Chapter 8
Chapter 8: We Meet Again
Kakashi arrived four hours late.
Sasuke slammed his hand on the desk, his frustration boiling over. “That’s it. Naruto, do an Uzumaki. Level 3 annoying!”
Naruto’s blue eyes lit up with glee as he ruffled his blond hair. “Coming right up, broody cat!” He pulled a sealing kit from his pocket and swiftly drew intricate symbols on a bright neon post-it note before slapping it on the classroom door.
Sakura, seated at her desk, couldn’t help but laugh.
She could sense Kakashi approaching—his chakra signature felt unmistakable. It was prickly, like lightning, with a steady undercurrent of blue-grey energy. Her senses were sharper than most, thanks to the Hatake blood running through her veins—a cruel legacy of the Chimera Project.
Her thoughts drifted momentarily to Danzo, the monster who had called her a prized tool. The memories churned in her mind: faking her death, bypassing the slave seal, and assassinating him in the snow-covered field. The look of utter shock on his face as she severed his arm and then his head had been a grim satisfaction.
The echo of her silver chakra in that moment still haunted her, but at least he was dead. Hopefully, he’s rotting in hell.
“He’s coming,” Sakura muttered, her voice sharp enough to break her reverie.
Sasuke’s eyes widened. “You’re... a sensor?”
“Kinda,” she replied nervously, berating herself for revealing even that much.
Naruto bolted to his seat just as Kakashi’s hand reached through the doorway. The moment he stepped inside, the post-it exploded in a cascade of colorful confetti and water.
Sakura burst into laughter, completely unhinged, while Sasuke doubled over, laughing alongside her. Naruto was practically howling with glee.
Kakashi walked in, water dripping from his hair, his single visible eye narrowing in icy annoyance. “You three,” he said dryly, “meet me on the roof. My impression of you?” His gaze softened slightly. “I like you guys. You get along.”
Then, in a flash of light, he vanished.
Sakura was the first to race up the stairs, her heart pounding as she recalled another meeting with Hatake—a memory she’d rather forget. It had been a year ago, on the snowfield, when she’d stopped Kakashi from ending his own life at the KIA stone.
“Hatake-san, you could try adopting the orphans of your next assigned team!” she’d said back then, desperate to give him a reason to live.
Her face flushed with embarrassment as the memory resurfaced. Oh god, what if he remembers?
She shook the thought away and sat down in front of him, trying to calm herself. Sasuke and Naruto joined her moments later, still chuckling from their earlier prank.
Kakashi was leaning casually against the railing, his ever-present orange book tucked away in his pocket. His gaze lingered on Sakura for a moment longer than she was comfortable with before he began.
“Hi there. I’m Kakashi Hatake,” he introduced himself, his voice lazily warm. “I like lots of things. I’m not picky about food. I dislike quite a few things, especially when someone harms kids. My goal is to... adopt someone.”
At that, he winked at Sakura.
Naruto’s jaw dropped. “You poor thing! Kakashi-nii—”
“It’s sensei now,” Sasuke corrected him with a scowl.
Naruto ignored him and continued, “Kakashi-sensei, why do you want to adopt Sakura?”
“I’m an orphan,” Sakura explained flatly, her tone devoid of emotion.
Naruto and Sasuke blinked in surprise.
“Wait, what?! You don’t have parents?” Naruto asked, his voice tinged with jealousy. “Must be nice to never have a mom nagging you—”
Sakura’s glare silenced him mid-sentence. “I wish I had a mom to complain at me,” she snapped, her voice tight with suppressed anger and sadness.
Naruto and Sasuke winced. “Sorry, Sakura,” Naruto mumbled.
He shifted awkwardly before speaking up again. “Okay, I’ll go next. I’m Naruto Uzumaki. I like my mom’s cooking, ramen, and my friends. I dislike... uh... lots of things. My goal is to become a cool jonin and make my parents proud! Believe it!”
Sasuke went next, his tone calm and measured. “I’m Sasuke Uchiha. I like tomatoes and training with my brother, Itachi, or my uncle, Shisui. I dislike bullies, I guess. My goal is to make my father proud.”
Both boys turned expectantly to Sakura.
She sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “My name is Sakura Haruno. I dislike criminals, child abusers, and... rapists.” Her voice hardened momentarily before softening. “I like... sweets and... I guess, reading?” She hesitated, her gaze dropping. “I don’t really have a goal right now.”
My goal is to stay undetected, she thought grimly but left unspoken.
Kakashi clapped his hands together, breaking the tension. “Great! Now, let’s do something fun—a survival test.”
Naruto groaned, muttering, “Oh, here it comes...”
“Don’t ‘oh no’ me,” Kakashi said, feigning indignation. “Do you know that 60% of genin fail this test? Most of them go back to the academy for remedial lessons. Meet me tomorrow at 7 o’clock sharp. Bring your ninja gear, and oh—don’t eat breakfast.”
With that, he vanished in a puff of smoke.
As they walked home, Naruto turned to Sasuke and Sakura. “He’s bluffing. Definitely eat breakfast. He’s probably going to do the Bell Test.”
“Bell Test?” Sasuke and Sakura chorused.
Naruto explained, his voice animated. “It’s a test where the jonin ties two bells to their waist and tells us to grab them within a set time. The trick is, you can only get them if you work as a team. The bells are just a distraction—the real point is teamwork.”
Sasuke smirked. “I thought you were stupid. Turns out you have some of our Hokage’s genes after all, dobe.”
“SHUT IT, TEME!” Naruto barked, his cheeks puffing indignantly.
Sakura smiled faintly at their bickering but couldn’t shake the growing panic inside her.
How am I supposed to fight Kakashi? She clenched her fists. I can’t reveal too much, but if I don’t pull this off, he’ll get suspicious. And... adopting me?
Her mind reeled.
No way. He’d hate me if he knew what I really am.