Covered in chalk dust, Kakashi swept his dead-fish gaze across the group and spoke in a completely flat tone.
“Well… how should I put it? My first impression of you all is absolutely terrible.”
Other than Haruto, the smiles on everyone’s faces instantly froze.
“Including you, the one standing there watching the show.” Kakashi pointed at Haruto.
“Everyone, rooftop. Now.”
Haruto sighed.
As expected, the gears of fate had locked into place after all.
The wind was strong on the rooftop.
The four students sat in a row while Kakashi leaned casually against the railing across from them.
“Alright, let’s start with introductions,” he said lazily.
Sakura raised a hand.
“Sensei, what exactly are we supposed to say?”
“Name, likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies. Things like that.”
Naruto immediately fired back.
“Then you should go first! We don’t know anything about you!”
Kakashi thought for a moment.
“My name is Hatake Kakashi. As for what I like and dislike… I don’t feel like telling you. Dreams? Haven’t really decided. I have quite a few hobbies.”
Naruto’s eye twitched.
“So after all that, we only learned your name?!”
At that moment, the usually silent Haruto suddenly spoke.
His voice was calm and clear.
“Hatake Kakashi. Konoha’s strongest active jonin. Known throughout the ninja world as the Copy Ninja.”
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone turned toward him.
Kakashi helplessly adjusted his forehead protector.
“Hey, hey. Don’t casually stick titles like that on me.”
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all stunned.
Naruto looked especially unconvinced.
“The strongest jonin? Him?”
“The guy who couldn’t even dodge a blackboard eraser?”
Pointing at Kakashi, Naruto felt as though his intelligence had just been insulted.
Haruto glanced at him and let out a faint chuckle.
“Heh.”
The damage wasn’t high.
The humiliation was immense.
Naruto exploded instantly.
“What are you laughing at?!”
“You bastard, are you making fun of me?!”
Just as Naruto was about to charge over, Sasuke spoke.
Staring intently at Kakashi, his eyes burned with interest.
“He may look unreliable, but if Haruto says so, there must be some truth to it.”
Among the four of them, Sasuke was clearly more willing to trust Haruto’s judgment.
That calm, composed demeanor wasn’t something you could fake.
Sakura hurriedly grabbed Naruto.
“Idiot Naruto! Can you calm down for once?”
Kakashi clapped his hands.
“Enough.”
“Let’s continue. You first.”
Naruto’s introduction was the same as always.
Ramen.
More ramen.
Even more ramen.
And finally, his declaration that he would become Hokage.
Sakura spent almost her entire introduction blushing while staring at Sasuke.
Her dreams practically radiated the scent of teenage romance.
Then it was Sasuke’s turn.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The relaxed mood vanished, replaced by an icy chill.
Resting his clasped hands beneath his chin, Sasuke spoke in a dark voice.
“My name is Uchiha Sasuke.”
“There are many things I hate.”
“Very few that I like.”
“I don’t have a dream.”
“Only an ambition.”
“I will restore the Uchiha Clan.”
“And…”
His eyes darkened.
“I will personally kill that man.”
The temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees.
Naruto instinctively shrank back.
That man…?
He’s not talking about me, is he?
Sakura stared at Sasuke with concern, completely at a loss for words.
Leaning against the railing, Haruto silently observed the hatred consuming him.
So this is Sasuke.
The wound in his heart runs even deeper than I imagined.
Life on this team is going to be troublesome.
Finally, it was Haruto’s turn.
He showed no sign of nervousness.
That familiar lazy smile remained on his face.
“My name is Haruto.”
“As for things I like… I can’t really think of anything I’m particularly passionate about right now.”
He paused for a moment, genuinely considering the question.
His eyes drifted briefly.
“Things I dislike?”
“I can’t think of anything worth hating.”
“As for hobbies…”
A faint smile appeared.
“I suppose I have a little interest in training.”
The introduction was so plain it resembled a cup of cooled boiled water.
Kakashi’s hidden smile deepened slightly beneath his mask.
“Very well.”
“Now that everyone’s acquainted, it’s time to announce your first mission.”
“Or perhaps I should call it your first test.”
Naruto’s blue eyes lit up immediately.
“What kind of mission?! Hurry up and tell us!”
His mind was already filled with fantasies of completing an S-rank mission and shocking the entire village.
Beside him, Sasuke stared intently at Kakashi.
Ever since learning that Kakashi was one of Konoha’s elite jonin, he’d viewed him as a crucial stepping stone toward revenge.
