"..." They stood opposite each other on the field.
Sabuko pointed his kunai at Bolo.
"Sabuko Kanto," Bolo said coolly. "I have no time for bluffs or last-ditch efforts. Jonin are busy people—"
"About that," Sabuko cut in. "What was it you said, Bolo-sensei? That Jonin are so far above Genin, today's test wasn't about fighting you, right? It was about teamwork."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Well, we're not that far apart."
"I could hit you without needing to sneak up on you. I guarantee that. Doing this much... Should compensate for my lack of Taijutsu, right?"
"..."
"You underestimate your superiors and your senseis," Bolo growled. "If you think this is how to gain my favor—"
"Fuck that." Sabuko snapped.
"I don't give a SHIT about your favor. I never did."
"I don't see you Jonin as teachers at all."
Bolo's expression darkened.
"...What did you just say?"
"You heard me, Sensei." Sabuko spat.
"A real teacher, a real caretaker and mentor, doesn't expect twelve-year-olds to walk in with a prebuilt philosophy on teamwork. They teach them. They guide them why it's wrong to abandon your teammates, no matter the odds. They don't call kids "scumbags of the ninja world" for not reading their mind."
In the Hokage's Office
The Hokage glanced toward Kakashi.
"..." Kakashi said nothing, eye narrowing in quiet thought.
-----------------
Back on the field:
"You Jonin might be skilled instructors, sure." Sabuko's voice cracked slightly, but his anger held.
"But don't fucking pretend to be mentors when you're anything but."
"ENOUGH!"
Bolo's shout echoed across the field.
"You've insulted me and all my fellow Jonin... far too long. You are unfit to be a ninja—"
"Then how about this?" Sabuko said coldly.
"I hit you. Just once. If I do, I become a ninja."
He raised his kunai.
"...But if I don't,"
He looked Bolo dead in the eyes.
"I'll leave the village. And I won't try to become one ever again."
"…!" Bolo's eyes widened as he saw Sabuko's gaze.
Bolo clenched his fist, his arm visibly trembling.
"...A real man follows through on his promises, Sabuko."
It was then… Bolo shifted into stance.
"I will make CERTAIN of that."
Bolo was now openly hostile.
"Can I… start then?" Sabuko asked, missing no beat.
"Sure. Be my guest."
Sabuko raised his kunai, preparing to throw.
"Before you do," Bolo said, halting him. "Let me guess…"
He smirked.
"That kunai… it's a transformed Kage Bunshin, isn't it? I've seen you touching it often. Is it to supply it with Chakra so that it maintains its form?"
Sabuko's eyes widened. He visibly flinched.
Bolo's smirk deepened.
"I told you. I'm a Jonin for a reason. Paying attention to details such as you touching your Kunai twice today... Is just routine for us." Bolo concluded, "Something you are too far from understanding. And from the looks of it, never will."
"Damn it…" Sabuko clenched his teeth.
"DAMN IT!!!" he shouted, and hurled the kunai toward Bolo.
'Hmph… you showed potential. But in the end, you're just a hotheaded, disrespectful brat,' Bolo thought, watching the kunai spin through the air.
'To disrespect Kakashi-senpai… and us… after everything we've been through… the likes of you, raised in peace off our backs..!! You have no right!!'
His hand shot out. The kunai transformed mid-air into a clone; just as he expected.
Without hesitation, Bolo slammed his palm into the clone's face, pinning it to the ground hard enough to crack the earth.
'It's over. I might go easy on you since you're a kid. I won't kick you out of the village,' he thought.
'But I'll make sure you remember this day. And your foolishness.'
Then... he looked down.
Blood trickled from the clone's mouth.
'...What?'
But, a moment before the clone dispelled, Bolo could clearly see it.
A huge, triumphant smile on its face as it looked at Bolo dead in the eye.
'Why is that clone… smiling?'
Far across the field, Sabuko smirked.
'He fell for it.'
"You were right, Bolo-sensei. That kunai was a shadow clone. You dealt with him. Brilliantly done."
"Now then,"
His eyes seemed to glow as he folded his arms and raised his chin.
"…What will you do about the second one?"
'SECOND?!' Bolo whipped his head around. 'There IS no second!'
"…!!!"
Too late.
To his side, right beside his hip, The kunai's handle wrap fluttered in the breeze…
…as it morphed into another Sabuko.
'WHAT!?'
--- AT THE HOKAGE'S OFFICE ---
"HOOOH…!"
The Hokage leaned in over the crystal ball, a grin spreading across his face.
