"Which child do you want to send to the Academy?"
The Third Hokage furrowed his brow slightly as he looked at Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.
"Ah, that boy… he can't use ninjutsu, but he's incredibly hardworking. And… well, I believe he's a genius when it comes to taijutsu."
The Third drew on his pipe without replying.
Might Duy—he had heard of him before. A man who had trained relentlessly since youth, and even now was still burning with effort.
Yet despite that, he remained a mere genin. Hardly someone the Hokage paid much attention to. After all, he was a very busy man. (Exactly how busy? Just look at how Naruto, years later, wore himself out with shadow clones just to keep up. Of course, it might also be that Naruto was clumsy and terrible at paperwork… but still.)
And Might Guy, in his eyes, was destined to follow the same path as his father. No matter how much effort he poured in, his future would never rise beyond that of a lowly genin.
But… this request came from Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha. Despite his gentle demeanor, even the Hokage had to give him some face.
"Very well… let him enter the Academy for a trial period."
"Ah… thank you, Hokage-sama."
"…Hmm."
A chūnin instructor in a flak jacket entered, and following behind him was a boy in a tight green bodysuit—Might Guy.
"Alright then, hurry and take your seat."
"Yes, sir!" Guy shouted, striking a pose.
The teacher just chuckled and said nothing more.
"Oh-ho… see? Someone finally noticed that boy's talent," Sakumo remarked softly.
"Yeah, sure," Kakashi muttered with disinterest. To him, talentless was talentless. No amount of hard work could change that. That was the impression he'd formed from watching Uchiha Seiji.
No matter how hard she trained, she never closed the distance between them.
Even after months of slacking off, his skills dulled, he could still beat her with nothing more than a shadow clone.
That was the difference between them.
"Kakashi! We meet again!"
Kakashi's lips twitched as Guy beamed at him, flashing a blinding smile and giving a thumbs-up. For reasons he couldn't explain, an ominous feeling settled in his chest.
Somehow… he had the sense that the days ahead were going to be a nightmare.
Guy plopped down in the empty seat right next to him.
"Well then, everyone's here now, right? Let's do some self-introductions!" the instructor announced.
"I'll go first! Me, me!"
"Alright then, this student first."
The boy in the front row, wearing goggles, stood up eagerly. "My name is Uchiha Obito! My hobby is helping people in need, and my dream is to become Hokage! Please take care of me!"
"Ahahaha!" Laughter rippled through the class.
"He said he wants to be Hokage…"
Obito's brows knit slightly as he scanned the room. He quietly took note of those who had laughed—and those who hadn't.
"Okay, next!"
As each student introduced themselves, Obito memorized their names and words, committing them to heart.
"Um… my name is Nohara Rin. I like strawberries and things like that. I hate overly strong seafood broth. I don't really have a dream… that's all."
…
"My name is Hatake Kakashi. The things I like are classified. The things I dislike are classified. My dream is classified. That's it."
"…Next."
Finally, it was her turn.
Uchiha Seiji rose to her feet.
"My name is Uchiha Seiji. I like sleeping. My hobby is daydreaming. My dream is to open an adult toy shop. I became a ninja because it's the most convenient way to earn money. That's all!"
The teacher: "..."
The students: "..."
"Oh, and if you ever stop by my shop in the future, since we're classmates, I'll give you a ten percent discount!"
Kakashi: "..."
Might Guy, pure and innocent, tilted his head, utterly clueless.
Seki Akegami, one of Seiji's old classmates, whispered nervously, "Seiji… your likes and hobbies changed again… and your dream… well… it sounds a little… um…"