Ninja Squads

Mito hadn't expected Watanabe to say something like that.

Not only was he not afraid of Tsunade, he wanted to take on the risk of becoming a Jinchuriki in her place.

Mito suddenly understood why Tsunade had secretly given Watanabe both Hashirama's necklace and Tobirama's ninjutsu.

If, when she was a young woman, the boy she liked had devoted himself to her like this, she was sure she would have been just like Tsunade.

"Senior Mito, would it be all right if I sealed the Nine-Tails Fox Demon?" Watanabe pressed.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he was the best choice to seal the Nine-Tails. He had the Karma Reversal trait, which would turn all the negative effects of becoming a Jinchuriki into positive ones.

Mito gazed deeply at Watanabe. All she saw on his face was sincerity; there wasn't the slightest trace of greed for the Tailed Beast's power.

At that moment, Mito felt tempted.

Yes, wouldn't it be better to make Watanabe the Jinchuriki?

Tsunade had told Mito about Watanabe awakening the Meat Release Kekkei Genkai. Mito had also seen for herself how Tsunade had hit him over and over without leaving a scratch. His healing ability was enough to rival Hashirama's.

With such a powerful physique, Watanabe really was better suited than Tsunade to become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

"Senior Mito, you may not know this, but I have a very strong constitution. Even Tsunade's monstrous strength can't hurt me..."

"We'll talk about that another time."

Mito cut him off. Choosing a Jinchuriki was no small matter; she couldn't make the decision lightly.

Still, Mito was now genuinely considering Watanabe as a candidate to become the Jinchuriki.

"Since you've already decided to help Tsunade shoulder the burden, I won't stop you. I only hope you won't let Tsunade down. And our Senju Clan certainly won't treat you unfairly."

Watanabe felt that Mito's words made it sound as if she thought he was a kept man, so he told her the truth. "Actually, even if Tsunade weren't a Senju, I'd still love her just as much."

"..."

Was it because she was getting old?

A layer of goosebumps rose on Mito's skin. She found that she could hardly bear to hear a young man's passionate confession.

She took a deep breath and led Watanabe out of the Spiritual World.

"Next, you'll do missions like everyone else for a while and build up your record. Later, I'll arrange for you to join the Konoha High Command," Mito said, getting up and walking out of the room.

Even if Watanabe didn't become the Hokage's student, Mito could still make sure he rose through the ranks faster than one.

"Understood."

"If you run into a problem you can't solve, come find me at the Senju Clan Compound."

"Thank you, Senior Mito."

At noon, Watanabe arrived at the Ninja Academy. Most of his classmates greeted him with admiring looks.

They used to think Watanabe was a dead-last who'd gotten lucky and caught Tsunade's eye. But ever since he'd made a name for himself in yesterday's fight at the Training Ground, their opinion of him had changed. People instinctively felt awe in the presence of the strong.

Watanabe glanced around the classroom. As expected, he didn't see Orochimaru or Jiraiya, but Hiruzen was there.

Come to think of it, Hiruzen was pretty unlucky. The Third had wanted to take a civilian as his student. Hiruzen had wanted it more than anyone, yet he was the only one the Third hadn't picked.

"Watanabe, do you know where Jiraiya and Orochimaru went? They'll be late if they don't hurry."

Hiruzen came over and asked Watanabe.

Watanabe knew Hiruzen was sensitive, and worried he'd feel bad if he found out what had happened to Jiraiya and Orochimaru, so he shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe they overslept."

"They're so careless. How could they be late for something as important as reporting for graduation?"

Hiruzen complained about them.

"They are pretty careless..."

They'd only been chatting for a few moments when they saw Osaka Rukawa hurry in, carrying a wooden box.

Osaka Rukawa first congratulated everyone on graduating, then took the Ninja Headbands out of the box and handed them out one by one.

"Your ninja squads have all been assigned. I'll announce them now."

Osaka Rukawa read from the list in his hand:

"Dan Katō, Sakurajima, and Yamanaka Fu, your team leader is Aburame Ryōryō. Assemble at the izakaya at three this afternoon."

"Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikan, and Gekko Mai, your team leader is..."

Some teams had a Special Jōnin as their leader, some had a Jōnin, and others had an Elite Jonin. It all depended on the new graduates' scores. The better a team's scores, the stronger their leader.

As Osaka Rukawa continued announcing the assignments, Hiruzen grew more and more nervous. Watanabe could feel it clearly from where he sat beside him.

After all, their futures were at stake. It was only natural to be nervous.

Watanabe was different. Mito was already looking out for him, and sooner or later he'd join the Konoha High Command.

"Watanabe, Hyuga Rei, and Hiruzen, your team leader is Uchiha Chiri. Assemble on the rooftop of the Mission Hall at three this afternoon."

When Osaka Rukawa announced the final squad, the class erupted in commotion. Everyone couldn't help glancing toward Watanabe and Hiruzen in the back row with envy.

Uchiha Chiri was Konoha's most renowned Elite Jonin. She was both powerful and beautiful, so being assigned to her squad was obviously the best possible outcome.

"Uchiha Chiri?"

Hiruzen froze, then stared in disbelief.

I actually made it onto Senior Chiri's squad?!

"Hyuga Rei... I really don't want to deal with her." Watanabe, meanwhile, was a little troubled. That girl was good at putting on an act, and was probably holding a grudge against him.

"Wait, Hiruzen's grades are average. What gives him the right to join Senior Chiri's squad?"

Suddenly, someone voiced a complaint.

"Exactly. It makes sense for Watanabe and Orochimaru to join Senior Chiri's squad. Hiruzen's grades are worse than mine."

"Come to think of it, I don't think I heard which squad Orochimaru was assigned to."

"Me neither for Jiraiya?"

"Quiet!"

Osaka Rukawa interrupted the discussion, his expression stern. "I hadn't planned to tell you, but since someone asked, I might as well."

"Orochimaru and Jiraiya have already been taken on as students by Lord Hokage, so the two of them won't be assigned to a ninja squad."

"What!"

Everyone was shocked.

Hiruzen stared in disbelief. He'd been worried about Jiraiya and Orochimaru being late, when those two had actually become the Hokage's students!

They'd eaten together just last night, but overnight, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had both risen to the top. Hiruzen felt a little bitter, and his joy at joining Uchiha Chiri's squad was somewhat dampened.

Osaka Rukawa continued, "The ninja squad assignments were decided by the higher-ups. If anyone's unhappy with theirs, you can go talk to your team leader and ask to switch. Whether you can persuade them is up to you."

"There's one last thing I want to say to you. A single result doesn't define anything, so there's no need to envy or resent anyone. You have a long road ahead of you. This is only the beginning."

The classroom fell silent.

Some of them may have taken his words to heart, and some may not have, but in any case, they gave Osaka Rukawa the respect he was due and made no further objections.

"Come on, let's head home and get ready. We have to assemble this afternoon."

Watanabe patted Hiruzen on the shoulder.