Chapter 4
Naruto had to admit, despite believing that his day would have ended on something of a dour note, the opposite had happened. He'd left his father's office and met up with his mother, the two of them heading off into town to look at some of the gear that Naruto would need for his new job.
Naruto was practically vibrating with excitement. He could hardly believe it. Sure, the tools he'd had before were sharp, because even a training tool needed to be sharp enough to embed itself in the targets they used for practice, but he'd never held the real thing before. He'd never truly inspected the edge on such a weapon, or felt its weight in his hand, and he never considered what other tools he might need. A sword would be cool, he decided, but would it be necessary?
He'd find out when he held one for the first time, he supposed.
Nevertheless, the two had been stopped on their journey when they bumped into two very familiar faces—Minato's teammate, Maki Takuma, walking alongside one of Minato's pupils, Uchiha Obito, half of his body heavily scarred in a way that no medical ninjutsu could fix, his left eye missing. The story of said scars, Naruto realised, was a tale that he had not yet heard, and although he had rumours that he had sustained them in a violent explosion, there was no proof of it ever having happened. He wondered if it would be appropriate to ask someday. Would Obito take issue with talking about it? Naruto didn't think he'd be able to stop himself from asking now that the curiosity had taken hold of him.
"Congratulations!" Obito had cheered the moment he noticed his new forehead protector. Silently, Takuma reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair like the proud uncle he no doubt felt like. "I knew you could do it. How did Sasuke fare?" Obito asked with a stupid grin on his face.
"Ah. He passed, too. He came first in the practical exam, too, even though I worked so hard…" Naruto begrudgingly admitted, unable to stop himself from pouting slightly. Obito chuckled at his reaction.
"I figured as much. He's special, that Sasuke," Obito said, reaching up to scratch the back of his head.
"I'll take you all out for ramen tonight," Takuma finally said in a quiet voice.
Kushina was quick to raise her hands. "Oh, there's no need to do that. We were going out for it tonight, regardless. We can't ask you to pay for us. Naruto will eat you out of house and home if you do that!" she joked with a sunny laugh. "By all means, though, both of you, come along. You're both family."
"I really must insist," Takuma responded. "I have more than enough to pay. I made sure of that."
"Ah… Welll… I feel bad about it, but… Come along and we'll see," Kushina compromised, suddenly looking very awkward before rapidly trying to change the subject. "What about you, Obito?" she asked. "Are you coming?"
"I wish I could take you up on that offer, Kushina, but if Sasuke passed, that means the celebratory dinner that the clan head organised will be going ahead. That's where I'll be this evening. Remind me to bring a gift over, though," Obito said, sounding almost apologetic.
"There's no need to do that. The thought is more than enough," Kushina attempted to reassure him.
"Really, I insist," Obito said quickly. "I'll bring him some of those sweets from that new sweet shop that opened up in the Uchiha District. They're brilliant. Mind you, though, it's all for you, kiddo. If that dad of yours takes any, I'll smack him," he told Naruto with a wink, teasing a grin out of the boy.
"Well…if you're sure… Don't him buy too much…" From her tone of voice, Naruto could tell that she had no intention of reminding him of buying anything at all. Nevertheless, he'd keep his hopes up. Free stuff was the best kind of stuff.
"Don't worry. I'll buy him as much as he'll eat," Obito assured her, moving to step around Naruto. "With that said, I have to pick up that gift for the dinner tonight. I'll see you all again."
"I'll have to go, too. I have shopping to do for Aki. The fridge is just about bare," Takuma said, gesturing towards Obito as the man started to walk away.
"Ah! Yes! You two just moved in together!" Kushina exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Let us know if you two need anything for the new house."
"I'll do that. Thank you very much," Takuma replied, smiling brightly as he hurried after Obito. The two men gave them a wave which Naruto and his mother found themselves mirroring, and they left, pushing their way into the crowd.
"Well, then." Kushina clapped her hands together. "Why don't we go and get your supplies, then?"
Thus, days passed, and Naruto found himself back at the Academy for orientation, somewhat cursing the fact that he hadn't gone with his gut and done something silly for the photo that would go with his Ninja Registration Form. Alas, when he thought of his father's disappointed face—and of the fact that his mother would likely kill him—he couldn't help but feel like a jerk for even beginning to consider it, and so, he had let it pass without incident.
