Chapter 21: Our Teacher Isn’t Reliable Either

When Kai returned to the classroom, many heads immediately turned in his direction.

It had been a while since anyone had seen him, and except for a few like Tenten and Rock Lee, most of the students seemed distant, unsure if they should approach him.

Part of it was because they weren't familiar with him. But the other reason…

Even someone as proud as Neji Hyuga had to admit that although they were all still just prospective genin on the verge of graduation, Kai's status had already become something different from theirs.

Gekkou Kasa returned to the classroom as well, but she quickly shrank back into a corner, her head lowered, as if she were some kind of shy introvert. Kai couldn't help but find it amusing before he casually sat down to wait for the team assignments.

Before long, the teacher entered the room, gave a brief pep talk, and then several jonin entered, taking away their new team members. Gradually, only six students remained in the classroom: Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and a female ninja named Maya.

Kai pondered this...

Lee's teacher was definitely going to be Might Guy—there was no doubt about that. As for his own jonin-sensei, if his hunch was right and it was Kakashi Hatake, could it be that the two teams might encounter each other outside?

Just as Kai was mulling over this thought—

Boom!

A loud noise echoed, and a figure suddenly appeared on the podium.

Kai covered his face with his hand.

Of course. Only Guy-sensei could make such a dramatic entrance.

"Guy-sensei!" Lee shouted excitedly as he jumped to his feet.

"Yoo, Lee! And... two other youthful, passionate shinobi! Let's go!" Might Guy grinned, pointing at Neji and Maya.

Neji showed no emotion, though it was hard to tell whether he was pleased or not. He simply stood up and silently followed Guy, while Lee eagerly chatted with his teacher as they left.

"Goodbye, Guy-sensei," Kai said politely as they exited.

Tenten clenched her fists in excitement.

Great! She was really going to be on the same team as Kai!

But...

She tilted her head. Why was that girl going to be on their team too?

Gekkou Kasa smiled.

"Kai, haha, although you can't be my subordinate, your teacher is still quite amazing—just a little less amazing than mine. Like today's duel, he lost to me again!" Guy proudly flashed his brilliant smile. "Anyway, I'll be off. Be patient, and wait for your teacher."

Kasa ignored Tenten and instead turned curiously to Kai. "Kai-kun, do you know Might Guy-sensei?"

"I can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu very well, so when I was training, I encountered Guy-sensei. After that, he gave me quite a bit of guidance and even made some recommendations for me," Kai explained briefly.

Tenten suddenly understood. However, she still couldn't help but feel sorry for Neji. After all, Neji was a genius, but he ended up with such an unconventional teacher. It didn't seem quite right.

"Don't be fooled by Guy-sensei's eccentric behavior. He's incredibly strong. When it comes to taijutsu, no one in Konoha is better than him," Kai said, noticing the expressions on Tenten and Kasa's faces. It was clear that they didn't know much about Might Guy and were probably underestimating him because of his strange ways.

Tenten rested her chin on her hand, looking a little disheartened. "Why hasn't our teacher arrived yet?"

"..." Kasa remained silent, but it was obvious that she too was curious about who their jonin-sensei would be.

Kai smiled and said, "Maybe they got lost."

In the hallway, Kakashi Hatake paused for a moment, book in hand, as he slowly made his way towards the classroom.

"Or perhaps something blocked their way."

"Or maybe they ran into an old lady who needed help, and out of kindness, they stopped to lend a hand."

"..." Kakashi sighed internally. This kid really isn't adorable at all.

Despite his annoyance, Kakashi was impressed. While it was true that Might Guy had let slip some information, it seemed that Kai had already sensed his presence and chakra signature.

Is it a sensing ability? Kakashi wondered. If so, this team has a well-rounded configuration.

After a moment of thought, Kakashi resumed his walk, eventually entering the classroom just as Kai was finishing his "guesses."

"Oh, I'm late," Kakashi said nonchalantly.

Tenten and Kasa exchanged glances, instantly united in their dismay.

This jonin-sensei was so shameless—he was late and didn't even seem to feel the slightest bit of guilt.

Kai smiled. "Kakashi-sama."

"No need for 'sama.' The rest of you might not know me. My name is Kakashi Hatake, and I'll be your jonin-sensei for now. Who knows what'll happen later? Anyway, follow me."

Even as he spoke, Kakashi continued reading his book. Then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

"Follow me," Kai said, quickly using the Body Flicker Technique to catch up.

Tenten and Kasa hadn't expected their sensei to disappear so suddenly, but thankfully, they were both skilled enough to react quickly, though not as fast as Kai. Still, they managed to keep up.

Before long, they arrived at the rooftop.

Kakashi sat on the edge, holding his beloved Icha Icha Paradise, without a care for how he looked.

Clearly, after Kai had predicted his arrival, Kakashi had stopped bothering about maintaining appearances. As far as he was concerned, things like "dignity" were unnecessary at this point.

When the trio gathered, Kakashi lazily glanced over at them with his single exposed eye before nodding slightly. "Not bad. You're pretty fast. Have a seat, anywhere you like. Today we're not doing any formal training; we'll just chat."

"Yes, sensei," the three of them replied in unison.

"Alright, let's start with introductions. Your names, hobbies, dislikes, stuff like that," Kakashi instructed, looking at Tenten. "You go first."

"My name is Tenten. I like fortune-telling and researching weapons. I dislike sour plums," Tenten answered naturally.

"Fortune-telling and research? Interesting. Next."

"My name is Gekkou Kasa. I like swordsmanship and protecting others during battles. I hate being underestimated," Kasa said confidently.

You probably meant to say you like fighting, Kai thought, glancing sideways at her.

"Nice. You've got spirit," Kakashi smiled, then turned to Kai.

"Yagyu Kai. I like researching and helping others grow stronger. I dislike losing people," Kai said simply.

Kakashi was silent for a moment before nodding thoughtfully.

"And you, sensei?" Kasa asked.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake. My interests... are private. What I dislike... also private," Kakashi said, his single eye crinkling in what was unmistakably a smirk.

The others were not surprised by his vagueness, especially Kai, who already knew that Kakashi wouldn't reveal much.

That book in his hand says it all, Kai mused. No need for further explanations.

"Well, now that we've gotten to know each other a bit, meet me at the Forest of Death tomorrow morning. Oh, and don't eat breakfast. If you do, you'll regret it," Kakashi said sternly.

"Yes, sensei!"

"Alright, you're dismissed," Kakashi said before disappearing again with a flash.

Once he was gone, Tenten couldn't help but grumble, "What the heck? Our teacher doesn't seem all that reliable either."

"Well, he is friends with Guy-sensei," Kasa remarked dryly.

Kai smiled but didn't say anything.

Tenten's curiosity was piqued. "Kai-kun, do you know something?"

"Yeah, our teacher has quite a reputation. I can't say much, but you've definitely heard of him—he's the 'Copy Ninja' and Konoha's greatest technician."

"The Copy Ninja?!"

Both Tenten and Kasa instantly grew serious. They hadn't heard much about Kakashi, but the name "Copy Ninja" was famous. Any ninja in Konoha, even students, had at least heard of him.

Kai nodded.

Tomorrow was clearly going to be a test. He didn't want his teammates making the same mistake Naruto and Sasuke had—underestimating their sensei.

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