Chapter 25: Give Kakashi a Head Start and Expose Yourself a Little

So slow.

Why are you here already?

Ah… um…

The reactions of the three students couldn't be more different.

The silver-haired man tucked away his little orange book, revealing a mask covering the lower half of his face. His forehead protector was slanted, exposing only a pair of half-lidded, uninterested eyes that gave off an air of complete indifference.

Despite his half-hearted apology, his expression showed he wasn't the least bit remorseful.

"Hmph."

Sasuke scoffed as usual.

Meanwhile, Naruto slowly opened his eyes, coming out of his meditation. He stood up and walked toward Kakashi without hesitation.

Sakura, who had been ready to complain about the wait, immediately stopped herself and hurried to follow him.

Sasuke remained silent but followed as well, his expression as gloomy as ever.

Kakashi raised a hand as if to say something—

Naruto walked right past him.

Sakura hesitated for a moment before following suit.

Sasuke didn't even spare Kakashi a glance.

"Where exactly do you think you're going?"

Three problem children… no, two troublemakers and one extra.

How troublesome.

"The rooftop seems like a good place to talk," Naruto said flatly.

Without waiting for a response, he continued walking.

Kakashi sighed and followed. "I believe I'm supposed to be the jōnin instructor here. Shouldn't I be the one giving orders?"

Naruto turned to him with an amused smile.

Then he stopped walking.

Sasuke and Sakura immediately halted as well.

Kakashi assumed they were finally acknowledging his authority—until he took a few more steps forward, turned around, and realized the three of them hadn't moved at all.

Naruto shrugged. "If you have a problem with it, go ahead and tell the Hokage. Otherwise, shut up and follow me."

Kakashi's visible eye twitched.

Naruto continued, "Or if you keep this attitude up, maybe I'll ask the Hokage for a different jōnin instructor altogether."

"You were late, and you couldn't even be bothered to apologize properly. What could I possibly learn from you? I'm going to be the Fifth Hokage—you'd just be holding me back."

Sasuke's entire body stiffened. He turned to Naruto with a new light in his eyes.

Sakura's face went pale.

Did… did Naruto just threaten to replace their jōnin instructor?

Wasn't this way too reckless?!

But… why did it feel so bold and cool at the same time?

For the first time in a long while, Kakashi's usual dead-fish eyes showed a flicker of emotion. He studied Naruto carefully.

"Kid, you do realize that I have the authority to send you back to the Academy? I could even strip you of your shinobi status entirely."

His tone was calm, but there was an unmistakable edge to it.

Naruto merely spread his hands. "Go ahead."

"I'll just take the exam again."

"I wonder if the Hokage would agree with you."

Without another word, Naruto turned on his heel and walked straight back into the classroom.

Kakashi was left standing there, speechless.

Why was Naruto treating him like this?

Simple.

Because he felt like it.

And because this man was no different from the rest of Konoha.

Sakumo Hatake had been driven to suicide—not by his enemies, but by his own comrades. And the final nail in the coffin? Even his own son had condemned him.

Despite everything, Kakashi had never once come to see Naruto.

Not even from the shadows.

Naruto knew for a fact that the Hokage had brought Kakashi to his apartment before.

Kakashi's job wasn't to train them—his job was to monitor and guard. He was mainly assigned to Naruto.

Sasuke was just an afterthought.

The higher-ups in Konoha had never needed to keep Sasuke under surveillance or brainwash him—Itachi had already done all the work for them before leaving.

If not for Obito's interference, Sasuke's hatred would have been completely redirected towards Konoha's enemies.

So what did Kakashi's presence really mean?

Certainly not to help Naruto grow stronger.

Kakashi doesn't know the Rasengan? Summoning Jutsu?

Of course he does. But those techniques were meant to be taught by Jiraiya.

And Jiraiya wasn't just any jōnin—he was a direct disciple of the Hokage himself. Someone who understood the darkness of Konoha yet still believed in it.

There was another reason Naruto was pushing Kakashi like this.

He was setting the stage for the future.

…

Sasuke followed Naruto without hesitation.

Naruto had spoken his mind, and Sasuke found himself agreeing.

Better to waste a year than waste time under a jōnin who wouldn't help them grow.

With Naruto around, he would never lack an opponent.

"You—wait! Teacher, wait for me!"

Kakashi remained frozen in place.

Whoosh—

A blur of movement.

"Oh—sorry, sorry! That was my bad! Won't happen again!"

Kakashi appeared in front of the door with a flicker of Shunshin, cutting off their exit.

"I promise!"

He raised his hands in mock surrender.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura exchanged skeptical glances.

They didn't believe him at all.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Kakashi's attitude had changed way too fast.

