Chapter 134 Parliamentary Evidence Collection
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Sakura's voice suddenly rang out from the backstage of the testing grounds, and Kakashi abruptly interrupted his conversation with Gai and turned around.
He wouldn't admit to the relief he felt when he saw the three of them walking toward him, nor would he admit to the gratitude that his muscles relaxed and his shoulders slumped.
Sakura ran over and jumped on top of him, and he turned and put an arm around her shoulders, happy to see that she was safe and unharmed.
She was staggering a little, and Kakashi could feel her usually iron back trembling slightly, and he knew that whatever was going on could be worse than it was.
"teacher."
Sasuke's voice was low and calm, but beneath the calm tone there was a hint of uneasiness that made Kakashi alert. And Naruto said nothing, which was more telling than any sign.
He walked away from Kai and knelt down in front of them, lowering his voice so only they could hear him.
“I’m so proud of you guys.”
Kakashi's voice was soft and clear, without repetition, but Sasuke's breathing clearly paused, and Naruto's eyes widened slightly.
Kakashi didn't often say things like that - he preferred to express it with actions, through gestures and more subtle ways of letting them know.
But he needed to say it now, needed to force himself to say the words, to make them tangible, concrete.
They need to know that what they do is incredible.
They all nodded, but no one spoke for a moment. Kakashi took another deep breath.
"You passed," he said firmly.
This sentence surprised them immediately.
"In light of the unexpected events that occurred during the second stage of the examination in the Forest of Death," he explained, "and the skill and wisdom you demonstrated during the unexpected conflict, Konoha's Team 7 is automatically granted a pass, regardless of the results of the third stage of the examination." Kakashi relayed the committee's statement word for word.
******
Kakashi was lurking in the corner of the room with Shikaku, while Ryouta was pacing restlessly in front of the conference table.
The Third Hokage sat in the center, smoking his pipe irritably.
Unusually, Ryouta didn't smoke this time, which meant that he either ran out of cigarettes or was too stressed out to smoke - which didn't bode well for anyone around him.
Ryouta had given a detailed account of what he knew about the events, based mainly on Team 7's account, and circumstantial evidence from Team 10 and Team 8.
Men Yan spoke first:
"Are we sure of the level of enemies the contestants will encounter? After all, they are only genin and may misjudge."
"It's not a misjudgment." Ryouta countered calmly. "The report has been confirmed by my companions, and there is another factor that increases its credibility."
"Oh?" Sarutobi asked. "What is the factor?"
"All three reported that the ninja who attacked them was wearing a Kusagakure mask as a disguise, and that they managed to inflict enough damage on him to cause the mask to fall off. From what they described, the ninja had some very…unique family markings."
"What kind of mark?"
"Purple," Ryouta said sullenly. "Pointy, curved, and located above the eye."
Sarutobi's face suddenly turned pale.
"Please tell me you're not serious."
"very serious."
"Oh, don't be silly!" Utatane Koharu scoffed. "That traitor wouldn't have the guts to come here again, after all, so many years have passed."
"Not only does he have the guts," Ryouta growled, "he has the motive."
"No." Men Yan denied. "The kids must have seen it wrong."
Kakashi wanted to yell at them, his 'children' had more common sense and greater reasoning abilities than some of the people present, but Shikaku gently tapped his arm with his knuckles and shook his head slightly.
Kakashi took a deep breath and consciously relaxed every muscle, allowing himself only to clench the fists hidden in his pockets tightly.
This wasn't like him - he had never been impulsive or reckless, but his protective instinct was undermining his usual calm, and being trapped here with nothing he could do was making him even more agitated.
"I knew you would say that," Ryouta said easily, grinning with a hint of revenge. He reached into his hip pocket and pulled out a small spherical object that Kakashi hadn't seen in the mission files since the fall of the Uchiha clan - a Sharingan memory ball. "So I brought some evidence, if you'd like to see it. This was provided by Uchiha Sasuke."
The second half of this sentence was deliberately spoken to Menen first, and then directed to Utane Koharu, sharply satirizing their deliberate attitude of neglect and Ryouta's views on it.
Before the committee members could respond to this veiled personal attack, Sarutobi extended a wrinkled hand and made a statement that cut off their protests:
"Give it to me, Ryouta. I'll be the judge."
Ryouta lowered his head and threw the memory ball over. Sarutobi made a seal at the same time.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Wings Technique!"
A golden flame ignited on the Hokage's palm, enveloping the memory ball. The flame was more of a light than a heat, bright enough to turn the wall into a soft yellow, like sunlight.
For a moment, nothing happened, the light illuminating every corner, casting dancing shadows, then the memory ball in Sarutobi's hand began to glow like a hot coal, and Ryouta hurriedly stepped back.
A soft hum filled the air as light streamed from the iris of the memory orb, painting colors on the wall across from the Hokage.
At first, the memory begins to play, of green leaves and dark tree trunks, the image is still, then the memory begins to play on a wide screen of light for the entire room to see.
As the memory began, the committee was silent.
But as the attack progressed, and Kakashi watched his students fight against the overwhelming force, covering each other, protecting each other, the silence began to change.
Silence turned to shock, shock turned to disbelief, and disbelief turned to awe.
Kado En and Utane Koharu covered their mouths with their hands, trying to hide their surprise, with expressions of disbelief written all over their faces, while Kado En Shimura's eyes were fixed on the screen motionlessly.
In that moment, Kakashi knew they saw what he had always seen: determination, strength, intelligence, and truly terrifying potential.
They watched as three Genin, only twelve years old, forced a legendary Sannin to retreat in the first Chunin Exam.
Orochimaru underestimated them and paid the price for it, a mistake that not only cost him face, but also cost him something he clearly wanted.
They saw a young Konoha team fight Orochimaru to a draw, and saw their wisdom, tenacity, and faith overcome insurmountable odds.
It was obvious that no one present had any idea of what they were about to see.
But they only saw a fraction of what Kakashi saw.
Because as Kakashi watched the memory play out, seeing the three of them moving, matching each other, fighting with brutal, perfect chemistry, he wasn't surprised;
He felt proud.
