A week passed in the blink of an eye.
The early graduation assessnt at the Ninja Academy ca to an end. A group of fresh faces, filled with excitent and anticipation, were about to step into the true world of shinobi, and Shinichi also received a notice.
"Higashino Shinichi, Chūnin, please report at exactly 8:00 a.m. tomorrow to the Fourth Year, Class Two classroom at the Ninja Academy to assemble with your new teammates."
As expected!
In the end, the Third Hokage still intends to assign to a team with those my own age.
'My teammates should be Shizune and Ryū, right?'
Shinichi thought to himself.
The next day, after equipping himself, Shinichi headed toward the Ninja Academy. Just as he was about to step through the school gate, a familiar figure ca into view.
Hatake Kakashi.
At that mont, a distant, keep-away aura radiated from his entire body.
"Long ti no see, Kakashi," Shinichi greeted him first.
"It's you." Kakashi's voice ca through the mask, calm—almost cold. "You received this kind of pointless notice too?"
"Yeah. Though I have to admit, it was sowhat unexpected," Shinichi nodded.
"Having a Chūnin team up with a bunch of newly graduated Genin—what a waste of ti." Kakashi let out a cold laugh.
Shinichi shook his head. "Don't say that, Kakashi. If the village arranged it this way, there must be a reason. There might even be soone who used to be your friend."
"Friend?" Kakashi retorted coldly. "I don't have any—"
"Yo! Kakashi! Shinichi!"
Before he could finish, a loud and energetic voice cut in like a whirlwind. A boy in a green jumpsuit with thick eyebrows and bright eyes rushed forward like a cannonball—it was Might Guy.
"What a coincidence! You got the new team assignnt notice too?" Guy's voice brimd with energy. "I thought only a Genin like would be assigned to team up with newly graduated classmates. Didn't expect that you two Chūnin would get the sa arrangent!"
Kakashi did not reply, rely turning his face to the side.
Shinichi, however, gave Guy a smile and patted his shoulder. "Let's go. It's about ti. Don't keep our future teammates and sensei waiting."
The three of them stepped into the school together, passed through the sowhat noisy corridor, and at the fork in the teaching building, Kakashi and Guy walked straight toward the classroom marked Fourth Year, Class One.
Shinichi turned instead toward the neighboring Fourth Year, Class Two.
He stopped at the door. From inside, he could faintly hear the mingled chatter of boys and girls, filled with excitent, nervousness, and speculation.
He raised his hand and pushed the door open. The sound of it caused the classroom's noise to fall abruptly silent, and dozens of gazes turned in unison toward the entrance.
When they got a clear look at who had co in, the brief silence was instantly broken by startled whispers.
"Shinichi?"
"Shinichi? Why is he here?"
"Did he go to the wrong classroom?"
Soone called out half-jokingly, "Hey, Shinichi! Don't tell you're here to be our instructor, huh? That'd be terrifying!"
Shinichi's gaze swept quickly across the room. Out of habit, he looked toward the area where his old seat had been—only to find that Ishizuka Ryū was not there.
In the three-seat row by the window, the middle seat that had originally been his was now occupied by a girl with delicate features, long jet-black hair, and rare ruby-like eyes—Yūhi Kurenai.
She seed to be slightly turned to the side, quietly saying sothing to Shizune, who was seated to her right.
Why is she here?
Isn't she from Class One next door?
A trace of confusion flickered through Shinichi's mind.
Class One and Class Two were in adjacent classrooms, and many outdoor practical lessons and ninjutsu training classes were often held together, so it wasn't strange for students from the two classes to know each other.
But right now, she had appeared in the Class Two classroom where team mbers were being assigned, and she was even sitting in that clearly reserved seat…
Kurenai had obviously seen him as well. Those beautiful red eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Shinichi smiled, walked into the classroom, and casually closed the door behind him. In an easy tone, he responded to the earlier teasing: "Long ti no see, everyone. But I'm afraid I might disappoint you—I'm not qualified to serve as an instructor yet."
