Chereads / Crimson Faith : A Naruto Tale / Chapter 14 - Team formation day : Part 2

Chapter 14 - Team formation day : Part 2

Iruka told them that their Jounin leader would be Shiranui Genma. He then continued with Team 7.

"Team 7... Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto, hearing his name, gave all his attention; you could hear him chanting to himself, "Let it be Sakura, let it be Sakura." "Haruno Sakura," elicited a cheer from Naruto and a disappointed cry from Sakura, not pleased to be on Naruto's team.

"And Uchiha Sasuke," this time elicited a cheer from Sakura and a groan from Ino and Naruto, with Ino wishing it could have been her. "Your Jounin leader will be Kakashi Hatake."

Naruto, showing a grimace, stood up and started complaining to Iruka, "Iruka-sensei! Why am I with that guy?"

Iruka, seeing Naruto at his usual antics, gave a small sigh of regret, feeling like he judged Naruto to be maturing too early. With an impassive face, he told Naruto that his scores were the ones to pair him with Sasuke, the best student being paired with the worst student in an attempt at balancing the teams and encouraging growth. Naruto, not liking the answer, told Iruka that someone as talented as him would only get dragged down by Sasuke, to Sakura's outraged face, getting a small snort out of Sasuke, a hint of disdain on his face.

"You are the one who's gonna drag me down, dead weight," Sasuke retorted.

Naruto, angry at what he saw as a provocation, jumped over the table, his face close to Sasuke's, giving his best yakuza face, telling him off, "You got something to say, you bastard?" This elicited an outcry from the girls, with the boys cheering Naruto on, telling him to give Sasuke a beating.

An irritated Sasuke, a vein throbbing on his temple, was not pleased by Naruto stepping into his personal space.

"Get the hell out of my face, you idiot!"

Both boys glared at each other, face to face. Unbeknownst to them, a curious classmate was behind Naruto, intrigued by the commotion. Turning around, he accidentally hit Naruto with his elbow, pushing him and causing him to meet Sasuke's face, resulting in an accidental kiss. The sound of something breaking resonated through the classroom, accompanied by gasps and choking noises from all around. The girls showed horrified expressions, their menacing aura manifesting, while the boys burst into laughter at their misfortune. Naruto and Sasuke, throwing up on the ground, both having green faces.

Iruka, having watched the whole thing, was initially angry at being ignored. However, as he observed the chaos unfolding and felt vindicated and amused by the unexpected turn of events, he regained control of the room.

Iruka continued with the team assignments until he completed the list. Now done, he turned to his students. Iruka then distributed small papers with addresses on them, instructing the students to wait for their Jounin sensei at the designated addresses and to take care of themselves. Sakura, realizing that their team didn't receive any paper, asked Iruka about the reason. He gave her a strange look, explaining that their Jounin-sensei would meet them there and advised them not to get bored. Sakura, now relieved but still confused, smiled at him. "I wish you all good luck in your future endeavors. May you be successful," Iruka declared,still wearing a strange expression looking at sakura, formed a hand seal and disappeared in a burst of smoke.

The students began to leave, each directing themselves to their designated locations. However, Team 7 remained in the room, waiting.

Hours passed, and Team 7's frustration became evident. Naruto's face showed annoyance at the prolonged wait, Sakura struggled to maintain her usual cheerful smile, and even the typically calm Sasuke appeared ready for a confrontation, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous intensity.

Naruto, fed up with the prolonged wait, decided to take matters into his own hands and devised a plan to play a prank on his Jounin teacher. Wearing an evil grin, he gathered all the erasers in the room and fashioned a basic projectile system. To complete the setup, he left the door barely open, with an eraser strategically placed as an obvious trap.

Excited about the impending spectacle, Naruto assumed his position and eagerly awaited Kakashi's arrival. Soon enough, the sound of approaching footsteps reached Team 7's ears. The three students focused their attention, even Sasuke wearing an intrigued expression, anticipating Kakashi's entrance and the ensuing spectacle. A hand appeared on the door frame, slowly pushing it open, and the three students held their breath, ready for the show to begin.

However, their expectations were subverted when Kakashi's calm voice broke the tension, "Were you hoping for something?" Naruto and Sakura couldn't contain their yell,Jumping from their place, while Sasuke, the voice making him on edge, leaped out of his seat defensively.

