"Me? My name is Night Maple. Your turn."
Then Night Maple opened the New Shinobi Instructor's Guide and, following it, said, "Tell us what you like, what you dislike, your dreams, your interests—things like that."
The three looked at Night Maple. "Sensei, you go first!"
Night Maple was speechless. "Am I the teacher or are you? It's your turn—left to right!"
"I'll go first!"
Obito adjusted his goggles and flashed a proud grin. "I'm Uchiha Obito. What I like most is… What I hate most is war!"
"My dream is to become Hokage! To end this war, and to make my clan—and everyone in the village—acknowledge my existence!"
Kakashi burst out laughing. "You, Hokage? Helping old ladies cross the street—you won't be Hokage in a hundred years."
Obito flared up. "Kakashi, what's that supposed to mean? You think you're so great?"
"I'm Uchiha Obito of the Uchiha clan. I'll surpass you sooner or later. Once my Sharingan awakens—hmph!"
Kakashi looked at Obito like he was an idiot. "Aren't people of the Uchiha clan all elites? You should be strong even without a Sharingan."
Obito ground his teeth. "What did you say!"
Rin hurriedly said, "Alright, alright—don't fight. Sensei is watching."
Night Maple watched them with interest. Yep, that familiar vibe—love and rivalry cutting both ways.
"Your turn—Nohara Rin, right?"
Rin straightened up. "Yes, Sensei. I'm Nohara Rin!"
"What I like is… cake. What I hate is curry rice. My dream is to become a medical-nin and save lives on the battlefield!"
Night Maple nodded. "Mm. You can do it."
This little girl would indeed be Team Seven's healer; without her, Obito and Kakashi might have been gone long ago.
Rin nodded hard, glanced at Night Maple, and thought this Night Maple-sensei wasn't bad at all.
Then Night Maple looked to Kakashi—small, cute, and downright tsundere at this age.
Unable to resist, Night Maple ruffled Kakashi's spiky white hair. "Kakashi, your turn!"
Kakashi angrily swatted his hand away. "Sensei, you messed up my hair! You already know my name, so I don't need to say anything."
Staring at the three kids with their different expressions, Night Maple suddenly recalled a timeless Hokage mystery.
Who did Rin like?
Both sides insist their evidence is ironclad, and that scoundrel Kishimoto never made it clear—so the debate never ends.
Now, looking at these three little brats, Night Maple knew the answer.
Which is…
They're not even ten—what do they know about love?
"Ahem. Alright, we've all met, and you know me. Once more: I'm Night Maple, your instructor from now on."
"That's it for introductions. We start missions tomorrow."
All three looked at Night Maple.
"Sensei, what mission?"
"A wilderness survival exercise."
Obito brightened at once. "We did exercises like that all the time at school!"
Night Maple smiled. "This one's different—because your opponent is me."
"You, Sensei?"
"Sensei, that sounds weird."
"…"
Night Maple chuckled. "Heh-heh, yes. For this exercise, be mentally prepared—the elimination rate is 66%. Out of the thirty graduates this year, at most ten will pass. The rest will be sent back to the Academy for retraining, got it?"
Obito's eyes went round; Rin was speechless; Kakashi fell silent.
"Tomorrow at 9 a.m., Konoha Forest—meet at the gate of Training Ground Three. Don't be late."
No sooner had Night Maple finished than he vanished, leaving the trio dumbstruck.
Rin rubbed her eyes. "Sensei Night Maple disappeared?"
"Whoa—like a magic trick!" Obito blurted in surprise.
Kakashi said disdainfully, "Idiot. That's the Body Flicker Technique."
"Kakashi, who are you calling an idiot!"
Seeing they were about to fight again, Rin hurriedly stepped in to separate them.
"Don't fight. Think about what we're going to do tomorrow."
Obito pouted. "Sensei is totally bluffing. No way he'll eliminate everyone like that."
"I didn't lie to you."
Obito jumped in place.
"Ah—Sensei, you're like a ghost—appearing and disappearing!"
Night Maple laughed. "Obito, you need to toughen up your nerves. I forgot to remind you—don't forget your ninja tools. And don't eat breakfast; if you puke, don't say I didn't warn you."
With a pop, Night Maple turned into a log.
Wide-eyed, Rin picked up the log that had fallen to the floor.
Kakashi said gravely, "That's the Substitution Technique… The one who appeared just now was Sensei Night Maple's substitute."
…
Who do you think Rin likes?