Yin, Yang, and Dreams

"My name is Kakashi Hatake. The things I like and dislike, I don't feel like telling you... As for my dream for the future, there's nothing much to say... I have lots of hobbies, so I won't talk about those either..."

On the rooftop, Kakashi Hatake lazily introduced himself.

"So in the end, all we learned was his name?" Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki whispered to each other.

Kakashi spread his hands. "All right, your turn. Go from oldest to youngest."

Everyone turned to look at Nakamori Wu Yu.

"..." Wu Yu locked eyes with Kakashi, then suddenly asked, "Yesterday, I asked my master, Tsunade, whether Chakra Paper could only test the five elemental natures. How do you test Yin and Yang natures? She told me to ask the Jonin instructor today... so..."

"You're only a Genin, and you've already tested your chakra nature? There's no need for that, is there?" Kakashi Hatake was speechless inside, feeling that Wu Yu was being somewhat overly ambitious.

"Potato heart?" Naruto Uzumaki narrowed his eyes in thought.

Five elemental natures? Sakura Haruno recalled that the textbooks had indeed mentioned chakra's more detailed natures, but only in passing. This was not knowledge Genin needed to master.

"Yin and Yang natures..." Kakashi Hatake pondered for a moment, then asked Wu Yu, "Tell me, how is chakra refined?"

Why did this feel like an episode I'd watched just yesterday?

Wu Yu was speechless. He could only recite the textbook material again: mental energy, physical energy, combining them to produce chakra...

"So, isn't the answer obvious?" Kakashi spread his hands.

"What answ..." Wu Yu suddenly stopped. After thinking for a moment, he slapped his forehead with an "Ah!" and said excitedly, "So that's it! Yin and Yang are things everyone possesses. There's no need to test them at all!!"

"Mental energy belongs to Yin, physical energy belongs to Yang... All things in the world were born from Yin and Yang to begin with. I'm so stupid, really..." Wu Yu muttered to himself, looking immensely satisfied, as though an itch had finally been scratched.

Was there something wrong with his head? Naruto Uzumaki scratched his cheek, completely lost.

Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha nodded thoughtfully.

"So this is what they call comprehension, I suppose!"

Kakashi Hatake observed the four students' reactions, lingering a moment longer on Naruto Uzumaki's question-mark-filled expression. "Naruto, being slow on the uptake now means you'll have to work ten, a hundred, even a thousand or ten thousand times harder to make up for it later..."

Clap! Clap!

Kakashi clapped his hands and pointed at Wu Yu. "Your turn. Introduce yourself."

"Oh, me?"

Wu Yu came back to his senses, cleared his throat, and said calmly, "My name is Nakamori Wu Yu. I'm fourteen. I like strong, confident beauties, and I dislike people with dark hearts. As for my dream... hmm... I hope to gain the ability to always act according to my own likes and dislikes! Otherwise, I might end up getting beaten to death by a strong beauty or some dark-hearted person, haha."

"..." Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha were both left speechless, cold sweat trickling down their faces.

Should they call him shallow, or honest?

Kakashi thought to himself, Tsunade-sama's disciple... Does he admire his master and dislike Orochimaru? I don't get it...

"What a weird person!" Sakura Haruno's inner self loudly complained.

Naruto Uzumaki thought, Then does he really hate Sasuke? Don't tell me he's trying to steal Sakura from me?!

"As for hobbies, studying ninjutsu? Or you could say studying chakra?"

Wu Yu folded his arms and thought for a moment before smiling. "Chakra is such an interesting thing! Don't you think? Of course, I'm still in the learning stage, so anyone with the same interests is welcome to study together, exchange ideas together, and chat away together..."

"Chadora?" A question mark popped up over Naruto's head.

"Chat away?" Sakura was equally confused.

Sasuke said, "When all's said and done, you just want to become stronger."

"If you insist on putting it that way," Wu Yu snapped his fingers and pointed at Sasuke, "then sure!"

"He doesn't care at all about other people's opinions. He's very firm in his sense of self." Kakashi observed Wu Yu. "This might turn out to be interesting..."

