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"Huh? Leaving already?"
Kagaya reached out and grabbed Tazuna's shoulder.
"You approached me and asked if I'm a shinobi. Surely, you have some business with me. Why not tell me about it?"
Tazuna forced a smile. "N-no, it's nothing. Absolutely nothing. I just saw you deal with that samurai so swiftly and came over to ask."
A hint of amusement flickered in Kagaya's eyes. "Really?"
Tazuna nodded rapidly. "Really, of course, really."
Kagaya looked at the elderly man before him and stopped speaking. He was considering whether to follow and protect Tazuna.
This wasn't a sudden surge of kindness. The issue was that while the Land of Waves was a small country, it was still a nation—much too large compared to a single person. Even knowing the location of Gato Company and heading straight there didn't guarantee he'd find Gato.
Moreover, what if Gato, out of fear, decided to hide? That would be even more troublesome.
Besides, the person Kagaya truly sought wasn't Gato, but Zabuza. According to the original plot, Gato would eventually hire Zabuza to assassinate Tazuna. So, it wouldn't be a problem for Kagaya to simply follow Tazuna until Zabuza showed up for the assassination attempt.
'But...'
Kagaya looked at the somewhat frightened old man. Searching his conscience, would he go all out to protect him?
The answer was obvious: no. Kagaya had no connection to Tazuna. Expecting him to protect Tazuna with his utmost effort was impossible.
In that case, it was better to leave Tazuna be and let him seek aid from Konoha.
The bridge Tazuna wanted to build was a massive project that would benefit the entire Land of Waves. Such an endeavor was something countless common people desperately desired.
A project like this, in Kagaya's previous life, would undoubtedly be recorded in history for the prosperity it would bring to so many.
Kagaya bore no grudge against the Land of Waves. He had no intention of helping build the bridge, but neither did he need to obstruct it. Following Tazuna himself could prevent Tazuna from seeking Konoha's help, and since Kagaya wouldn't dedicate himself to protecting him, it would be very disadvantageous for Tazuna.
What Tazuna was building wasn't just a bridge; it was the hope of this nation. Kagaya glanced around at the people still sneaking looks, gave a faint smile, and released Tazuna.
"In that case, let's part ways for now."
Tazuna swallowed hard. "P-part ways..."
With that, Tazuna hastily scurried away.
Kagaya had no quarrel with the Land of Waves. There was no need to extinguish an entire nation's hope.
"Let's go, Haku."
Kagaya stepped over the samurai's corpse with Haku and headed towards the location of Gato Company they had been told about.
******
Konoha Village.
On a balcony, Kakashi looked at the three before him and spoke leisurely.
"Let me see... Right, first, let's have some self-introductions."
The three opposite Kakashi were, of course, Team 7: Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto.
Sakura asked, puzzled, "What should we say for the self-introduction?"
Many people experiencing the 'self-introduction' scenario for the first time couldn't help but wonder.
Kakashi spread his hands as if it were obvious. "Things like what you like, what you dislike, your future dreams, and your hobbies. That should cover it."
Naruto stared intently at Kakashi. "Uh, hey, I think it'd be better if the teacher introduced himself first."
Kakashi pointed at himself. "Me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. The things I like and dislike... I'd rather not tell you."
Naruto & Sakura: "Huh?"
"As for my future dreams..." Kakashi slightly tilted his head, skipping over the 'dreams' topic entirely. "...hobbies, I have many."
Sakura looked at Sasuke and Naruto with an expression of utter disbelief. "So in the end, we only learned his name."
Naruto: "Yeah."
Kakashi turned his gaze to Naruto among the three. "Now it's your turn. Let's start with you."
Naruto adjusted the Konoha forehead protector on his head. "Me? My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What I like is instant ramen. What I like even more is the Ichiraku ramen Iruka-sensei treats me to. What I dislike is... having to wait three minutes for the ramen. My hobby is competing with others in eating ramen. And my future dream is... to surpass the Hokage! And also..."
At this point, Naruto's expression darkened slightly.
"...also, I have to bring back a certain person! So, I must make the entire village acknowledge my existence!"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
A certain person, huh... Kakashi had a good idea who Naruto was referring to.
"Alright. Next!"
Sakura's face flushed slightly. "My name is Haruno Sakura. What I like... or rather, the person I like is..." As she spoke, she glanced shyly at Sasuke beside her.
"...and my hobby is..." Another glance at Sasuke.
"...my future dream is..." She looked at Sasuke once more, then seemed to imagine a shy scenario and lowered her head with a squeal. "Kyaa!"
Kakashi stared at Sakura speechlessly. "And then? What do you dislike?"
Sakura's flushed face instantly turned serious, and she answered without hesitation. "Naruto!"
Kakashi propped his chin on his hand. 'For girls this age, romance is still more important than ninjutsu.'
"Okay, and lastly..."
Sasuke placed his hands on his knees, interlacing his fingers and resting them before his mouth. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things I dislike. As for things I like... there aren't any. Also, I don't just want to talk about dreams. I have an ambition. I will restore my clan, and then... I will definitely kill two specific people with my own hands."
Kakashi looked at Sasuke. 'Just as I thought.'
"Alright. All three of you have distinct personalities. Very interesting. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin carrying out missions."
Naruto couldn't contain his excitement. "Ah! What kind of missions?"
Kakashi lowered his head as if in thought. "We'll start with a mission that only the four of us can complete."
Naruto: "What, what, what? What is it?"
Kakashi: "A survival exercise."
Naruto: "Survival exercise?"
Sakura asked, confused, "If it's a mission, why have an exercise? We've already done plenty of exercises at the academy."
Kakashi spoke gravely. "This isn't an ordinary exercise!"
Naruto raised his hand to ask. "So, uh, what kind of exercise is it?"
"Pfft... Hahaha..."
Kakashi suddenly started trying to stifle laughter.
Sakura spoke uneasily. "Wait, sensei, what's so funny?"
Kakashi, still holding back laughter, said, "No, it's nothing. If I told you, it would probably scare you off!"
Naruto: "Huh?"
The next moment, Kakashi spoke with extreme seriousness. "Among the 27 graduates, only 9 will be recognized as Genin. The other 18 will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this exercise is an extremely difficult test with a failure rate of over 66%!"
Naruto's eyes widened. "How can that be? I worked so hard to pass the graduation exam! Then... then why did we even have a graduation exam?"
Kakashi: "That? That was just to select those who have the potential to become Genin."
"What?!"
"That's how it is. Tomorrow, on the training grounds, I will judge whether you pass or fail. Remember to bring a full set of shinobi tools. We meet at 5 o'clock tomorrow morning!"
Naruto lowered his head, his body trembling slightly.
'How... how can I be eliminated here?! I have to make everyone acknowledge my strength! And I have to defeat that guy! I must! I absolutely must!'
Sakura frowned.
'If we fail this test, I'll be separated from Sasuke. This is a trial of love!'
Sasuke remained silent, clenching his fists tightly, staring intently ahead.
Kakashi turned his back to the three of them. "Alright then, dismissed! Oh, right... don't eat breakfast. You'll throw up!"