Naruto successfully passed the next test for the Transformation Jutsu.
The incident where Mizuki tried to deceive him never happened.
As graduation approached, Naruto was still expecting Mizuki to come to him.
He figured he could at least humor Mizuki and maybe even swipe a forbidden jutsu from the scroll.
But as it turned out, Mizuki had already been taken away by the Anbu months ago for secretly working with the rogue ninja Orochimaru.
Thinking about it now, there was no way Mizuki would've had the chance to manipulate him.
After all, almost everyone in the village knew Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage.
Although, Naruto's reputation wasn't great due to the chaos he caused over the years.
But overall, the villagers merely avoided him instead of despising him, unlike the original story where they outright hated him or refused to sell him things.
What Naruto didn't know was that the villagers left him alone because they were terrified of his power.
Back when he was only six or seven years old, he swung trees around like they were nothing, leaving a deep impression on the villagers. With one strike, he could probably wipe out an entire family.
Who would dare mess with him after that?
Because of this, Mizuki never had the opportunity to stir up trouble between Naruto and the village.
"Sigh—"
Naruto let out a sigh, frustrated that he couldn't learn any free jutsus from Mizuki.
When he exchanged jutsus earlier, he genuinely wanted to learn his father's Flying Thunder God Technique. But the problem was he couldn't understand it at all!
Those complicated sealing formulas were like math problems—completely baffling.
Still, he made a mental note to revisit them later when he had the chance to learn.
He also really wanted to learn the Explosive Tag multiplication technique, but the Third Hokage refused to teach him, saying it was too dangerous.
The old man was afraid Naruto might accidentally blow up the entire village.
The more Naruto thought about it, the angrier he got.
Did they really think he was that irresponsible?
His grumbling caught Sasuke's attention.
"Didn't do well on the exam?"
"As if!"
Sasuke's question immediately irritated Naruto.
While his theory grades at the academy were poor, he was number one when it came to actual combat. There was no way he could have failed.
Hearing Naruto's response, Sasuke relaxed, but a trace of worry still lingered on his face.
"Do you think we'll be assigned to the same team?"
Sasuke hoped to be on the same team as Naruto. After all, the other students were far too weak...
"You see that pink-haired girl?"
Naruto pointed at Sakura, then turned back to Sasuke.
"I, Naruto Uzumaki, have calculated that..."
"You, me, and that pink-haired girl are very likely to end up on the same team."
Hinata, who had been eavesdropping nearby, lowered her head, her eyes dimming with disappointment.
She wasn't going to be on the same team as Naruto?
"Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, come with me."
At that moment, Kurenai Yuhi, with her long wavy hair, pushed open the door, called out their names, and walked out without looking back.
Hinata, hearing her name, glanced back at Naruto several times before reluctantly leaving the classroom. If Naruto hadn't encouraged her, she probably wouldn't have wanted to walk out the door.
As the Jonin led their assigned students away, the once-full classroom became increasingly empty.
Soon, only Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were left.
---
"What!?"
"You want me to be Naruto's team leader!?"
In the Hokage's office, Kakashi, usually composed, was visibly flustered.
The Third Hokage awkwardly smiled at Kakashi's obvious reluctance.
It wasn't that the Third hadn't asked other Jonin to take on Naruto, but all of them had refused.
Naruto's reputation for causing trouble was well-known throughout the village. The Jonin had even banded together to firmly reject him as their student.
Of course, Kakashi and Might Guy hadn't been part of that discussion.
After being turned down by the others, the Third Hokage had no choice but to assign Naruto to Kakashi, his dear subordinate.
Not to mention... Naruto was the son of Kakashi's former teacher. How could he refuse?
"How about... I go back to the Anbu?"
Kakashi suggested hesitantly, but seeing the Third's stern expression, he knew it wasn't going to happen.
In fact, Kakashi had long suspected this would happen ever since the Third asked him to look after Naruto. He had a bad feeling about it from the start.
After a long silence, Kakashi finally gave in with a sigh.
---
Kakashi dragged himself toward the classroom where Naruto and the others were, his eyes dead and expression drained of all hope.
