"Three, two, one—go!" Kakashi called out.
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura rushed out from three directions. Naruto was the quickest—he dove forward and caught the gray kitten on the ground in one smooth motion.
"Kakashi-sensei! I got it! I caught it!" Naruto shouted, holding the kitten up proudly as he looked toward where Kakashi was hiding.
Kakashi stepped out of concealment and gave Naruto a thumbs-up. "Nice job, Naruto."
Though the moment he did it, he cringed slightly and lowered his hand. Damn you, Guy. That exaggerated thumbs-up is starting to rub off on me.
"Ah-choo!"
Dozens of kilometers away, a man with thick eyebrows and a bowl-cut hairstyle suddenly sneezed.
"Teacher, are you catching a cold?" asked a similarly thick-browed and bowl-cut boy, his concern evident. The resemblance between them was uncanny. Green jumpsuits, strong jaws—they were like carbon copies.
"Of course not!" the man beamed, striking a dramatic pose and flashing his gleaming white teeth.
"As expected of you, Sensei!" the boy echoed, giving a heartfelt thumbs-up.
Together, they shouted in perfect unison:
"THIS IS YOUTH!"
"Teacher, come on! Lee, you go that way!"
The girl in a pink cheongsam shouted, hand on her forehead in frustration. So much youth, it's giving me a headache...
Nearby was another boy with long brown hair tied back in a bun and eyes that were pure white—unmistakably a member of the Hyuga clan.
"Let's hurry, Sensei. We still have the Chunin Exams coming up," Neji Hyuga said seriously. He placed great importance on the exam and had already planned to return to the village to train rigorously afterward.
"This time, Neji, I'm going to beat you!" said Rock Lee, full of determination.
Hearing this, Tenten immediately raised her fist and bonked Lee on the head.
"OW!" Lee yelped, holding his head.
"Idiot! This Chunin Exam isn't a sparring match! We'll be facing real talent from every village. You can challenge Neji after we survive the exam!" Tenten scolded him angrily.
"Oh... okay," Lee replied sheepishly. Tenten sure hits hard...
Might Guy suddenly spoke up. "This Chunin Exam… your focus should be on rivals from our own village."
His words drew the attention of his three students.
"Don't worry, Sensei!" Lee shouted confidently. "With Neji, Tenten, and me, no one stands a chance!"
In the previous Chunin Exam, Guy had deemed them not strong enough and held them back. They'd trained in silence for an entire year. Now, they believed they were the strongest in this generation.
Guy, however, shook his head. "Sasuke and Naruto are formidable. But someone else even stronger is participating this year…"
This caught the trio off guard. Guy had mentioned it before departing on a mission—during a casual conversation with Kakashi, who warned him of a certain someone joining the exam.
"Kakashi?" Neji's team all knew him well—Guy's eternal rival.
"Could he mean Sasuke or Naruto?" Tenten wondered aloud. "Everyone knows those two are standouts this year."
As for Menma, he'd been laying low for years—never interested in being number one, barely showing up for exams. Iruka had long since accepted this behavior. The rest of the class? They knew better than to complain.
If anyone dared say too much, Menma just had to wave his hand and bam—that person would be surrounded and dealt with.
Big Brother Energy.
In the Ninja Academy, Menma lived like a carefree king—his only concerns being how fast Naruto could grow up and when little Hinata would mature.
The time to plant seeds is now... then the strongest dad will be born!
He'd even decided on names for his future niece and nephew:
Minato Uzumaki, as a tribute to the "cheap old man."
And the girl? Menma... because he might not get to name her if he's not the head of the family anymore.
Sigh... but there's no rush. Take it step by step.
Still, once the Chunin Exam ended, Menma's first godson would be born—the child of Itachi and Izumi. Their wedding had been planned, but due to the exam, it had been postponed.
Menma had already prepared a grand gift for the baby: 10% of the revenue from Kurama's merchandise line.
Back in the present—
"Mr. Kakashi," Naruto asked, "can we get other missions already?"
Lately, their assignments had just been mundane chores—catching cats, helping with farming. Naruto had tolerated it for a few days, but now he couldn't hold back.
Well said, Naruto!
Sakura silently agreed. She was just as sick of these petty tasks.
Even Sasuke gave Kakashi a hopeful look.
"Fine, fine," Kakashi replied, pulling a scroll from his pocket. "Let's move on to a C-rank mission—escort duty for a man named Tazuna."
Of course, Kakashi had anticipated this and had already selected a suitable mission.
C-rank missions rarely involved real combat. For actual ninja battles, B-rank missions were the minimum.
"What's the mission?" the trio asked eagerly.
"Escort Tazuna safely to the Land of Waves," Kakashi said.
The moment he finished, all three of them lit up with excitement. They were finally leaving the village!
"Kakashi-sensei, you're the best!" Naruto said, flashing a wide grin.
Kakashi: "..."
You flatter me now, huh? I remember how you and Menma used to drive me crazy every day at the Academy. I've got it all in my little black book.
"Alright, go pack your bags. We meet at the village gate at 5 a.m. tomorrow," Kakashi instructed.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sasuke and Naruto bolted off like arrows.
"Wait for me!" Sakura called, chasing after them.
Kakashi watched them disappear into the distance, a small smile forming under his mask.
(End Of Chapter)
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