As a ninja's first battle went, Naruto's performance had been outstanding. Keeping calm and composed in a moment of danger, then acting decisively when an opportunity arose—these were all qualities an excellent ninja needed. Kakashi could easily see them in Naruto.
"Hmm, my first impression of you three is pretty good. How about we head up to the roof first? We should get to know each other."
After looking over the three of them, Kakashi gave a slight nod. A faint smile showed in the only eye visible above his mask as he looked at them and spoke.
As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for a response, Kakashi turned and walked straight out of the classroom, heading for the roof.
He seemed not to care at all—or, rather, to be certain the three of them would follow.
He showed no awareness whatsoever that he was more than three hours later than the other teams' instructors.
Haruno Sakura, who had been about to say something, was instantly incensed. She had thought that now their instructor had arrived, she could finally relax a little. Instead, this instructor, who already looked completely unreliable, had immediately thrown her for a loop.
"Some instructor he is. He looks totally unreliable, and he doesn't even explain why he's late..."
Sakura couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
Her teammates already seemed strange enough.
Now their squad leader was just as unreliable.
Sakura felt that her ninja career had turned bleak before it had even begun.
But grumbling was one thing.
When she saw Naruto and Sasuke both get up and calmly follow Kakashi toward the roof, Sakura could only sigh inwardly before hurrying after them.
By the time all three of them reached the roof,
Kakashi was leaning against the railing, his arms folded across his chest, still looking as carefree as ever.
"Well, first things first: let's introduce ourselves. For the next few years, we'll be carrying out missions together as a team. We should get to know one another as teammates."
Kakashi cleared his throat and spoke in his usual mild tone.
But as soon as he finished speaking,
he awkwardly realized that not one of the three had said a word.
Naruto still wore a calm smile, while Sasuke remained cold and expressionless.
Sakura simply hadn't had time to react, so she hadn't spoken.
Kakashi had certainly never expected his first greeting to be met with complete silence.
More importantly,
Kakashi could see a hint of wariness in Naruto's eyes and a trace of impatience in Sasuke's expression.
That gave Kakashi an instant headache.
Were these two just blatant problem children?
Still, Kakashi understood Naruto's wariness and Sasuke's impatience. He thought both were perfectly normal. The two of them had experienced unusually difficult childhoods, especially Naruto. Growing up in such an environment, it was only natural for him to be wary of strangers. And Sasuke went without saying—in Kakashi's eyes, he was still just a child who hadn't grown up yet.
However, Kakashi's understanding was still considerably off the mark.
The reason Naruto was wary of Kakashi
was simply that he knew Kakashi was one of the Third Hokage's most trusted subordinates. Kakashi would even be recognized as the Sixth Hokage in the future. Someone like that was bound to have a major effect on Naruto's plans. Besides, Kakashi wasn't easy to fool. Facing him would be just like facing the Third Hokage: the slightest slip could give him away. Kakashi wouldn't need proof; suspicion alone would be enough. Until Naruto was strong enough to stand against Konoha—or at least escape with his life—this was something he absolutely had to avoid.
That was why Naruto's eyes had unconsciously revealed a trace of wariness. Fortunately, Naruto's childhood had been so tragic that showing a little unusual emotion was entirely reasonable. Naturally, it wouldn't make Kakashi suspicious.
Naruto and Sasuke's silence had kept Sakura from speaking up at first, and so the atmosphere had once again turned strange.
Fortunately, Sakura was at least a normal person. Her reactions were a little slow today, but after a brief silence, she finally came around. Even though she had been grumbling about Kakashi in her head, she remembered that he was still the Jonin assigned to lead their team and put on her best good-girl act.
If Naruto and Sasuke were staying quiet,
then she would be the one to break the silence.
With their instructor here this time, surely the same thing as before wouldn't happen?
"Um, teacher? You said we should introduce ourselves... so what are we supposed to say?"
Sakura glanced at Sasuke beside her, looking a little timid. She raised her right hand, somewhat apprehensively, and asked in a soft voice.
At last, someone had spoken.
Mr. Copy Ninja, who seemed calm but was actually feeling a little awkward himself, finally let out a quiet breath of relief. He couldn't let his image slip, though, so he maintained his lazy air, lifted his chin slightly, and spoke in an unhurried voice.
"Well, just say your name, your dreams, the things you like and dislike, and anything else you want to share. Feel free to talk about whatever. It's just a first impression, after all."
Seeing that their instructor seemed quite kind,
Sakura grew a little bolder.
"Then could you introduce yourself first, teacher?"
Sakura looked at Kakashi with sparkling eyes, raising her voice slightly as she asked.
"Me? Sure."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, then nodded as if he couldn't care less.
"My name is Hatake Kakashi, and I'm a Jonin of Konoha. As for what I like, it's not something I can tell you right now. There's nothing I dislike. My dream? That's a secret!"
So, basically, all they knew was his name. And he was keeping things secret, too? Come on, they were kids!
Sakura couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
But grumbling was one thing.
Of the three there,
apart from Naruto,
both Sasuke and Sakura showed a slight change in expression when Kakashi said he was a Jonin. In a world like this, everyone knew what it meant to be a Jonin of a major ninja village. That was especially true of Sasuke and Sakura, who had been born in Konoha and had themselves become Konoha Genin. Learning that the unreliable-looking man leading their team was actually a Jonin came as a surprise.
Sasuke's eyes grew serious at that moment.
He wasn't a Chunin, as Sasuke had thought, but a Jonin of Konoha.
Jonin meant strength.
That was the simplest way Sasuke saw it.
In other words, the man in front of him could make him stronger.
That finally caught Sasuke's interest and attention.