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"Everyone's acknowledgment, huh? Sure enough… you've inherited your father's will, Minato-sensei."
Listening to Menma's words, Kakashi's lone visible eye softened slightly. He didn't know the true meaning behind Menma's declaration, but he felt strangely relieved. Deep down, though, there was still guilt—a quiet, lingering weight that Kakashi Hatake carried.
After all, both Naruto and Menma were Minato-sensei's sons… yet their lives couldn't have been more different.
In truth, Kakashi had thought about visiting Menma countless times over the past twelve years. As his sensei's child, he'd felt a faint sense of responsibility—but it was faint, and ultimately, he'd done nothing. His guilt, though real, was buried under years of self-blame and emotional exhaustion.
Kakashi's life had always been a series of contradictions—duty and loss, genius and grief. Perhaps he himself had never truly understood what kind of man he'd become.
Menma, however, saw him clearly.
In his previous life, Menma had once admired Kakashi, seeing him through the lens of a "protagonist's mentor." But now, with time and experience reshaping his understanding, that illusion had long since vanished.
After living twelve years in this world, Menma no longer felt admiration—or resentment—toward Kakashi.
Kakashi wasn't an enemy, but he wasn't anyone special either. He was just another shinobi of the Leaf.
A man doing his job.
If, one day, Kakashi stood in his way, Menma would cut him down without hesitation.
Emotion would mean nothing in that moment.
Menma's calm, unreadable gaze lingered briefly on Kakashi, then drifted away.
"Well then," Kakashi said, glancing over his team, "next one."
His eye landed on Haruno Sakura.
Startled, Sakura straightened immediately, forcing a bright smile. "My name is Haruno Sakura! My dream is to become a strong kunoichi like Lady Tsunade! The things I like, uh… it's better to say the person I like—ah!!"
Her face turned bright red as she stole a shy glance toward Sasuke.
Menma nearly groaned out loud. He'd read about this scene before—had even laughed at it in the original story—but experiencing it in person made it infinitely worse.
Goosebumps crawled up his arms.
No wonder early Sakura had been so unpopular among fans. With this personality—vain, flustered, and painfully obvious—it was hard to take her seriously. She would only begin to change years later, during the Shippuden era. Only then would she start showing glimpses of her mentor, Tsunade.
But right now? Two words summed her up perfectly:
Utterly annoying.
Menma fought to keep his expression neutral, though the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Do girls in this world all value feelings over reason? Unbelievable…
Kakashi silently sighed, deciding to intervene before Sakura dug herself any deeper. "Alright, and what about the thing you hate?"
"Ino!" she blurted automatically.
Of course.
In this version of the world, Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son—openly acknowledged by the village—so Sakura's "rival" for popularity and recognition could only be Yamanaka Ino.
Classic plastic friendship.
Kakashi's expression didn't change, though a faint glint of amusement flickered in his eye.
"As expected," he murmured softly. "Alright then… last one."
His gaze shifted toward Sasuke.
The Uchiha boy lifted his head, his dark eyes sharp and cold. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. There's nothing I particularly like or dislike. My goal is to restore my clan—"
His tone dropped, icy and deliberate. "—and to kill a certain man."
The atmosphere on the rooftop grew heavier instantly. Even Sakura, who had been starry-eyed seconds ago, froze at the sudden shift in Sasuke's aura.
Kakashi's brow furrowed slightly.
There was no mistaking it—that man was Uchiha Itachi.
Menma's eyes narrowed as he glanced sideways at Sasuke. The image of a calm, stoic young man—only a few years older than them—flashed through his mind. Uchiha Itachi: the prodigy who annihilated his own clan, his own parents, in a single night.
A monster in the shape of a man.
Even Menma couldn't deny Itachi's terrifying will.
That kind of resolve didn't exist in normal people.
"Well then," Kakashi said finally, breaking the silence. "That wraps up introductions. I'm not the strict type, so you can relax around me… but before we start any missions, I'll need to test you first."
"Test?" Naruto tilted his head.
"That's right," Kakashi replied, his tone as lazy as ever. "Consider it an evaluation. We'll meet at Training Ground No. 7 tomorrow morning at five o'clock sharp. Don't be late. I might be laid-back, but I hate tardiness."
Naruto crossed his arms with a suspicious frown. "Oh, come on! You're the one who's late every single day, Brother Kakashi! Don't tell me you'll make us show up early just so you can stroll in hours later?"
Unlike in the original story, Kakashi's casual trick didn't fool anyone this time.
Menma, having knowledge of the past, saw right through him.
And Naruto—being the son of the Fourth—had known Kakashi since childhood.
So instead of innocent confusion, both Menma and Naruto exchanged a knowing glance.
Kakashi's eye curved slightly, but he didn't flinch under their suspicion. "Two different things, Naruto. Tomorrow, I'll definitely be on time. After all, this might be your first and last mission as a team."
"Eh!? Last mission?" Sakura exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Why would you say that, sensei?" Naruto asked, frowning.
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "You'll find out tomorrow. One more thing—don't eat breakfast. Trust me, you'll regret it if you do."
Before any of them could respond, he formed a single hand seal.
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke burst into the air, and Kakashi vanished completely.
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