Kakashi raised a hand in greeting, then smiled at the three of them.
"You liar! You were reading those dirty books again!"
Naruto shouted.
Kakashi froze, then hurriedly put his book away. "Naruto, don't say things like that!"
"You should know that, starting now, you're all Genin!"
"And in the future, you might become my students."
"And my subordinates, too!"
His serious tone made all three of them grow solemn.
"But before that, you'll have to pass my test."
"If you fail, you'll be going back to the Ninja Academy!"
At that, Kakashi paused and smiled.
"Believe me, I have both the qualifications and the authority."
Their expressions changed.
"Now, before the test begins, please introduce yourselves one at a time!"
Kakashi quickly returned to his languid demeanor.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. My favorite food is Ichiraku Ramen, the person I admire most is the Fourth Hokage, and my greatest dream..."
Taking a deep breath, Naruto grew serious.
"Is to become a hero like my father! To become Konoha's Hokage!"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, then clapped softly. "That's quite a dream!"
Sasuke went next.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
"My dream is to uncover the truth about what happened back then, and..."
"To find the surviving Uchiha!"
At those words, Kakashi's gaze sharpened slightly. He sighed. "A stubborn kid."
"I-I'm Sakura Haruno."
"..."
Slowly raising his head, Kakashi looked at the nervous girl before him, then scratched his head. Lost in thought, he hadn't caught the rest of her introduction.
"Good, good!"
After that brief, perfunctory response, he took a bell from inside his vest and tied it to his waist.
"Your test is very simple!"
"As long as any one of the three of you takes my bell, all of you pass!"
Kakashi spoke with a faint smile.
"That really is simple!"
Sasuke