"It seems that making you understand isn't going to be that simple," Kakashi sighed. "But remember what I said. Ninjas exist to complete missions. Those who break the rules and abandon their missions are called trash. However, a person who doesn't cherish their comrades is worse than trash."
The words echoed in the hearts of Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata. Each of them pondered their meaning.
"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto asked, his curiosity getting the better of him, "do you have companions?"
Kakashi touched his nose, his eye seeming to gaze at a distant memory. "I did, once. That sentence was actually told to me by a companion."
"Where are they?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi's eye curved into a sad smile. "They're gone now."
Naruto was startled. The man before him spoke of his lost comrades so casually. Was he simply that cold-hearted, or had he become accustomed to the grief? Naruto swallowed hard, not daring to ask any more questions.
Kakashi scratched his head and offered a slight smile. "There's no need to be so serious. Now that I've approved of you, Team 7 is officially established. And you are all now official ninja. Starting tomorrow, I will lead you on real missions. Same training ground. See you at seven o'clock sharp tomorrow morning."
After saying this, Kakashi turned and left, casually pulling out *Make-Out Paradise* and continuing to read as he waved at them without looking back.
Naruto and Hinata exchanged a look and both shook their heads. "Hey, Hinata, don't you think Kakashi-sensei is a little strange?"
Hinata nodded. "Although he's very powerful, his personality is indeed a bit odd. He seems lazy and doesn't care about anything, but... I feel like he must have gone through something terrible to become this way. It's not that he doesn't care, but that he's suppressed his sadness and pain deep inside."
"Wow, Hinata, you're so perceptive!" Naruto said, full of admiration.
Hinata blushed and waved her small hand. "No, no... I'm just guessing."
Sasuke couldn't stand seeing the two of them being so friendly. He rolled his eyes at Naruto, put his hands in his pockets, and turned to leave.
"Is Sasuke-kun going back?" Hinata asked, but he ignored her completely.
Naruto snorted. "That arrogant jerk! He's as annoying as ever!"
Hinata secretly covered her mouth and chuckled.
"What are you laughing at, Hinata?"
"Naruto-kun may say that," she said softly, "but you actually care a lot about Sasuke-kun, right? You've always considered him both a friend and a rival. You want to surpass him to prove yourself, but at the same time, the person you most want to be recognized by is Sasuke-kun, right?"
Naruto was caught off guard, his thoughts laid bare. "Ah... is that so?" he stammered, scratching his head and chuckling awkwardly.
Hinata smiled gently. "Actually, I can tell that Sasuke-kun feels the same way about you. And... as you saw from the sparring session just now, if you two teamed up, you would probably be truly invincible."
Naruto recalled the power of their combined attack and knew in his heart that she and Kakashi were right. But he would never admit it. "Hmph, who would cooperate with a guy like that? He's so high and mighty, always looking down on everyone! Speaking of which, Hinata, we're comrades now, so we should work together properly!"
Hinata blushed again and mustered her courage to reach out her small hand. "Then, please take good care of me, Naruto-kun."
Naruto casually took her hand. "Great! You too, Hinata!"
Hinata's heart pounded as he held her hand. Overwhelmed, she quickly pulled her hand away and ran off. "Goodbye, Naruto-kun... See you tomorrow!"
Naruto's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. "Hinata, that girl... she acts so weird sometimes." He put his hands behind his head and left the training field, his mind replaying the battle and the words of Kakashi and Hinata. He, once the dead-last, was now a recognized genius. Only he knew the hardship and life-risking effort it had taken. And he couldn't have done it without the help of Iruka-sensei, Hinata, Lee, Might Guy, and Asuma. And maybe... that included Sasuke, too. If it weren't for him, he wouldn't have worked so hard.
*Would we really be invincible together?* he wondered. The combination of his wind and Sasuke's fire had been more powerful than he could have imagined. *Sasuke... and that two-tomoe Sharingan... he's gotten a lot stronger, too. I can't let my guard down.*
At the same time, Sasuke was thinking about the same thing. *Shadow clones, taijutsu, Wind Release... that loser is getting stronger at a terrifying rate. Damn it! I will never lose to a guy like him!*
Naruto couldn't help but sneeze. "It must be that jerk Sasuke cursing me again."
Back home, Naruto quickly ate lunch and then spent the afternoon registering as a ninja. This was a crucial step, requiring the personal approval of the Hokage. Although his strength had increased dramatically, his personality hadn't changed much. When taking his ID photo, he still jokingly drew doodles on his face. When he presented it to the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at it for a long time, a frown on his face, before delivering his verdict.
"Redo it."
"Why?!" Naruto cried.
"A ninja's identification is an important credential," Hiruzen said in a deep voice. "You can't afford to be careless. You, Sasuke, and Hinata passing Kakashi's test is a remarkable achievement. That man has failed his teams for several years in a row. However, that doesn't mean you can cause trouble."
"Do I really have to take another picture?" Naruto pouted.
"Yes!"
A thought flashed through Naruto's mind; he was about to use his Sexy Jutsu to deal with the old man... when suddenly, a short figure charged toward the Hokage, brandishing a shuriken. "Grandpa, let's fight to the death!"
After taking only two steps, the boy was caught by his own long scarf and fell to the ground with a thud, crying out, "As expected of the Hokage! You even set a trap like this!"
Naruto looked at the child as if he were an idiot. Just then, a man in black hurried out from behind a pillar. "Young Master Konohamaru! Don't disturb the Hokage's work!"