"Me? My name is Kazuki."
He paused.
"Your turn."
Kazuki opened the New Shinobi Instructor's Guide and read straight from it.
"Say what you like, what you dislike, your dreams, your hobbies. Stuff like that."
The three of them stared at him.
"Sensei, you go first!"
Kazuki blinked.
"I'm the teacher. Are you the teacher? It's your turn. Left to right. Go."
"I'll start!"
Obito pushed up his goggles and grinned proudly.
"My name is Obito Uchiha!"
"My favorite thing is—"
He hesitated slightly.
"The thing I hate most is war!"
"My dream is to become Hokage! End this war! Make my family and everyone in the village recognize me!"
Kakashi immediately let out a dry laugh.
"You? Hokage? You can't even help a grandma cross the street properly. At this rate, you won't be Hokage in a hundred years."
Obito exploded.
"Kakashi! What's that supposed to mean?! You think you're amazing?!"
"I'm Obito Uchiha of the Uchiha clan! I'll surpass you sooner or later! Once I awaken my Sharingan—just wait!"
Kakashi looked at him like he was watching a clown.
"Isn't the Uchiha clan supposed to be full of elites? You don't even have your Sharingan yet. Must be tough."
Obito clenched his fists.
"What did you say?!"
Rin quickly stepped in.
"Okay, okay! Stop fighting. Sensei is watching."
Kazuki watched them with interest.
Yeah.
This dynamic.
Classic love-hate chaos.
"It's your turn. Rin Nohara, right?"
Rin straightened up immediately.
"Yes, sensei! My name is Rin Nohara!"
"My favorite thing is… cake."
"My least favorite is curry rice."
"And my dream is to become a medical ninja… and save lives on the battlefield."
Kazuki nodded.
"Good."
She really would become Team Seven's healer.
Without her, Obito and Kakashi probably wouldn't have survived half their missions.
Rin smiled shyly, thinking this new sensei didn't seem so bad.
Kazuki turned toward Kakashi.
The small, masked prodigy stood there with that same cool expression.
Kazuki couldn't resist.
He reached out and ruffled Kakashi's spiky white hair.
"Kakashi. Your turn."
Kakashi instantly swatted his hand away.
"Sensei, you messed up my hair."
"You already know my name. That's enough."
Kazuki stared at the three little brats in front of him and suddenly remembered one of Naruto fandom's eternal mysteries.
Who did Rin like?
Half the fandom swore she liked Kakashi.
The other half insisted she liked Obito.
Kishimoto never clearly confirmed it.
Now, standing here looking at these three tiny kids—
Kazuki had an answer.
They're not even ten years old.
What love?
They barely understand multiplication tables.
"Ahem. Alright. We know each other now."
"My name is Kazuki. I'll be your instructor from now on."
"Introductions are done."
"Starting tomorrow—"
All three leaned forward.
"Sensei, what's the mission?"
"Wilderness survival training."
Obito grinned.
"We did tons of drills at the Academy!"
Kazuki smiled faintly.
"This one's different."
"Because your opponent… is me."
The three froze.
"Sensei… what?"
"That sounds weird."
"..."
Kazuki chuckled.
"Heh. Yeah."
"You should mentally prepare yourselves."
"The elimination rate is over sixty-six percent."
"Out of thirty graduates, at most ten will pass."
"The rest go back to the Academy."
Obito's eyes widened.
Rin went silent.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
"Tomorrow. Nine a.m."
"Konoha Forest."
"Gate of Training Ground Three."
"Don't be late."
The moment he finished speaking—
Kazuki vanished.
The three stood there stunned.
Rin rubbed her eyes.
"Sensei Kazuki just disappeared?"
Obito gaped.
"Whoa! That was like magic!"
Kakashi snorted.
"Idiot. That was the Body Flicker Technique."
"Kakashi! Who are you calling an idiot?!"
Rin quickly separated them again.
"Stop it! Think about tomorrow."
Obito crossed his arms.
"He's bluffing. There's no way he's eliminating two-thirds of us."
"I'm not bluffing."
Obito nearly jumped out of his skin.
"AH! Sensei! Don't pop up like a ghost!"
Kazuki stood casually behind them.
"Obito, work on your awareness."
"Oh, and I forgot to mention."
"Bring your ninja tools."
"And don't eat breakfast."
"Otherwise, don't blame me if you throw up."
Before they could respond—
Poof.
He turned into a wooden log.
Rin bent down and picked up the fallen substitute log.
Kakashi's voice turned serious.
"That was a Substitution Technique."
"What appeared earlier was just Sensei Kazuki's clone."
And as for Rin?
If you ask Kazuki—
Right now?
She likes cake.
And peace.
The rest… hasn't even started yet.