After the team announcements, everyone left the academy to spend time with their new teammates.
Naruto, however, had no interest in that.
Instead, he returned to the secret house hidden deep within the forest, his father's former residence. Upon arriving, he began his usual evening routine, pushing his body through intense exercises.
Afterward, he started practicing the first stages of his cultivation arts.
Demon Qi Awakening.
Flesh of the Infernal Beast.
With the experience and memories of his previous life as the Heavenly Demon, reaching the second stage of Demonic Qi Cultivation should have been easy.
Unfortunately, his body was holding him back.
He could gather demonic qi elements, but only in small amounts and at a slow pace. His knowledge far exceeded what his current body could handle.
Because of this, Naruto decided to focus on strengthening his body first.
A stronger body would allow him to absorb and circulate greater amounts of demonic qi in the future.
The training continued late into the night.
When he finally stopped, every muscle in his body felt heavy.
Yet he was satisfied.
Progress was progress.
The next morning, Naruto woke up exhausted.
His muscles ached from the excessive training he had done the previous day, but he ignored the discomfort and completed his morning routine before heading to the academy.
When he arrived, he was the last person to reach the rooftop.
Sasuke and Sakura were already there, waiting for Kakashi's arrival.
Naruto calmly walked past them and sat down behind the pair.
Crossing his legs and closing his eyes, he began gathering demonic qi from the only source currently available to him.
The Nine-Tails.
Tiny strands of dark energy moved through his body as he carefully guided them, slowly advancing his cultivation.
Sasuke sat silently with his arms crossed, his posture showing complete focus.
Sakura, on the other hand, was visibly irritated.
She had arrived first and had been waiting for a long time.
When she saw Naruto coming late and sitting comfortably with his eyes closed, her frustration only increased.
A glare appeared on her face as she prepared to scold him for arriving late.
Before she could speak.....
"Yo."
A lazy voice interrupted her.
Everyone shocked for the sudden voice.
Kakashi was suddenly sitting on the rooftop railing.
His arrival startled all three students.
Even Naruto immediately opened his eyes.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt slightly unsettled.
I couldn't sense him at all.
Naruto carefully studied the jonin.
He's strong.
Very strong.
Sasuke and Sakura were equally surprised.
Sakura quickly recovered and frowned.
"Kakashi-sensei, you're late!"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head casually.
"Sorry. I got lost on the path of life."
His eye curved into a smile as if that somehow explained everything.
Sakura sighed loudly.
Naruto and Sasuke simply watched him quietly.
Kakashi straightened himself and looked at the three students.
"Okay. Now tell me about yourselves."
Sakura blinked.
"What kind of details do we have to tell, sensei?"
Kakashi answered calmly.
"Tell me about your hobbies, your likes, your dislikes, and your goals."
Naruto spoke up.
"How about you tell us about yourself first, sensei? Then we'll follow your example."
Inside, Naruto was already evaluating the man.
I need to know more about him. He could become a potential threat in the future.
Kakashi nodded.
"Fair enough."
He pointed at himself.
"My name is Kakashi Hatake. My hobbies include reading."
He pulled out a small orange book and waved it briefly.
"My likes... hmm, I don't particularly have any. My dislikes... also none worth mentioning."
Naruto immediately noticed the flaw.
Quite clever... huh.
He didn't actually reveal his likes, dislikes, or goals.
Kakashi looked toward his students.
"Now it's your turn."
Sakura eagerly volunteered first.
"My name is Sakura Haruno. My hobbies are cooking, designing clothes, and planting trees. My likes..."
Her eyes drifted toward Sasuke and her cheeks turned slightly pink.
"My dislikes..."
She glanced toward Naruto and frowned briefly before continuing.
"My goal is to become a legendary kunoichi!"
She finished with a bright smile.
Next came Sasuke.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha."
His voice was cold and steady.
"Hobbies? None. Likes? None. Dislikes? A certain someone."
His expression hardened.
"My goal is to restore my clan and... kill a certain man."
As he said those words, his eyes turned blood-red.
Kakashi's visible eye lingered on Sasuke for a moment.
So he's driven entirely by vengeance... huh.
Then his attention shifted toward Naruto.
Unlike the others, Naruto remained seated, one leg on one stair and other on stair below.
One hand rested on his thigh of upper stair, while the other hung loosely at his side.
His posture looked strangely noble, almost like a young lord sitting before his subjects.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
His voice was calm and steady.
"My hobby is eating ramen."
"My likes? None at present."
"My dislikes? None worth mentioning."
He paused briefly.
Then his eyes sharpened.
"As for my goal..."
An unshakable confidence entered his voice.
"I will become the strongest, like no one ever before."
Silence followed.
The confidence behind those words was absolute.
There was no hesitation.
No doubt.
Sasuke glanced toward Naruto.
For some reason, the declaration unsettled him.
The thought appeared in his mind immediately.
Kakashi observed Naruto with growing curiosity.
He's an interesting one.
Let's see if he can back up those words.
Meanwhile, Sakura found herself staring at Naruto longer than she intended.
His confidence was strangely attractive.
A faint pink color appeared on her cheeks.
Immediately, she shook her head.
Don't be ridiculous.
How can he become the strongest?
He couldn't even perform basic jutsu before.
Yet another memory surfaced.
The graduation examination.
The seven perfect clones.
The flawless transformations.
Sakura suddenly found herself conflicted.
She no longer knew which version of Naruto was the real one.
Kakashi clapped his hands together.
"Alright. Now that I know a little more about you, let me tell you about tomorrow."
His tone became serious.
All three students focused on him.
"There will be a test tomorrow. If you pass, you'll become Team 7."
He paused deliberately.
"If you fail... you'll return to the academy."
Sakura's eyes widened.
"What?! Back to the academy?!"
She immediately raised her hand to ask.
"Do the other teams have to do this too?"
Kakashi with his calm expression.
"Maybe yes, maybe no. It depends on their jonin. As for Team 7, it's up to me."
"Also, don't eat breakfast tomorrow. You might throw up."
The warning only made Sakura more nervous.
"One more thing," Kakashi continued. "As a sweet warning, not a single student has ever passed this test of mine."
Sakura's face immediately paled.
Sasuke clenched his fists.
Anxiety crept into his heart despite his determination.
He couldn't afford to fail.
He needed strength.
Naruto, however, remained completely calm.
A test?
I've survived life-and-death trials in my previous life.
What's this compared to those?
Zero percent pass rate?
Let's see what he's got.
Kakashi quietly observed Naruto.
Out of the three students, only one showed no fear.
No anxiety.
No nervousness.
The blond boy remained completely composed.
A strange look appeared in Kakashi's eye.
No matter how much memory a child loses...
How can he stay this calm?
For a brief moment, Kakashi found Naruto even more mysterious than Sasuke.
Finally, Kakashi's eye curved into a smile.
"Get plenty of rest tonight. You'll need it."
With those final words, he vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving the three students alone with their thoughts.
(To Be Continued...)