Team Five

The classroom was buzzing with noise.

The newly minted Genin, who had just received their headbands, were excitedly discussing their upcoming team assignments.

For most of them, this wasn't just about being grouped together; it was about deciding who they would spend the next few years with.

Being assigned a strong Jonin teacher, or having a teammate with a Kekkei Genkai, meant a significant increase in their survival rate in this era of war.

Nishikawa Tetsu sat by the window in the corner, idly spinning a pen in his hand. Though his gaze was fixed on the rain outside, his ears were filtering the cacophony of the classroom.

"I heard quite a few Elite Chunin, fresh from the front lines, are leading teams this time."

"It would be amazing if it were Lord Hatake or Lord Orochimaru..."

"Dream on. They're both at the Land of Rain front line."

Tetsu's eyes flickered slightly.

Based on his memories from his past life, Namikaze Minato was indeed Jiraiya's disciple.

But at this point in time, with the Second Shinobi World War raging fiercely, did Jiraiya, as one of the front-line commanders, really have time to specially return to the village to lead a few newly graduated rookies?

"Quiet!"

Teacher Daikoku walked in holding the team assignment roster, his expression stern. The classroom instantly fell silent.

"Given the dire situation on the front lines, after this team assignment, you will have no adjustment period. You will be directly assigned to logistics or reconnaissance units and sent to the border."

The words turned the excited faces of the children pale.

No drills, no introductory missions, just the battlefield straight away.

Daikoku began reading the names.

"Team One..."

"Team Two..."

As names were called out, some cheered while others slumped in disappointment.

Soon, the list reached Nishikawa Tetsu.

"Team Five." Teacher Daikoku paused, his gaze sweeping over Tetsu in the corner, then landing on Namikaze Minato in the front row. His expression turned somewhat peculiar.

"Nishikawa Tetsu, Namikaze Minato."

The entire class erupted.

One was a nobody whose scores were mediocre in everything except the written exam, with the lowest chakra reserves; the other was a commoner genius who had broken all records and was hailed as a once-in-decades prodigy.

These two in the same team was an extreme pairing.

Namikaze Minato turned his head and gave Nishikawa Tetsu a brilliant smile, seemingly very pleased with his new teammate.

Being in the same team as the future Fourth Hokage isn't a good thing, Nishikawa Tetsu thought, but he politely nodded at Minato.

"And... " Teacher Daikoku swallowed as he looked at the note on the roster, "Your supervising Jonin is—Lord Jiraiya."

"Boom!"

The classroom exploded.

"Lord Jiraiya?! The Hokage's disciple!"

"God, how lucky can these two guys get!"

"Why does Nishikawa Tetsu, that dead last, get to be in such an elite team?"

Jealousy, envy, and shock shot towards the corner like arrows.

However, Teacher Daikoku's next sentence doused everyone's enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water.

"However, Lord Jiraiya is currently on the Land of Rain front line and cannot return to the village. Therefore, the village has appointed a temporary captain to escort you safely to the front-line encampment."

A temporary captain?

Just as everyone was wondering, the classroom's sliding door was abruptly pulled open.

A wave of cold, damp air mixed with a faint scent of blood flooded into the warm classroom.

Standing at the doorway was a boy about fifteen or sixteen years old.

He wore a dark blue high-collared shirt, over which was a green tactical vest that not only had many pockets but also showed clear signs of mending. His black hair was somewhat messy, plastered to his forehead by the rain. His eyes were not the usual black, but—

Crimson.

Three black tomoe slowly rotated within the blood-red pupils, exuding a suffocating pressure.

Uchiha Fugaku.

Although he had not yet become the future Uchiha clan head, the arrogance of a scion of a prestigious clan and the battle-hardened aura he possessed were already enough to make these newly graduated fledglings tremble.

The classroom fell into dead silence.

Uchiha Fugaku scanned the room, his gaze not lingering on the cowering children, finally locking precisely onto Namikaze Minato and Nishikawa Tetsu.

"Team Five, come with me."

His voice was cold, laced with a thick impatience.

The roof of the Ninja Academy.

The rain continued to fall, hitting the railing with a pattering sound.

Uchiha Fugaku stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the railing. His Sharingan had closed, returning to their normal black, but his tightly furrowed brow showed his foul mood.

"No need for introductions, it's a waste of time."

He spoke coldly, his gaze slicing through the two like knives. "I am Uchiha Fugaku, a newly promoted Special Jonin. I will be leading the team for the rest of this journey."

His gaze first landed on Minato, softening slightly. "Namikaze Minato, I know you. A civilian prodigy. I hope your Body Flicker Technique won't be used for running away in actual combat."

Minato wasn't intimidated by the other's aura. Instead, he stood straight, even finding the leisure to scratch his head and smile. "I'll do my best not to be a burden, senior."

"Hmph."

Uchiha Fugaku snorted coldly, then his gaze shifted to Nishikawa Tetsu.

It was a look that regarded him as "dead weight."

"Nishikawa Tetsu. Below-average chakra reserves, mediocre taijutsu. Aside from perfect scores in theory and that somewhat flashy shuriken technique, you're useless." Fugaku laid out his flaws without mercy. "Honestly, I don't know what the village is thinking. Bringing you along will significantly lower the team's survival rate."

Faced with such a humiliating evaluation from Uchiha, an ordinary child would likely be overcome with shame and anger, or be too scared to speak.

But Nishikawa Tetsu simply looked calmly at Uchiha Fugaku. "Senior Fugaku."

"Not everyone needs to charge into battle. While my chakra isn't abundant, I excel at intelligence analysis, trap setting, and... a small amount of Medical First Aid. This should help compensate for the team's shortcomings."

"Medical?" Uchiha Fugaku raised an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving. "A freshly graduated Genin understands medicine?"

"I know some basic first aid." Nishikawa Tetsu didn't elaborate further.

At this time, Konoha did not yet assign a ninja skilled in Medical Ninjutsu to every team like in later generations, so someone who knew Medical First Aid was indeed helpful.

Uchiha Fugaku stared at Nishikawa Tetsu for a moment, seemingly trying to find fear in the civilian boy's eyes, but he failed.

Those black eyes were so calm they made him seem unlike a freshly graduated Genin.

"I hope so."

Uchiha Fugaku pulled a small orange toad from his robes and casually tossed it to Namikaze Minato.

"This is Master Jiraiya's Summoning Toad. The orders are simple: depart immediately, cross the Land of Fire's border, and rendezvous with the main force in the Land of Rain's war zone."

As he spoke, Uchiha Fugaku's aura suddenly changed, a killing intent honed by actual combat.

He walked up to the two, looking down at them, and warned them:

"Stone Ninja and Sand Ninja guerilla units are active along the border. Once on the battlefield, don't expect me to save you like a nanny. If you can't keep up with my speed..."

Uchiha Fugaku paused, his eyes icy.

"I will not hesitate to leave you behind. Uchiha do not bring burdens."

Namikaze Minato's smile faded, and he nodded solemnly.

Nishikawa Tetsu, however, looked down at the few specially made smoke bombs in his ninja pouch and thought silently: Don't worry, when the time comes, it's not certain who will be leaving whom behind.

"Move out!"

With Uchiha Fugaku's command, his figure instantly vanished into the rain.

Namikaze Minato followed closely behind, his golden hair leaving a trail of afterimages in the air.

Nishikawa Tetsu took a deep breath of the damp air, channeling chakra to the soles of his feet. Though not as swift as the other two, he followed steadily.