An Unbelievable Schedule

Seeing the matter settled in just a few words between them, Naruto hesitated.

He wanted to speak up, but on second thought, something felt off.

If he refused, Hiruzen Sarutobi definitely would not give up on making him a ninja.

Then Hiruzen Sarutobi would send people to bother Naruto every day.

Who knew how miserable Naruto would be?

But if he became an instructor, things would be different.

He could take missions whenever he wanted and rest whenever he did not.

The only downside was that Sasuke might cling to him.

What should he do?

Naruto fell into thought.

This seemed to suit his preference for quiet, peaceful days too.

Mm, then this would do.

It would also save him from being targeted because he was not a ninja.

Thinking this, Naruto asked Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Then what is the assessment?"

Hearing Naruto say that, Hiruzen Sarutobi was delighted.

That meant Naruto had agreed.

In that case...

Whether Naruto passed the assessment or not,

he would definitely become a ninja.

As long as he was a ninja, what kind of ninja he became did not matter.

At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi could use this opportunity to probe Naruto's true strength.

Ever since Naruto rescued Hinata, everyone had grown curious about his strength.

Afterward, Naruto had even released the Nine-Tails.

He had not shown the slightest fear when facing the Nine-Tails.

That could only mean he had formidable strength backing him up!

A candidate flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind. At last, he said to Naruto, "You need to defeat Kakashi Hatake."

Hearing Kakashi's name, Sasuke instinctively frowned.

Could it be that, if this had not happened, Kakashi would have been his future teacher?

Sasuke had heard of Kakashi.

Everyone called him the Copy Ninja, Sharingan Kakashi.

That Sharingan title seemed to suggest Kakashi possessed the same bloodline as Sasuke.

But Kakashi's surname was Hatake, not Uchiha.

Still...

Kakashi Hatake was a genuine Elite Jonin.

Was it not a bit too much to make a ninja student challenge an Elite Jonin?

Sasuke thought so, and Sakura Haruno did too.

Sakura Haruno immediately complained without restraint, "Lord Hokage, if you do not want Naruto-kun to be an instructor, just say so. Why make Naruto-kun fight an Elite Jonin?"

"What if Naruto-kun gets hurt..."

"Ahem, ahem." Hiruzen Sarutobi also felt a little embarrassed. His old face reddened, but he did not answer Sakura Haruno.

Naruto did not refuse. "Kakashi Hatake should already be here, right?"

The moment he finished speaking,

a listless voice came from outside the door. "I'm here..."

Everyone's attention shifted.

A white-haired young man in ninja attire pushed open the door and entered.

He wore a mask, making it impossible for anyone to see his face clearly.

His forehead protector covered one eye, as though concealing some secret.

The only eye visible was half-lidded, a thoroughly dead-fish stare.

Aside from his straight posture, he looked like the sort of man who had indulged himself too much and drained his body dry.

Sasuke looked Kakashi over and felt somewhat disappointed.

Kakashi did not look especially powerful.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said to Kakashi, "Kakashi, you must fight seriously this time."

Kakashi said, "Of course. Those three were originally supposed to be my students, yet someone wants to steal my position as their instructor. I'm very angry right now~"

His words were barbed.

Yet his voice remained lazy, without the slightest sharpness.

After that,

they came to the training grounds outside the academy.

With everyone watching, Kakashi and Naruto stood facing each other in the center.

Kakashi stared at Naruto, whose expression was calm, and thought, Naruto? He really does look like Sensei...

Kakashi had heard the rumors about Naruto before.

He did not underestimate Naruto and intended to go all out.

"The little hero who rescued his companions from the Cloud Hidden."

"Let me see your strength, Naruto."

As Kakashi spoke, he raised a hand and lifted his forehead protector.

Outside the field, Sasuke cried out in shock, "That's the Sharingan!"

How could he have the Sharingan?

But clearly, no one could answer Sasuke's question at that moment.

The match began.

Kakashi reached into his ninja tool pouch.

Noticing his movement, Naruto also took out a kunai.

But Kakashi made no further move...

He remained where he was, simply staring at Naruto.

Naruto tilted his head slightly. "What are you doing?"

Kakashi across from him tilted his head as well.

Kakashi said, "There is an obvious age gap between us. Naturally, I have the advantage physically."

"I only need to use the Sharingan to copy your movements, and you will never be able to defeat me."

"Begin your attack."

That was indeed true.

At least, from Kakashi's perspective.

His judgment was not wrong!

He was an adult, while Naruto had not grown up yet.

When it came to physical ability, anyone would assume Kakashi was stronger than Naruto.

And Kakashi could perfectly copy Naruto's movements.

So no matter how strong Naruto's combat experience was, he could not defeat Kakashi.

He might even...

be caught by Kakashi's opening and defeated.

Outside the field,

upon hearing Kakashi's words, Sakura Haruno looked utterly aggrieved. "That guy Kakashi Hatake is so shameless! He is only acting so arrogant because Naruto-kun is younger than him!"

Sasuke glanced at Sakura Haruno. "An enemy is an enemy. They will not become a companion because of age."

"To complete a mission, it is normal to use some underhanded methods when necessary."

Iruka also said worriedly, "I wonder how Naruto will deal with this."

Just as everyone focused all their attention on Naruto,

Naruto raised his hands and began forming hand seals.

