The weeks following that conversation in the hospital were a whirlwind of frantic activity. The clock was ticking relentlessly toward the Chūnin Exams, and Kenji had no intention of arriving unprepared. Or without his two teammates ready for what lay ahead.
The problem was that Guy, his unofficial mentor, was completely absorbed in training his beloved team. Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten were consuming every minute of his time as they prepared for the big event. Kenji couldn't count on him.
Good, he thought. Better. Fewer eyes watching.
The weeks following that conversation in the hospital were a whirlwind of frantic activity. The clock was ticking relentlessly toward the Chūnin Exams, and Kenji had no intention of arriving unprepared. Or without his two teammates ready for what lay ahead.
The problem was that Guy, his unofficial mentor, was completely absorbed in training his beloved team. Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten consumed every minute of his time as they prepared for the big event. Kenji couldn't count on him.
Good, he thought. Better. Fewer eyes watching.
The three of them met at dawn in a secluded clearing in the forest, far from prying eyes. On the first day, Kenji took out three small pieces of special paper he had "acquired" from the Academy's supplies weeks earlier.
"Elemental Affinity Test," he explained, handing one piece of paper to each of them. "Focus your chakra on the paper. Just a little. The reaction will tell you your innate nature."
Daiki looked at the paper curiously, closed his eyes with exaggerated concentration, and channeled his chakra. The paper in his hand immediately crumpled, hardening and becoming brittle like dry clay.
"It turned to stone!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Is that good?"
"Earth," Kenji confirmed, nodding. "Your affinity is Earth Release. It makes sense with your style of brute strength and endurance."
Hana took her paper more delicately. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and channeled her chakra. The paper quickly became damp, soaking through, water dripping between her fingers.
"Water Release," Kenji said. "Water Release. For an agile and strategic kunoichi, it's an excellent combination."
Hana smiled, observing the soaked paper with a mixture of pride and curiosity. "Will I be able to do techniques like that ninja from Takigakure?"
"Better," Kenji assured him. "But it will take time."
Then, he took his own piece of paper. Without activating his Sharingan, without any special gesture, he simply channeled his chakra. The paper crackled, smoked, and suddenly burst into a small flame that was consumed in seconds, leaving only ashes falling between his fingers.
"Fire," Daiki murmured. "As expected of an Uch..."
He fell silent, instinctively looking around. Hana also checked that they were alone.
"Yes," Kenji confirmed, crushing the ashes with his foot. "Fire Release. Our heritage."
The following days were brutal. Kenji designed a training regimen that combined the best of his knowledge of the canon, his experience in the Yakuza (discipline, pain tolerance, lethal teamwork), and the basic teachings he had absorbed from Guy.
For Daiki: Extreme strength exercises combined with basic Earth Release techniques. He learned to partially harden his skin with earth to block attacks and to create small trenches and walls to control the battlefield. His previously chaotic fighting style began to be channeled into brutal but calculated attacks.
For Hana: Agility and precision training combined with basic Water Release techniques. She learned to create small spheres of water to distract, to dampen the ground to hinder enemy movement, and to combine her genjutsu with the reflection of water to make them harder to dispel.
For himself: Kenji divided his training. On one hand, he perfected his Fire Release, achieving a more stable and controlled Great Water Release Technique. On the other hand, he worked on his taijutsu, integrating Guy's lessons with the street brutality of his past life. And in his darkest moments, when he was alone, he activated his Sharingan and practiced to exhaustion, honing his ability to predict movements and see the flow of chakra.
An incident occurred at dusk on the fifth day.
They were practicing hand-to-hand combat. Daiki and Hana against Kenji. The objective: for them to learn to work as a team against a superior opponent.
Daiki charged with his boar-like charge, forcing Kenji to dodge to the left. Right where Hana was waiting, launching a spinning kick toward his head. Kenji ducked, the kick whizzed past him, and on the upward movement, his hand caught Hana's ankle to throw her off balance.
But Hana, instead of falling, used the momentum to spin and throw a kick with her other leg. The movement was quick, surprising. Kenji released his ankle and leaned back to dodge, but the edge of his sandal caught a root.
He lost his balance.
He fell backward, and in a reflex movement, his hand reached for support... and found Hana's waist, pulling her down with him.
They landed on the soft forest floor in a position that, to any outside observer, would have looked like something out of a low-budget romantic drama: Kenji on his back, Hana literally on top of him, their faces inches apart, his hands on her waist, hers resting on his chest.
The silence was absolute.
Hana's light blue eyes widened. In a matter of seconds, her cheeks went from a soft pink to a deep red that rivaled the Sharingan. She opened her mouth to say something, but only a small squeak escaped.
Kenji, for his part, processed the situation with his usual cool demeanor. Physical contact. Compromising position. Hana, blushing furiously. Daiki, watching with a stupid grin. Assessment: awkward. Protocol: resolve efficiently.
"Are you going to get up?" he asked, in his most subdued tone.
Hana reacted as if she'd been electrocuted. She jumped back, taking two steps behind her and crossing her arms protectively over her chest. "I... you... it was an accident! It doesn't mean anything! Nothing!"
