Playing As Gojo Satoru in Naruto

"Well, I've got the bells now. Let's just say I'm the mystery savior sent to help the unlucky students who can't graduate!"

Hatake Satoru threw in a wink, like he was making some weird kind of victory speech.

"..."

Kakashi just lay there, stiff as a board, not moving a muscle.

Even while lying on the ground, he was thinking about how he could save face after this.

First day of class, and he got taken down by his own older brother in front of his students.

No one would believe it even if he told them.

"You're really starting to look like an old man, you know."

Hatake Satoru raised an eyebrow, took a deep breath, then looked to the side and helped pull Kakashi up.

In his mind, Kakashi was still that cold, cool kid with the mask who didn't care about anyone.

But after just a few years, that once-sharp boy now looked way too much like a tired middle-aged man.

"Well, I *am* older now. The weird one here is actually you."

"Besides your height, your personality hasn't changed at all. Still full of energy, huh?"

"Did you go off and learn some new jutsu or something? You weren't this strong when you left, I'm pretty sure."

Kakashi hooked the bells onto his belt and brushed the dust off his knees.

He looked up with those tired, half-lidded eyes and gave Satoru a blank stare.

Now that the fight was over, the three kids who'd been watching from the side hurried over.

"Satoru's always been amazing! How come Kakashi-sensei, who's the younger brother, doesn't know that?!"

Naruto ran over happily and stood right next to Hatake Satoru, full of energy.

Even though just a second ago, he had been surprised by how strong Hatake Satoru really was,

because he *used* to think Satoru was strong, he now convinced himself he had always known it.

"I don't like sweets. You can have them back."

Sasuke walked up to Hatake Satoru and handed the paper bag back to him.

Hatake Satoru's bag was full of sweets. Sasuke was pretty much the odd one out in the Uchiha clan—he really hated sweet stuff.

Even though he was trying hard to keep a serious face, the light in his eyes gave him away.

No matter how much he tried to hide it, he was clearly excited to see Hatake Satoru again.

"So cool…"

Sakura's eyes sparkled a little. Up until now, the only kind of good-looking guy she'd really seen was someone like Sasuke.

She'd never seen someone like Hatake Satoru before—laid-back, clean-cut, and cool in a totally different way.

Even though he was definitely older than them, just looking at him, he was basically a tall, good-looking guy.

And the way he dressed was stylish too—completely different from Kakashi, who wore those boring jonin clothes like an old man.

Still, it was clear they just didn't know Hatake Satoru very well.

"Back then, you were super awkward when I left, so it's normal if you didn't really understand me~"

"These two students of yours might actually know me better."

Hatake Satoru casually patted Naruto and Sasuke on the head.

Sasuke tilted his head away a bit, clearly annoyed. He was happy to see Hatake Satoru again,

but that didn't mean he'd forgotten how Satoru knocked him out last time.

Kakashi's eye twitched a little and he quickly tried to steer the conversation away from himself.

"Wait a sec… You guys turned on me way too fast, don't you think?"

"I'm your teacher, remember?"

He pointed at his own face, looking at the three kids who had all run over to Satoru.

Sure, he'd only just started bonding with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura a few hours ago, but still—

the fact that they instantly ran over to his older brother like that didn't sit right with him.

And Hatake Satoru—ever since they were kids, Kakashi could never figure out what that guy was really thinking.

Now suddenly showing up where Kakashi's new team was? It made him feel like something was off.

"But we've known Satoru for a long time already."

"This is more like coming back home."

Naruto puffed out his cheeks and muttered under his breath.

"Even if you've known me a long time, I'm not gonna be your teacher~ I'm just a regular guy, you know."

"I just happened to see you all gathered here."

This way he wouldn't need to go visit each of them one by one later.

After being away so long, it made the most sense to check in on the kids through Kakashi's team.

"A regular guy… huh?"

Did he seriously just say that!?

From his build to his skills, he was definitely at least jonin level—and he still called himself a regular guy?

The three kids looked disappointed and gave Hatake Satoru confused, half-speechless stares.

"Mhm—just a normal person who's a bit older, that's all."

Hatake Satoru nodded, clearly pleased with how he described himself.

"Oh, and since I helped you snatch the bells, I'll give you a little hint."

"What Kakashi's trying to teach you is teamwork. Charging in one by one like that just won't work."

"Even though there are only two bells and only two of you can pass,"

"if you don't work together, none of you will get one~."

No surprise Hatake Satoru figured it out—he used to be a teacher, after all, so he knew these kinds of teaching tricks.

Kakashi, who had his role as teacher taken away, didn't really care. He casually pulled out *Make-Out Paradise*, flipped through a few pages, and mumbled a lazy reply with his dead-fish eyes.

"Yeah yeah, but it's too late for you to realize that now."

"This round's over. You'll get another chance this afternoon."

"Go eat for now~ Ah, but don't let Naruto eat. He did horribly. What was that nonsense about a fair fight?"

The moment he finished, Naruto started yelling in protest at being singled out.

Hatake Satoru didn't plan to get involved in the lunch matter. Well, the three of them probably had some sense by now.

He then leaned over curiously to check out the book Kakashi was reading.

Even though Kakashi tried to shut the book, Hatake Satoru was just too fast and saw the whole thing.

"Whoa—you're seriously reading *that* kind of book in broad daylight?"

"No parents around and this is what you turn into, huh? Come on, let me see, let me see."

Hatake Satoru's teasing voice came right next to Kakashi's ear, making his body freeze up for a second.

It was the first time since he started reading *Make-Out Paradise* that he actually felt embarrassed being caught.

"Why are you talking like a parent now? You're only two years older than me."

Kakashi sighed and shut the book with a snap, then started pushing Hatake Satoru toward the edge of the training field.

With those three kids around, it was getting hard to even talk properly.

--- 

 Read 30 advanced chapters on my patreon

patreon.com/GustinaKamiya 

---