Kakashi / Ino's POV (Team Seven Training Ground - Hidden Leaf Village)
Kakashi felt conflicted. He was enjoying himself, finally creating a bond with his Sensei's son. Still, he was now responsible for these three inexperienced shinobi, meaning Kakashi could fail again, much as he had withRin.
His days as a student of Minato had been great ones. Minato had raised Kakashi's skill and consistently challenged his flawed ideology. Truly he had embodied what being a good Sensei meant. After Kakashi's own father's death, he feltMinato almost take up a fatherly role in his life—one Kakashi wanted to give to Naruto in return.
But Kakashi struggled to grow close to him or anyone else. After Rin and Minato's death and Obito's disappearance, Kakashi carried a weight upon his shoulders. Even after all these years, he felt responsible for each, he knew it was unreasonable. But he felt the weight of those "mistakes" each and every day. It had turned Kakashi into something of a recluse. He had even led the Anbu as their captain for years, determined to serve his home faithfully and mindlessly—anything that could distract him from his inner guilt.
But Naruto had been the catalyst for that change. Kakashi had decided, as he watched Naruto grow from afar and realized his determination to become a shinobi, that he too needed to carry on, to live for something again. He retired from the Anbu and served as a normal Jounin, with the sole goal of making sure he was the Sensei of Naruto.
After Minato's death, a mix of the pain of losing him and Kushina hesitantly asking him to stay away had led to Kakashi being a stranger thus far from Naruto. He suspected Kushina had attempted to persuade Naruto from the shinobi path but was surprised it failed. He was her son, after all…
So when Naruto enrolled in the new Academy, Kakashi used his influence to ensure he landed the blonde on his team. And now all he had to do was train him, preferably with the same principled wisdom and dedication Minato had shown… to an extent.
Of course, Kakashi took his job seriously. As much as he was ecstatic to finally meet and grow close to Naruto, he wouldn't play favorites. Minato hadn't, and Kakashi would have done the same. So he ran the three Genin through his own unique first day.
It was all designed to pressure the Genin, test their mettle, force them to deal with one another, and subtly install some of the core principles Kakashi himself used in his life.
Teamwork was something Kakashi had learned to be the most critical skill a would-be shinobi could learn. Through the support and coordination with one's allies, there was little they could not face. His own team and days in the Anbu had only strengthened this idea in him all the more.
However, in Kakashi's opinion, being merely a strong or loyal shinobi wasn't enough. The Hokage often spoke of a "Will of Fire," a concept that believed in the strength of unity and the pride of the village. Kakashi had been installed with it by his teacher, and he would do the same for his own students.
The said the students were pretty interesting. Kakashi had Naruto, a jinchuriki and son of his own former Sensei. The young man was a pariah within the village, all because of his hidden status. His grades suggested he was struggling, though he had been part of the team that had taken down Mizuki. A rough gem of sorts, Kakashi proposed.
Neji Hyuga was almost as complex and just as troubling. While Kakashi lacked a personal connection with the Hyuga and, therefore, the grief. Neji's status made team relations complex and tense. As a side branch member, the Hyuga carried a fair amount of stress and restrained anger, both of which seemed to be triggered by Naruto. The two were like cats and dogs, unable to get along with one another for more than a few seconds. The Hyuga seemed less disapproving of Ino but openly considered her beneath himself all the same. At the very least, Kakashi was confident he was skilled, having placed second place in the Academy.
Finally, there was the female of the group, Ino Yamanaka. The heir of the Yamanaka Clan was thankfully less troublesome than her teammates. She was middle of the road skillswise, seemed lacking somewhat, but nothing he couldn't iron out. It also seemed to Kakashi that Ino was the only socially skilled one in the group. She easily won over Naruto and escaped the worst of Neji's temper.
Safe to say, the road ahead wasn't smooth. Much like his team back in the day, Team Seven wasn't an efficient machine. The three were unused to each other, inexperienced, and childish. The core problem was Neji; his harsh and demeaning attitude was poorly received. It constantly leads to bickering and insults amongst the team, primarily between Naruto and Neji. This leads to the two quickly becoming increasingly frustrated with one another, similar to how he and Obito were in the past. And would likely lead to a big confrontation between the two at some point. At least Naruto and Ino did get along better.
Though, for the moment, none of the biggest problem. This latest exercise was one of his ringers, a surefire way to make the three work together, if only momentarily. The only thing that could unite a group of grumpy young adults was a common enemy, bonus points if they were infuriating. So Kakashi had thus far tested their tempers endlessly, and now they had finally snapped.
Three mere moments earlier, they had been laughing at each other's grief. Now, they moved as a single unit, working together without communication, their goal clear: kick his ass.
Kakashi chuckled at the thought as the fastest of the three, Neji, reached him first. Kakashi stood still as Neji attempted a leaping palm thrust. However, Kakashi caught the palm and bodily spun, throwing Neji into a cursing Naruto. The two bundled up, cursing at one another, and fell into the river with a splash. Kakashi admired his work as he ducked a head kick from Ino, stepping by her as he did; he weaved around a spinning back fist as she reacted and tripped her legs out from under her. The woman landed on her ass with a painful exhale and rolled away.
