Sakura was simply shocked by the fact that this unreliable-looking man was actually a Jōnin of Konoha, and for a brief moment, she even doubted in her heart whether Kakashi-sensei was deliberately deceiving them.
But that thought only lasted for an instant.
After all, Sakura herself knew how absurd that idea was. No matter how unreliable their ninja instructor seemed on the surface, he would never joke about something as important as a Jōnin's identity, let alone deceive his own students.
"Well, I've finished introducing myself. Now it's your turn," Kakashi said lazily, his single visible eye curved slightly. "Let's start with you."
It was obvious that Kakashi had already anticipated how difficult it would be for this group of so-called problem children to voluntarily speak up. Too lazy to waste time, he directly skipped the pleasantries, raised his finger, and casually pointed at Naruto.
"You, go first."
Naruto didn't look surprised at all.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" he said loudly. "What I like is ramen—especially Ichiraku ramen. What I hate is people who give up before even trying. As for my dream… I want to become a great ninja!"
Naruto raised his chin slightly as he spoke, straightened his back, and a confident smile appeared on his face, his tone firm and sincere.
A great ninja?
Kakashi looked at Naruto quietly, his visible eye narrowing just a little. A subtle glint flashed deep within his gaze, and he nodded almost imperceptibly.
"So that's it…"
"How about you?" Kakashi continued.
After Naruto finished speaking, Kakashi shifted his gaze toward the boy sitting in the middle.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke's expression remained indifferent and cold, as if nothing around him mattered. Kakashi's gaze alone was far from enough to stir even the slightest ripple in his heart.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said flatly. "I don't like many things. And I don't particularly hate anything either."
When he reached the final part—
"As for my dream…"
Sasuke paused.
At that moment, his emotions visibly fluctuated. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and the temperature around him seemed to drop instantly. His eyes darkened, and his expression turned ice-cold.
"My dream is to kill a certain man. And then… restore the glory of the Uchiha clan."
The undisguised hatred in his words carried a chilling malice. An oppressive and sharp aura spread out from him, causing the air to feel heavy.
Sakura, who had been completely focused on Sasuke, couldn't help but tremble slightly. A trace of fear unconsciously surfaced in the depths of her eyes.
Naruto, however, remained unmoved.
Not only because he understood Sasuke's personality, but also because, in Naruto's eyes, Sasuke's current killing intent was still far from genuine.
Naruto had personally experienced true murderous intent before—when facing Mizuki that night under the moonlight.
Compared to that kind of life-and-death killing intent, Sasuke's hatred was intense, but still immature.
Let alone Kakashi.
As a ninja who had walked through literal seas of blood and corpses, this level of killing intent was nothing more than a faint breeze to him.
"Although I expected this," Kakashi thought silently, "this kid really is completely blinded by hatred."
Even so, Sasuke's emotional instability still caused Kakashi's brows to crease slightly.
Among the team, this was undoubtedly the most troublesome existence.
At least, that was what Kakashi believed at this moment.
What Kakashi didn't know was that the real problem wasn't Sasuke—but Naruto, who sat quietly to the side, appearing calm and harmless. By the time Kakashi realized the truth, however, it would already be far too late.
"Alright," Kakashi said, shifting his gaze again. "Last one."
His attention moved to Haruno Sakura.
Sakura immediately straightened up, her spirit lifting. She spoke loudly and clearly.
"My name is Haruno Sakura! What I like isn't really a thing, but rather… um… that person I like…"
As she spoke, Sakura's cheeks flushed red. Her body twisted slightly in embarrassment, and she cast a shy glance toward Sasuke. Although she didn't say his name outright, her meaning was painfully obvious.
Unfortunately, Sasuke's expression remained as indifferent as ever.
Completely unresponsive.
It was like confessing to a stone wall.
Sakura's heart felt a little cold, and she suddenly lost the courage to continue her sentence.
"Do girls this age really think like this?" Kakashi sighed inwardly, shaking his head helplessly.
"Then," Kakashi continued, "what do you hate?"
"Ino!"
Sakura blurted it out without the slightest hesitation.
With Naruto no longer pestering her in this life, the top spot on Sakura's list of most annoying people naturally belonged to Yamanaka Ino. For a girl in love, a romantic rival was undoubtedly the greatest enemy, and in Sakura's eyes, Ino perfectly fit that role.
"And your dream?" Kakashi asked.
"Well, my dream is to… marry that person… and then… and then…"
Once she slipped into full fantasy mode, Sakura completely lost control of herself.
She had officially entered her own exclusive "pink aura" state.
Kakashi felt a deep sense of speechlessness.
A twelve-year-old girl…
Terrifying.
"That's enough," Kakashi said, clapping his hands lightly to bring Sakura back to reality. "Now that everyone has introduced themselves, we have a basic understanding of each other."
He leaned forward slightly, smiling faintly.
"Today was just a simple meeting. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin our first task."
After a brief pause, he added calmly—
"And it may very well be your last task."
At those words, Naruto remained expressionless, clearly unfazed.
Sasuke frowned slightly.
Sakura, on the other hand, widened her eyes in shock.
"Huh?! What does that mean, Kakashi-sensei?" she asked nervously. "Why would the first task be the last one?"
Was it dangerous?
Could it be life-threatening?
The more she thought about it, the more Sakura's body trembled.
"Hehe," Kakashi chuckled. "You'll find out tomorrow. No need to worry now."
"As for the task content, I'll explain it then. You can think of it as a special survival test—to see whether you're truly qualified to be ninjas."
"Meet at five in the morning. Training Ground Two."
"Oh, and one more thing," Kakashi added casually. "Don't eat breakfast. And don't be late. I hate people who are late."
"That's a friendly reminder from your teacher."
With that final warning, before Naruto, Sasuke, or Sakura could say anything, there was a loud bang.
A cloud of white smoke erupted.
And Kakashi Hatake vanished from the spot.