Kakashi's tone carried a rare edge of reproach.
Both Sasuke and Naruto immediately lowered their heads, their earlier pride vanishing like mist.
They had wanted to show off — to prove their progress to Kakashi and Arata.
Instead, they'd made fools of themselves… and in front of him, no less.
For a moment, the air hung awkwardly still — until Naruto suddenly jabbed a finger toward Arata.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! You taught Arata some crazy new jutsu, didn't you? The one he used just now to save me — I've never seen it before!"
Sasuke dusted off his clothes, saying nothing, but his eyes were fixed sharply on Arata.
He, too, wanted to know the truth.
If Kakashi had such a powerful technique… then maybe he could learn it as well.
Naruto's thoughts were simpler — and louder.
To him, this was proof that Kakashi was playing favorites.
He clenched his fists, his voice rising with frustration.
"You keep giving Arata special treatment! We're your students too!"
Kakashi sighed quietly, his patience thinning.
"You two haven't even mastered chakra control yet," he said. "How could I teach you advanced jutsu before that?"
"When your basics are solid, I'll start teaching you techniques — the same as Arata."
Sasuke gave a small, approving nod to himself.
So it really was something Kakashi taught him.
Naruto, however, wasn't convinced in the slightest.
"But I have mastered chakra control!" he insisted. "Starting tomorrow, teach me something awesome too!"
Kakashi shook his head.
"You've still got a long way to go."
That only made Naruto scowl harder.
"Then why can he learn new stuff already? We're your students, not him!"
Kakashi's single eye narrowed slightly.
"I already told you — your fundamentals aren't ready yet. And besides…"
He looked straight at Naruto.
"Arata is my student."
There was a weight in his voice this time — the kind that left no room for argument.
He didn't add the truth that hovered just behind it:
He's my most important student.
If not for the special circumstances surrounding Naruto and Sasuke — one the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, the other the last Uchiha heir — Kakashi would've chosen differently.
Naruto's shoulders stiffened. Even he could hear the seriousness in Kakashi's tone.
His protest died in his throat, replaced with a silent, simmering jealousy.
He didn't hate Arata. Not really.
But he did envy him — deeply.
Ever since Arata joined their missions, Kakashi seemed to focus more on him.
And for Naruto, whose heart was starved for approval, that cut deeper than he could admit.
Part of him whispered that it was because of the Nine-Tails sealed inside him — that Kakashi would always see him as a burden first, a student second.
He didn't realize that Sasuke and Sakura were treated no differently — they simply understood why.
Both of them knew Arata's strength.
They'd seen it with their own eyes when he fought Zabuza.
Arata wasn't just strong — he was beyond them.
If someone their age could fight on par with an elite jōnin, there were only two explanations:
either he was working ten times harder than they were, or his talent was something inhuman.
Sasuke refused to admit the latter. He preferred to believe Arata was simply more driven.
Sakura, on the other hand, had no such pride.
She truly believed Arata was both — brilliant and tireless.
Naruto, though, didn't see nuance.
To him, it was just favoritism.
Kakashi was one of the few high-level shinobi who didn't shun him for being the Nine-Tails' host — and his teacher besides.
So of course, Naruto wanted Kakashi's approval more than anything.
Strength didn't matter to him half as much as recognition.
Arata, meanwhile, rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
He could tell what Kakashi was trying to do — the older ninja's sharp tone was meant to shield him.
But it only made things worse.
Now Naruto looked even more resentful, and Arata could practically feel the misunderstanding deepening.
He sighed inwardly.
Sometimes Kakashi-sensei's timing is the worst…
Still, he held his tongue.
Anything he said now would only make things worse.
Kakashi glanced over the group, reading the tension clearly.
"Alright, that's enough for today. You've all trained hard. Go rest."
And with that, he vanished — leaving nothing but a faint shimmer of lightning in the night air.
Arata stared at the empty space where his teacher had been.
"…Really? He just leaves me to clean this up?"
He sighed again, exasperated.
'Handles the killing, leaves the burial to me,' huh? You're too irresponsible, Sensei.
Still, there was nothing for it.
"Come on," Arata said finally. "Let's head back."
He could've used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished in an instant — but that would've only made things worse.
So he walked.
Sakura quickly caught on to his attempt to diffuse the mood and nodded.
"Yeah, let's go. It's been a long day."
Among the four of them, she was the only one not tangled in the web of rivalry.
Both Naruto and Sasuke now saw Arata as their benchmark — the one they had to surpass.
Naruto, especially, clenched his fists as he followed behind.
I'll get stronger, he thought fiercely. Stronger than Arata. Then Kakashi-sensei will finally see I'm not a failure.
It was a simple, childish thought — but a sincere one.
Exactly the kind that belonged to a twelve-year-old chasing acknowledgment.
The forest was quiet as they walked, the night air filled only with the sounds of crickets and rustling leaves.
After a while, Sakura broke the silence, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
"You know, Sasuke and Naruto both worked really hard today. They mastered chakra control in just one afternoon."
She glanced sideways at Arata, curiosity bright in her eyes.
"So… what about you, Arata? What did you and Kakashi-sensei train on today?"
"I bet it was something amazing, right?"
Both Naruto and Sasuke, who had been lost in their own thoughts, immediately perked up — pretending not to care while definitely listening.
Arata shrugged.
"Just a few Water Release techniques."
"Water Release?" Sakura asked eagerly. "Are they really powerful?"
Arata's lips curved slightly as he noticed the two boys subtly tilting their heads his way.
"Water Release jutsu can only be so strong," he said casually.
Sakura blinked.
"What? They're not strong? But that one you used against Zabuza was incredible!"
"If he hadn't dodged, you would've beaten him right there!"
Arata smiled faintly.
"It missed, didn't it? Zabuza's an elite jōnin — same as Kakashi-sensei. Defeating someone like that isn't easy."
"If elite jōnin could be beaten that easily," he added, "villages wouldn't only have a dozen or so of them."
"Some hidden villages don't even have that many."
The explanation went straight over their heads, of course.
Sakura frowned.
"Still… you almost won. He ran away because he was afraid of you."
Arata chuckled softly, shaking his head.
He knew better — but he didn't correct her.
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