Guide Jonin

First of all, I want to apologize for not updating for a while. To cut story short, I was in the hospital, unable to write. But now, I'm back 100%, so thank you for your patience.

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In the following days, Yato's routine remained unchanged. He awoke early, created a shadow clone to practice in his stead, and then headed to Ninja School. Despite the massacre of the Uchiha clan, Konoha did not seize their property. All the wealth now belonged to Sasuke. 

However, Konoha wouldn't leave such a vast land to a child. Once plans were finalized, Sasuke would only keep the money and personal items, while the land would be reassigned. For now, the Uchiha territory was deserted except for Sasuke, who lived there alone. This suited Yato, who passed by daily on his way to school.

The students at the ninja school soon noticed that Yato and Sasuke often walked to and from school together. Even though they eventually went their separate ways, this sight intrigued many. Hanabi was particularly curious but didn't ask, merely smiling and trailing behind Yato like a shadow.

Outside Konoha, the situation was tense. The annihilation of the Uchiha clan couldn't be hidden from the other major ninja villages. When the news reached the other Kages, the Cloud, Mist, Wind, and Stone villages held meetings. The atmosphere at the borders became fraught with tension as they tested Konoha's state. Everyone knew that without the Uchiha, Konoha's strength had significantly diminished. If Konoha were no longer powerful, the other villages wouldn't hesitate to unite and destroy it.

Just as the Wind Ninja, the poorest and nearest village to Konoha, prepared to act, a giant toad appeared, blocking their path.

Some rumors spread from the Land of Water that a blonde woman had repelled the Mist Village's spies with her bare hands. However, some said she had lost everything gambling and had gotten drunk. Regardless, these two figures deterred the major villages from attacking Konoha.

Ninjas who had experienced the Ninja War recognized them: two of the legendary three ninjas, renowned since Ninja War II and acknowledged by Hanzo. The toad-summoning ninja was Jiraiya. And the blonde woman was Tsunade, the Princess of Konoha. Their appearance made many people from other villages frown because, according to intelligence, the Sanin of Konoha had already fallen apart.

For unknown reasons, Orochimaru defected from Konoha, and became a wanted S-rank traitor. 

As for the reason why Tsunade left Konoha, it is also unknown, but there were rumors that she had witnessed too much killing and was tired of the war, so she chose to leave Konoha. There has been no news of her in the world for a long time.

The only one among the three ninjas who still had a connection with Konoha was Jiraiya. But there were also rumors that this powerful man, who calls himself "Toad Sage," couldn't mind the defection of his former companion Orochimaru and has been searching for his whereabouts, wandering around the world all year round. 

Faced with Jiraiya's and Tsunade's warnings, many villages withdrew their troops. The Sannin reputation was well-earned through two brutal wars. Though they coveted Konoha's resources, they didn't want unnecessary bloodshed. With Konoha still strong despite the Uchiha's fall, the other villages hesitated to start a war.

The withdrawal of the major villages gave Sarutobi some relief, but he remained vigilant. He knew Konoha needed more elite ninjas like the White Fang, Yellow Flash, and Sannin to deter future threats.

"Sarutobi, should we call back Jiraiya and Tsunade?" Mito, one of Konoha's advisors, asked.

"Although the major villages have withdrawn, we must stay prepared," added another advisor, Utatane Koharu.

"I would like to, but is it possible?" Sarutobi couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Jiraiya was still okay, but his other student, Tsunade, has never contacted him in all these years. It seems that her heart died along with that of her brother and lover.

"No need; they are all heirs of the Will of Fire. I believe they will come back when Konoha needs them."

After thinking for a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Contact Might Guy, Kurenai, Asuma, and other jonin."

"Sarutobi, what do you want to do?" Koharu suddenly opened her eyes, which were originally closed.

"We are old. One day, we will fall from the branches. Konoha should not prosper because of us."

After that, he stood up and walked to the edge of the window, looking at the gate of the ninja school not far away, and said faintly, "They are the future and hope of Konoha!"

*****

"Instructing the Genin?"

"Well, this is an order personally issued by the Third Hokage. Not only me, but also many outstanding ninjas such as Kurenai and Asuma have received the task of teaching the graduates."

At Yato's training ground, he had just completed a set of training under the guidance of Might Guy. During the break, he heard him mention that he was about to take up the role of instructing the Genin.

