Hokage Building.
Inside the Hokage's office.
Namikaze Minato, having just returned from a mission, was kneeling on one knee before Sarutobi Hiruzen, calmly delivering his report.
"…And that concludes the full account of the mission."
Minato fell silent and waited for the Third Hokage's response.
A few seconds passed.
Then a few more.
But no reply came.
Minato blinked in confusion and lifted his head slightly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was sitting there with his pipe in hand, staring off into the distance with a deeply troubled expression.
"Lord Third?" Minato raised his voice gently.
That seemed to pull Hiruzen back from whatever thought he'd been lost in.
"Oh… Minato…"
He took a slow draw from his pipe and released a long stream of smoke.
Minato frowned slightly. "Did something happen?"
With another sigh, Hiruzen tapped his finger lightly against the desk. "Here… take a look at this."
Minato stood, stepped forward, and glanced at the document lying atop the Hokage's desk.
A ninja file.
On the upper half was a photo — a white-haired boy, a mask covering the lower half of his face.
Below it, a list of personal data and mission records.
"Hatake Kakashi…?"
The moment Minato read the name, he understood why Hiruzen looked distressed.
He hadn't met Kakashi personally, but he had heard the rumors.
A ninja who followed the rules to the letter.
A "mission-first" shinobi who would prioritize objectives above teammates' lives.
Someone who, during missions, wouldn't hesitate to leave a wounded comrade if it meant completing the task.
Because of that, almost no one in the village wanted to team up with him.
"…I see."
Hiruzen sighed again, lowering his pipe. "Kakashi is a genius — undeniably."
"But for reasons I cannot fully understand, he enforces the rules far too rigidly. No matter which squad he joins, it leads to conflict."
"This is the seventeenth complaint filed against him."
He took another drag from his pipe, as if the smoke was the only thing holding the headache back.
As Minato listened to the Hokage describe Kakashi, the word "genius" triggered another memory.
A different figure flashed in his mind.
Yagami.
Another genius… though in a very different way.
A shinobi with incredible ability, yet oddly unmotivated when it came to missions or promotions.
With his power, he should have already been a Jōnin like Minato — but he wasn't.
Minato felt irritation surface. If that guy would just take missions seriously…
But Minato, of course, misunderstood him.
Yagami wasn't lazy.
He wasn't coasting on talent.
His Jōnin-level power came from relentless effort — the effort of an ordinary man pushing himself to extraordinary limits.
And the reason he avoided missions and refused early promotion?
He didn't want to draw the attention of Konoha's higher-ups before he had the strength to protect himself.
A reincarnator knew all too well: Konoha was not the peaceful village it appeared to be.
Shadows writhed behind the scenes — dangerous ones.
Minato stared at Kakashi's file a moment longer, then an idea struck him like lightning.
If Kakashi is the extreme "mission-first" type…
And Yagami is the complete opposite…
Why not put them together?
Opposites could balance each other.
One too strict, one too lax — together, they might stabilize.
The more Minato considered it, the more promising it seemed.
He bowed slightly. "Lord Third, I have a suggestion."
"Oh?" Hiruzen looked up.
"Since Kakashi is so rigid about missions… why not assign him under someone whose personality is the complete opposite?"
"A complete opposite…?" Hiruzen muttered, thinking.
But no Jōnin came to mind.
So he asked, "Who do you have in mind?"
"Yagami," Minato said plainly.
"… Yagami?" Hiruzen murmured, recalling the name. "But he's only a Chūnin."
Minato nodded without hesitation. "Yes. His rank is Chūnin, but his strength has already reached Jōnin level. He is more than capable of leading a squad."
Hiruzen blinked. "You're certain?"
"I performed a mission with him two years ago," Minato answered. "We exchanged blows on the way. If I hadn't used Flying Thunder God… I'm not confident I would have won."
"…Two years ago?"
Hiruzen's eyes widened.
Minato was one of the most gifted shinobi he had ever mentored — greater even than the famed Sannin at that age.
Yet two years ago, Yagami forced Minato to rely on Flying Thunder God?
At fifteen or sixteen?
A teenager with the power of a full Jōnin… that was unquestionably genius-level.
But after the shock faded, Hiruzen frowned.
If he's that talented, why has he made so little noise? Why hide it? What is his motive?
After several moments of fruitless thought, he gave up with a sigh.
"Very well. Since you recommended him, go call him here. If he is as capable as you say, then assigning Kakashi to him will not bury Kakashi's talent."
"Yes, Lord Third!"
Minato bowed, stepped to the door, and opened it.
Just then, he nearly bumped into Shimura Danzō.
Minato bowed politely and left.
Danzō strode in without so much as a knock.
"I heard everything," Danzō said in that familiar gravelly, displeased tone. "If such a genius exists in the village, it should have been reported immediately."
Hiruzen ignored the jab and instead called out into the shadows:
"Bring me Yagami's file."
A cold voice answered, "Yes."
An ANBU operatives emerged from the darkness, placed another dossier on Hiruzen's desk, and vanished.
Hiruzen opened it.
Yagami — Born in Konoha Year 24. Graduated from the Academy at age ten. Parents died on a mission the same year. Promoted to Chūnin at thirteen. At fourteen, encountered an enemy on a mission and guided a Jōnin to his death… Now eighteen years old.
Chakra nature: Wind.
Mission record: 43 D-rank, 45 C-rank, 36 B-rank, 3 A-rank.
Hiruzen's brow tightened.
A shinobi who had graduated nearly eight years ago… and had taken so few missions?
Barely a third of Minato's count from the same period.
Even stranger — after the incident involving the Jōnin's death, Yagami's missions sharply declined, and his file grew suspiciously thin.
Danzō leaned in to read. A slow, mocking smile crossed his lips.
"Hmph… interesting."
And his sarcastic voice echoed through the Hokage's office.
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