Chapter 51: The Legend of the Azure Dragon Brotherhood
"Kakashi, you're not graduating early anymore?"
Obito Uchiha leaned in close, a smug grin plastered on his face. "Heh. I knew it. You just can't stand the thought of being lonely without your number-one rival to challenge you every day, right?"
Obito gave Kakashi a playful nudge with his shoulder. While others were still hesitating on how to approach the "prodigy," Obito had zero sense of personal space.
Some people are simply destined to be magnets for one another. On the surface, the cold, arrogant genius and the hot-blooded "dead-last" had nothing in common, yet their chemistry was undeniable.
Surprisingly, Kakashi didn't find Obito's pestering annoying. Even when the Uchiha followed him to his fishing spots or watched him cook dinner, Kakashi didn't push him away. He could sense the pure kindness and the genuine hunger for friendship behind Obito's loud mouth.
Usually, Kakashi would just call out Obito's hiding spot and invite him to eat. Occasionally, Rin Nohara would join them, watching Kakashi's routine with quiet curiosity. Even though they hadn't graduated, the three of them were already as tight as a seasoned Genin squad.
"Sigh. You have no idea what the world is like outside these walls, Obito," Kakashi said, setting aside his blade-theory scroll. His usual arrogance had been replaced by a faint, melancholy air of "enlightened" gloom.
He spoke with the gravity of a man who had seen too much. "If you graduate before you're ready... you'll find out that the world outside is a living hell."
"A hell? Don't be so dramatic, Kakashi!" Obito scratched his head. "You're incredible. I bet you're already stronger than most Chunin."
"I might hate to admit it, but you're definitely the one I have to surpass!"
Kakashi's brow twitched. This was exactly why he tolerated Obito—the boy was, in many ways, the President of the Kakashi Hatake Fan Club. Who could say no to a teammate who turned red while telling you how cool you were?
"Most Chunin? I don't even know if that guy counts as a 'normal' ninja," Kakashi muttered, a cold shiver running down his spine as he thought of a certain shock of yellow hair.
"He called himself a man of 'average talent.' He said Konoha is full of people stronger than him..."
Kakashi's face heated up beneath his mask as he remembered his "assassination attempt." He had stalked the man for three days, thinking he was a ghost, only to realize the target had known he was there the entire time. He had launched a full-power strike and didn't even touch a single hair before being frozen in place by a Cursed Seal, forced to wait for his father to bail him out.
"Wait, Kakashi... is your face turning red?" the sharp-eyed Obito asked. "Who are you talking about? Is he that strong?"
Kakashi quickly yanked his mask higher. "His name is Minato Namikaze. He looks like a nice, sunny guy..."
He paused. "...But he's a black-hearted monster in disguise."
Kakashi suddenly remembered that his father and Minato were actually close friends. His father had even talked about requesting Minato as Kakashi's sensei once he graduated.
Better not make an enemy of him, Kakashi thought. If I talk too much trash and he actually becomes my teacher, my life will be over.
"Lord Hiruzen said the Academy is establishing a 'Fast-Track Elite Program,'" Might Guy interrupted, his voice booming with excitement. "They're selecting a pool of top students, and Minato Namikaze is going to be our Lead Instructor!"
"I will make Minato-sensei recognize me!" Guy shouted, striking a pose. "His youth burns like a miniature sun!"
"Like a sun? Does that mean he's like the Hokage?" someone in the crowd asked.
"Lord Hiruzen is a GIANT sun!" Guy corrected, using his arms to draw a massive circle in the air. "He shines on everyone in the village! My father and I worship his youth!"
Beside him, Asuma Sarutobi felt his lip twitch.
Pops is strong, sure, but this is getting ridiculous, he thought. In the past, Asuma would have made a sarcastic remark—he was the Hokage's son, after all; he had a reputation for rebellion to maintain.
But then he remembered the image of his father training at 4:00 AM, the lightning crackling around his broad shoulders and the weight of the village on his back. Asuma swallowed his snark.
"The Hokage is a great man," Kakashi added quietly. "My father says the same."
"Minato-san is very 'kind,'" Kakashi continued, a wicked, subtle glint entering his eyes. "If it's you, Obito, maybe you could even force him to use his full power..."
"We should all train together. When the Fast-Track class starts, we'll all rush him at once. We'll show him what the Academy is capable of!"
Kakashi smirked behind his mask. If I had to suffer through his 'kindness,' why should my classmates get a free pass?
Besides, if they were well-prepared, they might actually catch the blonde off-guard. Even if his father said the "Smiling Predator" might have mastered the Second Hokage's forbidden teleportation art, that was just a rumor, right? There was no way a teenager had mastered a god-tier jutsu.
Don't make me laugh, Kakashi thought.
If his classmates joined him, he won either way. If they failed, they shared his pain. If they succeeded, he got his revenge. It was a perfect "Win-Win-Win" scenario.
Shisui Uchiha, who was younger than the others but already a standout in the Academy, listened silently.
He had been considering an early graduation himself, but Kakashi's words gave him pause. Shisui was wise beyond his years, constantly worrying about the friction between his clan and the village.
He thought that by becoming a "real" ninja, he would find people with the wisdom to help him solve the Uchiha's problems. But if the gap between a "Genius" and a "Master" was this large, perhaps it was better to stay and build a foundation.
I wish I had an older brother, Shisui sighed internally. Someone I could share these thoughts with...
He felt a physical weight in his chest from all the worrying. Being an Uchiha meant you were born with a "Brother Complex"—everyone either wanted to be one or have one.
"Kakashi, that's a brilliant idea!"
Asuma stepped into the center of the circle, his voice full of charisma. "We can't let the adults look down on us!"
"We need an organization. A brotherhood! We'll help each other grow and show those veterans that our fire burns just as hot as theirs!"
"Asuma's youth is overflowing!" Guy cheered, throwing both hands in the air. "Count me in!"
"What should we call it?" the other students asked, their eyes sparkling with the thrill of forming a secret society.
"Let me think..." Asuma mused. "We need something that represents Konoha."
"I've heard that the First Hokage's ultimate jutsu was a massive, Azure Wood Dragon. So, how about we call ourselves... The Azure Dragon Brotherhood?"
Asuma still had a streak of teenage rebellion in him; the name sounded a bit "gang-like," a bit rough around the edges. But for a group of teenagers looking to be edgy, it was perfect.
"It's settled! As of today, the Azure Dragon Brotherhood is officially formed!"
"We train together! We rise together! Our first target: Minato Namikaze!" Asuma declared.
Up in the clouds, Hiruzen watched the "Secret Society" form and let out a chuckle.
The Azure Dragon Brotherhood? Arata thought. It sounds like a bunch of middle-schoolers trying to be Triads. But hey, as long as it builds teamwork and keeps them motivated, I'll let them have their little 'gang.'
"I'll have to tell Minato to go a little easy on them," Hiruzen smiled. "Or maybe... not."
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