What Is a Dream For

"Uchiha Kai, Hyuga Rei, Morino Kei."

A stern voice rang out. Following the sound, they saw a short-haired man in a high-collared robe standing at the doorway. The wide collar obscured half of his face, giving him a somewhat gloomy appearance.

"My name is Aburame Keiichi, and I am your instructor. In the coming days, I will lead you as Team Seven." The man walked into the classroom with his hands in his pockets, his voice calm and devoid of emotion.

"Hello, teacher." The three of them replied in unison.

"Mm, follow me." Aburame Keiichi nodded and led the three out.

Konoha, a certain training ground.

One adult and three children, a total of four people, sat on the steps, looking at each other in silence.

"What is this teacher doing? Is he performing some kind of special ritual?"

"I don't know, who can tell? This is so boring, are we really just going to sit here like this?" Uchiha Kai and the other two exchanged glances, communicating through their expressions.

They had been in the training ground for fifteen minutes already. All they had done was sit there. Aburame Keiichi hadn't said a word the entire time, lost in his own thoughts.

"Ugh, what should I do at a time like this? Should I say something? This is so troublesome, I have no experience at all." Despite his stern exterior, Aburame Keiichi was panicking internally.

As a first-time instructor, he had no idea what to do. He was only putting on a stern face and acting aloof to establish his teacher image and save face.

"Damn it, taking care of kids really isn't my strong suit... I have no idea what to do. I shouldn't have listened to the Third Hokage and become an instructor."

Aburame Keiichi cried out internally, but his face remained impassive.

"Um, Teacher Keiichi, shouldn't we be doing something now?"

Finally, Uchiha Kai, unable to bear the awkward silence any longer, broke it. He raised his hand and asked softly.

"Ah... ah, yes, that's right, I should say something." Aburame Keiichi stammered in response.

"Then let's start with a simple self-introduction."

"Like what you like, what you dislike, and your dreams."

"I'll go first. My name is Aburame Keiichi. I don't have any particular likes yet, but I dislike troublesome things." The man paused before speaking again.

"As for dreams, I don't have any for now."

"Huh? That's like saying nothing at all, Teacher. Do you really need to be this secretive?" Morino Kei couldn't help but retort.

"Impudent. Next, it's your turn, big guy." Aburame Keiichi glanced at Morino Kei and said.

"Huh? Fine, I'll go."

"Morino Kei. I like all sorts of delicious food, and even more, I like hot, curvy ladies..." As he spoke, the boy put on a lewd expression and mimed grabbing the air with his hands.

The other three looked at him with disdain.

"I dislike arrogant people. As for my dream..." Morino Kei's expression suddenly turned serious, his eyes shimmering with longing.

"I want to become an excellent Medical Ninja like Tsunade-sama. I don't really like fighting and killing."

"Good, that's a fine dream." Aburame Keiichi praised him.

The other two were not surprised at all. After all, they had known each other well during their years at the Ninja Academy.

The girl spoke next, not forgetting to steal glances at Uchiha Kai as she did.

"Hyuga Rei. As for me, I like gentle people."

"I dislike those who arbitrarily dismiss others. As for my dream..."

The girl subconsciously touched the forehead protector on her forehead and said in a relaxed tone.

"Probably to live a carefree and free life." She calmly stated a desire that seemed insignificant to others.

Only Uchiha Kai and Aburame Keiichi averted their gazes, as if lost in thought.

"A child of the Hyuga Clan... what a curse, those ugly old fossils." Aburame Keiichi cursed inwardly.

Next, the three of them turned their attention to Uchiha Kai, awaiting his speech.

"Uchiha Kai. I like strawberry-flavored sweets, and I also like to train and surpass myself."

"I dislike stubborn people who think they're always right. My dream..." The boy paused, his tone becoming serious.

"For now, I hope to improve the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village, so that everyone can understand each other."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the training ground froze for a moment, seemingly surprised that the boy would openly state such a thing.

"A good idea. I hope you can achieve it." Aburame Keiichi nodded in approval.

"Hey, Kai-kun, that statement doesn't sound like an Uchiha at all..." The girl teased, drawing out her words.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes." The boy replied helplessly.

Next, Aburame Keiichi clapped his hands and said.

"Alright, that concludes the simple introductory session. That's all for today." Aburame Keiichi stretched and stood up.

"It's graduation day, and you've likely already planned your celebrations. I won't waste your precious time by dragging this out. You are dismissed."

"Meet here again tomorrow morning at eight o'clock. I will give you your first lesson as Ninja." Aburame Keiichi paused, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"One more thing, no breakfast tomorrow." He waved his finger and then vanished from his spot in a flash.

He left a few people standing there, bewildered. Hyuga Rei and Morino Kei were both confused about what Aburame Keiichi meant, while Uchiha Kai merely raised an eyebrow, feeling a hint of excitement.

"So? That's it?" Morino Kei asked incredulously.

"It seems so. I have a feeling our team leader is a bit unreliable..." the girl said worriedly, as if she foresaw an unpleasant future.

"Overall, he seems like a muddled fellow who's not good with words..." the boy mused, offering a fair assessment.

"Kai-kun's words are always so spot-on," Hyuga Rei praised without speaking.

"Isn't that just being a tsundere..." Morino Kei quipped from the side.

"That's disgusting, can you be more civilized, Kei?" the girl retorted with merciless teasing.

"You're treating me differently! Rei!"

"Not at all."

"It's so obvious, and you're still arguing!" the boy exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, I'm teasing you, what about it?"

"You're not even pretending anymore!"

"Alright, alright, aren't we going for barbecue? It's this late already, if we don't leave soon, we might not get a table. Today's graduation day, after all," Uchiha Kai quickly changed the subject.

"Right! I almost forgot, the barbecue place is 40% off today! If we go late, we'll just be gnawing on the grill pan. What are we waiting for, let's go!" Morino Kei's expression brightened, he shouted loudly, and then dashed off.

"Slow down, slow down, what's the rush!"

Outside the Akimichi Barbecue Restaurant, the street was bustling with people, the sounds of conversation and hawking filling the air. The atmosphere was lively, showing no signs that this was a village that had just experienced a major crisis.

"Three-Color Dumplings, Three-Color Dumplings, special offer! Buy two get one free, buy two get one free! Perfect for sharing with friends!"

"Dorayaki, Dorayaki, eat one and crave two..."

"Oden..." ...

"Boss, three skewers of dumplings!"

"Coming right up. You're graduating, Kei? Will you still come here often in the future?" Morino Kei replied as he took the Three-Color Dumplings from the boss.

"Of course! Becoming a ninja won't stop me from enjoying good food, boss!" With that, the boy swallowed the entire skewer of dumplings in one bite, chewing heartily.

"You're eating so much now, will you still have room for barbecue later?" The boy finally couldn't help but speak, watching Morino Kei sweep through several shops along the way.

"Don't worry, don't worry. The stomach I'm using now is for sweets. I have a separate one for barbecue later, absolutely no problem!" Morino Kei patted his flat stomach in response.

"Ahaha? Are you a cow? You have a special trick like that?" The girl giggled, covering her mouth, which made Morino Kei feel a little annoyed.