From the night of genocide, marching towards the strongest.

The father and daughter continued walking toward Maruboshi Kosuke's house. During the walk, Haruno Chika still couldn't forget the joke that he hadn't finished telling.

"Sakura, this joke is really funny, let me finish it."

"do not want!"

Once upon a time, there was a match...

"That's enough, Dad!"

"......"

At Maruhoshi Kosuke's house.

Maruhoshi Kosuke's house was neither luxurious nor spacious, nor simple and cramped; it was just an ordinary Japanese-style cottage.

Inside the guest room, Haruno Chika was talking to Maruhoshi Kosuke, while Sakura sat quietly to the side, not uttering a word.

"Senior, I've come to see you today because of Sakura." After a few polite words, Haruno Chō got straight to the point.

"Sakura?" Kosuke Maruboshi smiled and looked at Sakura, who was standing quietly to the side.

When Sakura saw him looking over, she obediently nodded.

"Sakura will be graduating from the Ninja Academy in two years, right? Senior, you are an experienced ninja, so I want Sakura to learn more from you in the future and become an excellent ninja like you. It would be even better if you could guide Sakura as her teacher."

Maruhoshi Kosuke chuckled, "Chao, you're a Chunin, and I'm just a Genin. Aren't you afraid I'll mislead Sakura if you ask me to mentor her?"

"How could that be, senior?" Haruno Chō said earnestly, "Although you are only a genin, I have done many missions with you and know that your strength is far beyond what I am capable of. You are too modest."

Eh?

Does Dad also think that Grandpa Kosuke is very strong?

Sakura was taken aback.

Maruhoshi Kosuke was silent for a moment, then looked at Haruno Chika, who was looking serious, and Sakura, who was looking expectant, and suddenly asked, "Sakura, what is your best ninjutsu?"

"Huh?" Sakura was taken aback, then quickly replied, "It's Water Release, Grandpa Kosuke!"

As she spoke, Sakura opened her palm, and a lifelike liquid creature appeared in her hand.

"Water Release?" Maruboshi Kosuke's eyes showed a hint of reminiscence as he praised, "You have excellent chakra control and a solid foundation in Water Release. Sakura, you have a real talent for Water Release."

Sakura's eyes lit up with delight: "Thank you for your praise."

Maruhoshi Kosuke smiled casually, then his expression turned serious and earnest.

"Sakura, do you have any very important companions?"

In his youth, he was too eager for quick success and rashly gave orders during a mission, resulting in the deaths of two of his comrades. As a result, he swore an oath to the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, to always be a genin, hence the nickname "eternal genin".

If Sakura wants to receive his guidance, or even become his disciple, talent alone is not enough; she must also show respect for her companions!

"companion?"

Sakura pondered for a moment, and in an instant, the images of Sasuke, Ino, and even Naruto flashed through her mind.

"Ok!"

"So, when you become a ninja in the future, will you protect your comrades when they are in danger, and even give your life for them?"

Maruhoshi Kosuke's tone was no longer kind and friendly, but instead became extremely oppressive. Haruno Chiu remained silent, standing quietly to the side.

Faced with Kosuke's question, Sakura hesitated for a moment, unsure how to answer.

She has not yet grown into the Sakura Haruno who would later risk her life to protect her companions; right now, she is just an innocent girl with the first stirrings of first love.

Becoming stronger was only for Sasuke's sake.

"Grandpa Kosuke." After a long silence, Sakura raised her head, a resolute look flashing in her eyes.

"I can't answer your question right now, or rather, I might not be able to give up my life for my comrades right now, but I want to have the power to protect my comrades, and I want to become a ninja who dares to protect my comrades with his life!"

It may not be possible to do it now, but will you keep striving towards that goal?

He can be considered an honest child.

Well, we can't be too harsh on children...

He's still just a child.

Maruhoshi Kosuke's serious expression vanished, replaced by a smile.

"Then do your best, Sakura!"

After a pause, Maruhoshi Kosuke continued, "When I'm not on missions, you can come and ask me for advice. I'll teach you some ninja skills and water-style techniques!"

"Eh!?" Sakura's face lit up with delight. She had thought her hesitation and answer had disappointed Grandpa Kosuke, but she hadn't expected this...

"Thank you, Grandpa Kosuke!"

Chapter 40 Kakashi Hatake

Konoha Village, Third Training Ground.