Daiki burst into laughter so loud that the nearby birds took flight. "Your face looks like a tomato, Hana! A blue tomato!"
"Shut up, Daiki, or I'll turn you into a clay statue!"
Kenji stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes with complete indifference. "Good reflexes, Hana. The counterattack with the second leg was unexpected. We'll incorporate it into training."
Hana stared at him, incredulous. "Is that all you're going to say? After... after what happened a moment ago?"
Kenji looked at her, genuinely confused for a moment. Then he remembered that he was a teenager in a teenager's body, with all the hormones and sensitivities that entailed. Something his thirty-something mind often forgot.
"It was a training accident," he said, his tone slightly softer. "Don't dwell on it."
Hana stared at him, her cheeks still flushed, but something in her eyes shifted. She quickly looked away.
Daiki was still chuckling, earning a murderous glare from Hana that silenced him immediately.
Hours later, as the sun dipped behind the trees, the three walked through the streets of Konoha. The day's training was over, and Daiki's stomach was growling like an earthquake.
"I need food," he complained, doubled over. "Meat. Lots of meat."
Hana rolled her eyes. "You always need food."
"So do you! But you order weird stuff, like seaweed and vegetables. Who eats vegetables after training?"
Kenji ignored them, his mind mentally reviewing the resources they would need for their escape. Money. Supplies. Escape routes. Forged documents, if possible. Everything had to be ready before the exam.
It was then that they passed a small shop with a red awning and an irresistible aroma of pork broth and noodles.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Kenji stopped. In the anime, Naruto was a regular at this place. Almost a living monument. I hadn't really expected to find him there, but...
"Hey," he said, gesturing toward the place. "Let's eat here."
Two minutes later, they were seated at the counter, ordering their respective dishes. And then, Kenji saw him.
At the far end of the counter, with a giant bowl in front of him and an expression of absolute ecstasy on his face, a blond-haired boy in bright orange clothes was devouring noodles like there was no tomorrow.
"Mmm! The best ramen in the world! I love you, old man Teuchi!" he exclaimed between bites, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's.
Uzumaki Naruto.
The old man behind the counter, Teuchi, smiled warmly. "Always so enthusiastic, Naruto. You get an extra egg for your energy today."
"YES!"
Naruto looked up for a moment, his blue eyes briefly meeting Kenji's. He blinked, and a spark of recognition flashed across his face. "Hey! You're the cat guy! The one who helped me with Tora, right?"
Kenji nodded, a small (genuine, to his own surprise) smile playing on his lips. "That's right. Kaito."
"Kaito!" Naruto spun around in his seat, completely disregarding basic bar etiquette. "How have you been? Are you a genin yet? Have you done any cool missions? Have you met anyone famous?"
Hana and Daiki watched the scene with curiosity. The kid was... intense.
"Genin, yeah," Kenji replied. "Missions... a few. And you, from what I hear, went to the Land of Waves. A real mission, huh?"
Naruto's eyes lit up like headlights. "YES! It was amazing! Well, amazing and terrifying and... there was a guy with a giant sword and mist and Sasuke almost died and I almost died and Sakura almost died and Kakashi-sensei almost died and..." He took a breath. "But we survived! And now I'm stronger!"
Hana giggled at his boundless enthusiasm. "You're... pretty energetic, aren't you?"
Naruto glanced at her, noticing her for the first time. "Of course! Energy is what makes a great ninja, isn't it?" Then he looked at Daiki, who had already finished his first plate and was ordering a second. "And you eat like me. I like you!"
Daiki smiled with his mouth full. "Gmmmf."
The conversation flowed strangely naturally. Naruto was an unstoppable torrent of words, jumping from one topic to another with no apparent connection, but his warmth was contagious. Hana ended up laughing at some of his absurd stories. Daiki competed with him in noodle-eating speed (they tied). And Kenji... Kenji watched.
He watched the boy who would be the savior of the world, the demon's vessel, the future hero. But he also saw the solitary boy who, despite everything, radiated a light that drew people in. Even he, a cynical reincarnated yakuza, felt... something.
What a shame, he thought.That he has to go through what's coming.
As they stood up to leave, Naruto stopped them for a moment. His face, for an instant, lost its goofy expression and became more serious.
"Hey, Kaito. Thanks for the cat thing. And for... what you told me before I left. About thinking before I act like a madman." He smiled, a wide but genuine smile. "It helped. A little. Sometimes. Well, Kakashi-sensei says I'm still an idiot, but... less of an idiot than before! That counts, right?"
Kenji nodded slowly. "It does."
Naruto nodded, satisfied, and waved goodbye with an exaggerated gesture before disappearing into the night with his characteristic skip.
As they walked back, Hana commented, "He's... peculiar. But he seems like a good person."
"He has a huge heart," said Daiki, scratching his head. "And he eats like a champ. I like him."
Kenji said nothing. But in his mind, another piece on the chessboard had moved. Naruto Uzumaki. The Jinchūriki. An unpredictable variable in the chaos to come. Perhaps... perhaps he could be more than that.
But that's for later, he reminded himself. First, he had to survive the exam.
The clock kept ticking. And the storm would soon break.