"Even though I was prepared for it, you're really too slow, aren't you, Teacher Kakashi?" Naruto put away the scroll on the table and slipped it into the ninja tool pouch at his waist.
Kakashi walked in and lazily glanced at his three students. His voice was even more languid than his appearance. "I ran into an old lady crossing the street on the way here..."
At that, he suddenly froze. He thought of the owner of that lousy excuse, of that "Memory Intelligence," and of the person now lurking somewhere behind a mask... Even though he had learned this intelligence long ago, the grief in Kakashi's heart still would not fade.
Naruto noticed Kakashi's subtle change and watched him calmly.
Sasuke's heart stirred. So it really was Kakashi... He recalled what Naruto had said during lunch.
Others might not believe in something like "seeing the future," but Sasuke, who had spent every day with Naruto for six years, could not entirely dismiss it.
Over those six years, he and Naruto had fought at least two thousand times, large and small. During those two thousand-plus fights, Naruto's overt and subtle advice, whether present or absent, had all been seen by Sasuke.
Naruto had not urged him to let go of his hatred. Instead, he had urged him to calm down, reflect, and remember—
The mighty Uchiha Clan of Konoha had been wiped out overnight. Could something so earth-shattering truly have been that simple?
Could Itachi Uchiha alone, even if he was an unprecedented genius of the Uchiha Clan, Konoha Village, and even the entire ninja world, really have silently slaughtered such an elite clan from top to bottom?
And finally: "Do you really believe your gentle brother could do something like that?" Yes... yes. Itachi had once been the brother Sasuke admired most, revered most, and wished to become...
But... the uncontrollable fury still spread up from his chest. Whenever he thought of it, the scene from that night appeared before his eyes again and again:
His father and mother lying in pools of blood. That man standing before them with a bloody blade in hand, expressionless. His cold, merciless voice. The blood staining his clothes. The terrifying pattern of his Sharingan. The icy temperature of the air. The silent night, filled with chill... Every part of it stabbed into Sasuke's heart like a knife, again and again, cutting deeper and deeper.
"Sasuke." Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke turned his head, and the red gleam in his eyes vanished in an instant. He let out a soft breath and calmed his turbulent emotions.
Hinata curiously examined their Jonin Instructor.
Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she did not know this Jonin Instructor at all. Her first impression was... Was this teacher a little unreliable?
Kakashi had no idea that the innocent little girl among his subordinates had already begun to doubt him. He merely said casually, "First... let's go up to the rooftop."
"Introduce yourselves first. Your names, things you like, things you dislike, dreams, that sort of thing..." Kakashi leaned against the railing, facing his three new subordinates seated on the steps.
Naruto secretly chuckled. Teacher Kakashi's routine really hadn't changed at all... He cleared his throat and said, "Naruto Uzumaki. My hobbies are training and reading. What I dislike is... being exactly the same as the future 'me'? As for my dream..." He adjusted his headband and declared solemnly, "No matter how dark or complicated this village is, I am Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha Village! I will become a Hokage surpassing every Hokage before me!"
His words rang out powerfully.
Hinata, seated to Naruto's left, tilted her head in confusion. She saw his sharply defined profile and his bright blue eyes. The village... darkness... Naruto-kun, what have you been racing against all these years? It felt as though something had been constantly driving him to work harder.
Kakashi's only exposed right eye narrowed. Though he wore a mask, he seemed to be smiling. "Then, what about Sasuke?"
Sasuke, on the right, supported himself with both hands behind him and looked up at the blue sky and white clouds. After a while, he said, "Sasuke Uchiha. My hobby is training. There's nothing I particularly dislike. Rather than a dream, I have a goal that must be accomplished..." He paused, and a sharp glint flashed through his upturned eyes. "I have to find that man, get the truth from him, and then take revenge!"
Kakashi looked at Sasuke for a long while before turning to ask, "What about Hinata?"
Hinata jolted and turned back, answering nervously, "Y-Yes. My name is Hinata Hyuga. I like tea ceremony and flower arranging. What I d-dislike is being late..."
Suddenly, Hinata remembered that this teacher had just been late. Maybe he was often late? When she looked up, sure enough, Kakashi was staring at her with a dead-fish eye. How could Hinata withstand that? Her face immediately turned crimson. "N-No, that's not what I meant! I mean I don't like being late myself and making everyone wait, because that's very rude..."
Naruto and Sasuke both broke into a cold sweat. They simultaneously looked toward Kakashi, but who would have expected this seasoned veteran to remain completely unfazed? He casually waved a hand and asked, "So what's your dream?" His thick skin in this matter was plain to see.
Feeling as though she had been pardoned, Hinata hurriedly said, "My dream is to earn Naruto-kun's recognition!"
The entire rooftop fell silent.
A breeze swept past. Only then did Hinata realize what she had blurted out in her panic. In an instant, embarrassment surged from the depths of her heart and shot straight to the top of her head. Her vision went black, and she fell backward...
Naruto reached out and caught Hinata by the back. He turned to look and saw Sasuke and Kakashi both wearing awkward expressions. He could not help scratching his head, looking utterly innocent. "It has nothing to do with me..."
"Well then, there's a Survival Exercise tomorrow. These are the forms. The time and place are written on them." Kakashi pulled out three forms and handed them over. Just as he was about to form the hand seal for the Body Flicker Technique, he remembered something and reminded Sasuke, "Sasuke, remember to bring your sword. All right, dismissed."
Poof! He vanished.
After a while, Naruto, still supporting Hinata, suddenly remembered something. "That's not right! Teacher Kakashi never introduced himself!"
"Hmph. He probably rushed back to read, didn't he?" Sasuke snorted, extremely dissatisfied with this cheap teacher's lifestyle.
That's right, you didn't misread it. Two years ago, after the Third Hokage revealed a simplified version of the "Memory Intelligence" to Kakashi, Naruto shamelessly asked Kakashi to guide Sasuke and teach him how to use the Sharingan.
Seeing Sasuke's Chakra at the time, Kakashi knew he could not possibly learn any powerful ninjutsu, such as Chidori. The remaining Fire Style Jutsu of the Uchiha Clan should have been enough for Sasuke for the time being. After thinking it over, Kakashi tossed Sasuke a swordsmanship scroll left behind by his father, the Konoha White Fang. Once Sasuke's swordsmanship training got on track, Kakashi vanished except for his routine weekly instruction... Sasuke had gotten an early taste of the terror of being ruled by the great literary master Jiraiya.
Naruto carefully laid Hinata on the ground. "You go ahead first. I'll wait for Hinata to wake up, then come find you." Remembering Hinata's flustered, incoherent appearance just now, he could not help smiling. He also felt that this girl was truly adorable.
Sasuke did not get up. He glanced at Naruto. "Since Hinata fainted at such a convenient time, aren't you going to continue telling me about your so-called... 'future'?"
Before you continue