Seeing Orion's expression, Kakashi Hatake knew he had taken his words to heart.
Fortunately, the Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't witnessed Orion's battle tonight.
Otherwise, it wouldn't just be caution anymore—he would likely have assigned Anbu to monitor him.
Orion was only twelve years old, yet he could already kill an elite jōnin.
And not just any elite jōnin, but one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Raiha Kurotsuchi.
Even the technique Orion used to suppress Naruto Uzumaki earlier had already reached the level of a forbidden jutsu.
What was even more terrifying—
That still wasn't his strongest technique.
"There are only a few months left before the Chūnin Exams," Kakashi said.
"By then, the Third Hokage will definitely learn about your strength."
Orion nodded.
"You want me to participate in this exam, don't you?"
Kakashi smiled slightly.
"That might not be up to me."
"This time, Sunagakure will also be sending participants. You understand what that means, right?"
Orion nodded again.
"It means Konoha has to send its strongest genin of this generation."
"I'm guessing all the top students from our batch will participate."
Kakashi nodded approvingly.
"Exactly. Even though we're allied with Sunagakure, we can't show any signs of weakness."
"Otherwise… who knows what they might do."
"On the surface, it's just the Chūnin Exams. But in reality, every village sends their best genin to showcase their military strength."
"At a time like this, the Third Hokage won't let you sit idle."
Orion shrugged.
"I don't mind. I actually want to become a chūnin as soon as possible."
"I can take higher-level missions that way."
"And earn more money."
Kakashi blinked, then laughed.
"So you're a bit of a money-lover after all."
Orion rolled his eyes.
"I'm not greedy. But shinobi need money too."
"Without it, you can't even afford ninja tools."
That was the reality of being a shinobi.
Even though mission rewards seemed high, half of the payment went directly to the village.
The remaining half was split among the team.
And on top of that—
There were no travel allowances.
All expenses during missions had to be paid by the ninja themselves.
Even weapons and tools had to be purchased out of pocket.
That was why many jōnin, despite completing numerous high-level missions, were still broke.
Only people like Jiraiya—who had "extra income"—could become wealthy.
Take explosive tags, for example.
A single tag could cost several thousand ryō.
Yet a genin completing a C-rank mission might only earn a few thousand.
Sometimes, the reward from a mission wasn't even enough to buy one explosive tag.
And yet—
Explosive tags were one of the most powerful tools available to lower-ranked ninja.
Even Kage-level shinobi could be killed by them…
If they were hit.
Orion himself had only a few explosive tags—and he had left them at home.
Not because he didn't need them—
But because they were too expensive.
And besides…
He had confidence in his own strength.
If he couldn't win—
He could at least escape.
Kakashi shook his head, still amused.
"That's fair. If the Third Hokage truly intends to nurture you, he shouldn't go back on his word."
"…Hopefully."
Even as he said it, he wasn't completely confident.
"Once you learn sealing techniques," Kakashi continued seriously,
"you should keep an eye on Naruto."
Orion raised an eyebrow.
"How are you so sure I'll learn them?"
"And isn't watching Naruto your responsibility?"
Kakashi grinned and patted his shoulder.
"I have a lot of confidence in you."
"It feels like there's no jutsu you can't master."
"And if you do learn sealing techniques… then protecting Naruto naturally becomes your responsibility too."
"Actually—"
He smirked.
"—the more capable you are, the more you should contribute."
Orion stared at him, speechless.
He suddenly felt like Kakashi was trying to dump work on him.
Then again…
Thinking about Naruto's personality—
Orion understood.
Kakashi and Naruto were completely different types of people.
Naruto's constant pranks could be exhausting.
Some were harmless…
But others made you want to punch him.
Within Team 7:
Sakura Haruno was obsessed with SasukeSasuke Uchiha only cared about getting stronger and avenging Itachi Uchiha
Which meant—
Kakashi was the one who had to deal with Naruto the most.
Orion sighed.
"Kakashi-sensei… I feel like you're not being very responsible."
Kakashi immediately protested.
"I want to be responsible!"
"But you know how bad his fundamentals are. And his personality…"
"The fact that I haven't been driven crazy yet is already a miracle."
He crossed his arms and smirked.
"My team is full of problem children."
"As my student, shouldn't you help ease your teacher's burden?"
Orion let out a cold laugh.
"Heh. You just want free labor."
Kakashi coughed awkwardly.
But in truth—
His trust in Orion was genuine.
Naruto was a jinchūriki.
He couldn't just be entrusted to anyone.
But Orion…
Kakashi trusted him completely.
From the very beginning—
He had been raising Orion with the expectation that he could one day become someone like the Fourth Hokage.
What he hadn't expected…
Was that Orion's talent would exceed even that.
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