---
After a while, the four people sat down.
Kakashi was still leaning lazily against the fence, while in front of him sat three little devils who clearly didn't care for each other.
Uchiha Sasuke sat to the left, chin resting thoughtfully on his fingers, silent and brooding.
Naruto Uzumaki sat in the middle, arms hanging loosely over his knees, grinning brightly without a care in the world.
Ye Dou wasn't much better — he sat a bit away from them, silent, calmly wiping his practice kunai, not even glancing at the other two.
"What a handful these brats are," Kakashi thought, observing their reactions. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"How should I put it... my first impression of you three is... honestly, I don't like you," Kakashi said bluntly, earning subtle changes in their expressions. "Anyway, let's start with introductions."
"Introduce ourselves?" Naruto Uzumaki tilted his head, confused. "Like, what should we say?"
"Your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future... hobbies too," Kakashi answered lazily, clearly not expecting too much.
He remembered when his own teacher, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, had once said something similar to him. It felt a little strange standing in this role now.
"Ohhh, I get it!" Naruto said, nodding exaggeratedly. "But, Sensei, you should introduce yourself first! I already know these two jerks!"
Kakashi's expression turned even more deadpan.
Still, he complied without much fuss, saying, "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have many things I like and dislike... my dreams for the future? I don't really want to tell you. And as for hobbies... I have lots."
"...You didn't tell us anything at all!" Naruto thought, his heart falling. He secretly felt like he had been assigned the most unreliable teacher possible. Was this team cursed?
"I'm done. Now, starting with you—" Kakashi gestured.
"I'll go first!" Naruto raised his hand immediately, forehead protector slipping slightly over his eyes as he bounced in place.
"My name's Naruto Uzumaki! I like instant ramen, especially Ichiraku Ramen! I hate having to wait three whole minutes for the noodles to cook! My hobby is trying to beat my personal record for how much ramen I can eat! And my dream... is to surpass all the Hokage and have everyone in the village acknowledge me!"
"I hope you achieve it, Naruto," Kakashi thought, feeling a rare warmth deep down.
"Next," Kakashi prompted.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said coolly, arms crossed. "There are many things I hate, and very few I like. I don't have a dream... but I do have an ambition: to restore my clan, and... to kill a certain man."
A chill swept through the rooftop.
Naruto gulped instinctively, feeling a sudden shiver. "Is he talking about me?!" he thought, even though deep down he knew it wasn't.
Kakashi watched Sasuke closely, noting how serious the boy was. "Just like his brother, Itachi… only still too green."
Then Kakashi turned to Ye Dou. "Last one."
"Iori Ye Dou. That's my name," Ye Dou said quietly.
He secured the blade at his waist, then continued, "I like training. I like eating rice balls. I don't really hate anything. I don't have a specific dream."
Kakashi blinked, a bit surprised. Compared to Sasuke's bloodthirsty ambition and Naruto's fiery dream, Ye Dou's answer sounded... unexpectedly normal.
"Sometimes," Kakashi thought, "being too normal can be even more dangerous."
"Alright," Kakashi said after a moment, "you three have... very interesting personalities. Tomorrow, gather at the village gate at nine o'clock for your first task."
"Task?!" Naruto's eyes sparkled. "What kind of task? Will it be outside the village?!"
"You'll find out then," Kakashi said, his voice mysterious. "And remember: bring all your ninja tools... and show up at five in the morning."
"FIVE?!" Naruto almost fainted.
"And one more thing..." Kakashi added, smiling beneath his mask. "Don't eat breakfast. Or you'll throw up."
Leaving those ominous words behind, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Ye Dou didn't linger either. Without a word, he leaped gracefully off the rooftop and headed back toward his private training ground.
Only Naruto, yelling "WHAT DOES HE MEAN THROW UP?!" and Sasuke, frowning deeply, remained.
---
[Team Up?]
Back at his usual training field, Ye Dou found several familiar faces waiting for him — his old teammates from the previous Genin teams.
Even though they knew waiting wouldn't change anything, they were still anxious to hear the results.
"He's back!"
"So? Which team? Who's your jonin?"
They immediately swarmed him, bombarding him with concerned questions.
"Team 7. Hatake Kakashi," Ye Dou answered simply, tying his practice sword to his belt.
His calm tone made the others exchange uneasy glances.
They weren't ordinary Academy students. Having been Genin for a while, they had experience on real missions and understood things the new graduates didn't.
And they knew the rumors about Hatake Kakashi — both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Kakashi wasn't just called "Konoha's White Fang's son" or "the Copy Ninja" for nothing.
But more importantly... in the two years Kakashi had been assigned to train new Genin, no team had ever passed under him.
One hundred percent failure rate.
"I should talk to Gai-sensei..." Lee started, concerned.
"Don't even ask me to intercede, Lee!" Might Guy immediately refused, striking a dramatic pose. "There are no shortcuts on the path of true youth!"
Ye Dou ignored their noisy antics completely, drawing his practice sword and resuming training without a word.
Seeing this, the others sighed helplessly and could only wish him silent good luck.
---