Kakashi Hatake

"The teacher of our team is so slow. Could it be that he forgot the time? What if he doesn't show up today?"

Sakura, who was nearing her limit, spoke with a hint of impatience in her tone. It seemed like she wanted to use this topic to break the current awkward atmosphere. Sakura no longer hoped for the joyful scene where she would be the center of attention for Sasuke and Naruto, as she did at the beginning. Now, she just wanted to have minimal communication with her two teammates to at least break the ice.

Aren't we teammates? Aren't we classmates who have studied together for six years? Can't we be a bit less cold?

Sakura desperately hoped that Sasuke and Naruto would respond to her, at least making the classroom atmosphere less icy and heavy. Was her request too much?

However, Sakura was destined to be disappointed. Sasuke, sitting in front on the left, didn't show any sign of reaction, not even a change in his expression. He kept his hands crossed under his chin, his gaze coldly fixed forward, still absorbed in his thoughts.

Naruto, on the other hand, made a slight effort to respond. Perhaps he didn't want to be as cold as Sasuke, and he still had some basic social skills, just like he did during their time at the ninja academy.

"Maybe something held him up, and there's nothing else to do right now. Let's be patient and wait a bit," Naruto said with a faint smile, speaking softly.

Of course, Naruto's words were clearly just a form of agreement, but they provided Sakura with a relatively appropriate way to step back from the awkward situation. It wasn't too uncomfortable.

"Haha, you're right. Let's wait a little longer," Sakura replied with a slightly awkward smile. She then bit her lower lip, turned her head, and fell silent. Her first attempt to initiate a conversation had ended in failure. If Naruto had not responded even slightly, she might have wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. For now, she was relieved that the thin layer of politeness was still intact, but she knew she would have to maintain silence for a while.

Sakura didn't have the courage to continue speaking. She decided to maintain her image as the obedient girl on the surface. However, deep inside, the naturally impulsive Sakura was going berserk. Her target was not Sasuke or Naruto, but rather the late Kakashi.

From Sakura's perspective, her current embarrassing situation was all because of their damn instructor's tardiness.

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

The classroom clock continued its steady movement. The time, which was slowly passing by, was almost as Naruto had predicted.

And it was indeed after three hours.

Creak...

The classroom door was finally pushed open once again.

All eyes turned toward the door, and a tall, slender figure walked into the room. Dressed in the standard Konoha ninja attire, with those bright and silky white hair strands almost obscuring half of the face, an eye patch intentionally covering the left eye, and that characteristic lazy expression.

The person who entered was none other than Kakashi Hatake, the elite Jonin of Konoha and the instructor of Team 7.

As soon as they saw Kakashi's figure, the three individuals in the classroom each displayed different expressions.

Naruto remained calm and composed.

Sasuke furrowed his brows slightly, his eyes showing a hint of scrutiny and suspicion as he looked at Kakashi. Sasuke was not easily trusting.

However, from Sakura's perspective, she let out a sigh of relief. Finally, she could escape from this endless silence that had lasted for three hours.

For Sakura, this was the most joyful thing that had happened so far.

As they watched their teacher, Kakashi Hatake, who would lead their team, each of the three individuals in the classroom had different emotions. Kakashi's presence was an enigma that intrigued them all.

To Naruto, Kakashi was a respected and experienced Jonin who would train them to become stronger ninja.

To Sasuke, Kakashi was someone he needed to evaluate carefully, as he trusted very few people.

To Sakura, Kakashi's arrival meant an end to the awkward and heavy atmosphere that had hung in the classroom for the past three hours.

Kakashi, on the other hand, casually scanned the three of them with his eyes, seemingly indifferent. He could almost guess their respective emotions instantly. In just a brief moment, he glanced at Naruto for half a second longer than the others.

Perhaps it was due to his identity—the orphaned child of the Fourth Hokage or the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. Kakashi thought about it casually.

However, Kakashi's focus on Naruto was not for the reasons Naruto thought. Kakashi was interested in Naruto because of their recent battle against Mizuki. He had initially thought that he might need to intervene, but to his surprise, Naruto had managed to turn the tide.

Kakashi had observed Naruto's inexperience, his initially suppressed power, and even the trembling at the start of their fight. Despite all that, Naruto had found a gap to turn the situation around. Kakashi was particularly interested in Naruto's performance during that crucial moment.

Especially the decisive gesture of killing Mizuki at the end.

This is why Kakashi pays more attention to Naruto.

(End of this chapter)