The Red Thread of Fate

Chapter 14: First impressions

Hatake Kakashi does not think he is good at dealing with children, not at all. In fact, he would rather face a whole squad of rogue ninjas than to deal with hormone-driven, noisy teenagers. Especially those who are overly bright and naïve as they have not seen the pure bloodshed, cruel world of shinobis. However, when he received the files for his newly assigned genin team, he was actually a bit surprised.

The younger Uchiha, the son of his late teacher, and a fangirl.

The skills of the Uchiha prodigy is obvious, however just like himself, Sasuke's dark past engulfs him like a snake that slowly poisons his mind, leading him into a path of only vengeance and hate.

Naruto, on the other hand he was familiar with, the loud jinchuriki has made quite a name for himself in Konoha. Having to observe him ever since birth, Naruto's high energy and passion sometimes reminded him of Kushina, and the other times his resemblance to Minato was simply too painful for him to continue to look at him. He is a child with a pure heart, just like his father. With a dream so brave and noble, that he can hardly imagine himself having the same motivation to achieve.

And Sakura, she is an enigma to him. Bubble gum pink hair, emerald eyes, delicate features just like her name. A soft cherry blossom petal that cannot withstand harsh winds and falls along in the spring breeze. A girl with a civilian background, highly intelligent in terms of book theory, average in ninjutsu, her performance in taijutsu is lacking from up until her graduation where she showed exceptional hand-to-hand combat against Uchiha Sasuke. A victory that would have wounded the fragile pride of the Uchiha boy very much, Kakashi hummed.

One comment from Umino Iruka piqued his interest.

"Performance highly reminiscent of the style of the slug sannin. The student claims that Tsunade is a figure who she looks up to very much, to the point of intense study of her techniques, such as medical ninjutsu and chakra enhanced strength."

As he pushed open the door of the classroom, he didn't feel the need to swipe at the blackboard eraser that fell from the top. His attention focused on the two figures that sat in the seats in the room, a boy in blue and a girl in red.

First impressions are always important, as he carefully evaluated the two 13-year-olds that are assigned to Team 7. Of course, his observation was rudely interrupted by a boy in orange.

An orange colour that was obnoxiously bright and completely threw him off his train of thoughts.

Kakashi wasn't surprised when Sakura arrived on the roof first. He already knew she had excellent chakra control, after all Tsunade's techniques mainly consisted of the manipulation of chakra and the skills required for such techniques were high. He watched as the girl dusted off her tunic and took a seat down on the steps.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I like dango and- ...I hate traitors, people who are too full of themselves and other things. As for my hobbies, I like to read medical books and training. My dream is to protect my village from harm and become the best kunoichi in the world."

Kakashi silently observed her head that bobbed down to stare at her sandals. It was an introduction completely within his prediction of what he thought she was going to say. However, no matter how hard Sakura tried to hide, it was crystal clear that she likes Sasuke. The way her eyes without her knowledge, darted towards the boy as he spoke in his tenor voice. And that slight hesitation in her introductory line, it all signalled towards her affections for the Uchiha boy.

However, she wasn't acting like what he expected her to be like, a lovesick girl who fawned over her crush. Kakashi thought silently. But people change, and it was admirable to see that she has found her dream and purpose that will push her along her journey as a shinobi even further.