Konoha's commercial district — Yakiniku Q.
This was a famous barbecue restaurant in the village. The prices were steep, and it was usually frequented only by jōnin or well-off civilians.
"Whoa! It's Yakiniku Q!"
Naruto pressed his face against the glass window. "I've only eaten here once—and that was when Iruka-sensei treated me!"
"Then today we'll make up for it," Kakashi said as he pushed the door open.
Jingle—
"Welcome!" the server greeted them enthusiastically.
Kakashi led the three inside, scanning for an open table.
"Hm? That's…"
He spotted four familiar figures seated in a corner.
Asuma Sarutobi had a cigarette in his mouth, sitting with Team 10—Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Chōji Akimichi.
"Asuma," Kakashi called out with a wave.
Asuma looked up and smiled. "Yo, Kakashi. Bell test finished?"
"Yeah, just wrapped up," Kakashi replied as he walked over.
"Forehead Girl?!" Ino stared at Sakura in surprise. "Why are you here?"
"Ino-pig!" Sakura shot back. "We passed Kakashi-sensei's test, and he's treating us to barbecue!"
"What? All of you passed?" Ino's eyes went wide. "No way! I heard the bell test has a crazy elimination rate!"
"Hmph, we passed fair and square!" Naruto said proudly, hands on his hips.
Shikamaru yawned. "What a drag… Didn't expect you guys to pass so fast."
"You passed too?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah," Shikamaru nodded lazily. "Even though it was a pain…"
"Of course we passed!" Chōji said between mouthfuls of meat. "Asuma-sensei said our teamwork was great!"
Asuma exhaled a puff of smoke. "Your students look solid, Kakashi."
"So do yours," Kakashi replied with a smile. "Looks like things went smoothly."
"More or less," Asuma said, glancing at his team. "They're troublesome, but dependable when it counts."
"Hey! Who're you calling troublesome?!" Ino protested.
"You, obviously…" Shikamaru muttered.
"What did you say?!"
Kakashi chuckled and shook his head, then turned to the server.
"Please seat us as well."
"Right this way."
Team 7 was seated at the table next to Team 10.
The moment Naruto sat down, his eyes locked onto the meat on the neighboring grill, and he swallowed hard.
"Waiter! Bring the meat first!" Kakashi ordered. "Three portions each of beef, pork, and chicken, plus some vegetables."
"Understood!"
Soon, the grill heated up and plates of meat were served.
"Let's eat!"
Naruto immediately slapped a slice onto the grill.
Sizzle—
The aroma filled the air.
"It smells amazing…" Sakura swallowed unconsciously.
Sasuke waited quietly for the meat to cook.
"By the way, Kakashi," Asuma asked, "did all your students really pass?"
"Yeah," Kakashi nodded. "They exceeded my expectations."
"How'd you pull that off?" Asuma was curious. "There were only two bells, right?"
"They understood teamwork," Kakashi said, glancing at the three of them.
"And they looked out for each other. That's enough."
Asuma raised an eyebrow. "You've changed. Old you wouldn't have said something like that."
Kakashi just smiled.
He had changed—because he was no longer the original Kakashi Hatake.
"Hey, Sasuke!" Ino suddenly called from the next table.
Sasuke looked up, his gaze cold.
"Congrats on passing!" Ino said cheerfully. "I knew you'd make it!"
"Thanks," Sasuke replied curtly, then returned to his food.
Ino's face reddened slightly.
Sakura puffed out her chest. "See that, Ino-pig? Sasuke-kun passed because he acknowledged my tactics!"
"What?!" Ino scoffed. "Forehead Girl, stop spouting nonsense!"
"I'm telling the truth!" Sakura said proudly. "Kakashi-sensei even praised me!"
The two girls immediately started arguing again.
Naruto focused entirely on eating, shoveling meat into his mouth one piece after another.
Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag…"
Chōji continued eating, completely ignoring the commotion.
Asuma smiled faintly. "Looks like your team gets along."
"More or less," Kakashi said. "At least they're finally starting to look like a real team."
"That's good," Asuma said, flicking ash from his cigarette.
"Next comes the D-rank mission adjustment period. I hope they keep it up."
"They will," Kakashi replied confidently.
Because he had the system.
As long as he kept teaching these three "problem students," both he and Team 7 would grow stronger—and their path would diverge from the original future.
"By the way, Kakashi," Asuma said quietly, lowering his voice.
"The village hasn't been very peaceful lately."
"Oh?" Kakashi looked at him.
"There's movement from Kirigakure," Asuma whispered.
