The trio of wouldbe shinobi had followed the Jōnin up to the top of the Academy building, and were now standing in a row, an awkward silence beginning to set in. All that they could hope for was that somebody said something to break the standoff.
"So…why don't you introduce yourselves?" Kakashi said, sitting back against the guardrail bordering the roof. The girl of the group tried to share a look with one of her compatriots, holding herself, before deciding to take the plunge.
"Um…what do you want to know?"
The masked man sighed, crossing his arms laxly, and then uncrossed them. "Nothing special- name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future."
Sakura blinked, before asking "Why don't you introduce yourself? I mean, you look suspicious and all."
Sasuke sighed, scuffing his heel before sitting on the ground, resting his elbows on his knees, his teammates following suit.
"Oh me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you guys my likes or dislikes…"
Naruto raised an eyebrow behind his goggles.
"Dreams for the future… Hm…"
Well, I do have lots of hobbies…'
"So all we learned was his name," the girl of the team half-muttered to herself
"Since you're so chatty, I guess it's your turn, missy," Kakashi said, arms spreading wide like it was some grand production.
"Oh! Well, my name is Haruno Sakura. Um…Something I like…someone I like…" Sakura bit her lip, blushing, "My hopes for the future…"
The girl giggled, half hiding her face in her hands. Noticing everyone's eyes were on her, the rosette coughed into her little fist, straightening up like a proper lady before continuing.
"My hobbies are…" she snuck a none-too-subtle look at Sasuke, who looked like he'd rather be somewhere else doing something.
"I dislike-" Sakura's face hardened, a shadow seeming to creep in front of her eyes, "-competition."
Kakashi shifted in his seat, seeming to share a certain lack of enthusement with Sasuke, whom he turned his attentions to now. "I see...next."
Lacing his fingers, the boy looked down at the ground, half-speaking into his hand with an audible nasal drawl.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things I dislike, but I don't really like anything.
"And…I don't want to use the word 'hope' or 'dream', but…
"I have an ambition. The rebirth of my clan and…"
The boy glared in front of him, at nothing in particular. "To kill a certain man."
A pregnant pause set in, everyone reacting in different ways. Kakashi frowned, silent but seemingly judgmental. Naruto sniffed, scratching his nose under his goggles, not showing all that much affect from his teammate's declaration. Sakura was…predictable.
Sighing, Kakashi nodded. "Okay…and, lastly, the specs."
The nickname ringing a rather sensitive bell, Naruto's eyebrow ticks, hard enough for the motion to be noticeable with his conspicuous headgear. "Alright…My name is Uzumaki Naruto. My likes are rather boring, so I don't feel like sharing them. I dislike traitors and the selfish… I can't say I have any hobbies… My dream's the same as it's always been- become the best shinobi I can be."
The Jōnin, satisfied, stood up from his perch. "That's enough of that. We'll start our duties tomorrow."
Naruto pushed himself up, sucking his teeth. "We have to wait another day until we get to the real stuff? Oh okay…so what duties do we have, sensei?"
"First we're going to do something with just the four of us."
"What?" Sakura asked, picking herself up off the ground, an attentive look plain on her face.
"Survival Training," the Jōnin answered, leaning back against the guardrail.
"Why is our duty training, sensei?" Sakura asked, disdain creeping into her eyes "Didn't we do enough of that at the Ninja Academy?"
"I'm your opponent- but this isn't normal training."
"Really?..." Sasuke said, coolly standing up.
Kakashi chuckled, shaking his head.
"What's so funny, sensei?" Sakura said, sweat beading down her temple.
"Well…it's just that…when I tell you this, you guys are gonna flip."
Feeling his patience beginning to sink fairly low, Naruto gritted his teeth. "Because…?"
"Of the twenty-seven graduates," Kakashi said, resting his face in his hand, looking back at his students, "Only nine will be chosen as Genin- the rest will be sent back to the Academy.
"This training is a super difficult exam with a failure rate of over sixty-six percent!"
Naruto sighed, tapping his foot. Sasuke just glared harder at his theatrical teacher. Sakura looked positively dyspeptic.
"This got something to do with the lowered Academy standards, sensei?" Naruto asked, taking a step forward.
Kakashi brightened a little, standing up. "Hmm, how do you figure that? Anyways, secrets, secrets~"
Kakashi tapped the bridge of his nose before taking a step forward. "Anyway, you'll be graded tomorrow on the training field. Bring all your shinobi tools- and skip breakfast, or you'll be throwing it all up."
Naruto sighed. More pains in the ass.