Elsewhere, Kakashi quickly approached the spot where Nagi had been.
"What the…?"
Kakashi instantly recognized him at first glance.
There was no enemy here as he had feared—just an ordinary kid.
By now, Nagi had already mastered Wood Release techniques and was calmly suppressing his chakra.
Just as Kakashi began to wonder if his sensory skills had malfunctioned… Nagi suddenly turned and looked straight toward his hidden location.
"No way…"
A thought flashed through Kakashi's mind—had he been discovered?
That couldn't be. As an elite jōnin of the Anbu, Kakashi's concealment skills were beyond reproach.
"Must be a coincidence."
Trying to shake the thought off, Kakashi stepped out of hiding.
"You're Nagi, right? From the graduating class?"
"I remember you."
Kakashi looked at the handsome kid before him—so good-looking it was almost annoying.
Even though he was still young, the cool charisma in his eyes already hinted at a striking presence. His gaze was sharp as frost.
It was hard to imagine that someone like this was supposedly dead last in class, just like Naruto.
"Yes, that's me."
Nagi didn't try to hide anything.
His identity in the village was completely legitimate: an orphan, whose parents had died for Konoha in the Shinobi World War.
So he had no fear of Kakashi suspecting anything unusual.
"I think the placement exams are coming up. You probably shouldn't be wandering around out here."
Kakashi never imagined he'd one day be the one urging others to study harder.
Maybe it was just that Nagi really was that good-looking.
Sometimes, looks alone really could change everything.
If it had been a random kid here, Kakashi might've just said a few words and left.
But seeing that it was Nagi, he genuinely hoped the boy would put in the effort.
"Okay."
Nagi simply nodded.
You couldn't tell from his expression whether he actually cared about what Kakashi said.
"That chakra just now... I definitely didn't imagine it. It came from right here."
While Kakashi was still processing things, he turned back—only to find Nagi had vanished.
"What?!"
Kakashi nearly blurted it out loud. When had Nagi disappeared? He hadn't sensed a thing.
It was just a brief moment of distraction, and then—gone.
"Could that chakra earlier… really have come from Nagi?"
The thought surged again.
"No way. No way!"
Kakashi shook his head, trying to shut down the idea.
Nagi was just a kid. How could a kid possibly possess chakra that powerful?
After Nagi left, Kakashi didn't waste a second. He headed straight for the Hokage's office.
"Kakashi, is that you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a warm smile as he saw Kakashi arrive.
He asked about the mission status casually.
But it was obvious Kakashi was distracted. He barely gave a vague summary of the mission.
When it came to what had happened on the eastern slope of Konoha, however, Kakashi hesitated.
"You seem… uneasy," Hiruzen observed.
A Hokage might not know everything, but reading people? That was second nature.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Kakashi finally reported what had happened on his way back.
As Hiruzen listened, his brows gradually furrowed.
"You're saying… you sensed chakra on par with the First Hokage's, and the person it came from is just a genin?"
Hiruzen had to wonder if Kakashi had hit his head during the mission.
Well—he put it more politely than that.
"Kakashi, I know what happened with Obito and Rin left deep scars on you. Maybe you're still seeing things."
"Let me give you a few days off, in the name of the Hokage. Get some rest."
Hiruzen, as Kakashi's superior, offered kindly.
But Kakashi grew anxious.
"Lord Hokage, you don't believe me either?"
He desperately wanted to prove he was telling the truth.
He had sensed that chakra. It was on par with the First Hokage's. And when he arrived—only Nagi had been there.
Why did it all feel like some fantasy when he put the facts together?
"Kakashi, I think you know—Nagi's parents were both chūnin."
"They died in the war. He's the son of heroes."
Hiruzen spoke thoughtfully. He remembered Nagi well.
A boy in the graduating class who was very popular among the girls.
Someone like that… claiming he had chakra comparable to the First Hokage?
Hiruzen didn't believe it.
"I understand."
Kakashi eventually nodded. He knew that everything he'd said was based on speculation.
He hadn't actually seen anything with his own eyes.
"Don't worry, Kakashi. Take some time off."
"And when the time's right… maybe you can finally consider that assignment."
Hiruzen gave Kakashi an official leave, hoping this time would help him finally step out of the shadows of the past.
"You can use the upcoming placement exams to ease back in."
"Understood."
With nothing more to say, Kakashi left—frustrated and unconvinced.
[End of Chapter]