"It's technically peacetime, but undercurrents are stirring. You're leading rookies—be careful."
Kakashi nodded.
He already knew.
The Land of Waves mission was coming.
Zabuza Momochi.
Haku.
Their first real encounter with death—and a crucial turning point for Team 7.
"I'll be careful," Kakashi said.
"Good," Asuma sighed. "After all, you've got the Nine-Tails jinchūriki and the last Uchiha. They're precious assets of the village."
Kakashi glanced at Naruto, eating with abandon, and Sasuke, quietly focused on his food.
These two would one day shake the entire shinobi world.
For now, they were just freshly graduated genin.
"Don't worry," Kakashi said with a smile.
"I'll protect them."
---
Two hours later.
"So full…"
Naruto rubbed his round belly and burped contentedly.
Sakura looked equally satisfied.
Sasuke remained expressionless, but he'd eaten more than usual.
Kakashi paid the bill and led them outside.
"That's it for today," he said.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll begin missions. Same meeting spot. As for the time—"
He paused.
"Seven in the morning."
"Eh? Not five?" Naruto asked.
"That was just for the test," Kakashi smiled.
"No need to be that early for normal missions."
"Yes!" Naruto cheered.
"Dismissed," Kakashi said with a wave.
"Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei!" the three said in unison.
Watching their backs as they left, Kakashi opened the system panel.
---
[Problem Student Management System]
Host: Kakashi Hatake
Rank: Elite Jōnin
Chakra Level: 9,350 (Base 8,500 + D-rank Naruto Card 850)
Problem Students:
Uzumaki Naruto (D-rank) — Favorability: 45
Uchiha Sasuke (C-rank, Activated) — Favorability: 35
Haruno Sakura (C-rank, Activated) — Favorability: 38
Owned Character Cards:
D-rank · Uzumaki Naruto ×1 (Equipped)
C-rank · Uchiha Sasuke ×1 (Not Equipped)
C-rank · Haruno Sakura ×1 (Not Equipped)
Special Item: B-rank Character Card Draw Ticket ×1
System Points: 400
Card Slots: 1/3
Kakashi's eyes gleamed.
"Let's check the C-rank cards first."
---
C-rank · Uchiha Sasuke
Agility +150
Fire Release affinity +20%
Skills gained: Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu, Sharingan (One Tomoe)
C-rank · Haruno Sakura
Intelligence +200
Chakra control +30%
Skill gained: Tactical Analysis Lv. 2
Kakashi nodded in satisfaction.
Especially Sasuke's card—
it granted the Sharingan.
"Equip Sasuke's card."
[Equipped successfully]
Power surged through his body. His speed and agility climbed sharply.
More importantly—
a cool sensation spread through his left eye.
Kakashi glanced at his reflection in a shop window and lifted his forehead protector.
The Sharingan was still three tomoe, but its power had clearly increased.
He focused—
The Sharingan vanished.
He focused again—
It reappeared.
"I can control it freely?!"
Kakashi was overjoyed.
Previously, because the Sharingan wasn't originally his, he couldn't deactivate it, constantly draining chakra.
Now—that flaw was gone.
"My chakra efficiency has improved tremendously…"
Satisfied, he equipped the next card.
"Equip C-rank Haruno Sakura."
[Equipped successfully]
[Detected: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura cards equipped simultaneously]
[Bond activated: Team 7]
Bond Effect: All bonuses ×1.2
A powerful surge rippled through Kakashi's body.
---
Current Status:
Chakra Level: 12,240
Stamina: +240 ×1.2
Agility: +180 ×1.2
Intelligence: +240 ×1.2
Fire Release affinity: +24%
Chakra control: +36%
Equipped Cards: Naruto (D), Sasuke (C), Sakura (C)
Slots: 3/3 (Full)
Kakashi clenched his fist.
"So this is the power of bonds…"
Compared to when he first arrived in this world, his chakra had nearly doubled—and the Sharingan problem was solved.
Then he remembered something else.
"There's still the B-rank draw ticket."
He activated it.
[B-rank Character Card Draw — Activated]
Names flashed past—
Haku.
Kimimaro.
Zabuza.
Guren.
Deidara…
The wheel slowed.
[Obtained: B-rank Character Card · Haku (Ice Release Form)]
Kakashi's eyes lit up.
Haku—the prodigy of Kirigakure, wielder of the Ice Release Bloodline Limit.
"Too bad my slots are full," Kakashi murmured.
"But I can swap when needed."
With satisfaction, he closed the system.
His strength had risen dramatically.
And Team 7's journey had only just begun.