They arrived at the rooftop.
"I'll be your supervising instructor from now on. Let's start with some self-introductions. Let's begin with... Naruto." Kakashi looked at Naruto with profound meaning.
He was anticipating what kind of self-introduction his sensei's son, Naruto, would give.
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first when asking others to do so?" Naruto responded.
"Good point. My name is Hatake Kakashi. What I like and dislike... that's a secret. As for the rest, I don't feel like telling you," Kakashi said, his visible eye looking dead.
What's with that? How is that any different from saying nothing at all? Sakura rolled her eyes, mentally roasting him like crazy.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, a question in his eyes.
So, he's Hatake Kakashi. A flicker of understanding crossed Naruto's eyes.
That would explain why Kakashi's gaze had been so complex when he looked at him earlier.
From what Minato had told him, Kakashi was his last disciple, a brilliant ninja whose talent was no less than Itachi's.
It was just a pity that after White Fang's death, he had fallen into a slump, perhaps even letting his talent go to waste.
Minato had a very high opinion of Kakashi, even viewing him as a ninja who could surpass himself and training him accordingly.
But after Minato's death, Kakashi's inaction had greatly disappointed Minato.
Even so, Minato still held out hope for Kakashi, even telling Naruto, "If Kakashi is your supervising Jonin, then I'll be at ease."
Thinking of this, Naruto spoke calmly, "Hatake Kakashi, an ANBU operative, disciple of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. A genius ninja who became a Jonin at the mere age of twelve, his moniker 'Copy Ninja' is known throughout all the shinobi villages. I didn't expect such a renowned ninja to be our supervising instructor."
Upon hearing this, Sasuke's face was a mask of shock.
He advanced to Jonin at twelve? Itachi only made Chunin at ten! Could his talent exceed Itachi's? How strong must he be now?
Sasuke looked at Kakashi intently. The latter still had that dead-fish eye, his expression unreadable, exuding the aura of a complete slacker. Standing there, he looked like a good-for-nothing.
He didn't have the slightest hint of a powerful individual's presence.
This raised a question in Sasuke's mind.
Is this guy really a Jonin?
"I didn't know Kakashi-sensei was so amazing!! Please guide us well from now on." After hearing Naruto's words, Sakura's expression immediately turned to one of admiration. "To be guided by such a powerful ninja, I'm so lucky!"
"To be able to provide relevant information just by hearing my name, well done. That's a quality a ninja should possess. I'm quite impressed with you, Naruto. But if you didn't casually reveal a ninja's information, I think I'd like you even more," Kakashi said, looking at Naruto, a slight flicker finally appearing in his eyes as he spoke in a low voice.
"Sharing intelligence is also a very good quality. If my information is incorrect, I hope Kakashi-sensei will point it out," Naruto replied with a smile.
My information isn't exactly a secret among ninja, but how did Naruto find out?
Could it be the Nine-Tails?
It seems Naruto's relationship with the Nine-Tails has eased somewhat. As expected of Sensei's child.
"You did very well," Kakashi said, collecting his thoughts and praising Naruto. He then looked at the three of them, signaling for them to introduce themselves.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like training with everyone, and I dislike unpunctual people. My dream is to become strong and find the truth," Sasuke said first, arms crossed, his tone icy and pointed.
What a difficult kid. I hate troublesome things. Kakashi felt a headache coming on; he could already imagine how troublesome his future life would be.
"My name is Haruno Sakura. What I like is... (glances at Naruto). My dream is... (glances at Naruto). I dislike unpunctual people."
Hearing this, the corner of Kakashi's mouth under his mask twitched involuntarily.
One difficult kid, one fangirl. This team composition was a bit despair-inducing.
But if it was Sensei's child, he should offer some surprise, right?
It was said that in school, he was like a warm sun to everyone. Perhaps he could help manage these two headache-inducing students.
He placed his final hope on Naruto.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. As for things I like, there seem to be quite a lot, so I won't list them one by one. My dream is to become Hokage and protect everyone. Right, just as the Will of Fire says, to become a flame that ignites Konoha. As for dislikes... it doesn't really matter anymore, since I'm not afraid of the things I dislike now." Naruto seemed to recall something, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
As expected of everyone's sun! Naruto didn't disappoint me, Kakashi thought with relief.
However, Naruto had revealed too little information.
It seemed like he said everything, but in reality, he said nothing.
He still didn't know him well enough; further interaction was needed.
But then again...
His master's wife back then had a fiery temper that used to throw the entire Ninja Academy into chaos.
His master had a gentle personality but could occasionally be a little bit of a black-belly.
And Naruto himself was a prankster king before he 'matured.' Now that his natural tendencies were suppressed and he acted so refined, perhaps he was also a black-belly king deep down.
Kakashi's mind felt muddled, his thoughts wandering aimlessly.
"Oh, by the way, Kakashi-sensei, I heard that the bell-grabbing exercise is a tradition for all new teams. We should be having this exercise too, right? It sounds very interesting," Naruto said, noticing Kakashi was spacing out.
"Hmph, a childish exercise. I'll snatch a bell easily," Sasuke said cockily, arms still crossed.
Grabbing bells? Does that mean I can fight alongside Naruto? Sakura inwardly cackled with glee.
"Originally, I had no such intention, but since you've requested it, then meet at the training grounds tomorrow. We'll begin your first mission—grabbing the bells."
"Oh, and don't eat breakfast."
As a Jonin, Kakashi decided to establish his authority first.
After all, fists were much more effective than tedious lectures.
"That's all then. Dismissed." Kakashi didn't waste words, directly forming a hand seal and vanishing from their sight.
"Remember to eat breakfast tomorrow. Just get to the training grounds by noon," Naruto said with a sunny smile after confirming Kakashi had left.
"Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's renowned King of Tardiness. His life motto: 'I got lost on the road of life.' If you have an appointment with him, remember to be at least three hours late."
After leaving the Ninja Academy, Kakashi was still replaying his earlier interactions with Naruto.
He had a sunny smile just like his sensei, one that seemed capable of healing all wounds, and at the same time, possessed formidable strength.
Kakashi had seen Naruto train before; just looking at his Taijutsu, it was probably already no less than a Chunin's.
And his mysterious Kekkei Genkai was something not to be underestimated.
Even if Naruto and the others hadn't mentioned it, Kakashi would have conducted the bell-grabbing test.
It was, after all, an exercise to understand Naruto's true strength.
As for being outdone?
Impossible. He was a Jonin.
Against his abundant combat experience and battle intuition, Naruto's trio still wasn't enough to pose a real challenge.