The air on the rooftop was different. Thinner, colder. The morning sun beat down on the concrete but failed to dispel the tension vibrating between the three newly-formed genin. They had come up in a dense, heavy silence. Sakura walked with her arms crossed, emanating waves of pure indignation. Sasuke, as always, seemed to exist in his own bubble of cold indifference, his hands in his pockets and his gaze lost on the horizon of Konoha's rooftops.
And then there was Naruto, who couldn't wipe the grin off his face.
"So… about that date, Sakura-chan," he began, wiggling his eyebrows in a way he hoped was charming and not just irritating. "I was thinking we could go to Ichiraku. I'll buy you the biggest bowl of ramen they have! With extra everything!"
Sakura's head whipped toward him with the speed of a thrown kunai. Her face was a storm of embarrassment and fury.
"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT! I can't believe our sensei, an elite jōnin, fell for such a stupid trick! And I can't believe I lost the bet! You're going to get us all in trouble!"
"Hey, a bet's a bet!" Naruto shot back, giving her a playful tap on the arm, which she slapped away. "Besides, isn't it great? It shows our sensei has a sense of humor. I bet he's gonna be a super fun guy!"
"Hn. He's an idiot, just like you," Sasuke's voice cut through the air, without him even turning to look at them. "He let his pride get wounded by a childish prank. It's pathetic."
"What'd you say, teme?!" Naruto yelled, though without his usual conviction.
Ugh, this guy, Naruto thought, feeling a pang of irritation. Always so bitter. Sasuke doesn't get it. It's not that Kakashi-sensei is an idiot; it's that he's so strong he doesn't even care. It's like a lion caring if a kitten scratched its nose. He thinks it's weakness, but really, Kakashi is underestimating all of us.
Before the argument could escalate, a lazy voice interrupted them, appearing out of nowhere.
"Well, well. You're all here."
They turned. Leaning against the railing, as if he'd been there all morning, was the silver-haired jōnin. The puff of smoke from his disappearance in the classroom still seemed to hang in the air, yet here he was, already reading his little orange book with a suspiciously suggestive cover.
Kakashi Hatake. The Copy Ninja. The future Sixth Hokage. The master who, if he didn't do something, would focus far too much on Sasuke.
"You're late," Sasuke said, his voice a sharp edge of accusation.
Kakashi didn't even look up from his book.
"Oh, really? Sorry, I got lost on the path of life."
Sakura puffed out her cheeks.
"The path of life? That's not even a real excuse!"
Naruto laughed.
"I like it! I'm gonna use that one next time Iruka-sensei scolds me!"
Kakashi finally snapped his book shut with a soft click and tucked it into his vest. His single visible eye, dark and sleepy, scanned them one by one, lingering on each of them for an instant that felt like a complete evaluation of their souls.
"Alright. Let's start with introductions, shall we? So we can get to know each other a bit."
Sakura raised a hand. "Introductions? And what are we supposed to say?"
"Well… what you like, what you dislike, your dreams for the future, your hobbies… things like that," Kakashi said with a shrug. "Why don't you start, you with the blond hair?"
Naruto grinned from ear to ear. This was his part! Easy!
"You got it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I love instant ramen in a cup, but what I love even more is the ramen from Ichiraku that Iruka-sensei treats me to! What I dislike is waiting the three minutes for the ramen to be ready!"
He paused, puffing his chest out with pride.
"And my dream for the future!" he declared, pointing at the Hokage Monument towering over the village. "Is to become the greatest Hokage of all time! That way the whole village will stop looking down on me and will have to acknowledge me! And also…" he added, his tone slightly lower, almost as an afterthought, "I like to see things through to the end. I never give up! Believe it!"
Kakashi nodded slowly, his eye curving into a smile.
"Alright. Next. You, with the pink hair."
Sakura blushed instantly, fiddling with a lock of her hair.
"Well… I'm Sakura Haruno. The thing I like is…" she glanced sideways at Sasuke, "well, the boy I like is…" her face turned an even deeper shade of red. "And my hobby is…" another glance at Sasuke. "And my dream for the future is… kyaaaa!"