Slam
As the classroom door opened, Naruto immediately caught a whiff of the distinct smell of dried fish from Kakashi.
Do all middle-aged men end up like this?
"I'm your team leader, Kakashi Hatake."
"Looking forward to working with you."
The moment Sakura saw Kakashi, she knew for sure she was on the same team as Sasuke. Her mind was already celebrating wildly.
'Yes!'
'I'm really on the same team as Sasuke.'
'This is my chance!'
'Take that, Ino!'
Sasuke gave a respectful nod, having heard of the genius Jonin, Kakashi, around the village.
He was satisfied with this choice.
Naruto, however, frowned and said, "Kakashi-sensei, you don't need to be so formal. We know each other well by now."
Naruto's overly familiar tone made Kakashi's head ache.
If he had a choice...
Kakashi really didn't want to mentor this kid, even if he was the son of his former teacher.
"From now on, you should call me Kakashi-sensei."
"Let's go."
With his hands in his pockets, Kakashi tilted his head, gesturing for them to follow.
Naruto, walking behind Kakashi, scoffed at the idea of calling him "sensei."
Who was he kidding? Naruto had bigger plans.
One day, Sasuke would follow Orochimaru, Sakura would study under Tsunade, and Naruto would seek out Jiraiya.
Then, by seniority...
They'd all be students of the Legendary Sannin. Naruto's father had been Jiraiya's disciple, and Kakashi was his father's student...
Once Naruto apprenticed under Jiraiya, Kakashi would have no choice but to call him "Uncle."
---
On the rooftop, Sakura was fawning over Sasuke, Sasuke was playing it cool, and Naruto was lost in thought, wondering what to eat for dinner.
Leaning against the railing, Kakashi looked at his team, feeling a deep sense of foreboding.
"I've already introduced myself."
"Kakashi Hatake. I have no likes, no dislikes."
"No dreams either."
Kakashi glanced at them, as if signaling them to introduce themselves.
Naruto didn't even know where to begin with Kakashi's odd self-introduction.
Who introduces themselves like that!?
"Sasuke Uchiha. I like training, there are many things I dislike, and my dream is..."
"To kill a certain man... and defeat Naruto."
Naruto: ??
'Since when was beating me your dream?'
They had sparred countless times over the past six years, and Sasuke had never won even once.
At some point, Sasuke had set Naruto as his target to surpass.
In Sasuke's mind, if he couldn't even beat Naruto, how could he kill that man?
Now, Sasuke had even dropped his dream of reviving the Uchiha clan in favor of defeating Naruto.
"I'm Sakura Haruno. I like..."
"My dream is..."[T/N: Kudos to the author for sparing us useless words.]
"And I hate Ino."
Sakura's eyes kept darting toward Sasuke as she spoke, making her intentions painfully obvious. But Sasuke remained indifferent, turning his gaze toward Naruto.
Their awkward interaction made Kakashi and Naruto both feel uncomfortable.
Naruto cleared his throat and began his own introduction.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like Hinata Hyuga... and farming."
"I hate people who wear masks and those who are always late."
Kakashi stiffened. Was Naruto taking a jab at him?
And...
Did he really need to say he liked Hinata? The whole village already knew.
"As for my dream..."
"World peace."
Hearing Naruto's dream, the other three stared at him.
Sasuke couldn't understand why Naruto would say something so profound, while Sakura admired his courage to declare his love for Hinata openly.
"World peace, huh..."
Kakashi murmured, as if he could see a shadow of his former teacher in Naruto.
Once upon a time, Minato Namikaze had said something similar.
'It seemed Naruto had truly grown up...'
Kakashi suddenly felt a sense of relief. Maybe it was time he reevaluated Naruto.
After all, you couldn't keep judging someone by their past.
'Maybe this kid wouldn't be as troublesome once he matured.'
Snapping out of his thoughts, Kakashi returned to his usual laid-back demeanor and continued.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll begin missions with a special test for the three of you."
"It's a test with a failure rate of 66%, incredibly difficult."
"Meet at the training field at five in the morning."
"Bring your ninja tools, and..."
"Prepare yourselves for death."
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