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Six hours late.
Even Kakashi had to admit that was pushing it.
The academy was almost empty by the time the jonin arrived. Every other instructor had already finished their bell tests and left hours ago. When the classroom door finally slid open, Sakura was fast asleep with her head on the desk.
Sasuke looked bored out of his mind.
The silver haired jonin stood in the doorway like nothing was wrong.
"Team 7," he called lazily.
Sakura jolted awake turning toward the doorway ready to raise hell. Sasuke glanced at Kakashi, then looked away again as if the jonin had already failed some test.
"At least you guys didn't run away like last year's genin team."
Sasuke categorized Kakashi somewhere between an idiot and a clown.
"Now, where's Naruto?"
"He went to the bathroom…," Sakura said, uncertainty lacing her voice.
"Six hours ago," Sasuke added.
Sakura tilted her head, "Did Naruto run away because sensei was a no show?"
"Hn."
"Look what the cat dragged in," Kakashi said with an eyesmile.
The window slid open.
Naruto climbed back into the classroom in full armor before he dropped onto the floor. He brushed dust off his shoulder like nothing had happened.
Even though Kakashi had seen the memories. He could not help but admire the craftsmanship of the armor. More importantly, Naruto moved with a level of comfort that had not been present in the memories.
Did Naruto trick the Hokage? Kakashi wondered. Obviously the boy couldn't have gotten stronger in just a few hours.
"Where were you Naruto?"
Beneath Sakura's anger, Kakashi caught fear and caution. He cross referenced it with what he already knew about the three of them.
"Oh, I got scammed by some asshole into joining his cult," Naruto said before letting out a burp. The smell of ramen hit the others. As they silently concluded Naruto was lying.
So this is what it feels like to be on the receiving end of my own bullshit excuses, Kakashi thought, clearing his throat.
"How shall I put this?"
The three genin stared at him expectantly.
Kakashi rubbed his chin in mock thought. "Based on my first impression," he said slowly, "I'd have to say…"
The pause stretched.
"I hate you."
Naruto did not miss a beat.
"Well, fuck you too then."
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The sun was setting over Konoha.
The sky bleeding orange and deep blue in the last hour before dark. Team Seven sat in the rooftop garden of the academy. Trees lined the stone walkways in neat symmetry, their branches meeting overhead, the last of the daylight coming through the gaps in the canopy in long flat strips.
Their jonin instructor stood a short distance away with his back against the railing.
What was he supposed to call this guy? Naruto thought. Sensei felt wrong.
Sensei was a title that meant something. Iruka had earned it by actually caring. Oscar had earned it by actually teaching. This masked man was currently giving the impression that the three of them were a mild inconvenience in an otherwise acceptable evening.
The White Cyclops. The White Pervert. The Whiteman.
"Alright," Kakashi said breaking naruto out of his thoughts. "Introductions. Tell me your name, your likes and dislikes, your dreams, your hobbies. The standard format."
A crow cawed from somewhere in the distance.
"You first."
"Fair enough. I am Hatake Kakashi. My likes and dislikes are not your business. My dreams for the future are also not your business. I have hobbies."
Naruto stared at him. "That's it."
"That is it."
"You didn't tell us anything."
"I told you my name."
Naruto opened his mouth, closed it, and decided to go next on principle. He reached back and pulled his shield off his shoulder, planting it upright in front of him with a solid thud. The lion crest caught the last of the sunlight.
"Naruto Uzumaki. Squire of Oscar of Astora. I like ramen, swords, and people who are honest. I dislike alot of things. My dream is to become the Chosen Undead and ring the Bells of Awakening."
"Squire?" Sasuke questioned.
"Squire," Naruto nodded.
"What is the Chosen Undead?" Sakura asked.
"Someone who has a specific mission that matters."
"Which is?"
"Ring two bells. One is above, one is below. When both ring, something happens. Dattebayo!"
Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a sideways look wondering if Naruto was pranking them.
Meanwhile Kakashi resisted the urge to stare.
Chosen Undead.
The words sat wrong as the white haired jonin forced himself not to overanalyze them without proper context.
But he knew one thing.
Naruto Uzumaki wanted to become Hokage. That had been the one constant in a file full of troublesome reports.
So why had Naruto not shouted it just now?
A joke? Unlikely. A lie? Possible.
Naruto's body language showed no signs of deception that Kakashi could detect. Which left the possibility that this was the boy's new dream. Honestly, that was not the most surprising outcome. A twelve year olds' goals and dreams changed as they grew. Even so, what had happened for Naruto to choose something like "Chosen Undead" over becoming Hokage?
"Next."
"Uchiha Sasuke. There are things I dislike and few things I like. Dreams are a distraction. I have a goal to restore my clan. Kill a specific person. Everything I do moves toward that."
Naruto sensed a connection with Sasuke. He understood that burning need for revenge. The same fire that drove him against the Asylum Demon. Even if he did not know anything about what happened, he hoped Sasuke would get his revenge.
Kakashi pointed toward Sakura.
"Haruno Sakura." The kunoichi glanced at Sasuke with her cheeks going predictably pink. "My favorite thing is... It is not a thing exactly. It is more of a..."
Naruto made a quiet sound of suffering. Sasuke was ignoring this portion of the introduction.
"I dislike Ino-pig," Sakura said with significantly more conviction than the rest of it. "And I like to read."
"Now that we've established ourselves to each other. Tomorrow is going to be your genin test."
"But we are genin?"
"Graduating means you are eligible to become a genin. Passing this test means you are actually on the team. Out of this year's graduating class, roughly a third will end up in the genin corps."
"..."
"Training Ground Seven," Kakashi continued. "Early tomorrow morning for the survival exercise. And do not eat breakfast."
"Why not?"
"You will understand tomorrow."
"That is not an answer."
"No, It is not." Kakashi agreed pleasantly before disappearing without a sound.