Sasuke remained in his seat, lost in thought as he stared out the window. Iruka-sensei had already left the classroom, and the other students had grouped up with their assigned teams, chatting excitedly.
"Sasuke."
He was snapped back when he heard Sakura, already seated next to him.
"We…we're on the same team!"
"So I heard."
Sakura shifted, looking nervous but trying to smile. "So…how was your break? I noticed you got taller, and I really love the new style, it really fits you, I—"
Sasuke tuned her out as she rambled about her vacation.
'So, feelings…that's one of the things that didn't change.'
He was still analyzing what the vision had gotten right, sorting through his own memories to find clues. Before the visions, he hated his brother with every fiber of his being. His counterpart in the vision felt the same. But now…his feelings weren't so simple. He didn't hate his brother anymore. The only feelings he felt towards him were anger mixed with something else, something he couldn't quite name.
Naruto was still jealous of him, just like his counterpart in the beginning. Sasuke suspected he was still lonely, despite actively trying to avoid people. Sakura still had her crush on him, still at odds with Ino, although their relationship could be described more as rivalry than anything. So feelings were another point the vision got right.
He glanced toward the back of the class. A certain blue-haired girl with pale eyes kept sneaking glances at Naruto. Proof enough.
And then there was himself. Itachi had been ordered to wipe out the clan, children, elders, and everyone, yet Sasuke was spared. He had always asked himself why he was the only one left alive, but now he knew the answer. Because even then, Itachi couldn't bring himself to kill the one person he had promised to protect, the brother that he loved. That too, lined up with the visions.
"So what do you think our jōnin-sensei will look like?" Sakura asked suddenly. "I'm hoping he's at least handsome,"
"Sakura."
She blinked, slightly surprised.
"Y-Yes?"
"How about we start getting familiar with our other teammate as well?"
Her smile dropped into a scowl. "Naruto? He's been sitting in that chair the whole time. You know how he is, always closing himself off, pretending to be antisocial. I don't think he wants to join us, so it's his problem."
Sasuke sighed and stood, surprising her.
"H-Hey, wait up."
Naruto's eyes opened as Sasuke approached. "What do you want?" He sounded like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
"We're a team now. Don't you think we should start getting familiar?"
Naruto frowned, his gaze shifting to Sakura. His eyes gleamed for a moment before he closed them again.
"You guys can do it. I don't want to."
Sasuke stared at him expressionlessly, then took the seat beside him.
Naruto whipped his head toward him. "What are you doing?"
Sasuke ignored him, flipping open his bingo book to scan it.
Naruto let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, suit yourself."
Sakura joined them reluctantly. "I told you, we should've just left him alone."
Sasuke ignored her, too. He had expected this reaction from Naruto, but the real test wasn't Naruto; it was Kakashi. He already knew their future sensei would test them due to his own selfish reasons. In fact, the test had already started. He knew Kakashi was probably watching them from the Hokage's office right now. So he made himself look willing to work with others, just to see if his 'first impressions' could change. He wanted to know if mentality was set in stone or could be shifted.
"He sure is late," Sakura muttered, yawning. The classroom was already empty by now.
"If he doesn't come in five minutes, I'm leaving," Naruto grumbled.
Sasuke glanced at him. "Not like you're here anyway."
Naruto flinched. "W-What are you talking about?"
Sasuke didn't bother to answer.
"Hey, I'm talking to you! How did you—"
The door slid open.
A tall man entered, dressed in a dark-green flak vest and Konoha's standard uniform. A mask covered the lower half of his face, while his forehead protector slanted to hide one eye. His silver hair stuck up to the side like it defied gravity.
He scanned the room and stared at them for a while, his eyes lingering on Naruto a little longer.
"Well…my first impression of you is…annoying. Meet me on the roof."
And with a flicker, he was gone.
'It changed, although it was still negative.'
"What the hell? He can't just be late and then call us annoying," Sakura grumbled as she stormed out.
Sasuke followed, Naruto throwing him one last dirty look before trailing after them.
On the rooftop, they found Kakashi leaning against the rail, nose buried in his book. He glanced up.
"You're late," Sakura said sharply.
"Ah, you see," Kakashi replied lazily, "I was helping a grandma cross the street. Then I saw a black cat, so I had to take another route. But I got hungry, so I stopped for lunch."
Sakura opened her mouth, then shut it again, utterly speechless. Naruto squinted at him, clearly uncertain of what to make of their new instructor.
