Team 7

"Hey, Mufeng, how come Kakashi-sensei still isn't here? Did he oversleep or something?"

Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and the others had already left with their respective teachers. Only Naruto, the Uchiha brothers, and Sakura remained in the classroom.

"Naruto, take it easy. I've trained with Kakashi for years, and him being late is nothing new. Let's wait a little longer."

Mufeng Uchiha sat cross-legged on a chair, refining his Chakra. Meanwhile, Sasuke Uchiha held a giant gourd and blew into it with all his might. The veins in his neck bulged, and his face had turned bright red.

"Sasuke, you look so cool when you're trying so hard!"

Sakura Haruno cupped her face in both hands and gazed lovestruck at Sasuke Uchiha, who was doing his best to blow up the gourd. In her heart, she prayed that she'd end up on the same team as Sasuke.

After waiting too long, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't resist playing a prank. He half-opened the door and placed a chalkboard eraser covered in dust on top of it.

"Naruto, Kakashi-sensei is a jōnin. How could a little trap like that work on him? Let me handle it."

Mufeng Uchiha, eager to stir things up, had deliberately replaced the white powder on the eraser with black dust. Kakashi would get a new hairstyle out of it.

"Sorry, sorry. I forgot to set my alarm last night, so I got up a little late. Let's meet on the rooftop."

As he spoke, Kakashi pushed open the door. The eraser fell onto his head, and black dust landed on half his white hair, turning it black and white—just like Itama Senju's hairstyle.

"Kakashi-sensei fell for it!"

"Is he really a jōnin?"

Sakura Haruno was covered in gloom, unable to keep herself from worrying about the future.

"All right, the four of you, meet me on the rooftop. Don't be late."

Kakashi said irritably, then vanished from the spot in an instant.

The four did as Kakashi had told them and headed up to the rooftop together. Kakashi was already waiting there.

On closer inspection, droplets of water still clung to Kakashi's hair. He had prepared them on purpose; they would come in handy during the bell test later.

"Okay, let's introduce ourselves. Naruto, you can go first."

"Yo! My name's Naruto Uzumaki. My favorite thing is Ichiraku Ramen. I can't stand stuck-up people. My dream is to become the strongest Hokage in history!"

"My name's Sakura Haruno. I suppose I like someone more than I like anything else. I can't stand people who won't take a hint. My dream is to become a good wife."

As Sakura Haruno spoke, her eyes kept darting toward Sasuke Uchiha beside her. But Sasuke Uchiha still stood with his arms crossed, staring at Mufeng Uchiha with a look full of fighting spirit.

"Sasuke Uchiha. There's nothing I like. I just want to kill that man. My dream is to restore the Uchiha Clan."

"Mufeng Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha's older brother. I like training. I guess I dislike the same things as Sasuke. My dream is to travel around the Shinobi World."

"I'm the older brother, Mufeng Uchiha!"

After the four finished introducing themselves, Kakashi nodded and said,

"Now that you all know each other, meet at the Konoha Training Ground tomorrow morning at eight sharp. Don't eat breakfast, and don't be late."

With that, Kakashi Hatake touched the half of his hair that had been dyed black, muttered about getting it washed out, and left.

"Hey, Mufeng, let's celebrate being on the same team by getting Ichiraku Ramen! I just got this month's allowance, so it's on me."

"Idiot. Mufeng's coming home with me to train. He doesn't have time to fool around with you."

"Stuck-up Sasuke, what did you say? I'm not an idiot! Wanna fight?"

"Boring, dead last. Go home and train some more."

Naruto Uzumaki stamped around in anger, while Sasuke Uchiha kept his arms crossed and looked down his nose at everyone. Sakura Haruno tried to play peacemaker, but stood there, unsure what to say.

"Sasuke, I have something to take care of. You guys go have fun without me. I'm heading out."

Mufeng Uchiha didn't want to get involved, so he left at once. He still hadn't gotten a clear answer from Kabuto Yakushi about Mizuki. This time, he was going to get to the bottom of what was going on with those Hashirama Cells.

Mufeng Uchiha went to the orphanage, and sure enough, Kabuto Yakushi was there.

"Kabuto and Mufeng have something to discuss. Why don't you kids go play for a while?"

Noticing Mufeng Uchiha, Kabuto Yakushi gave the children a quick excuse, then pulled Mufeng over to a corner.

"Kabuto Yakushi, you're getting bolder. You know you're a spy, yet you still show up at the orphanage so openly. Aren't you afraid of getting caught?"

"Isn't that why you're here to cover for me, Mufeng? I'm sure you wouldn't let me end up in danger."

"Cut the crap. What's with the Hashirama Cells in Mizuki? You'd better tell me the truth."

"Mufeng, there's no need to be so tense. It was just a little experiment by Lord Orochimaru.

"You know how dangerous Hashirama Cells are. We have to experiment on them eventually. This was just a minor accident, and you dealt with it.

"Don't worry. Lord Orochimaru was very pleased with the results. With the White Zetsu you provided, we'll soon be able to create Hashirama Cells without side effects."

Under Mufeng Uchiha's gaze, his Sharingan fixed on Kabuto Yakushi, cold sweat ran down Kabuto's face. If Mufeng Uchiha got angry, his Uchiha temperament meant he might just kill Kabuto on the spot without a word.

"One month. That's my final deadline. If Orochimaru is serious, he'll produce results I'm satisfied with by then. If he doesn't, our partnership is over."

As he spoke, Mufeng Uchiha suddenly pulled out a Kunai and hurled it toward the corner. A White Zetsu was pinned there, dead.

"Mufeng, you've certainly given us a difficult problem. We'll get the Hashirama Cells to you as soon as we can. If there's nothing else, you should leave."

Before leaving, Mufeng Uchiha walked over to Kabuto Yakushi and patted him on the shoulder. Then he was gone.

Years of experience as a spy made Kabuto Yakushi instinctively reach for his pocket. The Hashirama Cells he had kept hidden there were gone—Mufeng Uchiha had swiped them.

"He doesn't miss a thing. He even stripped me clean. I was hoping to keep one dose for an experiment."

On the way, Mufeng Uchiha used his speed to shake off the Anbu tailing him in secret, then slipped back to his home.

"These Hashirama Cells seem to be the same kind as the ones given to Mizuki. They still caused the side effect of turning into a tree. What exactly went wrong?"

Honestly, he didn't trust Orochimaru. All these years of working together, Orochimaru had constantly looked for a way to plant a Cursed Seal on him and steal his body. There was no telling whether Orochimaru had tampered with the Hashirama Cells too.

"The vitality is incredible. From what I observed, Mizuki lost control because his mind couldn't adapt to his rapidly strengthening body. Maybe the experiment didn't fail after all. It may just require a strong enough mind. I'll wait until I awaken the Mangekyo before injecting it."

Mufeng Uchiha put away the dose of Hashirama Cells, hummed a little tune, and began preparing tomorrow's bento.