Chiba walked back into the classroom, and more than a few heads turned his way at once.
It had been a while since most of them had seen him.
Outside of Tenten, Lee, and a handful of others, the rest kept their distance, no one quite bold enough to strike up conversation.
Partly it was unfamiliarity.
Partly it was something else entirely.
Even Neji Hyūga had to admit, however grudgingly, that even though the two of them were still technically just genin-to-be waiting on graduation, Chiba’s standing had shifted into something no longer comparable to the rest of them.
Wasa slipped back into the classroom and folded herself into her corner again, head down, quiet as ever among the crowd—every bit the picture of someone with a touch of social anxiety.
Chiba had to fight down a smile at the sight, then took his seat calmly to wait for team assignments.
Before long, an instructor came in, offered some general words of encouragement, and jōnin began filing through the door one after another to collect their assigned students.
Little by little, the classroom emptied out, until only six students remained.
Lee.
Neji Hyūga.
And a kunoichi named Mayumi.
Chiba turned it over in his head—
Lee’s teacher had to be Might Guy, no question.
If his own instructor really was Kakashi, as he suspected, might the two of them have already crossed paths outside somewhere?
He was still working through the thought when—
Boom!
A thunderous crash, and a figure landed squarely on the platform.
Chiba covered his face with one hand.
Of course.
Even his entrances managed to be alarming.
“Sensei Guy!”
Lee shot to his feet, practically vibrating with excitement.
“Yo, Lee, and—two more youthful souls burning bright!
Come along, you three.”
Might Guy grinned, pointing at Neji and Mayumi.
Neji’s expression gave nothing away—whether he was satisfied with the assignment or not was impossible to tell—he simply rose without a word and walked out.
Lee, meanwhile, fell in beside Guy, chattering away with obvious enthusiasm.
“Safe travels, Sensei Guy.”
Chiba offered politely.
Tenten’s fists clenched with excitement.
Yes!
We really are on the same team as Chiba!
But then—
She tilted her head, puzzled.
Why was this other girl on their team too?
Wasa gave a small smile.
“Chiba, ha, sorry you couldn’t end up under me, but your instructor’s plenty strong himself—only just a hair behind me.
Like today, for instance—lost to me again in our duel!”
Might Guy flashed his brilliant white smile, pride radiating off him.
“Let’s move, you two.
Be patient and wait here.”
Wasa stopped looking at Tenten and turned to Chiba instead, curious.
“Chiba, you know Might Guy personally?”
“I can’t manage ninjutsu or genjutsu, so I did a lot of my early training in the open.
I ran into Sensei Guy that way, and he ended up teaching me quite a bit—and put in a good word for me besides.”
Chiba gave a brief summary.
Tenten’s expression cleared with sudden understanding, though privately she still couldn’t quite take the odd, turtle-shell-headband-wearing jōnin seriously, and felt a small pang of pity for Neji, honestly—a genuine prodigy, ending up under someone that unreliable.
“Sensei Guy’s methods look strange from the outside, sure, but his ability is the real thing.
No one in Konoha touches him when it comes to taijutsu.”
Chiba, seeing both their expressions, understood that neither of them knew Guy well enough yet, and that his eccentric mannerisms and appearance made him easy to underestimate at a glance.
Tenten propped her chin on one hand, sounding thoroughly unmotivated.
“Why hasn’t our sensei even shown up yet?”
“…”
Wasa said nothing, though she clearly shared the same curiosity about who their instructor might turn out to be.
Chiba offered with a smile, “Maybe he got lost.”
Out in the hallway, book in hand, ambling slowly toward the classroom, Kakashi paused mid-step for a moment.
“Or maybe something’s blocking his path.”
“Of course, it’s also possible he ran into some struggling old woman and stopped to help her out of the kindness of his heart.”
“…”
This kid has absolutely no charm whatsoever, Kakashi thought privately.
At the same time, though, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed his mind.
Even accounting for Guy having let something slip, it seemed increasingly likely that Chiba had actually picked up on his presence and movements directly.
That sensory ability, again?
