Inside the Ninja Academy, time passed slowly as they waited.
One by one, Jonin Instructor arrived at the classroom door to take their teams away.
When Team 8's Jonin Instructor, Yuhi Kurenai, appeared, a Special Jonin renowned for her Genjutsu with striking red eyes, Sakura, though disappointed not to be on Sasuke's team, still gathered herself and followed the gentle-yet-sharp female Jonin out with Kiba and Shino.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio of Team 9 was led away by the somewhat unkempt-looking Jonin, Sarutobi Asuma.
As team after team was taken, the once-noisy classroom gradually quieted down.
Finally, only three people remained.
By the window, Menma, Naruto, and Hinata still sat there.
Sunlight stretched their shadows long across the floor, intertwining.
"Argh—! So slow!" Naruto jumped up from his seat for the umpteenth time, pacing back and forth in the classroom like a caged beast. "All the other Jonins are here! Why hasn't ours come?! Don't tell me... don't tell me they forgot about us?!"
He rushed to the classroom door, sticking his head out to look left and right.
The hallway was empty, not a soul in sight.
"Damn it!" Naruto punched the doorframe hard with a dull thud. "How long do we have to wait?!"
Menma leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, eyes closed, showing remarkable tolerance for the noise pollution Naruto was creating.
But listening to the endless 'buzzing' in his ears, he finally couldn't help but sigh softly, opening his eyes and deciding to find some peace for himself.
He turned to look at Hinata sitting quietly beside him.
Hinata's hands rested properly on her knees, pressed together. Her head was slightly bowed, pale cheeks tinged with a faint blush, whether from the heat or something else.
She occasionally stole a quick glance at Menma beside her, then immediately lowered her eyes like a startled fawn, fingers unconsciously twisting her clothes' hem.
"Hinata," Menma's voice was gentle, cutting through Naruto's noisy background. "I haven't seen Hanabi much lately. What's that little one been busy with?"
Hearing Menma's question, Hinata's body gave a slight tremble, her cheeks growing redder. She raised her head to look at Menma, her voice soft but clear. "Hanabi... Father has been training her very strictly lately. He says her talent is excellent and she mustn't waste time."
She paused, a touch of older sister's pride appearing on her face. "Hanabi really is amazing. She learns many Gentle Fist techniques much faster than I did back then."
Hearing this, Menma slightly tilted his head back, his gaze seeming to pierce through the ceiling, thinking of that little girl with extraordinary talent at such a young age.
Hanabi's Byakugan purity was extremely high… in the original movie, she was even chosen by Toneri, who took her eyes to evolve the Tenseigan.
The Hinata before him, due to the 'big sis' personality within her from the Limited Tsukuyomi World, displayed formidable Taijutsu and combat talent far surpassing the ordinary Hyuga Clan's main family. As she grew older, her physical prowess only strengthened, to the point where she could gradually trade blows with her Elite Jonin father, Hyuga Hiashi, during sparring.
Perhaps precisely because he found it hard to experience the satisfaction of 'guiding to success' with his eldest daughter, Hiashi had placed more energy and expectations on his second daughter, Hanabi, who was equally talented and whose personality better fit the traditional Hyuga Clan's expectations.
The two chatted softly about daily life for a while, the classroom atmosphere becoming unusually warm and peaceful for a moment.
After a while, Menma turned to look at Naruto, still anxiously pacing by the door.
"Naruto," Menma spoke, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "Could you be quiet for a bit? Walking around like that, even if the sensei comes, you'll scare them off."
"But Menma-nii!" Naruto turned, his face full of impatience. "We've waited for hours! The other teams left long ago! This is so unfair!"
"Maybe..." Hinata spoke up softly, cheeks slightly flushed, fingers unconsciously twisting together. "...Maybe the sensei is testing our patience?"
"Testing patience?!" Naruto's eyes widened. "What kind of test is that?! It's just laziness! Being late!"
Watching Naruto like this, Menma knew if he didn't give him something to do, this guy would keep making a fuss until evening.
He thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "Naruto, want to learn that move I used on Sasuke before?"
These words seemed magical, instantly silencing Naruto.
He whirled around, blue eyes wide and round, shining with excitement. "I want to learn! I want to learn!"
Naruto excitedly rushed to Menma's front. "Teach me! Menma-nii! Next time that Sasuke guy causes trouble for me, I'll use this on him!"
Seeing Naruto's eager expression, the smile on Menma's lips deepened.
Hinata also looked up curiously, pure white eyes filled with confusion and a hint of expectation.
Menma beckoned, signaling Naruto and Hinata to come closer.
Then, he began the 'lesson'.
At the same time, on the roof.
Kakashi sat on the ground, leaning against a railing in the shadows, one leg bent, the other stretched out, posture as lazy as a cat sunbathing in the afternoon.
He held an orange-covered novel in his hands, Icha Icha Paradise.
Sunlight shone from the side, casting a pale golden hue on his silver-white hair.
His forehead protector was worn tilted, covering his left eye. His exposed right eye was focused intently on the pages, occasionally emitting soft, suppressed chuckles, clearly having read something interesting.