Naruto turned as, as usual, Sakura slid into the seat next to him, giving him a wave as she leaned towards Naruto and Sasuke, who sat on the opposite side of Naruto. Naruto couldn't help but notice the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead. Had she been running?
"I nearly didn't get away this morning," Sakura told them, leaning on the desk. "My mum got all emotional and nearly made me late."
"That's why I sneaked out the window before breakfast," Naruto admitted, narrowly catching Sasuke's quick nod out of the corner of his eye.
"Honestly," Sasuke started, his annoyance conveyed in his quiet voice. "I wanted to do the same thing this morning, but Itachi was waiting outside the window. I can't get anything past that guy. My dad sending him off to work was the only reason I got away at all."
"I only got away when I reminded my mum that she was going to bake something for my new teammates. I wonder who they'll be…" Sakura mused, putting a finger to her chin in thought. "Do you know how the teams are constructed, Naruto? Any idea on the teachers, too?"
At that, Sasuke perked up a little, obviously listening closely. Naruto almost felt bad that he'd have to disappoint him. "Not a clue. My dad's keeping it all under wraps. There's a system, but apparently, we're not allowed to know until we're placed in the teams, and we're not allowed to tell anybody what it is when it's their turn to graduate, either."
"Ah, so…it's not like it's all some big secret, then. It's just a tradition meant to keep the new genin in suspense," Sakura summarised, trying not to giggle. "That's surprisingly light-hearted."
"Eh. People would probably riot if they knew what teams they were on," Naruto reasoned, leaning back to look behind him as Sakura let out a laugh. "The only team we're really guaranteed is Ino-Shika-Chō."
"Eh?! No way!" Ino suddenly exclaimed, standing up from her desk and slamming her hands into it. The trio looked around at her. "I have to be in the same team as them?!"
Sasuke's eyebrows rose farther up into his hairline than Naruto had ever seen them go before from the sheer surprise of it, because even Naruto knew that their combo was pretty much a given. Shikamaru's head hit the desk, albeit very slowly as Chōji tore open a bag of crisps, the bag rustling loudly.
"Troublesome…" Naruto barely heard Shikamaru mutter. "I knew it, but I still hoped, you know…?"
"Really?!" Ino shouted again, leaning over the desk, glancing at Sasuke with an air of desperation as she did so, and suddenly, the reason for her outburst was clear to all involved. Nevertheless, Naruto shot her a sympathetic look, the way that Sakura perked up next to him not failing to escape his notice, or Sasuke's, judging by the way he clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned away.
"Well, I mean…your dads have been at my house talking about it for the past few months, so…" He trailed off as Shikamaru gave another groan, Chōji nonchalantly throwing a crisp in his mouth as he did so.
"Troublesome…" the lazy boy repeated, shifting to lay his head on his arms. Naruto had the sneaking suspicion that he fully intended to sleep through the announcements.
Ino sank back into her seat with a groan of her own, looking dejected. "I thought I had a chance…" she whined.
"Hey, it could be worse. Shikamaru and Chōji are great!" Kiba suddenly said from the other side of the room, the tiny dog nestled beneath his hood yipping in response. Naruto enthusiastically nodded along.
"What on Earth is going on in here?"
Everyone jumped as Iruka appeared in the doorway with a cheeky grin, leaning up against it with a file in his hand, his shiny new forehead protector glinting in the rays of sunlight that shone into the classroom.
"Ino-Shika-Chō are just off to a rough start, sensei!" Kiba responded mischievously.
"C'mon, guys. Give me credit where credit's due," Chōji interjected, though he didn't sound too bothered. He stuffed a handful of crisps into his mouth, chewing loudly. "I'm OK with this development."
"OK, now. Calm down," Iruka said light-heartedly, scratching at his scar as he made his way to the podium at the front of the classroom. "You all know what you're here for. This is the day when you'll all be placed into teams. You'll soon be meeting your new sensei, so make sure to make a good first impression." With that, he gave the class a stern look, glancing around the room as though daring anybody to step out of line.
"With that being said, I'll begin with Team 1 and go from there," Iruka explained, opening the folder. "Team 1…"
With that, the teams were read out. Naruto couldn't help but look around the class at his classmates, watching for varying expressions of delight, disappointment, and sheer indifference. One by one, the names of jōnin that Naruto didn't really recognise came up, leaving each team pleasantly surprised, and yet completely mystified, all the same. Finally…
"Team 7."
