The moment their new sensei disappeared in a blur to the academy rooftop, Sasuke immediately glanced over at Naruto. Unconsciously, he had started to expect Naruto to compete against him in everything possible. If he'd think about it carefully, it seemed pretty childish, but Sasuke was always up for a challenge with the blonde. 

He wasn't really ashamed to admit that the dead last of the class was the one who is his rival and the only who could actually put him in a tough position if they battled it out. Rather, he was unsatisfied with how Naruto remained at the position of dead last. 

Naruto was skilled, and Sasuke was the one who knew that most when he compares the amount of times he's won against Naruto to the amount of times Naruto had won against him in spars. Naruto was ahead of him by 6 more wins, and that was certainly a feat for someone who was supposed to be the dead last. The only reason he'd be happy with it was because they were put on the same team, so maybe he could finally strike an actual conversation with the blonde for the first time.

He was pretty sure the people in the academy did something to drag the blonde down, because Sasuke knew inside that Naruto would've been the top student in the class if no action was taken against him. After all, they've been trying to win against each other for as long as they can remember from the start of their academy days. Other than Kiba, Sasuke was sure no one else knew his skills better.

It was almost like their own secret language at this point- One glance at each other, and the next moment they'd be off on a race somewhere. No one declared the wins and losses out loud like a certain jonin rival pair, but both keep it in mind every single time.

So when Sasuke stared at Naruto waiting for the two to start racing to the rooftop, he was surprised that the blonde didn't look back at him- Instead, he stood up slowly and walked down the stairs at a normal walking pace.

Feeling a bit awkward at the realisation that he was the only one waiting for the other, Sasuke cleared his throat quietly in embarrassment before walking out of the classroom at the same pace as the blonde who seemed to be too buried in his thoughts to realise Sasuke's slight disappointment at his lack of enthusiasm. 

"I thought I gave you one minute. What's up with the tardiness?" 

Sasuke almost wanted to complain about his sensei's lack of punctuality on the spot, but shut himself up before he let any irrational words pour out of his mouth. Naruto who'd surprisingly came back to reality from his endless thoughts rolled his eyes in response before sitting down in front of their sensei, Sasuke following suit.

'Not even an apology, how polite. I'll have to knock some manners into their skulls,' Kakashi thought to himself, glancing at the two boys of the team. But then again, he did arrive awfully late so maybe he deserved it. "Well, now that we're all here, let's do some self introductions. As you probably know already, I am your sensei, Kakashi Hatake and I will be leading your team from now on. I've got a couple of likes and dislikes, some hobbies as well. Can't think of any dreams yet." 

Deducing that they wouldn't be gaining any information on their sensei other than his name, no one gave a response, to which Kakashi sweatdropped at. 'They're all so silent... Am I the only one feeling slightly awkward?'

Sakura recognized the glance from her sensei as a cue to go on with her introduction. With a smile on her face, she continued. "My name is Sakura Haruno! I like to read, and be able to perform a large variety of skills. I dislike hot weathers, and I want to become a well-known Kunoichi when I grow up! I hope I'll be of help to all of you as your new teammate."

Kakashi gave her a nod of approval- He could tell that the girl takes this job very seriously. He hoped he won't be disappointed when he gets to know her skills. Maybe he'll finally pass a genin team for the first time ever, who knows? "Grumpy blonde kid, your turn."

Grumpy blonde kid...? Naruto frowned at the name, but continued anyway. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I.... like ramen," Naruto swear his stomach was about to grumble as soon as he said that. "I don't wanna talk about my dislikes," This whole village. "And my dream.."

Dream? Naruto wasn't really sure he had one. When he was younger, his one and only wish was that all the villagers that ever glared at him would step and slip on shit. Kiba had managed to convince him that becoming Hokage would be a great goal, and he had believed so at some point. But when he realised that being Hokage meant dealing with more villagers rather than immediately gaining their respect, he completely lost interest. 

More friends? A bit too much effort. Naruto doesn't believe that there's that many souls out there who don't hate him for the Kyuubi. But as his thoughts went to the events from last night, a shiver ran down his spine. 

Killing. It felt awful. He absolutely hated the idea of taking away someone's life, as terrible as they might be. But many shinobi are made to kill with no remorse or hesitation, so maybe it was his own problem. The guilt tugged at him and was slowly eating him up inside. 