"…Fine. Let's go to the rooftop," Kakashi said.

Naruto smirked. "Well, since someone already made a promise…"

He led the way.

Kakashi followed at a noticeably slow pace.

Naruto slowed down as well.

"I'm not like him," Kakashi muttered under his breath. "I'm not the Little Sun."

Boom—

Naruto's words hit him like a thunderclap.

What did that mean?

Did Naruto… know Minato-sensei?

No. Impossible.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto called out. "You're not planning on being late for the rooftop too, are you?"

"Huh? Naruto-kun, how do you know the teacher's name?" Sakura asked, looking puzzled.

"Oh, I looked it up," Naruto answered casually. "His name and picture were in the records for the previous Team 7."

"Naruto-kun is amazing~!"

Kakashi's breathing grew uneven.

His emotions churned.

He knows.

He knows.

If he had known things would turn out like this…

Why had he made those choices back then?

Kakashi smiled bitterly.

Guilt twisted inside him.

This kid…

These years must have been far harder than he ever imagined.

The Will of Fire?

It was all a lie.

Minato-sensei… he's just like you.

Maybe even better than you.

Am I really qualified to be his jōnin sensei?

He's blaming me... No, maybe he wants to say something?

Wrong!

Kakashi's eyes widened as the Hokage's evaluation of Naruto resurfaced in his mind, aligning perfectly with Naruto's current demeanor.

"He's scheming... A plot against Konoha? No, more like a plot against the village's leadership."

"He investigated, learned my background, gained the Third Hokage's trust, built connections with the heirs of the great clans, and even took the initiative to reveal key information to my father's former subordinates..."

A chill ran down Kakashi's spine.

But when he glanced at Naruto's casual expression, he realized—this was a signal.

Don't say anything. Just do what you need to do.

Did I just choke on my own words? Was that a warning to me?

Help him? Or expose him?

Kakashi chuckled at the thought.

No, he would stand in the middle, watching carefully. If things got out of hand, he'd make sure the kid didn't cross the line.

Adjusting his emotions, Kakashi resumed the process.

"Alright, some... unpleasant things have happened."

"But there's always a chance to start over."

Though spoken to the group, his words carried an underlying message directed at Naruto.

"Now, let's introduce ourselves."

"I'm Hatake Kakashi. My likes and dislikes... I'll keep those a secret. My dreams... also a secret. As for my hobbies... secret as well."

Three people: "..."

"So we only learned your name," Sakura muttered, unimpressed.

"Next."

"Hmph."

"Uchiha Sasuke. I have no likes or dislikes—only ambition. My ambition is to kill a certain man."

As he spoke, Sasuke's eyes burned with murderous intent.

Kakashi narrowed his gaze slightly.

No wonder the Third Hokage had asked him to "take care" of this one. The warning now made sense.

With his experience, Kakashi could see what others couldn't.

"Alright, next."

"M-My name is Haruno Sakura! As for what I like... um..."

She hesitated before covering her face with both hands, letting out a muffled scream.

Come on, your face isn't even red. Are you really embarrassed or just acting?

Kakashi rolled his eyes and turned to Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto. I like blood-red peppers, I hate carrying rice, and my dream is to become Hokage."

Kakashi paused, his eyes twitching slightly.

Becoming Hokage, huh? It sounded almost like an afterthought.

Brother, I get it, I get everything. You don't need to keep hinting at me.

I'm just a working man here.

"That's enough for introductions. Let's talk about tomorrow's mission."

Kakashi's tone turned serious as he spoke.

"A survival training exercise."

"This isn't your average drill."

"Heh. Just be prepared."

"Oh, and don't eat breakfast... or you'll regret it."

He let out a dry chuckle.

Sakura shivered.

"Here's the mission briefing, one for each of you."

"Huh?! This elimination rate is insane!" she exclaimed after skimming through it.

As the team dispersed, Kakashi took a moment to glance at Naruto's file.

Then, his expression shifted.

"Identical test scores across subjects... he's controlling his results. Full marks in 'Will of Fire'... he's just putting on a show."

"Second year—faced Uchiha Sasuke. Used Shisui's Body Flicker combat style—self-taught?!"

A long silence stretched as Kakashi processed the information.

Finally, he closed his eyes and muttered:

"This talent and intellect... far surpass even Minato-sensei's."

"He's decided the time isn't right yet... So I should just go along with it?"

Kakashi felt an oncoming headache.

Naruto was doing this just to mess with him.

Leaving him utterly lost on how to respond.

"Ah... whatever. I'll just go with the flow."

Regaining his usual deadpan expression, Kakashi pulled out his Icha Icha Paradise.

"I'm slightly annoyed now."

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