Naruto: I Am Uchiha Sasuke!?

"Wait, Iruka-sensei, I have a problem!"

Naruto suddenly stood up, pointing directly at Sasuke with an indignant expression.

"Why does a talented ninja like me have to be grouped with someone like him?!"

The entire classroom fell silent for a moment before erupting into whispers. Many students looked at Naruto as if he had lost his mind. Even Iruka let out a weary sigh. Meanwhile, Ino and Sakura covered their faces in embarrassment.

"Ah~, Naruto, you're such an idiot. You really don't get it, do you?" Iruka said with an exasperated look.

He crossed his arms and continued, "Sasuke scored the highest in this year's assessment, earning perfect marks. And you... well, you ranked dead last. The teams were balanced to ensure fair group dynamics. Do you understand now?"

Sasuke smirked and lifted his chin slightly. "Try not to slow me down, idiot."

Naruto's face turned red with anger. "What?! You bastard, I'm gonna—"

Boom!

Before he could finish, Sakura landed a swift punch on his head, knocking him flat. "Shut up, idiot!"

Iruka sighed again. "Moving on... Next, the eighth group: Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino..."

One by one, the teams were assigned, and the class was eventually dismissed for lunch.

Naruto stormed off, grumbling under his breath as he ate. "Ugh, why does Sakura-chan always stick to Sasuke like glue? Damn it, I need to teach that guy a lesson!"

Just then, he spotted Sasuke sitting calmly on a rooftop, eating rice balls as if he didn't have a care in the world.

A mischievous grin spread across Naruto's face. "Heh, perfect. Time to test my new jutsu!"

Without wasting another second, he gobbled down the rest of his meal and darted off.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was leisurely eating, but his mind was elsewhere.

"With the adjustments to the Onigaura Technique, I should be able to gather all five chakra natures soon. Maybe I can even use Shadow Clones to perform elemental combination jutsu..."

Suddenly, his senses tingled. Someone was approaching from behind—stealthily, yet predictably.

"Tsk. Naruto, huh?" he muttered to himself.

His perception had sharpened considerably since practicing the New Moon Chapter of the Moonlight Forging Technique. He could now faintly sense presences around him.

Whoosh!

Naruto lunged forward, rope in hand, attempting to tie Sasuke up.

Bang!

Sasuke turned smoothly and kicked him away.

Naruto tumbled across the rooftop but quickly got up, a determined look in his eyes. "Fine, Plan B it is! Sasuke, let's fight! I'll show you my new jutsu!"

With that, he quickly formed hand seals.

Bang!

A thick cloud of smoke erupted, and when it cleared, more than ten identical Narutos stood in a circle around Sasuke.

"Hah! Ten against one! You're finished, Sasuke!"

Naruto grinned triumphantly. "Without Sakura-chan here to fawn over you, I'm gonna teach you a lesson!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You? Learning the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu? Interesting."

Before Naruto could react, there was another bang—and a second Naruto appeared within the group.

"Huh?! What the—? Did Sasuke just use the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself as one of my clones?!"

Panic set in among the Narutos.

"Alright, boys! We'll just beat up everyone until we find the real one!"

Chaos erupted as the clones turned on each other, each one convinced that the imposter was among them.

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

"Wait! It's you, Number 8!"

"No way, it's gotta be you!"

"Take this!"

As the clones clashed, Sasuke casually stood atop a nearby rooftop, watching the mayhem unfold with mild amusement.

"Idiot. I never used the Transformation Jutsu. I just swapped myself out with a Shadow Clone using the Body Replacement Technique and left." He smirked. "And now Naruto's too busy beating himself up."

Afternoon arrived, and the students returned to the classroom.

Bang!

Naruto stumbled in, bruised and battered, his face full of frustration.

Sakura blinked in surprise. "Naruto, what happened? Did you try to fight Sasuke?"

Naruto clenched his fists. "Damn it, Sasuke! He makes me so mad!"

Sasuke leaned back lazily in his seat. "Hey, don't look at me. You did that to yourself."

Naruto was about to argue when the classroom door swung open again.

"Ah, so this is Team 7. You guys move fast."

A calm voice spoke, and the students turned to see a tall man with silver hair, his headband covering one eye and his face partially masked. He had an air of laziness yet undeniable confidence.

"Huh? You guys don't seem too friendly," the man observed as he scratched his head. "Oh well, come with me."

Kakashi led the three of them to the rooftop of the academy, where the late afternoon sun cast long shadows over Konoha.

"Alright," Kakashi said, folding his arms. "Let's start with introductions."

Sakura tilted her head. "Introductions? Like what?"

"Hmm... your name, your likes, dislikes, dreams, that sort of thing."

Naruto grinned. "Sensei, why don't you go first?"

Kakashi thought for a moment. "Sure, why not? I'm Hatake Kakashi. Dreams? Nothing worth mentioning. Likes and dislikes? Classified."

Naruto's face fell. "What?! We barely learned anything about you!"

Sakura crossed her arms. "Seriously, you're so secretive, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi chuckled. "Alright, your turn."

Naruto shot up, puffing out his chest. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I love ramen, especially from Ichiraku! My dream is to surpass all the Hokage and be recognized by everyone!"

Sakura went next. "I'm Haruno Sakura, and I like..."

She glanced shyly at Sasuke, her cheeks slightly pink.

Kakashi sighed. "Ah, teenage girls. Always more focused on love than ninjutsu."

"And my least favorite thing is... Naruto!"

"Hey! What the heck, Sakura-chan?!" Naruto whined.

Finally, all eyes turned to Sasuke.

Kakashi gestured at him. "Alright, your turn, dark-haired prodigy."

Sasuke looked up at the sky, his expression unreadable.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I have very few likes and many dislikes. As for my dream..."

A shadow passed over his eyes.

"I don't have a dream. I have an ambition. To restore my clan... and to kill a certain someone."

Kakashi studied him silently. "...I see."

And thus, Team 7 was officially formed.