Inside the mindscape of Naruko Uzumaki, an unusual scene unfolded—something that would've seemed completely impossible.
Team 7, including Kakashi, were seated cross-legged on the floor of the seal, surrounding a make-shift table made of sealing chakra-formed wood. In front of them were neatly arranged poker cards. Behind the thick bars of the immense cage, the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama, loomed, but instead of snarling or glaring in fury as one would expect… he was hunched forward, carefully eyeing his cards with narrowed crimson eyes.
Naruko slammed her hand down, scattering her cards across the floor.
"This is rigged! You're cheating, you dumb fox!" she yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Kurama.
The great fox snorted, his tails twitching in irritation.
"You insolent brat! Do you dare question the intelligence of a being that has lived for centuries? My experience and knowledge surpasses yours by light-years! You simply lack the wit to appreciate the subtlety of my plays."
Just as the tension seemed to rise, the giant beast suddenly growled and slammed his own set of cards down in frustration.
"HOW?! How is this green-eyed brat winning again?!"
Yuto leaned back with a smirk plastered across his face, his green eyes gleaming with mischievous amusement.
"Guess your so-called 'ancient knowledge' can't even beat me at a simple game of poker. Must be tough, huh?"
'This is too fun… I never thought humiliating a tailed beast would feel this satisfying,' he thought smugly.
Kakashi sighed dramatically, lifting a small paintbrush dipped in black ink.
"Well, rules are rules…" he mumbled. With exaggerated flair, he scribbled a black spiral on his own forehead.
"Loser gets marked."
Naruko, still grumbling, grabbed a fresh brush and jabbed it in the ink.
"Fine! But I'm not going down alone!"
She darted to the cage, where Kurama's massive face hovered close.
"Take this, cheater!" she yelled as she splashed a blot of ink across Kurama's snout.
"ARGH! You impudent gremlin!" Kurama roared, backing up with a snarl, his eye twitching from the sudden mess.
"You call that a penalty?! You've practically painted my entire face!"
"You're just mad cause your forehead's big enough to be a billboard!" Naruko teased, sticking her tongue out.
"Besides, your fur's already dark! The ink just made it stylish."
Hitomi, who had been silently glaring at Yuto, finally gave in with a groan.
"I can't believe I lost to you too," she muttered, dipping the brush and dabbing two black lines on her cheeks.
"Ugh… this is humiliating…"
Yuto flashed a triumphant grin.
"Now, now, no need to pout. Just admit I'm the king of poker."
"You're the king of annoying," Hitomi growled under her breath.
Kakashi leaned back, eyeing the scene before him. Naruko and Kurama were now bickering like siblings, with Naruko smudging more ink on Kurama's whiskers while Kurama puffed out clouds of chakra smoke in protest.
He chuckled to himself.
'To think… I'm watching my students—and myself—play poker with the Nine-Tails inside a jinchūriki's seal. What even is this life?'
He glanced at Yuto, who was now reshuffling the deck with one hand while smugly humming a tune.
'And it's all because of him… Yuto's presence has done what no one ever thought possible. He bridged the impossible gap between the fox and Naruko… and somehow, we all followed through.'
Kakashi smiled under his mask.
'What's next? Playing charades with the other tailed beasts?'
After another two hours of intense poker battles inside Naruko's seal—filled with curses, sarcastic remarks, and Kurama accusing Yuto of having some sort of 'cheat-code bloodline'—both Naruko and the Nine-Tails finally rage quit.
Kurama had let out a thunderous growl, declaring,
"This idiotic game favors luck over skill! Hmph! I'm done humiliating myself with mortals!"
Naruko had slammed her cards for the sixth time that day, shouting,
"You're all cheaters! Even the cards are against me!" before sulking in a corner of her own seal.
With that, Team 7 exited the seal, their consciousnesses gently returning to their real bodies. They sat in meditative positions inside their inn room, the evening air quiet and calm, filled only by the low hum of village life outside the window.
Kakashi slowly opened his eyes and casually stretched his arms.
"Alright, that's enough fun for today," he said lightly as he stood up. "All three of you should rest. The third phase of the Chunin Exams starts tomorrow."
He turned to look at them, his visible eye softening.
"You've all done exceptionally well in your training. Honestly... I'm proud of each of you."
Before he could say more, Naruko suddenly stood up and hugged him tightly from the side. Hitomi followed without hesitation, wrapping her arms around his other side, tears already welling in her eyes. Yuto was quiet for a moment, but then walked forward and joined in the group hug, his own eyes slightly watery.
'They're crying…' Kakashi realized, a pang hitting his heart.
They didn't say anything at first—but they didn't need to.
They all knew what this meant.
Their time as a full team under Kakashi was likely coming to an end. If even one of them became a Chunin tomorrow, missions would be solo or in different formations. And Kakashi… he would be assigned to A or even S-rank missions again—dangerous, long-term ones. He wouldn't always be around.
To them, Kakashi wasn't just a sensei.
He was family.
An older brother figure who trained them, teased them, protected them, and guided them. Like how Guy was to them—but with a little more sarcasm and a lot more reading.
Naruko's voice cracked as she sniffled into his flak jacket.
"I don't want things to change…"
Hitomi wiped her face on her sleeve, still clinging to Kakashi's arm.
"I thought I'd be excited to become a Chunin… but now it just feels… too soon."
Yuto didn't say anything, but his grip tightened slightly.
'He was the first person who I thought was the coolest character of the anime world, but after spending time with him, I have started to see him as a real person, my Big brother, instead of my previous lifes thoughts. I don't want to to become seperated from my big brother so soon.'
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, gently patting Naruko's head and ruffling Hitomi's hair.
"Hey now… don't cry," he said softly. Then he reached over and mussed up Yuto's blonde hair with his hand.
"You're all going to do amazing. And even if Team 7 disbands officially, it doesn't mean we disappear from each other's lives."
He crouched slightly to meet all three of their eyes.
"How about this," he said with a grin. "If all three of you become Chunin, I'll treat you to a huge barbeque. I mean huge. Like, 'empty the whole menu' huge."
Naruko's tears immediately slowed, her eyes lighting up.
"Really?! With extra pork?!"
Hitomi managed a small smile.
"And grilled eel?"
Yuto wiped at his eyes and nodded.
"And cold peach soda."
Kakashi nodded solemnly.
"All of it. You have my word."
The three of them slowly pulled back, wiping their faces and standing tall. Their tears were gone, replaced by a burning resolve.
"Then we'll pass!" Naruko shouted.
"We'll make you proud, Kakashi-sensei!" Hitomi added, her voice firm.
"You better get your wallet ready," Yuto said with a smirk.
Kakashi chuckled, eye curving into a smile.
'You already have,' he thought silently. 'Even before we became a team… I watched you three grow from promising students into incredible shinobi. You've already made me proud. And I can't wait to see what you'll become next.'