At the same age, if Sasuke were to learn about Orion's achievements tonight, he would definitely cling to him and beg to train together.
In Sakura's eyes, Orion had already surpassed Kakashi.
Even without direct comparison, Orion's overwhelming display of power made it feel obvious.
Yet Orion himself didn't think he could defeat Kakashi.
Kakashi was famous for being able to fight anyone on equal footing. Many shinobi with far more destructive techniques had still lost to him.
Orion understood one thing clearly—
Raw destructive power did not equal true strength.
Experience and battle IQ mattered just as much.
And in terms of combat intelligence, Kakashi was among the very best in the ninja world.
Compared to that, Orion lacked real battle experience—and he didn't think he could outthink Kakashi either.
Of course, this was Orion being overly cautious.
In reality, with his current strength, Kakashi would no longer be his match.
But Sakura didn't think that way.
She judged based on what she had seen.
And she had never seen Kakashi use anything remotely as large-scale or destructive as Orion's techniques.
Even Kakashi's Chidori was focused on single-target lethality—it couldn't compare in sheer scale.
So in her mind, Orion had already surpassed him.
Kakashi, however, smiled when he heard Orion speak modestly.
Seeing that Orion showed no arrogance, he felt relieved.
What he feared most was a young genius becoming unstable after gaining power.
But Orion remained grounded.
That was rare.
Even Kakashi himself had once become arrogant in his youth—
Back when Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara were still alive.
When they returned to Sakura and Naruto, Sakura looked at Sasuke—wrapped in bandages—and became worried.
"Orion, why is Sasuke so badly injured?"
Orion gently set Sasuke down.
"Don't worry. Just wounds from ninja tools and blood loss. Nothing life-threatening."
"He just needs time to recover."
Then Orion added thoughtfully,
"This actually reminds me… Sakura, you should consider learning medical ninjutsu."
"Naruto and Sasuke are both suited for combat roles."
"But your chakra control is better than theirs. You're not suited for frontline combat."
"Becoming a medical ninja would be far more valuable to your team."
He glanced at Kakashi.
"What do you think, Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi paused.
He had originally considered training Sakura in genjutsu.
But Orion's suggestion made sense.
Their team truly needed a medical ninja.
Back in his own team, Rin Nohara had filled that role.
Even performing advanced procedures like Sharingan transplantation.
Sakura clearly had the talent for it.
And the team needed it.
Sakura thought about it seriously.
Looking at Naruto and Sasuke, she nodded.
"…Yeah, that makes sense."
Kakashi followed up immediately.
"Then when we return to the village, I'll arrange for some medical ninja to teach you."
If he could invite Ebisu to train Naruto, finding medical instructors for Sakura would be easy.
Sakura accepted the idea.
She had wanted to grow as a combat ninja—
But she knew her limitations.
Her chakra control was excellent, but her reserves were far below Naruto and Sasuke.
And recently, their growth had left her behind.
Especially with Orion there—
The gap felt overwhelming.
So she made a decision.
If she couldn't shine in battle—
She would support the team instead.
Orion, however, knew something she didn't.
Sakura did have combat talent.
She just hadn't met the right teacher yet.
Someone like Tsunade.
But for now, learning medical ninjutsu was still the best path.
She could even combine it with genjutsu training under Kakashi.
That alone would make her a very capable ninja.
Sakura smiled at Orion.
"Then you better not make me angry in the future."
"When I learn medical ninjutsu, you'll be relying on me for treatment."
Orion blinked.
"But I'm not even part of your team…"
"Maybe you should tell Sasuke and Naruto that unfortunate news after they wake up."
He teased lightly.
Sakura pouted.
"What do you mean? You'll definitely keep joining us on missions."
"Kakashi-sensei is clearly biased—there's no way he'll let you go."
She turned and looked straight at Kakashi.
Kakashi froze slightly.
His thoughts had been exposed.
And yes—
Sakura was right.
He did intend to keep Orion by his side.
Not just to train him—
But to protect him.
He didn't fully trust that Hiruzen Sarutobi or Danzo Shimura wouldn't act against Orion.
Even if the Hokage had promised otherwise—
Kakashi had spent too long in the ANBU to believe in guarantees.
If Danzo pressured hard enough, even the Third Hokage might compromise.
And if Orion stayed in the village—
Kimoto Dōichi wouldn't be able to protect him.
Worse—
If pushed too far, Kimoto might even rebel.
That would be disastrous.
So Kakashi felt safer keeping Orion close.
Orion looked at Kakashi's awkward expression and couldn't help twitching his lips.
Wait… Sakura was actually right?
But honestly—
He didn't want to keep following Kakashi forever.
Kimoto Dōichi was still his teacher.
And he had only gone on one mission with his original teammates.
He didn't want them to feel abandoned.
Even if he wasn't overly ambitious—
He still cared about his team and his teacher's feelings.
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