A team name that meant as much as anybody else's did.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Just like that, the name had a meaning. This was it…
"Haruno Sakura."
Naruto couldn't help it. He leapt out of his chair with a whoop of delight, leaving Sakura looking mildly disturbed at the sight of his enthusiasm.
Dad, you are the ultimate wingman and I will never do anything bad to you ever again!
"Naruto!" came a well-timed scream through the open window from somewhere in the distance.
Naruto sat back down, completely unashamed. "He challenged me, I swear," he said with a grin.
"I'm not sure if I believe that," Iruka said, expression blank, "but I'll continue under the assumption that, if you're lying, you'll get a better punishment from him than you would from me." With a tired gaze, Iruka looked back at the file. "Team 7…" he started again. "Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura… Uchiha Sasuke."
Naruto shot forwards in his seat, his hands inadvertently slamming against the desk. "You said you weren't punishing me!"
"I'm not," Iruka said, a hint of a mischievous smile making its way onto his face. "The teams need to be balanced. Sakura and Sasuke got the highest marks in the class. Despite your incredible performance in the practical test—apologies again for that—your scores in the written test pulled you right down to last place."
"Aw, come on! My practical test should mean something!" Naruto complained, sinking into his seat with a dejected whine.
"Take it up with Lord Fourth, not me. You're in a better position to do that than most," Iruka responded, looking back at the folder in his hand, and just like that, Naruto was being ignored, left to slump in his seat and pout.
"Team 8 will be Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino," Iruka continued.
Naruto sat up and glanced back at the group as the next team was read out, curious as to how his friend and fellow mischief-maker Kiba would take it. Surprisingly, he didn't seem too bothered by it. Hinata, on the other hand, seemed more than a little disappointed, staring down at her fidgeting hands rather than turning to acknowledge her teammates like the others were doing. Surely, Naruto thought with a note of confusion, a shy girl like that would get along just fine with the likes of Shino, and Kiba isn't that bad.
"Team 10, as you all accurately guessed earlier, will consist of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chōji," Iruka finished, glancing up at the team as though daring them to complain. Ino opened her mouth, but seemed to think better of it and crossed her arms, slouching in her seat.
"That concludes the assigning of the teams. If you all wait here, your teachers will come by later to pick you up," Iruka said, setting the file in his hands down with a wistful smile. He gazed around the classroom, seeming to take in each and every face there one at a time.
"Starting from today, you're all shinobi. Real shinobi. The job will not be an easy one, and make no mistake, you will be putting your lives on the line. In a few years, some of you may no longer be here," Iruka told them, his gaze suddenly serious. All eyes were on him with that last statement, Naruto new. It suddenly felt very real. "My final piece of advice to you as your Academy sensei is this: your pride is not more important than your life. Make of that what you will." Iruka paused, and Naruto could feel his gaze on him. It moved to Sasuke, then around a few more faces further back in the room. All of the people with a reputation to uphold, Naruto knew. "Your training has all come down to this. Stand tall, each and every one of you. Stand tall, and do your duty to your Village. That is all." There was a pregnant pause, and Iruka gave the room another sweep with his eyes.
"Dismissed."
Iruka had intended for that little speech to be something of a rousing warning of sorts, but with the time ticking on as it was, and the room devoid of all other teams, Naruto couldn't help but admit that it had all worn off, somewhat. Naruto leaned his head on the desk, watching as Sakura's eye twitched in annoyance. Their sensei still wasn't there yet.
"Bet you it's Uncle Kakashi," Naruto finally muttered. Sakura leaned her chin on her hand and groaned slightly, taking to glaring at the wall.
"What's he like…?" she asked, evidently bored out of her mind.
"Late. Always late, and it's all Uncle Obito's fault. Dad tells me he used to be all punctual in his Anbu days and whatnot," Naruto mumbled, letting out a bored sigh. "Uncle Obito ruined him…"
Naruto could hear Sasuke finally shift out of the brooding position he'd been holding for the past few hours. "Anbu…?"
"Yeah. I've known him, like, forever. He was Dad's student," Naruto informed them, watching as Sakura sat up, suddenly looking a bit more patient.
"That's a good thing, though, right?" she asked, raising a questioning eyebrow at Naruto. "It means we can learn a lot from him."
