superior naruto

Wait… Wait… Wait…

The students in the classroom were called out in groups, one after another. Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata sat together, waiting for their turn. Naruto knew Kakashi would be late… but this was ridiculous.

How late is he going to be? A few hours?

Finally, just as the three were growing impatient, the door creaked open. A man with silver-gray hair, one eye covered by his forehead protector, and a mask over his face walked in. It was Hatake Kakashi.

Sasuke glanced up at the man, his expression serious. So, this is him. Remembering Naruto's introduction from the day before, Sasuke's gaze lingered on Kakashi's covered eye. Does he have a Sharingan like me?

Naruto, too, studied Kakashi carefully. In a way, this was the first time he was seeing Kakashi in person.

Kakashi: "Oh… sorry, sorry. Seems I'm a bit late."

His gaze drifted over the three of them: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Hyuga Hinata.

This team is… unusual.

After Kakashi arrived, the group left the classroom and found an open area outside.

Kakashi: "Let's get to know each other first. Introduce yourselves…"

Hinata: "Um… what should we introduce?"

Kakashi: "Hmm… things like your name, what you like, your hobbies, your dreams… Who wants to go first?"

Before Kakashi could point to Hinata, Sasuke spoke up. "You go first."

He was curious about the man Naruto had described the day before.

Kakashi: "Oh? Me? Alright. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like… and dislike… keeping things confidential. As for dreams… they don't really matter. And my hobbies… well, I have a lot."

Sasuke: "…"

Naruto quietly smirked at Sasuke's expression. If you want to know about Kakashi, you're better off asking me. Of course, it'll cost you—maybe a drink or something.

Kakashi: "Your turn. Start from the right."

The rightmost person was Hinata.

Hinata: "My name is Hyuga Hinata. I'm… a bit clumsy, so I hope everyone can take care of me. I like…" She hesitated, glancing at Naruto but too shy to say his name in front of everyone. "I like… flower arranging. I don't really hate anything… and my dream…" She paused, her voice soft. "My dream has already come true. My hobby is… flower arranging."

Kakashi: "…"

Hmm… she didn't say much besides her name. Did I set a bad example?

Next was Naruto.

Naruto: "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like training. I hate trouble. My dream is to become stronger. My hobby is… training."

Finally, it was Sasuke's turn.

Sasuke: "Name: Uchiha Sasuke. No hobbies. No dislikes. No dreams. No interests."

Naruto: "Pfft—"

Naruto couldn't help but laugh. Sasuke's answer was completely different from what he'd said in the original timeline. It seemed Sasuke was retaliating because Kakashi hadn't shared much about himself.

Kakashi: "…Great. Now I'm starting to dislike you."

Even if I set a bad example, this group is way too good at playing it cool… Unforgivable.

Kakashi: "That's enough introductions. We'll start our mission tomorrow. Just the four of us."

Sasuke: "Mission?"

Sasuke was confused. Naruto had mentioned an assessment, not a mission.

Kakashi: "A survival exercise. Your opponent will be me. This isn't your average training session."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Just like Naruto said yesterday. Maybe his information is reliable after all.

Kakashi: "Tomorrow's survival exercise isn't ordinary. Out of the 27 graduates this year, only nine will pass. That means the failure rate is over 66%."

Kakashi: "Naruto, you haven't received your allowance yet, right?"

Naruto blinked. Oh, right. The Third Hokage promised me an allowance, but I haven't gotten it yet.

Naruto: "Yeah, I was planning to go see the Third Hokage later."

Kakashi: "No need. The Third Hokage asked me to deliver it."

He reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out… a copy of Make-Out Paradise. Underneath it was a stack of money.

Kakashi: "If you want this allowance, you'll have to prove your strength tomorrow."

Naruto: "…"

Kakashi: "Wear your ninja gear tomorrow. And don't eat breakfast—unless you want to throw it up."

He handed each of them a sheet of paper.

Kakashi: "Everything you need to know is written here. Don't be late. That's all for today."

With that, Kakashi left.

Naruto: "Well… that's that. Should the three of us grab a meal together?"

Sasuke: "No need…"

Sasuke stood up to leave, but Naruto stopped him.

Naruto: "Wait. Let's talk about tomorrow's survival exercise. Kakashi said the three of us are his opponents. I think he's implying we should work together."

Sasuke: "Work together?"

Naruto: "You can't even beat me. You don't seriously think you can take on a jonin alone, do you?"

Sasuke's eye twitched. "I can't beat you?"

Naruto: "Uh… don't get worked up. It's just a figure of speech."

Sasuke: "…"

Hinata: "Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun… fighting?"

Naruto: "Just a friendly spar. No big deal."

Actually, we did fight yesterday. Naruto had run into Sasuke on the street, greeted him warmly, and been completely ignored. Things escalated, and they ended up exchanging blows—and information.

Naruto: "Let's find a place to reintroduce ourselves. Skip the nonsense about dreams. Let's talk about what we're good at and come up with a strategy. Otherwise, if we fail tomorrow and get sent back to the academy, it'll be embarrassing."

Sasuke nodded slightly. The thought of failing and having to repeat the academy was unacceptable. His goals were far greater than just becoming a genin.

As the three prepared to leave, a group of students approached.

Student 1: "Naruto! We thought you ran away."

Sasuke: "Friends of yours?"

Naruto blinked. Who are these guys?

Student 2: "You glared at us this morning, didn't you?"

Ah, right. Naruto remembered. These were the guys who'd been talking behind his back earlier.

Naruto: "Yeah, I remember. You're the ones who couldn't keep your mouths shut."

Without another word, Naruto formed hand seals and created five shadow clones. The clones quickly dealt with the group, leaving them sprawled on the ground.

Naruto: "This is one of the jutsu I'm good at."

Sasuke's eye twitched again as he recalled the sea of Naruto clones from their fight the day before.