Being Late is Rude

"Though I was prepared for it, you're way too slow, aren't you, Teacher Kakashi?" Naruto set down the scroll on the desk and tucked it into the ninja tool pouch at his waist.

Kakashi strolled in, lazily eyeing his three students. His voice was even more languid than his demeanor: "I ran into an old lady crossing the street on the way here..."

He paused mid-sentence, suddenly struck by the memory of that worn-out excuse's originator, the "Memory Intelligence," and the person now lurking somewhere behind a mask. Even though he'd learned of this intel long ago, the grief in Kakashi's heart refused to fade.

Naruto caught the subtle shift in Kakashi's expression, watching him with calm, steady eyes.

Sasuke's mind stirred. So it really is Kakashi... He recalled what Naruto had said at lunch.

"Seeing the future"—others might dismiss it, but Sasuke, who'd spent six years side by side with Naruto, couldn't easily brush it off.

Over those six years, he and Naruto had clashed at least two thousand times, big and small. Through those countless battles, Naruto's advice—sometimes overt, sometimes subtle—had always been clear to him.

It wasn't about letting go of hatred, but about calming down, reflecting, and remembering—

Could the overnight annihilation of Konoha's prestigious Uchiha Clan really be so simple?

Even if Itachi Uchiha alone was a prodigy unmatched in the clan, the village, or the entire shinobi world, could he truly have slaughtered an entire elite clan in utter silence, 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 he adored, revered, and looked up to more than anyone...

But the uncontrollable rage still surged from his chest. Every time he thought of it, that night's scene replayed before his eyes:

His parents lying in pools of blood, that man standing before the carnage with a bloodstained blade, his cold, merciless voice, the blood on his clothes, the terrifying pattern of his Sharingan, the biting chill of the air, the silent, frigid night—all of it stabbed into Sasuke's heart, again and again, inch by inch.

"Sasuke." Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke turned, a flicker of red in his eyes vanishing as he let out a soft breath, steadying his turbulent emotions.

Hinata watched their instructor with curiosity.

Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she had no idea who this Jonin Instructor was. Her first impression? Maybe this teacher's a bit unreliable?

Kakashi, unaware that his innocent young subordinate had already doubted him, said casually, "First... follow me to the rooftop."

"Let's start with introductions. Name, likes, dislikes, dreams, that sort of thing..." Kakashi leaned back against the railing, facing his three new subordinates seated on the steps.

Naruto smirked inwardly. Teacher Kakashi's routine never changes... He cleared his throat and spoke up: "Naruto Uzumaki. Interests are training and reading. Dislikes... 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 gets, I am Konoha Village's 'Naruto Uzumaki'! I will definitely become a Hokage who surpasses all the previous ones!"

His words rang out with conviction.

Hinata, seated to Naruto's left, tilted her head curiously, catching sight of his sharp profile and bright blue eyes. The village... darkness... Naruto-kun, what have you been racing against all these years? It feels like something's always driving you to keep pushing...

Kakashi's one visible eye narrowed. Though his face was covered, he seemed to be smiling. "And you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke, on the right, propped his hands behind him on the ground, gazing up at the blue sky and white clouds for a moment. "Sasuke Uchiha. Interest is training. Nothing I particularly dislike. More than a dream, it's a goal I have to accomplish..." He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his upturned eyes. "I will find that man, get the truth out of him, and then take my revenge!"

Kakashi looked at Sasuke for a long moment, then turned. "And you, Hinata?"

Hinata jolted, flustered as she answered, "Y-yes, my name is Hinata Hyuga. I like tea ceremony and flower arranging. I d-dislike... being late..."

Suddenly, she remembered this teacher had just been late himself—maybe he was always late? She looked up and sure enough, Kakashi was staring at her with a dead-fish eye. Hinata couldn't handle that and blushed furiously. "N-no, I mean I don't like making others wait by being late myself, because it's rude..."

Naruto and Sasuke beside her broke out in a sweat, both turning to Kakashi. But the seasoned veteran didn't bat an eye, waving a hand nonchalantly and saying, "And what's your dream?"—showing just how thick-skinned he was on the matter.

Hinata, relieved, quickly said, "My dream is to earn Naruto-kun's recognition!"

The whole place went silent.

A breeze passed by, and Hinata realized what she'd blurted out in her panic. Shame surged from her heart, hit her head, and her vision went dark as she toppled backward...

Naruto reached out to catch her back, glancing around. Seeing Sasuke and Kakashi both wearing subtly amused expressions, he scratched his head innocently. "Not my fault..."

"Well, anyway, there's a survival exercise tomorrow. Here are the forms—time and place are on them." Kakashi pulled out three sheets and handed them over. Just as he was about to form the Body Flicker hand seal, he remembered something and added, "Sasuke, bring your sword. Alright, dismissed."

Poof. He vanished.

After a moment, Naruto, still supporting Hinata, realized something. "Hey, that's not right! Teacher Kakashi didn't introduce himself!"

"Hmph, probably rushed off to read a book?" Sasuke snorted, thoroughly dissatisfied with their cheap instructor's lifestyle.

Yes, you read that right. Two years ago, after the Third Hokage shared the abridged "Memory Intelligence" with Kakashi, Naruto shamelessly asked him to mentor Sasuke in using the Sharingan.

Seeing that Sasuke's Chakra at the time couldn't handle powerful techniques like Chidori, Kakashi figured the Fire Style Jutsu left in the Uchiha Clan's archives would suffice for now. After some thought, he tossed Sasuke his father's—the Konoha White Fang's—swordsmanship scrolls. Once Sasuke's training was on track, aside from weekly check-ins, Kakashi was nowhere to be found... Sasuke got an early taste of the terror of being bossed around by the great literary master Jiraiya.

Naruto carefully laid Hinata on the ground. "You go ahead. I'll wait for Hinata to wake up, then find you." He chuckled, remembering how flustered and tongue-tied she'd been, and found her really endearing.

Sasuke didn't get up, glancing at Naruto. "Since Hinata's out cold, why don't you keep talking about this so-called 'future' of yours?"