One by one, the ninja students finished their graduation exams.
The largest classroom in the Ninja Academy was already packed, but thankfully, everyone listened to the teachers and kept things from getting too noisy.
Yu had been keeping an eye on everyone who came in. Sasuke entered not long after him; that was only to be expected, since the Clone Technique was easy for Sasuke too.
Yu and Sasuke then watched the doorway together, waiting for that blond kid to show up.
As time ticked away, Naruto still hadn't appeared.
"Could the story still be playing out the same way? Naruto shouldn't be able to pull off something as ridiculous as stealing the ninja scroll now, right?" Yu murmured.
"What are you talking about?"
Sasuke, sitting beside him, heard Yu muttering to himself and asked.
"Nothing. I was just wondering if Naruto might fail the graduation exam," Yu said with a smile.
"He probably won't," Sasuke replied quietly. Deep down, he hoped Naruto would pass the graduation exam too.
Just as the two of them were losing faith in Naruto, a blond kid suddenly walked through the classroom door. His trademark goofy grin made his identity unmistakable.
"Told you! Naruto may not have much going for him in other areas, but he's pretty lucky," Yu said, turning to Sasuke.
Sasuke nodded in agreement.
"Heh heh, look at this!" Naruto came over and proudly showed Yu and Sasuke the Forehead Protector on his forehead.
"Whatever."
"Boring."
Yu and Sasuke ignored Naruto and returned to their respective spots in the classroom.
Naruto didn't seem bothered by their reaction. He was still thrilled, and once he reached his seat, he kept adjusting the Forehead Protector on his forehead.
But hardly anyone paid him any attention. This was a big day for everyone there, and nobody had much energy to spare for anyone else. Even Sasuke, the Ninja Academy's prodigy, wasn't getting much attention today.
Next came the team assignments, a longstanding tradition at the Konoha Ninja Academy.
Every student graduating from the Ninja Academy was assigned to a three-person squad, led by a senior ninja from Konoha.
The goal was to help newly graduated students settle into their roles as ninja more quickly and learn the qualities expected of them, such as combat skills, temperament, and understanding...
If newly graduated students had to figure everything out on their own, it was impossible to know how long it would take them to grow. And in the ninja world, one careless mistake could cost a person their life. This system also helped the students grow more safely.
Of course, the ultimate purpose of the team assignments was to strengthen Konoha.
The teams were assigned based on the graduates' overall abilities, with one exception: the children of the major clans, whose team arrangements were decided in advance.
For example, the Ino-Shika-Cho Squad, one of the Konoha 12, was backed by Konoha's Yamanaka Clan, Nara Clan, and Akimichi Clan.
Most ninja students, however, were assigned freely.
Today, besides the students and their parents, more than a hundred Konoha ninja had come to the Ninja Academy. They were all high-level fighters from Konoha, because only Jonin or Special Jonin could serve as team leaders.
"I really hope I get a good teacher!"
"I'm so nervous!"
"I just hope my teammates are stronger than me."
Everyone wanted to be assigned to a good team. It meant not only having a better chance to grow stronger, but also a greater chance of survival. Everyone except the truly clueless knew what lay ahead.
"Akien Reinan, Ueda Kiba, Rakumei Seibai. Team leader: Konoha Jonin Murata Ichiro."
The assignments began. The first three students to come forward were ordinary ninja students, and their Jonin team leader was just as ordinary. This was the fate of most ninja students.
In the anime, those nameless background characters were nothing more than cannon fodder in the great war to come.
But Yu wasn't concerned with them right now. He just wanted to know who his teammates and teacher would be. After all, they'd be spending a long time together, so he hoped he'd get a few people who were easy to get along with.
As for their strength, he had no particular requirements. In his eyes, whoever he got would be about the same as any other background character. He wasn't getting carried away; that was simply the reality.
He hadn't tested his strength in actual combat yet, but he felt he could take on anyone. That was the confidence his strength gave him.
The team assignments continued, and the process would take quite a while.
Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were assigned to Team 7, just as in the story, but their team leader hadn't shown up.
"I wonder what Kakashi will be like when he puts Sasuke and Naruto through their practical training tomorrow. After all, fighting animals is part of a ninja's strength too," Yu thought, feeling a little excited.
By this point, Yu had automatically written Sakura off. On the team, she was practically nonexistent—or, one could say, a liability.
Even though his presence had changed the story a little, some things had stayed the same: Naruto liked Sakura, Sakura liked Sasuke, and Sasuke wasn't interested in Sakura and was full of himself. And he and Naruto shared a bond that transcended time and space. That strange love triangle was still going strong.
Yu had often wondered if Konoha had placed Sakura on Naruto and Sasuke's team for exactly that reason: to help the three of them form a bond. And, he had to admit, it had worked remarkably well.
But Hinata Hyuga hadn't fallen for Naruto as she did in the original story after he saved her. After all, Naruto had spent these past few years with him and Sasuke, so he'd never had the chance to get close to Hinata.
"Naruto-kun, I'm really sorry! I wasn't paying attention and ended up stealing your future wife," Yu thought, feeling a little happy about it too. Hinata was single now, after all, and Yu was a huge fan of the Naruto anime. Naturally, he'd fantasized about having Hinata as his girlfriend.
But he didn't want to interfere too much with the story, so he hadn't made any effort to approach Hinata over the past few years. Besides, Hinata was the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan's Main Family and its future clan head, so approaching her carelessly could be dangerous.
"Yuyou Uchiha, Sai, Fujiwara Chima. Team leader: Special Jonin Yamashiro Aoba."
"Heh, this is getting interesting!"
When it was Yu's turn to be assigned, he stopped letting his thoughts wander. But this team assignment had truly caught him by surprise.
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