He was so absorbed, as if he had completely forgotten the time and the three freshly graduated Genin waiting for him downstairs.
About several dozen meters from the roof, on a tree with dense foliage.
Sasuke crouched on a thick branch, leaning against the trunk, his gaze piercing through gaps in the leaves to rest on that leisurely figure on the roof.
He wasn't wearing his Anbu animal mask, revealing his handsome but perpetually cold face.
His short black hair stirred lightly in the breeze. Though his Sharingan wasn't activated, his dark eyes were still sharp.
Sasuke's brow was slightly furrowed.
He hadn't expected Kakashi to become Naruto's Jonin Instructor.
With Kakashi's strength and experience as former Anbu Commander, leading a bunch of freshly graduated Genin seemed like a waste of talent.
From morning until now, at least three hours had passed.
Kakashi just sat there on the roof, reading his novel, sunbathing, with no intention of going down to meet his students.
"Really..." Sasuke murmured to himself, a complex emotion in his voice. "...excessively lazy."
'With such an unreliable teacher, Naruto and Menma would probably have their hands full in the future.'
But at the same time, Sasuke felt a faint twinge of envy.
Envy of that kind of freedom to be so casual, so unconventional.
Just then, Yugao's agile figure landed on the branch where Sasuke was.
A slender ninja sword was sheathed at her waist. She carried three cloth-wrapped boxes in her hand, emitting a faint aroma of food.
"Lunch," Yugao handed one box to Sasuke.
Though they could eat soldier pills during missions, their current mission was somewhat special, requiring long-term 'protection' of Naruto, and they were within Konoha's core area anyway, so there weren't many restrictions.
Sasuke took the box and nodded. "Thanks, Yugao-senpai."
Yugao looked toward the shadows of another tree. "Sai, yours."
Sai's figure slowly materialized from the shadows, as if stepping out of an ink painting.
"Thank you, Yugao-senpai," Sai flickered next to Yugao, taking the bento, the smile on his face still a bit off.
The three each found a spot on the branches and sat down, opening their bento boxes.
Lunch was simple: rice, grilled eel, miso soup, some pickles.
But for Ninja, this was quite a good meal.
Sai ate slowly, chewing each bite carefully as if performing a ritual.
As he ate, he looked up toward the distant roof where Kakashi still sat reading his novel.
"Kakashi-senpai..." Sai suddenly spoke, a hint of confusion in his voice. "...is he always like this?"
Yugao and Sasuke both froze for a moment.
Their first thought was that Sai was asking about Kakashi reading Icha Icha Paradise.
After all, that book was quite 'famous' in Konoha… a best-selling 18+ novel in the Ninja World.
Yugao's face flushed slightly. She coughed lightly. "That... Kakashi-senpai indeed... quite likes that kind of book. But his strength is undeniable. Don't underestimate him because of that..."
Sasuke also nodded, though his face showed no expression, the tips of his ears reddened slightly.
But Sai's next words made them realize they were mistaken.
Sai set down his chopsticks, speaking in that flat tone: "I mean, Kakashi-senpai 'leaving them hanging' like this… is that also a kind of test?"
For someone from the Root, tests often meant brutal elimination, life-and-death struggles.
Something as simple as 'waiting' seemed incredibly easy in his view.
Yugao and Sasuke then realized they had misunderstood, their faces growing even warmer.
Yugao quickly looked at Sasuke, passing the question to him. "Sasuke, you've been with Kakashi-senpai longer. You explain."
Sasuke chewed the rice ball in his mouth, thought for a moment, and answered somewhat helplessly: "A test? Maybe. But it's more likely Kakashi-sensei is just... afraid of trouble, and has serious procrastination."
"Leading a Genin Team is probably something very draining and time-consuming for him. So if he can start later, he'll start later."
Remembering his own experiences of being 'stood up' by Kakashi various times when he first joined Anbu, Sasuke's tone carried a trace of resentment.
Sai nodded, seeming to understand but not fully, still unable to comprehend such a lax style.
In the Root training he received, missions and orders were above all… delay was absolutely not allowed.
The three continued eating lunch, occasionally exchanging a few words.
Afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves in dappled spots. A breeze blew by, carrying faint laughter from children on the distant playground.
Everything seemed peaceful and serene.
Time reached two in the afternoon.
The sun had shifted westward, sunlight now coming in from the classroom's other side windows.
Naruto, following Menma's 'instruction', completed the 'setup'.
He carefully placed an eraser on top of the classroom doorframe… just a small prank, something any slightly experienced Ninja wouldn't fall for.
But Menma told him this was just the 'decoy'.
The real 'killer move' was later.
"Remember," Menma said to Naruto, voice soft but serious, "When the sensei pushes the door open and the eraser falls, he'll definitely let his guard down. That's the real opportunity."
Naruto nodded vigorously, eyes sparkling. "Got it! Menma-nii! Leave it to me!"
Hinata looked at the two with some worry, whispering, "Is this... really okay? What if the sensei gets angry..."
"Don't worry," Menma patted Hinata's shoulder, smile gentle. "If he can't handle a prank of this level, he's not fit to be our Jonin Instructor."