At the same time, Kakashi formed hand seals with both hands as well.

In fact, Kakashi completed his seals one step faster than Naruto!

But once the hand seals were complete, Kakashi's eyes suddenly widened.

"What... what is this?"

Bang bang bang bang bang~~~

An enormous cloud of white smoke suddenly filled the training grounds.

When the smoke dispersed,

countless densely packed figures appeared within it.

There were so many that the training grounds could not even hold them all!

Taking the opportunity, Sakura Haruno reached out to touch the Naruto clone beside her, wearing a lewd grin.

But Sakura Haruno's hand passed straight through Naruto's body.

"So it was the Clone Technique..."

They were not Shadow Clones, but insubstantial clones created by the Clone Technique.

Even so,

there were simply far too many of them.

A few seconds later,

the clones on the field began to vanish.

Once every clone had disappeared,

Kakashi was down on one knee, his expression utterly exhausted.

Sasuke frowned. "Why? What happened?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said in surprise, "I never expected Naruto to be so clever..."

Sakura Haruno asked curiously, "What happened?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained, "Kakashi's Sharingan can copy Naruto's movements."

"That includes even the hand seals used for ninjutsu."

"By using that trait, Naruto made Kakashi form the seals."

"That technique can summon the greatest number of clones."

"The summoned clones have no offensive power, so Kakashi's clones could not threaten Naruto."

"But in doing so, however much Chakra Naruto consumed, Kakashi would consume the same amount."

"Very clever... He thought of this method almost instantly..."

The more Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, the more shocked he became.

He knew such a method existed as well.

But Naruto's performance had simply been too outstanding.

It was practically perfect!

More importantly,

Kakashi had never imagined

that Naruto at this age would possess far more Chakra than he did.

That single use of the Clone Technique

had nearly depleted all of Kakashi's Chakra.

Seeing Kakashi kneeling on one knee, Naruto asked, "Are you all right, Kakashi-senpai?"

Kakashi panted heavily, disbelief in his voice. "I never expected you to have so much Chakra."

At that moment, Kakashi thought of Kushina.

That made sense.

Naruto was Kushina's child, after all.

It was only natural for him to have a little more Chakra.

Kakashi had never imagined that the method that had always worked so well for him would be so easily broken by Naruto.

Using the Sharingan's copying ability, Kakashi had recorded thousands of ninjutsu.

Those people had all been helpless against Kakashi.

"I lost." Kakashi did not force himself to continue and directly admitted defeat. "It seems your mind and Chakra are both enough for you to stand on your own. You are more than qualified to serve as an instructor for ninja students."

The new wave truly surpassed the old...

Back then, Kakashi had also been called a genius.

But he had relied on swordsmanship and taijutsu.

He definitely did not possess such a calm mind.

As for Chakra, there was no need to mention it.

The amount of Chakra one possessed was practically determined from birth.

Without a bloodline, increasing one's Chakra reserves was as difficult as climbing to heaven.

After Kakashi admitted defeat,

Sakura Haruno cheered, "Yay, yay, yay!"

She excitedly asked Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Lord Hokage, does this mean Naruto can be our instructor?"

Through that brief, sudden match,

Hiruzen Sarutobi had managed to glimpse some of Naruto's capabilities.

An exceptionally meticulous and calm mind, along with an enormous amount of Chakra.

But beyond that, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew nothing...

Kakashi had underestimated his opponent too much, allowing Naruto to defeat him with a small trick.

And Naruto had not even revealed much of his true ability.

Though Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat disappointed, he still acknowledged Naruto's strength.

"Alright, little Naruto will be your instructor."

Hiruzen Sarutobi made the announcement.

Though becoming an instructor normally required going through many procedures and evaluations,

Naruto's situation was rather special.

So Team 7 was temporarily established.

Captain and instructor: Naruto Uzumaki.

Members: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno.

Sakura Haruno looked incomparably excited as she asked Naruto, "Naruto-kun, it's our team's first day together. Shouldn't we go celebrate??"

This was a perfect opportunity!

Normally, Naruto was always surrounded either by Hinata or other girls.

It was hard for Sakura Haruno to make a move.

Hearing Sakura Haruno's words, Sasuke could not help saying, "Rather than waste time, we should train properly."

Clearly, he was very interested in Naruto's training methods.

Sakura Haruno retorted, "Hmph~ Neither of us is the captain. We have to listen to Naruto on everything!"

The two of them turned their gazes toward Naruto.

Naruto himself had the temperament of a slacker. Eating, drinking, and having fun were what suited his idea of a happy life.

"Alright! Then we'll listen to Sakura." Naruto said so.

Sasuke was somewhat disappointed, but since it was Naruto's decision, he did not object.

After they had eaten, Naruto said, "You're both tired today. Whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow."

Having eaten and drunk his fill, he wanted to clock out.

Sasuke could not help asking, "Where are we meeting tomorrow?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "Here again. Tomorrow, we'll plan out the team's future schedule."

The next day.

Naruto showed Sasuke and Sakura Haruno a schedule he had made himself.

Monday: Gathering

Tuesday: Hot springs

Wednesday: See if there are any missions we want to do

Thursday: Weekly training session

Friday: Team bonding activities (meals, hot springs, movies, shopping...)

Saturday and Sunday: Days off, lying around at home

Sasuke held the schedule, his expression utterly spectacular...

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