She finished with a high-pitched shriek, hiding her face in her hands.
Kakashi watched her with an inscrutable expression. "And what do you dislike?"
"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled without a moment's hesitation.
Naruto clutched his chest, feigning a mortal wound. "Sakura-chan, that hurts! Right here, in my future Hokage heart!"
Oof, that really hurt, he thought, though I was already expecting it. Always Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. She doesn't see anything else. And that's why she gets hurt so easily in the future. I have to help her see that she's strong on her own, not just because of him. The idea wasn't a cold strategy, but a pang of genuine empathy. He remembered how much she would suffer.
"Understood," Kakashi said, his voice devoid of judgment. "And lastly, you, in the back."
Sasuke, who hadn't moved a muscle, finally spoke. His voice was low, monotone, but every word carried the weight of a ton.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha."
He paused. The air grew heavy.
"I don't particularly like anything. And I dislike many things."
Another pause. The silence was absolute.
"And what I have is not a dream, because it will become a reality. I'm going to restore my clan… and kill a certain man."
A cold wind swept across the rooftop. Sakura gulped, looking at Sasuke with a mixture of fear and admiration. Kakashi observed him, his expression hidden behind his mask, but his visible eye had turned serious, almost grim.
Naruto said nothing. He couldn't. Sasuke's words echoed in his head, not as a surprise, but as the bell tolling for an inevitable tragedy. The memory of the story he had seen and lived superimposed itself on reality: the massacre, Sasuke's obsession, the darkness that would consume him, their fight at the Valley of the End.
He felt a knot in his stomach. Seeing it on a screen was one thing. Hearing it come from Sasuke's own mouth, seeing the real hatred in his eyes… was so much worse. It made him want to scream that he was wrong, that his brother wasn't what he thought, that this revenge would only bring him pain.
But he couldn't. Not yet. His fist clenched without him realizing it. Hang in there, Naruto. You can't save him with just words. You have to show him. And to do that, first I have to save this team.
"Good," Kakashi said, breaking the spell. "A unique group I've got here. Alright, our first mission as a team starts now. Meet me at Training Ground 3 in five minutes. Oh, and skip breakfast. Or you'll puke."
With that, he vanished in a puff of smoke.
For a moment, the three of them just stood there, the empty space where their sensei had been feeling strangely loud. A gust of wind whipped across the concrete.
"Well, let's go!" Sakura said, breaking the silence with a huff of determination mixed with annoyance. "We can't be late for our first mission!" She leaped onto the railing and then onto the next roof, a flash of pink and red.
Sasuke didn't say a word, simply pushing off the ground and following her with silent, efficient grace.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Naruto yelled, scrambling to catch up. As they bounded across the rooftops of Konoha, Sakura's voice carried back to him.
"A survival exercise? But we've already done lots of those in the academy!"
They landed moments later in the clearing of Training Ground 3. And, of course, Kakashi was already there, leaning against a wooden post as if he'd been waiting for hours.
"This isn't like the ones from the academy," Kakashi said, not even looking up from his book. He snapped it shut and looked at them. "This one is a little more… special."
"What's so special about it?" Naruto asked, leaning forward with a curiosity that was half real and half act.
Kakashi chuckled. A dry, humorless laugh.
"Well, for starters, of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be accepted as genin. The other eighteen will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this test has a failure rate of over sixty-six percent."
The impact of his words was immediate. Sakura's confidence crumbled. Even Sasuke seemed to be paying attention for the first time.
"WHAT?!" Sakura shrieked. "But we worked so hard to graduate! What was the point of the graduation exam?!"
"Oh, that?" Kakashi said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "That was just to select the candidates who might become genin. Or not. It all depends on whether you pass this test."
Naruto watched their reactions. Sakura's terrified. Sasuke is tense. Heh. Just like I remember. This is the part where everyone gets scared.
Kakashi pulled two small bells from his pocket. They tinkled softly in the wind, glinting in the sun.