Hinata thought about it and found it reasonable, so she said no more.
Everything was ready.
The three sat back in their seats, putting on an 'obediently waiting' appearance.
Naruto tried hard to suppress his excitement, but the corners of his mouth still twitched upward.
He glanced at the door from time to time, then at Menma, his eyes screaming, "When will he come? When will he come?!"
Menma calmly looked out the window as if it had nothing to do with him.
Hinata sat between them, hands on her knees, posture proper, but cheeks flushed, heartbeat a bit fast.
On the rooftop, Kakashi finally closed his Icha Icha Paradise, smacking his lips with lingering satisfaction.
He looked up, squinting at the westward tilting sun, lazily stretching with a big yawn, his joints emitting light pops.
"Ah... it's already this time," He murmured, his voice carrying satisfaction from having just finished an exciting chapter and a trace of melancholy for the impending 'babysitting work'.
"I wonder how those three little ones downstairs are... must be getting impatient? Should be... fine?"
He slowly stood up, patted the dust off his backside, carefully tucked his precious book into the ninja tool pouch at his waist, then sauntered step by step toward the stairwell.
A few minutes later, Kakashi wandered lazily to the outside of the third-floor classroom.
Inside, the three heard footsteps stop outside the classroom door and looked over.
Naruto held his breath.
Hinata's fingers twisted tightly.
The corners of Menma's mouth lifted into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
The doorknob turned.
Creak—
The classroom door was slowly pushed open.
Just as it opened halfway—
Thwack!
The eraser placed on top of the doorframe fell as expected, hitting the head of the person pushing the door open squarely.
White chalk dust fluttered down, settling on that silver-white hair like a light snowfall.
Inside the classroom, Menma, Naruto, and Hinata 'happened' to turn their heads and see this scene.
"Pfft… Hahahaha!!!!!"
Naruto slapped the desk, laughing uproariously, bending over with tears nearly coming out. "Got him! Got him! Are you our Jonin Instructor? How can you be so careless?!"
His laughter was especially loud in the quiet classroom.
The eraser slid off Kakashi's silver hair, falling to the floor with a tap.
Beneath the silver hair now partially white with chalk dust, Kakashi's dead-fish eye slowly lifted to glance at the three in the classroom.
Those eye held no anger, only a lazy, resigned 'got played' look.
"Ah..." Kakashi's voice was drawn-out, tone as lazy as if he'd just woken up. "Yeah. I didn't expect to get a show of force from my own students."
"Young people these days are really not cute..."
He patted the chalk dust off his head, movements unhurried, completely at ease.
However, just as he was patting the dust—
Naruto suddenly slammed the desk, his whole body springing up from his seat, a triumphant grin on his face. "Falling for it!"
As the words fell, his body poofed into white smoke, dissipating into the air.
Kakashi's dead-fish eye widened slightly for an instant.
'Shadow Clone?'
'Since when?'
And almost simultaneously, behind Kakashi, next to the eraser that had fallen to the floor, a puff of smoke exploded… the real Naruto appeared!
He crouched on the ground, hands forming the Tiger seal, a mischievous grin on his face, aiming at Kakashi's backside, thrusting forward with all his might!
He had originally aimed for Kakashi's butt.
"Take this! Secret Technique: One Thousand Years of Death!!!"
Naruto's movements carried raw force!
He could already picture Kakashi shrieking and flying up comically!
However, Kakashi was no pushover either.
Poof!
The Kakashi before him instantly transformed into an ordinary wooden log!
Substitution Technique!
Naruto's face still wore a triumphant smile, his hands solidly striking the hard wood, making his fingers go numb!
"...Huh?" He stared blankly, looking around in confusion. "Where'd he go?"
Just then, Hinata's exclamation rang out: "N-Naruto! Behind you!"
Naruto shuddered, whirling his head around.
Kakashi was crouching right behind him.
His face still had that lazy expression, but in those dead-fish eye flashed a glint of amusement.
His hands were also forming the 'Tiger' seal, body leaning forward, posture identical to Naruto's.
"Konoha's Secret Taijutsu Technique..."
Kakashi's voice was drawn-out, each word enunciated clearly, carrying the pleasure of a successful prank: "One... Thousand Years of Death!"
The next second.
Thwump—!!!
"AAHHH!!!"
A shriek so shrill it distorted tore through the Academy building's quiet afternoon!
Naruto flew forward like a launched cannonball, smashing into the wall opposite the classroom, then slowly slid down, collapsing on the floor, left only twitching.
"OW OW OW OW OW—!!!!"
His screams echoed in the classroom.
Hinata's face instantly flushed crimson. She abruptly covered her eyes with her hands but couldn't help peeking through her fingers, her pure white eyes filled with the conflict of 'so embarrassing but so funny'.
Menma simply facepalmed with a crisp smack.
Then he lowered his head, shoulders shaking slightly, unsure whether he was stifling laughter or feeling helpless at Naruto's stupidity.
"This idiot..." Menma muttered to himself. Though the plan was his idea, Naruto's execution and adaptability... were truly laughable and tear-inducing.