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Naruto POV:
With Hinata still holding my hand, we reached the rooftop and, of course, found the cyclops reading his little orange porno. He glanced up at us, barely sparing a second before going back to his book.
'Perv.' I snorted under my breath.
"Well, my cute little genins," he finally spoke, still not looking up, "I'm going to be your teacher for the foreseeable future. So introduce yourselves—one at a time, please."
No Sakura here, guess I've got to be the one to ask.
"What exactly does that entail, sensei?"
The cyclops shrugged. "Like things you hate, things you like, dreams for the future... that stuff."
"An example would be nice."
He grumbled, clearly put upon, before getting up with a huff.
"Kakashi Hatake. Likes and things I hate? Not telling. My dreams for the future? Never thought about it. And I don't really have any hobbies."
"How useless." Sasuke shamelessly scowled at him.
I flicked her forehead. "Cool down. We got his name at least, right?"
Hinata nodded beside me.
Kakashi carried on, unbothered.
"Okay, your turn. Miss Hyuga, go first."
Hinata stood gracefully. "Hello, sensei. My name's Hinata Hyuga. I enjoy training... and spending time with the people close to me. I hate the darkness that exists in this world, and I aim to grow as a kunoichi to help the weak."
"You next, emo."
Sasuke scowled but sighed, clearly over it.
"Sasuke Uchiha. I like... two certain people. And tomatoes. I dislike wasted potential and people who refuse to grow. My dream is to kill a certain someone after getting my answers."
Kakashi just nodded. "And lastly... discount Uzumaki."
I deadpanned. "That the best you got, cyclops? Whatever." I got up, dusting my hands off.
"Name's Naruto Uzumaki. I like training and hanging out with my friends. I tinker with gadgets and practice my swordsmanship in my free time. But I absolutely despise spineless people and hypocrites."
"Good," he nodded. "At least you're not boring. Anyway... the genin exam? That was just a preliminary test. Your real test? Completely my choice. Don't worry though, I've used the same one for years now. Meet me tomorrow at Training Grounds 87. And by the way..."
His visible eye turned dead serious.
"I suggest you don't eat before the test. Don't want you throwing up... after you fail."
I barely suppressed a snort as he vanished in a puff of smoke.
"We're obviously not doing that, right?" I turned to the girls on either side of me.
They both blinked at me, then nodded.
"Cool. Should we go check out the training grounds? You know... to prep for the test tomorrow. Maybe discuss strategy too?"
Sasuke hummed. "Smart. That way we can assess the surroundings to use them to our advantage."
Hinata added her own idea. "We could also set up traps. Catch him off guard."
I smiled to myself as I walked behind them, watching as they slipped into strategist mode. They got along ridiculously well.
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Naruto POV:
We didn't waste any time heading to the training grounds. Might as well scout it out, get a feel for the place, and maybe booby-trap it a little.
It was your standard Konoha training area — trees everywhere, the faint scent of earth, old weapon marks on the trunks, and patches of flattened grass where countless newbies had probably face-planted.
"Alright," I stretched my arms behind my head. "Let's see how screwed we are."
Hinata activated her Byakugan, pale eyes glowing faintly as her gaze swept the area.
"Twenty meters perimeter, no one around… aside from some squirrels," she reported softly.
I grinned. "Good. Unless Kakashi's a shape-shifting squirrel, we're good."
Sasuke rolled her eyes, pulling a kunai from her pouch. "We're scouting, not cracking jokes, idiot."
"You're just mad I'm funnier than you."
'And taller,' Kurama snorted from the depths of my mind. 'You should mention that.'
'Don't tempt me.'
While the girls spread out to inspect the clearing, I pulled out a small pouch from my belt. Inside? My lovely collection of handmade toys — smoke bombs, tripwire, caltrops, and a few… less legal things I'd tinkered with.
Bura's voice drifted in, smooth and amused. 'You know, in your past life you could've gone to jail for carrying this much homemade weaponry.'
'Yeah, but in this life? Genius.'
I knelt by a tree, fastening some near-invisible wire between two low-hanging branches, rigging a small bell to jingle if disturbed. Standard stuff, but subtle enough.
Across the clearing, Sasuke was throwing kunai with unnerving precision, hitting the same target over and over, her Sharingan flickering faintly to life.
"Show off," I called.
She smirked. "Jealous, half-blood?"
I flipped her off casually. "Every day."
Hinata reappeared beside me, gaze calm. "There's an old stump near the south edge — hollow underneath. Could be good for hiding supplies… or yourself."
"Or a bomb," I offered helpfully.