Naruto groaned. "As if," Naruto grunted. "He used to be a member of the Anbu, and he was some kind of shinobi genius as a kid, but honestly, he's so laidback that he might as well be horizontal. He never shows up on time to anything, and he's always putting things off. He's been turning down genin teams for years, so he's never taught before, either. He just spends all day sleeping and reading my godfather's dirty romance novels."
Sakura pouted, and behind him, Naruto could hear Sasuke clicking his tongue in annoyance. "If that's the sort of guy we're getting, I'm not sure I have any patience for him."
"Bet you he's a crap teacher," Naruto grumbled, pulling himself upright to look at the clock. Regardless of whether their teacher was really Kakashi or not, Naruto decided that, if they were going to make them wait this long, he didn't have the patience for this sort of person, either. "Well, regardless of who our sensei is, they've brought this upon themselves."
Sakura raised an eyebrow at Naruto as he vaulted over the desk, heading straight for the blackboard. "What are you doing?" she asked as Naruto picked up the eraser, heading for the door with Iruka's chair under one arm.
"If they're any good, they'll see it coming, and if it's Uncle Kakashi, he should have the sense to pay attention when I'm involved by now," Naruto said bluntly, setting the chair beside the door. He turned just in time to see Sasuke roll his eyes, having understood exactly what Naruto was about to do.
"If you're right and our sensei is ex-Anbu, something as simple as that won't fool him," the Uchiha scoffed, reassuming his brooding pose.
"You'd be surprised. He's dozy," Naruto told him, climbing up onto the chair and opening the door slightly. "Besides, I got my dad earlier, didn't I? You all heard it."
"He doesn't sound very Anbu-like…" Sakura mused, pointedly ignoring the little prank that Naruto was setting up, just as she had ignored his prank from earlier. After placing the eraser in its position between the door and the frame, Naruto hopped down, noting how she eyed the eraser with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Naruto put the chair back in its place and wandered over to the desk, only to turn on his heels as the door opened, causing the eraser to fall onto a head of white hair with a soft sound before clattering to the floor. The figure in the doorway sighed as Naruto wordlessly regarded him with an annoyed grimace.
"My first impression…" the man in the doorway muttered, lazily staring at the eraser on the floor. His gaze fixed on Naruto. "I shouldn't have let Lord Fourth talk me into this, should I?"
"Nope," Naruto responded bluntly.
"Can I get out of it?" he asked, his lazy expression never seeming to change beneath his mask.
"Doubt it."
The man at the door gave another, much longer, louder sigh. "Just…meet me on the roof…"
"Do you even know how late you are?!" Naruto snapped, completely ignoring the instructions.
"I knew that you would expect me to be late," the man said, turning to face Naruto with a lazy smile on his face. "I didn't want to betray your expectations."
Just like that, he was gone, his body disappearing with a puff of smoke that wafted through the open door of the classroom, leaving an odd smell like that of ozone in the wake of a lightning strike. Naruto stopped short of wrinkling his nose. He wasn't fond of the cleanly, but metallic smell that Kakashi's chakra, with its natural affinity for Lightning Release, would always leave behind, but thankfully, it always dissipated quickly enough to not be a problem.
"So…was that this Kakashi guy…?" Sasuke asked slowly as Sakura got up from her seat, looking more than a little dumbfounded.
Naruto turned towards him, noticing the hint of surprise on his features. "Yeah…" Naruto said disappointedly, heaving a sigh.
"We should maybe go, then, right?" Sakura asked, standing up. Naruto watched her eyebrows furrow in thought. "I mean, I don't know what we can learn from an ex-Anbu who can't even notice a blackboard eraser prank, but if we don't go, we're not getting taught at all."
Sasuke stood with a sigh of his own and followed Sakura down the steps to Naruto's side, hands in his pockets. Just looking at his teammates, Naruto could tell that they were less than impressed, and yet, all they trudged towards the roof, anyway, suddenly feeling a lot less excited to start their jobs than they had been that morning.
"So…" Naruto frowned at Kakashi's lacklustre start as the group sat down on the steps in front of him. "Well, we've only just met, so to help us get to know each other, why don't you talk a little about yourselves first? You could talk about…your likes and dislikes. Maybe your dreams. Your hobbies." The white-haired jōnin gave a shrug, seemingly out of ideas, and pulled a familiar book out of his pocket. Naruto's frown only deepened.