"Your assignment is simple. You have to take these bells from me."
And there they are, Naruto thought. The bells. The big lie.
"You have until noon. Those who don't get a bell by then will get no lunch. And not only that…" he added, his tone turning sinister, "they'll be tied to one of those posts over there, and I'll eat my lunch in front of you."
Naruto's mind was buzzing with ideas, not with the coldness of a strategist, but with the glee of a kid who already knows the answers to the test. I knew it! Two bells for three people! He wants us to fight each other! But I know the truth! It's a trap! The test isn't about the bells… it's about teamwork! And about lunch!
"But, sensei…" Sakura said, her voice trembling. "There are only two bells."
"Exactly," Kakashi said, and the smile in his eye grew wider, more predatory. "That means at least one of you will end up tied to the post. And will be disqualified for failing the mission. Of course, all three of you could end up disqualified if you don't manage to get the bells from me."
Yeah, yeah, whatever you say! Naruto thought with an internal grin. I know this is all to see if we'll help each other. Sasuke's gonna go off on his own because he's Sasuke. And Sakura will follow him like a lost puppy. And me… well, everyone expects me to be an idiot. And I'm not going to disappoint them!
"You can use any weapon, including shuriken and kunai. If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you won't stand a chance of getting them."
Intent to kill, right! As if we could do anything to him. But the real key is that we have to starve together! Or something like that!
"Any questions?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto raised his hand, his face a mask of childish confusion.
"Yeah, yeah! Isn't that unfair? You're a jōnin! We just graduated! We didn't even get a bathroom break!"
Sakura elbowed him. "This is no time for your nonsense, Naruto!"
Kakashi looked at him. "You're always complaining, aren't you?"
A plan, chaotic and brilliant as only Naruto could conceive, formed in his head. Okay, okay, I've got it! I can't just tell them "Hey, it's a teamwork test!" because they wouldn't believe me. Sasuke would say "Hn, dobe," and Sakura would punch me. So… I have to make them realize it on their own! And for that… someone has to fail spectacularly! And that someone is going to be me!
Yes, it's perfect! They'll tie me to the post, hungry and alone! And when they go to eat, they'll see my sad puppy-dog face and… and they'll have to give me some of their food! Because deep down, they're good people! And when they do, Kakashi-sensei will say "You pass!" and I'll be the hero! It's the most awesome plan in history!
A genuine smile, full of the blind confidence and strange logic of Naruto, spread across his lips. He was excited.
"When I say 'start,' you can begin," Kakashi said, placing an alarm clock on one of the posts. He set the alarm for noon.
A tense silence fell over the clearing. Sakura was breathing heavily. Sasuke was already in a half-crouch, ready to spring.
Naruto stretched, cracking his neck, filled with a vibrant energy.
Alright! First, a super flashy frontal assault! So everyone can see how amazing I am! And to see just how fast Kakashi-sensei is. Then I'll let Sasuke and Sakura try and see they can't do it alone! And in the end… straight to the post! The plan is foolproof! Believe it!
"Ready…"
The wind whistled. The sun glinted off the metal of the bells.
"BEGIN!"
In a flash, Sasuke and Sakura disappeared, moving with impressive speed, seeking the shadows, the trees, any cover they could find. They had gone to execute their own plans, exactly as Naruto had expected.
But Naruto didn't move.
He stood there, in the middle of the clearing, hands on his hips and a defiant smile on his face.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, looking at him with curiosity. "You're not going to hide?"
"Of course not!" Naruto yelled, his voice echoing across the empty training ground. "I want a fair duel! You and me, face to face! Prepare to be defeated, sensei!"
Kakashi sighed, pulling his orange book out again. "You know, among ninja, the ones with the sharpest fangs are the first to fall."
"We'll see who falls first!" Naruto roared.
And he lunged forward, running straight at the elite jōnin, a whirlwind of orange and yells. Loud, direct, and with no apparent strategy.
Exactly like him. But this time, for the first time, the idiot had a plan.