The rest of the team assignments were no different from the original story.
There were no changes to the members of Team 8, led by Kurenai, or Team 10, led by Asuma.
Team 8's instructor was Kurenai Yuhi, and its members were Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga.
Team 10's instructor was Asuma Sarutobi, and its members were Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka.
By the time Iruka called out Team 10, his expression had grown increasingly grim.
Team 10 had been announced, and Yeyu's name still hadn't appeared.
What was going on?
Sitting below, Yeyu hadn't noticed anything unusual.
Perhaps he didn't care which team he was assigned to.
To him, being a ninja was just a hobby now.
But Iruka was very nervous. He looked down at the last line.
He studied the list.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Iruka's strange behavior puzzled the other students in the classroom.
"What's wrong with Iruka-sensei?"
"Why did he stop reading?"
Naruto, sitting beside Sakura, turned anxiously toward Yeyu.
There wasn't the slightest change in Yeyu's expression.
He was perfectly calm.
"I wonder which team he'll be assigned to. Whoever ends up on his team must be terrified."
The previous night, Yeyu had punched Mizuki so hard that he was covered in blood and knocked unconscious. It had frightened Naruto badly.
Naruto had developed a psychological shadow of Yeyu.
Inside the Hokage Office.
Everyone was watching the Crystal Ball.
The Third watched Yeyu's expression in the Crystal Ball, his own face calm.
Yet Yeyu's expression didn't change at all.
"This boy is far too mature for his age. He isn't even reacting to this?"
"Will he support the arrangement I'm about to make?"
Kakashi glanced at the Third and wondered, I wonder what the Third plans to do with him. Is he going to give him special treatment?
They had already reached Team 10, and there were only thirty-one students in the class.
That meant one student, Yeyu, had been left over.
At that point, even the instructors in the Hokage Office had to realize that something was off about Yeyu.
The image in the Crystal Ball remained fixed on Yeyu.
And the Crystal Ball was under the Third's control.
Asuma looked at the Third. "Old man, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"Why is there one left over?"
The other instructors also frowned as they watched the Crystal Ball.
Back in the classroom.
Iruka stared at the last line of the list, his eyes wide.
His voice trembled slightly.
"Team 11: Jingwen Yeyu. Promoted to Chunin and assigned to the Hokage Office as the Hokage Assistant."
Everyone was stunned.
Every student in the classroom searched for Yeyu.
He remained perfectly calm.
He didn't have any particular thoughts about it; the arrangement had taken him somewhat by surprise.
It had never occurred to him that the Third would make such a show of it, promoting him so openly without even trying to disguise it.
Iruka looked at Yeyu, visibly excited.
"Yeyu, Lord Hokage has recognized your true strength after all. As Hokage Assistant, you're now in a better position than anyone else to become Hokage."
"Maybe one of my students really will become Hokage."
Iruka was happy for Yeyu, and the thought that one of his students might someday become Hokage filled him with excitement.
The students found Yeyu in the classroom.
Dozens of surprised eyes turned toward him.
They all wondered what kind of background Yeyu had to receive such special treatment from the Third.
Yeyu's grades at the Academy had been quite ordinary.
The children, who were only around twelve, didn't think much of it. They assumed Yeyu must have connections.
That was why the Third was treating him this way.
Still, a few of them weren't jealous of Yeyu.
Shikamaru looked at Yeyu, frowning. "His grades were average. So why?"
Sasuke, who was usually cold and hardly spoke, also looked at Yeyu.
"There's something off about him. With grades like his, he shouldn't be getting this kind of treatment."
Could he have been pretending at the Academy all along?
At the thought, Sasuke clenched his fist.
"I have to find out why that guy can become a Chunin right away."
Sasuke was very proud. He'd only grown so cold after his clan was wiped out.
But his proud nature had never changed.
Until now, he hadn't considered anyone in the class worth his attention.
So he hadn't been willing to say more than a word to anyone.
Now someone whose grades had always been mediocre—someone he had to think hard to remember—had graduated straight to Chunin.
He'd suddenly surpassed everyone in the class, including Sasuke, the top graduate. Sasuke couldn't accept it.
The students weren't the only ones who couldn't understand.
At that moment, several instructors in the Hokage Office were just as baffled.
"Lord Hokage, what's the story with this Yeyu? Why can he become a Chunin right away, and why is he also being made Hokage Assistant?"
"He's only twelve, and his grades at the Ninja Academy were average. Can he really serve as your assistant?"
"Does he have some kind of influential background?"
That was the only explanation they could think of.
But Kakashi understood perfectly well.
If Yeyu really was the one who had punched a fan-shaped crater hundreds of meters across the previous night, then calling him a Chunin would be an insult.
He already had the strength of a Hokage, and he was only twelve.
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
What would Yeyu's future hold? Would he surpass his teacher, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze?
At twelve, Kakashi had become a Jonin.
At twelve, Minato Namikaze had also possessed roughly Jonin-level strength.
Yeyu already had the strength of a Hokage.
What did becoming a Chunin matter to him?
Asuma knew his father's personality.
He wouldn't do something like this without good reason.
Frowning, he asked the Third, "Third, is his ability so great that he has to be treated this way?"
Asuma didn't suspect his father of abusing his authority.
There had to be a reason for what he was doing.
The Third didn't explain.
He simply said to everyone, "He has the ability. You'll understand in time."
"But I can't tell you about him just yet."
Everyone looked at the Third's serious expression. Though they still had questions, they didn't press him any further.
Still, word about Yeyu was bound to spread.
But the Third didn't care, and neither did Yeyu.
If Yeyu hadn't refused to become his student the previous night, he wouldn't have needed to come to the classroom to wait for his team assignment today.
He might have become the first person to graduate from the Ninja Academy and go straight to Jonin.
The capable were always treated well. That was true in every world.
After Iruka announced the team assignments, he glanced at Yeyu and left.
By then, hardly anyone cared who their instructor was.
They all turned toward Yeyu. Some were curious, some admired him, some doubted him, and one was terrified.
That one was Naruto, who was trembling all over.
What had just happened made him remember the previous night's scene: Yeyu punching Mizuki until he was covered in blood and left unconscious.
It was the bloodiest thing Naruto had ever seen.
To Naruto, Yeyu was the very definition of terror.
Before you continue