Chapter 12: C11: Team 7’s First Gathering
"Sensei, you're late!!!"
Sakura and Sasuke shouted in unison, their frustration echoing through the classroom.
The noise jolted Naruto awake.
He groggily lifted his head, wiped the drool from his mouth, and blinked. "Huh? What's going on?"
Standing in the doorway, Hatake Kakashi scratched the back of his head, his single visible eye curving into an amused expression.
"Haha, sorry, sorry. Konoha is so big—I got lost on the way here."
"Liar!!!"
Sakura and Sasuke yelled again, arms crossed.
Neither believed such a shameless excuse.
Kakashi, however, simply strolled into the classroom, his gaze casually scanning over the three of them before settling on Naruto.
"So, this is him..."
The son of the Fourth Hokage. The village's jinchūriki. The kid everyone called a monster.
And yet, just yesterday, Naruto had somehow mastered the Flying Thunder God and the Eight Gates.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had personally summoned Kakashi to inform him.
Even for someone as experienced as Kakashi, it was unbelievable.
Twelve years old, and he had already gained control over two of the most advanced techniques in Konoha's history.
Minato-sensei… you really left behind a monster.
---
Kakashi exhaled and smiled.
"Well, to make up for being late, I'll treat you all to barbecue."
"Really?!"
Sakura's eyes sparkled.
Not because of the food—but because she'd get to eat with Sasuke.
Sasuke, of course, acted cool.
"Tch. You think you can bribe us that easily?" He leaned back, arms crossed, exuding his usual aloof attitude.
Classic Sasuke.
Meanwhile, Naruto grinned.
"Sensei, you better have a big wallet. I eat a lot."
Kakashi patted his bulging pouch of money, his eye crinkling. "Don't worry. Eat as much as you want."
Naruto's grin widened.
Big mistake, Kakashi. Big mistake.
---
At the Barbecue Restaurant
The sun was warm, casting a golden glow over the village as they arrived at the barbecue restaurant.
Inside, the four of them settled into their seats as the grill sizzled.
During the meal, Kakashi had them introduce themselves.
It wasn't really necessary—they had known each other for years.
But according to Kakashi, every new team had to go through this process to build camaraderie.
Likes. Dislikes. Dreams.
A classic team bonding exercise.
Naruto, of course, had a different priority.
He made sure to eat as much as humanly possible.
He devoured 50 plates of roast beef, eating until his stomach was about to burst.
Sakura stared in disbelief.
"Naruto! That's too much! Do you have any idea how expensive all this food is?!"
Naruto just shrugged, still chewing.
"Why do you care? Kakashi-sensei is loaded."
Kakashi, who had been casually flipping through his Icha Icha Paradise, finally glanced at him.
"Oh? Are you still hungry? Feel free to order more."
Sakura's jaw dropped.
"…He doesn't even care?!"
But Naruto, finally reaching his limit, waved him off.
"Nope, I'm good. Any more and I might explode."
Kakashi snapped his book shut.
"Alright then. Now that we're done eating, let's talk about tomorrow."
His tone shifted—the lazy amusement replaced by something more serious.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll meet at the training ground east of the Academy for your first real mission."
Then, his visible eye curved into something unsettling.
"Oh, and one more thing…"
He smirked.
"Don't eat breakfast."
---
"Wait… What?!"
Sakura frowned. "Why not?"
Kakashi's smirk widened.
"Because… you'll just end up throwing it up."
A chill ran down their spines.
Sakura's face paled.
"H-Hold on! Kakashi-sensei… You're not planning to make us do something disgusting, are you?! Like… cleaning sewers or—"
Sasuke cut her off.
"Idiot."
He frowned, deep in thought.
"Kakashi-sensei is warning us about the difficulty of tomorrow's mission. He's telling us not to let our guard down."
Naruto?
He already knew exactly what was coming.
The infamous Bell Test.
Kakashi had no intention of letting them pass easily.
In fact, one of them was going to be tied to a tree stump while the other two ate lunch right in front of them.
…Too bad that sucker won't be me.
---
Kakashi observed their reactions with satisfaction.
"Well then."
He pushed his chair back and stood up.
"We'll meet at sunrise. Get plenty of rest."
Then, forming a one-handed seal, he casually disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Leaving Team 7 to wonder…
What the hell had they just signed up for?
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I'll tag a book under the Author Note so, be sure to add it to your collections if you love HxH and an mc that grows so fast that op mc lovers are gonna loved it.