In the early morning, Konohagakure, waking up from a quiet night, began to bustle with activity.
"Ahhh~~~"
Uzumaki Naruto yawned, rubbed his eyes, and joined his teammates Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura.
"Sakura-chan!"
The moment he spotted Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto immediately perked up. His sleepiness vanished, and he greeted her with enthusiasm and energy.
"Hi hi hi..."
Compared to before, after becoming teammates, Haruno Sakura had begun to respond to Uzumaki Naruto's greetings.
Of course, more importantly, Haruno Sakura wanted to maintain her image as a sweet and beautiful girl in front of Uchiha Sasuke.
"Hmph!"
Uchiha Sasuke, with his hands in his pockets, snorted indifferently. His eyes never landed on Haruno Sakura. Apart from maintaining his cold expression, he would occasionally glance at Uzumaki Naruto.
This team of three formed a perfect spiral!
"Why hasn't Kakashi-sensei arrived yet?"
Uzumaki Naruto tried to please Sakura while complaining, "He's always late. If I hadn't seen Kakashi-sensei fight, I wouldn't believe he was a Jōnin."
Uchiha Sasuke nodded in agreement. He and Naruto had witnessed the intense battles between Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, and Shihouin Naraku and had a rough idea of the strength of these three Jōnin.
So Uchiha Sasuke was quite satisfied with Hatake Kakashi being his sensei, but he wished it could be Shihouin Naraku instead!
Because Shihouin Naraku was the strongest, and for Uchiha Sasuke, who always carried the burden of revenge in his heart, Shihouin Naraku would be the most suitable sensei.
But he could only dream. Naruto had already learned from Iruka-sensei that Shihouin Naraku was a high-ranking official in Konohagakure, and it would be impossible for him to become a sensei for Genin like them.
Uzumaki Naruto glanced at the arrogant Sasuke with some annoyance, and suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. He leaned toward Sasuke and whispered: "Sasuke after today's mission is over, should we check out the training ground?"
Uchiha Sasuke's face momentarily lit up with excitement. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He really wanted to go and take a look, just in case he ran into Shihouin Naraku there.
Haruno Sakura looked at Naruto and Sasuke, whispering with a suspicious expression. She wanted to move closer to listen but was too embarrassed to do so.
For some reason, Haruno Sakura suddenly felt that although there were three people in the team, she, a beautiful girl, was being excluded by the two boys and had become the third wheel that no one paid attention to!
It was as if Naruto and Sasuke were a couple, and she was the one intruding?!
Haruno Sakura was stunned and quickly shook her head to drive this horrible thought from her mind.
In truth, given Uzumaki Naruto's personality, he wouldn't normally hide anything from Haruno Sakura.
However, Hatake Kakashi had specifically warned Naruto and Sasuke, not to mention the battle between the three Jōnin.
After all, experienced shinobi could analyze a lot of information from a battle, which would not be good for Naraku and the others.
So Naruto and Sasuke could only discuss this matter privately and didn't tell Sakura.
The three of them chatted idly, but they waited from morning until noon and still didn't see Hatake Kakashi.
It was outrageous!
What kind of sensei could be so lazy?
Naruto and Sasuke once again began to doubt Hatake Kakashi's status as a Jōnin. If all the Jōnin in Konoha were like Kakashi, then the village would surely fall to ruin.
"Yo, good morning!"
Just when Sasuke and the others were grumbling angrily, Hatake Kakashi suddenly appeared before them, raised his hand and greeted them casually.
"AHHH!!!"
"Kakashi-sensei, it's already noon!"
"When can we start our mission?"
As soon as Uzumaki Naruto saw Hatake Kakashi, he became so angry that he started yelling loudly.
"Oh..."
Hatake Kakashi picked his ear, looking bored, and said, "I always thought you didn't like doing D-rank missions, but I guess I was wrong."
Uzumaki Naruto clenched his fists and glared at Hatake Kakashi angrily, wishing he could headbutt him.
"Alright, alright." Hatake Kakashi raised his hand to signal Naruto to be quiet, then said seriously: "No missions today, follow me!"
After saying that, Hatake Kakashi took the lead and guided the three to the village's training ground.
"Why?"
"Kakashi-sensei, what are we going to do?"
Hatake Kakashi glanced at the curious Naruto and smiled, "You and Sasuke have been demanding to learn powerful jutsu. Now's your chance!"
"Ah!"
Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were both stunned, then secretly thrilled.
There was no hiding it. After witnessing the Jōnin fight, they really wanted to learn that flashy and powerful jutsu!
Looking at their excitement, Hatake Kakashi didn't say much but silently mourned for his three students for a few seconds.
They hadn't walked far before encountering other people.
Team Guy members: Rock Lee, Tenten, and Hyūga Neji!
Sarutobi Asuma is leading Team 10 members: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji, and Yamanaka Ino!
Kurenai Yūhi also brings Team 8 members: Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino!
And, of course, Hatake Kakashi's Team 7 members: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke!
The Konoha 12 were assembled!
"Naruto?"
"Chōji! Shikamaru!"
"Ahh! Sasuke-kun!"
"Ino-pig! Stay away from Sasuke-kun!"
"Forehead girl! You should stay away!"
"What a drag!"
"Crunch... Naruto, want some chips?"
"Oh! The power of youth is burning!"
The four Jōnin leaders stood aside, watching their subordinates chattering, completely unaware of what would happen next.
"Quiet!"
Hatake Kakashi stepped forward and looked at the Genin, who quickly fell silent with a very serious expression.
"Next, you will be tested by one of Konoha's high-ranking officials!"
"If anyone can pass, there will be rewards!"
"Various rewards, including but not limited to powerful jutsu, direct promotion to Chūnin or even Jōnin!"
"You can even make your own requests, and as long as they aren't excessive, they will be granted."
"Now, gather at the training ground 100 meters ahead and wait for the examiner to arrive!"
After Hatake Kakashi finished speaking, he left and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The remaining three Jōnin gave the twelve Genin meaningful looks and then vanished as well.
In reality, they hadn't left but positioned themselves at the edge of the woods, observing from a distance.
"Wait..."
After hearing what Hatake Kakashi said, Nara Shikamaru's skin prickled with unease. Just as he was about to ask something, he realized all the instructors had disappeared.
"This is bad! Something terrible is about to happen!"
Shikamaru looked at Naruto, who was cheering excitedly, Sasuke, who was secretly thrilled, and his other companions, who hadn't fully grasped the situation and felt a growing sense of dread.
At that moment, a knowing gaze met his—it was Hyūga Neji!
He had also sensed something was wrong!
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