"To think I'd see Shadow Clone and Transformation Jutsu used like that…!"
"I'm impressed...!"
---------------------------------------------------
'The kunai's handle wrap… it was another clone!?' Bolo's eyes widened as the second Sabuko slipped into his blind spot.
'I MESSED UP…! I'll be stabbed!'
But the clone didn't attack.
Instead, it reached at the two silver bells attached to Bolo's belt...
…and snatched them after a quick poke to Bolo's ribs. He then rolled away, and stood triumphantly with the two bells in his hand.
"DUUUUUUMBASS. Like I'd risk my life stabbing a Jōnin." He mocked.
"I won, Bolognese." Sabuko smirked, waving the two bells in front of him.
Bolo stood frozen. His expression unreadable.
"...?" Sabuko tilted his head.
A few seconds passed.
Then; a quiet click of the tongue.
Suddenly, Bolo launched forward faster than Sabuko's eyes could register, and threw a punch with every ounce of power in his body.
"..!!" Sabuko's eyes widened. He only caught the last frame—
—just before the punch was halted inches from his face.
By none other than...
"You were really about to drive that in..." came a calm voice.
It was Kakashi.
"...Bolo-sensei. Over a few snide remarks?" Kakashi's grip locked around his wrist.
'Shit... I guess I took it too far with the Italian dish.' Sabuko thought, glancing at the fury still burning in Bolo's eyes before he registered Kakashi's presence.
"But... Kakashi-senpai, that brat—!"
"Enough," Kakashi cut in. "You're in no state to argue. Cool off. We'll discuss this with the Hokage later."
Bolo shot Sabuko one final glare before Kakashi let go of his wrist. Without another word, Bolo walked off, passing the clone that still held the bells.
"And you," Kakashi turned to Sabuko, "As justified as your reasons might be, pissing off your superior Jōnin isn't the smartest move." His tone was calm, hands on hips, expression unreadable.
"You'd have been out cold with a broken nose if that had hit you. You know that?"
'Holy shit... It's actually Kakashi.'
"Y-yeah… but it wasn't going to hit me." Sabuko said, exhaling.
"..." Kakashi sighed. "You're putting a lot of faith in me, considering how hard you trashed Jōnin earlier."
'But OF COURSE he eavesdropped.' Sabuko deadpanned.
"Oh, no. Even if you hadn't stepped in, I wouldn't have been injured. And for the record, I never trashed you. I just stated facts."
A beat.
"Okay, I trashed you a little bit." Sabuko admitted, deadpan, "I'm sorry. But I meant every word."
Kakashi narrowed his eye, tilting his head slightly.
'... What kind of apology is that...' Kakashi sighed.
"Right… sure. So tell me... how exactly are you so sure you wouldn't have been hit? You developed some forbidden Taijutsu while no one was looking?"
"No," Sabuko said.
"It's just that I'm not the original."
"..!!"
POOF.
'No way…' Kakashi stared as the shadow clone vanished into smoke. He slowly turned toward the real Sabuko—walking up casually, the bells he snatched earlier in hand.
'He was the Kunai's handle wrap the whole time!?'
"Since Shadow Clones last indefinitely if they're undisturbed or not burning chakra, I made two clones six hours ago." He said, giving the bells a twirl.
"I then refilled my own chakra via resting, then disguised myself as the Kunai's handle wrap. The second clone transformed into the Kunai, and the third clone carried both of us." Sabuko continued, tossing the bells to Kakashi. With him lazily catching them.
"I fed the Kunai clone chakra from the inside when needed to keep it going longer. The clone that carried us touched me for a miniscule resupply every now and then."
Kakashi looked at Sabuko a beat too long.
"Using Shadow Clone jutsu like that is dangerous," Kakashi said, "And this... This was something that wasn't sure to work on a Jonin. It was—"
"It was a gamble, sure. But I had to plan for my weak Taijutsu."
"…"
Kakashi's visible eye widened.
'No inherited techniques. No renowned bloodline. Subpar taijutsu. And yet… he outsmarted two Jōnin using nothing but Transformation and a forbidden Shadow Clone.'
'That… is just hella impressive.' He pursed his unseen lips.
"Sorry," Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head. "What's your name again?"
"Sabuko Kanto, sir."
"Sir, huh..." Kakashi muttered. "So you don't have a problem with authority."
"...?" Sabuko tilted his head slightly. "I don't think I ever said I did."
Kakashi stared at him for a moment, then gave a low-effort chuckle.
"I guess you didn't." He looked away, just slightly.
'I might actually like this kid.'