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"Sakura was just completely focused on following Sasuke around, not actually fighting me at all."
"So these two bells..."
Kakashi abruptly stopped speaking, his hand freezing at the hem of his vest.
Those two bells were gone?!
A flippant voice suddenly sounded from the side.
"Looking for these—my foolish little brother~?"
"Don't tell me you've picked up some habit of bullying children now."
Accompanying the voice was the crisp jingle of bells.
That voice sounded so familiar, carrying a nastiness almost etched into his DNA.
No way? That guy is back at a time like this?
"Nii...san?"
The face behind Kakashi's mask stiffened involuntarily. He turned his head somewhat woodenly.
When did he take the bells!? Kakashi didn't remember his older brother having this kind of skill. Snatching the bells away from him, a Jonin, without him noticing!? That's simply impossible.
"Ooh! How rare~ You actually still call me Nii-san."
Hatake Kuroshi, wearing a black shirt, was currently biting into a dango skewer. Aside from the two bells dangling and swinging from his fingers, his attire indeed resembled that of an ordinary tourist.
"Kuroshi-nii!"
Naruto, like a large golden retriever, shook the water off his head and leaped high into the air.
Sasuke looked up sharply and saw Hatake Kuroshi's smiling face. A rare crack appeared on his perpetually gloomy expression. He thought this guy, like his own brother, wouldn't come back either.
Then, while Kakashi was distracted, Sasuke quickly twisted his arm and flipped out from under Kakashi's foot.
Kakashi easily jumped aside. He was just surprised by Hatake Kuroshi's return, not to the point of being knocked down by a kid.
"Ah ah, still in front of the students! Don't undermine me like this." Kakashi frowned, feeling a headache coming on, and reached out towards Hatake Kuroshi. Even after all these years, Kakashi was still a few centimeters shorter than Hatake Kuroshi.
"Wait a minute~ Gotta queue up for greetings too." Hatake Kuroshi made a 'pause' gesture towards the two kids about to rush him, then tossed a paper bag towards them.
"There are tasty things inside~ Share them, okay?"
"He definitely didn't let you eat lunch."
Naruto and Sasuke paused, catching the paper bag thrown by Hatake Kuroshi.
Seeing Kakashi reach out, about to snatch the bells from Hatake Kuroshi's hand... a bold smile suddenly spread across that handsome face. Hatake Kuroshi directly tossed the bells into the air.
"Nope~ Get them from me if you can."
Immediately, two silver figures shot rapidly into the air, starting a battle for the two bells.
Seeing the two adults fighting, Naruto and Sasuke felt it had even less to do with them. After sharing the dango with Sakura, the three sat aside watching the adults fight.
Sakura held her dango, looking back and forth somewhat blankly. This person who suddenly appeared feels really strange!? And why did Sasuke and Naruto just sit down to watch!? Shouldn't they be helping their teacher right now?
"Do they... know each other?" The only thing Sakura could tell was that both seemed unwilling to show their faces, one covering the lower half, the other the upper. But plenty of people wear masks, right?! Although it's a coincidence, it doesn't prove anything. Besides, she had never seen such a person appear in the village before.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! That person is Kakashi-sensei's older brother!"
"It's just that he's always been traveling outside the village, so we haven't seen him for several years either!" Naruto explained while eating his dango.
"Eh? That person is Kakashi-sensei's older brother?" Sakura paused, looking up at Hatake Kuroshi, who, despite only showing half his face, still looked quite handsome.
Is there something wrong with their ages? No matter how you looked at it, Hatake Kuroshi felt younger!? Kakashi-sensei already had the aura of an uncle.
Just as Kakashi was about to touch the bells, the two bells vanished right before his eyes.
"What the!?" Kakashi's pupils constricted slightly in shock. He quickly looked down.
The bells lay in Hatake Kuroshi's palm. And the man himself had one hand on his face, making a face at him. Every word, every action, undoubtedly belonged to his nasty-tempered older brother.
But what's with this strange ability!? Hatake Kuroshi should have been an ordinary person with absolutely no chakra before. Could it be that while traveling outside, he cultivated some unknown power!?
"Ooh? What was that line again?"
"Unless you come at me with the intent to kill, you won't be able to snatch the bells." Hatake Kuroshi still looked completely at ease, as if everything was under his control.
Kakashi frowned slightly, then kicked downwards abruptly.
"Just when did you start eavesdropping?"
"Is this some kind of bonus segment for your little brother's first class?"
Kakashi had been tempered by time over the years. After growing up, he was no longer as stubborn as when he was young, constantly fixated on his father's past. Plus, after leaving ANBU and becoming a regular Jonin, his personality had brightened considerably.
"Being this late, you should be taught a lesson, right?"
"Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're a teacher~"
Hatake Kuroshi reached out and grabbed Kakashi's ankle, pulling forcefully to drag him down.
Poof!
A puff of white smoke dissipated, leaving only a piece of wood in Hatake Kuroshi's hand.
Hatake Kuroshi turned around almost instantly, raising the other hand holding the bells. Kakashi lunged at empty air behind him.
Hatake Kuroshi seized the opportunity, grabbed Kakashi's arm, and pulled him directly to the ground with force.
Kakashi immediately played dead on the ground. Forget it, it's already come to this. Struggling further would just be more embarrassing. Fortunately, no ninja tools were used yet, so it wasn't too humiliating.
Hatake Kuroshi stood aside, grinning as he twirled the two bells in his hand. Clearly, the outcome was decided.
"He took down Kakashi-sensei so quickly!?" Sakura hadn't even finished her dango, yet the two had already decided the winner? The Kakashi-sensei who ran circles around the three of them... was taken down just like that?
"Kuroshi-nii was actually this strong!?" Naruto's eyes widened involuntarily, staring blankly at Hatake Kuroshi. Although he had vaguely suspected Hatake Kuroshi might be strong before, he had genuinely seen him as just an ordinary teacher back then.
"This guy...果然, it wasn't just that teleportation move." Sasuke looked thoughtfully at the two before him. To take down Kakashi so quickly, regardless of whether they were holding back... looking at it this way, Hatake Kuroshi's abilities might be far above Kakashi's.
"Well, I got them! Just consider me the mysterious savior who appeared to help the boys and girls unable to graduate!" Hatake Kuroshi shot out a wink, as if making some strange victory declaration.
"..." Kakashi lay flat on the ground playing dead, not moving an inch. Although lying there, he was also pondering how to regain the face he had just lost. Getting beaten up by his own older brother in front of students on the first day of class because he was late... no one would believe this if he told them.
"You look a bit too much like an uncle in this state." Hatake Kuroshi raised an eyebrow, took a deep breath looking aside, and reached out to pull Kakashi up. In his memory, Kakashi was still that cool youth who put on a mask and loved no one. After not coming back for several years, how did this fine young man get worn down into looking like such an uncle?
"Well, I am at this age, after all. Aren't you the strange one?"
"Besides growing taller, your personality has hardly changed at all. Still so energetic."
"Did you learn some ninjutsu outside? I don't remember you being this strong before you left." Kakashi took the bells and hung them back on the hem of his vest, simultaneously brushing the dust off his knees. His dead fish eyes looked up, observing Hatake Kuroshi expressionlessly.
Seeing the fight end, the three kids who were spectating and eating snacks quickly gathered around.
"Kuroshi-nii has always been super strong! Why wouldn't Kakashi-sensei, the younger brother, know!?" Naruto trotted over excitedly, standing enthusiastically beside Hatake Kuroshi.
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