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**All the other students had left.**
The classroom suddenly felt more relaxed.
Haruno Sakura finally felt relieved. The intense stares from her classmates earlier had been almost unbearable. Now that only her team remained in the room, her nervousness began to fade, and a sense of joy filled her heart.
Unlike the original story, where Sakura only felt brief happiness—dampened by Naruto's presence—this time, she felt three times as much joy.
**Handsome Sasuke-kun.
Noble Naruto-kun.
And skilled Menma-kun.**
*Ah, this is just too much happiness!*
Sakura suddenly felt as though the air around her had become sweet. She truly believed her luck was invincible.
Naruto, sitting nearby, was also pleased with how the teams were divided. But unlike Sakura, his joy wasn't because of her presence. He was glad to be on the same team as Menma and Sasuke. The Naruto of this world wasn't exactly the same as the one in the original story.
Sasuke had similar thoughts but kept them hidden behind his usual stoic expression.
As for Menma, the team composition had surprised him a little, but it made sense. The only puzzling factor was Sakura. After all, in the original story, there hadn't been a strong reason for her to join Team 7. The only plausible explanation seemed to be that Sarutobi Hiruzen allowed Sakura to join to appease Naruto's feelings, as he had a crush on her.
While this was a sufficient reason, it was ultimately speculative. There was no real evidence in the original story to confirm this.
And in this life, it made even less sense. Menma had no connection with Sakura. The girl Naruto was closest to now was Hinata Hyuga, and Sasuke wasn't interested in any girls.
Menma couldn't understand why Sakura was on their team.
*Is she just here because they needed a girl on Team 7?*
The thought briefly crossed Menma's mind before he dismissed it.
"Haha, I was hoping I'd end up on the same team as you guys. I even asked the Third Hokage, but he didn't say anything. I'm so glad it turned out this way! Let's all work hard together—Sasuke, Menma, and Sakura."
Naruto's cheerful nature hadn't changed at all, even though his circumstances had.
This made Menma realize that while he had inherited many traits from Naruto in the original story, there was one thing he might not have inherited—the reincarnation chakra of Asura. After all, the Naruto standing in front of him seemed to perfectly embody Asura's character.
Of course, there was no way to verify this at the moment, and Menma didn't care much. Whether Naruto had Asura's chakra or not was irrelevant to him now.
"Well, we should all work together!" Menma replied with a light smile and a gentle nod.
"Hmph," Sasuke responded with his usual snort.
"Y-Yes! I'm really looking forward to learning from all of you!" Sakura quickly nodded, her excitement barely contained as she looked at Sasuke, Naruto, and Menma with shining eyes.
It felt like a dream—no, even worse, the fear that it was just a dream. Waking up and returning to reality would be the scariest thing.
To ensure she wasn't dreaming, Sakura subconsciously pinched her thigh. The pain confirmed that everything was real.
"Haha, I wonder who our sensei will be. I hope it's someone really strong," Naruto said, clenching his right fist in excitement.
"Eh? Naruto-kun, you don't know? Didn't the Third Hokage tell you?" Sakura asked, a bit surprised.
In Sakura's mind, Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son. Surely, the village would assign a powerful ninja to lead their team, and Naruto would have been informed in advance.
"Ah? I asked Jiji, but he didn't tell me—just like with the team assignments. He kept it a secret. I'll get back at him...I mean, pull his beard, next time I see him," Naruto said with a hint of resentment.
The identity of their team leader was a question every graduate cared about. Sasuke hoped more than anyone else that their sensei would be one of the village's top jonin. Only someone of that caliber could help him achieve his goal.
*I hope it's not someone mediocre,* Sasuke thought to himself.
Menma, however, already knew the answer. If he was right, there was no one more suitable than Hatake Kakashi to lead Team 7. Besides, Sarutobi Hiruzen trusted Kakashi implicitly.
Menma was 100% certain their sensei would still be Kakashi in this life.
And if he remembered correctly, Kakashi—infamous for his tardiness—was probably already hiding nearby, observing them.
*Ninjas really do have a habit of gathering intelligence this way,* Menma thought, closing his eyes to take a nap.
Time passed slowly.
Nearly two hours had gone by since the last team, Shikamaru's Team 10, had left.
But their Team 7 sensei still hadn't shown up.
Sakura and Naruto were beginning to show signs of impatience, and even Sasuke was growing frustrated.
Among the four, only Menma remained calm, sitting with a relaxed expression.
"Why hasn't our sensei arrived yet? Did they forget about us?" Sakura asked with a forced smile, masking her inner turmoil.
---
"Did he forget about us? This is totally possible," Naruto muttered, his tone laced with frustration. "If that's the case, we should ask the Third Hokage to assign us a more reliable teacher. What do you guys think?"
