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Suddenly, someone clasped their hands together in a silent prayer.
"Kakashi? You mean Hatake Kakashi? He's one of the jonin instructors?" someone nearby asked, clearly surprised.
"Yes, that's right."
"No way... don't tell me that Kakashi is actually a teacher now?"
Who is Hatake Kakashi?
To exaggerate a little—he could be called the face of Konoha's shinobi today.
Graduated from the Ninja Academy at age five, became a chūnin at six, and was promoted to jōnin at twelve. He fought in the Third Great Ninja War and earned great renown.
Even if someone hasn't seen him in person, everyone in Konoha has heard of the "Copy Ninja Kakashi," known for having copied over a thousand jutsu with his Sharingan.
With credentials like that, it's hard to believe someone would actually dread having him as a teacher.
"Under normal circumstances, sure—I'd love to be in Kakashi-sensei's squad," the man said with a sigh. "But the problem is… he's turned down his students for two years in a row."
That's right—Hatake Kakashi was notorious for failing all of his assigned genin teams during their final evaluation. Not once, but twice in a row.
It's not exactly a secret in Konoha. News like that spreads fast. Anyone with an ear to the ground knows about it.
"No way. That strict?" The other person looked visibly pale.
His grades at the Academy weren't particularly impressive. If Kakashi's tests were that harsh, he didn't feel confident about passing.
"Strict or not, I only know one thing," the man said grimly. "None of the students Kakashi failed were ever placed on a genin team. They all had to repeat a year."
"Yikes… Then—mind if I join you in praying?"
"Be my guest. Maybe if we pray hard enough, the gods—no, Amaterasu herself—might bless us with a different teacher."
"Here's hoping…"
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[Unexpected Combinations]
"Good morning, Ye dou!"
Classroom A was as loud as ever. As soon as Ye Dou got back to his seat, Hyuga Hanabi greeted him with a bright smile.
Ye Dou acknowledged her with a soft grunt but said nothing, turning instead to look out the window as he often did.
Today, the Ninja Academy was unusually quiet. Technically, it was already the start of summer recess—meaning regular classes were over. There were no children on the playground and barely any staff in the hallways.
Hanabi wasn't bothered by his silence. Still smiling, she turned to chat with her friends about the team placements.
Unlike some of her classmates, she wanted to be assigned to Kakashi's team. Even if he had failed two years' worth of genin squads, she still hoped she'd be one of the exceptions.
She wasn't alone.
Many graduates—especially civilian-born ninjas with no clan to rely on—dreamed of becoming Kakashi's students. After all, he was the famed "Copy Ninja."
Because Kakashi possessed the Sharingan, and due to his long years as an elite jōnin, it was said that he had copied over a thousand jutsu from the five basic chakra natures: fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water.
That kind of mastery was an unmatched treasure trove for new shinobi trying to get stronger. For them, being under Kakashi was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—even if it came with a high risk of failure.
On the other hand, there were students who didn't care who their instructor would be.
Take Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, for example. They only had one wish: to be placed on the same team as Uchiha Sasuke.
They didn't care about strategy, mission compatibility, or training opportunities. Their heads were full of romantic fantasies, already dreaming of marriage at such a young age—completely lacking in shinobi awareness.
…...
While the classroom buzzed with chatter, their homeroom teacher, Umino Iruka, finally walked in.
His steps were stiff—possibly from a recent mission injury—but the moment he saw his students, his expression brightened.
Six years. He'd watched over them from the time they were rowdy little kids to now—newly minted genin.
Seeing their familiar faces brought a wave of emotion: pride, but also a hint of melancholy.
He quickly called for silence and offered a few sincere words.
"I've already said everything I wanted at the graduation ceremony… but once more—congratulations to all of you on becoming full-fledged ninja."
With the formalities over, Iruka, like the rest of the class, waited for the arrival of the jonin instructors.
Although Iruka had the privilege of submitting recommendations to the Hokage regarding team assignments, the final decision rested solely with the Hokage himself. Even Iruka didn't know how the squads had been formed.
Roughly ten minutes passed before someone finally entered the room.
He moved casually, almost sluggishly. He wore the standard green Konoha flak jacket, had silver-gray hair that defied gravity, and his hitai-ate was slanted to cover his left eye.
In his hands, instead of a clipboard or mission file, was a bright orange book.
He didn't even glance at the students. Just walked up to the front of the classroom, eyes still glued to the page, and flipped it with practiced ease.
Even so, the entire classroom fell into a stunned silence.
There was no mistaking him—this was the Hatake Kakashi.
Konoha's famed "Copy Ninja."
"No way! That's really Kakashi-sensei?"
"What's he reading? Is that Make-Out Paradise? Sounds spicy!"
"Bless you, Amaterasu! Thank you for this miracle!"
Some students were thrilled, others terrified. But all eyes were on the legendary shinobi.
Kakashi, meanwhile, looked around the classroom like he had wandered in by accident.
He paused, flipped another page, and spoke in a tone as indifferent as ever.
"…Looks like I'm in the right place."
"Um… Kakashi-senpai," Iruka said awkwardly. "Now really isn't the time to be reading…"
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