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By the time the smoke cleared and Kakashi had completely disappeared,
the three of them were still a little slow to react.
Even Naruto wore a faintly astonished expression. He really hadn't expected Kakashi to be so brisk about it. He'd finished introducing himself, told them what time and where to meet the next day, and then simply left.
Sakura, standing nearby, had her eyes wide open, as though she couldn't believe their Jonin instructor could be so casual.
Uchiha Sasuke also furrowed his brow slightly, the confusion in his eyes growing more pronounced.
"He really is a laid-back ninja... Hatake Kakashi..."
Naruto thought to himself.
Still, that was simply one side of Kakashi's nature.
As for the warnings Kakashi had just given them,
Naruto hadn't taken in a single word.
Huh? Meet at five? And don't eat breakfast?
Come on. If he hadn't read the original story, he would definitely have been fooled. After all, Kakashi was the ninja assigned by the village to lead three Genin, and he was a Jonin, one of the village's top fighters. As their direct superior, anything he said was something a Genin was expected to take seriously.
Naturally, Naruto didn't fall into that category.
Five o'clock?
He couldn't quite remember what time Kakashi had arrived in the original story.
But Naruto had no doubt that showing up three or four hours later would be perfectly fine. There was no way he was getting to the meeting place at five. The earliest he'd arrive was around eight or nine, right? He even figured that showing up at ten would still be reasonable.
With that thought,
Naruto glanced at his two teammates out of the corner of his eye, then stood up and lightly brushed the dust from his clothes. With a faint smile, he said,
"Since Kakashi-sensei said so, we can just do as he told us. From today on, we're on the same team. Just call me Naruto—no need to be so formal."
"Eh? Oh, okay. Then, Naruto, you can just call me Sakura, too."
Sakura Haruno was momentarily taken aback, then came to her senses and nodded, replying at once. When she saw that Naruto had actually started talking to her, her face brightened with unmistakable delight. The strange silence that had hung over them for the past few hours had nearly driven her crazy.
Sasuke, standing nearby, didn't say anything, but he nodded slightly. His expression wasn't as cold as before. Though his heart was filled with hatred for his older brother, he was still only a twelve-year-old boy.
Otherwise, the conflicts and uncertainty he showed early on in the original story wouldn't have made sense.
After exchanging a few pleasantries,
Naruto took his leave.
Today had been a fairly straightforward first meeting.
But Team 7 wouldn't truly be formed until they completed the Survival Exercise the next day.
The original story made it seem as though Kakashi was certain to let Team 7 pass, but Naruto wasn't going to take things that simply. Hatake Kakashi had been assigned as a team instructor before, and all his previous teams had failed to become real ninja. That alone said a lot. Even with Naruto and Sasuke's unusual backgrounds, Naruto didn't think Kakashi would give them special treatment. He still needed to go home and make some preparations.
Before leaving, Naruto hesitated briefly, then spoke.
"It's probably best not to show up at five tomorrow. A little late should be fine. Also, make sure you eat breakfast first, okay?"
With a faint smile on his face, Naruto said this to Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke frowned slightly, while Sakura looked thoroughly confused. Before either could reply, Naruto waved at them and left the rooftop, quickly disappearing from view.
"Eh? What does he mean? Kakashi-sensei clearly told us to meet at five and not to eat breakfast. Why would Naruto say that? Could it be because...?"
After Naruto left,
Sakura finally came to her senses. She turned to Sasuke and asked, looking completely bewildered.
Unfortunately, Sasuke hadn't understood what Naruto meant either. (He'd meant exactly what he'd said, but the two of them were overthinking it and assuming there was some deeper meaning.) His brow remained tightly furrowed, and he didn't answer Sakura. He merely nodded, then turned and walked away on his own.
"Eh? Um, Sasuke-kun, it's about time to eat. Since our team was just formed today, would you like to go get something to eat together? We could..."
When she saw Sasuke getting ready to leave,
Sakura immediately forgot her confusion. Realizing that she and Sasuke were now alone, her eyes lit up, and she excitedly invited him. But before she could finish, Sasuke glanced sideways at her, a cold look flashing in his eyes.
"Uh..."
Sakura's expression froze again, and the rest of her sentence stuck in her throat.
After giving Sakura a cold look, Sasuke flickered out of sight and raced off toward home.
Only after Sasuke had left
did Sakura's frozen expression slowly return to normal. Her mind kept replaying the utterly cold look on the face of her beloved Sasuke-kun. Like a deflated balloon, Sakura's spirits sank. She'd thought that after six years of pining for him, being placed on the same team today would make her dream come true. But she hadn't expected...
Why did it feel as though Sasuke hated her more and more?
Sakura's face scrunched up as she thought, feeling deeply aggrieved.
Was there really no way for her to win Sasuke-kun's heart?
"No! Haruno Sakura! You're the kind of girl who can do anything she sets her mind to. You mustn't give up. It's only the first day, after all. Yes! Believe in yourself. We'll be on the same team from now on, so there'll be plenty of chances and time! Sasuke-kun, just you wait. I won't give up, and one day I'll make you realize how charming I am!"
Sakura took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks firmly. She thrust her right hand into the air and clenched it, her face wearing a resolute expression, as if she were about to embark on a mission with almost no chance of survival.
The next morning, at five o'clock sharp, on Training Ground 2 in Konoha.
Uchiha Sasuke and Sakura Haruno had clearly ignored Naruto's advice from the day before. Or perhaps they'd thought from the start that Naruto was just making a harmless joke. In any case, they arrived at Training Ground 2 while the sky was barely beginning to brighten.
There was no doubt about it.
Since the two of them had arrived right on time,
they'd also taken Kakashi's final instruction to heart and hadn't eaten breakfast.