Two Teammates

Yashui looked around and finally found his teammate, a girl named Ogimachi Hachiko.

She was a girl. In a way, she was a lot like Sasuke. She often stared out the window and had no interest in the arguments going on in class. She sat alone in the very back corner of the room, just as isolated as Naruto.

Her clothes were very plain, with patches in several places around the cuffs and hem. Perhaps Ogimachi Hachiko's family wasn't well-off.

Yashui had identified one of his teammates. Since he'd never actually interacted with Hachiko, he had no idea how strong she was. But as a ninja, she'd have to charge into battle. Could Hachiko, a girl, accept everything that came with becoming a ninja?

Yashui glanced at Hachiko again and swallowed. A girl like Hachiko doesn't look suited to being a teammate, but she's quite pretty. Maybe she'd make a good girlfriend instead.

His other teammate was named Kaoru Hinoji. Yashui hadn't heard that name yesterday, either, and he couldn't identify anyone in the class who was definitely her.

Yashui shook his head. There were so many graduates, and he'd graduated early. He hadn't known anyone in this class to begin with, so it was only natural that he couldn't remember their names. Once all the others had been taken away by their jonin instructors, the one left would be Kaoru Hinoji.

Although he hadn't found Kaoru Hinoji, Yashui did spot Choji Akimichi. If he remembered correctly, his jonin instructor was supposed to be Choza Akimichi.

Choza Akimichi was an elite jonin from Konoha, highly skilled in taijutsu and the Multi-Size Technique. He was also the father of Choji Akimichi, who had graduated in the same class as Yashui.

Yashui walked over to Choji and tried to strike up a conversation. "Um... Choji, what's your father like? Is he very strict?"

Choji's eyes were fixed on the bag of chips in his hands. He didn't pay Yashui any attention at all. Even though Yashui had gone out of his way to approach him, Choji didn't answer, leaving Yashui feeling awkward.

"Choji, you might as well tell him," Shikamaru said. "But you should ask what Asuma's like, too. After all, Asuma will be our jonin instructor."

At Shikamaru's words, Choji put down his snack. "You want to know what my dad's like, right?"

Yashui nodded.

"Fine, but afterward, you have to tell us what Asuma's like. After all, Asuma will be our jonin instructor." Choji simply repeated Shikamaru's words verbatim.

"Sure."

"My dad... How do I put it... He's a pretty good dad. Even when I get bad grades on tests, he never scolds me. He often takes me out for barbecue... And then..."

Choji rambled on for ages, telling Yashui all the things Choza did for him. It was a father's love for his son. As the saying went, even a tiger wouldn't eat its cub, so of course Choza treated Choji well without reservation. But whether he'd be as kind to Yashui was another matter.

"That's pretty much it. Now tell us about Asuma," Choji said, then took a bite of his snack.

"Asuma... He might take the three of you out for barbecue pretty often. He might also play shogi with Shikamaru a lot." Yashui was describing the daily life Asuma and the others would have in the future.

"Sounds like Asuma will be a pretty good guy." Hearing Yashui, Choji smiled and ate a chip. A jonin instructor who would take him out for barbecue was just right for Choji.

"Shogi... Too bad I don't know how to play." Shikamaru didn't know how to play shogi yet; he learned from Asuma. Poor Asuma. After he taught Shikamaru, he never won another game.

"What a drag." After saying that, Shikamaru slumped back onto his desk and casually took a chip from Choji's bag.

The students in the class were gradually being taken away by their own instructors...