Konoha: The Honored One

Naruto Uzumaki took a deep breath, settled cross-legged on the ground, and flashed a wide, determined grin.

"A test? I'll show you what I've got! I'm going to be the Hokage; no way hunger's gonna get the best of me!"

He glanced over at Sasuke and sneered. "Sasuke, if you can't handle it, you might as well turn tail and go home!"

"Idiot," Sasuke scoffed, settling into his own cross-legged stance, his gaze sharp. "I'm stronger than you. Just watch."

With renewed determination, he thought to himself, I'll prove myself no matter what it takes.

Ten minutes later, the growling of three empty stomachs filled the air around them. But neither Naruto nor Sasuke would admit to hunger; an invisible battle of wills was underway.

Then, a breeze stirred the clearing, and Gojo Satoru appeared in front of Team Seven.

"Good morning."

"Sensei!" Sakura said in surprise, brightening.

If Gojo Satoru was finally here, did that mean they had passed the endurance test?

He clasped his hands together, offering a slight bow. "Sorry for keeping you all waiting. A lot went down last night."

The trio exchanged stunned glances.

Wait—was there no real endurance test? Was he just… late?

"You jerk! You're an hour late! I oughta clobber you!" Naruto charged at him, fury on his face, but Sakura held him back.

"Calm down, Naruto! Sensei said a lot happened. He's a Jōnin; maybe he had a mission." Inwardly, though, she wasn't feeling nearly as understanding.

"As our team leader, anything he's doing should involve us," Sasuke muttered, giving Gojo Satoru a frosty look. "Let me guess—you weren't on any mission, were you?"

Gojo Satoru chuckled. "Last night… is a long story."

Sakura, unable to resist, asked eagerly, "Can you give us the short version, Sensei?"

With a mischievous smile, Gojo Satoru answered, "Women and wine."

The entire team froze, their expressions shifting from shock to outrage.

"Last night, you were out drinking with some woman, and that's why we've been waiting around?!" Sakura's anger flared as she rolled up her sleeves and stormed toward him, furious.

Sakura had tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, thinking he might be dealing with something serious. Now she felt foolish—he was just a flirt!

"Calm down, Sakura!" Naruto held her back, but she shoved him aside with a glare and raised her fists, ready to let Gojo Satoru have it.

Satoru intercepted her hand, tapping her forehead gently. "Calm down, Sakura."

Face-to-face with her handsome sensei, Sakura's anger faded into a soft blush. "Y-yes… Sensei."

Naruto, still rubbing the new bruises Sakura had given him, yelled, "Why does she just calm down when you tell her to?! And why is she blushing?!"

"All right, let's start with introductions," Gojo said, letting go of Sakura's hand.

He sat down and introduced himself casually. "My name is Gojo Satoru. I'm twenty years old, and an Elite Jōnin. I like food made by Tsunade." He smiled. "My type of woman? Mature, and let's say… well-proportioned."

The three Genin stared in disbelief, and Sakura turned a shade redder. His introduction was almost entirely about… Tsunade?

"Me next!" Naruto raised his hand enthusiastically. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! My favorite food is ramen—actually, that's what I want to eat all the time! And my dream is to become Hokage so that everyone in the village will acknowledge me!"

Satoru's gaze flickered, noting the boy's earnest expression. So that's his goal? To be Hokage, acknowledged by everyone…

Next was Sakura. "I'm Sakura Haruno." She cast a shy glance at Sasuke, her face flushed pink, and didn't say another word.

Naruto pouted. "Aw, come on…"

Sasuke's turn was last. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I have an ambition, and it's to kill someone."

Sakura's gaze softened, while Naruto felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

Is he… talking about me?

Gojo Satoru sighed. "A wannabe Hokage, a love-struck fangirl, and a vengeful avenger. Quite the handful."

He gave a heavy sigh, mumbling to himself. "If not for Tsunade, I'd have dropped this job ages ago."

"Nice intros. Now let's move on to the assessment." Gojo stood, giving them an appraising look. "Your goal is simple: make me move a single step. Succeed, and you'll officially become Genin. Fail, and it's back to the Academy."

The team's eyes widened in shock. Back to the Academy?

Sasuke and Sakura leaped back, hiding in the bushes.

'If we want him to move even a single step, we'll need to see how he responds first.' Sakura thought, keeping her kunai ready but her movements silent.

Gojo Satoru sat cross-legged on the ground, watching them with an amused smile. "Oh, you're being careful, huh?" he muttered. "Not a bad strategy."

Naruto, who couldn't stand sitting idle, jumped right in front of him. "I don't care what it takes—I'm getting that barbecue and your 'super-powerful move'!" he shouted, charging forward.

"Oh no." Sakura muttered, watching him.

"Let's see what you got, Naruto." Satoru said calmly.

Naruto ran at him full force, his fist aimed at Satoru's face. At the last second, Gojo flicked his finger, sending Naruto flying backward with a single light touch.

"Whoa, that's… insane." Sasuke muttered as he saw Naruto land hard a few yards away.

Naruto got up, wincing as he rubbed his head. "I'll get you, you stinkin' teacher!" he shouted and quickly performed the Shadow Clone Technique, creating dozens of Narutos that surrounded Satoru.

"Impressive Chakra reserves, Naruto." Satoru observed, still not moving an inch as all the clones charged.

When the clones were mere inches away, Satoru tapped the ground with his fingers. A surge of energy cracked the earth, creating a shockwave that sent every Naruto flying backward as his clones disappeared in puffs of smoke.

"You'll have to do better than that." he said with a smirk.

A single stone in the rubble suddenly transformed back into Naruto, who sprang up with a kunai, aiming for Gojo's back. "Now I've got you!"

But Gojo merely turned and lightly kicked Naruto away, sending him sprawling.

"Damn it, he saw through that too!" Naruto growled, frustrated. "How are we supposed to make him move?"

"Try working together for once," Gojo taunted, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "After all… you're all too weak alone."

Naruto's eyes flared with anger as he took out another kunai and charged once more. "Weak? I'll show you weak!"

Meanwhile, Sasuke was already on the move, using Naruto's reckless charge as a distraction. With practiced silence, he threw several kunai straight at Satoru's head.

The weapons froze mid-air, hovering inches from Satoru's face, as he raised an eyebrow. "Oh? A sneak attack. Not bad, Sasuke." he said with a sly smile. "But you'll need more than that."

Naruto, seizing his chance, charged in with raw fury, yelling, "I'm gonna beat you!"

Satoru grabbed him by the collar effortlessly, holding him aloft. "It'll take more than hot-headed bravado. You need a plan." With that, he tossed Naruto toward where Sasuke and Sakura were hiding.

Naruto landed hard, skidding through the grass until he crashed right into Sasuke. They rolled, sprawling into an awkward heap on the ground.

When the dust settled, Sakura gaped in shock as the two glared at each other, then froze. Naruto's and Sasuke's faces were inches apart… their lips had touched!

"Wha—What?!" Naruto stammered, recoiling in horror.

"Idiot!" Sasuke snarled, shoving him away with disgust.

Sakura couldn't hold back her shock. "Naruto… Sasuke… you—" Her face turned bright red as she tried to process what she'd just seen.

From his spot, Satoru took a camera out of nowhere and snapped a photo. "Ah, young love." he joked with a chuckle.