Formation of the Ninja Squad

Hearing this, Sakura looked conflicted as she glanced at Naruto and Sasuke.

There was no doubt that Sasuke was her crush, and she naturally couldn't bear to see him go hungry.

As for Naruto, although she found him annoying at times, today he had shown his powerful strength, forcing Kakashi back alongside Sasuke. They might have even passed this Survival Exercise without her needing to lift a finger.

Looking at it that way, Naruto was definitely qualified to have this bento...

"Sakura, actually I... whimper..."

Naruto saw Sakura's hesitation and, after a brief silence, was about to speak. But Kakashi directly covered his mouth.

At this moment, Sakura finally looked up at Kakashi. "Teacher Kakashi, I choose to share the bento with Naruto and Sasuke."

Hearing Sakura's words, Naruto immediately broke into a smile and said cheerfully, "No, no, I'm not hungry. You and Sasuke can have the bento."

"I'm not hungry," Sasuke said smugly, looking up.

Kakashi watched the scene, and a hint of a smile finally appeared in his usually indifferent eyes.

He pulled out a copy of Icha Icha Paradise from his pocket and walked away, reading it.

At the same time, he waved at the three of them. "There are only two bentos, so you three figure it out yourselves. Oh, and... don't go back to the village, there's still something to do later."

With Kakashi disappearing without a trace, the three fell silent, staring at the two bentos.

"How about... we three eat it together?" Naruto suggested after a moment's hesitation.

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes lit up at the suggestion. Kakashi was gone now, so who cared about the rules?

On a large tree, Kakashi watched the three of them gather to eat their bentos, nodded, and headed towards the Hokage Building.

"Just leaving the three of them here like this? That's so like Kakashi."

Yamei's figure slowly appeared, and he shook his head as he looked at the abandoned Naruto and the other two.

They probably didn't know that after the Survival Exercise, they had nothing else to do today and would be waiting here for their irresponsible teacher for half the day!

Yamei had arrived before Kakashi, and he was satisfied with the scene of Sasuke and Naruto cooperating to deal with Kakashi.

Kakashi still had room for growth and hadn't reached his peak state, but he was still an elite Jonin!

The fact that the two of them, working together, could force Kakashi into such a state meant they could handle ordinary Chunin without a problem.

"By the time of the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru is going to be greatly surprised, I bet."

Yamei chuckled lightly, then thought of the Heavenly Curse Mark.

"Trash. A cheap imitation of Sage Mode, just a low-tier Senjutsu."

"With me here, why would you need the Heavenly Curse Mark? Orochimaru, I won't be sending Sasuke your way."

As Sasuke and Naruto's values gradually took shape, Yamei had spent a lot of time explaining things to them.

At least, Naruto wasn't as reckless as before and no longer constantly talked about becoming Hokage.

Sasuke also wasn't as gloomy as he used to be.

Thinking about how he would mold them into his own shape in the future and then have them conquer the world for him!

Heh heh heh, why was this so exciting?

At the Hokage Building, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai stood before Hiruzen Sarutobi, reporting on their respective classes.

"I didn't expect Naruto and Sasuke to have grown to this extent," Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, his eyes lowered as if lost in thought.

"I remember those two always followed Hyakawa Yamei. Since both of them have achieved such strength..."

He then looked up at Yūhi Kurenai. "Yūhi Kurenai, what do you think of Yamei's performance?"

Kakashi and Asuma both looked at Yūhi Kurenai.

Yūhi Kurenai maintained her calm expression. "His performance is excellent. He has inherited most of my Genjutsu! He's no worse than a Chunin, and his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu are also quite good."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly. These were things he already knew, and perhaps he knew even more than Kurenai!

"And he cares deeply for his classmates and truly respects the Will of Fire."

"When the Survival Exercise was introduced... he told me his dream was to become a hero like you, Third Hokage."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face immediately broke into a smile, and he nodded with satisfaction.

"Good, it seems the fresh saplings of Konoha have begun to grow. They will become towering trees in the future, sheltering the growth of the next generation."

"Kurenai, you are a ninja I value highly! Yamei is an undeniable genius, and he also has a very good relationship with you. Therefore, I hope you can guide Yamei more."

Yūhi Kurenai quickly responded, "Please rest assured, Third Hokage. I will definitely guide Yamei well so that he can shine for the village!"

"Shine for the village? That's a very good way to put it!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, feeling very pleased.

After Yūhi Kurenai and the other two left, Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe. "Yamei... a genius no weaker than Kakashi, and with a clean background... a perfect successor to the Will of Fire."

As the three of them left the Hokage Building, Asuma eagerly turned to Yūhi Kurenai. "Kurenai..."

"Senior Kakashi, I have something else to attend to, so I'll take my leave," Yūhi Kurenai said directly to Kakashi before turning and leaving.

Asuma's mouth hung open as he stared blankly at the scene. He reached up to scratch his head... then helplessly let his hand fall.

Kakashi stepped forward and patted his shoulder when he saw this.

"Kakashi, do you think Kurenai has some kind of misunderstanding about me… it's been several years now."

"At first, she would still talk to me… but for the past two years, she hasn't even been willing to look at me…"

"Uh, this…" Kakashi scratched his head. Don't ask me.

If you ask me about Icha Icha Paradise, I can chat with you for a bit, but you're asking me about relationships? Isn't that ridiculous!

"I don't really understand matters of the heart… Do you think you might have upset her somewhere?"

Hearing Kakashi's words, Asuma couldn't help but fall into thought… and then a fragmented memory surged into his mind.

"Yamei… I remember now! It was a misunderstanding… all a misunderstanding!"

"Yamei??" Kakashi was taken aback. How did Yamei get involved again?

But Asuma no longer gave him a chance to explain. He strode forward, chasing after her while shouting:

"Kurenai, what happened back then was truly a misunderstanding! Please let me explain properly!"

Watching Asuma's retreating back, Kakashi shook his head helplessly.

In the afternoon, Yamei lay on Kurenai's lap, listening to her talk about what had happened in the Hokage's office.

After understanding Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude, Yamei knew that the old man probably wouldn't make a move against him.

However, the Third Hokage at this time was normal… he was old… and his mindset had changed a lot.

If it were Hiruzen Sarutobi from three or four years ago, he might have chosen to keep Yamei firmly under his control.

"Tomorrow I'll be taking you on a mission. Are you ready?"

"B-rank? Or A-rank?"

Kurenai shot Yamei a glare. "You're thinking too much. It's D-rank…"

"Boring." Yamei shrugged, then suddenly thought of something.

The Land of Waves had already been transformed by him… so the mission to protect Tazuna, a C-rank mission, should be gone!

In that case, he wondered what Naruto and Sasuke's first C-rank mission would turn into?