Naruto: The new beginning

"When?" Sasuke and Sakura spun around in shock, completely unaware of the presence behind them.

A man stood there—a slender figure with silver hair, a forehead protector, and a mask covering his mouth and nose. Only one eye was visible, and he was holding a book, not even glancing up as he spoke.

Naruto remained calm. He knew Kakashi too well. "Is it a good habit to eavesdrop on other people's conversations? Besides, everything I said is true."

"Well... most of it," Kakashi replied.

"Speaking of which, why aren't you late today?" Naruto asked, curious. He then teased, "Did my mom drag you here?"

Kakashi coughed, snapped his book shut, and tapped Naruto on the head. "We'll talk gossip later. For now, the three of you come with me."

Naruto had never been to the school rooftop, It was said to be the place where Itachi once fought.

Naruto and Sakura sat side by side. Sasuke, ever the cool kid, claimed the best spot, and Naruto scowled at him.

Kakashi leaned on the opposite guardrail. "As Naruto just introduced, I am Hatake Kakashi, and from now on, I'll be your sensei. Let's start with introductions, beginning with Naruto."

Naruto stared at him without saying a word. You come to my house every day for dinner. Do we really need to do this?

Kakashi, with his usual deadpan expression, stared back. Despite being familiar with each other through Naruto's mom, they still had to go through the motions.

Naruto sighed, deciding to play along. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like training and getting stronger. I hate people being late. My dream is world peace."

Kakashi then turned to Sasuke.

Sasuke, hands clasped and chin resting on them, coolly said, "Sasuke Uchiha. I like training with my brother. I hate losing to Naruto. My dream is to surpass my brother."

Itachi's younger brother, Kakashi thought, remembering the genius who joined the Anbu at 11.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I like... my dream is... I hate Ino." Sakura's eyes kept drifting to Sasuke.

Naruto and Kakashi understood, but Sasuke found this teammate's behavior strange.

Kakashi looked at the three of them: one was his teacher's son, another was the younger brother of a former subordinate, and the last was a girl lost in her own fantasy. Despite this, they still needed to be tested. Minato-sensei wouldn't let Naruto pass without earning it.

"Tomorrow, we'll start with a survival drill."

Sakura questioned, "Isn't it a mission? Why a drill? We've done many drills in school."

"This isn't an ordinary exercise. Out of the 27 graduates, only nine will become genin. The other 18 will be sent back to school. It's a tough test with a failure rate of over 66%. Even you, Naruto, won't get special treatment."

"That's it. Tomorrow at 5 a.m., meet at the training ground. Bring your ninja tools."

Kakashi vanished in the blink of an eye, purposely omitting that they shouldn't eat breakfast. He knew Kushina might beat him if Naruto skipped a meal.

"What do you think, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, and Sakura looked at him expectantly. As the son of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto might know more.

Naruto looked at Sasuke in disbelief. Are you stealing my lines? Angrily, he said, "I think he left too fast. I wanted to invite him to dinner."

Sasuke was exasperated. "I meant about tomorrow's drill."

"Yes, yes. If I fail, will I be sent back to school?" Sakura asked.

"Kakashi is a qualified ninja. If he says it's a survival drill, it's serious. I don't know the specifics, but it won't be a simple exercise," Naruto deduced.

Sasuke and Sakura nodded. Ordinary survival drills wouldn't have such a high failure rate.

Naruto continued, "He specifically reminded us to bring ninja tools, which means we might have to fight. We could end up facing Kakashi."

"Fight against a jōnin? Why not just spar among ourselves?" Sakura asked, raising her hand.

Naruto and Sasuke turned to look at her, making Sakura feel self-conscious. She lowered her head. "Okay, I get it."

Naruto felt dumb too, thinking, why didn't I consider sparring among ourselves? Fortunately, they figured it out. "If it were an ordinary jōnin, we might have a chance. But Kakashi's on another level."

"Why?" Sasuke wasn't convinced. How strong was Kakashi, really?

Naruto explained, "Kakashi can at least fight Brother Itachi. Do you think the three of us could beat him together?"

Itachi was 17, already a team leader in the Anbu, skilled in combining genjutsu and shuriken techniques. Even without the Mangekyō Sharingan, he was formidable. If they faced Kakashi, defeat was almost certain.

Sasuke was convinced. If Kakashi was at Itachi's level, they had no hope.

"So Kakashi shouldn't expect us to beat him. As long as we give our best, we should be fine."

Sasuke nodded, but Sakura was still worried. If anyone was sent back, it would likely be her.

"Let's go eat together to celebrate our team assignment and discuss tactics for tomorrow. I don't want to lose too badly," Naruto suggested, still remembering the pain from when Kakashi pinched his face as a child.

"Okay," Sasuke agreed, used to having meals with friends.

"Yeah!" Sakura forgot her worries, her inner self cheering. 'Long live! Eat with Sasuke! Thank you, Naruto, for this opportunity!'

Naruto thought while looking at Sakura, is she delusional or just blind?

The three of them left the rooftop together.

Kakashi, secretly watching, was satisfied. The team dynamics seemed good, which was what he valued most. Strength was secondary.

"As expected of Sensei's son," Kakashi thought of Minato and his long-deceased teammates as he walked towards the Memorial Monument.

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