On the rooftop, Team 7 had gathered together.
Kakashi sat on the railing to one side and said, “By the way, let’s start with some introductions!”
“What should we talk about during our introductions?” Sakura, the model student, asked first.
“Things like what you like, what you dislike, your dreams for the future, your interests…
Basically, things like that.”
Kakashi spread his hands as he spoke.
“Well, well, I think it would be better if the teacher introduced himself first!”
Naruto sat on the steps, looking at Kakashi Hatake.
“Me?”
Kakashi pointed at himself.
“My name is Kakashi Hatake.
As for what I like and dislike, I don’t feel like telling you.”
Naruto and Sakura were both startled.
“As for my dreams and interests for the future…
I have plenty.”
Kakashi’s eyes were lifeless as he casually answered.
“So in the end, all we know is his name!”
Sakura lowered her head and complained to Naruto and the others.
Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to her.
“Next, it’s your turn.
Let’s start with you.”
Kakashi glanced at Naruto, signaling that it was his turn.
Naruto adjusted his forehead protector and said, “I’m Naruto Uzumaki!
I like cup noodles, and I like the ramen Iruka-sensei treats me to even more.
I hate waiting three minutes for my cup noodles to finish cooking.
My hobby is competing with other people to see who can eat the most cup noodles.
And my dream for the future is to surpass the Hokage!
So I have to make the entire village acknowledge my existence!”
Naruto finished in one breath and paused to catch his breath.
I see.
This kid’s growth really is interesting.
A bead of sweat unconsciously appeared on Kakashi’s forehead.
“All right.
Next!”
His gaze shifted toward Sakura.
“My name is Sakura Haruno.
What I like is…
Well, the person I like is…”
Sakura cupped her cheeks and looked toward Sasuke.
“My interests are…”
She glanced at Sasuke again.
“And my dream for the future is…
Ah!”
She shyly buried her face in her hands before raising her head again.
“And what I dislike is…
Naruto!”
She shot Naruto a look filled with disgust.
Naruto looked as though he’d suffered a devastating blow, his entire body drooping.
For a girl this age, romance really is more important than ninjutsu.
“And finally, you!”
Kakashi looked toward Sasuke Uchiha, signaling that it was his turn.
Sasuke continued resting his chin on his hand.
“There are many things I dislike, but there’s nothing in particular that I like.”
He paused.
“And although I don’t want to merely talk about my dreams, I have an ambition.”
“I will restore my clan to its former glory.”
“And I will definitely kill that man!”
Sasuke spoke with absolute determination, his eyes more resolute than they had ever been.
Sakura was stunned.
Naruto chuckled inwardly.
Restore your clan?
So your solution is to have a daughter with the pineapple-head from my family?
That’s hilarious.
On the surface, however, Naruto continued looking dejected.
“That can’t be talking about me, right?!”
Kakashi looked at the three of them.
“All right.
The three of you certainly have distinctive personalities.
Very interesting.”
“Starting tomorrow, you’ll begin carrying out missions.”
Naruto gave a salute.
“Yes!
So what kind of mission will it be?”
“We’ll start with a mission that only the four of us can complete.”
Kakashi’s calm voice drifted over.
“What?
What kind?”
Naruto exclaimed.
“A survival exercise.”
Kakashi looked at them seriously.
“If it’s a mission, why are we doing an exercise?”
Sakura questioned.
“We’ve already done plenty of exercises at the Academy.”
“This isn’t an ordinary exercise.”
“Then what kind of exercise is it?”
Naruto raised his hand and asked.
Kakashi chuckled coldly, his body even trembling slightly with his laughter.
“What’s so funny, Sensei?”
Sakura’s expression changed as she looked at Kakashi.
“No, nothing.
If I told you, you’d definitely be scared away.”
Kakashi waved his hand with a laugh.
Then his expression suddenly changed.
His face became serious.
“Of the twenty-seven graduates this year, only nine will be recognized as qualified genin.”
“The other eighteen will be sent back to the Academy.”
