Sumiko
The rooftop was quiet. Too quiet for my taste. Clear sky, a gentle breeze blowing… and me, sitting between three people I could barely tolerate.
Naruto was fidgeting like someone had poured sugar directly into his bloodstream. Sakura couldn't decide whether to keep glancing at Sasuke or pretend I didn't exist. And Sasuke… well, Sasuke was a decorative block of ice.
In front of us, leaning shamelessly on the railing, stood our new sensei: Kakashi Hatake. Book in hand. Posture that screamed "I couldn't care less." At first glance, he looked incompetent. But something about him—his stillness, his silences—told me he was dangerous.
Someone really strong. And what bothered me the most… was that he wouldn't stop watching me.
"Alright," he said casually. "Let's go around and introduce ourselves."
"Introduce ourselves? What are we supposed to say?" asked Sakura.
"Well, what you like, what you dislike, dreams for the future, hobbies… things like that."
"Why don't you go first? That way we'll know how to do it."
"Me?" the sensei looked at us, utterly uninterested. "I'm Kakashi Hatake. The things I like and dislike... I don't feel like telling you."
Basically, this silver-haired guy told us nothing except his name.
Naruto went first. His entire introduction was about ramen. Then Sakura followed suit, except instead of ramen, she inserted Sasuke. And then Sasuke… instead of ramen or Sakura, talked about getting stronger and killing someone.
Honestly, I didn't pay much attention… until it was my turn.
I could practically feel everyone's eyes on my back, but the heaviest ones belonged to Kakashi. That guy didn't blink.
"Sumiko Haruno."
My voice came out calm. Too calm, maybe.
"I like peace and quiet. I dislike personal questions. I don't have hobbies. And my dream..."
Pause.
I wanted to say something flat. Simple. But I was tired of pretending.
"...my dream is to live long enough to decide what I want to do with my life, without anyone else doing it for me."
No one said a word.
Sakura was looking at me like I'd grown a second head.
Naruto seemed confused.
Sasuke didn't move a muscle.
But Kakashi… Kakashi smiled under his mask. I knew it. I felt it. And that put me on high alert.
"Interesting answer," he said.
"I'm not a very interesting person," I replied.
"That remains to be seen."
Then, as if we hadn't just peeled off layers of ourselves in front of him, he closed his book.
"Perfect. Now that we know each other… tomorrow you'll have your first test."
"Test?!" Naruto burst out. "But we're already genin!"
Kakashi sighed dramatically.
"Says who?" he asked, bored. "This is to see if you really have what it takes to work as shinobi. Most don't pass."
Naruto went pale. So did Sakura. Sasuke rolled his eyes.
Me? I just clenched my fists over my knees.
"Most don't pass." How convenient. If someone up there wanted to get rid of me, this was the perfect stage.
"See you tomorrow. Don't eat breakfast. I don't want to deal with puke," Kakashi added before turning around.
And like he'd never been there at all, he vanished.
Leaving me even more confused.
The paranoia only kept growing.
It was just before dawn when I arrived at the designated training field. The sky still carried that gray-blue hue that comes before the sun, and the dew coated the leaves like the world was breathing calmly.
Deceptive. This place had a peace that felt far too artificial.
Naruto and Sakura were already there, half-asleep on a rock and a log, respectively.
Sasuke arrived a little later. As always, expressionless. Like he had an appointment with death and didn't want to be late.
The one who didn't show up was the sensei.
Again.
"He said to be here at six!" Naruto groaned, complaining like that would summon him.
"What did you expect?" I huffed, arms crossed. "The guy clearly has an abusive relationship with punctuality."
"You'll see! When he gets here, I'll pull such a great prank, he'll never forget me!" Naruto declared, suddenly bursting with energy and running toward the entrance.
While Naruto ranted about Kakashi Hatake's lateness and boasted about his brilliant prank, I drifted back into my thoughts.
Something about all this didn't sit right.
A test after we'd already been officially made genin? An exam to decide if we deserve the title? It didn't make sense. What was the real purpose?
The truth was, I didn't trust him. Not Kakashi. Not the Hokage. Not this village.
And no, I didn't skip breakfast.
If they were going to make us run, fight, or die in some sadistic drill, I was going to do it with a full stomach.
The others looked pale from hunger. I didn't.
And if Kakashi tried to blame me for having common sense… well, he could choke on his broken watch.
At 8:32 a.m., the most unpunctual ninja in history finally strolled in, as if he hadn't left four teenagers sitting in the morning dew for an hour and a half.
"WHERE WERE YOU, OLD MAN?!" Naruto exploded.
"A black cat crossed my path," he answered with complete seriousness, pulling an orange book from his pocket. "I had to wait for the bad luck to pass."
I stared at him in silence.
Was he an idiot… or a genius pretending to be one?
Probably both.
Kakashi ignored us like it was any ordinary morning, walked in front of us, and flipped open his book with the same calm demeanor. Then, just as calmly, he pulled two small metal bells from his belt and rang them.
Jingle, jingle.
"Your test today," he finally said without lifting his gaze from the book, "is simple: take one of these from me before noon. Whoever gets a bell passes."
"There's only three?" Sakura asked, confused.
"Correct," he nodded, finally closing the book. "One of you will be left out. And whoever doesn't get one… goes back to the Academy. Easy."
Easy, he said.
Like he was asking us to catch butterflies, not face off against an elite jōnin known for being the Fourth Hokage's student.
"You can use any method," he added with a smile under the mask. "Free combat. But let me warn you now—if you don't take me seriously… I'll knock you out before you can blink."
Naruto clenched his fists with a cocky grin. Sakura swallowed hard. Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, calculating.
I just crossed my arms.
Stealing a bell from a jōnin who couldn't even bother to show up on time? This sounded more like psychological torture than a proper evaluation.
But of course, that explained a lot about this village.
"What if we take them together?" I asked, watching his reaction.
"Then two of you will pass," he answered without hesitation. "And one… will be left behind."
Of course.
Divide and conquer. The classic trick: sow competition among comrades.
That's how you break bonds before they're even born. That's how you turn people into soldiers, not humans.
That man knew exactly what he was doing.
And I wasn't going to fall for his game that easily.