Naruto had expected to be the first one there, but to his surprise, Sakura was already sitting on a rock, rubbing her eyes and barely staying awake. The morning air was chilly, and the training ground was still covered in soft shadows from the trees. She yawned, arms wrapped around herself, blinking slowly like a cat who had been forced out of bed too early.
He walked past her without a word and sat against a tree, stretching his legs out in front of him. The grass was damp with morning dew, cool against his fingertips as he absently traced patterns into the dirt.
Then, a soft rustling.
A small brown bunny hopped out of the underbrush, nose twitching. Then another. And another. Within moments, he was surrounded by them. Tiny paws barely made a sound against the earth as they approached him, ears flicking at the morning breeze.
He reached out, fingers running gently over one's back. It barely reacted, just twitched its whiskers at him before settling down comfortably by his side. Another nudged at his knee. Another pawed at his sandal.
Sakura, who had been trying to keep her head up, noticed. Her eyes widened, watching as more rabbits casually made their way over to Naruto like he was some kind of magnet for small, fluffy creatures.
"What the hell?" she muttered, sitting up straighter.
Naruto barely glanced at her, too focused on petting the small white bunny now curled up beside him.
More rustling. More ears flicking.
"Okay, what the hell," she repeated, louder this time, standing up and walking toward him.
Naruto just kept petting the rabbits, one hand running over their soft fur while the others sniffed at his clothes.
Sakura stared, completely baffled.
"How are you doing this?" she finally blurted out, pointing at the absurd scene in front of her.
"Doing what?" Naruto asked, voice calm, as if this was completely normal.
"Petting the bunnies, of course!"
Naruto blinked. "You've never pet a bunny before?"
Sakura crossed her arms. "Of course I have! But they don't just… come to people like this! They always run away!"
Naruto tilted his head. "Maybe you're doing it wrong."
Sakura scoffed. "There's no wrong way to pet a bunny!"
He gestured at the rabbits still gathered around him. "Then why do they run away from you?"
Sakura's mouth opened, then closed. She frowned. "Fine," she huffed. "Show me how, then."
Naruto shifted, moving his hand to demonstrate. "First, don't just grab them. You gotta let them come to you."
Sakura sighed, but sat down next to him, watching as he slowly extended his hand, palm facing down, letting one of the rabbits sniff at it before gently stroking its head.
"See? No sudden moves. No grabbing."
Sakura hesitated, then copied him, reaching out slowly. One of the bunnies twitched its nose at her fingers. Encouraged, she moved closer—
And instantly, the rabbit darted away, vanishing into the bushes.
She groaned.
Naruto shook his head. "Too fast."
Sakura glared at him. "Oh, shut up."
She tried again, this time slowing her movements. One of the bunnies hesitated, watching her with large, round eyes. She barely breathed. Then, after what felt like forever, the rabbit cautiously moved closer, its tiny paws barely making a sound against the ground.
Then, finally, it let her touch it.
Sakura grinned, triumphant.
Naruto just nodded. "Not bad."
She shot him a look. "Not bad? I just did something impossible!"
Naruto shrugged. "It's not impossible. You just needed to stop being hesitant."
Sakura punched his shoulder. Not hard, but not exactly gentle either. "You're so annoying."
The bunny she was petting twitched, then quickly hopped away.
Sakura groaned again. "Damn it!"
Naruto just nodded, reaching out to scratch another bunny behind its ears.
The morning sun rose higher, filtering through the trees, casting long shadows across the training ground. The rabbits, sensing the change in the air, began to slip back into the underbrush, disappearing one by one.
Sakura watched them go, frowning slightly. "I still don't get how you did that."
Naruto just leaned back against the tree, arms resting behind his head. "Not sure. Guess they just like me."
Sakura gave him a long, skeptical look but didn't argue.
Instead, she sat back against the rock she had been on earlier, glancing up at the sky. The day was just beginning, and knowing Kakashi, they'd be waiting a long time.