'So habits are the same too,' Sasuke thought.
"Alright," Kakashi said, snapping his book shut. "Introduce yourselves. Name, likes, dislikes, goals, stuff like that." He pointed at Sakura. "You first."
She huffed. "How about you start, sensei? To make up for being late."
Kakashi blinked, then shrugged. "Me? Well, if you want... My name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't feel like telling you my likes and dislikes. Dreams…who knows. Hobbies? I've got plenty."
"…So, nothing," Sakura muttered, unimpressed. She straightened her posture and smiled. "Fine. I'm Sakura Haruno. I like reading. I dislike annoying people and pointless violence. My dream is…" her voice grew serious, "…to become as strong as the First Hokage."
Sasuke turned toward her, surprised. Even Naruto looked her way, clearly not expecting that answer.
'Her opinion changed? What caused—'
Suddenly, he remembered the event a year ago. At that time, Sasuke had just won one of the challenges Naruto had proposed, and she had suddenly confessed her feelings towards him. He remembered the words he had said to her.
'I don't like annoying weaklings.'
Although at that time, he was irritated that he had almost lost to Naruto, he had truly detested Sakura. Now…
'Well, it does not matter.'
Kakashi studied her for a moment. "Well. Not something you hear every day." His gaze slid to Sasuke. "You next."
"I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I dislike a lot of things. I like…progress. My goal…" his eyes narrowed slightly at Kakashi, trying to see if his expression would change, "is to find out the truth."
Kakashi's face didn't change. He simply nodded and turned to Naruto.
Naruto huffed. "I am Naruto Uzumaki, I like—"
"Wait," Kakashi cut him off, his voice calm but sharp.
"Naruto…why did you send a clone?"
Naruto's eyes widened. "W-What?"
Sakura blinked in confusion. "Clone? He's right here—"
Naruto stared at Kakashi, then glanced at Sasuke. "…How did you know?"
It seemed he was asking that question to Sasuke rather than Kakashi. It seemed he expected a Jonin to find out, but not him.
'Well, if I didn't have nano, I might not have noticed.'
Kakashi's lone eye narrowed. "I passed by a 'certain' training ground on my way here. If I hadn't, I might not have noticed. Shadow clones, huh? Impressive."
Sakura shot to her feet. "Wait, you sent a clone!? You couldn't even bother to come yourself!? Just what are you doing that could be more important than meeting your team and Sensei?"
Naruto winced. "Well...you see, I had a lot to do, okay? And I'll know everything the clone knows anyway, so it's not like I'm missing anything!"
Sasuke watched quietly as Naruto got into an argument with Sakura. He'd already known, of course, that Naruto sent a clone the moment he entered the classroom. Naruto's chakra was overwhelmingly more than that of the average person. And he clearly remembered telling Nano to always scan for a high amount of chakra.
When Naruto entered and no signal alarmed him, he decided to investigate. Nano had detected the difference immediately; it was the same chakra signature, but only a fifth of the original chakra.
"Oh, you piece of—" Just as Sakura was about to attack Naruto, Kakashi clapped his hands.
After things calmed down, Kakashi sighed. "Fine. Continue."
Naruto sighed in relief. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen and training. I dislike…" He hesitated, his gaze flickering down. "People…As for my dream…I want to be the freest man in the world."
Kakashi blinked, studying him, before shaking his head slightly. "…Interesting."
He slid his book into his vest pocket. "Alright. One more step before you become a real genin. A test."
"What!?" Sakura and Naruto exclaimed at once.
"But we graduated! Aren't we supposed to start missions!?" Sakura demanded.
Kakashi looked at her, shrugging his shoulders. "Graduation only filters candidates. The real test comes after. And the failure rate is…sixty-six percent. So I expect you to try your best...not that I care if you fail...more free time for me, I guess."
He sat up and pointed his finger in a direction. "Tomorrow morning. In that training ground over there. Oh, and…don't eat breakfast. You'll just throw it up."
And with a flicker, he was gone.
Naruto's clone sighed and poofed out of existence.
"That idiot!" Sakura fumed. "Why did he leave when we could've been strategizing?"
Sasuke stared at the spot Kakashi had been, then rose to his feet. "Sakura."
Her demeanor flipped instantly. "Yes?"
"Make sure you eat breakfast tomorrow."
She frowned. "But…he said not to."
Sasuke gave her one last look before disappearing.