Chapter 9: Team Kakashi Is Formed
"Kakashi-sensei..."
"W-We..."
Faced with the ominous aura Kakashi exuded—lightning crackling around him and the weather suddenly turning dark—the two younger brothers froze in fear, panicked and speechless.
"Wait, Teacher Kakashi!" Just as things reached a critical point, Ishikawa swallowed hard and called out, forcing himself to stay calm.
"Yes, we broke your rules—but you broke them first by refusing to let Taro and Jiro pass in the beginning. This so-called test might've just been a joke!
So why should we follow your rules so rigidly?
Either way, we've already made up our minds. We stand together—whether we pass or fail, we do it as a team.
Rules are dead, but people are alive. If we can't adapt and make judgments for ourselves, how are we any different from puppets being controlled?
A true teacher is someone who guides and inspires, not just someone who enforces rules blindly. If you're going to be that kind of rigid instructor, then maybe you're not the kind of teacher we want at all..."
Seeing Kakashi's expression grow darker, Ishikawa knew he had to go all in—and so, he activated his ultimate skill: nonstop fearless truths.
Anyway, I still have Nohara Rin as a backup. Repeating a year isn't the end of the world. At worst, I won't have access to high-level ninjutsu for a while. Some inconvenience, but manageable.
"That's right. We stand with Big Brother!"
"We share happiness and adversity, advance and retreat together, never abandoning each other. Good brothers for life!"
Taro Yamada and Jiro looked at each other, shouted in unison, and even repeated their oath from earlier.
At that moment, Kakashi's expression finally relaxed. The storm clouds above cleared, and sunlight broke through.
"We share happiness and adversity." Just those eight simple words were enough to show their resolve.
Kakashi was genuinely moved. Still, their strength was a different matter... only Ishikawa had shown enough potential. The other two were—
"Maybe... I'm being too harsh." He let out a long sigh, reflecting inwardly. It's a time of peace now. Why am I judging them by wartime standards? If it were Minato or Obito, they'd definitely let them pass.
A moment of clarity swept over him.
"You three. Follow me." Kakashi suddenly tossed a kunai to cut the rope binding Ishikawa, then turned and began walking away.
The move was so fast it made the two younger brothers jump.
"B-Brother… should we follow him?"
"What's he up to now…?"
Taro and Jiro looked at the freed Ishikawa nervously, unsure of what to do.
"Idiots, hurry up!" Ishikawa rolled his eyes and chased after Kakashi. 'Seriously, how low is their emotional IQ?
It's obvious! Even if I didn't know the story, I'd still know this is a pass. If Kakashi really failed us, he wouldn't waste this much time talking.'
Soon, the three of them followed Kakashi to the memorial stone. The atmosphere shifted, becoming solemn and heavy.
As orphans of war, they all knew what that place meant. But their parents, being civilians, had no place among the names engraved there.
"Many of my friends' names are carved on this stone," Kakashi said softly. "They were all exceptional Konoha shinobi. But this... this is the cruelty of the ninja world."
"To be honest, I don't know whether it's right or wrong to let you pass... because I don't want to see my students' names engraved on that stone."
"But you're all excellent students who carry the Will of Fire, and I can't take away your chance to become true ninjas."
"Now, I'll give you one last choice. If you want to quit, it's not too late."
"Excellent students?" Ishikawa's mouth twitched as he rolled his eyes behind Kakashi's back.
'This guy sure knows how to talk. Handed us the highest emotional praise like it was nothing… But calling us 'excellent'? That's a bit too much praise for three nobodies like us.'
"Quit? No way. Maybe we could quit today, but then what? Quit next year too? And the year after that? If we back down now, we'll always be cowards when facing hardship."
"If one day our names end up on that stone, then it'll be because we died protecting Konoha! I'd rather take the risk and live as a ninja than drift aimlessly in the village doing nothing."
At that, Ishikawa glanced at his fired-up little brothers and let out a soft chuckle.
"Who knows, maybe I'm actually a hidden genius. One day, the whole world will know the name Ishikawa, hero of Konoha..."
"That's right! We made a promise to advance and retreat together, didn't we?"
"Me too! Maybe I'll turn out to be a genius who surpasses even Kakashi-sensei, hahaha..."
Their light-hearted jokes brought warmth and ease to the moment, the tension breaking into cheerful laughter.
Kakashi finally turned to face them, his gaze resting thoughtfully on Ishikawa. "So you've decided... Indeed, in the world of shinobi, those who break the rules are called trash.
But those who abandon their comrades... are even worse."
"If we're going to be useless anyway, then let's be the kind of useless people who cherish their friends."
"You three... Teamwork is the true goal of the bell test. I'm not the rigid teacher you thought I was. In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing what the three of you can accomplish together."
Raising his hand, Kakashi gave them a rare thumbs-up.
"From now on, Team 7—Kakashi's Team—is officially formed!"
"Yes!"
"I knew we'd pass!"
Taro and Jiro shouted with excitement, tears welling up. Ishikawa himself couldn't help but smile, the emotion bubbling within.
Finally... I've taken the first step toward changing my destiny.
"Alright, let's go to the photo studio while we've still got daylight. After that, I'll report to Lord Hokage. Your first official mission begins tomorrow."
"Got it, Kakashi-sensei!" All three nodded, their spirits high.
"Brother, what kind of jutsu was that when you ran up the tree earlier? It looked amazing!"
"Yeah, I didn't expect you to have such a trump card up your sleeve. I've never seen it before!"
As they walked, Taro and Jiro asked in low voices, their curiosity piqued by Ishikawa's unexpected skill.
Ishikawa glanced at Kakashi ahead, who remained silent, and then cleared his throat and lowered his voice.
"I saw a Chunin instructor use it once and got curious. I practiced secretly and finally learned it last night. Took me a whole week.
If you guys want to learn, I can teach you..."
"Really?!"
"Thanks, brother!"
The two little brothers lit up with excitement, grinning from ear to ear.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, walking silently ahead, allowed the corner of his mouth to curl upward. 'A week of self-study just by watching once? That takes good observation... and solid chakra control.
This kid's talent might not be so bad after all. Maybe—just maybe—he really could become an outstanding ninja.'