Kirito's Arrogance.

---

"I'm going to challenge a Jonin."

When Kirito said this, the bustling mission hall fell eerily silent.

Heads turned as murmurs spread through the crowd. Everyone had clearly heard what Kirito just said.

"What?"

"He's not trying for Genin… not even Chunin…"

"But Jonin?!"

"Is he insane?"

"A Jonin is a level only prodigies at the Ninja Academy can dream of reaching."

"There are barely a dozen Jonin in Konoha right now."

"Even during the peak of the Fourth Hokage's reign, there weren't more than twenty."

"And now, this guy says he wants to challenge a Jonin? What a joke!"

The chatter filled the room, disbelief and mockery evident in the voices.

Behind the mission desk, Iruka and Mizuki finally snapped out of their shock. Iruka's face tightened with unease.

Although he could sense that Kirito carried an unusual air about him, he didn't want to crush the young man's confidence. But the idea of directly challenging a Jonin was absurd, even impossible. Iruka stepped forward, ready to reason with him.

Before he could speak, Mizuki sneered loudly, breaking the tension.

"Heh, you're joking, right?"

Mizuki's voice was laced with derision as he crossed his arms, glaring at Kirito.

"You, a kid, signing up to fight a Jonin? Do you even know what you're talking about?"

Kirito turned his gaze toward Mizuki, his expression calm behind his sunglasses.

"What's the problem?"

His composed question only fueled Mizuki's irritation. For the first time since teaching Naruto a low-level jutsu, Mizuki felt his temper boil over. But he quickly masked it with a mocking grin.

"Fine, you want to challenge a Jonin? Then tell me—where are you from? What ninjutsu do you know?"

Kirito answered casually, "I'm from the Land of Fire, and I'm an orphan. As for ninjutsu… I don't know any."

The room fell silent again.

Mizuki blinked, momentarily stunned. He didn't question the orphan part; war-torn lands were full of displaced children. But the claim of knowing no ninjutsu? That was an opening too perfect to ignore.

Mizuki's sneer returned, sharper this time.

"You don't know ninjutsu? What kind of ninja are you, then?"

"And you think you can challenge a Jonin? That's a joke!"

His voice grew louder, his mocking tone drawing more attention.

"Honestly, you look more like a spy from another village!" Mizuki slammed his hand on the desk, standing abruptly.

Iruka, sensing danger, grabbed Mizuki's arm to calm him down.

"Enough, Mizuki," Iruka said firmly. He turned to Kirito with an apologetic look.

"Listen, I understand your enthusiasm, but this isn't how it works. You can't just walk in and ask to fight a Jonin. Please reconsider and come back when you're ready to issue a mission instead."

Iruka gave Kirito a subtle glance, trying to warn him. Mizuki's accusations of espionage could escalate dangerously if things continued.

But Kirito remained unfazed, seemingly oblivious to Iruka's attempts to defuse the situation.

At that moment, a silver-haired man with a mask covering most of his face entered the hall. It was Kakashi, a renowned Jonin, holding a familiar orange book in hand.

Kakashi glanced briefly at the commotion before returning to his reading, indifferent to the chaos. After finishing his task handover with Mizuki, he turned to leave.

Just as Kakashi walked past, Kirito called out.

"Are you Hatake Kakashi?"

Kakashi stopped in his tracks and turned, an eyebrow raised beneath his mask.

"What did you say?"

"I know who you are," Kirito continued with a calm smile. "Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's elite Jonin."

The room was silent again.

Kirito turned to Iruka. "If I defeat him, can I become a Jonin of Konoha?"

Iruka froze. The idea was so absurd it took him a moment to process. The surrounding crowd, however, erupted into disbelief and laughter.

"Does he even know who Kakashi is?"

"Graduated at five, Chunin at six, Jonin at twelve. Kakashi's a genius!"

"This kid's delusional."

Ignoring the ridicule, Kirito locked eyes with Kakashi.

Kakashi, in turn, gave him a bored look. "Sorry, I don't have the authority to make you a Jonin. But if you can actually defeat me, I'll take you to Hokage sama and let him decide."

Kirito smirked, confidence gleaming in his gaze. "That's all I need."

---