True Mastery

SNAKE WOMAN

"WHY?" Kakashi asked the Hokage. "Why would you make me train a plucky Chuunin when I already have a team?"

Hiruzen sighed. "Ōhnoki has announced a jōnin exam, and I think Mitarashi is good enough for a promotion. I just need you to help her a bit. You aren't teaching her, per se, think of it as guiding."

"And what about my team?"

"Can they not handle a less hands-on teacher for a few days? Both of them have gotten this good on their own, we just need a win in the Jōnin exams. You were our last win."

"And I did it perfectly."

"Yes, yes, I know, Kakashi. Now make sure that Mitarashi does the same."

"Fine!"

. . .

"Anko, I've asked Kakashi to help you prepare for the Jōnin examinations. I believe you have what it takes to become a jōnin, and I hope you don't prove me wrong."

"Kakashi?" Anko asked. "Tall, silver hair, would probably be hot if he wasn't so old? That Kakashi?"

Hiruzen broke out in a coughing fit.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I would pay you to say that in front of him."

"Why, is he sensitive about his age?"

"You- Yeah, sure, you could call it that."

"Well, thanks, Lord Hokage!" She gave him a salute before leaving through the door. She still didn't have the disregard for the Hokage to jump out of the window.

Hiruzen smiled, having successfully passed off his coughing fit as shock and amusement. He looked at his hand, glistening with blood.

. . .

"So, sensei, what's your lesson plan for us? Do we do missions which you put restrictions on what we can do to hone our ninja skills? Do we have a reward system where successfully completing a task or a series of tasks will get us a jutsu? Oh, oh, I heard that in my father's time, there was a sensei who used to spar with his students all the time, and give them jutsu when they landed a hit. They literally only did missions when they needed money."

"Uh, well..." Kakashi scratched his hair, "To be honest, you've thought more about possible teaching methods than I have. You're my first team, you know that?" He then looked at Naruto. "And what's with jutsu as rewards, anyway? If you're bad at taijutsu, don't you think I should give you more ninjutsu, to balance it out?"

"But I'm not bad at taijutsu."

"I didn't literally mean you, but anyway, I have got an interesting thing planned. You get to see me train a candidate for the jōnin examinations! Naruto, ask Sasuke just what the difference between a high chuunin and a jōnin exam candidate is."

Naruto looked at Sasuke, who answered, "Well, you see, villages can award the jōnin promotion to people they think deserve it, or, they could put them up for a jōnin exam, which is a matter of deep pride for the villages. So a person who is being nominated for a jōnin exam isn't just a chuunin in anything but name, but comparable to a normal jōnin. Not one like our teacher, of course, but someone like-"

"Like that sunglass wearing pervert guy?"

"Ebisu? How do you know he's a pervert?"

Naruto shrugged. "I've seen him following Konohamaru around."

Kakashi sighed. Of course that was it.

"Well, anyway, you might be wondering why you should be excited about seeing your teacher train someone else."