Sakura Haruno noticed Sasuke glance at her and suddenly realized that she was born earlier in the year than the other three. She touched her head bashfully. "I'm Sakura Haruno. The things I like... or rather, the person I like..." She shyly peeked at Sasuke and mumbled for ages before finally concluding, "What I dislike is Naruto!"

Naruto Uzumaki suffered a devastating blow.

Sasuke Uchiha said coolly, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are many things I dislike, and nothing I particularly like... Dreams are just slogans people hang from their mouths. What I have is ambition that must be fulfilled: to restore the Uchiha clan, and... to kill that man. Does that count as having a dark heart?"

Wu Yu smiled. "That counts as being sensitive."

"My turn, my turn!" Naruto Uzumaki raised his hand and declared energetically, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like cup ramen, but I like Ichiraku Ramen even more when Iruka-sensei treats me! What I hate most is waiting the three minutes for instant noodles to be ready. My dream for the future... is to surpass the Hokage! And make everyone acknowledge me!"

No one present reacted much. After all, to be honest, Konoha never lacked children who dreamed of becoming Hokage. Until they showed actual results, no one would take them seriously.

Naruto added, "My hobby is pulling pranks..."

"Very good!"

Kakashi Hatake gave his final summary. "That concludes our first meeting. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin taking missions. Let me make this clear beforehand: this is a mission for the four members of Team Seven. Nakamori Wu Yu of Team Zero may participate or withdraw. Your outcome has already been decided, and I cannot interfere. Wu Yu, you've graduated twice already. You should know what I mean."

"Understood!" Wu Yu saluted.

"What is Sensei talking about?" Naruto Uzumaki asked Wu Yu in a panic.

Sakura Haruno asked nervously, "What kind of mission is Team Seven's?"

"A wilderness survival exercise! This isn't an ordinary exercise like the ones at the Ninja Academy. Your opponent will be me..." Kakashi Hatake followed that with sneers and threats, building the atmosphere to the fullest. The mere mention of a 66% elimination rate thoroughly frightened Naruto, Sakura, and even Sasuke.

It seems Wu Yu has made my intimidation especially effective!

Thinking this, Kakashi handed a stack of papers to Naruto and the others, adding, "The detailed time and location are all on this handout. Don't be late! And—don't eat breakfast, or you'll throw it all up!"

Leaving the students with a sinister expression, he vanished with a bang using Body Flicker.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno were badly frightened. Drenched in sweat, they picked up the drill handouts and studied every word.

Sasuke Uchiha crumpled the handout in his fist, his expression grave. "If even a ninja as strong as Wu Yu couldn't pass the Jonin drill test, then I..."

Clap!

The sudden clap drew the three kids' attention. It was Wu Yu.

Wu Yu smiled. "Morale's pretty low, huh! Even I, from the class next door, can't stand watching this! It's only two in the afternoon, and there's still plenty of time. How about we all do some special training together?"

Sakura Haruno hesitated. "Um..."

"Sasuke's House is pretty big. It's perfect for group training."

"I agree!!" Sakura Haruno raised her hand with fiery enthusiasm. When Naruto grumbled, "Huh? Sasuke's House?" she shot him a glare that practically breathed fire.

Naruto Uzumaki had no choice but to nod. "Fine, Sasuke's House it is..."

Did anyone ask me? Now you're acting like it's beneath you...

Sasuke Uchiha grumbled inwardly, though his face remained indifferent as he said coolly, "Just don't hold me back."

Even just watching Wu Yu train, he might be able to learn something. As long as it made him stronger, forget inviting his teammates over to train at his house—even if he had to give all those rooms in his home to Wu Yu, Sasuke would be willing.

"Who's holding anyone back, you smug Sasuke! I learned an insanely powerful ninjutsu—I'm definitely way stronger than you!"

"Hehe, Sasuke's house... hehehehe..."

Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno slung on their backpacks and left the Ninja Academy together with Wu Yu and Sasuke Uchiha.