Team Assignments and the Appointment of Their Jonin Instructors

Ling Xuan immediately started assigning tasks.

The first Shadow Clone was responsible for mentally reviewing the fragment of a forbidden jutsu he had analyzed from the Scroll of Seals the previous night, and trying to complete its theoretical structure.

The second Shadow Clone was responsible for recalling the texts on advanced Chakra Nature Transformation and shape transformation in the Konoha Library, cross-referencing them and making deductions.

The third Shadow Clone began practicing his newly perfected Wind-Flame Spiral Impact, controlling its form and power within an extremely small area.

Another Shadow Clone closed his eyes and began training his chakra perception and control at a deeper level.

The last Shadow Clone was sent to study the basic Medical Ninjutsu he had memorized from the library.

Meanwhile, Ling Xuan's main body began his daily physical conditioning and basic Taijutsu training.

For a time, his training and learning efficiency soared to five times its usual level!

His knowledge grew like a snowball rolling downhill, while his strength steadily increased at a pace visible to the naked eye.

Several days later, all the newly graduated Genin gathered on the Ninja Academy's playground, waiting for their fates to be decided.

Team assignments, and the appointment of their Jonin instructors.

Iruka-sensei stood on the platform, holding the team roster, his expression complicated.

He was both pleased that his students had graduated successfully and worried and hopeful about their imminent journey down the path of a true ninja.

"Team 10: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi! Your instructor is Asuma Sarutobi!"

When Ino heard that she'd been grouped with the two friends she'd grown up with, and that Asuma Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's son, would personally instruct them, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

But she still instinctively glanced at Ling Xuan, who stood not far away, and muttered to herself, Hmph, those two got lucky... Still, Asuma-sensei sounds really impressive!

Shikamaru still looked completely unmotivated, while Choji was busy wondering what was for lunch.

"Team 8: Kiba Inuzuka, Shino, Hinata Hyuga! Your instructor is Kurenai Yuhi!"

When Hinata heard her name, her cheeks turned red. Then she heard that her teammates would be Kiba and Shino, and that their instructor would be Kurenai Yuhi, the beautiful Jonin famous for her genjutsu. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

The team seemed reassuring enough. She sneaked a glance at Ling Xuan and saw that he looked calm. A small sense of disappointment welled up in her, along with a resolve to work hard, grow stronger, and live up to the confidence he had once shown in her.

Iruka paused, took a deep breath, and announced the most eagerly anticipated team.

"Next, Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Yeah! Awesome!" Naruto jumped excitedly.

"Sasuke Uchiha!"

Sasuke gave a cold snort and said nothing, while Naruto immediately glared at him.

"Sakura Haruno!"

Sakura let out a delighted squeal at being on the same team as Sasuke, but when she saw Naruto, her face fell.

Iruka looked at the roster. Surprise flashed in his eyes, then turned into a meaningful smile.

"And, in view of his outstanding performance in the graduation exam, the Hokage has specially approved Team 7 to be formed as a four-person special unit. Its final member is Ling Xuan!"

"What?!"

The entire playground erupted!

A four-person team? That was extremely rare in Konoha's history!

And they'd put the three most talked-about troublemakers in the whole year together: Naruto, the class dead last; Sasuke, the last surviving scion of a genius clan; and the mysterious, unfathomable Ling Xuan?

Naruto was stunned for a moment, then burst into delight. "Whoa! Ling Xuan's on our team too? Awesome! We're definitely going to be the strongest!"

Sasuke's brow furrowed. Here was another rival he needed to surpass—and one he couldn't read at all.

Sakura looked from Sasuke to Ling Xuan, her feelings complicated. Ling Xuan seemed even stronger than Sasuke...

After the other teams had left with their respective instructors, only the four members of Team 7 remained in the large classroom, along with their instructor, who was late in arriving.

Naruto paced irritably around the room. In the end, he cleverly wedged a freshly cleaned eraser into the sliding door's frame.

"Naruto! What are you doing? A Jonin's coming!" Sakura shrieked.

"Hmph, he's been late forever! I'm just teaching him a lesson!" Naruto said smugly.

Sasuke gave a cold snort, unwilling to take part in such a childish prank, but he didn't stop Naruto either.

Ling Xuan sat at his desk at ease, resting with his eyes closed. In truth, his Eye of Truth had already analyzed the entire area, including the little trap, in detail.

After an unknown amount of time, just as Naruto was about to lose patience, the classroom door finally slid open a crack.

Clack.

The eraser dropped with perfect accuracy, landing squarely on the unruly head of silver-white hair that appeared in the doorway.

Naruto immediately burst into thunderous laughter. "Hahahaha! He fell for it! He fell for it!"

Sakura covered her mouth in fright, looking at Naruto as if to say, You're dead.

But the man outside merely brushed the eraser out of his hair without hurry, revealing a face mostly hidden by a black mask and a drooping, fish-like eye.

"Hmm... How should I put this... My first impression of you..." Hatake Kakashi drawled, his voice laced with amusement. "Couldn't be worse."

His gaze swept over the laughing Naruto, the panicked Sakura, and the aloof Sasuke, before lingering on the calm Ling Xuan. A trace of surprise showed in his eyes.

"Oh? There's an extra one. Looks like this year's Team 7 is a little unusual."

[Target: Hatake Kakashi. Rank: Elite Jonin.]

[Left eye: Hidden by Forehead Protector. Contains extremely powerful space-time chakra fluctuations and ocular power. Sharingan belonging to Obito Uchiha.]

[Taijutsu: S rank. Ninjutsu: S rank (has copied over a thousand jutsu). Combat experience: S+. Overall evaluation: Extremely dangerous, highly calculating. Appears lazy at present, but is actually on high alert.]

The moment Kakashi appeared, Ling Xuan's Eye of Truth had already completed its initial analysis.

"All right, come with me." Kakashi waved a hand and headed outside.

The four followed him to a rooftop.

"Let's start with introductions," Kakashi said, leaning against the railing. "Tell me your names, what you like, what you dislike, your dreams for the future, your hobbies, and so on."

Naruto was the first to speak up. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like Ichiraku Ramen, especially when Iruka-sensei treats me! I hate having to wait three whole minutes for instant noodles!"

"My dream for the future is—to become Hokage and surpass all the Hokage before me, so the whole village will acknowledge me!"

Kakashi nodded. "Next."

Sakura spoke bashfully. "I'm Sakura Haruno. As for what I like... Maybe I should say, the person I like..." She glanced shyly at Sasuke.

"I hate Naruto! My dream for the future is..." She looked at Sasuke again and let out a squeal that meant nothing in particular.