The next morning, Yasu was still asleep when someone began shaking him relentlessly.
"Hey! I told you not to bother me while I'm sleeping!" Yasu groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"Sleeping's for the weak. You've got no time to waste today, come were going somewhere," Kakashi said, his tone sharp but not unkind.
Hearing Kakashi Hatake's voice, Yasu's heart skipped a beat. Instantly, all sleepiness vanished, and he sat up quickly.
"Wait… what do you mean, 'no time to waste'? Where are we even going?" Yasu asked, still half-drowsy but alert.
"Let's just say… you're about to meet some very interesting people," Kakashi replied with a smirk. "Move it—no more excuses."
Reluctantly, Yasu climbed out of bed and followed Kakashi into a small grove.
Inside, three wooden posts stood upright, and beside them were three children.
Kakashi motioned for Yasu to stay quiet. Across the clearing, three children were practicing individually. Naruto was leaping recklessly from tree to tree, attempting to summon clones with mixed success. Sasuke moved with precise, sharp motions, his chakra concentrated and his attacks calculated. Sakura focused intently on manipulating a small orb of chakra in her hands, trying to maintain balance without overexertion.
Yasu watched silently, analyzing each one and observing how they interacted with each other during practice. After a watching for a while, Kakashi clapped his hands once.
"Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno!"
Yasu immediately understood what Kakashi meant.
After retiring from the ANBU, Kakashi had taken over Team 7, leading the "main protagonist squad."
Which meant the Naruto story officially began.
Though in the original timeline, Kakashi would arrive around noon, scolding them properly—but here, he appeared early.
"So… what do you think of them?" Kakashi asked.
"Troublesome. Naruto's attitude is alright, but he hasn't quite grasped the basics yet, which makes him difficult to teach. Sasuke Uchiha is a promising talent, but his heart is filled with hatred; if he's not properly guided, he could go astray. As for Sakura Haruno, although she's skilled in chakra control, she is otherwise unremarkable; without a proper opportunity, she'll likely never stand out." Yasu said simply.
Kakashi Hatake looked at Yasu in surprise.
His casual remark was more detailed than the information in the documents, and the Uchiha's situation was considered a secret.
"So, if it were you, how would you teach them?"
Yasu smiled wryly. He had only recently started learning ninjutsu; how could he possibly teach anyone?
But since Kakashi had asked, he decided to explain his plan.
"Naruto seems a bit isolated, so our priority right now is teaching them the value of bonds between teammates. Everything else can wait," Yasu said simply.
Kakashi's eyes brightened.
Just a few words and Yasu had cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Teamwork and trust are essential in battle; if you can't rely on your teammates, you're doomed.
Especially since Naruto had been isolated—Kakashi hated seeing that.
[Ding! Kakashi Hatake affection +3! Current: 72 points! Can sign-in!]
"Your insight is impressive. Let's wait until noon, after lunch, to get started."
Yasu blinked. So Kakashi being late was actually because of him?
"Sign-in! Kakashi Hatake!"
[Ding! Sign-in successful! You've obtained Thousand Years of Death! Affection +3! Current: 75 points!]
Yasu chuckled wryly. Thousand Years of Death had a huge reputation, but in reality, it wasn't especially powerful—anyone could use it.
Still, he was curious… if he signed in this technique from Kakashi, how strong would it actually be?
By noon, Team 7 was starving, their stomachs growling loudly.
"All right, let's go."
As they were grumbling, two figures suddenly leapt out, landing atop the wooden posts.
"Yo!"
Naruto, fuming from being ignored all morning, immediately rushed forward to argue.
Sakura, while also annoyed, tried to restrain him—but she was far too hungry to hold him back.
"Idiot!" Sasuke snorted from his rock, barely moving, clearly unconcerned.
"Hey! Are you really a teacher? You made us come all the way here early, and you show up at noon! This isn't funny!" Naruto shouted.
"Ah, sorry, I got held up," Kakashi said, scratching the back of his head. Then his expression turned serious. "But I'm not your teacher… at least, not for now."
Sakura looked confused. Sasuke furrowed his brow and stepped between the two.
Naruto, more confused than ever, asked, "If you're not our teacher… then who is?"
He pointed at Yasu and shook his head violently.
"Impossible! He's the same age as me. How could he be our teacher?"
"Exactly. He is your teacher. Only once he's satisfied will I start teaching you," Kakashi said.
"What?! Him?"
The four stared in disbelief at Kakashi.
Yasu nearly spat blood. He came here to study chakra, and now Kakashi had literally sold him out.
Sasuke frowned. "He's our teacher? You're joking, right?"
Kakashi smiled lightly and nodded. "No joke. You three might not even be a match for him. By the way, if you can beat him, you can skip this part entirely."
Yasu chuckled wryly. Feeling the hostility from the trio, he silently cursed Kakashi's family for putting him in this position.
[Ding! Naruto Uzumaki affection 50 points! Can sign-in!]
[Affection 50 unlocks: Thousand Years of Death!]
...
[Affection 100 unlocks: Uzumaki Bloodline! Obtain Sexy Jutsu freely! Activate infinite sign-ins (7-day interval)!]
[Ding! Sasuke Uchiha affection 49 points! Warning!]
[Affection 50 unlocks: Shuriken Technique!]
...
[Affection 100 unlocks: Sharingan! Obtain "I Love You, Big Brother"! Activate infinite sign-ins (7-day interval)!]
[Ding! Sakura Haruno affection 50 points! Can sign-in!]
[Affection 50 unlocks: Clone Technique!]
...
[Affection 100 unlocks: Rebirth Creation! Obtain Sakura's "Never Give Up" drive! Activate infinite sign-ins (7-day interval)!]
"Damn, this is a true protagonist team—unbelievable!"