c3: Kakashi, Does This Count as Repeating a Grade?
Not long after, the classroom door opened and their homeroom teacher stepped in.
Holding a clipboard, he adjusted his forehead protector and began to read out the team assignments.
"Team One… Team Two…"
"Team Three: Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu."
The room fell into a brief silence.
Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, who had just been teasing others minutes ago, suddenly stiffened. Their confident grins vanished as they turned to look at Might Guy, who was glowing with happiness.
The list continued.
Then, the words that caught Jingyan's attention:
"Team Seven: Ryomine Kyouhiko and Yuhi Kurenai."
Kurenai turned to glance at Jingyan and gave him a subtle blink of acknowledgment.
Thankfully, it's just him.
Although both Jingyan and Might Guy trained diligently and were clearly strong, the sheer energy that exploded between them during their earlier exchange had been a lot for someone as composed as Kurenai to handle.
The teacher continued listing teams.
"Team Eight…"
Kurenai's brows began to knit in concern.
Wait… just two people on our team?
She turned slightly to Jingyan, but before she could speak, he leaned over and whispered.
"Don't worry. I'll ask about it once we're out."
"Uh… okay." Kurenai nodded, though the unease in her eyes lingered.
---
Outside the classroom, with the assignment list complete and students dispersing, Jingyan approached the teacher.
"Sensei, isn't each genin team supposed to consist of three members and one jonin leader? Why are there only two people on Team Seven?"
The teacher scratched his head, visibly confused.
"I'm not sure either. We only received instructions this morning. You'll understand once your jonin-sensei arrives this afternoon."
"What?"
Kurenai blinked, genuinely puzzled.
Even her typically calm demeanor was fraying.
Before they could press further, the teacher had already excused himself and walked off quickly clearly eager to avoid further questions.
Jingyan and Kurenai stared at each other, now completely unsure of what was going on.
But deep down
Jingyan had a guess.
There's a young prodigy who recently became a Chūnin just last year. Brilliant, but cold and difficult to bond with. The kind of ninja who doesn't play well with others…
Hatake Kakashi.
Could it really be him?
---
2:00 PM, the newly formed genin squads reconvened at the Academy.
Downstairs, younger students were still attending lectures, but upstairs, the freshly graduated genin waited in their designated rooms for their jonin leaders.
Jingyan leaned back in his seat, flipping a kunai idly across his fingers, lost in thought.
The system mechanics were becoming clearer now.
It appeared that every emotional or leadership-based interaction had the potential to trigger rewards especially if it aligned with Hokage-like responsibilities.
Being on the same team as Kakashi might lead to some... unexpected bonuses.
He tapped the kunai against his fingers absently.
Still… who's our jonin leader? Could it be—Minato Namikaze?
That would be ideal. As the famed "Yellow Flash," Minato was known for taking promising students under his wing. He was Kakashi's sensei in the original timeline…
But before Jingyan could think further
"Kyouhiko-kun…"
Kurenai, seated across from him, finally spoke.
She looked slightly uncomfortable, fidgeting with her sleeves.
She was one or two years older than Jingyan and had graduated through a different class. They hadn't interacted much before today.
"Can I ask you something?"
Jingyan halted the kunai mid-spin.
"What's up?"
Kurenai pointed to the dancing kunai moving fluidly across his fingers.
"Are you… training your finger dexterity?"
He paused, then chuckled.
"I guess it's just a habit."
Kurenai blinked in surprise.
A habit? That level of coordination and balance must have taken years to develop…
She said nothing more, but her gaze shifted. There was now a glint of respect in her eyes.
No wonder he and Might Guy get along…
As her thoughts spiraled, Jingyan sat quietly, contemplating.
Maybe social bonding like this boosts the system?
I should experiment more.
Just as that thought passed
Knock knock!
A firm knock echoed on the door.
Then it creaked open.
Jingyan turned and nearly burst into laughter.
A silver-haired boy, masked, with an aloof expression and one visible half-lidded eye, strolled inside.
He said nothing, kept his posture stiff, and sat down like he didn't even want to be there.
Kurenai gasped audibly.
She stared.
"Wait… You're not our jonin leader, are you?!"
The boy turned his head lazily, avoiding eye contact.
"Hmph."
Jingyan leaned toward her and whispered:
"Kakashi only became a Chūnin last year. There's no way he's leading a team yet."
Kurenai blinked rapidly, her face flushed with confusion.
"Oh… Right…"
She trailed off.
Clearly, she was still trying to piece together what was happening.