“In other words, this exercise is an extremely difficult test with a failure rate of more than sixty-six percent!”
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were all startled, their expressions changing in completely different ways.
“See?
See?
You’re scared now, aren’t you?”
Kakashi looked delighted by their reactions.
“How can you do this?!
We finally graduated!
Why do we have to take another graduation exam?!”
Naruto cried out in despair.
Kakashi explained, “That exam was merely used to select those qualified to become genin.”
“What?!”
Naruto exclaimed.
Kakashi glanced at the three of them and continued.
“So that’s how it’ll be.
Tomorrow, I’ll determine whether you’re qualified at the training ground.”
“Remember to bring a full set of ninja tools.”
“Meet me at five tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, and one more thing.
You’d better not eat breakfast.”
At the training ground, after Kakashi left, Sasuke immediately headed home.
Sakura wanted to suggest that they eat together, but when she saw Sasuke’s back disappearing into the distance, she hesitated.
There’ll be plenty of chances.
Come on, Sakura.
You still have a chance.
After encouraging herself, Sakura ignored Naruto and returned home.
For a while, only Naruto remained sitting there.
He began thinking about how he would pass tomorrow’s exercise.
Doing things exactly like the original timeline is too unreliable.
If Sasuke doesn’t voluntarily bring food, Sakura definitely won’t bring any either.
Although the Third will certainly make me a shinobi, from his perspective, graduating a year later probably isn’t a big deal.
After all, the Third doesn’t think he’s going to die this year.
As long as he’s alive, he can suppress everything.
So let’s change things a little.
Having made up his mind, Naruto ran after Sasuke.
At the training ground, Sasuke looked impatiently at Naruto, who had dragged him back.
“Dead-last, tell me.
What are you plotting this time?”
Naruto paid no attention to his tone and quietly pulled Sasuke closer.
“Sasuke, do you want to pass tomorrow’s exercise smoothly and officially become a genin?”
Naruto didn’t look at Sasuke’s expression, but he knew that Sasuke was definitely eager to graduate and gain access to greater strength.
“I can pass tomorrow’s exercise on my own.
It shouldn’t be difficult for an Uchiha.”
Sasuke spoke arrogantly, though his tone inevitably softened slightly.
“I know you have that ability, but what if something unexpected happens?”
Naruto turned around and smiled at him.
“After all, no one can predict what’ll happen tomorrow.”
“And right now, I’m giving our chances of passing tomorrow an extra layer of insurance!”
“So you’re here to scout the terrain?”
Sasuke asked the question, but his tone made it sound more like a statement.
“Exactly!”
Naruto nodded.
“I bet Kakashi-sensei had the same idea.
Otherwise, why would he give us an entire night?”
“And simply familiarizing ourselves with the terrain isn’t enough.”
“We can add a little something extra.”
“For example…
traps!”
As he spoke, Naruto led Sasuke around the training ground, familiarizing themselves with every part of the terrain.
“Then why didn’t you tell Sakura?
Aren’t you…”
Sasuke asked, but stopped himself before finishing.
“As for Sakura, I went looking for you first!”
Naruto answered casually.
“I couldn’t catch up to her.
Besides, staying up late isn’t very good for girls, right?”
“So there’s no harm in telling her tomorrow.”
Sasuke stared at Naruto with dead fish eyes, desperately suppressing all the things he wanted to say.
Afterward, the two of them proceeded to make a series of modifications to the training ground.
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage, secretly watching them, developed a headache.
If all of these things explode, we’re going to have to rebuild the place again.
Still…
Naruto has finally grown up.
That thought briefly crossed the Third Hokage’s mind.
After all, he is his father’s child.
Once he became a shinobi, his talent has finally begun to reveal itself.
After watching Naruto and Sasuke finish their preparations, the Third Hokage extinguished the image of them in his crystal ball.
He then shifted his attention toward several public areas.
Being Hokage really isn’t easy.
“Want access to 99+ chapters?”.