Surprise

After hearing the three of them introduce themselves, Kakashi fell silent for a moment before continuing. "All right, that's enough introductions. Meet at Training Ground Three at five tomorrow morning. We'll be holding an exercise—a wilderness survival exercise!"

"An exercise? We've done plenty of those at the Ninja Academy. Shouldn't we start taking missions instead?"

Sasuke frowned slightly, his tone full of irritation and impatience.

If we keep doing these basic drills, how long will it take before I can really get stronger?

I'd be better off training with Naruto directly.

Kakashi covered the half of his face hidden by his black mask, deliberately putting on a frightening expression. Lowering his voice, he said, "Heh heh. This isn't an ordinary exercise. It's a traditional one passed down in Konoha, and only one in three people passes. If you fail, you'll have to repeat the Ninja Academy!"

Sakura froze, her face filled with tension and unease.

She sneaked a glance at Sasuke, then at Naruto, her stomach twisting with anxiety.

Sasuke still looked calm on the surface, but even he was starting to waver inside.

His skills had improved over the past few days under Naruto's guidance.

But Kakashi sounded so serious that this probably wouldn't be easy.

Naruto alone remained completely relaxed, as if he didn't care about it at all.

As expected of the teacher's son. He's not so easy to fool. Kakashi glanced at Naruto and grumbled to himself. When the mood felt right, he added coldly, "Remember, don't eat breakfast. You'll throw up!"

Without waiting for them to respond, Kakashi quickly turned and left the classroom.

As soon as Kakashi was gone, Sakura hurried over to Sasuke and asked in a quiet voice, "Sasuke-kun, what should we do tomorrow...?"

Sasuke didn't look at her. Instead, he turned directly to Naruto.

Naruto remained as calm as ever. "Don't listen to Teacher Kakashi. Just show up at ten tomorrow, and you can eat breakfast too."

"Really?"

Sakura looked doubtful, clearly not sure she believed Naruto.

She still wondered whether Naruto was really as reliable as he'd seemed lately.

Naruto knew there was no point in explaining any further to Sakura right now.

Only when the exercise began tomorrow and the facts spoke for themselves would he be able to put her doubts to rest.

So he said no more and simply smiled faintly.

"Just trust Naruto."

Sasuke made his stance clear.

After training and spending time together over the past few days, he trusted Naruto far more than most people.

"Then... all right."

Sakura was still only half-convinced, but since Sasuke had said so, she could only set aside her unease for the time being.

In fact, Kakashi hadn't gone far.

He was hiding around the corner in the hallway outside the classroom, secretly watching to see how the three of them would react.

Telling them not to eat breakfast and to meet at five in the morning had been a test he'd deliberately set up.

Kakashi wanted to see how they would behave when faced with a harsh test under extreme physical and psychological pressure, and whether they would respond rationally and act like proper shinobi.

But Naruto had ruined the plan with a single remark, leaving Kakashi with mixed feelings.

He was surprised, and also a little unsettled by the sense that Naruto had seen through him.

That kid really is something...

Kakashi thought in silence. In the end, he didn't show himself to reiterate how strict his rules were.

He decided to keep watching and see just how many "surprises" Naruto could bring.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke walked out of the classroom side by side.

Sakura followed behind them, watching how in sync they seemed and wondering to herself, Since when did Sasuke and Naruto get so close?

Seeing that there was still plenty of time, Sasuke turned to Naruto and asked, "We've still got some time this afternoon. Want to train some more?"

Naruto waved a hand. "Just review what I taught you yesterday. You still haven't got those basics down well enough. As for me... I need to think about how to handle tomorrow's test."

"Okay, then."

Sasuke was a little disappointed, but when he thought about it, the things he'd learned yesterday really did need another day or two to sink in.

Naruto had actually realized long ago that Teacher Kakashi hadn't left. It seemed he wanted to speak with him privately, which was why Naruto had deliberately sent Sasuke away.

Naruto had taken the wilderness survival exercise many times before.

In the past, he had either defeated Kakashi outright or directed Sasuke and Sakura to work together to snatch the bells.

They'd also snatched the bells in all sorts of other ways.

In the end, as long as they demonstrated "teamwork," they passed.

But this time, after Orochimaru's reminder and the inspiration he'd drawn from the Mizuki incident, Naruto had begun to think about a deeper question.

Why did they have to work as a team to earn Teacher Kakashi's approval?

Could it be that this approach was wrong in the first place?

Naruto wasn't deliberately looking for trouble. Rather, the Mizuki incident had inspired him to recognize a deeper contradiction.

As Naruto thought it over, he arrived at his front door.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared before him. It was Kakashi.

"Why? I clearly told them to meet at five in the morning, but you told them to show up at ten?" Kakashi asked in a low voice.

There was a note of inquiry in his tone, but no criticism.

Naruto wasn't surprised to see Kakashi. He answered calmly, "There's no particular reason. I'd heard that Teacher Kakashi is often late, so I guessed you wouldn't arrive on time. Everyone would just end up wasting time and energy—for instance, their mental and physical strength."

Kakashi pressed him. "What if I told you that was part of the test too?"

Naruto countered, "Then wouldn't my approach count as another way of solving the problem?"

"I..."

Kakashi was momentarily at a loss for words.

He had to admit Naruto had a point.

In a shinobi's real-world missions, gathering information and analyzing the opponent were crucial.

Naruto had figured out Kakashi's habits in advance and adjusted accordingly. That was a skill in itself.

But Kakashi's original goal had been to test the three of them's resolve and teamwork in an extreme environment, not their information-gathering skills.

That left Kakashi with complicated feelings.

He admired Naruto's quick wits, but he was also a little disappointed that his plan had been disrupted.

In the end, Kakashi could only say, "All right, all right. I can't argue with you. In that case, I'm looking forward to seeing how you do tomorrow..."

As he spoke, the image of his teacher's wife, Kushina, surfaced in Kakashi's mind. Naruto's talent for lecturing was exactly like hers.

But Naruto also had a composure and air of mystery far beyond his years. In that, he was partly like his teacher, Minato Namikaze, and yet completely different.

"See you tomorrow." Naruto smiled as he opened the front door. Just before stepping inside, he turned back and added, "I've prepared an even bigger surprise for you tomorrow."

Kakashi froze, then couldn't help asking the question on his mind. "Those two cups of warm water at your place this morning—who were they for?"

Naruto paused and turned his head slightly. A faint smile touched his face as he said, "Maybe I predicted that two guests would visit this morning while I happened to be out, so I prepared them in advance. Who knows?"

With that, Naruto walked straight inside and closed the door.

Kakashi stood there for a long time without leaving.

This was already quite a surprise.

Naruto definitely knew something, but he still spoke in riddles...

How annoying.

In that respect, he was nothing like his teacher's wife or Minato-sensei.