"What about you?" Naruto said, determined to stare Kakashi down, if only to make the man understand his displeasure. "Why don't you talk about yourself first?"
"You already know me, Naruto," Kakashi responded, tone monotonous.
"Not for me! For them, Uncle Kakashi!" Naruto retorted, gesturing wildly to his teammates.
"It's Kakashi-sensei, now," Kakashi corrected, sighing to himself as Naruto rolled his eyes as if to say, 'Yeah, like you're going to erase 12 years of conditioning in a day.' Slowly, Kakashi closed his book, looking to the sky in thought. "Well, I have a few likes and dislikes…but I don't really have any intention of telling you about them…"
Naruto smirked. "Sure. You have no intention of telling us about your likes. That's because all you like is reading my godfather's smutty books all day," he responded with a laugh. Naruto could hear Sakura moving back a step behind him, as though to put some distance between herself and their new teacher. Sasuke shifted awkwardly, his shoes scraping against the ground as he did so. Kakashi glanced around the group, and slowly, he placed the book back in the pouch at his waist.
"Dreams…" Kakashi continued, a little louder than before, before seeming to forget that train of thought entirely. "Hobbies… I have a few hobbies…" Before Naruto could even open his mouth, Kakashi held up a hand to stop him. "Yes, yes. I read smut. That joke will get old if you overplay it."
Naruto pouted. "I wasn't actually gonna say that." Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "I thought your hobby was doing all of those extreme challenges with that weird loud guy who's always wearing green." When Kakashi blanched, Naruto kept going. "You know? The guy with the bushy eyebrows?"
Kakashi coughed loudly in a desperate attempt to interrupt that dangerous train of thought. "What Guy-sensei and I do in our spare time is none of your business. It's your turn." Kakashi pointed in Naruto's direction. Naruto pouted again, his fun clearly over.
"Well, you know who I am," Naruto started. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen. I dislike the 3-minute waiting time it takes to make ramen. My dream is to become Hokage, and when I do, all of the villagers are gonna respect me for once!"
Naruto had to stop for a second when he saw a strange emotion passing over his new sensei's face. He squinted up at Kakashi, trying to make sense of that odd, dark look that was suddenly filling the white-haired man's eyes. For a moment, Naruto thought that the look was aimed at him, and he felt a chill run up his spine, but it soon became clear that Kakashi wasn't looking at him. It was like he was looking straight through Naruto, his gaze quiet and considering, as though he was mulling over what had just been said, but Naruto was barely in the equation at all.
Naruto swallowed against the lump that was forming in his throat, an anxious feeling developing in the pit of his stomach. Naruto was mischievous, sure, but he never wanted to hurt anybody with anything he said or did. Had he said something wrong? He couldn't think of anything that was particularly wrong about what he said… What was offensive about ramen, or wanting to become Hokage? Kakashi knew that he wanted to become Hokage. He'd never looked at him like this before!
"You're a simple person, Naruto," Naruto suddenly heard Sasuke say behind him. Even without turning around, he could almost see the smug smile on his face. Naruto felt his eye twitch, the worrying thoughts already starting to filter from his mind, although the feelings of anxiety didn't seem to want to leave him. Something in the back of his mind told him that a distraction would be nice, and maybe this would be his excuse to create one.
"I'm going to assume that you meant 'simple' in the good way. It's good to like simple things," Naruto said irritably, not turning to look Sasuke in the eye, but daring him to respond, nonetheless.
"You assumed wrong," Sasuke deadpanned.
For Naruto, the decision of how to respond had already been made the moment the Sasuke had spoken. He whipped around and launched himself at the Uchiha, watching Sasuke tense up as he did so, raising his arms to shield his face. Naruto, however, didn't connect with Sasuke. Smoke exploded between Naruto and Sasuke, that subtle, but familiar smell from before floating on the air, and Naruto barely caught sight of Kakashi's leg before his face collided with it, knocking him backwards.
"Don't be troublesome, you two," Kakashi said lazily as Naruto, winded after hitting the stone steps hard, slowly pulled himself back up to a sitting position. "You." Kakashi pointed at Sasuke. "Tell us about yourself."
"Yeah! If you're so interesting, tell us about yourself!" Naruto demanded, jumping to his feet and pointing at the Uchiha, a vein bulging in his forehead from the anger.