Hinata tilted her head, eyes glinting. "I didn't say that… but… maybe."
I liked this version of Hinata. Sweet, but not afraid to lean into a little chaos.
We spent the next hour canvassing the area properly.
Sasuke marked angles for kunai rebounds.
Hinata mapped blind spots with her Byakugan.
I scattered wire, bells, smoke bombs, and a few pressure plates disguised under loose dirt.
'The amount of traps we've set… we might actually kill him by accident.'
'Eh,' Kurama yawned. 'Kakashi's a cockroach. He'll live.'
Eventually, we collapsed under a shady tree at the edge of the grounds. I flopped onto the grass, arms behind my head, eyes tracing the sky.
The village air felt… lighter, somehow. Freer.
'Funny how that works,' I mused. 'Different body, different world… but this? This feels… good.'
Kurama snorted. 'Give it a month. You'll be complaining again.'
Bura giggled faintly. 'He's adapting faster than I expected. It's cute.'
I tuned them out as Sasuke and Hinata settled beside me — Sasuke leaning her head against my shoulder like it was no big deal, Hinata sitting close on my other side, legs tucked neatly beneath her.
The sun was warm.
The breeze gentle.
For the first time since waking up in this world, I let myself relax.
"Think we'll actually pass this… real test?" Hinata asked quietly, eyes focused on the treetops.
Sasuke scoffed. "As if we'd fail."
I chuckled. "Overconfident much?"
"Realistic," Sasuke shot back.
Hinata hummed softly. "We've prepared… a lot."
"Yeah… we have," I agreed, letting my eyes drift closed.
Silence settled over us — the good kind.
And for the first time in two lifetimes, I thought… maybe I could actually like where I ended up.
After our little booby-trapping extravaganza, we stayed under the same shady tree, stretched out on the grass like three overworked shinobi — which, to be fair, we kinda were now.
Sasuke was predictably sulking. Well… sulking with her head still propped on my shoulder, so take that as you will.
Hinata was leaned back on her hands, eyes half-lidded as she enjoyed the breeze, calm as ever.
"So…" I broke the silence, eyes flicking between them. "Since we're all gonna risk our lives together, maybe… share some fun facts? Team bonding and all."
Sasuke groaned. "You sound like Iruka."
"Yeah, well, I got his patience too, so start talking or I'll start singing."
That earned a visible shudder from both of them.
Hinata smiled faintly. "What… do you want to know?"
"Mm… hobbies? Past? Favorite flavor of ice cream? Anything."
Sasuke rolled her eyes. "I like tomatoes. That's it."
I snorted. "Riveting. Truly cracked open the mystery of Uchiha Sasuke right there."
'You know she's hiding ninety percent of her personality behind that broody act,' Kurama snickered in my head.
'Obviously,' I agreed.
Sasuke shifted, her head still resting against me, but she didn't move away.
"I hate wasted potential," she added after a moment. "And people who refuse to grow."
"Deep," I mused. "And here I thought you'd say something like 'spiders'."
Hinata chuckled softly beside me. "I'm… afraid of deep water," she offered quietly.
I blinked at her. "Seriously?"
She shrugged. "Can't see well underwater. Feels… vulnerable."
"Fair enough."
They both glanced at me expectantly.
"What?"
"Your turn," Hinata encouraged.
Sasuke grumbled something under her breath, probably about how I never shut up normally, so this should be easy.
I thought for a second.
'How much do I actually say?'
I wasn't Naruto from this timeline, not entirely. But… for now? The truth worked.
"I hate hypocrites. Spineless people. The kind that smile to your face and plot behind your back."
Hinata tilted her head, curious.
Sasuke watched me, unreadable as always.
"I like… building stuff. Little gadgets. Tinkering. Kinda peaceful, y'know?" I scratched the back of my head. "And swords. Always been good with blades."
Sasuke made a noise somewhere between a hum and a scoff. "You really are a weirdo."
"Flattered, thanks." I grinned.
Hinata's eyes softened a bit. "It suits you."
The breeze rolled through the clearing again, stirring the grass. For a moment, none of us spoke. It wasn't awkward though. Just… comfortable.
I let my gaze drift up to the sky, blue and cloudless — a perfect painting.
'It feels… different,' I thought, almost surprising myself. 'Sitting here. Them being here.'
Back home… my old world… this kind of peace felt impossible. Always rushing, always worrying about the future that never really came.
Here? It was messed up, sure. Shinobi wars, clans, monsters, gods… but for once, I wasn't running.
For once, I had people.
'Soft,' Kurama muttered, but even he sounded almost amused.