For now, she decided, she wouldn't question things too much.
Naruto crunched down on his carrot, slow and steady, chewing like he had all the time in the world. He had been a tortoise once, in another life. The kind that lived for centuries, barely moving, barely thinking. He had also been a sloth, hanging upside down in the rainforests of Kawa no Kuni, moving so slowly that moss had grown on his fur. But not even those lives could compare to the sheer, mind-numbing laziness that was Kakashi Hatake.
Five hours late. Five. Hours.
If he had known, he would've taken a nap. Maybe painted something. Maybe found more rabbits. Instead, he had sat here, watching Sakura alternate between muttering angrily under her breath and dozing off. Watching Sasuke stare at nothing, arms crossed, face unreadable as ever. Watching the sun climb higher and higher while his stomach reminded him of last night's missed meal.
And now, finally, finally, Kakashi had arrived.
Sakura was fuming. "You're late!" she snapped, standing up so fast her chair nearly toppled over.
Kakashi just raised a hand in lazy defense. "Mah, mah. I got lost on the road of life."
Naruto bit off another piece of carrot.
Sasuke remained silent, but the slight twitch of his eyebrow showed he was just as annoyed.
Kakashi, completely unfazed, reached into his pocket and pulled out two small, silver bells, letting them dangle from his fingers. "This is your test. Your goal is to take one of these bells from me."
The bells jingled softly, catching the light as they swayed.
"There are only two," Kakashi continued, "which means one of you is going back to the Academy."
Sakura stiffened. Sasuke's hands twitched slightly. Naruto swallowed the last of his carrot, licking stray crumbs off his thumb.
Kakashi set an alarm clock down on a tree stump, twisting the dial. "You have until noon."
One hour, then.
"Your time starts now."
Sasuke vanished.
Sakura was right behind him.
Naruto remained standing there in the clearing, staring blankly at Kakashi. The wind rustled the leaves, the distant chirping of birds filling the silence between them.
Kakashi tilted his head. "Not going to hide?"
Naruto blinked slowly, tilting his head the same way. "Can I have a bell, Inu?"
Kakashi's visible eye twitched. "It's Kakashi-sensei, now."
"Oh." Naruto scratched his cheek. "Can I have a bell, Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi sighed. "No, get it yourself."
Naruto hummed in thought. His stomach growled.
"You should've listened to me and skipped breakfast," Kakashi mused.
"Didn't have breakfast to begin with," Naruto replied.
Kakashi blinked. "Huh. Well, that's unfortunate."
Naruto sighed. He could feel Sakura and Sasuke hiding in the trees, their presence sharp and tense.
Alright, then.
He shouldn't display what he can do: how much of it he can do. He wasn't sure if there was a point of beating Inu, if he could, that is. Let's just move the limbs a bit.
He bent his knees slightly, then launched himself forward in a sudden blur of movement. His fingers grazed the bells—
Kakashi was gone.
Naruto landed on the ground lightly, blinking at the now-empty space in front of him.
Oh.
Fast.
He turned his head slightly, catching the faint sound of rustling leaves behind him.
"Good attempt," Kakashi said from a branch above, sounding vaguely amused. "But not good enough."
Naruto rolled his shoulders, stretching his arms behind his head.
Alright, maybe this would be fun after all.
The test had begun.
Sakura hid behind a tree, heart pounding, fingers gripping the bark so tightly her nails dug into it. She had barely gotten away before Kakashi could see her. She had seen how quickly he moved, how effortlessly he had dodged Naruto. This was a jōnin. A real ninja.
She swallowed hard.
I have to be smart about this.
Sasuke would probably try a direct attack. That was his style. She doubted Naruto had any real plan. He had just lunged at Kakashi like it was nothing. Idiot.
She needed to be careful. She needed to wait for the right moment.
Quietly, she peeked out from behind the tree, scanning the clearing for any sign of Kakashi.
Then—
A hand clamped onto her shoulder.
She barely had time to scream before the world flipped upside down.
