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Sasuke, who had been acting mature, also brightened up slightly, clearly hearing a familiar name.
"Eh? Did you guys know sensei before?" Sakura felt inexplicably left out, looking blankly at those on either side of her.
"Don't know him!" Naruto and Sasuke replied in unison.
"Ah, that sort of thing doesn't matter. Next up is your self-introductions. Let's start with you." Kakashi pointed casually at Naruto.
Naruto's interests and hobbies were basically inseparable from ramen, like drawing a circle with ramen as the center.
"My dream!"
"Is to surpass the Hokage and become someone everyone acknowledges!"
Kakashi's eye twitched slightly. Interests tied to ramen, yet dreams of surpassing the Hokage? This kid's development process is quite interesting.
"Next."
Sakura's preferences revolved around Sasuke-kun as the center. Besides specifically pointing out her dislike for Naruto, there wasn't much else special.
Kakashi rested his cheek on his hand, observing the two without much surprise. Well, in a sense, these two are quite consistent in their focus.
".~At this age, girls probably care more about romance than ninjutsu."
"What about you?" Kakashi's gaze turned towards Sasuke, sitting in the middle with a serious expression. He remembered Sasuke was the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, the only child left after Itachi's massacre.
"I am Sasuke Uchiha. I dislike many things, but there's nothing I particularly like."
"My dream isn't just talk either. It's my ambition."
"I will restore my clan, and then I will definitely kill a certain man with my own hands."
As Sasuke spoke, a fierce light shone in his eyes, the aged face of Danzo appearing in his mind. It was that guy who forced the clansmen to leave and caused his brother to become a missing-nin.
"Ah." Kakashi recalled his junior in the ANBU, Itachi Uchiha. Itachi of the Massacre. It wasn't strange that the sole surviving younger brother wanted to kill him.
Naruto, however, didn't really understand these things, just looking somewhat uncomfortable and shuffling aside. Although he often bothered Sasuke, surely the guy didn't actually want to kill him.
Each person conjured their own image, respectively matching Sasuke's assassination target.
Kakashi clapped his hands and stood up from the railing.
"Good. All three have distinct personalities. Very interesting."
"Alright, shortly we'll head to the training grounds for your first mission: a survival exercise."
"Although it's called an exercise, it's actually an extremely difficult test with a dropout rate as high as 66%."
"Out of 26 graduates, only nine will become Genin. The others will be sent back to the Academy."
Watching the three kids' faces instantly change before him, Kakashi felt the joy of scaring children for the first time. Is this the joy of being a teacher?
"Well then, prepare yourselves briefly."
"Meet at the training ground at eleven. Remember to bring a set of ninja tools. I will judge whether you pass."
Three in the afternoon.
Except for Sasuke, who was still standing, Naruto and Sakura had sat down, leaning against tree trunks. They had originally been standing in the center of the training ground, but as the midday sun grew harsher, they moved to the shade to wait for Kakashi.
And now, even the intense midday sun was gone. Why did Kakashi still show no sign of arriving!?
"Sensei didn't forget about testing us, did he?" Sakura looked left and right. Besides the three of them, there wasn't another soul on the training ground.
Sasuke frowned silently. From getting hit by the eraser at the door to being three or four hours late now... his impression score for Kakashi had basically hit rock bottom. Those two really are brothers; even their level of annoyance is similar.
"So hungry... Even if I ate lunch, exercising now probably wouldn't make me throw up." Naruto drooped his head, looking listless.
Just as the three were grumbling internally, Kakashi walked in through the training ground entrance, holding Icha Icha Paradise in one hand, leisurely biting into a dango.
"This stuff isn't even that tasty. Hard to understand why he likes this kind of thing so much." Kakashi studied the empty bamboo skewer in his hand before tossing it into a nearby trash can. As a savory food person, he really found it difficult to approve of Hatake Kuroshi's taste, which basically aligned with the Uchiha clan's.
"You're late!"
"Took you long enough!"
"And you're eating!? Didn't you tell us not to eat?"
Seeing Kakashi's figure, the three kids immediately jumped up, hackles raised, arguing noisily and looking furious.
