"Oh, by the way!" Kazama said with a grin, turning to Sasuke. "I touched some chili peppers this morning, so that spot of yours might feel a bit… spicy soon."
"You jerk! Just you wait!" Sasuke snapped, suddenly feeling a wave of discomfort. He scrambled out of the room, half-crawling in a panic.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out, watching her idol in such a sorry state. She shot Kazama a furious glare. "Hmph! Don't think you're hot stuff just because you beat Sasuke-kun with some cheap trick today. I'm telling you, one day Sasuke-kun will make you pay!"
"Cool, I'm looking forward to it," Kazama replied casually. "And for the record, my move wasn't cheap—it's a taijutsu ōgi (secret technique). If you're not convinced, you're welcome to try my Sennen Goroshi (Thousand Years of Death) too."
"You—jerk!" Sakura's face turned beet red, and she stormed out after Sasuke.
"Seriously, Sasuke's the one who challenged me to a duel. Why's everyone blaming me?" Kazama muttered, feeling a bit helpless.
"Why's it just you two in the classroom?" a voice interrupted.
A silver-haired ninja strolled in.
"Kakashi!" Kazama exclaimed, barely containing his excitement.
In the world of Naruto, Kakashi was a legend—someone who'd saved Naruto countless times and protected Konoha. The bond between him, Obito, and Rin had always tugged at Kazama's heartstrings.
"They were just…" Kazama started, trying to come up with an excuse to save Sasuke's pride.
But before he could finish, Naruto bolted over to Kakashi, blabbing away. "Sasuke just got hit with Kazama's Sennen Goroshi! And it was chili-flavored! Haha! Oh, and Sakura almost got it too—wait, who're you?!"
Naruto, laughing so hard he could barely breathe, suddenly realized he didn't even know the ninja in front of him. He immediately started grilling Kakashi.
"I'm your Team 7 sensei, Hatake Kakashi," the ninja replied coolly.
"What?! You're our sensei?! Hey, you're super late, you know!" Naruto complained.
"I was helping an old lady cross the street, so I got held up," Kakashi said, brushing off Naruto's whining. His gaze shifted to Kazama.
So this is the kid the Third Hokage was talking about? Kakashi thought.
"*Kakashi, Sanada Kazama is a boy with limitless potential. Now that you're leading Team 7, you must protect him and ensure he doesn't stray down the wrong path,*" the Third Hokage's words echoed in Kakashi's mind.
"I don't know what makes this Kazama kid so special yet, but if what Naruto said is true—that he pulled off a Sennen Goroshi on Sasuke—he's got some serious guts," Kakashi mused.
"Sensei, they're back!" Naruto piped up.
Sure enough, Sakura was helping a limping Sasuke back into the classroom. Both of them were glaring daggers at Kazama, who could only manage an awkward smile.
"Hey, Sasuke, it was just a joke, alright? We're classmates. No hard feelings, yeah?" Kazama offered.
"Save it," Sasuke snapped.
"Alright, alright, settle down!" Kakashi interjected with a cough, sensing the tension. "Let's move on to introductions. Tell us what you like, what you don't like, and your dreams."
"I'll go first!" Naruto jumped in, always eager for the spotlight. "I love all kinds of ramen, especially when Iruka-sensei treats me! What I hate is waiting those three minutes for the ramen to cook. My dream? To surpass the Hokage and make everyone in the village acknowledge me!"
"Your turn, Sasuke," Kakashi prompted.
"I don't have anything I like," Sasuke said coldly.
Even after suffering the chili-flavored Sennen Goroshi, Sasuke maintained his icy demeanor. Kazama couldn't help but admire his ability to stay so cool under pressure.