"Well, I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I like… I don't like a lot. My family, I suppose, and tomatoes. I don't like…sweet things. I don't like fangirls, either, or…well, Naruto," Sasuke responded with a
"Hey!" Naruto protested.
"My dreams…" Sasuke continued, completely unconcerned. "I'd like to join the Konoha Military Police Force."
Naruto snorted. "Keeping it in the family much?"
Sasuke scowled at him. "I have shadowed my father in his work, and I would enjoy it, thank you very much. I wasn't done either. I want to surpass my brother, and when I do, my father will see that I'm worthy of his respect."
"You," Kakashi interrupted, clearly not willing to deal with the argument that was so close to ensuing. "The one who's behaving."
Sakura sat bolt upright, a light expression of disgust still levelled at their new teacher. "I-I'm Sakura!" she squeaked, caught off guard. "Haruno Sakura! I like…" Her response wasn't so much a response as it was a look towards Sasuke that betrayed everything. Naruto could see Kakashi roll his eyes, but as his heart sank at Sakura's blushing expression, eyes pointed straight at Sasuke, he found himself unable to find any of his usual cheeky joy in it. "I dislike…spicy things, I guess. There aren't a lot of things I dislike… Dreams…" Another dreamy glance was sent Sasuke's way, and Naruto felt himself deflate.
Naruto, though, found his attention torn in three different directions, towards Kakashi and that odd look on his face, towards Sakura's unintentional rejection of him, and towards Sasuke who, quite frankly, he was angry with. That last little statement he'd made, though, caught his attention somewhat. He couldn't help but latch onto the idea of it.
He wants to surpass his brother and get some respect.
Not so different, huh…?
"Anyway…" Kakashi suddenly said, slowly walking back to his original position. "Your personalities are all unique. That's good." The jōnin leaned back against the railings again, casting his eyes over the group. "You have a mission tomorrow."
Naruto was forcefully yanked from his thoughts, new, exciting ones already spilling in. "A mission?! What is it?!"
"It's something that the three of you will do…" Kakashi told them. Naruto turned around to face Sakura for a moment, and they looked at each other with excited expressions before turning around to give Kakashi their attention again.
"It's…" Naruto leaned in, the suspense overwhelming. The seconds ticked on, and finally, Kakashi broke out into a smile. "It's…survival training."
Naruto barely managed to hold in a groan of disappointment, but he quite visibly deflated, watching with annoyance as Kakashi seemed to take great pleasure from it. He heard Sakura hum in thought behind him, Sasuke silent as usual.
"Sensei, forgive me for asking, but what's the point of this?" Sakura finally asked after a few seconds, her tone betraying her disappointment. "I mean, we've already gone through this sort of training multiple times in the Academy. We only went out with a jōnin to do more survival training a few weeks ago. Why do we need more?"
"Ah, but this is no ordinary training," Kakashi responded, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
Naruto frowned in confusion. "What kind of training is it? How's it different?"
The response that he got to that question certainly wasn't one that Naruto expected. Slowly, but surely, low, menacing laughter began to echo across the rooftop. Kakashi averted his gaze from the group in front of him, his shoulders shaking as his laughter increased in volume before becoming eerily silent. There was no noise…and then…
"Oh, so that's what you sound like when you're happy." Naruto jovially cut into the silence. He pretended to frown in thought, then added, "Nah. I don't like it. Go back to being dull."
"What's so funny, Kakashi-sensei…?" Sakura asked hesitantly.
"If I tell you, you'll just be surprised," Kakashi told them, crossing his arms.
"Tell us, anyway!" Naruto retorted, leaning forwards in anticipation.
Kakashi's expression seemed to remain blank behind his mask, but his voice, when it emerged, was dark. "Well…out of the 27 people in your class who have graduated, only 9 will become genin. The rest will return to the Academy. To become a genin, you'll have to complete this training which, might I add, has a dropout rate of 66%."
The reaction was no doubt exactly what Kakashi had expected it to be—sheer stunned silence. The seconds stretched on until they felt like hours. Naruto's mouth hung agape, and by the silence behind Naruto, he could tell that Sasuke and Sakura were probably equally as aghast at the thought of another test, if not more.
Suddenly, Kakashi smiled.
"I knew you'd be surprised," he remarked jovially.