Leaves and sky spun together, her stomach dropping as she found herself hanging, feet in the air, upside down from a tree branch, tied up in a snare of ninja wire.
Her shriek echoed through the forest.
Somewhere, Naruto remarked. "That was fast."
Sasuke moved through the trees silently, watching everything from above. He had seen Naruto's failed attempt. He had seen Sakura get caught.
Now, it was his turn.
He narrowed his eyes, tracking Kakashi's movements carefully. The jōnin was fast, but not impossible to follow. There were patterns in the way he moved, slight tells in the way his weight shifted before he vanished.
Sasuke adjusted his grip on his kunai.
He could do this.
He would do this.
He wasn't going back to the Academy.
Naruto sat cross-legged on a tree branch, watching the events unfold below with mild interest.
Sakura was hanging from a rope. Sasuke was lurking in the shadows, preparing for his attack.
Kakashi stood in the middle of it all, one hand in his pocket, completely unfazed.
Naruto tilted his head.
Maybe I should actually try.
With a lazy stretch, he hopped down from his branch, landing soundlessly on the forest floor.
Kakashi turned his head slightly, sensing the movement.
Naruto blinked.
Then he vanished.
The real game had just begun.
Naruto tilted his head, watching Kakashi flip another page of his orange book, completely ignoring the fact that two of his students had already been taken out. His posture was relaxed, his grip on the book casual, but Naruto wasn't fooled. Beneath that mask of boredom, Kakashi was coiled like a viper, perfectly aware of every movement around him.
Naruto took a step closer. "Can I fight you for real?"
Kakashi didn't even look up. "Go ahead."
That was all the permission he needed.
Naruto moved.
Like a cheetah, he lunged forward, fast and sharp, hands reaching for the bells with practiced precision. But Kakashi was faster. Before Naruto could even blink, Kakashi had already sidestepped, barely bothering to dodge. It was effortless.
Naruto twisted midair, landing on all fours before launching again, this time like a puma—more force, more muscle, more calculated. His foot barely touched the ground before he was airborne again, coming in at a sharper angle.
Kakashi yawned.
Naruto frowned.
Fine, then.
He adjusted his approach. Instead of speed, he hopped lightly, moving unpredictably—rabbit. Then, suddenly, a powerful kick—kangaroo. His legs were fast, stronger than they looked, and they had knocked out grown men before. But—
Kakashi was gone.
Before Naruto could react, a leg swept through the air, catching him at the ribs.
His world spun.
And then, splash.
Water engulfed him instantly, cold and jarring, the pond swallowing his entire form in one go.
For a second, he was still. Then, instinct kicked in, and he shot out of the water like a kingfisher, body arcing through the air, aiming straight for Kakashi's head—
Except—
He hit a log instead.
His face smacked against the rough bark, and before he could react, a voice whispered right behind him.
"Boo."
A foot connected with his back, and suddenly, he was flying again.
Except this time—
"OW!"
Sakura's shriek rang in his ears as he crashed straight into her, sending them both spinning like tangled marionettes.
Naruto groaned, limbs wrapped around hers as they dangled awkwardly from the rope trap.
"Sorry. Dattebane."
Sakura flailed. "Get off me, you idiot!"
"I'm kinda stuck, actually."
"You're heavy!"
"You're loud."
"You're annoying!"
Before Naruto could argue further, there was a click, and the rope suddenly snapped, sending them both plummeting toward the ground.
They landed in a heap of limbs and groans.
Naruto was the first to sit up, rubbing the back of his head.
Sakura groaned from beneath him. "This sucks."
"Yeah."
A shadow loomed over them.
They looked up.
Kakashi crouched on a branch, staring down at them with an eye-smile. "Having fun?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You planned that, didn't you?"
Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "Maa, maybe."
Naruto stared at him, then at the still-dangling bells, then back at Kakashi.
This guy was playing with them.
This wasn't even a challenge for him.
Naruto sighed, standing up and offering a hand to Sakura, who batted it away and stood on her own. He turned toward the last person left standing.