Turning toward the door, Sasuke noticed the hand was still there. Glancing back at Kakashi, he found the Jounin wearing his signature eye-smile. The door swung open, triggering the trap, but to the students' dismay, it only fell on a dummy. Naruto expressed his disappointment with a groan, and Sakura quickly chimed in, trying to explain that she attempted to stop Naruto. Unfazed, Kakashi, still smiling with his eye, remarked, "An idiot, a know-it-all, and a boring guy. I don't like you." Then, without missing a beat, he instructed them to meet him on the roof before disappearing in a burst of smoke.

As Sakura blamed Naruto for Kakashi's words, she started shaking him vigorously, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

"This is all your fault! Why did you have to set up that stupid trap?"

Naruto, dizzy: "I just wanted to have some fun! I didn't know Kakashi-sensei would say that about us!"

Sasuke, with his usual blank expression, called them idiots, which only intensified Sakura's sadness. In response, she shook Naruto even more. Seeing them wasting time, Sasuke walked out of the room, followed by Sakura, who abruptly tossed Naruto to the ground.calling for sasuke in a sweet voice,she told him to wait for her 

"Wait for me, Sasuke-kun! "

Naruto, still dizzy and disoriented, snapped into panic mode, desperately calling for them to wait.

"Hey, wait! Don't leave me here alone!"

Moments later, Team 7 found themselves facing Kakashi on the rooftop. The Jounin, seated on the edge with his favorite book, exuded an air of nonchalance. Closing his book, Kakashi turned his attention to the young shinobi.

"Now that you're all here, how about a small presentation?" Sakura, eager to make the most of this opportunity, raised her hand and asked, "Kakashi-sensei, how about giving us an example?"

Kakashi, with his trademark eye smile, decided to comply and began his presentation.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake. Age is old enough. My hobbies are no concern of yours due to your age. My likes and dislikes are this and that, while my dream is of my own concern. How about you tell me about yourselves now?"

The young shinobi, their faces adorned with black lines, found themselves perplexed by the lack of information Kakashi shared about himself.

Sakura, feeling the need to start, introduced herself, saying, "My name is Sakura Haruno. Age 13. My hobbies are reading books, and my likes..." She blushed while looking at Sasuke, giving a girlish giggle. "And my dream is to be with..." She giggled even more. Kakashi, with a black line on his apparent face, asked her about her dislikes. To which Sakura didn't hesitate to say, "Naruto," leaving the latter with a depressed expression. 

Kakashi, giving a sigh, turned to Naruto. Naruto, seeing Kakashi's attention, gave an excited face and started his introduction, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I'm 12. My likes are to eat ramen, my dislikes are the minutes of wait for the water to heat so I can eat ramen and Sasuke," earning a disdainful small of the latter and Sakura's outrage. "My hobby is to garden my small plants," to this, Sakura gave a surprised expression, not expecting such a side from Naruto. "My dream… is to become the greatest Hokage ever, Dattebayo!" Under Kakashi's blank eye, Sakura's surprised eyes, and Sasuke's indifferent ones. 

Kakashi, his eye staying on Naruto for some moment, suddenly smiled, as if satisfied by something. Turning to Sasuke, the latter started, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. Age 12. I have no particular likes or dislikes, while my dream…" this time showing freezing eyes, giving a cold frisson to Naruto beside him, "is to kill a certain someone," ending it with pure venom, this time genuinely scaring Naruto, the latter asking himself if Sasuke is talking about him.

Kakashi, hearing the answer, only gave a sigh, wishing he could give up on them, sensing the problem children in his hand. Facing the whole team, he said, "Excellent. Now that we are all done with introductions, it's time to talk about your survival test." At this, the three showed expressions of surprise, with Sakura taking the lead. She said what was in all their collective minds, "A test?"

"Yes, there is still a need for a survival test," Kakashi answered to her question.

"Then what about all the tests in the academy?" Getting a nod from Naruto, his face a perfect "umu" face, with Sasuke's expression indifferent, only his eyes betraying his interest in the answer.

Kakashi smiled as he explained that the tests in the academy were to evaluate their basic skills and to determine how to organize them in teams, ensuring that each student is placed in the best environment for their growth. He continued, stating that these tests also served to weed out the weak, those lacking the qualities needed for the life of a shinobi. Nodding in understanding, Kakashi then informed them to ready themselves, cautioning that from their graduating class, more than half were likely to fail, emphasizing the difficulty of the upcoming test.

The students, now wearing anxious expressions, were told to arrive early the next day and not to eat, or else they would regret it. Concluding his instructions, Kakashi made a finger salute, bidding farewell before disappearing in a burst of smoke, leaving his students discussing among themselves the content and implications of the impending exam.