately, but they have to follow my orders. Their physical condition cannot affect their ability to carry out missions with me. Do you understand?"
Ryun looked at Kakashi with a strange expression. This look made Kakashi confused, and he asked, "What does that look mean?"
"No... I think you've been reading too much Make-Out Paradise, Kakashi? Me and Sakura are completely innocent, just lovers. There's no way I'd do anything that would prevent her from carrying out missions."
Kakashi coughed awkwardly twice and said, "That's not what I meant!"
"I meant that training for them should be based on my schedule, otherwise training from both sides might injure them."
"Ah, that. You can rest assured about that, Kakashi."
Ryun raised his hand, and the Palm Healing Technique, symbolizing the pinnacle of medical ninjutsu, appeared. This sight truly shocked Kakashi.
"You... who did you learn that from?"
"Self-taught."
"No, that's impossible. This is the highest difficulty medical ninjutsu—"
Before he could finish his words, Ryun simultaneously formed hand seals with both hands.
The next moment, Ryun's voice rang out.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The scorching fireball rushed towards him, but Kakashi didn't dodge or avoid.
It wasn't that he couldn't dodge, but he saw Obito's severed body before his eyes.
It turned out that while performing the Great Fireball Technique, Ryun had also used the Hell Viewing Technique.
Amidst Kakashi's helpless expression, the flames engulfed him.
But the next moment, Kakashi in the flames turned into a log, and Kakashi himself had already returned to Ryun's side.
"I see... so Sakura learned from you. I didn't expect you to be a genius of this caliber."
"Genius, huh... maybe. Anyway, I don't really care."
Kakashi looked regretful and said, "With talent like this, you really don't plan on being a ninja?"
"Adding your Markless Healing ability, you'd be a strong contender for Hokage."
Now Kakashi felt that if Ryun were given twenty years to grow, he would at least be an enhanced version of the Third Hokage.
Ryun shook his head again and said, "I can contribute to Konoha even without being a ninja. The people I like are in Konoha. Besides, the world outside the village is vast, and I want to travel in the future, just like Tsunade-sama."
Since Ryun mentioned Tsunade, Kakashi felt he understood everything.
Apparently, Ryun didn't want to serve the current Konoha; only if Tsunade became Hokage in the future might the situation change.
It was no wonder Ryun had such thoughts.
Kakashi, as one of Konoha's top-tier ninjas and a former ANBU captain, naturally knew many of Konoha's confidential information.
This included the recent uproar; the scandal regarding Danzo was most likely true.
Even Tsunade, the most influential member of the Senju clan at present, wouldn't return to Konoha. How could Ryun, a new-generation genius suspected of having ties to the Senju clan, possibly be loyal to the current Third Hokage and his leadership team?
Not to mention that Kakashi's own father had died under their leadership; he himself was still slacking off.
"I understand."
"Since you have this ability, I won't interfere with your private time with Sakura."
"Also, can you teach your one-handed hand seal technique to others? I could exchange it for some ninjutsu abilities."
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