"Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto, Sakura, Second Pillar!"
"Team Eight: Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata!"
"Team Ten: Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru!"
At the podium, Iruka read out the team assignments for this year's graduates. Before long, the corresponding Jonin would come to take them away. From today onward, they would become new ninja squads.
Among the ninja villages of the Five Great Nations, when it came to valuing and training the next generation, Konoha was undoubtedly the most systematic and the most dedicated.
Jonin were important combat assets no matter where they were. Having them lead newly graduated students was excessive by any measure. Only a village like Konoha, ranked first in overall strength, could afford such an arrangement.
The other villages handled each year's graduates differently. The most extreme was the Land of Water, where both graduation exams and post-graduation missions followed the same survival-of-the-fittest approach, like raising poisonous insects in a jar, believing in absolute natural selection and the elimination of the weak.
Every powerful ninja from Kirigakure had risen along a path drenched in blood.
When Iruka stopped speaking, the classroom immediately erupted. The students began searching for their teammates and discussing the assignments heatedly.
But just then, a voice suddenly rang out. Everyone instinctively looked over, only to find, unexpectedly, that it was Second Pillar.
He stood and pointed at Naruto. "Why was I assigned to the same team as Naruto, Sensei? As far as I know, shouldn't team assignments take the graduates' strength into account and keep things balanced? Among this year's graduates, I should be second, while Naruto is first. Putting the top two graduates in the same team—is that really reasonable?"
Faced with Sasuke's challenge, Naruto stood up as well, veins bulging on his forehead as he snapped, "What do you