Rooftop – Ninja Academy
The late afternoon wind rustled softly through the leaves as Team 7 sat beneath the open sky atop the academy rooftop, arranged in a rough semi-circle facing their new Jonin.
Kakashi stood before them, casual and unreadable, one hand in his pocket and the other scratching his head lazily.
"Now then," he began, "why don't we start with introductions?"
He gestured toward himself. "I'll go first. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. My dreams for the future… I don't really have any. And as for hobbies… I have a lot."
A long silence followed.
"…That's it?!" Haruto protested with an annoyed frown, sitting cross-legged with one arm propped lazily on his knee. "Are you trying to scam us? That's not an introduction, that's a riddle."
"Yeah!" Naruto chimed in, just as loudly. "All you told us is your name! You're holding back!"
Kakashi ignored the outbursts entirely.
"Now then, let's start on the right." He pointed lazily. "You go first."
Naruto shot to his feet, fists clenched in excitement.
"Yosh! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is cup ramen! What I dislike is waiting three whole minutes for it to cook! And my dream…" His voice rose with emotion. "IS TO SURPASS THE HOKAGE!! AND THEN—MAKE THE WHOLE VILLAGE ACKNOWLEDGE ME!"
He struck a dramatic pose, beaming.
Kakashi stared at him silently. 'He's… definitely his son. Loud and determined.'
Next was Sasuke.
"…Uchiha Sasuke," he said flatly, not bothering to look at the others. "There are many things I dislike, and not many things I like. My dream… no—my goal… is to resurrect my clan and kill a certain someone."
Haruto gave him a sharp glance, quiet but assessing.
'That darkness behind his eyes… this one is chasing something deep. Dangerous.'
Then came Sakura.
"M-my name is Sakura Haruno," she said, a little flustered. "What I like is…" She glanced toward Sasuke and giggled. "My dream is…" Her voice lowered and she blushed. "And what I dislike is Naruto!"
Naruto's face fell instantly. "Wha—?! What did I do?!"
Kakashi sighed behind his mask. 'At least she's honest…'
Finally, his eye turned to Haruto, who had remained relaxed and unreadable the whole time.
"Now you," Kakashi said. "Let's hear your introduction."
Haruto slowly uncrossed his legs, stretching out with lazy grace, then rose to his feet. His gaze swept over Kakashi and the team with casual indifference—until he glanced at Naruto, where his eyes warmed, just a little.
"My name is Haruto Uzumaki," he said, voice smooth but laced with cold confidence. "I like silence, strong tea, and people who speak with their actions instead of their mouths. I dislike arrogance without power, and people who think they're owed something by the world."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. The words were casual… but the tone held weight.
"My dream? Hm…"
He tilted his head, golden eyes gleaming slightly.
"I don't have a dream. I intend to shape the world with my own hands… and anyone in my way can kneel or be crushed. And my hobbies…" —he smirked a little— "...include keeping Naruto out of trouble, and occasionally humbling fools."
Naruto blinked. "Wait, is that last part about me or Sasuke?"
"Yes," Haruto said simply, returning to his seat.
There was a moment of silence.
Kakashi's single eye narrowed ever so slightly behind the mask. 'That confidence… he's not just strong. He knows he's strong. But there's no hostility in it… yet. That makes him more dangerous than any of them.'
Kakashi stood straight and clapped his hands.
"Alright then," he said. "Now that I know your names and your… quirks, we'll move on to the real test."
Naruto frowned. "Wait, what test? I thought we already passed!"
"Heh." Kakashi turned his back and walked toward the stairs.
"You'll find out tomorrow. Don't eat breakfast, or you'll throw up."
Training Ground – Early Morning
The sky was still pale with dawn when Team 7 had already assembled at the training grounds. Naruto paced in a small circle, glancing toward the trees with rising impatience.
"Where the hell is this guy?! I'm starving already!" he grumbled.
Haruto leaned back against a tree, one leg propped lazily on a rock, arms crossed over his chest, an air of detached boredom clinging to him. "Naruto, sit down. Watching you bounce around is exhausting," he muttered without even glancing his brother's way.
Sasuke stood silently, arms folded, his gaze fixed ahead. Meanwhile, Sakura fidgeted awkwardly, still trying to figure out what her role was among this chaotic group.
Moments later, there was a soft fwip—and Kakashi appeared before them with a book in hand and a backpack slung lazily over one shoulder.
"Yo. Good morning."
"YOU'RE LATE!!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison.
Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "A black cat crossed my path… I had to take the long way around. Super unlucky."
Haruto arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Do you use that excuse for everything, or just when you're trying to avoid work?"
Kakashi chuckled. "Well then, no need to waste time. Let's get straight to business."
He pulled an old-fashioned alarm clock from his bag, set it, and placed it on a nearby stump. Tick tick tick.
"Alright," he said, taking out three small silver bells. "Here's the deal. Your task is to take one of these bells from me before noon. Those who fail to get a bell will be tied to that stump—" he pointed to a wooden post behind them, "—and watch as I eat lunch right in front of you."
"What?!" Naruto yelped. "But there are only three bells!"
"Exactly," Kakashi said, eyes curling in amusement. "That means at least one of you is guaranteed to fail and be sent back to the Academy."
The mood instantly shifted. The air grew tense—Sakura gulped, Naruto scowled, Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and Haruto… was still humming a tune under his breath, seemingly unaffected.
"You can use shuriken, kunai, jutsu, anything," Kakashi said. "But if you don't come at me with the intent to kill… you won't stand a chance."
"Yeah right," Naruto said "You couldn't even dodge a blackboard eraser. We'll kill you in five minutes."
Kakashi's expression didn't change, but his tone dipped darker. "In the real world, the ones with no talent usually bark the loudest. Let's see what the 'dead last' can do."
Naruto's face twisted in fury. "DEAD LAST?! I'LL SHOW YOU DEAD LAST!!"
With a shout, he lunged forward, kunai in hand, aiming straight for Kakashi—
But Kakashi vanished.
A breath later, he reappeared behind Naruto, gripping the boy's wrist and turning the kunai on its wielder's neck.
"Calm down. I haven't said 'start' yet."
But even as he said it, Kakashi's one visible eye shifted slightly—to see six long, glimmering blades suspended in the air around him, inches from his face.
The air around Haruto shimmered with heat as chakra pulsed in the blades he had summoned—each one unique in shape and dangerous in design. His golden eyes were narrowed, gaze cold and distant as he watched Kakashi without a shred of amusement.
"Didn't anyone teach you to keep your back guarded, Sensei?" Haruto's voice was low, calm—but ice-cold.
'What...?' Sakura thought, trembling slightly. 'Where did those come from?! I didn't even see hand signs—!'
Sasuke's thoughts were elsewhere. 'So fast… that reaction time. What kind of jutsu is that? What kind of power is that?'
Kakashi looked up at the blades, then at Haruto. "Now that… was interesting." He raised a hand in mock surrender. "You're finally taking this seriously."
Haruto made a small motion with his fingers, and the blades instantly dissolved into sparkling particles of light, vanishing into the air like they were never there.
"Heheh," Kakashi smirked under his mask. "Looks like I'm starting to like you kids after all."
He stepped back, adjusting his headband slightly. "Alright then... Ready?"
His eye narrowed.
"Begin."