"You... all passed."
"Huh?" Hinata was surprised, with a hint of confusion and a hint of unexpected delight.
Kakashi explained, "The purpose of this exercise was to test a genin team's ability and awareness of 'teamwork.' Getting the Bells was the first step in teamwork, while distributing them was the more crucial second step... I'm glad that all of you managed it. Under those circumstances, you ignored personal interests and chose the interests of the team."
After a pause, Kakashi's voice grew solemn. "Missions are usually carried out in teams... Granted, outstanding individual skill is extremely important for a ninja, but acting alone without teamwork can endanger your companions, even lead to disastrous consequences..."
"Those who violate the rules and iron laws of the ninja world are called trash, but... those who don't know how to cherish their companions are worse than trash!"
Kakashi slipped both hands into his pockets and looked up at the sky as the breeze stirred his messy silver hair.
Hinata stared blankly at Kakashi. Sasuke listened quietly, then lowered his head and sheathed his short blade behind his waist. Naruto, meanwhile, was grinning like an idiot—
"Anyway, this is awesome!"
Naruto scrambled to his feet and walked over with a laugh, wanting to high-five Sasuke and Hinata in celebration. Sasuke simply closed his eyes, gave a soft snort, muttered, "Idiot," and sidestepped him. Hinata, like a startled little deer, blushed as she stared at Naruto's raised palm, at a complete loss over what to do...
Seeing this from behind them, Kakashi smiled with narrowed eyes. After a while, though, his gaze dimmed slightly as he remembered the team he had once belonged to... Of the three of them back then, only he remained now.
Obito, you should have been Konoha's hero. How did things come to this...?
Kakashi touched the Headband over his left eye and thought to himself, I'll definitely stop you...
Naruto was awkward and deeply annoyed that Sasuke had embarrassed him like that, especially in front of Hinata... He could only sheepishly lower his hand and rub his nose before taking the lead in suggesting, "To celebrate passing the exercise, let's go have barbecue! Teacher Kakashi is treating!"
What is this brat babbling about? Kakashi was already getting a headache. He actually had such a wilful subordinate... Still, as their instructor, he had expected to treat them to a meal. Rather than calling it an unspoken Konoha tradition, it was more accurate to say that Konoha's kids never treated themselves like outsiders...
"Let's go. I'll treat you to barbecue... Starting tomorrow, Team 7 will begin taking missions!"
Good thing there isn't anyone from the Akimichi Clan among my subordinates...
"Yeah!" Naruto perked up and headed out with Kakashi. The Nine-Tails' Chakra had drained a tremendous amount of his stamina, and he was starving now.
Hinata hurried after them. Sasuke went beneath the tree to pick up his backpack, dusted it off, and leisurely trailed behind the three of them.
By the time Team 7 arrived at Q BBQ, Team 10 was already inside.
"Yo, Asuma." Kakashi lifted the cloth curtain and raised a hand in greeting.
Asuma turned around, a painfully forced smile still on his face. "It's Kakashi. Heh heh heh..."
Kakashi wondered why Asuma's laugh was so fake. Looking closer, he saw that two stacks of bowls and plates had already piled up in front of the chubby Choji, who was still frantically grabbing grilled meat... So an Akimichi was here. Cold sweat streamed down Kakashi's forehead.
"Huh, Shikamaru? You guys are here too..." Naruto's head popped out from behind Kakashi.
"It's Naruto..." Shikamaru replied with a smile. He still looked terminally lazy. Judging from the marks on his bowl and chopsticks, he was apparently too lazy to even work up the enthusiasm to eat much barbecue.
Because he had the memories of his seventeen-year-old self, Naruto had an exceptionally good impression of Shikamaru. After all, this lazy fellow had been the only one among them—and the first—to pass the Chunin Exams and become a chunin... During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Shikamaru's performance had also been outstanding.
That was why Naruto had liked him quite a bit back at the Ninja Academy, and the two of them could be considered acquaintances.
"Hello, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Teacher Asuma..." Hinata also entered from behind and greeted the members of Team 10 one by one. Though she did not know Asuma, she addressed him by the name Kakashi had used. After all, she had been raised as a refined young lady, with etiquette drilled into her since childhood.
Sasuke was not nearly so good-natured. He entered without saying a word and stood off to the side.
"Sasuke! You came too!" Ino enthusiastically waved at Sasuke from her seat. Unfortunately, Sasuke merely glanced at her indifferently and gave no response at all. Ino was dejected, but on second thought, there was nothing to be done about it. That was just Sasuke.
"Four servings of barbecue, boss." Kakashi placed their order and sat down beside Team 10's table.
Hinata and the other two sat down in turn. As Naruto set his backpack aside, he whispered to Sasuke, "Hey, hey, I'm saying, that girl greeted you so enthusiastically. Isn't it a little too cold to just ignore her like that?"
Sasuke sat down beside Naruto, shot him a glance, and said coldly, "Idiot."
A vein throbbed on Naruto's forehead.
The barbecue was brought over quickly. The server lit the grill for them and set the ingredients on the table, while Kakashi had somehow already pulled out a little book and was reading it with relish.
"Come to think of it... did you guys have your exercise at noon today too? You finished pretty fast," Naruto asked Shikamaru.
Shikamaru lazily shifted the slices of meat on the grill with his chopsticks and replied casually, "It was alright..."
Asuma, who was smoking beside him, immediately looked a little awkward... Kakashi, who was reading his little yellow book, spared a glance at Asuma's unnatural expression before looking at Shikamaru's lazy face. Given Asuma's careless style, this result was hardly surprising...
Just then, there was another commotion at the entrance—
"Kiba, you ran so fast..."
A gust of wind blew in, and Kiba, with a little dog perched on his head, said with a grin, "Of course I had to be quick. Akamaru is starving, right?" He looked upward, and the puppy barked twice.
Sakura, Shino, and Kurenai Yuhi entered the restaurant.
"Sasuke—" Sakura's eyes lit up, and she waved in greeting. Yet Sasuke, seated over there, acted as though he had not heard her and remained completely unmoved. Sakura lowered her hand in disappointment, while Naruto helplessly spread his hands beside Sasuke.
Have all the elite genin of this class gathered here...? Kurenai thought with a smile, while Asuma's gaze drifted toward her from time to time.
Team 8 ordered five servings of barbecue and took their seats. By then, Team 7's first batch of barbecue was nearly done.
Unable to wait any longer, Naruto clasped his chopsticks in both hands and shouted, "Time to eat—"
Poof! He vanished from the spot.
The people around them looked at one another... What was going on? Where was Naruto?
Before you continue