His mind was screaming to get a rest, because the moment he even thought of it, he'd be stuck in that endless loop for hours. It's only been a day, but Naruto knew that the traitor to the village would be haunting him at the back of his mind.

"I dream of peace."

World peace? No, that sounded too grand, Naruto knew that would be impossible. He couldn't ever picture a world where conflicts do not exist, where hatred wasn't an emotion. After all, he himself loathed this village deeply.

What he wished for was simple inner peace. For the name of the one he has killed, the name whose life he has taken to stop screaming at the back of his mind. For him to be free, for that tight suffocating grip on his throat to disappear. 

Kakashi's eyes almost softened as he examined Naruto's facial expressions closely. Peace, hm? The boy must be going through a lot right now- Kakashi would only make a fool of himself if he came without knowing of Naruto's first kill yesterday. 

First kills were tricky. He knew, because the blood on his hands felt like they were still there. He understands how it feels, and he believes many others do too. It truly was something one can't help but deeply ponder about as they only sink further into guilt and despair. 

But everyone gets over it someday. Kakashi exhaled through his nose calmly. He was certain that Naruto would be fine, but he will be there if the blonde would need him. He's a sensei now, isn't he? "The Uchiha."

Sasuke frowned at his sensei, the man sweatdropping again in response. Geez, they both gave me the same look. If Naruto had black hair, I would've thought that they were related. "The name's Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. I have no interest in disclosing my likes and dislikes." 

At that, he paused. He had multiple goals, but was it really okay to talk about them? He didn't really want to. The more he thinks about it, the more he feels like he'd get himself tied up in emotions more complicated than what he feels right now. 

Kill him. Why bother? Your clan. It's for the best... I think I'll be alright with what I have right now. You have doubts.

As his right thumb fidgeted against his palm with thoughts circulating around his head, his eyebrows scrunched up before he looked down and let out a small grunt. "Hn."

"...Alright then," Kakashi sighed. Well, that was kind of an awful introduction session. The only part that was a proper introduction was Sakura's, and that was it. Now Kakashi was left having to understand Sasuke's true intentions and prevent him from doing anything rash. "Well, thanks for your introductions. I'd like to dismiss you guys now, but there are several things I'd like to make clear."

Kakashi took the stares at him as a sign to continue. "First of all, you are not genin. None of you are."

Kakashi gave them some time to process his words, watching with interest as different emotions swirled in their eyes. "The graduation ceremony is official, yes, but not your status as a genin. That means you're very likely to be sent back to the academy if you're not qualified."

Surprisingly, the three didn't seem to waver, each still staring at him with some sort of determination in their eyes. Kakashi held back from raising his eyebrows and went on. "To become genin, you will have to undergo a test by your jonin sensei. Whether you pass or not will completely be decided by me. As long as I think you shouldn't be a genin, you'll be starting academy all over again." 

"Sensei," Sakura raised her hand in question. Kakashi nodded, giving her approval to continue. "May we know what kind of test this will be? A long term or short term test? Is this introduction a part of this test as well?" 

"Ah, that. I'll have to make a decision by tomorrow, so we'll be having the test tomorrow morning. As for the introduction part, it might have influenced part of my decision.... So if you think you've left a bad impression, you better be prepared to give your all for the test tomorrow," Kakashi smirked, a smug glint in his eyes as he watched Naruto and Sasuke hold back a flinch. That'll teach them a little bit of respect. 

"Meet me at training grounds 3 tomorrow at 5 am. You best not eat just in case you puke your guts out, I hope you won't be late this time!" With that, Kakashi disappeared in a blur, leaving the three unofficial genins standing on the rooftop of the academy. 

"Right back at you," Naruto rolled his eyes at the spot Kakashi was in with a huff. Sakura giggled lightly in agreement, and Sasuke scoffed with a frown still on his face. 

'What's this? It kinda does feel like a team already,' Naruto thought to himself, a small blush dusting his cheeks. As Sakura talked to both of her teammates while they walked down the stairs, Naruto secretly wished that this would last forever- that warm feeling in his chest. 'It's weird. It's kind of comforting.'

"See you guys tomorrow!"

"Hn." 

"Uh, yeah, alright."

'Am I supposed to feel this way?'

He'd be delighted to know that his teammates felt the same way as he did.