The next day, Konoha
"Is this another day of free training without any missions, Teacher Kakashi?" At the assembly point, Ishikawa yawned lazily as he looked at Kakashi, who arrived in his usual leisurely and tardy manner.
"If we had known, we would have come later! We were running around all day yesterday—our backs and legs are still sore," Taro chimed in with a weary expression, causing Jiro to nod repeatedly beside him.
The frustration from yesterday had mostly faded, especially after Brother Ishikawa gave them their share of the reward money that morning!
Although to be fair, that was what they rightfully earned.
"Well, since you're all so tired, take a five-day break. There probably won't be any missions during that time anyway, so use the opportunity to continue practicing the ninjutsu I taught you," Kakashi said indifferently, stopping mid-step. "By the way, anyone who has questions about their training can ask now."
"I have a question!"
"Me too, Kakashi-sensei!"
Taro and Jiro rushed forward eagerly, both complaining that with their ordinary talents, they still couldn't fully master the C-rank ninjutsu they were practicing.
Now that their lazy teacher had actually offered help, they weren't about to waste the opportunity.
'You didn't even come ask me for advice. Are you that confident?' Kakashi handled their questions half-heartedly while secretly eyeing Ishikawa with some surprise.
He had spoken mainly for Ishikawa's sake.
"I still have training to do, so I won't trouble Teacher Kakashi!" Ishikawa responded casually, unaware of Kakashi's intent, before turning and walking away.
He already had the Earth-style Wall experience scroll from young Kakashi, so getting guidance now would be redundant.
Better to maintain the image of a self-made genius from humble beginnings. That way, both Kakashi and the Third Hokage would recognize his value and treat him seriously!
'Is this confidence or arrogance?' Watching Ishikawa's departing figure, Kakashi's eyes flashed with a trace of disappointment.
If Ishikawa's talent didn't live up to his attitude, then perhaps his future would be limited to that of a special Jonin...
Unaware of Kakashi's internal judgment, Ishikawa quickly arrived at a quiet training ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall..." After swiftly completing the seals, he pressed his palms to the ground and called out in a deep voice.
Immediately, he poured his chakra into the earth, following the steps he'd read in Kakashi's scroll. In the blink of an eye, a sturdy wall of earth rose up in front of him.
Ishikawa's eyes lit up in surprise—the carved dog head at the center of the wall looked surprisingly familiar and even... kind of cute.
"It's a pity that it's a bit small, thin, and ugly. Otherwise, it might actually be intimidating!"
After inspecting it more closely, Ishikawa shook his head slightly in regret.
Even though this Earth-style Wall was a massive improvement compared to his last attempt, it still wasn't stable or powerful enough for actual combat.
"I've still got a lot of work to do!" He dropped to the ground, leaned against a nearby tree, and gazed at the blue sky and drifting clouds, trying to recover his chakra.
Although the Earth-Style Wall hadn't drained all his chakra, the cost was still substantial.
"Well, my hand seal speed also needs work. I'm still way slower than Kakashi with those same three-hand signs..." Ishikawa's quiet self-reflection echoed under the shade of the tree.
---
While Ishikawa trained diligently, Nohara Rin—on the other side of the dimensional connection—also brought in a sofa and a water ball, officially settling into her space.
Later that evening, as the Time-Space link activated, Ishikawa saw Nohara Rin, fully prepared and clearly giving her all.
"It looks like we both have to work hard!" The two exchanged a look and nodded before diving into their respective training routines.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a month slipped by...
During this period, Ishikawa's team completed one more D-rank mission and didn't receive any others.
The three of them focused solely on practicing ninjutsu and improving their chakra control techniques.
Taro and Jiro had already completed tree climbing, and water-walking, and mastered the Great Fireball and Water Wave techniques.
And Ishikawa himself naturally lived a far more fulfilling life.
During the day, he practiced ninjutsu and trained his hand seal speed. In the evening, he applied the medical ninjutsu knowledge that Nohara Rin had brought him, preparing for the Mystical Palm Jutsu.
At midnight, he connected to the Space-Time room for an hour, throwing himself into ninjutsu and taijutsu training with full intensity.
Although he didn't learn any new jutsu during this period, he had completely mastered the Earth-Style Wall and Thunderclap Arrow, using them with fluid ease.
His physical fitness and chakra reserves had also improved significantly, tempered through the use of the mysterious door handle.
While the increase in chakra from training wasn't massive, it still nearly doubled—now roughly 20% of Kakashi's total chakra.
And Nohara Rin had progressed even more dramatically!
Thanks to an entire month without missions, she successfully completed her Rasengan training, aided by Ishikawa's indirect guidance and subtle hints.
Like Naruto in the future, she was temporarily unable to form the Rasengan one-handed and needed a shadow clone's assistance to stabilize it.
But that didn't dampen her mood in the slightest. After all, even Kakashi and Obito hadn't learned Rasengan yet! Moreover, her physical stamina and chakra reserves had more than doubled.
Not only could she now unleash the Rasengan twice before reaching her limit, but her improved control made the Healing Jutsu much easier and more precise.
---
That day, in the Hokage's office—
"You've made up your mind, Kakashi?" Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen set down his pipe and exhaled a slow, heavy puff of smoke before asking. "This mission might accelerate their growth—but it could also destroy them. Can't we wait a little longer…?"
"Wait? Wait until when?" Kakashi replied flatly, his tone unwavering. A flicker of emotion passed through his eye. "Whether it's now or later, that wall must be climbed. Instead of wasting time, it's better to face it head-on."
"If they really break from this," he added, "then that only proves their limits have already been reached."
"…I see. I understand."
Seeing that Kakashi's mind was set, the Third Hokage nodded and handed over the mission scroll.
"Even so, I want those three to come back alive. Kakashi… I don't care what method you use—nothing must happen to those children." Just as Kakashi turned to leave, Hiruzen's voice deepened with rare seriousness.
"Of course. They're students I acknowledge." Kakashi paused in the doorway, then walked out without looking back.
As he watched Kakashi's silhouette disappear down the hall, the Third Hokage took another puff from his pipe and let the smoke linger in the air, a subtle smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Kakashi was finally beginning to act like a true teacher—gradually stepping out of the darkness in his heart. But precisely because of that… those three kids must not be harmed.
At Class Seven's assembly point—
"A C-rank mission to suppress bandits? Teacher Kakashi, are you sure you didn't accept the wrong mission?" Ishikawa's expression changed slightly as he looked at Kakashi in disbelief.
How had they been assigned a C-rank mission so suddenly? And one as violent as suppressing bandits? This wasn't typical for a rookie Genin team!
But Kakashi nodded calmly to confirm, then narrowed his left eye, "What's wrong? Are you scared?"
"Scared? Not a chance. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a mistake," Ishikawa answered firmly. Afraid? As if!
"That's right! We're not afraid at all. This is our first mission outside the village—we'll complete it no matter what!"
"Yeah! We're eliminating bandits and punishing evil. That's way cooler than those boring D-rank chores!"
Taro and Jiro both swallowed hard but raised their voices to match their enthusiasm—clearly trying to mask their nervousness about actually taking lives.
"Good. Go home and prepare now. Meet me at the village gate in thirty minutes." Kakashi gave them a meaningful glance, then disappeared in an instant.