---
It was a pity that Might Guy looked reluctant, listening to their conversation with one ear and letting it out the other, offering no constructive advice at all.
"I think it's better to ask him another day. This guy's probably still worried about his... apprentice," Sarutobi Asuma said, sounding indifferent.
This guy was a smoker who didn't want to smoke and had never seriously considered asking Might Guy for advice. The team he was assigned to was the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Yamanaka Ino.
The Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans were among the most loyal to the Hokage faction in Konoha. Especially during the era of the Third Hokage, they were trusted deeply and maintained close ties with the Sarutobi clan.
Frankly speaking, when Shikamaru and the others saw Asuma, they probably called him "uncle." There were no problems like unruly students or poor communication.
The only reason he came here today was to flirt.
"Didn't you keep bragging about how amazing your student is? And now you're worried he won't pass this trial?"
"I'm worried because he is amazing!" Might Guy groaned. "That little brat has no shortage of physical talent—he might even be more gifted than I am. But he also has a sharp tongue and can make people speechless with just a few words... not the kind of guy people like calling 'sensei.'"
If it had been any other jonin leading his student, Guy wouldn't worry much—but it just had to be Kakashi, his rival and friend. With those two together, things were bound to be explosive.
Thinking this, he looked outside the shop out of boredom—only to spot a familiar white-haired figure wandering nearby.
"Kakashi!"
With a shout, Guy rushed over and dragged Kakashi inside before he could escape.
"You all seem awfully idle," Kakashi remarked with a sigh as he recognized the group. For a moment, he thought he'd stumbled into an ambush.
He tried to shake off Guy's grip, but the strength of the taijutsu master was overwhelming, and he had to give up.
"Don't change the subject! So? What's the result?" Guy asked, brows furrowed like an angry storm cloud.
Kakashi didn't try to tease him. He took out a framed photo and handed it over with a rare smile. "Team 7 is officially formed."
"Congratulations! And congrats to those kids too," Asuma said with a chuckle. "I thought you'd continue your losing streak of failing students."
"I thought so too," Kakashi admitted with a small laugh, memories flashing through his mind.
"This is that student you keep bragging about every day, huh?" Asuma asked, glancing at the photo.
"Yep. What do you think? Pretty good, right?"
"Not bad," Kurenai Yuhi chimed in with a smile. "But I still think Rock Lee looks more like you. That kid's got your spirit. And this one? He's… handsome."
Might Guy blinked. "What do you mean?"
"She's praising you," Asuma said, amused.
"Oh! I see!"
---
Elsewhere...
Back at home, Ye Dou casually tossed the photo aside and began packing—specifically, reorganizing his gear and weapons.
"Why are you packing like this?" the mongoose-like creature asked, puzzled. "Planning a long trip? What about Kakashi? Team 7 just got formed. Shouldn't you be sticking around?"
"I'm going with them," Ye Dou replied flatly.
"The Land of Waves mission?"
"Yeah."
That mission was the same one where he had once fought to steal Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, nearly wiping out his entire base in the process. Although many of his weapons—kunai, shuriken, senbon, explosive tags—had been left behind at Nanhechuan during that operation, he never got the chance to recover them.
By now, they'd likely been confiscated by Konoha. As a result, he needed to resupply everything except for his core ninja tools.
"Uzumaki Naruto is impatient. He'll never be content doing low-rank missions for long. I give it ten days, maybe two weeks, before Team 7 is sent on a C-rank mission—and that means we're heading to the Land of Waves."
Ye Dou swiftly unsealed a scroll and began sorting his gear.
To him, the Land of Waves mission wasn't too dangerous. The only real threat was Momochi Zabuza.
A former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza specialized in silent killing techniques and wielded the massive Kubikiribōchō (Executioner's Blade). He once attempted a coup by trying to assassinate the Mizukage but failed and became a missing-nin.
However, Ye Dou wasn't particularly interested in Zabuza. His real target was Gato.
Gato, a corrupt shipping magnate, was one of the richest men in the world. He had no ninja skills, but his wealth was obscene—enough to destabilize entire countries.
Ye Dou's true goal was Gato: to strip him of his wealth and replace the massive stockpile of weapons and gear he'd lost years ago.
"If this mission goes smoothly, I should have enough funds to go wild for a while."
Combining ninjutsu with gravity-based attacks was a highly destructive and resource-intensive fighting style. Compared to someone like Tenten, whose fighting focused on controlling hidden weapons, Ye Dou's style burned through cash at an incredible rate.
As his chakra increased, so did the number of weapons he could control—and the force he could exert with them. The results were terrifying.
In fact, if he were as wealthy as Konan of the Akatsuki—who once prepared 600 billion explosive tags—he could create a high-speed, omnidirectional killing array using explosive tags, shuriken, and kunai simultaneously.
Just imagine the power: 600 million explosive tags, each with the force of a grenade, would generate an energy output comparable to 180 nuclear warheads.
---
Visit patreon.com/Mikeo481 to get 30+ chapters