His fastest path to power.
Haruto, meanwhile, remained completely detached.
As if none of this concerned him.
Kakashi looked around at everyone’s reactions and calmly uttered two words.
“Training exercise.”
The moment those words landed, Sakura’s excitement disappeared.
“What?”
“Just a training exercise?”
She pouted in disappointment.
“We’ve been doing those since the Academy.”
“How is that even a mission?”
To her, it sounded boring.
Like a complete waste of time.
However, Kakashi’s visible eye held no amusement whatsoever.
“It’s a survival exercise.”
“If you fail to earn my approval…”
“You’ll be sent straight back to the Academy.”
“To repeat the year.”
He paused.
“Here’s a harsh reality.”
“Only around thirty percent of Academy graduates actually become official genin.”
The words hit like a bucket of ice water.
Every trace of complacency vanished.
“So get yourselves ready.”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Five o’clock.”
“Bring your ninja tools.”
“Meet at Training Ground Three.”
The instant he finished speaking—
Poof.
A cloud of smoke appeared.
When it cleared, Kakashi was gone.
Almost simultaneously, Haruto vanished as well.
Not by running.
Not by jumping.
He simply disappeared like a ghost.
Naruto and Sakura were still processing Kakashi’s words and didn’t notice.
Only Sasuke saw it.
His pupils contracted sharply.
His heart pounded.
That speed…
His fists tightened unconsciously.
His nails dug into his palms.
Disbelief and caution filled his eyes.
That wasn’t just a normal Body Flicker Technique.
For a brief moment, Haruto’s disappearance reminded him of someone.
His brother.
Itachi.
A speed and realm he still couldn’t comprehend.
And now this classmate—the supposedly average Haruto—had displayed it so casually.
Clearly, his mediocre Academy performance had been nothing more than an act.
Which meant the title Sasuke had always been proud of—
Top Student
—might have been meaningless from the very beginning.
After leaving, Haruto headed straight home.
He had no intention of wasting time wandering around.
Unfortunately, he had barely sat on his couch for ten minutes before Ino and Hinata showed up at his door.
With a sigh, he set down his tea and prepared himself to deal with the two girls.
The next morning.
The fog had not yet fully dispersed.
The air remained damp and cold.
It wasn’t until after seven o’clock that Haruto leisurely strolled into the training ground.
The atmosphere was already tense.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura had arrived long ago.
All three wore dark circles under their eyes.
Clearly, they had obeyed Kakashi’s order and arrived at five sharp.
The moment Naruto saw Haruto’s relaxed expression, his anger exploded.
He rushed over immediately.
“Hey!”
“Why are you only getting here now?!”
“Didn’t Kakashi-sensei say five o’clock?!”
Haruto scratched his head and offered an innocent smile.
“Ah, sorry.”
“Overslept.”
Naruto nearly choked on his own rage.
He had dragged himself out of bed before dawn.
Not only had Kakashi failed to appear—
Haruto had the nerve to arrive late too.
Sasuke silently watched him.
The seriousness in his eyes deepened.
This guy was definitely extraordinary.
That calm wasn’t an act.
It was confidence.
Absolute confidence.
Sakura sighed helplessly.
“Honestly…”
“What is Kakashi-sensei doing?”
“Why isn’t he here yet?”
This time, however, they didn’t have to wait long.
A familiar lazy voice drifted through the air.
“Yo.”
“Morning, everyone.”
Kakashi suddenly appeared atop a training post and waved.
Naruto and Sakura immediately exploded.
“YOU’RE LATE!!!”
Sasuke stood with his hands in his pockets.
Though he said nothing, irritation practically radiated from him.
Only Haruto remained calm.
“Your punctuality habits really are consistent, Kakashi-sensei.”
The instant he said that, Naruto and Sakura rounded on him.
“YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TALK!”
“YOU JUST GOT HERE TOO!”
Haruto merely shrugged.
Kakashi glanced at him knowingly.
He had no doubt Haruto hadn’t arrived much earlier himself.
Still, the boy understood his personality perfectly.
There wasn’t much point complaining.
Without further discussion, Kakashi pulled out an alarm clock and set it atop the post.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The sound echoed clearly through the quiet morning.
“I’ve set the alarm for noon.”
He pointed at the bells hanging from his waist.
They jingled softly.
“Your objective before the alarm rings…”
“…is to take these three bells from me.”
Naruto scratched his blond hair.
