Konoha.
The sun emerged from its slumber casting a golden hue all over the village, the gentle breeze whispered through the trees as the leaves fluttered.
Thup!
Out of the hokage building right under the hokage mountain stepped out a figure around 170 cm tall with a sword fixed on his back, his silver hair rustling due to the breeze.
He was donning Konoha's green flak jacket permitted only for jonin, he also held a rolled up paper in his right hand.
"Jonin huh… but hardly raises a heartbeat" Said Kazuki in a bored tone while looking at the jonin appointment form in his hands, having refused his promotion during the war kazuki once again got a letter of his promotion and this time he accepted it.
The only thing that kazuki found interesting was that while handing him the certificate of appointment, Sarutobi didn't ask him about why he had refused his promotion before and he could understand why.
Sarutobi didn't want something similar to the recent trial happening, which would further affect his relationship with Kazuki.
So he acted like that didn't happen at all and treated him very politely, carefully.
"Lord Kazuki!"
"Kazuki-Sama!!"
Putting the jonin certificate in his ninja pouch, Kazuki took the road that led towards his usual training spot in the village but on the way the villagers greeted him excitedly.
"Jonin huh"
"Well~ his promotion was a matter of time with how strong he is"
"I would be equally strong if I was delivered forbidden jutsu during my genin days"
"Yeah, anyone can be strong that way"
Kazuki also saw some shinobi on the way and their whispers after spotting the jacket he was wearing didn't fail to reach his ears.
"Ha!"
At the whispers Kazuki let out a little laugh and continued on his way, this was the reason why he hardly felt excited on being promoted.
To downplay someone's efforts to make yourself feel better; was it worth it to be happy at being able to achieve the same rank as them.
He didn't laugh at them; he laughed at himself for fighting for such people who instead of trying to improve themselves and protect those they care about would waste time like this.
----------------------------
It didn't take long for kazuki to arrive at the forest around hokage mountains, his training spot for years.
The spot he trained at had trees around it toppled down, pits everywhere and signs left after ninjutsu usage easy to spot as well.
But after arriving Kazuki showed a surprise look, spotting some familiar faces at his training spot.
Minato and Kushina with konoha headband around their forehead were busy having a talk with Nawaki, who had grown taller over the last two years standing at 155 cm. {Previous 140cm}
Kazuki who arrived was easily spotted by them as with smiles they walked towards him but when they gave the jacket he was wearing a close look, smile's replaced by shock.
"Jonin! Give us some time to catch up at least" Said Kushina in a pleading tone with an envious look on her face, greedy eyes on the jonin jacket that kazuki was wearing.
She is twelve and is still a genin yet kazuki, the same age as her had already become jonin.
"You truly are something else… Kazuki-Kun" Showed Minato his surprise as well, no jealousy or anything on his face, just an increasing determination to improve himself.
"Congratulations for being promoted Sensei!" Said Nawaki approaching kazuki and a bright smile on his face that gave off a mature aura, so different from a year ago.
"It's nothing special… don't be that dramatic"
Thud!
Said Kazuki with a plain face, the three of them nearly tripping at his response.
If becoming a jonin at an age of twelve was not special, then what was?
"Anyways why are you guys gathered here?"
Ignoring the depressed trio, Kazuki inquired about their presence here with a curious look on his face.
"Now I don't wanna talk about it… so embarrassing" At his question, the three showed embarrassed faces, Kushina in a depressed tone sharing her honest thoughts.
But Minato suppressing his embarrassment gathered the courage and took out a piece of paper from his ninja pouch, stretching it towards Kazuki.
Kazuki took the paper from his hands and gave its contents a curious look and a smile appearing on his face after just reading through it a little, he was already aware about this.
"Well~ what do you want me to do with this? I'm already a jonin and can't participate if that's what you are planning" Told Kazuki the truth honestly, he had no way of entering this competition.
"No, we actually want you to train us till this exam starts Kazuki" Corrected Kushina, telling the trio's true intentions to gather here.
Saying that, Kushina turned around to look in a particular direction and taking a deep breath once again looked at Kazuki, her lips parting.
"I think you can already sense the two Anbu members hidden around to watch over me and you must already know the reason behind their watch over me, right Kazuki?"
Looked Kushina at Kazuki with a nervous look on her face, minato learned about her secret identity when she was kidnapped by kumo ninja few months ago and didn't show any disgust or anything.
Nawaki whose grandma was a jinchuriki and had lived with Kushina in the same house for a while naturally knew her identity as well.
But Kazuki was different from minato and Nawaki and had already faced those similar to her in battle; Kushina believed someone strong as kazuki must have already known about her identity way ago and yet he had treated her no differently.
Still she had a trace of doubt that he might not and would change after knowing about it.
"Of course I do, but what does that have to do with me training you guys?" Kazuki confirmed her doubts casually and still asked the important question.
At his answer, a smile crept on Kushina's face and even Minato and Nawaki behind smiled.
"I have no jonin sensei to guide me so I mostly train alone; Minato's sensei hasn't returned to the village after the war so he needs someone to guide him as well and Nawaki trains under you already"
"We have heard that shinobi from land of waterfalls and neighboring allied villages would participate as well; so we want to get strong as much as possible and fight each other at our full potential fairly during the exam"
"Most importantly, you are strong and if you agree to train me, these annoying guys watching over me won't have to anymore, if something happens and you can't do anything than what can they?"
Finished Kushina her words with a smile and an expectant look on her face, Minato and Nawaki also giving Kazuki the most innocent looks as well.
Kazuki ignored the innocent looks these three were putting to convince him and opened his mouth to outright reject their request, he had his own training to do and didn't want to babysit two more troublemakers.
But before words could leave his mouth, he suddenly halted as a voice sounded in his head and immediately his consciousness entered the system panel.
Main Task: - {Defeat Two Jinchuriki's without killing them/ Reward:- Fourth Hokage's Reaction Ability/Incomplete}
Read chapters ahead on p@treon.com/Gojo6666.