Seeing Yoruha's expression, Kakashi knew he had gotten through to him.
Fortunately, the Third Hokage hadn't witnessed Yoruha's battle today.
Otherwise, it wouldn't just be caution—he would probably have sent Anbu to keep an eye on him.
Yoruha was only twelve years old, yet he was already capable of killing an elite jonin.
And not just any elite jonin, but one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Raiga.
The ninjutsu Yoruha used tonight to suppress the rampaging Naruto was also already in the realm of forbidden techniques.
Even more terrifying was that the jutsu Yoruha used today wasn't even his most powerful one.
"In a few months, you'll be participating in the Chunin Exams. By then, the Third Hokage will definitely know about your strength," Kakashi said.
Yoruha nodded. "I assume you want me to take part in this Chunin Exam, right?"
Kakashi smiled. "I'm afraid it's not up to me to decide."
"This time, the Sand Village will also be sending participants to the Chunin Exams. Do you know what that means?"
Yoruha nodded. "It means Konoha needs to send its strongest genin of this generation to participate."
"I guess everyone from my year will be taking part, right?"
Kakashi chuckled. "Exactly. Although we are allies with the Sand Village, we absolutely cannot let them see even the slightest sign of weakness in Konoha. Otherwise, who knows what they might do."
"Although it's nominally a Chunin Exam, each village will send its most outstanding genin to showcase their military strength."
"At a time , the Third Hokage won't let you sit idle."
Yoruha shrugged. "I don't mind. I was planning to get promoted to chunin sooner anyway. After all, as a chunin, I can take on higher-level missions."
"And the rewards are better too."
Don't be fooled by the high commissions ninjas earn from missions.
First, half of the commission is taken by the village.
The remaining half is then divided among the ninjas who carried out the mission.
Moreover, ninjas don't get any travel expenses for missions—all costs are borne by the ninjas themselves. The village doesn't provide ninja tools either; they have to be purchased by the ninjas.
This is why many jonin, despite completing numerous high-level missions, are still quite poor.
Except for someone like Jiraiya, who has side income and can become wealthy, many jonin aren't as rich as one might imagine.
Keep in mind that a single explosive tag costs several thousand ryo. An average genin, after completing a C-rank mission, might only get a few thousand ryo at most.
In other words, even if a regular genin takes on the highest-level mission they can handle, sometimes the money they earn isn't even enough to buy a single explosive tag.
Of course, explosive tags are considered high-level ninja tools in the ninja world.
And for a genin, an explosive tag is the most powerful tool they have.
Unless, like Sasuke, a genin can perform a fire release jutsu like the Great Fireball Technique.
But as Kakashi said, Sasuke's chakra reserves are far greater than those of an average genin. Most genin simply don't have enough chakra to perform the Great Fireball Technique.
So, without a powerful offensive jutsu, explosive tags are the most potent tools available.
Yoruha hadn't brought any explosive tags with him this time.
He did have a few, but they were left at home.
He had bought them earlier to use as a trump card.
The Exploding tags, a type of ninja tool, are used by shinobi of all levels, from genin to kage-level ninja.
Moreover, many even use them as their ultimate techniques.
Because even kage-level shinobi can die if they're hit by an exploding tag.
Many jounin, and even kage-level shinobi, have been killed by exploding tags.
Exploding tags pose a significant threat to shinobi of any level.
Of course, the prerequisite is that you can actually hit your opponent.
This time, Yoruha didn't carry any exploding tags, not because he didn't need them, but because they were too expensive. He only had a few and couldn't bear to bring them.
Plus, he was quite confident in his own strength. Even if he couldn't win, he could still escape.
Since he didn't plan on becoming a rogue ninja, Yoruha still hoped to get promoted and earn a raise sooner rather than later.
Kakashi looked at Yoruha's serious expression and couldn't help but laugh. "I didn't expect you to be such a money-grubber."
Yoruha rolled his eyes at Kakashi. "I'm not a money-grubber, but even ninjas need money. Without money, you can't even afford ninja tools."
"That's true. Since the Third Hokage promised to train you, he probably won't go back on his word. Let's hope so."
Kakashi wasn't entirely confident.
But he had no choice but to trust the Third Hokage.
After all, he wasn't the Hokage himself.
"After you learn sealing techniques, keep an eye on Naruto for me," Kakashi said seriously.
"How do you know I'll definitely learn it?" Yoruha asked.
"And isn't looking after Naruto your responsibility?"
Kakashi smiled at Yoruha and patted his shoulder. "I have a lot of confidence in you. It seems like there's no ninjutsu you can't learn."
"And since you'll have mastered a sealing technique capable of suppressing a tailed beast, looking after Naruto will naturally become part of your responsibility."
"No, to put it more accurately, the capable should do more. If you learn sealing techniques, you should definitely keep an eye on Naruto."
Seeing Kakashi's triumphant expression, Yoruha felt speechless.
Yoruha couldn't help but feel that Kakashi didn't really want to look after Naruto.
Naruto was his sensei's son, after all.
But thinking about Naruto's usual behavior, Yoruha understood Kakashi.
Kakashi's personality was completely different from Naruto's.
He probably found Naruto's constant pranks to be a headache.
At this point in time, Naruto did pull a lot of pranks. Some of them were harmless and could be laughed off.
But many of them were so annoying that they made you want to punch him.
Fortunately, in Team Kakashi, Sakura was completely focused on Sasuke, while Sasuke was solely obsessed with getting stronger to take revenge on Itachi Uchiha, so he didn't pay much attention to Naruto's antics.
Kakashi was probably the one who suffered the most.
He didn't have any real issues with Naruto, but guiding a troublemaker like him could be infuriating at times.
If Yoruha could learn sealing techniques and take over looking after Naruto, it would not only ensure Naruto's safety and the village's security but also give Kakashi some peace and quiet. It sounded like a win-win.
Yoruha could see through Kakashi's plan, and it left him feeling exasperated.
"Kakashi-sensei, I think you're being a bit irresponsible towards Naruto."
"I'd like to be responsible, but you know how poor his basics are, and with that personality of his, it's a miracle I haven't been driven mad by now."
"My team is full of problem children. As my student, shouldn't you help share the burden?"
Kakashi looked at Yoruha.
"Hah, you just want a free laborer, don't you?" Yoruha said with a cold laugh.
Kakashi looked a bit embarrassed.
Of course, the reason he thought this way was because he had great confidence and high expectations for Yoruha.
It was also a sign of his trust in Yoruha. After all, Naruto was a jinchūriki, and you couldn't just hand him over to anyone to look after.
But Kakashi had absolute faith in Yoruha.
He didn't believe Yoruha would pose any threat to the village.
From the very beginning, he had been training Yoruha to be a ninja like the Fourth Hokage.
It was just that Yoruha's later talent had taken him by surprise.
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