"Wait a moment."
Sitting on the treetop, Hoshiyomi sighed helplessly, pulled a small booklet from his chest, and tossed it to Kakashi:
"You still don't really understand what I meant… but whatever. Once you spend some time with them, you'll figure it out.
Take this—consider it a gift for becoming a jōnin instructor.
Flip through it when you have time. It'll be good for you."
Kakashi caught the booklet and glanced at the cover instinctively.
Four bold characters were written across the front—"Make-Out Paradise"!
Kakashi looked up at Hoshiyomi, wanting to ask if he had lost his mind today.
But after thinking about it, he realized Hoshiyomi had never given useless advice before.
After hesitating for a moment, he silently stuffed Make-Out Paradise into his pocket and left.
Watching Kakashi's back fade into the distance, Hoshiyomi showed a strange smile.
Fine, if neither I nor Sakumo can fix him, then we'll toss him to Naruto and Sasuke.
With those two walking cheat codes around, there's no way Kakashi won't loosen up eventually.
And besides, Jiraiya's book might give him some inspiration, too.
When he looked back at the classroom, he realized that because of his long chat with Kakashi, most of the students had already left.
Kurenai and Asuma had taken their teams away as well.
Only Naruto's trio remained in the room.
Naruto rested his chin on the desk, grumbling:
"Our teacher is way too slow. Hinata's teacher came right away… and she's a pretty big sister too…"
Sasuke shot him a sideways look:
"I'll be sure to tell Hinata that next time."
Naruto exploded on the spot.
Just as the two were about to start arguing, Sakura widened her eyes in surprise.
Naruto and Sasuke bickering wasn't new—they'd been competing for six years now.
But what shocked her was that she had never heard Sasuke make a joke before.
Looks like I still don't fully understand Sasuke-kun…
Kakashi pushed the door open just in time to see the three of them, each in their own little world.
Seeing this mismatched trio, Kakashi sighed inwardly—trouble.
But remembering Hoshiyomi's advice, he kept himself from acting too stiff.
He forced a smile at them—though after so many years in ANBU, the smile looked unintentionally terrifying:
"Team 7: Naruto, Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura.
Come with me. We'll start with introductions on the roof."
Without waiting for them to respond, he left the classroom.
The three kids stared at each other.
Naruto gulped and asked somewhat bewilderedly;
"W-Was he… threatening us?"
Sakura, still shaken, agreed:
"He seems like… a very difficult teacher to get along with…"
Sasuke also felt uneasy, though he kept a calm face:
"Doesn't matter. I wasn't expecting much anyway."
Talking among themselves, the three climbed the stairs—only to find Kakashi standing rigidly in the center of the rooftop, staring right at them:
"You're late. As shinobi, I expect you to move faster."
The three nodded silently, though their expressions darkened.
Twelve-year-olds were naturally rebellious—being called out like that hurt their pride.
Watching the awkward scene unfold, Hoshiyomi—still hidden with his Transparent Escape Technique—facepalmed.
Sure enough, Kakashi needs more teaching than the kids…
Hoshiyomi had no choice but to use his technique to approach Kakashi and quietly advise him:
"Don't be so serious.
Introduce yourself to them, and listen to their introductions too."
Kakashi was startled at first when he heard the whispered voice, but quickly realized who it was.
Feeling awkward, he forced himself to speak:
"Everyone, introduce yourselves.
I'm Kakashi, a Konoha jōnin.
The things I like and dislike… aren't important.
All you need to know is that I'm your teacher."
Watching from the side, Hoshiyomi could only twitch his mouth.
In terms of making people speechless, Kakashi was definitely talented.
Next, Naruto and the others introduced themselves one by one.
Naruto and Sakura's introductions were mostly unchanged from the original timeline, but Sasuke's was entirely different.
No longer doing his chūni-boy act about killing "that man," he actually showed a rare look of longing and said:
"I want to surpass my brother, and become a shinobi stronger than Itachi."
Kakashi took note of the three introductions, though none of it showed on his expressionless face.
He simply said, stiffly:
"I understand.
Next, we'll… temporarily dismis—
We'll grab some food first.
Tomorrow morning at seven, at Training Ground Eight, we'll have a survival exercise.
It will let me get a sense of your abilities."
He had almost repeated the original line, but Hoshiyomi had whispered advice to him from the side.
Hoshiyomi had hoped Kakashi would deliver his classic speech from the original story, but sadly, this Kakashi simply didn't have the knack for it.
With no other choice, Hoshiyomi suggested Kakashi bond with the kids over a meal first.
Under Hoshiyomi's recommendation, Kakashi brought the three to Ichiraku Ramen, while Hoshiyomi himself waited in a nearby alley, ready to cancel his technique and casually join them a moment later.
...
When Naruto saw that Kakashi was taking them to Ichiraku, he immediately felt a sense of closeness.
Even in this altered timeline—where he lacked material hardship—Naruto still loved Ichiraku ramen dearly.
"Wow, I didn't expect it!
Kakashi-sensei likes Ichiraku just like I do!
Teuchi-ossan, I want a large tonkotsu ramen!"
Kakashi was momentarily confused by Naruto's enthusiasm, but then suddenly understood Hoshiyomi's intentions.
"Mhm. The ramen here is good.
I eat here often."
Hearing that, the three kids quietly sighed in relief.
Their scary-looking teacher liked ramen—somehow it made him feel much less intimidating.
At the very least… super-strict scary people probably don't eat ramen… right?
Just as the silence was getting awkward again while waiting for their food, Hoshiyomi made his entrance right on time.
With sharp eyes, Naruto spotted him instantly.
"Uncle Hoshiyomi! Over here!"
Hoshiyomi pretended to notice them only just now and walked over with a smile:
"Ah, Naruto, Sasuke—you're eating ramen too?
Oh? Kakashi, you're here as well."
Kakashi tilted his head slightly in confusion but wisely didn't expose Hoshiyomi's act.
He simply nodded and said dryly:
"I'm their team leader.
I brought them here for a meal."
Realizing that Hoshiyomi and Kakashi knew each other, Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Uncle Hoshiyomi, you know Kakashi-sensei too?"
...
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