Chapter 14 - Return to Konohagakure
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Now, Kakashi was itching to find out who was stronger this year: him or Mi Blade. Spoiler alert: it was probably going to be Mi Blade, because this kid was practically a ninja superhero, complete with a cape made of sheer willpower.
Mi Blade quipped, “My dad must be living the high life, drinking tea and playing shogi all day!”
He could almost visualize Sakumo lounging in a recliner, wearing a fluffy bathrobe, and sipping tea while effortlessly crushing his opponents in shogi, blissfully unaware of the ninja chaos swirling outside like a tornado of mayhem.
The image made Mi Blade chuckle—now that was the kind of life he could get behind!
“Okay, Let me introduce you to my team!” Mi Blade announced with the enthusiasm of a kid showing off his brand-new puppy, complete with a wagging tail and all the excitement in the world.
He led Kakashi on an epic quest to meet his team, who were eagerly waiting like they were about to witness a ninja showdown.
“This is my brother, Kakashi Hatake,” Mi Blade said, gesturing dramatically as if he were unveiling a famous painting.
“Nice to meet you,” Kakashi said, attempting to sound cool, which is as challenging as trying to look casual while slipping on a banana peel—awkwardness incarnate.
“Hey, I’m Shinobu Uekawa Kinoshita!” Kamikawaki declared with all the intensity of a ninja preparing for battle. But he wasn’t too pleased with Mi Blade’s lackluster introduction. Seriously, did it have to be so dramatic?
“Was I really that fierce?” he thought, flexing his nonexistent muscles and trying to channel his inner ninja warrior.
“Hi, Kakashi!” Uchiha Yu chirped, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “I heard a lot about you!”
“Yeah, I’m famous and stuff,” Kakashi replied, desperately trying to maintain his air of mystery while sweating like a ninja in a hot spring—definitely not the vibe he was going for.
Mi Blade couldn’t help but beam with pride. “Sister Yu is a Chunin! She always takes care of me,” he said, puffing out his chest like a proud rooster showing off his feathers.
“Thanks for looking out for him,” Kakashi said, trying to project his brotherly dignity, which was quickly slipping away like sand through his fingers.
“Anytime, Kakashi-kun! But I’d love to compare strengths someday!” Uchiha Yu replied, her competitive spirit flaring up like a freshly ignited fire jutsu.
“Bring it on!” Kakashi shot back, trying to sound tough, though he was beginning to question whether he was in a friendly spar or a scene from a romantic comedy.
As they were chatting, Kakashi waved over his teammates—two girls who looked like they just stepped out of a fashion magazine, all poised and glamorous, as if the world were their runway.
One had a pair of Byakugan that seemed to say, “I can see your future, and it involves me being fabulously dressed.”
“Uh… this is my brother, Mi Blade. And these are my teammates, Uchiha Yu and Uekawa Ki-kun,” Miblade stammered, feeling the weight of a thousand awkward moments crashing down on him like an avalanche.
“Hi! I’m Mishii!” the pretty girl exclaimed, practically swooning over Kakashi as if he were a pop star.
“Hyuga Rin!” The other one introduced herself with a serious face, as if she were announcing a new top-secret ninja technique.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yu and Hyuga Rin exchanged glances that sparked like a ninja battle, tension thick enough to cut with a kunai and ready to ignite at any moment.
“Uh-oh, girls in combat mode,” Mi Blade thought, sensing the impending drama that was brewing like a storm cloud on the horizon.
Kakashi shot a desperate look at Mi Blade, silently pleading for help, which Mi Blade interpreted as,
“Get me out of this mess before I start sweating like I’m in a hot spring again!”
He quickly pulled Uchiha Yu aside. “Sister Yu, can you get me some dango later?” he asked, his voice dripping with urgency.
“Sure thing!” she replied, relieved to be out of the girl fight.
On the other side, Kakashi wiped the sweat from his brow as Mishi tugged at his shirt, her eyes sparkling like the latest ninja gadget.
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“Kakashi-san, let’s go get dango together!”
“Uh, sorry, Mishi, but I need to report back to my dad first,” he said, trying to sound responsible while internally screaming,
“Why is this happening? Is this what ninja life is really like?”
“Then promise me you’ll come back to eat dango!” she beamed, hope shining in her eyes like a ninja’s jutsu, leaving Kakashi wondering if he had just stepped into a dating simulator instead of a ninja reunion.
Kakashi and Kamikawaki exchanged glances, each thinking, “I’m still a kid! I’m not ready for this!” It was the kind of moment that screamed mid-life crisis, even though they were still in their teenage years.
Kamikawaki sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes as if they were about to burst from their sockets. “Why can’t you see me as an adult? I’m practically a ninja warrior!” he protested, puffing out his chest like a bird trying to impress its mate.
And so, the stage was set for more ninja antics, awkward moments, and a whole lot of dango—because what’s a ninja adventure without delicious snacks?
As they reached the entrance of Konoha Village, Kamikawaki had imagined a grand spectacle: gongs, drums, firecrackers, and a crowd throwing confetti like it was a festival. Instead, it was as quiet as a ninja hiding from a cat, which, ironically, was a more common threat in their world.
Saki and Watanabe Junichi led their teams toward the Hokage Building like it was a school field trip—complete with half-hearted enthusiasm and the occasional distracted stare.
Meanwhile, the remaining six stood around awkwardly, waiting for someone to make the first move, like a game of ninja charades gone terribly wrong.
After what felt like an eternity—definitely longer than a ninja’s average attention span—the two upper ninjas emerged, looking far too serious for the occasion. Saki cleared her throat dramatically, as if about to deliver the world’s most riveting talk show.
“Next, I announce that Saki’s team is officially disbanded! You can all go home and rest!” she proclaimed, throwing her hands up like a referee calling a match.
