Chapter 4

Stretching languidly as Kakashi leaned against the bark of a tree observing his Genin students as they bickered amongst themselves again, he smiled at their antics reminiscing the picture his own team painted back then. However, as he was visualizing his team, the irrational likeness that he pinned on the two teams was suddenly shattered. On hindsight, he decided they weren't so similar after all, the Shinobi War back then had hardened them or more specifically him to be much more cynical at a much younger age. All their difference boiled down to the fact that he had never played around like they did even at a younger age. How else would he have attained his Chunin status at six, regardless of his genius status. It would have been a joke otherwise if an incompetent 'toddler' was to be promoted to a position which many double his age would have just achieved.

At their age, whatever kata he would have been doing would have been more than quadruple their intensity and complexity. His superior memory combined with his self-imposed brutal and merciless training placed his physique at a peak far above his age would have allowed in fact. He trained himself far beyond a normal recruit would have with grueling and impossible tasks not much unlike those of Gai's just in a more subtle or perhaps in more perilous situations like assassination and retrieval missions. His senses were top-notch, his stomach for callousness was…

No use lamenting over the softness of the students these days, after all it was not as the past, in fact they should have more of a childhood. At least that was the notion his Jounin persona held, not to say that his methods would train his students to be pushovers. Where his ANBU personality was one that did not tolerate nonsense, his Jounin personality was much more lenient and unobtrusive in his methods to groom his students. This was due to fact that his ANBU subordinates were all trained and prepared for death and thus his more cutthroat and brutal ways were more effective in shaping them to adequately qualify. As for his Genin students, if they were to retain their shred of innocence, he would have to use daily events to slowly cultivate that guard that would save them in the future.

He wondered if he was starting to develop a split personality as he contemplated the sadistic nature of some his innocuous torturing of his students. Would just exposing them to the bloody, cruel world be better for them? Or is his actions to coddle them and allow them live a lie at least longer actually justified? Despite his battle hardened soul, he relented to the almost false sentiments his Jounin persona held.

Then again, he could still torture his students, this persona was imposed on him after all, by the Hokage no less. It would be not much a failing (for anyone apart from him) if his true personality slips through. Perhaps he shall surreptitiously up his training clone's moves in their play-fights with his students. That ought to have some effect.

As for now, it's time to irritate his cute students. "Maa, maa… don't get so hot-headed I was having a philosophical discussion with a venerated sensei and got delayed… After all don't you all want to get stronger…"

Watching his students' animatedly infuriated faces, he couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Their indignation was actually well warranted, he was actually not treating them seriously, but they should be at least be the slightest bit grateful that he did not treat them as a joke.

This Jounin persona was really a pain sometimes...