Soon, steaming bowls of ramen were placed before them.
Yoruha turned his head and looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi frowned slightly and asked, "What are you looking at me for? Hurry up and eat."
Yoruha didn't answer.
It didn't take long for Kakashi to realize what he was thinking.
He sighed helplessly. "You're curious about that too, huh?"
Of course Yoruha was. He wanted to see what Kakashi looked like beneath that ever-present mask.
He grinned. "Just curious."
He had heard that Kakashi was handsome, but he wanted to see just how handsome—the kind that made both Teuchi and Ayame blush the moment they saw him.
Kakashi shook his head in resignation and slowly pulled down his mask.
When Yoruha finally saw Kakashi's real face, he froze.
"Kakashi-sensei… no wonder you wear a mask. If you didn't, all the girls in Konoha would be camping at your doorstep."
Kakashi truly was strikingly handsome. Yoruha knew full well what kind of damage a face like that could do to the hearts of women.
Sure enough, when Teuchi and Ayame caught sight of him, their eyes filled with sparkles.
Kakashi gave another small sigh and began eating. "Come on, eat."
Yoruha chuckled and dug in as well.
But just halfway through the meal, a group of people entered the shop.
Yoruha barely paid attention—until one of them spotted Kakashi and shouted, startling him so much he almost drew a kunai in reflex.
"Yo, Kakashi! Didn't expect to find you here!"
Yoruha winced.
Kakashi looked equally exasperated as he glanced at the man in the green spandex suit, whose dazzling smile gleamed brighter than his jumpsuit. "Gai…"
It was none other than Might Guy, followed by his three students: Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten.
The moment they entered, Neji's gaze locked onto Yoruha and didn't leave.
Yoruha didn't realize it, but Neji had sensed a strong sense of danger from him—something he'd never felt from anyone his own age.
Guy plopped himself down next to Kakashi, while his students took seats beside Yoruha.
After settling in, Guy finally noticed Yoruha.
Looking back at Kakashi, he asked in surprise, "Kakashi, is this your student?"
Guy had been away on missions for a while, so he hadn't kept track of Kakashi's team.
Kakashi paused, then nodded slightly. "Yeah."
Guy didn't notice Kakashi's subtle tone; he just grinned broadly. "Your student looks energetic! How about letting him learn taijutsu from me?"
Kakashi's eye twitched. "No need. I'll handle his training myself."
Guy just laughed heartily. He was only half-joking, but if Yoruha had actually agreed, he would have gladly taught him.
After all, taijutsu users were rare in the ninja world. Having another one would be a good thing—and if Kakashi's student trained under him, wouldn't that mean he had "won" against Kakashi in some way?
And beating Kakashi was something Guy took very seriously.
Beside Yoruha, Tenten leaned forward curiously. "Hi, I'm Tenten. So you're one of Kakashi-sensei's students?"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yoruha," he replied politely.
Seeing them greet each other, Lee and Neji also stepped closer.
"I'm Rock Lee, student of Guy-sensei! I'm determined to defeat all genius ninjas!" Lee declared, flashing a brilliant white smile.
He looked so much like Guy that Yoruha could only offer an awkward smile in return.
Neji, standing beside them, spoke calmly. "I'm Hyūga Neji. There's something different about you."
He said it bluntly.
Yoruha gave a small chuckle. "Is that so?"
From the side, Kakashi noticed Neji's serious expression and quickly interjected, "Gai, stop chatting already. Order your food—the shop owner's been waiting for a while."
Guy blinked, then laughed and began ordering.
Kakashi turned back to Yoruha. "Eat up."
Yoruha understood what Kakashi was worried about.
Neji possessed the Byakugan—if he activated it to inspect Yoruha's chakra network, he'd immediately notice the massive, abnormal amount of chakra within him.
So Yoruha nodded and quietly finished his meal, polishing off all three bowls of ramen in no time.
Once they were done, Kakashi quickly pulled Yoruha out of Ichiraku Ramen.
Guy didn't notice, but Neji certainly did.
The boy found Yoruha deeply intriguing—the sense of threat he gave off was unmistakable and unlike anyone else his age.
Outside, Kakashi and Yoruha walked side by side down the street.
"Neji noticed you just now," Kakashi said. "Did you feel it?"
Yoruha nodded. "Yeah. His attention was on me the whole time—it was strange."
Kakashi sighed. "Neji was the top graduate of the previous class. And with his Byakugan, his perception is exceptional. After a year of missions, he's already at chunin level—and his instincts as a ninja are sharp."
Yoruha nodded thoughtfully. "I've heard of him. Back at the academy, his reputation was huge."
They had both attended the same academy for five years, though Neji was a year older.
The academy had a six-year program, but back then, Yoruha had deliberately kept a low profile, masking both his skill and presence—so Neji had never paid him any attention.
Kakashi gave him a serious look. "If he learns that you possess such an enormous chakra reserve, it'll cause trouble. And Gai… well, he's a bit of a loudmouth. Keeping secrets isn't exactly his strong suit."
That was precisely why the Third Hokage had never accepted Might Guy into the ANBU—he was far too straightforward for covert missions.
Yoruha nodded. "I can tell."
"But with how quickly we left," he added, "I'm pretty sure Neji noticed something anyway."
Kakashi sighed again. "Couldn't be helped. Any longer and he might've actually activated the Byakugan."
Yoruha chuckled softly. "Even if he did find out, it wouldn't be too bad. With Neji's personality, he's not the type to spread gossip."
Kakashi thought for a moment, then nodded. "True. Still, better to stay cautious."
Before long, they arrived at the forested mountains behind Konoha, stopping beside a waterfall-fed lake.
Kakashi turned to face Yoruha, his expression suddenly serious. "I have two training plans in mind. I'll let you choose which path you want."
Yoruha met his gaze. "I'm listening."
"The first plan," Kakashi said, "is that I teach you a high-level jutsu right away—something that will rapidly increase your combat strength."
"The second plan is to start from the basics and build up gradually."
He fell silent, watching Yoruha carefully.
After a brief moment of thought, Yoruha lifted his head and said calmly, "I'll take the first plan."
He expected Kakashi to be displeased, but instead, the jonin smiled.
"Just as I thought—you'd choose that one."
"Honestly, I was hoping you would. You're not like most people, and training like an ordinary ninja would only hold you back."
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