Jonin Leader
Hey, Kakashi!
Come join us for some sweet dumplings!
Me? A jonin leader in charge of genin?
Minato Sensei…
You're late, Obito!
You're finally here… You must be Obito.
We've been waiting for you.
Barely made it…
You're really late.
We've already introduced ourselves. You're the only one left!
I'm going to be the Hokage!
My name's Obito Uchiha!
For my Great Stone Face,
make sure my trademark goggles and Sharingan are nicely carved out!
So I can glare over the neighboring lands!
I'll scare the hell out of them with my Sharingan stare…
and no one will dare attack our village!
Rattle off your instructions after you become the Hokage
and activate your Sharingan.
Besides, how can they carve the Sharingan if you're wearing goggles?
They can carve it out over my goggles!
Then it will look like your eyeballs are popping out.
Anyway… I'm happy that someone on this team shares my dream.
I'm Minato. From today, I'll be your superior.
I'm glad to meet you!
Yeah!
All right, let's have our first practice together.
Y-Yes!
In this training session, I want to see your teamwork.
Teamwork?
Take these two bells away from me, and practice will be over.
Simple, right?
Two bells mean…
Exactly.
Huh? What does it mean?
One of us will be dropped from the team.
What?!
Good observation.
Okay… Let's start.
I'm your jonin leader, Hatake…
Kakashi Sensei, right?
Never mind the formalities…
Let's just get started!
What you're going to do…
has a failure rate of 66%.
During that practice, I wasn't even thinking of teamwork.
And Minato Sensei didn't even notice it.
You all pass!
Let's strengthen our teamwork even more!
– Right! – Yes!
In other words, one of you will definitely be sent back to the Academy.
It's no wonder Minato Sensei didn't notice.
I pretended to work with the team and used the other two.
I know he's giving us a break…
But Minato Sensei is way too skilled.
There's no way I can do it alone.
Close!
Whoa…
You'll never get it at the rate you're going.
I knew it.
Minato Sensei is making an allowance for our skill levels!
Compared to how he is against Obito and Rin…
With me, he doesn't ease up as much.
At this rate, I'm definitely not getting a bell.
In order to complete this mission…
Obito! Rin!
The first formation we learned at the academy!
Huh?
I doubt if a simple formation like that would work against Minato Sensei.
Just do it!
I guess it's worth a try.
It's better than doing nothing…
Okay, I'm in!
Here we go!
– Yeah! – Right!
I see only one opening with Minato Sensei.
If I use these two to trap him, we have a chance!
Okay, let's start
That wasn't teamwork.
Back then, if only Minato Sensei had seen
that something was missing in our teamwork…
Thanks for letting me get the bell first!
Looks like you're going to be left behind!
No…
That wasn't…Minato Sensei's fault!
I'm just trying to pass the buck, and running away from the truth…
That's why…
with these guys…
I'm going to make sure their teamwork is solid.
You're so clumsy…
You're a disgrace.
Huh?! Speak for yourself!
Damn it… Of all the luck…
To be lumped together with guys like you.
Say that again!
This is hilarious.
You guys are so ridiculous!
Say, I just had a great idea.
What a coincidence. Me too.
Me too!
We don't want to give Sensei a hard time…
I agree! So I…
– will… – decide…
- …who drops out! - …who drops out!
You guys.
Huh?
You all fail!
You're going back to the academy.
That frozen gaze…
It's darkness itself… His darkness hasn't been dispelled yet.
More time is necessary…
Rin… Obito…
I know.
I have no intention of making people who don't work as a team into shinobi…
No matter what anyone says…
Now then…
How will this year turn out…?
Keep it up and you'll end up back at the academy!
I'm in the spring of youth at full power!
No wonder he's a jonin.
He dodges my taijutsu with such ease.
I thought graduating from the academy made us genin.
Failing now is too embarrassing!
Severe…Leaf Hurricane!
Giving up already?
I'm not giving up!
My dream is to become a great shinobi through taijutsu alone!
I cannot…abandon my dream!
That's ridiculous…
But…
I'm not throwing in the towel either!
That's right!
I'm that close to becoming the kunoichi I've always admired!
No way am I calling it quits!
Now you're talking, guys!
That's how youth should be!
Even if you've used up every ounce of your energy…
suck it up and push through it!
Hit me with all your might!
– Here we come! – Here we come!
The three of you…
…all pass!
Yes! I did it!
I did it!
I-I can't breathe…!
I'm so happy we all made it!
I wasn't about to fail after coming this far.
But…
Thank goodness we didn't get the sensei everyone talks about.
You mean that jonin who sent the three before us back to the academy?
Uh-huh.
Luck has nothing to do with real strength.
Those guys just weren't good enough.
That's not what I heard.
It was about what's even more important than a shinobi's strength or something…
And what is that?
