After receiving a mission from the Third Hokage, Kakashi didn't rush to meet Naruto.
He decided to observe Naruto in secret for a few days first. Only by fully understanding him could he tailor the training to help Naruto grow into a great ninja.
His first stop for observing Naruto was the Ninja Academy.
Wearing his jonin vest, Kakashi entered the academy and found his old classmate, Iruka.
Iruka was Naruto's homeroom teacher. If anyone in the ninja world understood Naruto the most, it would undoubtedly be Iruka.
Waving his hand, Kakashi greeted Iruka, "Long time no see, Iruka. Your life is still as busy as ever. Have you ever considered changing jobs? I mean… taking care of those little brats is such a hassle, you know?"
Hearing this, Iruka was momentarily stunned. The voice sounded familiar.
When he looked up, he saw Kakashi and quickly stood up. "Caring for these kids is indeed exhausting and troublesome, but I actually enjoy it."
Soon, a faint smile appeared on Iruka's face, "After all, I'm not a genius like you. I couldn't become a jonin at a young age. Therefore, being able to stay in the Ninja Academy and contribute makes me feel fulfilled."
"A genius?" Kakashi was taken aback for a moment before shaking his head lightly. "I'm no genius. Real geniuses at my age already have strengths comparable to Hokage's. I've just been wasting my years."
Kakashi referred to the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and Byakuya from Amegakure as the real geniuses. He spoke from the heart, but to Iruka, it sounded like humble bragging, leaving him unsure how to respond.
To ease the awkwardness, Iruka cleared his throat and changed the subject, "Kakashi, you're not just here to visit me, are you?"
Kakashi nodded. "I'm here on a mission from the Hokage. He wants me to make contact with a student in your class."
A student in his class… Iruka fell into deep thought.
There were quite a few special students in his class—the Hyuga clan's heiress, the successors of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the last Uchiha survivor, and the most unique of them all, Naruto Uzumaki.
Without keeping Iruka guessing, Kakashi stated directly, "To be precise, I'm here for Naruto. You should be well aware of his identity. The higher-ups don't intend for Naruto to graduate early, but special training for him is about to begin."
Hearing this, Iruka nodded in understanding.
He had known about Naruto's special status for a long time. The Hokage had personally instructed him not to treat Naruto harshly because of the Nine-Tails incident.
With the village currently at war with Iwagakure, the Hokage's desire to train a Jinchuriki was understandable.
After a pause, Kakashi asked, "Iruka, as Naruto's teacher, you should know him well. Tell me about him."
Iruka pondered long before explaining, "Naruto is a good kid. He may not put much effort into academic subjects, but he ranks among the top three in physical training. Outside the academy, he has also received praise from villagers for frequently helping them. In all my time with Naruto, I have hardly seen any negativity in him. He's like a little sun, warming those around him."
After hearing Iruka's evaluation, Kakashi felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint what.
Minato-sensei had also been kind and warmhearted toward his comrades. Since Naruto had inherited Minato's bloodline, it was only natural that he inherited his bright and cheerful personality as well.
Having gathered some intel from Iruka, Kakashi prepared to leave. He intended to ask more people about Naruto. Only by understanding him from multiple perspectives could he determine what kind of child Naruto truly was.
Just as Kakashi was about to leave, Iruka rubbed his hands together and, looking a little embarrassed, said, "Kakashi, I need a favor from you. Of course, I won't ask you to do it for free. After work, I'll treat you to a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen. How about that?"
Kakashi turned around and curiously asked, "What is it?"
Iruka quickly explained, "The teacher from the next class, Mizuki, is on leave. He's responsible for the practical combat lessons. So, could you substitute for a class and give the kids some motivation?"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly. He understood Iruka's intentions and smiled. "Of course, I can substitute for a class. But don't you think just one bowl of ramen is too little? How about two?"
Iruka was momentarily stunned before nodding in agreement.
Half an hour later, Kakashi was introduced as a guest instructor at the training ground.
Iruka gathered two classes of students, first introducing Kakashi as a Jonin and then emphasizing how rare this opportunity was—having a Jonin personally teach them was not something that happened often.
Seeing this scene, Kakashi recalled his own school days and smiled, shaking his head.
When it was his turn to demonstrate, Kakashi casually performed the Great Fireball Jutsu. With overwhelming strength, he easily defeated two chunin instructors working together. The students in Iruka's class were all left in shock.
As ninja academy students, they knew the hierarchy among ninjas.
In the ninja world, ninjas were divided into five ranks: academy students who had yet to graduate, genin who had just started taking missions, chunin capable of leading a team, jonin who were elites among elites…
And finally, the Five Kage, the strongest in the ninja world.
Kakashi wasn't a Kage, but he was one of the top jonin.
When they saw Kakashi, they knew he was strong, but they hadn't expected him to defeat their instructors so effortlessly.
In the crowd, two students had peculiar expressions as they stared at Kakashi intently.
One of them was Sasuke. He felt a familiar aura from Kakashi, and the fact that Kakashi used the Great Fireball Jutsu—a signature Uchiha technique—only deepened his suspicions.
Seeing that jutsu reminded him of his fallen clan members.
It had been half a year since the Uchiha Massacre, yet Sasuke still woke up in the middle of the night, haunted by memories of that blood-soaked evening and the river of corpses in his clan's compound.
If not for that man, he would not have been left all alone.
The other student watching Kakashi closely was Naruto. After receiving Black Zetsu's guidance, Naruto was no longer the dead-last who couldn't even perform the basic Clone Jutsu.
With his exceptional bloodline and Black Zetsu's training, Naruto had already mastered tree climbing and water walking techniques. Aside from the three basic jutsu, he had also learned several D-rank and even C-rank Wind Release jutsu.
Had it not been for Black Zetsu's repeated advice to conceal his strength, Naruto would have already applied for early graduation.
However, Naruto was more focused on evaluating Kakashi's strength than Sasuke. He was confident he could defeat Iruka and Mizuki, but he wasn't sure if he could take on the Jonin standing before him.