After a brief exchange of pleasantries...
Menma simply found a spot to sit down, closed his eyes, and began to rest his mind. If the plot didn't deviate from the original story, they would have to wait for at least another five or six hours. Kakashi wouldn't show up until sometime after 10 or 11 AM.
Until then, conserving energy was the right move.
Seeing Menma act like this, Naruto shrugged helplessly and gave up on his intention to chat.
Naruto had thought that being on the same team would make them easier to get along with. He hadn't expected that both Menma and Sasuke would remain exactly the same as before.
Sakura looked like she wanted to say something but didn't dare. Her small hands were wringing together in anxiety.
The atmosphere was completely different from the original Team 7.
In this silence, time ticked by slowly. One hour, two hours, three hours...
The sun climbed high into the sky.
When it passed 8 AM...
And there was still no sign of Kakashi...
A vein instantly bulged on Naruto's forehead.
"Ahhhh! That bastard Big Brother Kakashi! I knew I couldn't trust him! He's late again! It's already past eight!"
Naruto puffed out his cheeks in anger.
"Maybe he ran into some kind of emergency on the way..."
Sakura offered a weak excuse from the side, one she didn't even believe herself. beneath her quiet, polite exterior, her inner self was already screaming in rage.
Anyone who had to wake up at 4 AM, rush to the training ground before 5 AM, and then get stood up for three or four hours would be furious. It would be strange if they didn't have a mental breakdown!
Sasuke's expression had also become visibly gloomy.
It was March, still chilly in the early morning.
And they hadn't eaten breakfast.
Even the best-tempered person would start to get cranky.
Only Menma remained as steady as a rock.
This wasn't just because of his knowledge of the plot, but because he had already used his immense sensory abilities to locate Kakashi the moment he arrived. Kakashi probably thought the four "kids" couldn't detect him.
He had chosen the simplest method of concealment, casually hiding nearby to observe them. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't hide from Menma's Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
To put it bluntly: in the current ninja world, there were plenty of people who could defeat Menma, but there were pitifully few who could escape his detection!
The Uzumaki Clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura was a bug-tier sensory ability.
"Tch! What kind of emergency could there be? He's definitely just late! No way, I'm definitely going to complain to Grandpa Third later. Big Brother Kakashi is way too ridiculous!!"
Naruto looked indignant.
Mainly because this wasn't the first time he'd been tricked by his "Big Brother Kakashi." They had once agreed to get ramen, and Kakashi had stood him up then, too!
Naruto's "Rage Gauge" was maxed out right now.
Watching from his hiding spot nearby, Kakashi couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
Naruto is still too immature. Sakura... hmm... not quite there either. Sasuke is okay. Menma seems to be the most steady one...
Kakashi thought silently as he observed the four.
Unlike his usual careless lateness, these two instances were deliberate. He was observing his subordinates in secret. This was completely different from the past.
He didn't care much about the "extra," Sakura Haruno.
But he had to treat the other three seriously. To better guide and educate his team, Kakashi needed to gather as much information as possible and understand them from all angles.
Moreover, this was a small test for the four of them.
What makes a ninja?
Only those with patience can be called qualified ninja. Missions were prone to unexpected situations, which tested a ninja's temperament and capacity. These factors often determined the success or failure of a mission—and whether the ninja lived or died!
Looking at it now...
Naruto and Sakura were still lacking.
They hadn't adjusted their mindset or truly understood what it meant to be a ninja.
I'll need to work on that aspect with them, Kakashi mused, planning his future teaching methods.
He still didn't plan to come out yet.
Grinding down these kids' patience was useful. Plus, Kakashi really wanted to see if Sasuke and Menma would show any psychological fluctuations if he waited longer.
Especially the latter.
Menma was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!
His mental state was a top priority. A Jinchūriki with an unstable mind was the most prone to losing control.
This was also a specific instruction from the Third Hokage: Pay close attention to Menma's psychological state!
Time continued to slip away. By the time it was past 10 AM—after the four of them had waited for over five hours—Kakashi saw that Menma still maintained a calm expression without any visible agitation.
Only then did Kakashi nod secretly in approval.
Whoosh!
With a flicker of movement.
"Good morning, everyone!"
Wearing a smiling expression, he appeared directly in front of Menma, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.
"ARGHHH! 'Good morning'?! Big Brother Kakashi, look at the time! It's almost eleven! You're over five hours late!!!"
The moment Naruto saw Kakashi, he exploded, waving his arms and shouting.
"Haha, sorry, sorry, Naruto. A black cat crossed my path when I left the house this morning. I had to wait for it to pass before I could continue, so I'm late!"
Kakashi explained with a cheerful smile.
"Big Brother Kakashi... do you even believe that yourself?"
Naruto looked at Kakashi with an expression of ultimate resentment.
Sakura, standing to the side, looked at Kakashi with an awkward expression that screamed I want to be angry but I don't dare.
In that moment, Kakashi was firmly labeled "Completely Unreliable" in Sakura's heart.
"Ahaha, alright, let's get straight to the point. I told you yesterday that this test mission might be your last one. Because if you fail... you'll have to go back to the Academy to study again!"
Kakashi laughed it off, then his face turned serious as he cut to the chase.
Sure enough, upon hearing Kakashi's words—especially the part about going back to the Academy...
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke's faces all changed. Menma, playing along, also shifted his expression to match the shock.