Sasuke.
Naruto could see it in his posture, the way his hands clenched, the way his brows furrowed just slightly.
Frustration.
He was getting impatient.
Sasuke had been watching the entire time. Studying. Calculating. Now, he was ready to move.
And move he did.
With the sharp snap of a twig, Sasuke vanished, moving fast, even faster than Naruto had.
But Kakashi didn't even flinch.
With a single step, he was gone.
A blur of movement. The sound of impact.
Then, silence.
Naruto blinked.
Sasuke was in the ground.
Literally.
Only his legs were sticking out, dirt and debris scattered around the impact zone.
Sakura let out a horrified gasp. Naruto just exhaled through his nose.
Kakashi dusted his hands off. "Well, that's three down."
He checked his watch.
"Ten seconds left."
Naruto sighed, stretching his arms behind his head. "Guess we failed, huh?"
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "Oh, you definitely failed."
The alarm clock rang.
Time was up.
—ToT—
They were tied to logs.
The sun was beating down on them, warm and relentless, a stark contrast to the rumbling in their stomachs. Hunger gnawed at their insides, a constant reminder of their failure. Across from them, Kakashi sat on a wooden crate, casually picking at his bento with a pair of chopsticks, his mask still perfectly in place. He ate slowly, deliberately, making a show of every bite.
Naruto's stomach grumbled. Loudly.
Then Sakura's.
Then Sasuke's.
It was like a chain reaction, one after another, a cruel symphony of emptiness.
Sakura blushed, mortified. Sasuke stiffened, clearly trying to pretend his body hadn't just betrayed him.
Naruto just blinked. "Our stomachs made noise. Dattebane."
"Shut up, Naruto," Sakura hissed.
Kakashi chuckled, still chewing. "You know," he said after swallowing, "I'm not sending any of you back to the Ninja Academy."
Really?
That sounded too good to be true.
But then, before they could feel any relief, he continued, "Because I'm not sending you back to the Academy. I'm sending you home. Expelling you all from the shinobi program."
A moment of silence.
Then—
"What?"
Kakashi hummed, tilting his head. "However…" He tapped his chopsticks against the bento box. "If at least one of you is voted twice by the rest of the team, I'll pass the remaining two and make them officially genin. I'm giving you one minute to decide."
Sakura's breath hitched. Sasuke's eyes darkened.
Naruto… just stared.
A chance to drop out? Just like that?
His fingers curled against the rough bark of the log.
Being a shinobi wasn't his choice. It never was. The Academy, the training, the tests—it was all expected of him. A duty. A forced path. The world of shinobi was cruel, filled with killers, filled with people like them. He had been hunted by shinobi so many times in his past lives—stabbed, cut, burned, crushed, trapped, dissected. It was endless. They had always been his predators, no matter what he was.
And now, he could just leave.
He exhaled slowly.
"I'll drop," he said simply. "Sakura and Sasuke can proceed."
Both of them turned to look at him, surprised.
Sakura's lips parted slightly before she furrowed her brows. Her fingers clenched in her lap. Then, to his complete surprise, she shook her head.
"I should be the one to drop out," she muttered. "I'm the weakest one here."
Sasuke scoffed quietly, barely a sound, but his expression was serious. "I can pursue my dream without being a shinobi."
Naruto stared.
Sakura had every reason to stay—she wanted this. She trained for this. She studied for this. But she was willing to give it up for them?
And Sasuke.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Who had been bred for this, who had talent oozing from every cell in his body, who was born into a clan of warriors, who had every reason to carve his path through the blood of his enemies.
And yet, he was willing to leave it all behind?
For them?
One by one, they voted for themselves.
No hesitation. No second thoughts.
Kakashi's chopsticks froze mid-air.
Then, slowly, he smiled beneath his mask.
"You all pass."
"Huh?"
