Chapter 22: Jonin Squad Leader Kakashi

Naruto spent a pleasant afternoon with his little underling, Konohamaru. He took the boy out to gather inspiration on the streets, then at a bookstore, and finally, for a personal field study at the public bathhouse.

Ahem—strike that, strike that. The last one was a complete accident.

In any case, Naruto’s tutelage in the "Sexy Jutsu" was a success. Naruto’s aesthetic sense as a master artist was no joke; under his guidance, Konohamaru’s technique sent his private tutor, Ebisu, into such a fit of nosebleed-induced hysteria that he nearly bled to death.

The next day, on the way to the orientation meeting.

Just like the day before, Naruto was ambushed by Konohamaru. Unfortunately, the boy’s disguise was too poor, and Naruto, having no desire to play along, saw through it instantly.

"Konohamaru, let’s check your homework. Perform it for me one more time."

"You got it, Boss!"

*Poof.*

After a cloud of smoke, a beautiful woman with long dark hair appeared.

Not bad. He’s already mastered thirty percent of my own prowess.

Naruto traced an S-curve in the air with his hands, continuing to impart the essence of the jutsu: "Curves—you must remember, the curves have to be beautiful."

"That’s all for today. I have things to do," Naruto said, preparing to leave.

"Boss, where are you going?"

Naruto turned his head and pointed to his forehead protector. "See this? I’m a ninja now. I don’t have time to play house with you anymore."

"So cool, Aniki!"

That’s cool, too? This kid’s ability to provide emotional validation is truly top-tier.

Upon arriving at the academy, Naruto found that almost the entire class had already gathered. Before he could exchange a few pleasantries, Iruka-sensei walked in to announce the rules.

"Congratulations. From today on, you are all full-fledged ninjas. But remember, you are only novice genin now. The real hardship has only just begun." Glancing across the students, a look of nostalgia flickered in Iruka’s eyes. Each of these students was the result of his six years of dedicated cultivation. He worried they wouldn’t make it far, and he worried even more about the dangers they would face. After all, the profession of a ninja is fraught with peril. Yet, he couldn't stop them; he could only hope everything would go smoothly.

"From now on, you will each be formed into three-man squads, serving under a jounin instructor to carry out missions together."

Oh? Naruto’s interest was piqued. Three-man squads? I thought we’d be trained individually by our seniors. Then again, how many jounin are there, and the school graduates a new class every year.

"To ensure each squad is balanced in strength, the instructors will decide the groupings. Team One..."

Until.

"And Team Seven: Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto: Seven? I like that number. As for who his teammates were, he didn't care; they weren't as strong as him anyway.

But if they were people he could actually talk to, that would be even better.

"Sakura Haruno."

Sakura glanced at Naruto with disdain. Over the past six years, aside from that one time in the first grade when he’d beaten up seven people, Naruto had been mediocre, consistently ranking at the bottom of the class. Becoming a ninja meant carrying out dangerous missions, and she wanted her teammates to be as strong as possible.

Sakura: Why am I on the same team as him?

Naruto: Sakura Haruno? We haven't really talked much. Isn't she Sasuke’s pursuer?

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke Uchiha: Naruto, huh?

Sakura: Great!

Naruto: Sasuke, eh? At least we can hold a conversation.

If you scale it from zero to ten—zero being terrible, ten being great, and five being a stranger—his relationship with Sasuke was probably around a six or seven. Not close, but not strangers; at least they could talk.

Ever since the Uchiha clan massacre, Sasuke had been shrouded in the shadow of Itachi Uchiha, training day and night with a grim expression, rarely participating in group activities. The two hadn't even had much contact outside of class. He never expected to be placed on the same team as Sasuke. He had originally worried that if they were separated by the team assignments, he wouldn’t be able to observe the protagonist’s growth up close. This result was perfect.

Thinking this, Naruto glanced at Sasuke. Sasuke happened to look over at the same time; they seemed to be in sync. Naruto gave him a "V" sign, hinting at a good partnership. Sasuke didn't react, merely averting his gaze. Naruto wasn't discouraged; it was rare for that guy to even turn his head to look at him.

"That concludes the team assignments. Your jounin instructors will introduce themselves this afternoon. You are dismissed until then."

At noon.

Naruto wanted to find Shikamaru and Choji for lunch, but they had already disappeared somewhere with Ino. Finally, Naruto found Sasuke, and the two sat on the edge of the rooftop to eat.

"Since we’ll be eating from the same bowl from now on, I’ll look out for you."

"Watch out for yourself first, loser."

Haha, Naruto grinned. He knew exactly how to get the reticent Sasuke to talk. However, noticing that Sasuke only had a rice ball for lunch, Naruto made sure to eat his three-course meal with extra gusto. Before long, Sakura appeared from somewhere, squeezing into the corner to eat with them.

Time passed until the afternoon, inside the classroom.

"They're so slow."

Naruto leaned back, looking at the ceiling, and let out an impatient sigh. All the other squads had been taken by their respective jounin instructors; only Team Seven remained in the room.

Why hasn't this jounin instructor arrived yet? He was waiting to complete his main quest so he could become a genin as soon as possible. Only after becoming a genin could he use the Arena. The system had been loading for nearly ten years, and he still hadn't experienced the Arena. He’d been waiting so long he felt like he was wilting.

But who would their jounin lead instructor be? If it were a beautiful, mature woman like the one teaching Kiba and Hinata, that would be ideal.

He took the opportunity to steal a glance at Sasuke. He was sitting in his seat just like him, appearing calm on the surface, though his inner thoughts were impossible to guess. As for the other one, Sakura, she had long since lost her patience, pacing back and forth at the front of the room.

"Greetings."

A silver-haired man walked in, greeting them as he entered.

The three of them looked at the newcomer in unison. A mop of white hair, a grey mask covering his entire face save for his eyes, and his left eye hidden behind a forehead protector—is he blind in that one? And this strange, lethargic air about him...

Give me back my beautiful mature woman!

"I'm sorry I'm late. Follow me."

On the rooftop. The three students sat opposite their silver-haired teacher.

"Let’s start with some self-introductions."

"How are we supposed to do that? Why don't you start, sensei?" Naruto asked curiously.

Since he was little, whenever Naruto looked at someone, he would pay attention to their eyes. Hate, disgust, coldness, curses—Naruto could see it all at a glance. But this teacher’s eyes were different. It was the first time Naruto had seen the term "dead fish eyes" so vividly embodied in a person. These were eyes of utter stillness, devoid of any light.

'Some people are still alive, but they have already died.'

This phrase described the silver-haired teacher perfectly. Yet, in Naruto’s perception, this teacher was clearly a decent guy. What kind of past did this man have?

"Me? My name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't feel like telling you what I like or hate. As for my dreams... I have many hobbies..."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke: ...

It was as if he hadn't said anything at all.