NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23: Chapter 23
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Saying goodbye to little Hanabi, Toshi Ikeno headed toward Utatane Koharu's house.
...
By the time he returned, it was afternoon.
He walked straight to the school because there was a meeting with their Jōnin teacher in the afternoon.
Suddenly, the system chimed in with a new sign-in task.
[Ding! A plot-related sign-in task is issued: Host must defeat Kakashi during the trial. Deadline: two days.]
Trial? Defeat Kakashi?
Toshi Ikeno recalled the upcoming survival exercise where they would have to win the bell from Kakashi. This marked the official start of their ninja careers.
Even though Kakashi was a genius in Konoha, Ikeno was fully confident that he could defeat him.
"This mission feels like a freebie!"
But then the system chimed again:
[Mission Supplement: After the battle, reveal Kakashi's mask.]
Pfft! This just got a lot harder…
When Ikeno finally arrived at school, it was already two in the afternoon. If he hadn't wanted to see a certain older beauty, he might have shown up even later.
The classroom was full of students, all waiting for their team leaders.
After a short wait, the door opened.
In a puff of smoke, a tall man stepped in. It was Sarutobi Asuma, cigarette in his mouth and eyes squinted, much like his father.
After flicking the cigarette, he announced, "Class 10, come with me!"
Shikamaru, Chōji, and Ino followed him out.
Ino was not too thrilled about her team.
"Smoker man + lazy man + dead fat guy…"
"Ajun left me behind, my life is so miserable!"
Ikeno watched Asuma leave and thought of Kurenai Yūhi.
"That smoking guy sure got lucky…"
As he daydreamed, a mature woman entered. Her figure was slender and graceful, her hands wrapped in bandages, revealing a jade-like arm. She had black hair, ruby-red lips, and striking red eyes.
It was none other than Yūhi Kurenai.
Ikeno was instantly mesmerized. "What a beauty!"
Kurenai scanned the room and noticed Ikeno Jun.
"This is Hokage's apprentice? Quite handsome."
She quickly called out, "Class 8, follow me!"
Hinata, Kiba, and Shino walked out. Hinata glanced back at Ikeno, like she was saying goodbye forever. Ikeno responded with a blown kiss, causing Hinata to faint.
Soon, the classroom emptied, leaving only the four members of Class 7.
Ikeno knew that Kakashi wouldn't show up for at least another hour, so he pulled out a deck of cards.
"Let's play 'Fight the Landlord!'"
They quickly learned the game, and soon, kings and aces were flying everywhere. But the more they played, the more boring it became, as little Sakura always let Sasuke win.
This was exactly why Ikeno didn't enjoy playing games with girls in his past life—too much favoritism.
Eventually, Naruto got jealous and started bickering with Sasuke, and the two got into a scuffle. They were so caught up in their fight that they completely forgot about the blackboard eraser prank.
Ikeno sighed and placed the blackboard eraser on the doorframe himself.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage office…
The Third Hokage observed the classroom through a crystal ball, while Kakashi stood by, exasperated.
One was an energetic troublemaker, another had a closed heart filled with hatred, the third was an overpowered prodigy, and the last was a girl with a violent streak.
This group was trouble with a capital 'T,' but there was no way around it. Hokage had already decided…
About an hour later, Kakashi finally arrived, looking annoyed.
"My first impression of you all… isn't great."
On the rooftop, they began their introductions.
Naruto and Sakura's answers were cringeworthy, and Ikeno couldn't help but feel like he was drowning in second-hand embarrassment.
"Tomorrow, we'll start survival training," Kakashi announced.
Naruto, ever the imaginative one, excitedly asked, "Survival training? Is it like wilderness survival? We can use Wood Style to make firewood, Earth Style for the stove, Fire Style for the flames, and Water Style to wash the veggies…"
Kakashi let out a strange laugh before explaining the actual purpose of the exercise.
Things quickly devolved into chaos.
"What! Elimination?!"
"66% failure rate…"
"This ninja school… it feels like a giant pig farm, only to have a slaughterhouse at the end!"
That last thought was Ikeno's true feeling.
Kakashi quickly ended the meeting and planned to find Guy for a friendly chat. Ikeno Jun often wondered if there was more to Kakashi and Guy's rivalry than met the eye.
"I've got no evidence though…"
"Bring your ninja tools tomorrow at 5 AM. And remember, don't eat breakfast. Or you'll regret it."
Despite the high failure rate, Ikeno Jun wasn't worried. He knew that everyone in Class 7 would pass the assessment.
His main concern now was how to reveal Kakashi's mask to complete the mission.
After Kakashi left, little Sakura grumbled, "He just came and left? What a careless teacher."
Naruto immediately tried to ask her on a date, only to be met with her usual angry dismissal.
"Sasuke-kun, wait for me!" she cried, chasing after Sasuke as he left.
Ikeno shook his head with a bitter smile.
"I need to help Naruto move on from this hopeless crush…"
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The next day…
At 9 AM, Ikeno woke up leisurely, took his time having breakfast, and arrived at the training ground at 10 AM.
As expected, his three teammates were sprawled out on the ground, dark circles under their eyes, exhausted and sleep-deprived.
And, of course, Kakashi was still nowhere to be found.
After some more waiting, Kakashi finally appeared with his usual lazy demeanor.
"Good morning. I ran into a black cat, so I was delayed…"
Naruto was the first to yell, "It's already noon, you're too slow, Sensei!"
Sasuke snorted in disapproval, and Sakura accused Ikeno Jun of being in on the plan.
But Ikeno played innocent.
"Just a coincidence!"
Inside, though, he was delighted. "Thank you, foresight!"
Although he didn't really need to participate in the drill, as Kakashi had already seen his strength, this was more about teamwork than individual skill.
The survival exercise officially began!
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