“YES!” Mi Blade cheered, practically doing a victory dance right there on the spot, his joy only slightly muffled by the awkward silence around him.
“But hold on! Mi Blade and Kakashi, you two are still here! Lord Hokage has something to discuss with you!” Saki added, her tone suddenly ominous, like a storm cloud rolling in over a sunny picnic.
“What? Why us?” Mi Blade groaned, his heart sinking faster than a ninja falling into a pit trap. “What did we do? Did we forget to water the plants or something?”
Kakashi shook his head, looking just as bewildered. “I don’t know, but I feel like we’re about to get detention or something—like we missed a homework assignment.”
“Brother Yu, you go back first. Your plans have changed,” Mi Blade called out, trying to sound brave while his insides twisted like a pretzel.
“I’ll treat you to tri-colored balls later, I promise!”
“Good luck!” Yu replied, bolting away like a ninja escaping a surprise pop quiz, his laughter echoing in the distance.
As they entered the Hokage Building, Mi Blade muttered under his breath, “I swear, if this is another boring lecture about the importance of ninja etiquette…” The words hung in the air like a bad jutsu waiting to explode.
The Anbu guard at the door knocked and let them in, revealing a scene straight out of a drama series: Hokage Sarutobi was sitting behind his desk, looking all wise and sage-like, while their teacher, Orochimaru, appeared to have just come back from an intense shopping spree at the “Evil Genius R Us” store, complete with an ominous new outfit.
“Hokage-sama!” they said in unison, but it came out sounding more like a nervous chant, akin to two frightened students in front of a strict teacher.
“Ah, my favorite twin stars have returned!” Sarutobi Hiruzen beamed, though it looked a bit like he was trying too hard, like a clown at a children’s party.
“I trust your missions were... thrilling?”
“Thrilling? More like exhausting,” Mi Blade replied, rolling his eyes so hard he nearly saw the back of his skull.
“Can we go home now? I have a date with my bed, and I intend to make it romantic.”
“I can assure you, I am not here to bore you with paperwork,” Orochimaru chimed in, sporting a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, which were suspiciously glittery like a kid with a sugar rush.
“I’m actually quite pleased with you both.”
“Wait, are we in trouble or getting rewarded?” Kakashi asked, squinting suspiciously as if he were staring down an enemy jutsu, trying to decipher the hidden meanings behind the old ninja’s words.
Sarutobi leaned forward with all the gravitas of a ninja about to reveal his ultimate technique, eyes twinkling like he had just unearthed a secret treasure.
“I have good news! After reviewing your performance, the village executives and I have decided to promote you both to Chunin!”
The words hung in the air like the scent of fresh ramen, and for a moment, it felt like time itself had paused, allowing them to process the sudden influx of happiness.
“What? Seriously?” Mi Blade shouted, his voice cracking like a cheap record player as the news hit him like a rogue shuriken.
“This is a survival thing, right? Like a ninja game show?”
“Wait, don’t we have to take an exam or something?” Kakashi asked, his eyes bulging like a startled deer in headlights. “I didn’t study! I don’t even have my #2 pencil!”
“Exams? We don’t have time for that!” Sarutobi waved a hand dismissively like he was shooing away a pesky mosquito.
“We figured you’ve survived a whole year in the field; that’s good enough! Besides, who wants to watch a bunch of kids sit in a stuffy test room with pencils? Boring!”
Mi Blade was still in shock, mouth hanging open like a fish out of water. “So... we just get a promotion because we made it back without losing any limbs? I mean, I still have all my fingers! And toes! And other things!”
“Exactly!” Orochimaru said with a smirk that looked like a cat who just found a new batch of laser pointers. He was clearly reveling in their bewilderment.
“Now you’re officially recognized ninjas! Just don’t go telling your friends they can skip the exams; that would be chaos! We can’t have a village full of ninjas thinking they can just waltz in and get promoted like it’s a game of ninja bingo.”
Kakashi stared at Mi Blade, who looked equally dumbfounded, as if they had both just stumbled upon a giant pile of dango. “Well, at least we won’t have to worry about cramming for a test,” Kakashi said, finally allowing a smile to creep onto his face like a ninja slipping through the shadows.
“Yup, just a promotion without the hassle. Now that’s the kind of ninja life I can get behind!” Mi Blade declared, puffing out his chest as if he had just won a battle against a hundred rogue ninjas.
He raised his hand, ready to high-five Kakashi, who was still trying to wrap his head around the idea of being a Chunin without a single study session.
“Alright, Chunin! Now, let’s go eat! I’m starving!” Mi Blade yelled, bolting out of the office like a kid on Christmas morning, with Kakashi reluctantly following, still caught in a whirlwind of disbelief.
“Wait, does this mean I have to start being responsible now?” Kakashi called after him, his voice tinged with panic, but Mi Blade was already dreaming of the glorious dango they were about to devour, completely oblivious to his brother’s existential crisis.
As they raced toward the exit, Mi Blade threw open the door with the enthusiasm of a ninja revealing a hidden treasure. “First stop: dango! Then, who knows? Maybe we’ll go save the world again, but only after we’ve eaten!”
Kakashi sighed, shaking his head with a mixture of amusement and resignation. “I guess being a Chunin means learning to balance food and ninja responsibilities.
Who knew my life would take such a culinary turn?” And with that, they dashed off into the Konoha streets, laughter echoing behind them like a joyous jutsu.
Most ninjas need to jump through more hoops than a circus animal to become Chunin, facing rigorous assessments that would make even the bravest Genin break into a sweat.
But then there are those few ridiculously talented ones who simply saunter up to the Hokage, and the leaders just look at them and say,
“Eh, closee nough!” and promote them on the spot. It’s like scoring an A on a test without even showing up—talk about a sweet deal!