A Seemingly Inharmonious Start

Sakura was simply shocked by the fact that this unreliable guy was actually a Jonin of the village, and for a fleeting moment, she even wondered if Kakashi was deceiving them.

But it was only for a moment.

After all, Sakura knew that her thought was too ridiculous; no matter how unreliable their team leader was, he wouldn't use such a thing to lie to them.

"Alright, I've finished introducing myself. Now it's your turn. Hmm, let's start with you."

Perhaps knowing that it would be difficult to get this group of problem children to speak up on their own, Kakashi couldn't be bothered to beat around the bush. He simply started calling names, shifted his gaze directly to Naruto, pointed a finger at him, and spoke.

Naruto didn't seem surprised at all.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like Ichiraku Ramen. I hate people who give up without trying. As for my dream, I want to become a great Ninja!"

Naruto lifted his chin slightly, straightened his posture, and spoke softly with a faint smile on his face.

A great Ninja, huh?

Kakashi looked at the smiling Naruto, his eyes narrowing slightly. A flash of understanding flickered in his pupils, and he nodded to himself.

"And you?"

After Naruto finished speaking, Kakashi nodded slightly and shifted his gaze to Sasuke, who was sitting in the middle. Sasuke remained as indifferent and cold as ever; Kakashi's gaze couldn't stir the slightest ripple in his heart.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't have anything I like, nor do I have anything I hate. As for my dream?"

When he reached this last sentence, Sasuke's emotions seemed to fluctuate violently. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and the expression on his face became even more frigid.

"It is to kill a certain man! And then restore the Uchiha Clan!"

With this undisguised malice and an increasingly icy aura, a look of extreme brutality flickered in Sasuke's pupils at that moment.

The cold and sinister aura made Sakura, who had been focusing all her attention on Sasuke, tremble involuntarily, a hint of fear flickering in the depths of her eyes.

Naruto, however, remained completely unmoved.

It wasn't just because he already knew Sasuke's personality.

It was because, no matter how terrifying Sasuke's expression and atmosphere seemed right now, in Naruto's eyes, it was just that.

Someone who hadn't experienced life-or-death struggles couldn't possibly possess substantial, powerful killing intent.

Naruto himself had fully experienced what true killing intent and bloodlust were like when facing Mizuki.

To Naruto, Sasuke's display of emotion was naturally mundane.

Not to mention a Ninja like Kakashi, who had waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood; ordinary killing intent was more like a joke in front of him.

Although I expected as much, this kid really is completely blinded by hatred.

Sasuke's emotional volatility still caused Kakashi to frown slightly.

This is the most troublesome one in the team.

Kakashi thought to himself.

Of course, at this moment, Kakashi didn't know that the biggest trouble wasn't Sasuke, but rather Naruto, who sat to the side looking indifferent. By the time Kakashi realized it later, it would already be too late.

"Then, the last one."

Kakashi moved his gaze to Sakura Haruno.

Sakura's spirit lifted; she quickly straightened her back and said loudly.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. As for things I like, rather than things, it's more like... um... the person I like..."

At this point, a blush appeared on Sakura's cheeks, and she became somewhat fidgety. She cast a tentative glance toward Sasuke. Although she didn't say it explicitly, her actions and expression made it perfectly clear.

However, Sasuke's expression remained indifferent, as if she were winking at a blind man.

It made Sakura's heart feel cold, and she didn't have the courage to finish her sentence.

Are all girls this age wired this way?

Watching Sakura, who seemed about to enter full-blown fangirl mode, Kakashi, sitting at the head, shook his head helplessly in his heart.

"Then, what do you hate?"

"Ino!"

Without any pause or hesitation, Sakura blurted it out almost the moment Kakashi finished his question.

In this life, without Naruto's pestering...

In the ranking of people Sakura Haruno hated most, Ino Yamanaka naturally took the top spot. It could be said that for a girl in love, a romantic rival was her greatest enemy, and in Sakura's eyes, Ino was undoubtedly exactly that.

"As for my dream... it's definitely that... I want to start a family... and with that... get... ah!!"

Although she had been frozen for a moment by Sasuke's icy expression.

Once she entered her dual mode of infatuation and fantasy.

Sakura completely let herself go.

She even seemed to manifest her own exclusive "aura."

It left Kakashi feeling somewhat speechless.

A twelve-year-old girl in the prime of her youth.

Truly terrifying.

Kakashi thought silently to himself.

"Clap, clap. Alright, since everyone has introduced themselves and has a relative understanding of one another, let's end the small talk here. Today was just a simple meet-and-greet. Now, we are going to get to the main point. Let's begin our first mission tomorrow. Of course, it's not certain that this will be your last mission."

Seeing that Sakura was still immersed in her fantasy world, Kakashi clapped his hands lightly to pull her attention back. Then, leaning forward slightly, he said these words with a profound meaning. Among the three present, aside from Naruto who knew the truth, the other two reacted differently: Sasuke frowned slightly, while Sakura wore a look of pure confusion.

"Eh? What does that mean, Kakashi-sensei? Why would you say it might be the last mission?"

Sakura's eyes widened, her expression one of astonishment.

She really didn't understand the situation at all.

Why would the first mission be the last one?

Could it be a mission that involved life-threatening danger?

Thinking of this, Sakura couldn't help but shiver, looking a little nervous and trembling.

"Hehe, as for that, you'll find out tomorrow. Don't be in such a rush. As for the details of the mission, I'll tell you specifically tomorrow. Hmm, you could say it's a special survival exercise, designed to test whether you are truly qualified to become Genin. Meet at five o'clock in the morning at Training Ground 2. Oh, and don't eat breakfast. Also, don't be late. I really hate people who are late. That's a friendly reminder from your teacher!"

Kakashi's final sentence seemed to carry a hint of a warning. After saying this, without waiting for Naruto, Sasuke, or Sakura to speak, he vanished into a puff of white smoke with a "poof."