Is it some kind of super-lethal-one-hit technique?
But who does he think he is to make up his own criteria?
Kakashi…
Are you sure about this, big brother?
Maybe we shouldn't eat the bento lunches…
Look, have I ever been wrong?
But Kakashi Sensei's not here.
Quit nitpicking!
You two, just listen and follow the rules!
Sure, in the world of Ninja,
one who breaks the rules and regulations is regarded as scum…
But those who abandon their comrades… are worse than scum!
Obito… I…
Kakashi Sensei…!
I've failed, but my kid brothers followed the rules!
The three of you…
Each of you obeyed my orders.
You stuck to the rules.
But you didn't follow what is most important to a shinobi…
What is that?!
You grey-haired…!
You're all going back to the academy to figure it out.
Passed on the Chunin Exams?
That's unusually cautious of you, Guy.
Yeah…
Huh? The Chunin Exams?
Yes.
The way the system works is, if you complete over eight missions…
you qualify to participate in the Chunin Exams.
There haven't been rookies in the Chunin Exams lately…
Would you like to go for it?
Uh…!
Huh? What's wrong, Lee?
Well… I'd like to test myself to see how strong I am…
I do have that desire…
But…
But what?
I don't deserve to take the test at my present level.
I know my own ability best!
What about you, Neji?
I'll pass on it too.
Huh?
Neji, you'd make it to chunin in no time!
That's why there's no point in rushing.
I see. And you, Tenten?
Then I'll pass too!
Let's train hard and take the next exams together!
You guys!
You guys…
Having students like you makes me very happy!
Dumplings! Another order of dumplings, please!
Coming right up!
I don't get it… But this is so like you.
By the way, what's it like to be in charge of fresh academy graduates?
That's right. This is your first time.
Hmm?
Hey, Kakashi!
Come join us for some sweet dumplings!
What's with him?
His eyes are as cold as ever… like he never left the ANBU.
He failed every one of them again.
That's not such a big deal.
No, but the darkness in Kakashi's heart is a problem.
He's still carrying that around…
They were my classmates too. And I grieved as well, but…
You've got to get over it…
I know…
I knew that the depressing atmosphere of the ANBU would turn him more sullen.
Lord Third!
The ANBU isn't for someone like Kakashi!
I know it isn't my place to say this, Lord Third!
But…
We've lost too many of our friends…!
Watching Kakashi… It's as though he's in a hurry to die…
That's why…we came up with this idea to put him in charge of the genin…
If he has subordinates to look after, we're sure he'll change…
Hmm… You think so too?
So then…?!
Maybe we shouldn't have interfered…
We each thought that rather than being in the ANBU,
being in charge of young future shinobi held more promise for him, but…
Lord Third!
Lord Third?
Lord Third?!
At ease, finish your tea.
In fact, I'll have a cup too.
I see…
What's so funny?
You always treat us like we're kids…
Asuma!
Oh… Forgive me for laughing.
I must admit that I do treat you like children.
Minato Sensei…
Is my way wrong…?
– Kakashi Sensei! – Kakashi Sensei!
Y-Yes?
– Good morning, sir! – Good morning, sir!
Kakashi Sensei!
We're in charge of academy discipline now!
We realized everything starts with a proper greeting!
That greeting was spot on!
Keep it up!
– Yes! – Yes!
Please excuse us!
– Excuse us! – Excuse us!
Who cares about greetings? Let's get started.
Those guys, huh…
It's Kakashi Sensei!
It's you!
– Thank you very much! – Thank you very much!
W-What?!
Thank you for failing us in that practice…
we were able to change!
Huh?
We always depended on our big brother…
and never stood up for ourselves…
Actually, that time, we wanted to share our lunch with him!
After the practice, we realized that we should've spoken up
and told you how we felt. Right?
Yeah…
I thought I was helping them, but I was stifling them instead.
I learned a lesson too.
– And so…! – And so…!
– We're so grateful to you, Kakashi Sensei! – We're so grateful to you, Kakashi Sensei!
Grateful…to me…?
A teacher trains his students…
and at the same time, learns from them.
Only through mutual respect and growth…
can you foster a true teacher-pupil relationship.
It is my hope that you will nurture such a relationship with your pupils.
Of course, I wish it for Kakashi as well.
Lord Third!
Is that…
Oh…it's still very secret.
But this is the list of academy graduates
who will be under Kakashi's tutelage.
NINJA DATA I'm sure it's a group of highly individualistic kids.
I'm sure this new batch of genin will hold your interest.
Where are we?
This is Naruto's house.
Lord Fourth's orphan…
Are you our sensei?
I'm Naruto Uzumaki, I'm going to be Hokage!
Next time on Naruto Shippuden: "Squad Seven"
That kid is a genin?
SQUAD SEVEN
Tune in again!