Naruto: Returned From Roger's Ship

On the other side, in the Hokage's office-

Hiruzen was gathered with the Jonin Instructors around a crystal ball, observing the situation in the classroom.

"This year's top rookie, Uchiha Sasuke."

One of the Jonin murmured, watching the black-haired boy with his chin propped on his hands, his expression cold and aloof.

"The orphan of the Uchiha Clan?"

There was a hint of pity in Yuhi Kurenai's eyes as she looked at Sasuke.

"Yes."

Hiruzen tapped his pipe, clearing out the remaining ashes, then addressed the others.

"The team assignments have been distributed to you. Go and prepare now."

"Yes."

"Kakashi, stay behind."

The other Jonin nodded and disappeared one after another using the Body Flicker Technique.

Once only Hatake Kakashi remained in the office with him, Hiruzen refilled his pipe and took a slow puff before placing his hand over the crystal ball again.

"Kakashi, there's someone I need you to pay special attention to."

Hearing this, Kakashi raised his eyelid slightly, and a hint of seriousness finally appeared in his usual lazy eye.

"Is it Uchiha Sasuke?"

In his opinion, Sasuke's abilities and temperament far surpassed those of his peers, but at the same time, he was also the most likely to cause trouble.

But to his surprise, Hiruzen shook his head and removed his hand from the crystal ball.

Then, the 'lens' of the crystal ball slowly moved, reflecting another figure who was sleeping soundly.

"This is…"

Kakashi stared at the figure who, even on such an important occasion as the team assignments, was dressed in nothing but a casual yukata. He looked familiar, yet somehow different from what Kakashi remembered.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Huh?"

Kakashi was taken aback when he heard this answer.

After all, Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, his own teacher, Namikaze Minato, and also the village's Jinchuriki.

In other words, he was under constant surveillance.

Even Kakashi himself had been assigned to monitor Naruto before he was transferred from the Anbu to become Jonin Instructor.

But the Naruto in his memory was still just that little troublemaker, always pulling pranks.

Looking at the figure in the crystal ball, Kakashi clicked his tongue.

"Do kids really grow up this fast?"

When Hiruzen heard Kakashi's words, his hand twitched slightly, but he didn't respond.

To be honest, when he saw that Naruto had grown noticeably taller overnight, his first thought was that the Jinchuriki had been replaced.

Especially since, on that very same day, the Anbu's members assigned to monitor the Jinchuriki had all been knocked unconscious by an unknown assailant.

For a brief moment, he had even considered ordering Danzo and his Root to secretly capture Naruto.

But in the end, he hadn't gone through with it.

Perhaps it was out of guilt toward the Fourth Hokage, or maybe some other reason.

But given that this involved the Jinchūriki, which is a matter of utmost secrecy, it couldn't be made public.

Ideally, even the village's great clans shouldn't be informed.

To use today's terms, the Jinchuriki is the ultimate deterrent to a Ninja Village, similar to 'nuclear weapons'. Any changes in its status could easily trigger unrest among the villages.

Especially now, when they had only recently reached a truce with Sunagakure.

So, Hiruzen decided to meet Naruto in person first.

Ultimately, he came to a mixed conclusion.

As someone who had watched Naruto grow up, Hiruzen could confirm that this was still the same Naruto.

But the undeniable truth was that Naruto's personality and abilities had undergone significant changes.

Of course, this was also thanks to Naruto himself making no effort to hide it.

"Recently, Naruto has changed quite a bit. I'm concerned that someone may have made contact with him in secret."

The prime suspect in this matter was none other than Hiruzen's 'dear student'.

"From now on, I want you to keep a close eye on him..."

The private discussion in the office continued for a long time.

…

The next day, in a certain classroom...

"They're so slow."

Sakura, leaning in the front seat, complained softly, and then, she would occasionally glance at Sasuke, who sat silently beside her.

'But maybe this wasn't so bad… being able to spend time alone with Sasuke-kun at such close range.'

She shyly enjoyed the alone time with her crush, her mind still brewing over what excuse to use to start a conversation.