'Shut up, furball.'
Sasuke shifted again, not moving away, just… fidgeting like she couldn't sit still.
Hinata spoke softly. "You've both… changed, haven't you?"
I blinked. "Huh?"
Her gaze drifted to Sasuke, then to me. "Since the Academy. You're… different now. Stronger. Calmer."
Sasuke didn't deny it. Just looked down at the grass.
I exhaled slowly. "Guess we've all got stuff we're not saying yet."
"Obviously," Sasuke muttered.
Hinata smiled faintly. "That's okay… we've got time."
I looked between them, these two weird, complicated, stubborn people… and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't dreading the unknown.
"We've got time," I echoed quietly, letting my eyes drift closed for a moment as the wind stirred the leaves around us.
And for once…
Yeah.
That didn't sound so bad.
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Third POV:
Kakashi Hatake stood inside the Hokage's office, hands tucked in his pockets as smoke lazily curled from Hiruzen's pipe.
"Good afternoon, Kakashi. How've you been?"
The cyclops shrugged. "Not too bad, Hokage-sama. But… I doubt you called me here for a friendly chat."
Hiruzen's lips curved faintly around his pipe. "That I didn't. I assume you've met your team already? Interesting, aren't they?"
Kakashi's lone eye narrowed slightly beneath his headband. "You could say that. Especially Naruto."
The Hokage chuckled quietly. "You noticed it too."
"Hard to miss," Kakashi admitted. His tone lost its lazy edge, becoming more thoughtful. "There's something… off about him. His chakra feels strange. Dense. Almost old. And there's something sharp under the surface."
Hiruzen nodded slowly, pipe smoke curling toward the open window. "He's… special, to say the least."
A beat of silence settled between them.
"You want me to keep an eye on him," Kakashi finally said, his voice unreadable.
"I want you to test him properly," Hiruzen corrected. "The bell test? That won't cut it. I haven't gotten a perfect measure of his skills yet, but based on what little I've seen…" His eyes glinted faintly beneath the shadow of his hat. "I'd estimate him at low to mid-jonin level."
Kakashi's eyebrow lifted ever so slightly. "You're serious?"
"As serious as I've ever been," Hiruzen confirmed.
A low whistle escaped Kakashi's lips. "At his age? He really doesn't do anything by halves, does he?"
The Hokage chuckled again, tapping ash from his pipe. "No, he doesn't."
Kakashi was quiet for a long moment, considering. His mind turned over possibilities—testing tracking skills, isolating him, pushing teamwork under pressure, maybe a combat element… something unorthodox.
"I'll come up with something," Kakashi eventually promised. His usual lazy tone returned, but his visible eye still gleamed with quiet interest. "You'll get the full report."
Hiruzen smiled faintly, turning his gaze back to the window as sunlight poured across the rooftops.
"I look forward to it. Let's see what our little enigma can really do."
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Kakashi POV:
The office door clicked shut behind me as I stepped into the afternoon sun. Warmth brushed my face, and the familiar hum of the village settled in the background.
Konoha never really changed. Same chatter from the shops, same kids weaving through the crowds, same old rooftops that used to feel a lot taller when I was their age.
My hands slipped into my pockets as I wandered. No real destination. Just moving.
I thought back to them.
Team Seven.
Sasuke Uchiha — sharp eyes, sharper attitude, chip on her shoulder big enough to crush a building. Pretty much what I expected from the last loyal Uchiha.
Hinata Hyuga — quieter than the other two, but steady. Not as shy as her clan's reputation made her out to be. Eyes like a mirror — calm on the surface, but hiding something deeper.
And then… him.
Naruto Uzumaki.
A headache in the shape of a genin.
Blonde… mostly. Those streaks of red running through his hair weren't exactly standard. Neither was the ridiculous sword strapped to his back or the casual smugness like the whole world owed him a favor.
But it wasn't the attitude or the sword that stuck with me. It was the energy.
Unrefined. Controlled… mostly. But strong. Strong enough that the Hokage's warning echoed in the back of my mind.
Low to mid-jonin level? At that age? I didn't want to believe it — but my gut told me otherwise.
"Guess we'll see tomorrow," I muttered under my breath.
I turned a corner, nearly bumping into Asuma outside a tea stand. Cigarette hanging from his lips, same bored expression as always.
"Kakashi."
I nodded. "Asuma."
He smirked. "Kurenai's already complaining about her team. Thinks Kiba's gonna give her gray hairs before the week's out."
I hummed. "Wouldn't bet against it."
"You?"
I shrugged. "Team Seven's… interesting."