"Oh dear, a black cat crossed my path—" Kakashi narrowed his eyes, clearly intending to bluff his way through.
However, the three before him, hungry and hot, clearly had no intention of forgiving him, still glaring at him.
Kakashi, knowing he was in the wrong, scratched his cheek, then took an alarm clock out of his bag and placed it on a nearby stump.
"Well, let's set the time for five o'clock."
"Your mission is to snatch these bells from me before five."
"But, you only have two bells in your hand?" Sakura pointed at the two bells dangling from Kakashi's hand.
Kakashi leaned against the stump, resting his cheek on his hand, and said with a grin.
"Correct. So even if you all manage to grab them, one person will still fail."
"Of course, look on the bright side; maybe all three of you will be sent back this time."
How is that a bright side? None of the three wanted to be sent back.
With Kakashi's command, two figures instantly vanished from the spot. Not bad. The most important thing for a ninja is to conceal their presence. Kakashi looked towards the side with satisfaction, then looked up and met the eyes of Naruto, the only one remaining out in the open.
"Let's have a fair fight!"
Sasuke hid in the nearby woods, warily watching Kakashi's movements. Having spent quite some time with Naruto before, Naruto staying out in the open challenging like an idiot was something he had anticipated.
"Um, you there. Is there something wrong with you?" Kakashi tilted his head, somewhat speechless. Challenging the teacher? That just seems weird.
"It's your taste in hairstyles that has a problem!" Naruto unhesitatingly jumped up and charged directly at Kakashi. His speed and starting movements are too amateurish.
Kakashi raised his hand, just about to reach into his tool pouch to pull out Icha Icha Paradise, when he suddenly realized something was amiss.
Swish!
A row of kunai and shuriken suddenly rained down from mid-air, aimed at Kakashi's position. Sasuke's figure flashed through the trees and quickly concealed himself again. Naruto leaped up simultaneously, punching towards Kakashi.
"Oh? You two actually know how to coordinate?" Being able to do this much right after forming a team isn't bad.
Kakashi blocked Naruto's fist with one hand, then ducked to avoid the flying kunai and shuriken. He swept Naruto's legs out from under him. Naruto quickly stumbled back two steps, barely managing not to fall on his butt.
"Eh?! Where'd he go?" Naruto steadied himself, holding his knees. Looking up, only the kunai and shuriken stuck in the ground remained; Kakashi's figure was gone.
Sakura, watching the whole thing from the sidelines, lay prone in the grass, her eyes instantly widening. Tiger seal?! But against an opponent like Naruto, does he really need such a technique!?
"Naruto! Run! Or you'll be killed!"
Naruto belatedly turned his head.
"Wha—"
"Ninjas shouldn't leave their backs wide open, idiot." Kakashi's lazy voice sounded from behind Naruto.
"One Thousand Years of Death."
Naruto instantly launched into the air, flying straight into the river.
"Super idiots, both of them." Sasuke couldn't help sighing, then quickly moved through the trees. Kakashi had already seen him throwing shuriken from above; this position wasn't hidden enough anymore.
Sakura, focused solely on Sasuke, heard movement nearby and quickly followed. Kakashi naturally heard such commotion. Just as Sakura saw Kakashi again, a lazy voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
"Just following others around won't do."
A whirlwind of leaves descended. A moment later, Sakura's scream instantly rang out.
"Need to be wary of Genjutsu too. Falling for it so quickly." Kakashi leaned against a tree, raising his eyes thoughtfully.
However, from the branch above his head, an agile figure instantly leaped down.
Kakashi paused slightly, then in an instant, controlled both of Sasuke's arms, flipped him over, and pressed him down. One hand held his arms, one foot stepped on his head, firmly immobilizing him.
Naruto sat soaking wet by the riverbank. Sakura had just woken up from the Genjutsu.
Kakashi grinned, pointing at the three before him, lecturing them smugly like mockery.
"Completely useless, you three. Might as well all go back to the Academy and repeat."
"Although Sasuke and Naruto showed a tiny bit of coordination at the beginning, afterward it was completely everyone for themselves."
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