Meanwhile, Jingyan sat back and smirked inwardly.
It really is him. He's not our leader… he's our teammate!
He glanced toward Kakashi and couldn't help but tease:
"Kakashi, does this count as being held back a year?"
The silver-haired boy didn't respond.
But from the slight twitch of his visible eye, Jingyan could tell
He heard it.
Kakashi merely glanced at Jingyan, then shifted his gaze back toward the front of the classroom, not dignifying the comment with a response.
Tsk.
Jingyan rolled his eyes internally but suppressed the urge to poke further. Instead, he straightened in his seat, maintaining the eerie silence that now filled the room.
Given what I know from the "previous game version"...
The Kakashi sitting across from him was easily boss-level right now. Not someone to be challenged through petty jabs.
I'll have to take this step by step.
Still, curiosity gnawed at him.
Let's see who the team leader is…
As if summoned by thought, a series of light footsteps echoed outside the hallway.
All three of them Kurenai, Jingyan, and Kakashi—turned their gazes toward the door in sync.
Could it be their jonin-sensei?
But just as the steps approached, they suddenly halted.
Then turned.
They… walked away?
Kurenai frowned, confusion visible on her face.
"Our teacher... just disappeared?" she whispered.
Kakashi replied without looking up: "As shinobi, we should learn patience. Waiting is part of the mission."
"..."
Jingyan side-eyed both of them.
No doubt about it—someone's watching us. If Kurenai's perception is accurate, our jonin is standing just out of sight, probably to gauge our personalities and reactions.
Who could it be?
And when we finally meet… how should I introduce myself?
He began mentally rehearsing.
---
Just outside the classroom door, a tall figure leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
Jiraiya the Gallant exhaled heavily.
Can't believe I'm doing this again… babysitting genin when I should be prepping for my next trip outside the village.
His face twitched slightly.
"Tch. That old man roped me into this again."
He narrowed his eyes and focused on the three inside.
"The girl Yuhi Kurenai. Calm, composed, unusually perceptive for her age. Genjutsu potential, maybe even sensor-type. Could be trained as a support-nin or medic."
"The silver-haired brat… Hatake Kakashi. Brilliant, yes, but emotionally shut off. No surprise the other jonin don't want to deal with him."
"And the last one…"
Jiraiya scratched his chin, then clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Doesn't look easy to manage either. Quiet. Reserved. But his eyes… sharp."
He sighed again, recalling last night's conversation inside the Hokage Tower.
---
Flashback – Hokage Office, Previous Night
Jiraiya stood in front of the desk, arms folded defiantly.
"Old man, I was planning to leave the village soon. You're really sticking me with a genin team now?"
"The village needs you," Sarutobi Hiruzen said calmly.
Jiraiya scoffed.
"So do the toads on Mount Myōboku."
There was a pause.
"Are these kids special?" he finally asked.
"One of them is Hatake Kakashi."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.
"Didn't he already become a Chūnin last year?"
Without a word, Hiruzen handed over a scroll one filled with formal complaints from multiple jonin teams.
Most of them were about Kakashi.
Emotionally cold. Doesn't cooperate. Ignores team dynamics.
Not insubordinate, but impossible to bond with.
"So you want me to fix him?"
Hiruzen simply nodded.
Of course, as Hokage, Hiruzen could've forced any jonin to take him but he had something else in mind.
He wanted someone who could guide Kakashi, not just lead him.
Jiraiya hesitated.
Sakumo's suicide still hung heavy over Kakashi's name...
He reached for the other profiles on the desk, eyes narrowing as one in particular caught his attention.
"This one…"
He picked up a folder and opened it.
"Ryomine Kyouhiko," he read.
The file detailed the boy's lineage a branch descendant of the Senju Clan, once linked to the First Hokage through intermarriage. But the bloodline had thinned.
More importantly
Both parents died in the Third War over a year ago. Since then, a drastic personality shift withdrawn, but disciplined. High marks in chakra control and substitution techniques. Excelled in physical training. Chose to graduate early.
A war orphan who didn't crack.
Jiraiya tapped the paper.
"This one. I want to take him too."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.
"You know him?"
"Not well. But I've watched him train. He reminds me of Minato sharp instincts, trains like a madman. He's not loud about it either."
The Hokage smiled faintly, but didn't speak.
Jiraiya took that as a greenlight and scanned the remaining profiles.
"Pick a third, then," Hiruzen said.
Jiraiya flipped through the stack one last time, then stopped at a familiar red-eyed girl.
"Her."
---