"I'M HERE!"
The classroom door flew open, slamming against the stopper with a force that made the windows rattle. Naruto Uzumaki burst into the room, arms spread wide and a grin that took up half his face.
"Team 7 can get started now! Because its star, the next Hokage, is here! Believe it!"
His shout echoed in the quiet classroom, where Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha were already waiting. Sakura jumped in her seat, spinning around to glare at him.
"NARUTO, YOU IDIOT! WILL YOU SHUT UP?! You don't have to announce it to the whole village!"
Sasuke didn't even bother to look at him. His only reaction was an almost imperceptible tightening of his jaw.
Naruto deflated a little. "Huh? You guys were already here? So boring! The first day as a team is supposed to be exciting, you know? We should be celebrating!"
He dropped noisily into the chair next to Sakura and grinned at her, but she turned away, ignoring him. He sighed and closed his eyes for a second, concentrating. The familiar blue interface appeared in his inner vision, a trick he had discovered he could activate at will.
[HOST STATUS] [NARUTO UZUMAKI] [LEVEL: 1] [STRENGTH: H-105] [ENDURANCE: H-120] [DEXTERITY: I-75] [AGILITY: I-81] [MAGIC: I-10] [DEVELOPMENT ABILITY] [PRECURSOR'S GUIDANCE]
Right, everything's the same, he thought, before boredom struck him again. He decided it was time to try his luck with his teammate.
"What's wrong, Sakura-chan? Aren't you excited? You're on a team with me! It's the best luck in the world!"
"The worst luck in the world, you mean," she muttered, looking away to focus all her attention on the back of Sasuke's head. Her expression shifted from irritation to a dreamy longing. "I wish I was on a team with just Sasuke-kun..."
Naruto followed her gaze. There was Sasuke, the epitome of indifference. A pang of annoyance shot through Naruto. It was always the same. What did that guy have that he didn't? He decided to ignore him.
"Hah! You'll see! I'm gonna prove I'm the best on the team! I'll become Hokage and then you'll all have to respect me!" he declared, crossing his arms behind his head smugly.
Silence was his only answer. Sakura was too busy worshipping Sasuke, and Sasuke was too busy... being Sasuke.
Ten minutes passed. Naruto started fidgeting in his seat.
Twenty minutes passed. The sound of his nails drumming on the table was like a frantic woodpecker.
"Heeey," he whined, drawing out the word. "Where's our sensei? I'm hungry! And I want to start doing super awesome ninja missions!"
"Maybe if you sat still for one second, he'd get here faster," Sakura snapped without looking at him.
"That doesn't make any sense, Sakura-chan! My energy is what will attract adventure! Believe it!" Naruto leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh. "I've got a bad feeling... I feel like our sensei is gonna be some super lazy guy. The type who's always late for everything."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Right, Naruto. The elite Jōnin who's going to lead the team with the Uchiha descendant is going to be a slacker. Use your head."
"Hey, my instincts are really good!" Naruto protested. "And my gut tells me we're going to be waiting a long time!"
"Hn. Dobe," Sasuke's voice cut through the air. It was the first word he'd spoken.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, TEME?" Naruto roared, spinning toward him.
Sasuke finally looked at him, his dark eyes filled with absolute boredom. "I said you're an idiot. Your 'instincts' are about as reliable as your aim. Shut up and wait."
"Well, I believe in my instincts!" Naruto shot back, and then a brilliant idea, born of pure impatience, lit up his face. He turned to Sakura with a sly grin. "Hey, Sakura-chan, want to make this more interesting?"
She eyed him suspiciously. "What are you talking about?"
"Let's make a bet!" he exclaimed. "I say our sensei is a total clueless guy who'll fall for the dumbest prank in the world. And since I'm so sure, I'm going to set a trap for him."
Sakura's eyes went wide. "You're insane! I'm not going to be a part of your stupid schemes!"
"Listen, listen! Here's the bet," Naruto continued, ignoring her complaint. "I'm going to set up the eraser trap on the door. If he falls for it... you have to go on a date with me. We'll go to Ichiraku and I'll buy you all the ramen you want!"
Sakura's face shifted from suspicion to disgust. "A DATE? WITH YOU? Never! Not in a million years!"
"What's the matter? Scared you'll lose?" Naruto taunted her with a foxy grin. "If I lose, if the great elite Jōnin doesn't fall for my childish trap... I'll do all your laundry for a month. I'll wash, dry, and fold all your clothes!"
The offer left her speechless. The image of Naruto, the most disastrous kid in the village, diligently doing her chores was as ridiculous as it was tempting. She glanced at Sasuke, hoping he would save her, but he was still staring out the window, completely oblivious. The idea of winning and humiliating Naruto was just too good. Besides, there was no way she could lose.
"...All my laundry? For a month?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"And no complaining!" Naruto confirmed.
Sakura smirked. "You're on. Get ready to do a lot of laundry, Naruto, because there's no way an elite Jōnin is going to fall for something so pathetic."
"It's a deal!" Naruto shouted, leaping toward the chalkboard to grab the eraser.
"You're going to get us all punished on the first day," Sasuke said, his voice dripping with disdain. "Unbelievable."
"Relax, Sasuke-kun. It'll be fun to watch Naruto lose," Sakura replied, now fully invested in the bet and giving him a conspiratorial smile.
Naruto, with surprising skill, dragged a chair over and wedged the eraser on top of the door. He jumped back to the floor with a triumphant air.
"Done! Now we wait for the magic," he said, rubbing his hands together before sitting back down.
The air in the room changed. Naruto's impatience had infected the atmosphere, transforming it into an expectant and competitive tension.
Another five minutes passed, feeling like an eternity.
Then, a gloved hand appeared in the doorway.
The three of them held their breath.
The door slid open. A tall, silver-haired man walked in. His single visible eye, dark and lazy, observed them.
There he is. Kakashi, Naruto thought. His gut had been right.
The man took a step.
The eraser fell.
It landed with a dull thump on his head.
A dead silence fell over the room. Sakura's eyes were glued to the scene, her jaw nearly on the floor. She couldn't believe it.
And then, Naruto exploded.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I WON! I WON THE BET! SAKURA-CHAN, YOU OWE ME A DATE! BELIEVE IT!" he yelled, pointing at her and roaring with laughter.
Sakura was pale. She looked from Naruto, to the Jōnin, and back to Naruto, an expression of pure horror on her face.
"I'M SO SORRY, SENSEI! IT WAS HIS FAULT, HE DARED ME! WE MADE A STUPID BET!" she rushed to explain, pointing at Naruto.
The Jōnin took the eraser off his hair. He looked at it. Then he looked at them. His eye curved into a smile.
"Hmm, how can I put this?" his voice was calm, almost sleepy. "My first impression of you three... is that you're a bunch of idiots."
Naruto's laughter died in his throat. "Huh?"
Kakashi gestured with his head. "Meet me on the roof in five minutes."
And in a puff of smoke, he was gone.
Naruto stared at the empty spot. Then, an even bigger grin spread across his face, this one aimed at Sakura.
"A date," he reminded her, wiggling his eyebrows.
Sakura's face turned a furious shade of red. "SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!"
But as she ran after Sasuke out of the classroom, Naruto heard her mutter to herself: "...I guess a promise is a promise..."
Naruto shot out of the classroom after them, feeling a pure, electric thrill. Not only had his instinct been right, not only had his prank worked, but for the first time ever, he had gotten Sakura Haruno to agree to a date with him.
This was going to be very, very fun.