Looking confused, he asked,
“Why are there only three bells?”
“There are four of us.”
Kakashi’s eye curved into a smile.
Yet his voice carried an unsettling chill.
“…is destined to fail.”
The statement struck Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke like lightning.
“And if none of you manage to take a bell?”
Kakashi’s smile widened.
“Then all of you go back to the Academy.”
The pressure instantly became overwhelming.
Sasuke’s mind raced.
One of Konoha’s strongest jonin…
Taking a bell from someone like him is nearly impossible.
Instinctively, he looked toward Haruto.
Only to discover the boy showing absolutely no concern whatsoever.
In fact, he appeared to be counting ants on the ground out of boredom.
What’s wrong with this guy?
Does he actually think he can take a bell from a jonin?
Curiosity gnawed at Sasuke.
Kakashi naturally noticed Haruto’s unusual calmness.
But he said nothing.
This exercise existed primarily to evaluate Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.
Testing Haruto with it would be meaningless.
After all, Kakashi knew perfectly well that Haruto’s strength had already approached his own.
In certain areas, they were practically equals.
Taking a bell from him would be easy.
“Alright.”
“Rules are explained.”
“The exercise begins now.”
“Use kunai.”
“Use shuriken.”
“I don’t care.”
“If you don’t attack me with the intent to kill…”
“You’ll never take these bells.”
The moment he finished speaking, Sakura panicked.
“But Sensei!”
“That’s dangerous!”
“Those are real weapons!”
Naruto nodded frantically.
“Yeah!”
“What if we accidentally kill you?!”
“That’s dangerous!”
Perhaps deliberately trying to provoke him, Kakashi narrowed his eye.
His voice carried faint disdain.
“As expected.”
“The dead last always talks the loudest.”
“No skill.”
“Plenty of noise.”
Naruto froze.
Then his face turned red.
“Dead last?”
“You called me dead last?!”
“Bastard!”
With a roar, he lost all reason.
Drawing a kunai, he charged straight at Kakashi like an enraged bull.
For that brief instant—
He genuinely wanted to kill him.
Because there was nothing Naruto hated more than being called those words.
Sakura and Sasuke were horrified.
Neither had expected Naruto to actually attack their teacher.
If that kunai landed, there would be serious consequences.
“Naruto!”
“You idiot!”
Sakura screamed.
She and Sasuke rushed forward simultaneously.
But they were too slow.
Just before the kunai reached Kakashi—
Something strange happened.
Like a gust of wind, Kakashi vanished.
The next moment, he appeared behind Naruto.
Before anyone could react, Naruto’s arm was twisted behind his back.
The kunai he held now pointed directly at his own head.
Sasuke and Sakura stopped dead in their tracks.
Frozen.
I didn’t even see him move.
Cold sweat formed on Sasuke’s forehead.
What a monster.
Sakura covered her mouth in shock.
Moments ago, she’d doubted whether Kakashi was truly an elite jonin.
Now she had no doubts whatsoever.
Throughout the entire scene, Haruto hadn’t moved an inch.
He merely watched quietly.
After a while, he finally spoke.
“Enough playing around.”
“Let’s get started already, Kakashi-sensei.”
He knew perfectly well that touching Kakashi was impossible for Naruto in his current state.
Even if Naruto unleashed the Nine-Tails’ chakra, Kakashi’s sealing techniques could suppress him with ease.
Kakashi released Naruto and gave him a light shove.
“Very well.”
“As you wish.”
“The exercise officially begins.”
Naruto stumbled backward.
His mind was still reeling.
Even he had been frightened by the killing intent he’d felt moments earlier.
His back was soaked with sweat.
But Kakashi gave him no time to dwell on it.
At the signal, Sasuke and Sakura immediately sprang into action.
Both vanished into the surrounding forest.
Naruto hurriedly followed.
In the blink of an eye, the clearing became empty.
Only Kakashi remained.
Haruto had disappeared as well.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, he now rested comfortably behind a towering tree.
His presence was completely concealed.
Standing alone in the clearing, Kakashi slipped one hand into his pocket and extended his senses.
Sasuke was hiding behind a bush.
His breathing slightly uneven.
Sakura concealed herself among the treetops.
Her heartbeat was obvious.
To Kakashi’s perception, the two of them were as conspicuous as lanterns in the dark.
But when he searched for Haruto—
His brow furrowed.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Within the range of his senses, Haruto seemed not to exist at all.
Kakashi smiled helplessly and muttered under his breath…