Chapter 25: Better Than Two Peaches to Kill Three Warriors

"So, the final question was also a test?"

Tenten, Gekko Kasha, and the others had been released, but they were still a little curious about Kakashi's final question.

"That's right. Though I imagine Chiba-kun saw through it, didn't he?" Kakashi pulled out his book, returning to his usual lethargic state.

"I had a feeling," Chiba nodded. "I assume Kakashi-sensei's intention was to make us realize the importance of teamwork. Since our teamwork is already decent, you had to keep recycling the same old tricks."

"Cough, cough, cough!" Kakashi coughed repeatedly, then said with some dissatisfaction, "That was a very difficult test. Very few pass it."

"Indeed, but I believe there is no such thing as an impossible test. If you hadn't wanted us to pass, you could have stated so right from the beginning," Chiba explained his reasoning.

Kakashi fell silent. This kid deduces his logic by working backward from the answer? That certainly makes him hard to fool.

"So, we really did pass?"

"Yay!" Tenten and Gekko Kasha were clearly more concerned about their status as genin.

However, Kakashi still wasn't quite convinced. "You say my methods are old tricks, so what better ideas do you have?"

"If it were up to me, I would say there are only two spots available. I would hold a timed test, and after it concluded, I would have them evaluate each other's performance in battle. The two with the most votes would get the spots," Chiba said with a smile.

Tenten and Gekko Kasha's smiles stiffened. If that were the case...

"There's no way that would work. If you tested like that, hardly any teams would ever form—even the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho wouldn't make it," Gekko Kasha retorted.

Kakashi rubbed his hair, feeling a headache coming on, and said, "It could work. They would just have to vote for each other."

Tenten hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is it really possible for people like that to exist?"

"For kids like you, it's rare. But some teams are already falling apart. Simply grabbing bells doesn't help much; sometimes you have to use stronger medicine," Chiba said calmly.

"Hey, you're the same age as us. Why do you get to say 'kids like you' so naturally?" Tenten glared at him sideways.

"Uh, slip of the tongue."

"Alright, none of you have eaten yet, right? To show my apology, Sensei is taking you all out for a barbecue feast. Order whatever you want; it's on me," Kakashi said with a grin.

"Really? You aren't tricking us this time, are you?" Gekko Kasha looked suspicious. Kakashi's credibility with them was essentially negative; nothing he said was worth believing.

"I don't believe it! Are you going to make me pay at the end?" Tenten looked Kakashi up and down.

"Haha, of course not. You should trust your teacher a little more sometimes. Oh, right—Guy, come out! We're going to eat," Kakashi called out loudly.

Before long, Might Guy and his team appeared from the distance. Rock Lee and Mamiya were excited and full of admiration, immediately surrounding Chiba to talk, while Hyuga Neji’s expression was rather complex. Previously, he had assumed Chiba was just someone who read books and that his strength was surely inferior to his own.

But now, Neji watched Chiba quietly, not knowing what to say for a moment, so he simply stood coldly to the side and observed.

"Hey, hey, hey, Kakashi! You guy! I was the one who said I'd pay, but they've been hungry all day—this is too much!"

"Don't worry about the details."

"How can I not worry? This is my money! I knew it! You had this planned from the start! I've lost to you again!" Might Guy was jumping up and down.

Kakashi, however, remained expressionless. Had he taken off his mask, he surely would have been wearing his usual indifferent, deadpan face. Otherwise, Guy's reaction would have been even more intense. He knew Might Guy too well!

Chiba looked at Rock Lee and Mamiya—one was excited, the other curious. And Neji... he was covering his face, looking quite helpless.

"Guy-sensei is just like that, but he is a very good person. Plus, his taijutsu is incredibly strong. Even though he can't teach you Gentle Fist, that doesn't mean you necessarily have to walk the path of Gentle Fist alone."

"Huh?" Neji tilted his head, his expression stunned, before snapping, "None of your business!"

"You don't look like the type to dwell on grades. Fine, suit yourself," Chiba smiled slightly and then slowly followed the others. *Guy-sensei is paying, let me think about what to eat.*

Neji frowned slightly. This guy seemed to love lecturing, and he shared his knowledge of ninjutsu so easily, without any of the secrecy typical of the clans. It was too strange! He pondered over and over, unable to understand Chiba's train of thought. By the time he regained his focus, the others had already walked far ahead.

"Neji, keep up!" Rock Lee's voice echoed back.

"I know," Neji replied flatly, then reluctantly followed behind.

...

In the Hokage's office.

"Hahahaha, that Kakashi! He put in a lot of effort in this battle, only to have his bells snatched away in the end. That really isn't easy!" The Third Hokage laughed heartily.

"Lord Hokage, I'm not sure this is all that funny, and you should take care of your health," Shikaku scratched his head.

"Fair enough. Cough, cough... an old man like me shouldn't laugh too hard. Back to the point, what do you think of the three of them?" The Third asked seriously.

"They're strong. Chiba goes without saying; his tactics, intelligence, and strength are all quite formidable. Apart from a lack of mission experience, he has no flaws. Tenten's control over ninja tools is excellent," Shikaku said sternly. "As for Gekko Kasha, you were originally planning to recruit her into the Anbu for training, weren't you?"

"Yes. According to Hayate's original plan, we intended to bring her into Anbu training after a while. But I don't quite agree. She has an introverted personality, yet she loves talking to her friends. She is a child who yearns for the light," The Third took a deep drag of his pipe. "Anbu is not suited for her, so I convinced Hayate to let her follow Kakashi and Chiba, and let her choose for herself when the time comes. That's for the best, isn't it?"

"Indeed, this child..." Shikaku watched the crystal ball, where Gekko Kasha was chatting away happily with Mamiya and Tenten, laughing joyfully. She looked nothing like the girl who usually hid in the shadows of the crowd.

She was not cut out for the Anbu.

The fact that Kakashi found dealing with these three children so taxing showed that their strength had completely reached the standard of genin—no, perhaps even some chunin would not be their match.

In another year, if they added one more person to their team, they would be a fully formed squad. The Third Hokage's foresight seemed quite reasonable.

"I agree with your proposal. Besides, even if they cannot complete the Chunin Exams this year, I think it's of no consequence. Adding one experienced elite chunin later would be more than enough."

"Oh? You hold them in such high regard?" The Third was somewhat surprised.

An elite chunin—that meant... In Shikaku's view, within a year, the three of them would reach a point where they wouldn't drag down a chunin-level squad.

"I have faith in Kakashi and Chiba."