A young man with long white hair, wearing a black mask, his left eye covered by a headband, and dressed in a black tight-fitting combat uniform with a green Jonin vest, stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at the three students in front of him who looked like extras and had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, and said indifferently.

"I am your designated Jonin, Hatake..."

"It's Kakashi-sensei, right?" The extra interrupted Kakashi impatiently.

"Enough with the pleasantries, let's get started!"

Oh.....

These little devils.

Kakashi remained expressionless and continued, "I want you to take a test with a failure rate of 66%..."

.............

A moment later, Kakashi stared coldly at the trio of extras arguing and even starting to fight amongst themselves, a bad memory flashing in his eyes.

"You are all unqualified!"

Kakashi looked down at the three extras, who were staring at him with icy eyes.

"Go back to the ninja academy and study again!"

“But…” The extra was about to argue something, but under Kakashi’s cold gaze, he swallowed his words.

Although Kakashi did not intentionally release any aura, the vast difference in their status and strength still made him dare not say anything.

The three extras slunk away, and on their way back, Kakashi could still hear their mutual accusations and complaints.

Kakashi sighed inwardly, tilted his head slightly, and said softly towards a grove of trees, "After watching for so long, it should be time to come out now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sasuke emerged from the hidden bushes.

Sasuke, Itachi Uchiha's younger brother?

Upon seeing the newcomer, Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly but did not speak.

"I'm sorry, I was training here before. According to the rules, I should have left much earlier during the test."

Sasuke calmly explained.

"But seeing that the test teacher was a senior, I couldn't help but stay and observe for a while out of curiosity."

"You know me?"

Upon hearing this, Kakashi was slightly surprised, as he and Sasuke should have never met before.

"Hmm." Sasuke nodded, his tone devoid of any emotion, and said, "I've heard my father often mention Kakashi Hatake's reputation as a copy ninja. He said that Kakashi was better than many Uchiha clan members in the use of the Sharingan. He truly deserves to be called the most famous genius ninja of his time."

Kakashi was silent for a moment before speaking, "Clan Chief Fugaku must have said more than just that, right?"

"Of course! Dad also told me some other things about Kakashi-senpai."

really!

Kakashi's secret passage.

He was not a member of the Uchiha clan, yet he possessed the Sharingan. It should be noted that no matter what ninja clan it is, they would keep their bloodline limits and secret techniques extremely well and strictly prohibit them from being leaked.

It seems the Uchiha clan leader had mentioned him to Sasuke before, and it wasn't anything good.

Is it because I transplanted Obito's Sharingan that Sasuke appeared in front of me to express his dissatisfaction?

Although he had this thought in his mind, Kakashi had no intention of handing over the Sharingan just because Sasuke was dissatisfied.

This was a keepsake left to him by Obito, and it contained a promise he made to his best friend.

Although he broke his promise...

But to Kakashi's surprise, Sasuke didn't express any dissatisfaction with him having the Sharingan; instead, he said something else entirely.

“Father said that although Kakashi-senpai was not a member of the Uchiha clan, he possessed the Sharingan. According to the rules, Kakashi-senpai’s Sharingan should have been taken back. However, Father heard that the Uchiha clan member was extremely brave in his last battle, and Kakashi-senpai was his close friend. In the end, Father chose to respect his last wishes and suppressed some of the voices within the clan.”

Sasuke said calmly, subtly conveying a sense of gratitude in his words.

"is it?"

Kakashi touched the headband covering his left eye, his eyes filled with reminiscence.

His possession of Obito's Sharingan caused quite a stir in Konoha, but it suddenly subsided for some reason, which he initially thought was due to his teacher.

But judging from Sasuke's words now, the deceased Uchiha clan leader also played a very important role in it.

"Thank you."

Kakashi wanted to say something, but in the end, all he could say were two simple words.

Sasuke didn't continue the discussion on this topic. Instead, he looked in the direction where the three extras had gone and asked, "Actually, the strength and skills of those three were enough to make them ninjas. Why did Kakashi-senpai still eliminate them?"

"Because they lack teamwork spirit and don't understand the importance of teammates."

Perhaps because Sasuke's words had an effect, Kakashi was noticeably more talkative.

“Those who do not know how to cherish their comrades are not qualified to be ninjas. Even if they manage to become ninjas, those who only think about completing missions and do not understand teamwork and comrades will one day cause irreversible disaster.”

Just like I used to be...

Kakashi's eyes flashed with sadness, and he silently added a sentence in his mind.

"Indeed, teamwork is still very important for ninjas."