"I'm here this ti as a teammate joining the squad. May I ask—who are the two mbers of Team Ten?"
Shizune seed to still be processing it. She instinctively looked toward Kurenai beside her.
Kurenai froze for a mont, then quickly reacted. She raised her hand and said, "Here—Team Ten. mber: Yūhi Kurenai."
Her voice was clear, carrying the lively energy typical of a girl her age, yet it also sounded a bit steadier than many of her peers.
Shizune ca back to herself as well and hurriedly nodded. "And —Shizune. The two of us… mm, plus you, Shinichi—then that should be Team Ten."
When the class assignnt list was posted yesterday, she had already noticed that she was listed all alone under Squad Ten, while Ishizuka Ryū—her forr Class Two classmate and close deskmate—appeared on the Class One list instead.
Later, Kurenai ca to their Class Two today and said she had been assigned to Squad Ten, and the two of them beca a team.
Just now, they had been quietly talking, guessing who the long-unannounced third teammate would be. In the end, they both agreed it would most likely be so mysterious figure transferred in from another grade, or even from a previous cohort.
But they never could have imagined that the one who pushed the door open would be Shinichi—soone who had already beco a Chūnin.
Shinichi walked over to them, nodded to Kurenai, then looked at Shizune and greeted her gently: "Shizune, and Kurenai-san—please take care of ."
"Please take care of , Shinichi-kun." Kurenai gave a slight nod, her response natural and composed. Her gaze lingered on Shinichi's face for a brief mont before she politely shifted it away and looked toward Shizune.
Shizune also nodded in return. "Please take care of , Shinichi."
She was well aware of Shinichi's maturity, steadiness, and strength. Having him on the team truly made one feel much more at ease.
The other students in the classroom watched the three of them gather—especially Shinichi, whose composed bearing was clearly different from that of an ordinary Genin. Whispered discussions rose again, their eyes filled with envy and curiosity.
After all, Shinichi was a genius known throughout the village. Just last year, at the Chūnin Exams held in Sunagakure, he had overwheld the competition and claid first place.
At the sa ti, Shinichi's mind was also working quickly.
When he received the notice, he had instinctively assud his teammates would be Ishizuka Ryū and Shizune. After all, they had shared a desk for many years, and with the common link of Old Master Chen as their sensei, their coordination should have been smoother.
Yet he had not expected Ryū's position to be replaced by Kurenai.
In his mories from his previous life, Kurenai had been in the sa class as Asuma and Namiashi Raidō, and in the future, she would even beco Asuma's lover.
But he imdiately realized he had made an assumption based on preconceived notions.
Future relationships did not prove that they already had special feelings now.
There was no clear evidence that Kurenai and Asuma had mutual affection in their childhood. Their relationship seed more like sothing that developed naturally in adulthood—after Asuma completed his service with the Twelve Guardian Ninja and returned to Konoha, when the two of them, both listed among Konoha's jōnin and close in age, gradually grew closer.
Then the Third Hokage's intention in arranging things this way was…
'Could it be that he thinks I already count as Chen-sensei's disciple, and that the tacit understanding and bond between and Ryū no longer need to be deliberately cultivated through being on the sa team, so he replaced him with a new teammate with whom I need to build a bond?'
'And because I have never shown any particular talent in genjutsu so far…'
Shinichi's gaze swept inadvertently across Kurenai's jet-black hair and calm red eyes. 'A teammate highly gifted in genjutsu, to fill the potential shortcoming in our team's perception and control in that area? A more balanced team composition?'
This speculation seed reasonable enough. As Hokage, planning a more comprehensive growth path for promising subordinates—including forming teams with complentary abilities—was entirely normal.
But such ticulous, almost tailor-made arrangents still made Shinichi unable to resist muttering inwardly: 'How does it end up feeling like I'm the Third Hokage's own biological son, with everything arranged so thoroughly for …'
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