"Get off me!" Naruto roared, causing Kakashi to look over. Neji flew into the air as Naruto kicked him off and charged forward towards Kakashi. "My turn!" Naruto warned as he crossed his hands.
'Interesting, nearly last in class yet confident enough to go with Ninjutsu against a Jounin.' Kakashi mused as Naruto called out the technique.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Suddenly, Naruto was surrounded by smoke and nine more of himself. The clones all smiled at Kakashi, who blinked in surprise. 'Kushina taught him that? Interesting…' The Jounin thought as the clones grabbed one another and began to fling each other at him like spears. 'And he's found a unique way to use it, promising.'
Kakashi dived to the left, avoiding three clones that smashed into the ground. Each impact was powerful enough to crack the hard ground beneath. Kakashi smiled grimly, realizing Naruto was fairly physically strong. The remaining six charged in, swearing their wrath.
Kakashi dodged a flying kick from one clone while tripping another. The two clones colliding in a cloud of smoke. He dodged a kunai slice from another, kicked more two into nothingness, and redirected another slash from the former clone into yet another Naruto. Before he calmly snapped the arm of the helpless clone, leaving two Naruto looking at him hesitantly. "I am a Jounin ne~!" Kakashi remarked.
"I've already beat a Chunin!" Naruto countered as he and his clone unsheathed Riptide and pointed the blades at Kakashi. "Was wondering how'd I'd do against a Jounin…"
"Poorly." Kakashi retorted as he spun around a diving kunai lunge from Ino. The real Naruto caught the flying woman as the last clone swung a wild slice with Riptide for his head. Kakashi caught it as if bored and kicked the clone down to his knees. "Did you really think bum-rushing me would work?"
"As a first step!" Naruto remarked, raising up hand signs as Ino climbed beside him. "Step two! Look at my clone, Sensei!"
Kakashi did just that, noticing the smiling clone bulge as if something was growing within. "Boom, " the clone called out calmly. Kakashi could scarcely reply as a decent explosion erupted, burning the grass bare and leaving a crater in the ground. Dirt flew into the sky as smoke and debris blocked the sight of Kakashi's fate for the moment.
"Taste my Shadow Clone: Walking Landmine Jutsu!" Naruto taunted. "Guess even a Jounin can't predict that!"
"Naruto! You could've killed him!" Ino yelled out worriedly. "We'd be down a sensei if he didn't dodge!"
"Oh, come on, if he can't dodge that, he doesn't deserve his rank. He likely just is walking off the minor burns." Naruto replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Oh, I am. It's a clever trick, but when your opponent is out of your league, never assume it'll be that easy." Kakashi agreed with a nod of his head, now behind the two. "Next time, maybe don't cockily warn me like that. Gave me all the time in the world to respond."
"It was a second!" Naruto complained; however, it was merely a distraction as he thrust Riptide for his head. Kakashi calmly stepped back to dodge the desperate strike, but as he did, Ino suddenly flung a ludicrous amount of flower petals from a scroll. The petals unnaturally scattered all around Kakashi in the wind. 'Can't be good…' Kakashi predicted.
"Try to dodge this! Scattering Beauty: Flower Bomb!" Ino called out as she grabbed Naruto and leaped back. Trusting her instincts, Kakashi did the same, leaping back even farther. Each of the petals erupted in a series of small explosions, shaking the clearing through their combined might.
"You just yelled at me for trying to blow him up!" Naruto roared at Ino, confused. "I thought it was overkill, you hypocrite?!"
"He just dodged a point-blank explosion! There is no overkill, apparently!" Ino replied as the two stood back to back. They slowly circled around the two charred craters in the ground, looking for him. Kakashi smiled at the two. They were doing better than their records would suggest. Perhaps they were more promising than he had thought—they were even working together! However, Kakashi blurred forward, standing on top of their shoulders.
The two erupted in yells of shock and stumbled away, allowing Kakashi to land between them. They both faced Kakashi with determined glares from both sides. "Two things~!" Kakashi cheerily sang as the two prepared to begin a new assault. "One, both of you attempting to blow me up is cruel. Two allow me to respond with a fairly powerful technique of my own~!"
The two were so focused on him that they didn't realize two of his clones were crouched behind them. They raised their hands in a two-finger hand sign to activate one of his favorite techniques or a variant of it anyway. The clones lunged forward, the two flinching but much too slow to react. "ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!" They roared in sync. Both jammed their fingers at the rear ends of both blondes, who flew into the air from the pain and force. Kakashi chuckled as the two fell into the river with a massive splash before he hopped to his left, dodging a falling axe kick from Neji. The Hyuga glared at Kakashi as he faced him.
"Hmm, confusing. You saw me decimating your teammates but were content to just watch. Furthermore, you should have warned them about my attack there." Kakashi offered calmly to Neji.
"If they left themselves wide open, it's best to let them suffer the consequences," Neji replied honestly. "Besides, they would merely get in my way. This will be much simpler if I handle it alone!"