At this moment, a soft snoring sound shattered her fantasy.

'...Ah, it would be even better if this third wheel weren't here.'

She immediately turned her head and glared fiercely at Naruto, who was sitting behind them, using his forehead protector as an eye mask while snoring away.

Sakura, feeling a little annoyed, instinctively reached out to smack Naruto awake, planning to vent her frustration on him.

But as her hand moved, she suddenly froze, her mind flashing back to Naruto's words from yesterday.

For some unknown reason, she silently retracted her hand and sat back down.

'Forget it, it's not worth bothering with him.'

She made up an excuse for herself in her mind.

Click-clack…

The sliding door of the classroom opened, and a silver-haired figure walked in.

"Yo, I'm your team's Jonin instructor, Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi stepped onto the podium, wrote his name on the board, then turned his gaze downward.

After his gaze swept over Sasuke and Sakura, it lingered for a moment on Naruto, who was still asleep. Casually picking up a piece of chalk, he flicked it downward.

The chalk shot out like a shuriken, hitting Naruto squarely on the forehead.

But he was still sleeping there, and even his breathing rate didn't change.

"...Could you wake him up, please?"

Seeing this, Kakashi sighed helplessly and shrugged.

"Hey! Naruto, wake up! The teacher's here!"

Hearing Kakashi's words, Sakura immediately shook Naruto awake, no longer caring about anything else.

After pulling the forehead protector off his face, Naruto let out a big yawn before locking eyes with Kakashi on the podium.

"Oh, hey."

Without a trace of awkwardness, Naruito raised a hand and greeted his new Jonin Instructor as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Under his mask, Kakashi's lips twitched. He had a feeling this particular student was going to be troublesome.

But no matter what, he is a professional Jonin Instructor, so Kakashi quickly adjusted his mindset and continued as if nothing had happened.

"Alright, let's start with some self-introductions. Tell us what you like, what you dislike, your hobbies, dreams, or whatever. Let's start with you."

Sasuke, who was pointed at by him, lowered his arms and said coldly.

"Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things I hate, and nothing I particularly like."

Hearing this, Sakura's expression dimmed slightly beside him.

"As for my dream… It's not just some simple wish. I will restore my Uchiha Clan… and kill that man with my own hands."

As he spoke, Sasuke's face darkened, his eyes filled with unmistakable ferocity.

"Alright, got it. Next, you."

Kakashi didn't comment and simply pointed at Sakura.

Sakura, who was called upon, swallowed nervously at first, then quickly composed herself.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. What I like is..."

As she spoke, she kept sneaking glances at Sasuke beside her, her meaning obvious.

Unfortunately, all three males in the room seemed to completely ignore it.

"What I hate is... spicy food."

Originally, she had wanted to say she hated Naruto, but when the words came to her lips, they somehow turned into this.

"Good. And lastly, you."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like good food and fine sake…"

Naruto had a smile on his face as he said this.

"Hey, minors aren't allowed to drink, you know."

Kakashi's warning was completely ignored as Naruto continued, "As for what I hate... probably people who betray their comrades."

Hearing this, Sakura didn't react much, but both Sasuke and Kakashi couldn't help but think of certain figures in their minds.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew heavy.

But Kakashi, being an adult, wasn't so easily affected. He quickly chuckled and remarked, "Good food and fine sake? That's it?"

"Tch, Kakashi-sensei, you really don't get it at all..."

As he spoke, Naruto stood up with an air of importance.

"Listen well… good food and fine sake are the only things in life worth not betraying!"

The sheer conviction in his tone left the other three momentarily speechless.

"Cough, very good. All three of you have very... distinct personalities. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin taking on missions."

As he spoke, he wrote the time and place on the blackboard.

"Kakashi-sensei, what kind of mission are we doing?"

When Sakura heard that she was going to carry out a mission right away, she felt a little uneasy.

"Hehe, a survival exercise… you'll see when the time comes."

After saying this, Kakashi's gaze suddenly sharpened.

"If you fail this test, I'll personally send you back to the Ninja Academy."