The three of them had lunch together on the rooftop.
During the meal, Naruto kept trying to get Sakura's attention, circling around her and attempting to impress her.
However, his clumsiness betrayed him repeatedly.
He always ended up saying or doing the wrong thing, ruining his attempts and achieving the opposite effect. Not only did he fail to improve Sakura's opinion of him, but he also ended up annoying her, leading her to yell at him several times.
Kuro, observing the scene, let out a sigh.
"It's like he's licking her feet..."
This behavior reminded him of things from his previous life, girls who, from their first year of middle school to university, desperately tried to please people who didn't even know what they wanted.
In the end, they gained nothing.
Despite Naruto's clumsiness, the lunch helped the three of them get a bit more familiar with each other.
After lunch, the students returned to the classroom to wait for their new teachers to arrive.
While waiting, Kuro pulled out a book titled "Innocent Child," something he had prepared especially.
It's a novel based on Kakashi's bloodline. He'll surely like it.
He planned to give it as a gift to Kakashi, knowing he was their team leader. Having a good relationship with the captain was always a smart strategy, even though he already knew Kakashi from before.
As he flipped through the book, the others began returning to the classroom, gradually filling the empty seats.
Suddenly, the door opened.
A young man with brown hair entered the room. He wore Konoha's forehead protector, a black combat uniform, and a green vest characteristic of Chūnin and Jōnin.
His dark, serious eyes seemed to scrutinize the newly graduated students with a meticulous gaze. The room gradually fell silent, and the students adopted a more formal posture, wanting to make a good impression.
With one last look, he spoke in a firm voice, "Class 7, follow me."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left the classroom.
Huh?
Kuro, lost in thought, took a second to react. Hearing the command, he looked up, surprised.
"Let's go."
Naruto quickly got up and followed after their teacher.
Sakura, pointing at Kuro, said something before following Naruto.
Her movements snapped Kuro out of his thoughts, and he abruptly stood up with an incredulous expression.
What the hell is going on?!
Isn't Kakashi supposed to be the leader of Team 7?
That figure definitely isn't Kakashi. The hair color is different.
Could it be because of Sasuke?
The absence of Sasuke might have altered the team dynamics. Without a Sharingan user, perhaps Kakashi wasn't deemed necessary as their leader.
Sigh… If I don't understand it, better not dwell on it.
Kuro picked up the book from the floor, left the classroom, and followed the others.
…
Several people gathered on the rooftop of the Ninja Academy.
While climbing, Kuro observed their team leader, the Jōnin: Yamato.
A Jōnin from Konoha, a member of the ANBU unit directly under the Hokage's command, and someone with a special lineage: he had been implanted with Hashirama's cells, allowing him to inherit Mokuton.
Yamato originally belonged to the Root organization, where he was known by the codename "Kinoe." Later, he adopted the name Tenzō, and was eventually renamed Yamato by Tsunade.
The absence of Sasuke definitely changed things.
Although Kakashi mastered hundreds of jutsus, his style was completely different from Naruto's.
Kakashi excelled in controlling and limiting chakra, while Naruto focused on unleashing and enhancing his. Thus, it made sense that Kakashi wasn't assigned to their team.
Yamato, on the other hand, was prepared to handle any issues related to the Nine-Tails in Naruto.
It was a logical decision.
(From now on, I'll call him Yamato, not Tenzō.)
A few minutes later, the team members gathered on the rooftop. Yamato, leaning against the railing, flashed a faint smile.
"From now on, we'll be working together as a team. Before we begin, let's introduce ourselves."
He stepped forward and introduced himself.
"My name is Yamato. My favorite food is nuts, and my hobby is reading architecture books. My future goal… I'd rather keep that to myself."
Reading architecture books...
Perfect for him.
Kuro's mouth twitched, a bit speechless.
"Now me!" Naruto raised his hand enthusiastically.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My favorite food is noodles. I love the ramen Iruka-sensei treats me to and also the grilled meat Kuro pays for sometimes. My hobby is competing in ramen-eating contests. My dream is to surpass all the Hokage and make everyone recognize me!"
"Good ambition," Yamato commented, nodding approvingly before looking at Sakura.
"Your turn."
"My name is Sakura Haruno," she began with a smile. "What I like… well, that's personal. My goal is to walk alongside the person I like in the future."
The typical ambition of a normal young girl.
A bead of sweat slid down Yamato's forehead before he looked at Kuro, who seemed to already have his answer prepared.
"My name is Kuro. I like getting things without effort. I hate having to work hard. My goal is to live a peaceful life, eat, and wait for death."
"Kuro, you can't be so unambitious!" Naruto shouted, annoyed.
Kuro looked at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Why waste time being ambitious?"
"It's impossible to get anything without effort!"
"But wouldn't you like to live a carefree life?"
"Uh… yeah…"
"Then don't complain."
"But…!"
Naruto was caught in Kuro's words, while Yamato observed the scene in disbelief.
'A hyperactive kid, a girl with simple ambitions, and a guy with completely out-of-place ideas…' he thought, feeling the weight of his task.
But he knew that, as the Jōnin in charge, he had to fulfill the mission the Hokage entrusted to him, no matter how difficult it was.
He clapped his hands to get the three's attention.
"Alright, now that everyone has introduced themselves, tomorrow we'll begin our first official mission."
"What mission?" Naruto and Sakura asked in unison.
"Survival exercise."
Naruto was stunned.
"Exercise? But we're already official ninjas, why are we still doing Academy stuff?"
Yamato kept a serious expression. "This is a new team. I need to evaluate your abilities. Also, don't treat this like a kid's game. On a real ninja mission, you could die. If you're scared, you can stay home. I'll talk to the Academy to have you study another year."
Naruto and Sakura looked at him with expressions of shock and concern.
Kuro, on the other hand, patted his knees, stood up, and said.
"Can I really go back to study? I've always felt I'm not ready to be a ninja. Yamato-sensei, could you explain that to the school?"
"..."
________
Time: If you're craving more (and I know you are!), I have just what you need. On my Patreon, you'll find exclusive chapters. Join our community and be the first to discover what happens next!
👉 [patreon.com/Athome790]
Your support fuels me. Thank you for the support! 💖