Asuma raised an eyebrow. "Interesting good or interesting you're-stuck-babysitting?"
A small curve tugged at the edge of my mask. "Bit of both."
"Should make tomorrow fun." He took a lazy drag of his cigarette. "Same old bell test?"
I shook my head. "Changing it up."
Asuma snorted softly. "Getting soft?"
"Just cautious." I started walking again, slipping past him with a wave. "These kids aren't exactly standard issue."
His chuckle followed me down the street.
I glanced at the rooftops one last time, adjusting my headband slightly.
Yeah. Tomorrow was going to be… complicated.
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Naruto POV:
The door clicked shut behind us as the three of us tumbled into my place. Well—my place. Technically still the old Namikaze house, though it barely looked like it anymore with all the junk I'd scattered around over the years.
Sasuke dropped onto the couch like she owned the place, Hinata slipped her shoes off neatly at the door, and I… went straight for the coffee table, dumping a rolled-up scroll onto it.
"Alright, operation 'make the cyclops suffer' begins," I announced, unsealing the map with a dramatic flick.
Hinata knelt beside me, eyes scanning the rough outline of Training Grounds 87. Sasuke leaned over my shoulder, frowning.
"You redrew this yourself?" she asked, poking at the corner.
"Yeah. Hokage's archives suck," I snorted. "Besides, I added some extra notes."
Hinata tilted her head. "The trees near the eastern perimeter…"
"Yeah, they're hollow," I grinned. "Perfect for hiding sensors or tripwires."
Sasuke hummed, tapping her finger on a different spot. "The river cuts through here. We can use that for an ambush… or an escape route."
"Good thinking, princess."
She scowled lightly but didn't argue. Hinata, meanwhile, was already sketching little marks for trap placements with a neat, practiced hand.
A comfortable quiet settled over the room as we worked. The kind that felt… normal. Which was weird. But not bad.
Eventually, Hinata stretched. "We should eat before it gets too late."
"Yeah, yeah, ramen—" Sasuke started.
Except I walked into the kitchen and came back with plates of grilled chicken, steamed rice, and some greens.
Sasuke blinked. Hinata blinked.
"…Is that vegetables?" Hinata asked, wide-eyed.
I shrugged. "What? I like ramen. Doesn't mean I eat it for every meal. I'm not suicidal."
Sasuke smirked. "Wow. The great Naruto Uzumaki… eats like a functioning human."
"You wound me," I said flatly, setting the plates down. "Thought you'd both be grateful I didn't poison you."
Hinata giggled softly behind her hand. Sasuke rolled her eyes but dug in anyway.
We ate like that for a while. Quiet. Comfortable. A few jabs here and there, but it wasn't tense. Just… normal.
'Weird,' I thought. 'Feels more like a real team than… well, than before.'
No walking-on-eggshells Sakura. No brooding, self-destructive Sasuke—well, she still brooded, but at least she wasn't unbearable. And Hinata? Confident. Quiet, sure, but steady.
Yeah… different. But better.
Eventually, dinner was done. Plates stacked. The girls grabbed their stuff, slipping shoes back on.
Hinata smiled at me at the door. "Good work today."
Sasuke lingered for half a second longer. "Don't slack off tomorrow, dumbass."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
They slipped into the night, quiet footsteps fading into the street.
I locked the door behind them, padded over to the window, and leaned against the frame.
Konoha stretched out beneath me. Lanterns flickered along the alleys. Somewhere, someone laughed. Life… kept moving.
Kurama stirred in the back of my mind.
'You getting soft on me, brat?'
I snorted under my breath. 'Yeah, yeah. Just… enjoying the quiet.'
'And Bura?'
My smile faltered a little.
Auravell—her real name. First time I'd used it… first time she'd gone this quiet.
I could still feel her, tucked away in the corner of my mind, but… resting. Drained.
'She'll be fine,' I thought, more to myself than Kurama.
'Hope so,' the fox grumbled. 'Girl's mouth may be annoying, but the silence is worse.'
I chuckled.
The room dimmed as the last of the daylight slipped away.
Tomorrow was gonna be hell. But tonight?
It didn't feel half bad.
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Author's Note:
Yeah… so I kinda vanished. My bad. Life has been kicking my ass recently.
BUT to make up for the ghosting, enjoy this monster chapter to spoil you a bit — seriously, this thing almost broke my fingers.
Also, slight heads-up: I'll probably be switching to a new upload schedule — aiming for one chapter every 3 days to keep it consistent and keep my sanity intact.
Appreciate all the support, comments, and general chaos you guys bring — it keeps me going. Stay tuned, more's coming!
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