Naruto blinked, Sakura gawked, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"In the shinobi world," Kakashi said, standing up and dusting off his hands, "those who abandon their missions are trash. But those who abandon their comrades… are worse than trash."
Naruto exhaled through his nose, shoulders sagging slightly.
Humans were so complicated.
At least Kakashi treated them to food.
They sat at a quiet little restaurant near the village outskirts, nothing fancy, but decent enough. The place smelled like grilled meat and soy sauce, and Naruto's stomach practically did a backflip when the first plate hit the table.
"Eat up," Kakashi said, waving lazily at the spread of food. "Consider it a reward for not being complete failures."
Naruto didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed a skewer of grilled chicken and sank his teeth into it, savoring the smoky flavor. After a day of nothing but his own saliva, this was heaven.
Sakura hesitated at first, sitting properly with her hands in her lap, but after glancing at Naruto stuffing his face, she gave in and started picking at a bowl of rice. Sasuke, of course, acted like he didn't care, but he still grabbed some food in that too-casual way that meant he was definitely starving.
Kakashi ate slowly, eyes on his little orange book, turning the pages as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world. Naruto squinted at the cover. Icha Icha Tactics.
"What's that about?" he asked, pointing at the book with a skewer.
Kakashi barely glanced up. "Tactics."
Naruto wasn't buying it. "Tactics for what?"
Kakashi flipped another page. "Adult things."
Sakura immediately turned red.
Sasuke made a face like he just bit into a lemon.
Naruto shrugged and took another bite. "Whatever. As long as you're paying, you can read whatever weird stuff you want, Inu."
Kakashi sighed. "It's Kakashi-sensei."
"Sure thing, Inu."
Kakashi just hummed in amusement.
The food disappeared fast. Naruto probably ate the most, but Sasuke wasn't far behind, and even Sakura surprised herself by finishing everything on her plate. The restaurant owner, a grumpy old man with a towel over his shoulder, watched them from behind the counter, shaking his head.
"They're like wild animals," he muttered.
Kakashi smiled. "They're growing shinobi."
Naruto leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head, stomach finally full. "So, what now, sensei?"
Kakashi set his book down. "Now? Now the real work begins."
Sakura frowned. "What do you mean?"
Kakashi stretched, looking at them like a lazy cat sizing up its kittens. "Today was just the first step. You're officially genin now, which means we start missions tomorrow."
Naruto perked up. "Like real missions?"
"Real missions," Kakashi confirmed.
Sasuke's fingers twitched. "What kind of missions?"
Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "Oh, you know, the usual—chasing lost pets, pulling weeds, cleaning gutters—"
Sakura nearly fell out of her seat. "That's not ninja stuff."
"Ah, but it is," Kakashi said cheerfully. "Every great shinobi starts with the basics. And besides…" His single eye curved into a smile. "You'll get plenty of real action soon enough."
That was both reassuring and mildly terrifying.
Sasuke just scoffed, arms crossed. Sakura looked thoughtful. Naruto groaned dramatically but didn't argue.
The meal ended with Kakashi paying the bill, as promised. They stepped out into the evening air, the streets still busy with villagers going about their business. The sky was turning deep orange, the last traces of sunlight fading behind the rooftops.
"Meet me at Training Ground 7 tomorrow at sunrise," Kakashi said. "Don't be late."
Naruto gave him a deadpan look. "You're telling us not to be late?"
Kakashi just gave an eye smile. "See you tomorrow." And just like that, he was gone, vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
Sakura sighed. "He's so weird."
Sasuke grunted in agreement.
Naruto just stretched. "Well, see you guys tomorrow. Dattebane."
They parted ways, each heading home, full but exhausted.
Naruto, for once, didn't mind the quiet walk back.
—ToT—
The office was dimly lit, the smell of burning incense mixing with the faint scent of old parchment. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, pipe in hand, his eyes scanning the report Kakashi had handed him. The Jounin sat across from him, posture relaxed, one leg lazily resting over the other.
Hiruzen hummed as he read, his brow furrowing slightly. "Your thoughts?"
