Inside the school building, the newly graduated genin gathered in a spacious classroom. The sunlight streamed through tall windows, illuminating the wooden floors and casting warm light across the students' expectant faces.
At the front stood Iruka, the familiar teacher with the deep scar across his left cheek. He held a scroll in his hand; beside him, a few other instructors waited, ready to introduce themselves and meet their new teams.
"Congratulations on your graduation," Iruka began, his tone both firm and warmly proud. The room fell silent, every pair of eyes focused on him.
"Today," he continued, "you will be assigned to your teams. Each group will be led by a jōnin sensei, who will oversee your missions and your growth."
His gaze flicked briefly to Naruto. Iruka's expression tightened just a bit as he thought, Please, no trouble today.
But Naruto Uzumaki, the top prankster was too busy glaring at Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke was seated a few rows ahead, and, predictably, was surrounded by admiring girls.
"That guy thinks he's so cool," Naruto muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes at Sasuke's calm composure.
Naruto's determination flared. He stood up dramatically. "Forget this," he declared before Iruka even finished assigning. "I'm gonna show him what I'm made of!"
As he leaned forward, only one thing pulled him back, a rough nudge from a fellow student. That tiny push sent Naruto flying forward, and before gravity could be denied… his lips collided squarely with Sasuke's.
The classroom exploded in stunned silence for a heartbeat. Then, pandemonium erupted.
"Ahhh! Gross!" Naruto jumped back, wiping his mouth frantically, horror etched across his features. "I got kissed by Sasuke!"
Sasuke wiped his lips too, face flaming red, but anger lit his eyes. He spun on Naruto and glared so ferociously that the other students shrank back, sensing what was to come.
"Narutoooo!!" Iruka jumped forward. "I told you not to start anything!"
Naruto shrank into his seat, head down, eyes cast toward the desk. He avoided Sasuke, though Sasuke's icy glare stayed fixed on him.
Iruka shook his head in exasperation and carefully continued.
He unrolled the scroll and cleared his throat.
"Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno. Your jōnin sensei will be Kakashi Hatake."
Naruto's eyes widened with relief mixed with excitement, until he saw Sasuke's expression sour. He leaned close to Sakura, whispering: "Why do I always get stuck with this guy?"
Sakura glanced slightly at Naruto's hateful face that took Sasuke's first kiss and then glanced at Sasuke, while Sasuke remained resolute behind his mask, though a brief flicker of determination crossed his face. He'd been assigned a strong new sensei, Kakashi Hatake, and that counted for something.
Iruka didn't bother correcting Naruto's muttered complaint. He simply nodded and continued.
"Team 8: Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyūga. Kurenai Yuhi is your sensei."
Kiba puffed up with pride as Akamaru barked in agreement. Shino adjusted his glasses, his expression calm. Hinata offered a quiet, uplifting smile, just visible in her stillness.
"Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Chōji Akimichi," Iruka paused, and Asuma Sarutobi stepped forward. Smoke still drifting from the butt of his cigarette. "Their jōnin instructor: Asuma Sarutobi."
Shikamaru slouched in classic style. "What a drag…" he muttered. Ino beamed brightly. Chōji rummaged in his pockets for snacks, as unfazed as ever.
As each team quietly assembled around their sensei, Iruka addressed the remaining groups.
"These teams were formed based on your skills and personalities. Your jōnin sensei will guide you through missions and training, and help you become a real shinobi of the Hidden Leaf."
Iruka's gaze flicked once again to Naruto, who sat glued to Sasuke's stern profile, concealing guilt with his world-famous grin.
Naruto swallowed hard, avoiding the teacher's penetrating eyes.
Iruka took a deep breath. "Remember, the path of a ninja is difficult. It requires dedication, loyalty to your comrades, and, above all the Will of Fire that binds us."
The freshly made genin straightened their backs, absorbing the responsibility before them.
"That's all!" Iruka called after a pause. "I'm proud of each one of you!"
One by one, the students stood and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei!" they called in unison.
Iruka sputtered in surprise, then found himself smiling and brushing away tears he hadn't realized he'd let slip.
…
With the formalities complete, the jonin and genin departed. Except Team 7, the other Teams went to their senseis who were waiting nearby. Team 8 gathered excitedly around Kurenai. Team 10 looked over at Asuma, whose brow remained creased despite returning his student's greetings.
