Kakashi

The team assignments concluded, and many jonin arrived one after another to collect their respective squads.

Although Sakura had been replaced by Hinata, Naruto was certain that Hatake Kakashi would remain the same. There were few jonin belonging to the Hokage's direct lineage, and since the teams being formed were essentially composed of people from that same circle, who else but Hatake Kakashi could possibly lead them?

Whether it was the status of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke, or Hinata, each was of great importance. If the Third Hokage didn't find a powerful ninja to lead them, not only would the Third Hokage refuse, but even Hyuga Hiashi would never agree to it.

Other squads were taken away by their jonin instructors one by one, and soon, only the three of them remained in the classroom.

Sasuke's expression grew somewhat impatient.

Naruto was chatting excitedly with Hinata.

"Naruto, who do you think our squad leader will be?"

"It doesn't matter who it is." Though he said this aloud, he already knew exactly who it was in his heart.

After a while, Naruto also began to grow impatient. Seeing that it was nearly noon, he had been planning to go celebrate with Hinata.

But when he thought of Hatake Kakashi's bad habits, Naruto felt a sudden spark of annoyance.

He vanished in a Body Flicker, and when he reappeared, he was already at the door.

"So fast, I still couldn't see him clearly." Second Pillar frowned. Although this wasn't the first time he had seen it, he still couldn't track the other boy's movements.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Hinata asked, looking confused.

"Giving that latecomer a little welcome gift." After saying this, Naruto took out a bottle of ink and set a small trap at the door.

"The other party is a jonin. Do you really think such a cheap trick will work on him?" Second Pillar looked at Naruto with disdain.

He was also annoyed with their jonin instructor, but he didn't believe that such a petty trick could catch a jonin. If he could be caught by this, the jonin would be far too pathetic.

"We'll see once we try. It's not like it matters anyway." Naruto didn't care at all.

"Naruto, isn't that a bit much?" Hinata said, feeling awkward.

"Don't worry."

The three of them sat there, looking at the door with anticipation.

They didn't know how much time had passed, but just as they were losing their patience, the door was pushed open. The moment Hatake Kakashi stepped inside, the ink splashed onto his head, instantly dyeing his white hair black.

"How is this possible? A jonin falling for such a cheap trick? You've got to be kidding me." Sasuke was shocked.

Naruto was smiling.

Hinata looked embarrassed.

Hatake Kakashi's dead fish eyes remained expressionless. He swept a glance over the three of them, and in an instant, he understood that this had to be Naruto's doing.

So this was the "very well-behaved child" the Third Hokage had mentioned. He didn't seem like one at all.

"Well, my impression of you all has just taken a turn for the worse," Hatake Kakashi remarked.

"To the rooftop." With that, he vanished instantly.

"Is he angry?" Hinata whispered.

"Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Let's go!" Naruto said, heading toward the rooftop.

The other two followed.

Once they arrived, they saw Hatake Kakashi leaning leisurely against the railing. The ink on his head had already vanished, and he had returned to the state he was in when he first walked in.

"Let's introduce ourselves. I'll start first. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no hobbies. As for things I like... I don't have any. Next." Hatake Kakashi spoke at a leisurely pace.

Naruto couldn't help but roll his eyes; he knew it would be exactly like this.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like training, my dream is to become Hokage, and the thing I hate most is..." At this point, he couldn't help but glance at Second Pillar.

Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"My name is Hinata Hyuga. I like training, I don't have anything I hate, and my dream is to keep pace with Naruto." Hinata said, her face flushed red as she mumbled softly. If the three of them hadn't been standing close together, they would have barely heard her voice.

In truth, Hinata wanted to say she liked Naruto, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. As for her dream, whether in the original story or now, Hinata's dream was to stay close to Naruto. In the original, she even took Naruto's "nindo"—her ninja way—as her own, and she lived by her word.

Naruto wasn't a fool; he knew that Hinata didn't actually like training, but rather liked it because of him. However, Naruto didn't point it out. He encouraged Hinata's training so she could protect herself, without putting too much pressure on her.

The three of them couldn't help but glance at Sasuke.

Sasuke's mouth twitched.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't have any likes, and there are many things I hate. As for dreams, that sort of thing doesn't matter. I have my own ambition: to restore the Uchiha clan, and to kill a certain man." When he spoke of his dream, a trace of killing intent flashed through his gloomy eyes.

Hinata looked a bit bewildered; this was the first time she had learned that Sasuke harbored such a dream.

Both Hatake Kakashi and Naruto knew who the man Sasuke spoke of was, so they didn't ask any curious follow-up questions.

"Ah, a fine dream. Very well, I have an understanding of you all now. You can head back for today and prepare for your first mission tomorrow."

"Sensei, what kind of mission is it?"

Naruto was curious; he wondered if this would change.

"A survival exercise in the wilderness."

"A survival exercise? We did that all the time at the Academy. Now that we've graduated, is it really necessary to do it again?"

"This time is different. Your opponent is me. I will judge whether you are qualified to become ninjas through this exercise. If you fail, you will be sent back to the Ninja Academy."

...The group was speechless.

"Alright, the specific details are on this paper. See you at the training ground tomorrow. Also, don't eat breakfast tomorrow, or you'll throw up. That's all, see you tomorrow."

After Kakashi finished speaking, he vanished with a Body Flicker.

The three of them frowned as they looked at each other.

Hinata was the most worried; having finally managed to be with Naruto, she did not want to be sent back to the academy.

"With me here, there's no need to worry."

Naruto noticed Hinata's anxiety and offered a word of comfort.

"We graduated today, let's go celebrate." Naruto said, looking at the two of them, though he was really inviting Sasuke.

"Fine." Sasuke thought for a moment and agreed. They had known each other for so long but had never eaten together; thinking that they would be teammates from now on, it was necessary to cultivate their bond.

The three of them happily decided to go eat barbecue, but as soon as they entered the barbecue restaurant, they were spotted by friends.

"Naruto, you guys are here for dinner too? Why don't you come join us?" A cheerful voice rang out.

Naruto couldn't help but turn his head to look; they were all people he knew. Team 8 and Team 9—the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—along with Kiba and the others were all there.

Seeing Sakura there left Naruto feeling speechless. Hinata's inclusion had pushed Sakura into Team 8. Fortunately, Team 8's jonin was Kurenai Yuhi, a reliable mentor. Plus, being Asuma's girlfriend, one could imagine how well she was treated; they had only just met, and she had already been brought along by Asuma for a group dinner.

The one who spoke was Choji. This was his family's restaurant, and given their relationship, Naruto smiled.

When Sakura heard Choji invite Naruto, her face lit up with joy, her gaze fixed firmly on Second Pillar. Asuma and Kurenai exchanged a glance; both being experienced, they naturally understood the situation.

"No need. We also need to cultivate our team's bond, so we won't disturb you." Naruto declined.