Naruto, seated in the front row, spoke frankly, his expression earnest.
Sasuke, sitting to Naruto's left, looked like he was about to explode with impatience, his face practically freezing over. It was clear that if they waited any longer, Sasuke might lose his cool.
Only Menma remained calm, responding casually, "Maybe something came up and he's running late. There's nothing we can do about it. Besides, as ninjas, unexpected delays are part of the job."
"Oh? That makes sense," Naruto replied, nodding in agreement. He didn't even realize Menma was just trying to ease the tension.
"Then…"
Just as Naruto was about to say something else, the classroom door creaked open.
"Huh?"
"Oh?"
All eyes turned to the door, and in walked a man wearing Konoha's standard flak jacket, with a shock of silver hair and a masked face.
This familiar figure and his laid-back aura were unmistakable. It was none other than Kakashi Hatake, the renowned Copy Ninja.
"Well, you must be the members of Team 7," Kakashi said, his tone lazy yet firm. "I'm your Sensei. First impression? Not bad. Let's head out; we need to get to know each other."
Kakashi's gaze swept over Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Menma as he spoke. Without waiting for their response, he turned and walked out of the classroom.
Menma seemed prepared, almost instinctively standing up the moment Kakashi moved. He followed Kakashi without hesitation.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were momentarily stunned before quickly regaining their senses and following suit. The five of them left the classroom, climbed the stairs, and headed straight for the rooftop.
On the rooftop, Kakashi leaned against the railing, arms crossed, observing the four young ninjas before him. Finally, he broke into a faint smile. "Let's start with introductions. We'll be working together as a team for quite some time, so it's important to get to know each other."
'What do you mean, 'it's important to get to know each other'? Aren't we already on the same team? Is this guy reliable or not?' Sakura thought, her frustration bubbling up. She shot a strange look at Kakashi, beginning to doubt his reliability. Still, she maintained her composed exterior, determined not to let her good-girl image slip.
"Why do we need to introduce ourselves?" Naruto spoke up, hands on his hips, glaring up at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, I think you're the one who should introduce yourself—and explain why you were late! Otherwise, I'll go straight to the Third Hokage and report that you were slacking off!"
"Eh? Naruto, you know this guy?" Sakura asked, puzzled.
Even Sasuke glanced at Naruto in surprise. He hadn't expected Naruto to know their team leader.
Menma, however, found this normal. In this timeline, Naruto was well-known in Konoha as the "Son of the Fourth Hokage." He was respected, even honored, by the villagers and most of the ninjas, who often called him "Master Naruto." His treatment was akin to that of Sarutobi Konohamaru, the Third Hokage's grandson.
Kakashi was a direct subordinate of the Fourth Hokage. While he might not have reached out to Menma, it was perfectly normal for him to have some contact with Naruto. After all, Naruto had likely learned about his father's past and knew that Kakashi, along with others like Shiranui Genma, was part of his father's inner circle.
"Of course I know him!" Naruto replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Kakashi-sensei was one of my dad's subordinates. The Third Hokage didn't tell me who would lead the team, and neither did you, Kakashi-sensei! I was really curious."
"Haha, that's because the Third Hokage told me not to tell you," Kakashi said with a chuckle. "Just as Naruto mentioned, my name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm a jonin of the village. I don't particularly like or dislike anything, but I do have one rule: I can't stand those who disregard ninja regulations. If you want to stay on my team, you'd better keep that in mind."
Kakashi's tone turned slightly cold, his gaze sharp, making Naruto and even Sakura, who usually held her composure, shrink back slightly.
"I understand, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto grumbled, a little deflated.
"Alright, now it's your turn to introduce yourselves. And yes, Naruto, you too," Kakashi said, clapping his hands.
"Eh? Oh!" Naruto snapped to attention, then spoke eagerly. "My name is Namikaze Naruto. My favorite food is Ichiraku Ramen, and there's nothing I really hate. My dream is to become the greatest Hokage, greater than any before me!"
As Naruto spoke, his excitement and determination were palpable. He lifted his forehead protector, a proud smile on his face.
Kakashi's eyes softened as he listened, a hint of a smile in his gaze.
"Next," Kakashi said, his eyes moving to Menma.
Menma smiled lightly and introduced himself, "My name is Uzumaki Menma. There isn't anything I particularly like or dislike. My dream is to be recognized by everyone."
Menma's words were sincere, though the recognition he sought was not the typical kind. Menma believed in 'convincing others through logic,' though in his case, 'logic' often meant the force of his power.
In this world, ideals like morality and justice were luxuries, and Menma understood that all too well.
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