Morning, at Team 7's Training Ground.
"Then it's settled." Kakashi stood with his hands in his pockets. His voice was as lazy as ever, but his eyes were serious. "During the training period before the Chunin Ninja Exams, I'll take charge of Sasuke."
"Huh?! Why only Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura protested, disappointment creeping into her voice.
Naruto joined in. "Yeah! You're playing favorites, Teacher Kakashi!"
Kakashi glanced at them. "Sakura, your Chakra control and theoretical knowledge are excellent. I'll draw up a detailed plan to strengthen your resistance to Genjutsu and your Taijutsu, with a specialist instructor to guide you. That'll be more effective for you right now."
He paused and looked at Naruto. "As for you, Naruto..."
Before he could finish, a booming voice with a mischievous edge rang out from a tree beside the training ground:
"I'll be taking charge of this Naruto kid!"
Everyone looked up. A tall, middle-aged man with wild white hair and red markings beneath his eyes was hanging upside down from a branch.
It was Jiraiya.
"Pervy Sage?!" Naruto cried, startled and delighted.
Kakashi nodded to Jiraiya. "Lord Jiraiya, I'll leave him in your hands."
Jiraiya flipped down and landed lightly, dusted himself off, then strode over to Naruto with a grin and ruffled his messy blond hair. "Heh, kid. I heard you caused quite a stir in the Land of Waves!"
"But with the skills you've got now, you're still a long way from making a name for yourself in the Chunin Ninja Exams! Train with me, and I guarantee you'll come out a new man!"
Naruto said, "Who'd want to train with a Pervy Sage like you?" But his eyes shone with excitement and anticipation.
"All right. Training starts today." Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "Let's go. We're heading to the Third Training Ground."