"That just means you still need to work hard on your training, little girl."
Kakashi didn't want to steer the conversation toward himself. It wasn't because of any need to hide his identity he had already left ANBU and had nothing left to conceal. He simply found it troublesome.
"Okay, okay, then I'll head back to train. See you, uncle who likes reading little yellow books~"
Seeing that Kakashi had no intention of continuing the chat, Furina didn't plan to linger either. After teasing him once, she swiftly took off, not giving him any time to react.
"What!" Hearing Furina's words, Kakashi instinctively glanced toward his ninja pouch. Sure enough, a book was sticking halfway out, with the four characters "Icha Icha Paradise" clearly visible on the cover.
Damn it. This morning after finishing, he thought he'd continue reading in the afternoon, so he hadn't put it away properly. Then while passing by here to visit his teacher and the others, he completely forgot about it…
"Sigh, what a nasty junior. But getting caught reading this by such a cute little girl… I do feel a bit embarrassed."
Although he said that out loud, Kakashi had no intention of chasing after her to explain. First, since she already knew what Icha Icha Paradise was, any explanation would probably be pointless. Second, he figured he wouldn't have much contact with her in the future anyway, so there was no need to make extra effort.
...
Nightfall
Hokage's Office
"Hokage-sama, you wanted to see me."
"Yes, Kakashi. There are some things I'd like to discuss with you."
As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen gestured for the ANBU who had escorted Kakashi to leave. Once the surrounding ANBU had vanished in a Body Flicker, he slowly continued.
"Tomorrow is the team assignment day. You haven't forgotten, right? After this, Naruto and Sasuke will be under your care."
"Of course I remember, Hokage-sama. I'm already prepared to welcome my two new students."
After receiving Kakashi's affirmative answer, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. Although Kakashi had appeared very laid-back ever since leaving ANBU, he remained as reliable as ever when it came to important matters.
Seeing the Third's gratified smile, Kakashi secretly thought to himself how close he had come to trouble. If it hadn't been for that little girl he met today reminding him, something unexpected might have happened today.
"Good that you remember. But that's not the main reason I called you here tonight. You should also know that graduated ninja are assigned in teams of three.
So besides Naruto and Sasuke, we still need one more member for the team. Do you have any thoughts on this?"
"Hokage-sama, you must be joking. I only recently left ANBU, and I barely know anything about the recent graduates. How could I possibly give any suggestions?"
This wasn't Kakashi deliberately dodging the time since he left ANBU had been spent only gathering information on his two future students. He knew virtually nothing about the others and naturally couldn't offer any real opinions.
But it wasn't entirely accurate to say he knew nothing. At that moment, a blue figure came to mind the very one he had encountered today at the Memorial Stone: Furina.
Although their interaction had been brief, he had already gotten a sense of her personality. If someone like her were in the team, the atmosphere would probably be quite relaxed.
However, Kakashi only thought this to himself and didn't voice it. For one, he hadn't even asked her name back then and didn't actually know her. For another, he still had some pride he figured that being in the same team as her might make his future days a little… difficult.
Facing Kakashi's refusal, the Third first took a puff from his pipe, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and then slowly began to explain.
"What I meant was, I wanted to hear what kind of person you think would suit being placed in a team with Naruto and Sasuke. Originally, I already had someone in mind for their teammate,
but now an unexpected situation has arisen, leaving me unsure who the best choice would be. That's why I wanted to ask you their future sensei."
Hearing this, Kakashi nodded. That made sense. He then took the two profile sheets the Third handed him and began reviewing candidates for the last spot on his team.
The first person was nothing special theoretically strong in some areas, average in others, had a crush on Sasuke, and was also the person Naruto liked. Putting the three of them together might cause some complications.
But when he looked at the second profile sheet, Kakashi's dead-fish eyes involuntarily widened slightly. This unusual reaction was naturally noticed by the Third sitting across from him.
"Kakashi, from your expression, is there something wrong with her?"
Hearing the Third's question, Kakashi recounted his encounter with Furina at the Memorial Stone earlier that day. Of course, he skipped the unimportant detail of her discovering his Icha Icha Paradise book.
At the same time, he also shared his earlier impressions of her. After all, he could still distinguish between personal matters and official duties he wouldn't let personal feelings affect his professional judgment.
"Looks like she left quite a good impression on you, Kakashi." After listening to Kakashi's account, the Third nodded, then pondered for a moment before slowly continuing.
"That child went to the Memorial Stone, most likely to visit her parents. Her parents were also heroes who sacrificed themselves for the village.
And after all these years alone, she still managed to graduate from the academy with outstanding grades. She must have been persistently training hard all this time…"
Listening to the Third's sigh, a glint passed through Kakashi's eyes. Although he had seen Furina there earlier, he hadn't realized that both her parents were gone.
Thinking about it that way, her somewhat mischievous personality was probably just a way to protect herself.
After his thoughts turned several times, Kakashi steadied himself. His gaze grew much more resolute, and he made up his mind he would suggest to the Third that Furina join his team. That way, he could look after her to some extent in the future.
But before Kakashi could speak, the Third had already reached a decision.
"This child gets along well with Naruto, isn't overly infatuated with Sasuke, and interacts with him mostly on matters of training. Combined with what you just said,
she would also help maintain a harmonious atmosphere in the team. After weighing everything, let's have Furina become the final member of your squad. What do you think, Kakashi?"
Although he had already decided, the Third still wouldn't forget to consult Kakashi's opinion after all, he was the one who would be leading the team, and his input mattered.
"Of course, no problem at all, Hokage-sama. Just arrange it as you see fit." Kakashi naturally wouldn't refuse. Just moments ago he had been wondering how to nudge the Third toward choosing Furina; now that he could save himself the effort, he was more than happy to go along with it.
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New Story posted:
Mushoku Tensei: The Imbibitor Lunae Template