"Yato, you can't slack off. You must work hard to graduate successfully. Only then will you have the opportunity to join the teacher's team."

Speaking of this, Might Guy looked quite proud. After all, being able to become a guiding jonin is itself an affirmation of his ability by the Hokage, which makes him extremely satisfied, as he almost couldn't even enter the ninja school when he was a young.

In his words, his youth was recognized by the Hokage, and his decades of hard work paid off.

"And you, Hanabi, don't be complacent just because you successfully opened your eyes. You must work harder in your training in the future."

After a pause, he gave instructions to Hanabi, who had her eyes fixed on Yato.

As the future successor of the main family, Hanabi has amazing talent and has awakened her Byakugan at a very young age. Now, under the supervision of her father, Hiashi, she has begun to practice the Hyuga clan's secret technique.

"Don't worry, Mr. Guy. I will definitely work hard." Hanabi quickly agreed and then asked, "But is Mr. Kakashi also a guiding jonin?"

If possible, she hoped her instructor would be Hatake Kakashi. Not only her, but in the ninja school, any child who has some knowledge of Hatake Kakashi hopes that he will be their mentor after graduation and is the idol of many children.

"Kakashi..."

Speaking of Kakashi, Guy's expression suddenly became a little serious. He regarded Kakashi as his rival, an opponent he was determined to defeat. Therefore, when there is nothing to do, Might Guy will pay attention to Kakashi's every move, so he understands that Kakashi's current condition is very wrong. In the words of the Third Hokage, the darkness in his heart has not yet been erased.

Back then, Kakashi's teammates were Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and the fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who was his mentor. But now, except for him, both of his teachers and companions have died. The deaths of these people caused great trauma for Kakashi. Especially the deaths of Obito and Rin, which dealt him the greatest blow. Even though Kakashi seemed fine on the surface, Guy, who knew him well, discovered that Kakashi was now simply seeking death.

Hanabi blinked and said, "Is there anything wrong with Kakashi-sensei?"

"Huh, no, nothing at all." Guy shook his head. "As for him, of course he was also assigned to the same role. But he is very difficult to deal with. If you want to join his team, it won't be easy."

'It's more than just not easy.' Yato thought.

According to the description in the "Anbu Chapter,"  Kakashi's personality during this period can be said to be extremely scary. When Sarutobi asked him to quit the Anbu and become a guiding jonin, he was extremely ruthless and sent the graduates back to the ninja school for retraining for two consecutive years. The reason was simply because when he joined Minato's team for the assessment, he used Obito and Rin as his cannon fodder in order to get the bell. Such behavior made him regret it, and he took it as a warning, making him hate and even despise anyone who disregarded the team.

Among the experiences that impressed Yato the most was an incident during his second year as a Jonin instructor. That year, the ninja school assigned him a group of three brothers. During a bento-eating session, which felt like a trap, the two younger brothers didn't share their food with their older brother. As a result, all three brothers were sent back to the ninja school by Kakashi to retake the course. 

Before the younger brothers ate their lunch, they had wanted to secretly share it with their older brother many times. However, out of fear of dragging down his younger siblings and wanting them to pass the test, the older brother decided to sacrifice himself and urged them to eat their lunch. Although not perfect, this behavior and spirit of sacrifice were still worthy of being called teamwork. Yet, they couldn't escape the fate of returning to the ninja school for retraining. This situation highlighted the drastic shift in Kakashi's perspective: once solely focused on missions, now his mind is entirely on the team.

"I will definitely work harder." 

Upon hearing that Kakashi would also become a guiding jonin, Hanabi felt a surge of motivation and clearly hoped to be in Kakashi's class.

"Hmm? From your tone, you don't seem to want to be on my team." 

Might Guy's reaction was a bit slow, but he sensed that Hanabi didn't seem eager to join his team.

"No way, I would be very happy if I could join Mr. Guy's team!"

She wasn't lying. Initially, she found Might Guy's behavior and attire strange, and his actions were often incomprehensible. But over time, she discovered that Might Guy was a great teacher and a senior worthy of respect. However, if given a choice, she still found Kakashi-sensei more reassuring.

Hanabi thought this as she watched Mr. Might Guy suddenly cry while hugging Yato for no apparent reason. For Yato, both Might Guy and Kakashi were troublesome. He didn't want either of them to be his guiding Jonin.

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