Kakashi flipped a page in his little orange book but didn't read it. "On which one?"
"Sasuke Uchiha," Hiruzen said, glancing up.
Kakashi sighed, rubbing his temple. "He's strong. Driven. But he's too focused on revenge. It makes him predictable. He doesn't trust others, which is a problem for teamwork. He sees allies as obstacles, not assets. He fights alone because he believes no one else is worth his time. He will either get himself killed or make an enemy of his comrades if that doesn't change."
Hiruzen nodded, expecting as much. "And Sakura Haruno?"
"Academically sharp, but physically average. Good chakra control, but lacks combat experience. Too emotionally invested in Sasuke, to the point where it clouds her judgment. She doesn't take Naruto seriously and underestimates him. She sees shinobi life as a game, something to prove herself to Sasuke rather than a responsibility."
Hiruzen exhaled through his nose, the smoke from his pipe curling into the air. "And Naruto?"
There was a pause. Kakashi shut his book.
"...He's too abnormal."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Kakashi leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping against his knee. "It's not just his stamina, though that alone is unnatural. It's the way he moves. The way he fights. It's… animalistic. Instinctual. Unpredictable."
Hiruzen watched him carefully. "Go on."
"He doesn't fight like a human. He fights like something that was never taught how to be human in the first place. It's subtle, but it's there. When he lunges, it's not the way a trained shinobi would—it's the way a predator would. Low to the ground, shoulders tense, waiting for the right moment to strike. When he kicks, it's not controlled; it's wild, raw power, like the way a kangaroo would lash out. His reflexes… they're too sharp. We know he can talk with animals, but he can even fight like them, it seems."
Hiruzen frowned, deep in thought. "You believe it's the Kyuubi?"
Kakashi shook his head. "No. It's something else. The Kyuubi's chakra would feel more violent, more malicious. This is different. It's not aggressive, just... instinctive. Like he's lived through something we haven't. Like he remembers things he shouldn't. There were moments during the bell test where I could swear he was analyzing me the way a hunter watches prey."
Hiruzen said nothing, merely taking another long drag from his pipe.
"He's always been quiet," Kakashi continued. "Not shy, just… observant. He doesn't speak unless he has something to say. Doesn't react the way normal children do. When I taunted him, he didn't get angry. When I hit him, he didn't flinch. When I appeared behind him, he didn't even seem surprised, like he expected it. His eyes—those glowing sapphire eyes—always watching, always calculating, but almost... hollow."
Hiruzen set his pipe down. "You believe he struggles with human interaction?"
"We know him, he barely tried to intitate human interactions." Kakashi exhaled. "He interacts with people like someone who isn't used to it. Like someone who never learned how. He doesn't joke the way kids his age do. He doesn't react to insults, doesn't get flustered, doesn't even brag. He accepts things as they are, no complaints, no expectations. When Sakura or Sasuke bicker, he doesn't chime in. He just listens. He watches. And when he does speak, it's often something simple but meaningful, as if he's not used to wasting words."
Hiruzen sat back in his chair. "He was raised alone. He was around ANBU more than civilians. It makes sense that he would struggle to understand normal social interactions."
Kakashi nodded. "Still, he's a good child. Polite, thoughtful in his own way. He has his mother's hair and his eyes. And despite everything, I think he has the heart of both his parents. But there's something else about him, something I can't quite place. A weight in the way he moves. Like he's older than he looks."
Hiruzen folded his hands together. "What do you recommend?"
Kakashi was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "I want to push him further. See what he's capable of. Whatever this... Taijutsu is, it's not normal, but it's not necessarily bad. He fights like someone who's survived things we can't imagine. If we can understand what makes him different, we can guide him in the right direction. If left unchecked, though... I don't know what he'll become."
Hiruzen hummed. "Very well. Continue to observe. Guide him, but do not pressure him. We will see where his path leads."
Kakashi picked up his book again, flipping it open. "Understood, Hokage-sama."
TBC