Tale of the Setting Sun.

Shinobi IV

Chapter 4: "Distant Memories"

Leaning against the railing of the roof garden, Kakashi looked down in silence at his new genin team; their facial expressions and the way they had positioned themselves was very telling.

The girl, Kamizuki Mayu, was biting her lower lip and looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but there. Kakashi wondered for a moment how she had passed the Academy test: She had gotten one of the lowest scores in ninjutsu, and the de facto lowest in taijutsu. But the forgettable looking girl apparently had a bit of a flair for genjutsu, and had even managed to conceal her presence from the chūnin instructor, which was impressive indeed.

At the moment, however, she clung onto the arm of the boy sprawled on the ground next to her - Hagane Rai. When Kakashi let his gaze linger on the long scar across his face, the boy scowled fiercely. He glanced away; it seemed that Kotetsu's younger brother would be a handful indeed.

Finally, he let his thoughts rest on the third genin: Uzumaki Naruto. He was two years younger than the other two and yet, had passed with the highest total score on the exam. His new hitai-ate gleaming on his forehead, he sat noticeably apart from the other two. Though Naruto's blank face was rather more difficult to read, Kakashi could make out a note of determination ingrained in the boy's eyes.

Oho. He had to wonder what exactly the boy wanted to prove so much.

Despite his best efforts, seeing Naruto's face up close like this, Kakashi couldn't help but think of his own sensei: The boy may have had his mother's hair, but everything else was his father's.

While he had been under strict orders from the Third Hokage to not approach Naruto until now, he had seen from afar just how much the boy had suffered at the hands of the ignorant villagers. The Third had said that the experience would make him strong, just as how Minato had wanted. But Kakashi couldn't help but think that his old sensei would have been furious at him for letting his son grow up without knowing how much he had been loved.

At long last, Kakashi clapped his hands together to get the attention of his newest team. "I am your new jōnin instructor, Hatake Kakashi. So that I can know you better, let's go around in a circle with your names. You can also tell me your likes, dislikes, hobbies, and your dreams." The three genins stared silently back at him, and Kakashi had to suppress a sigh. "How about you go first?" He gestured towards Rai, who scowled again but acquiesced.

"The name's Hagane Rai," the boy grumbled. "I love anything to do with weapons. My goal is to become the best weapons specialist in Konoha. And," he glowered at Kakashi, "I hate being ordered around."

A handful, Kakashi thought to himself.

"Now the girl," he ordered. Mayu stiffened under his gaze and Kakashi noted with concealed interest how, for some reason, her eyes momentarily flickered in Naruto's direction.

"My name is Mayu. I like birds, and...and I dislike... Well... My hobby is looking at the sky, and... my dream is to work with orphans one day and better their lives."

As she said this, Kakashi had followed her body language carefully; nearly the whole time, she had been biting her nails while looking down at her sandals. But as she talked about her dream, she had stopped fidgeting, and her voice hadn't wavered once.

Perhaps Izumo's younger sister had more substance to her than he'd initially given her credit for.

Suddenly, a voice spoke up without Kakashi's prompting: "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I plan on becoming the next Hokage."

Kakashi blinked.

It was the first time he had really heard Naruto's voice: It was even-toned and tempered, which was to be expected considering the isolated lifestyle he knew the boy to have led. But his words - their lack of empty bluster, and even more so, the conviction behind them...now that, was a surprise.