The group of four arrived on the quiet rooftop of the Ninja Academy. Kakashi leaned against the railing, his visible eye scanning the three genin before him.
"Alright," he said, his voice calm and unhurried. "Let's start with some introductions. Tell me about yourselves."
He gestured vaguely. "Your likes, your dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies... anything."
Silence stretched between them. Finally, Sakura raised her hand slightly. "Sensei, why don't you go first? To give us an example."
"Me?" Kakashi straightened up, placing a hand on his hip. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. As for what I like and dislike... I'd rather not say. I don't really have any dreams, and my hobbies... well, I have a few interests."
'Nothing but his name?' Inner Sakura groused.
Sasuke's expression remained perfectly neutral, betraying no interest at all. It was Naruto who spoke up, his voice clear and steady.
"Kakashi Hatake, Jonin of Konoha," he began, his eyes fixed on their new teacher. "Graduated from the Academy at five, promoted to chunin at six, and made Jonin by twelve. He's known as the Copy Ninja, one of Konoha's top shinobi in both strength and mission completion."
Naruto paused, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips. "I saw your file at Danzo's headquarters, ANBU--nii-san."
The name landed like a stone. Kakashi's posture didn't change, but a sudden tension coiled in his gut. 'Danzo? What is Minato-sensei's son doing mixed up with him?'
"He's that amazing?" Sakura gasped, her earlier disappointment vanishing. The dead-eyed, unmotivated man in front of her was suddenly a legend. Her eyes lit up with respect. "Kakashi-sensei!"
'A team with Sasuke-kun and an incredible Sensei like this? This is perfect!' she thought, beaming.
Even Sasuke was taken aback, his mind racing to process the timeline. 'Graduated at five... chunin at six... That's even faster than Itachi.' He subtly tried to get a read on Kakashi's energy, a skill he'd picked up from his martial arts training. 'But... he doesn't feel as strong as Itachi did.'
Kakashi's easygoing demeanor hardened, his gaze sharpening on Naruto. "Disclosing a shinobi's private information isn't a smart move," he said, his voice low and laced with a warning.
Naruto's smile didn't waver. "We're a team, aren't we? I'm just sharing vital intel."
'Sharing intel, he calls it,' Kakashi thought, a flicker of grudging admiration mixing with his concern. 'He's sharp. Just like his mother.'
"Alright then," Kakashi said, pointing a finger at him. "You're next."
"Me?" Naruto blinked innocently. "My name is Naruto. I like training, and I don't really dislike much of anything. As for people I hate... I prefer to handle them myself." He gave a mischievous grin and cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp and clean. *Pop, pop.* "My hobby is beating up idiots, and my dream is to become a great man, just like the Fourth Hokage."
'The Fourth Hokage...' Kakashi's mind drifted to his sensei, then immediately to his wife. 'But that rough attitude, that smile... it's just like Kushina-san.' A familiar headache began to build behind his eye. 'He really is her son.' He could only hope Naruto hadn't inherited all of her fiery temper, or his life was about to become very difficult.
It was hard to say if Naruto had truly inherited Kushina's fiery temper, after all, the Naruto from before had been a 'menace' who'd tear down people's roofs if provoked, driven by a strong desire for revenge.
'So barbaric. Just like the menace Naruto.' Inner Sakura thought, giving an internal thumbs up.
"My turn," Sasuke said, his arms crossed and his voice cool. "Sasuke Uchiha. I like to train and become stronger. I dislike troublesome women." His gaze flickered almost subconsciously toward Sakura. "I don't have something as frivolous as a dream. I have an ambition. I will restore my clan, and..."
His voice dropped, turning cold as ice. "I will kill a certain man."
'Just as I thought,' Kakashi mused grimly. Sakura, however, was lost in a haze of admiration. "So cool..."
Naruto shot a subtle glance at Sasuke. 'Good thing the clan wasn't really wiped out,' he thought wryly. 'Otherwise, he'd have to dye his hair and have a few dozen kids to become the biggest stud in the ninja world, just to achieve his goal of repopulation.'
"And last, the young lady," Kakashi said, turning his attention to Sakura.
"Oh! My name is Sakura Haruno!" she began, her cheeks flushing pink. "What I like is... well, the person I like is..." She peeked shyly at Sasuke, who happened to be looking back at her with a blank expression. Their eyes met.
"Ahhh!" she squealed, hiding her face in her hands.
Sasuke just looked bewildered. 'What is wrong with her?'
Kakashi sighed internally. 'For girls this age, I suppose romance is more important than ninjutsu.'
Naruto caught Sasuke's eye again. 'See? Told you. She's your problem.'
Sasuke rolled his eyes. 'No chance. I can't stand weak, annoying women. Besides, her forehead is huge.'
"Alright, that's enough of that," Kakashi said, clapping his hands together to regain their attention. "Introductions are over. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin our official duties." He paused for effect. "Our first mission is a survival exercise."
Sasuke nodded once, then looked at Naruto.
Naruto translated flatly, "He's asking where."
"Training Ground 44." Kakashi held up a hand. "Meet there at five in the morning. And don't be late."
Sasuke nodded again, then glanced at Naruto.
"He says, 'Got it,'" Naruto reported.
Kakashi waited. And waited.
'Isn't anyone going to ask anything?' he thought, almost frustrated. But Sakura was still lost in her daze over Sasuke, while Naruto and Sasuke had resumed their silent, intense conversation, completely ignoring him.
Finally, after a long, awkward silence, Naruto spoke up. "Anything else, Anbu-nii-san?"
Kakashi's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. "...Remember to bring your ninja gear. And don't eat breakfast." He tried to muster a serious, intimidating look. "You'll just throw it up."
But it had no effect.
"Also," he added, turning to Naruto with a weary sigh. "From now on, you will call me Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto nodded with complete seriousness.
"Okay, Anbu-nii-san."
Kakashi watched from the rooftop as the three of them walked away, rubbing his temples. 'These students are going to be a handful. My quiet days are over.'
From that brief exchange, he already had a clear picture of the team's dynamic. On paper, it was a three-person cell, but in reality, it was already fractured. Sasuke and Naruto were a unit of two, and Sakura was on the outside, completely excluded. He wasn't blind, the two boys were practically having a full conversation with their eyes, a fact lost on the infatuated girl.
He thought of his own former teammates. Whenever he and Obito clashed, Rin had been there to smooth things over, with Minato-sensei guiding them all. Team 7's situation was already far more complicated.
'What a headache,' he thought. 'Still, the Hokage-sama must have had his reasons for putting them together.'
A short distance from the Academy, Naruto called out. "Sasuke."
Sasuke stopped, turning to face him with a questioning look.
"I'm coming over to your place tonight," Naruto said, his expression unusually serious.
"There are some things you need to know."
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