What? Why do I have to be in the same class as this stuck-up jerk?
Naruto jumped to his feet, his mouth twitching as he challenged Iruka.
At first, he'd been overjoyed to hear he'd be in the same class as his big brother, Lin Fan.
But when he heard that Sasuke would be the third member of their class, he felt as if he'd plunged into an icy abyss.
"Naruto, you're a dead-last who can't even pass the Ninja Academy graduation exam, and you still dare to complain?"
"Two top students are willing to take you along on missions. You should be celebrating!"
Iruka roared, stepped down from the podium, and smacked Naruto on the head again.
Still, he was quite pleased with the arrangement.
Iruka was hard on Naruto because he cared about him.
He believed that with two geniuses like Lin Fan and Sasuke helping him, Naruto would make rapid progress.
And Team 7 would surely rise to fame in the future, its reputation spreading across the Five Great Nations.
"Hmph. Being in the same class as him and competing and studying together... I guess that doesn't sound too bad."
Sasuke gazed at Lin Fan in the distance and murmured. A rare smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Lin Fan looked at Naruto and Sasuke, each lost in his own thoughts, and couldn't help shaking his head.
Looks like there's no way to do missions together in the same class without getting in the way of Naruto and Sasuke's bromance.
Still, since he'd been assigned to Team 7, he wouldn't treat his two teammates differently.
Lin Fan clearly despised Sakura's attitude in the original story: turning to Naruto when she needed something and Sasuke when she didn't.
"Alright, my job's done. Once you leave the Academy, you'll be on your own."
After announcing the teams, Iruka left the classroom with the roster, looking relieved.
A little while later.
Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, and the other jonin instructors showed up and took their respective students away.
Before long, only Sasuke, Lin Fan, and Naruto were left in the classroom.
With nothing to do, Lin Fan and Naruto suddenly got mischievous.
Naruto wedged an eraser into the classroom door, while Lin Fan placed a manga titled My Neighbor's Aunt on top of it.
Sasuke sat at his desk, the corner of his mouth twitching. Heh. Their target was a jonin. Did they really think he'd fall for such a childish trap?
Knock, knock.
"He's here, he's here!"
Hearing hurried footsteps outside, Lin Fan spoke excitedly.
Creak.
Thud.
The door opened gently, and the eraser and manga book both fell and hit Kakashi on the head.
"Yeah! Our first mission as Team 7 was a huge success!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes and excitedly pumped his fist.
Sasuke shook his head helplessly from his seat. Did this white-haired ninja really have the strength of a jonin?
Kakashi clearly didn't care about their prank. But the moment he saw the manga cover lying on the floor, his eyes lit up.
He dusted the book off, bent down, and quickly slipped it into his pocket.
"Ahem. Since you gave me this manga, I'll let you off the hook for now. Come with me."
After speaking languidly, Kakashi turned around, eagerly took out the manga, and began reading as he headed out of the classroom.
The four of them arrived at a platform where they could rest.
"Alright, you three. Introduce yourselves to your teacher. Tell me what you like and what your dreams are, and so on!"
As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, he closed the manga, ready to listen carefully.
Naruto spoke first. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki. I like eating food like Ichiraku Ramen and instant noodles. My biggest dream is to become Hokage."
Kakashi nodded in approval.
But then he looked at the scrawny Naruto.
Naruto still had a long way to go before he could match his father, Kakashi's own teacher, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
"My name's Sasuke Uchiha. There isn't much I like, but there's plenty I hate. Still, I have ambitions, too."
"My dream is to restore the Uchiha Clan—and to kill that man with my own hands."
Sasuke clenched his fists and spoke, his eyes full of icy resolve.
Kakashi was taken aback.
He naturally knew who Sasuke meant. He'd even known that man well when they were partners in the Anbu.
But Sasuke's current strength was still worlds apart from the man he wanted to kill.
"You both have lofty dreams. What about you?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes and turned to Lin Fan.
Lin Fan smiled. "I suppose my dream is to unite the Shinobi World. I'll kick aside every obstacle in my path, one by one."
There really wasn't a normal person in this class.
Hearing Lin Fan's dream—which sounded even more unrealistic than Naruto's ambition to become Hokage—Kakashi couldn't help cursing inwardly.
Team 7 had a hot-blooded idiot who charged headfirst into everything, a cold genius brimming with resentment, and an ambitious boy with formidable strength.
Looking at the three boys in front of him, who all seemed difficult to manage, Kakashi felt a headache coming on.
Kakashi forced a smile. "Alright, all three of you have strong personalities. You're certainly an interesting bunch."
"Now I'll tell you about tomorrow's survival exercise. Listen carefully, and don't let it scare you!"
"Of the 27 graduates, only nine will become Genin. The rest will be sent back to the Ninja Academy."
"So this will be an extremely difficult exercise to determine whether you're qualified to become Genin!"
"Meet at the training ground at six tomorrow morning. Remember, don't eat breakfast. See you then!"
Poof!
A cloud of smoke drifted past.
After finishing, Kakashi vanished.
Naruto was so shocked that his eyes rolled back.
If only nine people could become Genin, didn't that mean he, the dead-last, was sure to be the one who got eliminated?
Lin Fan saw Naruto's worry and reassured him. "Don't worry. We're a team. With Sasuke and me by your side, we'll definitely pass the exercise."
Naruto nodded, feeling a little more at ease.
Lin Fan was excited. Tomorrow should be the bell test. He wondered what kind of guidance mission the system would issue.
The next day, at nine in the morning, on the training ground.
Kakashi finally strolled over, a full three hours late.
Naruto immediately complained. "Kakashi-sensei, why are you so late?"
"Sorry, sorry. I was helping Grandma Li open the door this morning, so I got held up."
Kakashi laughed awkwardly.
In truth, he'd lost track of time because he'd been so engrossed in the manga Lin Fan gave him, My Neighbor's Aunt.
Kakashi didn't waste any time. He took two bells out of his pocket.
"Your mission is to take the two bells from me before noon!"
"Anyone who fails will be tied to that post over there and will have to watch me eat my lunch."