Naruto leapt up, pointing an accusing finger at his sensei. "What was the point, then?!" he exclaimed. "What was the point of our final exam if we just have to do another test?!"
"The test that you three have already completed was a test intended to identify individuals who are qualified to become shinobi," Kakashi explained calmly. "It's the sensei who has been assigned to the team who ultimately decides whether you'll make it as a shinobi."
Naruto groaned in despair, sinking to the ground. Not another test! Well, it's survival training, right? At least it's not another written test, Naruto tried to reason. It's still a test, though, and if I can't pass…
"It's me who'll decide whether you pass or fail," Kakashi told the group, looking around at each of their faces. "Bring your equipment to the training grounds tomorrow at 5:00 AM."
Ah… That's so early… Naruto thought with a sinking feeling.
Kakashi stood and turned to leave silently, but seemed to think better of it. "Oh, and don't eat breakfast. You'll vomit if you do."
Naruto blanched, and he felt his stomach heave at the thought. If I eat a big dinner, will it not be as bad in the morning…?
Instead of carrying through with leaving, though, Kakashi appeared to pause, and he turned back towards the group again. "You're dismissed, except for you, Naruto. I want to talk to you for a second."
Naruto blinked, turning around to look at Sasuke and Sakura who were pulling themselves to their feet. Sasuke, to Naruto's annoyance, looked as calm as ever, but Sakura looked just as pale and confused as he felt. She gave Naruto a brief nod, and then turned to hurry after Sasuke, her mind seemingly on something other than the Uchiha of her dreams for once.
"Naruto," Kakashi said once they were gone. Naruto turned to face him, unable to stop a look of confusion from making its way onto his face. "So…you want to become the Hokage for respect?"
Naruto felt his stomach sink, his anxiety returning. He'd been trying to forget about that…
"Yeah…" Naruto quietly responded. "Is there a problem with my reasoning?" Naruto asked nervously, slowly bringing himself to his feet.
"Oh, no. Nothing at all," was Kakashi's immediate response. Naruto heaved a sigh of relief, his anxiety starting to dissipate. "No. I'd have been worried if you wanted the position for the sake of power, but…"
"Then…what's the problem…?" Naruto asked hesitantly, because there was surely a problem if he was asking about this, right…?
"What makes you want it for that reason?"
Naruto blinked, caught off guard. "Eh…?"
"What makes you think that the villagers don't respect you?" Kakashi elaborated, suddenly very patient for once.
"Ah… Well, I just sort of have a feeling, I guess…and people look at me funny…" Naruto explained, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. He reached up to nervously scratch the back of his head, his mind slowly searching for the right words "I get the feeling that people don't think much of me, I guess… I sort of feel like they've got this a… ani… What's the word…? Animosity?"
"Nobody's…said anything to you?" Kakashi inquired.
"Said anything…?" Confusion reigned its head yet again.
"About why they might not respect you."
Naruto lapsed into silence, thinking long and hard. He brought a hand up to his chin in thought. His answer, when he responded, was slow and deliberate. "No. Nothing at all. They just…look at me funny, and I don't really like it. I can tell they don't think much of me, and…I thought that it was maybe because I'm the Hokage's son. Maybe they have to respect me, but they don't really want to. Maybe I just kinda…thought they didn't find me good enough to respect, I guess. I wanna become strong and make my dad proud, but nobody else seems to think I'm good enough, and I think Dad thinks I'm weak, 'cus he was all worried about me, and…"
Naruto shook his head rapidly, pushing that thought straight out. He didn't want to think about it. "Was it all the pranking, Uncle Kakashi? Now that I'm a shinobi and I won't be doing all of that anymore, do you think they'll change their minds?"
Kakashi didn't respond immediately, but to Naruto's surprise, he looked somewhat relieved.
"Well, I can't say that I speak for the minds of the villagers, but if weakness is what you're worried about, hard work tends to fix that," Kakashi reasoned lazily, reaching out to pat Naruto on the shoulder. The answer wasn't really one that Naruto was hoping for, but he kept quiet, regardless. Kakashi turned, raising a hand, and Naruto could see that odd expression on his face again, like he was thinking about something unpleasant. "Work hard."
"Wait!" Naruto's sudden shout stopped him in his tracks. A thought had occurred to the boy, leaving him flustered. "Don't tell my dad about this! He'll just start worrying, and-!"
"Don't worry. I won't tell him," Kakashi responded immediately, with an air of finality.
