"Alright! You three little rascals, follow me now!" Asuma said, stubbing out the cigarette in his mouth and waving at Kusuo and the others with a smile.
Hinata followed him. Naruto ran to catch up as well, although the child of destiny was still moping about not being assigned to the same team as his goddess.
The walk was silent. It wasn't until they reached a grassy field that Asuma had them sit down. Kusuo naturally sat down calmly in front of Asuma, and Hinata sat down right next to him. Although he hadn't been put on the same team as Sakura, Naruto's optimistic nature allowed him to quickly revert to his usual hyperactive self.
"Asuma-sensei, what are we going to do?" Although Naruto's personality was a bit jumpy, he wasn't unaware that Asuma was the Third Hokage's son and held a high status in the village, so he was still quite excited.
"First, let me give a formal introduction. My name is Asuma Sarutobi. As for my hobbies... I like cigarettes. If I don't smoke for a day, I feel awful!" The bearded man was very easy to talk to, without any airs about him. This quickly found common ground with Naruto.
"Eh? Really? What do cigarettes taste like? Can I try one?"
Seeing Naruto jumping around, Kusuo's eye twitched. Being on a team with this buffoon... is going to be a real headache in the future.
"Alright, now it's your turn to introduce yourselves. Basically, your hobbies, your dreams, that sort of thing," Asuma said, rubbing his hands together and looking at the three children before him with a smile.
He was very satisfied with this team assignment. As the son of the Third Hokage, he naturally knew Naruto's true identity as the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. In the future, he would undoubtedly be a powerful cornerstone of the village.
As for Hatake Kusuo, there was even less need to say more. He had been the top student for five consecutive years—such a feat was rare in the history of the Konoha Academy. He had even defeated a chunin instructor, Iruka, not long ago. This gave a glimpse into Kusuo's immense talent and strength.
A powerful future Jinchuriki, a genius with outstanding potential, and the princess of a great noble clan from Konoha. The honor of guiding these three had fallen to him, which put him in a very good mood.
"Me first, me first!" Naruto raised his hand and said excitedly, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I have lots of hobbies. The thing I like is instant ramen, but what I like even more is the Ichiraku Ramen that Iruka-sensei treats me to! The thing I hate is the three minutes you have to wait for the ramen to cook. My hobby is tasting and comparing different kinds of instant ramen. And my future dream is to surpass the Hokage! I'm going to make everyone in the village acknowledge my existence!"
Watching Naruto seriously declare his innermost thoughts, Asuma couldn't help but nod. A person who could say such things definitely had a good heart. In the future, he would surely be a staunch supporter and inheritor of the Will of Fire.
When it was Hinata's turn, she glanced at Kusuo beside her, a bit shyly. "My name is Hinata Hyuga. The thing I like is... housework. My hobby... my hobby is making bento for the person I like. And my dream is to muster up the courage for the person I love... and become a housewife."
Hinata's words left Asuma somewhat taken aback. The thoughts of the Hyuga princess... are a bit dangerous...
Kusuo, however, looked at her dotingly. He knew that this was, in its own way, a confession from Hinata. For someone with her shy personality, to be able to say these words so directly was already quite an achievement. He naturally showed his acknowledgment by secretly tickling her soft palm, only stopping when she shyly bowed her head to hide from his gaze.
Finally, Kusuo tightly grasped Hinata's small, soft hand. It was cool to the touch, as if boneless.
Seeing everyone staring at him, Kusuo showed no shyness at all. He looked back at them calmly, his voice clear. "Me? Hatake Kusuo. My hobby is practicing the sword. My dream is to become the strongest, supreme swordsman in this world."
The introduction was brief but霸氣 (bàqì) - domineering and full of power.
This scene stunned both Asuma and Naruto.
To become the world's strongest... supreme swordsman?
Aside from his shock, Naruto wasn't surprised at all. He had a look on his face that said, "of course." Ever since he had been defeated by Kusuo's shadow clone, he had never actively provoked him again. One reason was that he knew the difference in their strength was too vast; it was impossible to win, and fighting would just mean getting beaten up in front of the girl he liked, bringing humiliation upon himself. The second reason was that the flow of the world had caused him to focus most of his attention on Sasuke.
Compared to Naruto, Asuma's heart was in turmoil. As a middle-aged man who was about to get married and have a child, he was a good judge of character. When Kusuo spoke, his eyes were calm and resolute, as if this wasn't a dream, but a goal he was destined to achieve. He had a maturity far beyond his peers. Combined with his current strength, which was unmatched in his generation, it was hard not to be reminded of another genius from the past—the man who destroyed his own Uchiha clan.
Uchiha... Itachi!
But this time, this boy was from the Hatake clan, a bona fide member of the Hokage's faction. His assignment to Asuma's team was a decision made by his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to strengthen Kusuo's devotion to the Will of Fire. To have such a monstrously talented prodigy... Asuma naturally smiled.
At his side, the adoration in Hinata's eyes deepened. The more confident Kusuo appeared, the brighter he shone in her eyes.
Looking at the faces of the children, the goal of getting to know each other had been achieved.
"Very good. Now that everyone has introduced themselves, you can consider yourselves acquainted. When you carry out missions in the future, you must look out for and help each other," Asuma said. "Now, everyone go home and prepare. We'll meet here at this time tomorrow. Dismissed!"
Hearing this, a thought stirred in Kusuo's mind. Meet here at the same old place tomorrow? Could it be...
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