Naruto: AFK System

"Calm down, Tōichi. With me around, I'll ensure his safety," Kakashi said with a sigh. It was the first time he'd seen Kihon Tōichi so emotional.

He could understand, though—Kihon Tōichi truly saw Yoruha as his student.

"You?" Tōichi retorted. "How many comrades have died alongside you? I know ANBU ninja are prepared for that day, but I don't want him to join the ANBU."

"I just want him to grow into a ninja who protects the village and lives freely under the sunlight."

Kakashi fell silent.

Tōichi's words reminded him of Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin, reopening old wounds he had carried for years.

"He's different from the others," Kakashi finally said. "I'd take him with me to help him grow, not to treat him as a full-fledged teammate on missions."

"If the mission were truly dangerous, I wouldn't bring him along. Can you at least accept that?"

Kakashi had compromised, but Tōichi still shook his head. "Impossible. Don't even think about it. I won't let him take any risks until he has the ability to protect himself."

"You've changed a lot, Tōichi," Kakashi said, his tone subdued. "You weren't like this before."

Tōichi turned to him. "And haven't you changed as well? You're not the same as you were in the ANBU."

After that, both men fell silent. They had indeed changed.

Because of Yoruha.

Both of them knew that with Yoruha's talent, he would undoubtedly grow into a powerful protector of the village if taught properly.

The issue was that their teaching philosophies didn't align.

Unbeknownst to Yoruha, the two were debating his future.

"I won't take him on missions until he has sufficient self-protection capabilities," Kakashi said finally.

"How about we make a deal? Once he's strong enough to defeat you, I'll take him out."

Kakashi's serious gaze met Tōichi's.

Tōichi considered it for a moment before nodding.

The reason he agreed was that Tōichi himself wasn't a combat-specialized ninja.

In terms of combat, his strength was comparable to that of an average Jōnin.

But if Yoruha could defeat him, it would at least prove that he had achieved Jōnin-level strength.

If anyone overheard their conversation, they would think it was absurd.

After all, Tōichi was a Jōnin, while Yoruha was merely a rookie fresh out of the Ninja Academy.

Setting aside whether Yoruha could defeat Tōichi, even becoming a Jōnin was a monumental task.

Jōnin were the elite among ninjas in any village. Not just anyone could reach that level.

Becoming a Jōnin meant possessing a baseline strength on par with others at that rank, regardless of specialization.

And even among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the total number of Jōnin rarely exceeded a hundred per village.

In other words, Kakashi was proposing that Yoruha reach Jōnin-level strength—and defeat Tōichi—within less than a year.

To most, this would sound like an impossible dream.

But to Kakashi and Tōichi, who were familiar with Yoruha's talent, it didn't seem so far-fetched.

Both believed that by the time Yoruha was allowed to take missions outside the village, he would possess Jōnin-level strength.

In Konoha, rookie teams typically performed village-based missions for three months before being sent on external assignments.

The next day, after completing a D-rank mission, Yoruha mastered the tree-climbing technique.

Due to the pressure Yoruha exerted, both Yamada Tomoki and Honma Yatako worked extremely hard. However, their talents were average, and they were still unable to master the techniques taught by Kihon Tōichi.

As Yoruha was walking home in the evening, he suddenly stopped in the middle of a street.

With his enhanced sensory abilities, he surveyed the empty street, his expression serious. Even though there was no one in sight, Yoruha felt an instinctive sense of danger—something told him that continuing down the path would be very risky.

Just as Yoruha was about to turn and take another route, dozens of kunai and shuriken suddenly flew toward him.

The whistling sound of the kunai and shuriken as they cut through the air made Yoruha's heart skip a beat.

"Vroom~"

"Clang clang clang...."

In an instant, as the dozens of weapons were about to strike, Yoruha narrowed his eyes and, with a blink, disappeared from his original position.

The kunai and shuriken missed and embedded themselves into the wall several meters away.

Sparks flew as the weapons, with great force, stuck firmly into the wall.

The power of those projectiles was terrifying. Had they struck a human, they would have pierced through flesh and bone in an instant.

Yoruha, now several meters away from the original spot, looked back at the place where the kunai and shuriken had landed. He couldn't help but gasp.

"Hiss... If I had been hit, I would have been done for."

Unbeknownst to Yoruha, the person who had thrown the weapons, perched on a tree several dozen meters away, was equally stunned.

"That speed... It's already at the level of the Body Flicker Technique. This kid's got a sharp mind."

Just now, Yoruha had concentrated his chakra under his feet and, in an instant, ran several meters away—just like the Body Flicker Technique.

Yet, Yoruha had never actually learned the Body Flicker Technique.

This showed just how impressive his chakra control and physical strength were.

Snapping back to reality, Yoruha looked toward the direction of the attacker.

At the moment, the area was deserted. Yoruha drew a kunai and adopted a battle stance.

"This place isn't safe. I need to find a chance to escape. From the attack just now, I can tell this person is far stronger than I am."

In an instant, Yoruha had analyzed the disparity in strength between them.

But at this moment, he didn't dare to turn his back. He knew that if he did, the attacker would immediately take the opportunity to stab him from behind.

Yoruha had no intention of engaging in a prolonged battle. Right now, he didn't know any ninjutsu, and his taijutsu wasn't particularly strong either. It would be impossible to fight back against such an attacker with only the few basic techniques he had learned.

Yoruha was fully aware of this from the start.

The only question now was how to escape.

For a moment, the surroundings fell into stillness.

Only the evening breeze blew through the air.

There weren't even any streetlights in this area, and the darkness sent a chill down Yoruha's spine.

Yoruha kept his eyes fixed on the direction of the attacker.

He could already sense the general location of the threat, but he didn't dare make any sudden moves.

Suddenly, Yoruha felt a fluctuation of chakra behind him.

"Too fast!"

Yoruha froze. In the blink of an eye, the attacker appeared behind him.

He hadn't even reacted in time.

But in that split second, Yoruha snapped back to his senses.

This time, he didn't use the Body Flicker Technique to escape.

He was fully aware that the attacker was faster than him.

Attempting to use the Body Flicker again would be suicidal.

In that instant, Yoruha turned and performed a whip-like kick.

"Boom~"

There was a muffled sound, and the shadow behind him was instantly blasted away, transforming into a puff of white smoke.

"Shit, it's a clone."

Yoruha cursed inwardly.

"Doton: Mud Swamp Technique!"

Suddenly, Yoruha felt the ground beneath him give way.

The street below him turned into thick, sticky mud, and the mud quickly began to pull him down into its depths.

At this moment, half of his body was already submerged in the swamp.

And the more he struggled, the further he sank.

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