As the students filed out, Asuma caught sight of Kakashi and Kurenai walking side by side. He cleared his throat and plastered on a smile.
"Yo, Kakashi. Yo, Kurenai."
"Hey, Asuma," Kakashi responded, his tone polite but neutral. Something in his voice, confidence, perhaps, made it clear he wasn't overly friendly but not unfriendly, either.
Kurenai offered a curt nod. Asuma's face tightened into a polite smile. He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn't come, so he cleared his throat.
Ino, walking past, noticed Asuma's discomfort and gave him a sympathetic look. She glanced from him to Kakashi. In that instant, Asuma looked so outmatched that Ino's expression could only be described as pity.
Feeling the sting, Asuma swallowed hard and gave a shallow wave before turning to lead his team out of earshot.
Kakashi glanced back at him thoughtfully, then said goodbye to Kurenai and stepped toward the classroom. He heard Naruto already whispering conspiracies with his team:
"…if the teacher doesn't show up in five minutes, we put this on the door then BAM!"
Naruto froze when he saw Kakashi enter. He slid into his seat and gave a shaky "thumbs up," hoping conspiracy mode would be passed off as a joke.
…
Inside the classroom, the atmosphere settled. Team 7 arranged themselves neatly in the first row. Kakashi stood at the front, arms crossed.
One by one he studied each face: Naruto, with his restless energy; Sasuke, eyes alert and still; Sakura, nervous, hopeful.
Then his eyes drifted to Naruto. "All right," he began, voice calm and steady. "I'm your sensei now. I trust you all to do your best, no matter how ridiculous some of you are."
Sasuke stared straight ahead. Naruto looked sheepishly proud. Sakura swallowed hard and sat up straighter.
Naruto stole another glance. "Sensei…" he breathed, giving his best serious, blinkery glare. Kakashi just raised an eyebrow in response.
"Ah never mind. Let's head up to the roof." He wanted to ask them about their dreams and things here. But he thinks the rooftop like in Canon is better.
They followed him in silence.
Once they got up there, the sky was bright and the wind was gentle. Kakashi sat on the railing and looked at the three genin standing in front of him.
"All right," he said. "Let's start with introductions."
"Um… sensei, what do you mean? Introductions?" Sakura asked as she raised her hand.
"I mean your name, what you like, what you hate, and your dream or goal." Kakashi smiled and explained.
"Oh," Sakura said, glancing at Sasuke. "Okay…"
"Let's start with you, pink hair." Kakashi pointed at Sakura.
Sakura sat up straighter. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like… well, I mean… certain things." She looked at Sasuke and blushed. "I hate… Naruto!. And my dream is…" She glanced at Sasuke again. "Well… It's kind of personal."
Kakashi didn't say anything. He already knew.
"All right. Next, you, Blondie."
Naruto stood up, putting his hands on his hips. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like instant ramen, especially the kind at Ichiraku! I hate waiting three minutes for the noodles to cook! And my dream, no, my goal is to become the greatest Hokage ever! I want everyone in the village to respect me!"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Hmm… ambitious."
Naruto crossed his arms, still fired up. "You bet it is!"
Kakashi then turned to the last one. "And you, Emo guy."
Sasuke opened his eyes slowly, ignoring that Kakashi called him emo and spoke in a cold tone.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things I hate, and few I like. I don't have a dream, just a goal. I will restore my clan… and kill a certain someone."
The wind blew gently across the rooftop. Nobody said anything for a few seconds.
Kakashi looked at all three of them. His expression was unreadable.
"Interesting bunch," he said.
He stood up.
"Well," Kakashi continued, "that's it for introductions. Tomorrow, we start real ninja work. But it won't be a mission."
"Huh?" Naruto frowned. "Then what is it?"
"It's survival training," Kakashi said.
Sakura blinked. "But we already graduated…"
Kakashi gave a lazy smile. "Yeah, but this is different. It'll decide whether you become a real genin or not."
Naruto shouted, "What?! But we already passed the exam!"
Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. "Only in the academy. This is my test. And just so you know… out of all the students, only three out of twenty-seven usually pass."
All three of them froze.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"That's crazy!"
Naruto screamed.
Kakashi smirked. "Meet me at Training Ground Three. Don't eat breakfast. You'll just throw up."
Then he turned and walked away.
The three of them stood there, stunned.
Sasuke looked annoyed. Sakura was nervous. Naruto clenched his fists and yelled, "I'm gonna pass no matter what!"