Inside Konoha Hospital.
The harsh fluorescent lights above swayed slightly, and the stench of disinfectant was so strong it nearly suffocated.
On a bench in the corridor, Kakashi sat with a young boy beside him.
Only one of Kakashi's visible eyes—the half-lidded, droopy one—looked utterly numb. His gaze would occasionally flick toward a nearby hospital room.
No one knew how long had passed before the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from inside the room, breaking the silence of the hospital. Kakashi immediately stood up from the bench.
"Are they okay?"
He turned to the medical-nin who had just stepped out of the room, asking anxiously.
"They're fine now."
The medic nodded, but his expression quickly shifted into one of reproach.
"But Kakashi-senpai, weren't you being a bit too rough? I know it's your first time as a jōnin instructor, but they're just kids!"
"..."
Kakashi's breath hitched. He opened his mouth as if to explain something, but not a single word came out.
"It was just an accident. You can't blame Kakashi-sensei."
At that moment, the boy next to him stood up as well and spoke in Kakashi's defense.
The boy looked about thirteen years old. He had black hair and well-defined features that gave off an approachable charm.
Lowering his head, he mumbled softly, "If anyone's to blame… blame me."
"…"
Kakashi's face grew even more expressionless, but the medic sighed when he heard the boy's words.
"What a good kid… Kakashi-senpai, even if it was an accident, you should still take responsibility—and make sure you teach this one properly."
With that, the medic gave a polite nod and left, leaving behind a stunned Kakashi and the boy.
"Kakashi-sensei, what should we do now?"
Once the medic was gone, the boy turned to Kakashi.
"And… did I pass the test?"
"Pass…?"
Kakashi nearly burst out laughing in disbelief. He glared at the boy and said, "A three-man team… and you're the only one left. How exactly is that a pass?"
Kakashi was truly frustrated. He never imagined that his very first student team after leaving the ANBU would turn into such a disaster.
Three students—two ended up in the hospital, their conditions still uncertain. Only this kid named Kitagawa Gen remained.
It made him question whether he ever should have left the ANBU at all.
"Kakashi-sensei, it can still work—even with just one person."
Kitagawa Gen blinked and said earnestly, "I heard from Guy-sensei that when you graduated, you were alone too. You can always make up the numbers for a team later. Besides, we did get the bells."
"Spare me. And I gave those bells to you on purpose!"
That was the last straw. Kakashi, who had been worrying about how to explain things to the Hokage, couldn't hold back anymore.
Kitagawa Gen and the other two had performed quite well, and their teamwork wasn't bad either.
Especially Gen—though he didn't come from any prestigious clan, his abilities were far above the average student's. So Kakashi decided to throw in a 'final challenge'.
He intentionally let them take the bells—and then presented them with the real test: There are only two bells. How will the three of you decide who gets them?
And that's when things went south.
"Forget it. It's over now."
With a discouraged sigh, Kakashi turned to leave, thoroughly disheartened. Seeing this, Gen panicked—Kakashi looked like he was about to 'return the merchandise'.
"I know. We wouldn't have gotten the bells otherwise. But I also understand what this test was really about."
"Oh?"
Kakashi tilted his head slightly but didn't interrupt, and Gen continued right away: "The purpose of this test was to evaluate our strategies against an enemy, individual skills, and teamwork. I kept telling them we needed to coordinate. And in the end, I think we did pretty well."
"Your coordination was decent…"
Kakashi thought back to the fight. Even though he was still annoyed, he gave a small nod—then shook his head again.
"But after you got the bells, what did you do?"
Kakashi had handed them the bells and told them to decide among themselves. In response, this brat Kitagawa Gen simply passed the bells to the other two without saying a word—then just stood there, watching silently.
That alone might have been fine. But the real problem was…
The other two suddenly turned on each other—like they genuinely meant to kill!
Even Kakashi had been stunned by the scene, briefly wondering if he was dealing with Root operatives. After all, Root was known for that kind of tradition…
But for two kids fresh out of the Academy to go at each other like that? He hadn't seen it coming. By the time he jumped in, both were already on the ground and had to be rushed to the hospital.
"There were only two bells. Wasn't the whole point of that to test trust and sacrifice in a team?"
Kitagawa Gen looked utterly aggrieved as he spoke in a small voice.
"I even offered them the bells myself. Doesn't that show my resolve? What more do you want from me, Kakashi-sensei?"
"…"
Kakashi was momentarily speechless. He had no idea how to respond—but Gen wasn't done yet.
"I didn't expect things to turn out like that either. I really valued them as comrades. Because—because Guy-sensei once told me something."
"What did he say?"
Kakashi rubbed his temples, clearly still troubled, but also curious about what exactly Guy had said to this kid.
