NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35: Kakashi's arrival
Chapter
35: Kakashi's Long-Awaited Arrival
"Has he forgotten? Hey!? This
is very possible. If this is the case, then I must ask the Third Hokage to
change us to a more reliable sensei. What do you think, Menma?" Naruto,
who was sitting in the front seat, said frankly, looking over his shoulder.
Sasuke's face on the left could
almost freeze from impatience. It looked like if they had to wait much longer,
Sasuke might lose his cool.
Only Menma remained calm, replying
casually, "Maybe there is something that delayed him. It's not like we
have anything else to do. It doesn't matter if we wait. After all, ninjas often
face unexpected situations."
"Oh? This does make some
sense," Naruto nodded in agreement without realizing that Menma was just
being polite.
"Then..." Just as Naruto
was about to continue, they heard a sound from the door.
"Squeak." The door to the
classroom opened.
"!?" "Oh?"
In walked a man wearing Konoha's
standard vest with silver-white hair, instantly recognizable to Menma, Naruto,
Sasuke, and Sakura.
This familiar look and atmosphere
could only belong to Kakashi Hatake, renowned and respected across the village.
"Well, you are the members of
Team 7, right? I am your captain. My first impression of you is pretty good.
Let's go, get out of here first. We need to get to know each other
better," Kakashi said lazily, his eyes glancing over the four of them.
Without waiting for a response, he
turned and walked out of the classroom. Menma, seemingly prepared in advance,
stood up simultaneously with Kakashi's movement and followed him.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were
momentarily stunned but quickly regained their senses and followed. The group
of five left the classroom, climbed the stairs, and headed to the rooftop.
Leaning against the railing with his
arms crossed, Kakashi looked at Menma, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura with a faint
smile. "Let's introduce ourselves first. We'll most likely be performing
missions together in the same team for several years, so we need to get to know
each other."
'What do you mean it's very
possible? They are obviously the same team. Is this sensei reliable or not?'
Sakura, who had been holding back from the beginning, finally couldn't help but
complain internally. Her gaze towards Kakashi became a bit skeptical.
However, maintaining her image as a
good girl, Sakura didn't let her character collapse outwardly.
"Why do we need to introduce
ourselves? Brother Kakashi, I think you are the one who needs to be introduced
the most. And you seem to need to explain the reason for being late, right?
Otherwise, I will go to the Third Hokage and file a complaint, saying you were
delaying business," Naruto interjected loudly, placing his hands on his
hips and looking up at Kakashi with an angry expression.
"Eh? Naruto-kun, do you know
this sensei?" Sakura asked blankly.
Sasuke also glanced at Naruto in
surprise. He hadn't expected Naruto to know their team captain.
Menma found it normal. In this time
and space, Naruto acted openly under the title of 'Son of the Fourth Hokage,'
receiving treatment similar to Sarutobi Hiruzen's direct grandson, Sarutobi
Konohamaru. Kakashi was a direct subordinate of the Fourth Hokage, so it made
sense that Naruto knew him.
"Of course. Brother Kakashi was
led by my father. I must know him. It's okay if the Third Hokage didn't tell
me. But Brother Kakashi, you didn't tell me in advance either. It's a shame, I
was still wondering who would lead the team," Naruto replied to Sakura
matter-of-factly, then turned his attention to Kakashi with a slightly sad
expression.
"Haha, it was the Third
Hokage's order not to tell you in advance. Well, just like what Naruto said, my
name is Hatake Kakashi. I am a Jonin in the village. There is nothing I
particularly like. If there's something I hate, it's people who ignore ninja
rules. If you want to stay in my team, you must keep this in mind,"
Kakashi said with a slightly cold tone.
"Eh!?" "!?"
This faint hint of coldness made
even Naruto, let alone Sakura, shrink their necks subconsciously.
"I understand, Brother
Kakashi," Naruto said, curling his lips.
"Okay, now it's your turn to
introduce yourselves! Oh, Naruto, you have to go too!" Kakashi clapped his
hands lightly, then said with a smile.
"Eh? Oh!" Naruto was
momentarily stunned, then nodded heavily.
"My name is Namikaze Naruto. My
favorite thing is Ichiraku Ramen. I don't have anything I hate. My dream is to
become the greatest ninja, surpassing all previous Hokages," he said
excitedly, raising his forehead protector.
Listening to Naruto's words, the
smile in Kakashi's eyes grew stronger.
"Next," Kakashi's gaze
shifted to Menma.
Menma smiled lightly and said,
"My name is Uzumaki Menma. There is nothing I particularly like or
dislike. My future dream is to have everyone recognize me."
This was indeed Menma's dream,
although the recognition he sought might not belong to the general
understanding of the term. What Menma advocated most was to 'convince people
with reason,' though his 'reason' referred to the 'reason' of physics. This was
what Menma felt was the most reasonable and correct approach in this world.
Morality? Justice? In this world, these were ultimate luxuries.