"Do you promise? On your honour as a shinobi?" Naruto blurted.
"On my honour, I promise."
Naruto could have sworn that he saw Kakashi smile beneath his mask, and he smiled in relief. Kakashi regarded him for a moment, and then raised his hands. There was a poof, and just like that, Kakashi was gone.
"So, that's it," Naruto told Kushina that evening over dinner, angrily shoving rice in his mouth as he glanced out the window onto the dark street. "We have some other test to do, now."
"Ah… I remember my test…" Kushina responded wistfully, smiling as she took a bite of fish. "It's not easy, but you need it."
"But, why do we need it?!" Naruto exclaimed with a groan. His mother's mind, though, seemed to be in an entirely different world. She took a bite of rice, sucking on her chopsticks.
"Yeah…" Kushina said with a sigh, deep in thought. "I remember my bell test…"
Naruto paused, his chopsticks halfway up to his mouth. "Your…what…?"
That shocked Kushina back to life. She spluttered, her face turning red, and she eventually settled for a short, quiet, "None of your business…" She picked up her bowl and began to rapidly shovel the rice into her mouth as if it would hide her embarrassment.
Naruto lapsed into quiet contemplation as he reached for more fish.
The bell test, huh…?
It was late that evening when Kakashi let himself into Minato's office.
"Do you promise? On your honour as a shinobi?"
My honour belongs to my village… Kakashi thought slowly, though not without guilt. My honour as a shinobi belongs to my village, not to a child…no matter what that child means to me, or to the people I care about…
"Ah! Kakashi!" Minato greeted jovially. "How did your first meeting go? Changed your mind yet?"
"Something came up at said meeting," Kakashi responded with a small sigh. "I have discovered that the villagers aren't showing Naruto any respect. The word 'animosity' was used at one point."
Minato lapsed into silence, suddenly averting his gaze, though Kakashi couldn't deny seeing the look of shock that passed over his teacher's features. He couldn't help but wonder how much time he actually spend around Naruto in public…not that Kakashi had noticed anything, either, if he was going to be brutally honest with himself. When Minato didn't respond, Kakashi continued.
"It isn't my place to say…and I know that there's a law in place…but how long will it take for someone who was severely affected by the incident to snap?" Kakashi reasoned, speaking slowly. "This can't be kept from him forever."
"I know," Minato responded hesitantly. Kakashi could hear him grinding his teeth together—an odd anxious habit of his. "I know, but he's too young to take any of this well…"
"What about when shinobi come looking for the tailed beast?" Kakashi said, trying to sound as impartial as possible. "They always do. Other villages have been attacked in recent times for exactly that reason, and a tailed beast suddenly disappearing in a shinobi village is…" Kakashi paused. "They'll have figured it out by now."
"I'll…cross that bridge when I come to it…" Minato responded, his voice quiet. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Kakashi…"
"Oh, and…" Kakashi smiled softly at his sensei. "Do me a favour. If anybody asks, you didn't hear this from me. I made a promise that I wouldn't say."
Minato chuckled mirthlessly as Kakashi turned to leave. "Don't worry. I won't say a word about this little…breach of trust…and… I'll deal with this however I can. I can't control the populace, but I can think about…how to break it to him… Early, if I have to…"
Kakashi turned his head, giving the Hokage a respectful nod, and then turned back towards the door. As he anticipated, he didn't get too far before Minato stopped him.
"Wait… Kakashi…"
Kakashi winced at his sensei's voice. It sounded almost…broken.
"Kakashi… If this was you…what would you want…? Would you want to know…?" Minato asked hesitatnly.
"This is something that I would probably never want to know," Kakashi admitted, turning towards Minato. "However, I think that we both must admit that this is not a case of 'if.' It's 'when,' and if it was me, I would rather hear it from someone that I trusted, rather than someone who was out to harm me. By telling someone something important, you put a certain amount of trust in them, too, and that can mean a lot."
Minato became lost in thought once more, a pained expression on his face, and he slowly rotated his chair away to avoid Kakashi's gaze, falling into silence. Kakashi took that as his cue to leave, bowing to Minato's back. He turned, opened the door, and left, closing it behind him with a soft click. Only then did he allow himself to heave a long sigh. He sincerely doubted that his sensei would ever tell Naruto the truth. Not of his own volition.
It would break his heart…
