The following contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Chainsaw Man,"RESCUE", now streaming on Crunchyroll.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Chainsaw Man anime is how protagonist Denji is on his own. He's got no teacher as he harnesses his inner devil, becoming this buzzsaw killer intent on murdering demons. Granted, he doesn't care to learn more about his talents because all he wants is to hook up with his boss, Makima, have a romp with his colleague, Power, and make money so he can lead a rich life.
Admittedly, it's a very perverted and superficial series of ambitions, but Denji's a simple man who just wants to put his impoverished past to bed. However, by signing up for the Public Safety Unit in Japan, he has no choice but to work under a mentor in the sullen Hayakawa. In the process, as Chainsaw Man creates this antagonistic relationship, it's actually a dark twist on Kakashi Hatake's mentorship in Naruto.
Naruto's Kakashi Was a Lovable Teacher
Kakashi took care of Team 7, mentoring Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. He had immense power, as seen with his Sharingan, clones and the Rasengan, not to mention many other techniques stolen from his time as Konoha's "copy ninja." However, he had no ego and came off very caring, looking out for a crew he knew would be weapons of mass destruction for the Hidden Leaf.
It was in stark contrast to his youth, where Konoha abandoned his father and pushed the man into depression and his own demise. That bitter Kakashi lashed out at the likes of Obito, but as he got older, he grew to love the concept of family. These principles would be passed to his students, which informed why Naruto would become Hokage and Sasuke would redeem himself as a Ranger.
Chainsaw Man's Hayakawa Is an Angrier Kakashi
As for Hayakawa in Chainsaw Man, he doesn't care to nurture Denji's power. He can tell the boy has a beast within, but Hayakawa keeps lording his experience and strength over Denji. In fact, he makes it clear he's chomping at the bit to use his own devil (a deadly fox) to murder Denji because he thinks human-devil hybrids, and devils in general, are scum. Hayakawa doesn't mind deploying them as pawns, though, and once they become disobedient, he enjoys slaughtering them.
It's manipulative, with Hayakawa also pressuring Power and letting her know that he can quickly switch from babysitter to executor. This is a dark arc because he's exploiting them, unconcerned if their minds or bodies break. Given they've endured tragic upbringings too, one would think Hayakawa would empathize, treat them with humanity and decency, and get them to be better soldiers who like working with him. Ultimately though, Hayakawa is a narcissist, treating them with disdain and hoping they get out of line, so he can end them and prove to Makima her trust in a failed experiment was wrong.