"Guy-sensei told me… it was something his best friend once said to him."
Gen's face turned solemn, and he spoke with unwavering seriousness.
"That friend told him: 'Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their comrades… are worse than scum.'
I believe in those words completely. That's why I kept urging Chizuki and the other guy to work together. I never thought it would end like this."
"It was my fault for not explaining myself better, and that's what led to this outcome. But I really do want to become a shinobi—to protect Konoha and my comrades. I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei."
"…"
For just a moment, Kakashi really wanted to slap himself across the face.
What the hell have I done?
Sure, he knew Gen had a close relationship with Guy. He'd even seen the kid training with him.
But what gave Guy the idea to tell him everything?
Still, a new thought crossed Kakashi's mind.
Maybe… maybe training this kid alone wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.
He couldn't let the mistakes of those other two brats ruin the future of a promising student like this one.
He really didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night, recalling everything that happened today—only to smack himself in the face out of regret.
"You should head home for now."
"Huh?"
Kakashi finally spoke after a brief pause, and Gen blinked in surprise. But Kakashi quickly added, "Go back and get some rest. I need to report all this to the Hokage. But… you should mentally prepare yourself."
He paused again, pulling out a copy of Make-Out Paradise. With his head lowered, eyes on the book, he started walking toward the exit.
"If nothing unexpected happens, your days from now on… won't be nearly as easy as they were back at school."
"Yes, sir!"
Watching Kakashi's retreating figure, Kitagawa Gen couldn't help but tremble slightly with excitement.
Finally… finally!
After thirteen long years, he had finally received his newbie reward!
[Main Quest Stage One Complete: Become a Shinobi]
[Reward Unlocked: Beginner's Gift Pack]
[Side Quest Complete: Become Kakashi's Sole Disciple from This Year's Graduates]
[Reward Unlocked: Kakashi's Swordsmanship Style]
...
Kitagawa Gen was a transmigrator.
Even now, he could still remember it clearly: thirteen years ago, he had just stepped out to take a walk along the road, and in the blink of an eye, a runaway construction vehicle came barreling his way—
The timing of his transmigration wasn't exactly good… but it wasn't the worst either.
Being three years older than Prince Naruto, he had avoided the brutal Third Shinobi World War, but there were still so many things he was powerless to change.
Take last year, for example—Uchiha Itachi finally had his own twisted epiphany, then followed up with a bit of 'filial piety' the Uchiha Obito way!
Every time he thought of this, Kitagawa Gen couldn't help but sigh—
Damn it, I transmigrated too late.
If he'd been even a bit stronger, he could've tried striking gold from the Uchiha clan!
Luckily, he had a system cheat too.
In the world of the shinobi, a place brimming with life and fierce competition, having a cheat wasn't all that rare. Even Prince Naruto, who pulled off a perfect ending with just one life, was branded for being too overpowered.
But even having a cheat didn't mean much. Didn't the prince and Sasuke both almost crash and burn multiple times against the top-tier powerhouses of the shinobi world?
What's more, his cheat required completing missions to earn anything. Compared to the talent cheats, ancestor cheats, or even the infamous eye-based ones, his was barely worth mentioning.
"Especially since I couldn't even get the newbie gift pack…"
Every time he thought of this, Kitagawa Gen would grind his teeth in frustration.
He just couldn't understand it. Wasn't the starter gift supposed to be granted upon transmigration? So why did he have to become a ninja first?
And what's worse, 'ninja' wasn't just any definition—it had to be someone officially registered in Konoha's system…
Was the end of the universe really bureaucracy?
But at this rate, wouldn't he just end up as cannon fodder in the Chūnin Exams?
And even if he survived that, wouldn't he still be unable to escape the Fourth Great Ninja War later?
Crushed by a bulldozer before transmigrating, and destined to be crushed again after?
Wouldn't that make the whole transmigration pointless?
Fortunately, he still had side quests to save his life.
The side quests were simple: complete them and receive rewards. But they weren't exactly reliable.
Like when he ran into Hinata, and a task popped up titled 'Delicious and Lovely Sister Combo'—what the hell was that?
Or worse—when he encountered Naruto, a task appeared: Have Naruto and Pain smoke together over the ruins of Konoha...
Thankfully, side quests could be ignored.
But once accepted, they had to be completed. Otherwise, he wouldn't be allowed to accept new ones.
And beyond that—
"If you reject too many, the system will think I'm too weak… and forcibly assign one."
Like 'Become Kakashi's only student'—that one had been shoved onto him by force.
He had even considered graduating early, but post-war Konoha had become extremely strict about early graduation slots.
Only Uchiha Itachi had received special treatment. Everyone else, even the so-called 'Konoha 11', had to follow the standard process. That all but crushed Gen's hopes.