He considered it thoughtfully.
If that was the case, this really was shaping up to be a well-rounded team.
Kakashi mulled it over for a moment longer, then continued forward, arriving right in the middle of Chiba’s ongoing string of “guesses.”
“Ah.
Sorry I’m late.”
“…”
Tenten and Wasa exchanged a glance, instantly united in shared outrage—
This jōnin was showing up late without a shred of shame about it, no apology worth the name, nothing.
Chiba smiled and said, “Lord Kakashi.”
“No need for that.
You two probably don’t know me yet.
I’m Kakashi Hatake, your team instructor, for the time being at least—we’ll see how that goes.
Anyway—follow me.”
Kakashi Hatake spoke without ever looking up from his book.
Then.
In the blink of an eye, he’d vanished from where he stood.
“Keep up.”
Chiba used the Body Flicker to follow immediately.
Tenten and Wasa hadn’t expected him to simply vanish like that, but fortunately their own ability was nothing to scoff at—slower to react and move than Chiba, sure, but they caught up soon enough.
Before long, the three of them arrived on the rooftop.
Kakashi sat perched on the edge, Icha Icha Paradise in hand, not the faintest concern for appearances.
Clearly.
Whatever dignity he’d had left had evaporated the moment Chiba had called him out on it earlier.
His public image at this point—
Not worth holding onto anyway.
Once all three had arrived, Kakashi tilted his head, glanced them over with his one visible eye, and gave a slight nod.
“Not bad.
Good speed.
Sit wherever you like.
No lessons today—let’s just talk.”
“Yes, sir.”
The three answered in unison.
“All right.
Let’s start with introductions.
Interests, hobbies, that sort of thing.” Kakashi looked to Tenten.
“You first.”
“I’m Tenten.
I like divination and research.
I hate sour plums.”
Tenten answered easily.
“Divination and research, huh.
Good.
Next.”
“I’m Tsukihikari Wasa.
I like swordsmanship, and protecting everyone in bat—battle.
I hate being dismissed.”
You meant to say “battle,” didn’t you, Chiba thought, glancing sideways at her.
“Not bad.
Plenty of drive there.”
Kakashi smiled and turned to Chiba.
“Yanagyū Chiba.
I like research, and making everyone stronger.
I hate loss.”
“…”
Kakashi went quiet for a moment, then gave a slow nod.
“And you, sensei?”
“I’m Kakashi Hatake.
My interests—can’t say.
What I hate—that’s classified too.”
Only one eye was visible above the mask, but everyone present could tell the man was smiling behind it.
Chiba wasn’t the least bit surprised.
He’d known well in advance that Kakashi had no intention of answering honestly.
But then again.
The book never left his hand for a second.
His actual hobby didn’t need stating out loud.
“Well, regardless, I think we’ve all gotten a decent sense of each other now.
Meet at the Forest of Death tomorrow morning.
Don’t eat breakfast beforehand, by the way—or you’ll regret it.”
Kakashi said, his tone turning serious.
“Yes, sir!”
“Dismissed.”
Kakashi vanished with a Body Flicker.
Once he was gone, Tenten finally let herself grumble.
“What was that?
Feels like our sensei isn’t exactly reliable either.”
“That’s why he’s friends with Might Guy,” Wasa said flatly.
Chiba gave a small smile but didn’t elaborate.
Something occurred to Tenten, and she asked, “Chiba, do you know something about him?”
“I do.
Our instructor’s got quite a reputation, actually—can’t say much more than that, but you’ve definitely heard his name before.
The Copy Ninja.
Konoha’s foremost master of a thousand jutsu.”
“That’s him?!”
Tenten and Wasa both straightened at once, expressions turning serious.
Neither of them had recognized “Kakashi” on its own, but “the Copy Ninja” rang out loud and clear—every shinobi in Konoha had heard that name in one form or another.
Chiba gave a small nod.
Tomorrow would almost certainly be the exam.
He had no intention of letting his teammates make the same mistake Naruto and Sasuke had, underestimating the opponent in front of them.