"Sensei… how could you say that? I'm not weak at all!"

  Obito looked aggrieved.

  Sure, he had beeed quickly, but that was only because Kurenai had hidden within her e and ambushed him, w with Asuma’s shadow e to take him down. If it had been a direct frontation, he wouldn’t have lost so easily.

  "Think about what I said carefully..."

  Kyoichi walked over to Asuma and formed a few seals. Chakra gathered in his hands, glowing a bright green.

  Rin gasped in astonishment. "Sensei, you actually know mediinjutsu—you're using the Mystical Palm Teique!?"

  "Of course. Why would I fake that?" Kyoichi shot her a look.

  Su overrea! Thanks to the system’s assistance, while he wasn’t an expert in any single field, he rofit enough in every area of ninjutsu.

  Minato grew even more impressed, while Kakashi bit his lip so hard it almost bled.

  This guy...

  He was skilled in so many disciplines, yet he could still hone his taijutsu and ninjutsu to su extraordinary level. How did he mao train like that?

  Was it possible… that I’m the weak one?

  Kakashi felt a knot of frustration.

  From a young age, he’d been praised as a genius, growing up surrounded by admiration and awe. He had never doubted his own talent.

  But ever since he entered Kyoichi, Kakashi increasingly felt like he was… useless.

  Sure, he had det taijutsu, kenjutsu, and ninjutsu, but none of them stood out. He couldn’t evehrough the defensive formatioed by Shisui’s team without res to a barely-practiinjutsu with his bde.

  For the first time, his thoughts turo his father, Sakumo Hatake.

  The Hatake had a history as samurai. Their kenjutsu had been passed down through the geions until Sakumo fused it with chakra and taijutsu, creating his own style that became renowned across the ninja world.

  Maybe… my father’s way of the bde was the right path all along!

  A realization fshed through Kakashi’s mind.

  In his grief over Sakumo’s death, he had pletely rejected his father’s way of life. But now, faced with reality, he had to admit—his father’s kenjutsu was far superior to the haphazard methods he had cobbled together himself.

  "Kakashi," Minato said, his tone serious, "I had high hopes for all of you, but you’ve really let me down. Watg your battle just now, I eveioned whether you deserve to be a ninja at all. Perhaps you should return to the Academy, just like them, and start over from the basics."

  Kakashi’s fists ched. He wao retort but found himself uue.

  He had lost.

  The mission was inplete. Excuses were meaningless.

  Meanwhile, Asuma scratched his head awkwardly, sneaking a g his teacher. He hesitated but ultimately said nothing. He khe truth—Kakashi had held back.

  If this had been a real battle, Kakashi absolutely could have killed him.

  Of course… Kakashi himself would have died as well.

  But even so, Asuma was just a genin, while Kakashi was a in. Given that, there really wasn’t anything worth bragging about.

  "Minato-sensei, don’t be too harsh," Kyoichi said, adopting a ciliatory tone. "Sending a in back to the Academy would be a bit extreme. Why not simply demote him and give him another ce to take the exam?"

  "Does he deserve to be a ninja?" Minato retorted sharply. "A in is supposed to coordiheir team’s efforts and strategize effectively. Did he aplish any of that? High mission success rates mean nothing if no one wants to be his teammate!"

  Minato’s harsh words wereirely his own. Earlier, during the battle, Kyoichi had suggested this tacti as a way to front Kakashi’s issues head-on and help him overe his emotional barriers.

  Minato couldn’t refuse such a selfless offer. Kyoichi had no personal stake in this—he had no ties to Kakashi or Sakumo. He was simply ag in the best is of the vilge.

  And Kakashi was undoubtedly a genius.

  If he could uand their iions and resolve his inner flict, the vilge would gain a top-tier jonin sooner rather than ter.

  Of course… this was mostly Minato’s interpretation.

  Kyoichi’s actual reasoning was much simpler. Kakashi was stubborn, like an iron rod that needed heating and reshaping over time. This frontation was just oep in that process.

  After all, if Kakashi decided to pursue the path of kenjutsu, her Minato nor Jiraiya could guide him. Eventually, the responsibility would fall to Kyoichi.

  Iing in a "fat sheep" early on was the smart move.

  ---

  Kakashi, meanwhile, was grappling with his emotions. His mind was filled with thoughts of his failure and Minato’s scolding.

  Kyoichi sighed theatrically. "Kakashi used to be on my team. During missions, he always led from the front lines. For my sake, give him one more ce."

  "Is that true?" Minato looked genuinely surprised.

  Kyoichi wasn’t lying—teically. A couple of years ago, they had been grouped together in a temporary in squad for a mission. Still, the way he framed it made it sound much more signifit.

  "Alright," Minato relented. "Kakashi, you have two choices: give up your in rank aake the exam with your team, or keep your rank and leave my squad. We don’t need you here."

  Kakashi hesitated, his emotions roiling. He ched his fists tighter.

  Give up his rank? That rank had been earhrough battlefield missions.

  But… walking away felt even worse.

  After a moment, he made his decision. "I’ll take the exam."

  "Good. This is your st ce," Minato said firmly. "Thank Kyoichi for speaking up on your behalf. I’ll arrange for the exam tomorrow."

  "Don’t worry," Kyoichi said lightly. "I’ll be there."

  He wasn’t worried at all—in fact, he had no iion of attending in person. A shadow e would suffice.

  Kakashi wasn’t stupid. Losing to Minato was ohing, but today’s loss to Shisui’s team was due to his uimation of them and overestimation of himself. Tomorrow, he wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

  "Thank you." Kakashi bowed deeply, his voice sincere.

  The gesture caught Kyoichi off guard. He vaguely remembered their past mission together—back then, he had just been promoted to in. Now, only a couple of years ter, he was already a jonin.

  "No need for thanks," Kyoichi replied nontly. "I used to admire you as a genius. I don’t want to see you waste your potential. Minato-sensei, we won’t disrupt your training any further."

  "Kyoichi-san, thank you!" Minato said, his tone full of gratitude. Without Kyoichi, this situation could have spiraled out of trol.

  Kyoichi merely smiled a with his team.

  As they walked away, Rin couldn’t help but notice the strange expressions on Kurenai and the others’ faces. She wao ask about it, but Minato’s tinued lecture soon distracted her, leaving the mystery unsolved.

  Gcell