Team 7's First Meeting

Latecomers had to be punished!

Hinata had already made up her mind. If Kakashi failed to show up at the agreed time again, she would definitely set traps and cure him of his tardiness.

It was an illness. It needed treatment!

Hinata stared expectantly at the classroom door, waiting for Kakashi to take the bait.

Early that morning, Kakashi had gone to the Hokage's Office with a group of Jonin to report in. They watched the graduates being assigned to teams through the Crystal Ball, then he and the Third visited Naruto's and Sasuke's homes in turn, gaining a basic understanding of their daily habits.

Although Kakashi had not allowed a single student to pass his test for two years straight, everyone knew those students had merely been practice material prepared for Kakashi by the Third, meant to help him adjust from his Anbu lifestyle.

No one would have an Elite Jonin lead ordinary rookie Genin. That would be a waste of manpower.

Of course, Kakashi was not some ordinary ninja with no say in the matter. If Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke failed Kakashi's test, he really would judge them unqualified.

After visiting the students' homes, Kakashi made his usual trip to the Memorial Stone to remember the past, so naturally, he was late.

When he reached the classroom, Kakashi glanced at the blackboard eraser wedged above the door. Such a clumsy trap was obviously Naruto's doing.

Kakashi pretended not to notice anything and pushed the door open. With a smack, the blackboard eraser struck him on the head.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

That was not the end of it. The force of the door opening pulled a steel wire, sending pieces of chalk flying at Kakashi like Shuriken.

Hinata's trap was not particularly ingenious, but Kakashi had clearly underestimated the three of them. With Naruto's trap serving as a decoy, Kakashi had overlooked the possibility of another trap waiting behind it.

But a Jonin was still a Jonin. The chalk pieces passed through Kakashi's body without incident. It was only an ordinary Clone Technique. Kakashi had already appeared silently on the podium.

"So fast!"

Even Hinata was startled by Kakashi's speed, though on second thought, there was nothing strange about it.

Without opening the Eight Gates, Might Guy could spar with Kakashi in taijutsu without gaining the upper hand. It was only natural that Kakashi possessed such speed.

"HAHAHAHA! Teacher, you're so lame!"

Hinata was actually the one laughing the hardest. Even though she knew Kakashi had deliberately fallen for the trap, she still found it hilarious.

Naruto laughed so hard his stomach cramped.

"How should I put this..." Kakashi muttered, rubbing his chin. "My first impression of you is..."

"You're pretty annoying!"

Hinata pointed at Kakashi and protested, "Teacher, my first impression of you is that you're a lecherous middle-aged uncle! And a very annoying one at that!"

"Uh..."

Kakashi thought, I'll accept being called a lecher, but where did this middle-aged uncle thing come from?

Hinata had no intention of bringing up her first encounter with Kakashi.

Kakashi led the three of them up to the rooftop, sat casually on the railing, and said, "Then let's start by introducing ourselves!"

"What are we supposed to say in an introduction?"

"Uh... what you like, what you hate, your dreams, hobbies... things like that, I guess!"

Naruto shouted, "Wait a second! Teacher goes first!"

"Oh? Me?" Kakashi said listlessly. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. There are many things I like and dislike, and I have all sorts of hobbies too. As for my dreams, there's nothing much to say..."

Didn't he just say absolutely nothing? Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke silently complained at the same time.

"Now it's your turn. Let's start from the right!"

Naruto's introduction was nothing more than a tale of ramen and becoming Hokage, while Sasuke's introduction was much more dramatic. He swore that he would kill his older brother!

"All right! Now it's the girl's turn!"

Resting her chin on one hand, Hinata spoke just as listlessly. "My name is O... Hinata Hyuga. There are many things I like, such as tasting delicious food, sleeping, reading, daydreaming, shopping, buying things, training, beauty care, making friends, group meals, bullying a certain fat guy... (five hundred words omitted)."

"There are also many things I dislike, such as people who don't keep time, poor hygiene, being secretive, having no motivation..."

"I also have many dreams for the future, such as..."

"And many hobbies, such as..."

Kakashi stared with dead fish eyes. Seeing that Hinata looked ready to keep talking until tomorrow morning, he had no choice but to interrupt her. "All right, let's stop the introductions here for now!"

And why were all the things Hinata disliked my own flaws?

Hinata said unhappily, "Teacher Kakashi, interrupting someone else's introduction is very rude! I wasn't finished yet!"

Kakashi pressed a hand to his forehead. "We'll get to know each other gradually in the future!"

Fine, then!

Hinata really had not been lying. She dared swear in the name of Otsutsuki that every word she had said could be used as courtroom evidence.

"That concludes the introductions. Starting tomorrow, we'll be carrying out missions."

"First, the four of us will carry out this mission—the Survival Exercise!"

"This isn't an ordinary Survival Exercise. In this exercise, your opponent will be me." Seeing Naruto and Sasuke's unconcerned expressions, Kakashi continued, "This is a test with an elimination rate of over sixty-six percent. Out of twenty-seven graduates, only nine will ultimately be recognized as Genin!"

Hinata glanced to the side. Those two idiots really had been scared badly.

"I've written the specific requirements on there. Don't be late tomorrow!"

Kakashi handed three forms to Hinata and the others, formed a hand seal with one hand, and prepared to leave using the Body Flicker Technique.

Before leaving, Kakashi added a special reminder. "Oh, right. Don't forget to bring your ninja tools. Skip breakfast. You'll definitely throw up then!"

Hinata waved goodbye and shouted, "Teacher Kakashi, even if I throw up, I'll throw up on you! Don't think you'll get off easy either!"

An Elite Jonin with exceptional chakra control, a man who had copied over a thousand ninjutsu, suddenly slipped. His chakra leaked, and he nearly failed to use the Body Flicker Technique.

Kakashi had been deliberately and casually using his killing intent to pressure the three of them. The moment he left, Naruto immediately cried out, "What the heck! I worked so hard just to... Then why did we even have to take a graduation exam?!"

Hinata beckoned Naruto over, signaling for him to come closer. With a mysterious look on her face, she said, "Naruto, don't you have a sure-kill technique? If you use that move against Teacher Kakashi, he'll definitely fall for it!"

Sasuke: Naruto's sure-kill technique?

Naruto: How does Hinata know I learned the Shadow Clone?

Hinata stood up and shouted, "That Sexy Jutsu! Naruto, you're the man who defeated the Hokage! A mere Teacher Kakashi is definitely no match for you!"

Sasuke: Two idiots!