Kakashi, with an awkward expression, said, "Don't get so worked up. Since I've returned safely, do you really think something could have happened to Yoruha?"
Kihon Toichi replied with a stern face, "Stop with the nonsense and tell me how Yoruha is doing. You took him out of the village without informing me. Have you forgotten the promise you made to me before?"
"You said you would only take him out on missions after he had the strength of a Jonin."
Kihon Toichi was furious. Kakashi's unilateral decision had worried him for over a month. He had even considered leaving the village to search for them.
However, the Third Hokage had mentioned that this mission was only a C-rank task, so he decided to wait.
Who knew that waiting would take over a month? Kakashi no longer concealed the truth and said, "I was left with no choice but to take him out of the village this time."
"I was concerned that leaving him in the village might pose a danger."
"If the higher-ups have any designs on him, do you think you alone could stop them?" "I could only keep him by my side."
"Moreover, during this mission, he performed exceptionally well, and his strength has grown rapidly. If you knew his current abilities, you would definitely thank me."
Despite Kakashi's words, Kihon Toichi couldn't feel happy. His expression remained as grim as before. He wouldn't be at ease until he saw Yoruha himself.
Seeing Kihon Toichi's expression, Kakashi was at a loss for words and could only continue. "There was an unexpected turn in this mission. It was originally just a C-rank task, but the client deceived us, and it turned out to be a B-rank mission with enemy ninjas involved."
Kihon Toichi furrowed his brows, deeply worried. After all, Yoruha, despite his high talent, lacked real combat experience. "Was he injured?"
Kihon Toichi asked anxiously. Kakashi chuckled, "Injured? How could I possibly let him get hurt?"
"Besides, with your disciple's current strength, it's really hard for ordinary ninjas to harm him." In Kakashi's view, Yoruha already possessed Kage-level strength.
Kage-level ninjas are rare even among the Five Great Ninja Villages, let alone outside them.
Kakashi was unaware of the existence of the Akatsuki, not knowing that almost all of its members were Kage-level experts.
But even within the Akatsuki, there weren't many members. Hearing Kakashi's words, Kihon Toichi breathed a sigh of relief.
"As long as he's not injured, that's good." Kihon Toichi was less concerned about how strong Yoruha was and more about whether he was unharmed.
After all, in his eyes, Yoruha's talent was extremely high, and becoming strong was only natural.
However, if he were injured, it could negatively impact his future development. Kakashi understood Kihon Toichi's concerns, as he shared the same sentiments regarding Yoruha. After spending over a month together, he truly regarded Yoruha as family.
Kakashi pondered for a moment and said, "However~" Hearing this, Kihon Toichi's heart tightened once again, nervously watching Kakashi, fearing he might say something negative about Yoruha.
Kakashi sighed, feeling a bit guilty, and said, "However, he probably can't stay in your team anymore."
"Why!" Kihon Toichi stood up in agitation upon hearing this.
"You want to take him away completely? I'm still his teacher. What are you planning to do?" Kihon Toichi initially thought Kakashi wanted to snatch Yoruha away.
It wasn't that he wanted Yoruha to remain his student forever, but he didn't want Yoruha to follow Kakashi entirely.
He was well aware of the kinds of missions Kakashi undertook. Previously, Kakashi had taken Yoruha out of the village without notifying him, and he let it slide.
He didn't want it to happen again. Kakashi looked up at Kihon Toichi and said helplessly, "Look at you getting all worked up. You were once an Anbu Jonin; how can you be so impatient?"
Kihon Toichi replied coldly, "Can I stay calm? If I stay calm any longer, I'll lose my student." Seeing Kihon Toichi so agitated,
Kakashi quickly clarified, "What I mean is, because Yoruha completed the mission excellently this time, and the Third Hokage appreciates him, the Third Hokage has directly promoted him to Chunin."
"And he hopes Yoruha will train with me." Kakashi added this last part himself. The Third Hokage hadn't actually said that.
But even if he knew, the Third wouldn't deny it. Originally, Team 11 was an unexpected occurrence, and the Third didn't expect much development from this team. Who knew Yoruha would emerge?
It was because of Yoruha that this team continued to exist. Without Yoruha, Team 11 wouldn't have existed; the entire team would have failed the assessment and been sent back to the ninja academy for retraining.
Kakashi initially thought Kihon Toichi would be very angry upon hearing this news.
Unexpectedly, Kihon Toichi looked delighted, "Really?" Kakashi was a bit puzzled, "You're not angry?"
"Why would I be angry? My student has become a Chunin; that's a good thing," Kihon Toichi said with a smile.
"But he won't be able to stay in your team anymore, and he'll be training with me from now on," Kakashi emphasized.
Kihon Toichi waved his hand, "As long as he's safe, it's fine. Training with you is good too. I don't really have much more to teach him; with you, he can become even stronger."
"And at least it proves the Third Hokage has acknowledged him, so I don't have to worry about his safety anymore."
Kihon Toichi considered this a good thing. As for whether Yoruha could continue training with him in the future, he didn't mind. He just hoped Yoruha could grow up safely and become a pillar of Konoha, a hero who would protect the village.
Now that Yoruha was steadily moving towards this goal, how could Kihon Toichi be angry?
Kakashi hadn't expected Kihon Toichi to have such an attitude, but considering his hopes for Yoruha, he understood. If it were him, he would feel the same as Kihon Toichi.
Having figured it out, Kakashi said, "During this mission, we encountered two rogue ninjas from the Hidden Mist Village, Zabuza Momochi and Raiga Kurosuki."
"Yoruha's talent exceeded my expectations. Previously, I thought I had a good grasp of his abilities." "But during the mission, his growth was like something out of a myth."
"Now his strength has surpassed mine. In this mission, he single-handedly killed Raiga Kurosuki, took down four Chunin, and subdued a berserk Naruto." "If Zabuza hadn't fled quickly, he might have become another of Yoruha's achievements." Kihon Toichi was stunned, staring blankly at Kakashi.
If these words hadn't come from Kakashi, he would have thought it was someone telling a mythical tale.
As a former Anbu Jonin, he naturally knew what kind of ninjas Zabuza and Raiga were. They were both elite Jonin from the Hidden Mist Village, renowned in the ninja world.
Moreover, they were part of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, a title that struck fear into many ninjas. Yoruha had actually killed one and scared off another. The most unbelievable part was that Yoruha had subdued a berserk Naruto.
He had seen Naruto go berserk before. At that time, the Third Hokage had mobilized the entire Konoha sealing squad to suppress Naruto. The extreme malice of the Nine-Tails, that terrifying chakra, was something he could hardly forget even now.
Yet Yoruha not only remained unharmed but also subdued the berserk Naruto. It sounded utterly fantastical.