Acknowledgment from everyone? As expected, this child has also inherited your will, Minato-sensei.
Hearing Menma's words, Kakashi, who had no clue about Menma's true thoughts, felt deeply gratified.
Honestly, Kakashi did feel guilty about Menma. This was the son of his own teacher, Minato, yet the treatment he received was starkly different from his brother's.
If one were to say Kakashi had never thought about taking care of or visiting Menma over the past 12 years, that wouldn't be entirely true. Kakashi still had a bit of a conscience. Unfortunately, it wasn't much—just a pitifully small amount.
Kakashi Hatake was a complex character, and his life had indeed been a rollercoaster of tragedy.
Perhaps even Kakashi had never truly understood himself.
In his past life, Menma initially viewed Kakashi through the "protagonist filter," seeing mostly his virtues. Later, he started to see the flaws. Now, after personally experiencing these 12 years, Menma had zero affection for Kakashi.
Of course, he didn't exactly hate him either.
Because truthfully, Kakashi had no obligation to take care of him. He was just a subordinate of the Fourth Hokage. Was there a mandatory reason for him to care for his teacher's son? Couldn't he prioritize self-preservation?
Therefore, Menma viewed Kakashi as simply a "stranger."
He wouldn't pay too much attention to him. But if Kakashi stood in his way in the future, Menma would not hesitate to raise his blade.
Against a stranger...
There was no need for emotion, and no need for hesitation!
Menma looked at Kakashi with a peaceful expression.
"Alright, next!"
Kakashi nodded slightly, then shifted his gaze to Sakura Haruno.
The moment Kakashi looked at her, Sakura straightened up, her spirit ignited.
"My name is Sakura Haruno! My dream for the future is to become a kunoichi like Lady Tsunade! As for what I like... um... well... rather than a thing... um... it's more like... the person I like... is... squeal!!!!"
Toward the end, she feigned shyness, sneaking glances at Sasuke while hiding her face.
Menma didn't know how the others felt, but he had goosebumps all over his body. Watching this in the anime through a screen was cringey enough, but experiencing it live, right next to him?
The cringe factor was doubled, at least.
It was no wonder Sakura had zero popularity in the early parts of the original story. With that attitude, that personality, and her later over-the-top behavior and words... it would be weird if anyone liked early-series Sakura!
Sakura's reputation only started to turn around in Shippuden.
Especially toward the end, where she did start to resemble Kushina in some ways.
But now?
One word.
Disgusting!
Menma tried his best to control his facial expression, but the corner of his mouth still twitched involuntarily.
Girls these days... do they care more about romance than anything else? Good grief...
Even Kakashi couldn't help but shake his head internally. He cut off Sakura's little one-woman show directly.
"And what do you hate?"
"Ino!"
Menma wasn't the Naruto from the original story.
In this life, Naruto was the noble son of the Fourth Hokage.
So, the person Sakura hated most right now had to be her "rival in love," Ino Yamanaka!
She blurted it out without hesitation.
Truly a "plastic" friendship.
A look of "I knew it" flashed through Kakashi's visible eye.
"Alright. And finally, the last one."
Kakashi nodded, his gaze sweeping past everyone to settle on Sasuke.
Sasuke maintained his expression of icy indifference.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't particularly like or hate anything. My dream... is to restore the Uchiha Clan, and to kill a certain man!"
As he spoke the last sentence...
The aura around Sasuke turned noticeably colder.
Kakashi frowned slightly.
Itachi Uchiha, huh...
Sitting to the side, Menma glanced at Sasuke's profile. The name and face of the young man, only five or six years older than them, surfaced in his mind.
Now that was a truly ruthless individual!
Killing his father and mother... could a normal person do something like that?
In Menma's view, Itachi Uchiha's terrifying nature ranked among the top in this world!
Definitely not a sane person.
"Alright, that counts as a preliminary introduction. I'm pretty laid back, so you don't need to be too formal. However, before we officially start taking missions, I need to put you through a little test!"
"Test?"
"Yes, a test. Tomorrow morning at 5 AM, at Training Ground 3. Remember, don't be late! I'm laid back about most things, but I hate people who are late!"
Kakashi smiled at the four of them with his single visible eye crinkled in amusement.
"You're late every single day yourself! How dare you say that, Big Brother Kakashi! By the way, are you going to trick us into showing up at 5 AM again, only to show up hours late yourself?"
Unlike in the original story where Kakashi easily fooled the trio, in this timeline...
Putting aside Menma the transmigrator...
Naruto was the genuine son of the Fourth.
He had been familiar with Kakashi's habits for years.
So, he ruthlessly exposed Kakashi on the spot.
Seeing Naruto's resentful look and Sakura's obvious skepticism...
Kakashi didn't look embarrassed at all.
He replied calmly, "That's a different matter, Naruto. Tomorrow, I definitely won't be late. After all, this might be your first mission, but it could also be your last. Oh, and Naruto? You have to call me Kakashi-sensei!"
His tone carried a hint of malice.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were all startled.
Menma raised an eyebrow.
"Huh? The last mission? Why would you say that, Kakashi-sensei?!"
Sakura looked at Kakashi with unease.
"Heh heh. Tomorrow, you'll understand. Well then, that's it for today. Oh, one last piece of advice: Don't eat breakfast. Otherwise... you'll regret it!"
Kakashi chuckled softly.
Poof!
Without waiting for their reaction...
He formed a hand seal.
His body transformed into a puff of white smoke and vanished.