Then they waited until the smoke completely dissipated and Kakashi's figure vanished from the rooftop.
The three people left behind were still somewhat slow to react.
Even Naruto wore a faint look of astonishment at this moment. He truly hadn't expected Kakashi to be so clean and decisive. After a brief self-introduction, he simply informed them of the time and place of tomorrow's gathering and then left directly, without any unnecessary words.
Sakura, standing to the side, widened her eyes in disbelief. She almost couldn't believe that their jōnin instructor was actually this casual. Was this really the elite ninja who would guide them from now on?
Er Zhuzi—Uchiha Sasuke—also frowned slightly, the doubt in his dark pupils growing heavier.
"Really a very laid-back ninja… Hatake Kakashi…"
Naruto muttered inwardly.
But this was, in fact, one of Kakashi's defining traits.
As for the warnings Kakashi had just given them—
Naruto didn't take them to heart at all.
What? Gather at five o'clock? And no breakfast?
Please. Anyone who has read the original manga would know better. On the surface, Kakashi was their immediate superior, the leader of their three-man cell, and a top-tier jōnin of Konoha. Logically speaking, as genin, they should absolutely obey his instructions.
But Naruto was clearly not someone who fit neatly into that category.
Five o'clock?
Although Naruto couldn't remember the exact timing from the original story with perfect accuracy, he was absolutely certain that Kakashi arriving on time was impossible. Three or four hours late sounded far more realistic. Naruto firmly believed that Kakashi wouldn't show up before eight or nine o'clock. Even ten o'clock felt completely reasonable.
With that thought in mind.
Naruto glanced at his two teammates out of the corner of his eye, stood up, lightly brushed the dust from his clothes, and spoke with a relaxed smile.
"Since Kakashi-sensei has said so, let's go with it. From today on, we're teammates. Just call me Naruto—no need for honorifics."
"Huh? Ah—okay! Naruto, then you can call me Sakura too."
Haruno Sakura was momentarily startled before snapping back to her senses. She nodded quickly and echoed his words. Seeing Naruto speak to her so naturally, a clear look of joy appeared on her face. After all, the strange and awkward atmosphere of the past few hours had almost made her feel suffocated.
Although Sasuke didn't say anything, he gave a slight nod. His expression wasn't as cold as before. No matter how deep the hatred in his heart for his brother ran, he was still only twelve years old.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have shown such conflicting emotions like he did in the original story.
After exchanging a few simple greetings.
Naruto said his goodbyes directly.
Today was merely their first official meeting. Whether Team 7 would truly be formed still depended on tomorrow's survival exercise.
Although Naruto knew that, in the original plot, Kakashi would ultimately allow Team 7 to pass, he wasn't naïve enough to treat this matter lightly. This wasn't the first time Hatake Kakashi had led a genin team. Every team before them had failed the test and been sent back. That fact alone explained a lot. Even considering Naruto's own special status and Sasuke's identity as an Uchiha, Naruto didn't believe Kakashi would show them any special leniency. So he needed to prepare in advance.
Before leaving, Naruto hesitated slightly, then still spoke up.
"It's better not to arrive exactly at five tomorrow. Coming a bit later should be fine. And it's best to eat breakfast before coming."
With a faint smile on his face, Naruto said this to Sasuke and Sakura. Leaving behind the two slightly frowning teammates, he waved his hand and departed without waiting for their response. After jumping down from the rooftop, his figure quickly disappeared from their sight.
"Huh? What does that mean? Kakashi-sensei clearly told us to gather at five and not eat breakfast. Why would Naruto say that? Could it be…?"
After Naruto left, Sakura finally reacted. She turned her head toward Sasuke, her expression full of confusion as she asked.
Unfortunately, Sasuke also didn't understand Naruto's meaning. In truth, Naruto's words were very straightforward, but the two of them overthought it, believing there was some deeper implication. Sasuke only frowned slightly, said nothing, nodded once, then turned around and left.
"Huh? Um, Sasuke-kun, it's almost time now. Today is the first day our team has been formed. If you want, we could go eat together—"
Seeing Sasuke about to leave, Sakura instantly pushed her confusion aside. Realizing that she might be alone with him, her eyes lit up. She looked at Sasuke with excitement and hurriedly blurted out the invitation. But before she could finish—
Sasuke's gaze shifted slightly, and a cold look bloomed in his eyes.
"Uh…"
Sakura's expression froze, the rest of her sentence stuck in her throat.
After giving her that indifferent glance, Sasuke moved his feet and vanished from the spot, dashing straight toward his home.
Only after Sasuke left did Sakura's stiff expression slowly relax. The cold, distant look of her beloved Sasuke-kun replayed again and again in her mind. Sakura slumped like a deflated ball. She had thought that the pain of her one-sided crush, which had lasted for years, might finally ease now that they were in the same team.
But what she hadn't expected was—
It felt like Sasuke hated her more than ever.
Sakura's face scrunched up as she silently felt wronged in her heart.
Was it really impossible for her to get closer to Sasuke-kun?
"No! Haruno Sakura! You're someone who can do anything if you set your mind to it. Don't give up! This is only the first day! There will be plenty of opportunities once we're in a team together! Sasuke-kun, just wait—one day I'll make you notice my charm!"
Sakura took a deep breath, slapped her cheeks lightly, clenched her fist in the air, and put on a determined expression. It was as if she were about to carry out a mission with a nine-deaths-and-one-life difficulty.
The next day, early in the morning—five o'clock sharp.
Konoha Village, Training Ground No. 2.
Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura clearly hadn't listened to Naruto's advice from yesterday. Or perhaps they had simply assumed it was a casual joke. Either way, both of them appeared right on time, just as dawn was beginning to break.
There was no doubt about it.
Since they had obediently arrived at the appointed hour, they had also followed Kakashi's final instruction—
Neither of them had eaten breakfast.