Graduation Class Assignment

The seven quickly arrived at a well-known barbecue restaurant in Konoha's commercial district. Shikamaru eyed his older brother suspiciously and whispered, "Brother, this barbecue isn't cheap. Do you have enough money? If not, I have my allowance, I can give it to you."

"Heh, don't worry. I extorted Dad last night, so it's enough for one meal."

"Oh, that's good then."

The seven entered the barbecue restaurant and ordered a lot, specifically requesting no seafood, especially fish.

For years, they had eaten grilled fish every day. Except for Lu Yu himself, everyone else couldn't stand it anymore.

The restaurant's service was incredibly fast. They had barely finished ordering and exchanged a few words before everything was served.

Then, the three boys opposite watched enviously as Hinata and Ino diligently grilled meat for Lu Yu. The three of them almost shed tears of envy.

Thinking about how they might be separated in the future, and that they were all family with no strict rules, the atmosphere quickly reached a climax.

Naruto looked at Sasuke and said earnestly, "Sasuke, no matter where you are, you are my lifelong rival. Next time, I will definitely surpass you!"

"Tch, dream on!"

"Damn it, you jerk Sasuke, you just wait."

"Idiot!"

The group watched the two rivals bicker again with amusement, laughing heartily while a faint sadness of impending departure permeated the air.

"Hmm, these are probably some of Konoha's most troublesome individuals, but I envy their carefree lives. How about it, you few, have you chosen your teams yet?" Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Lu Yu and the others through the crystal ball, glancing at his three capable subordinates opposite him.

Yūhi Kurenai felt a headache just watching Naruto's antics. If she had to lead such a guy, she'd probably get wrinkles from anger in a few days. As for Lu Yu and Shikamaru's laid-back personalities, she had heard plenty. She decided against it.

Yūhi Kurenai's gaze quickly focused on Hinata. The corners of her mouth curved slightly as she respectfully said to Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, I'll take Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "Alright, you can go back and prepare."

"Yes!"

Watching Yūhi Kurenai leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen lit his pipe and looked at the conflicted Kakashi and Asuma. He took a deep puff, his eyes full of amusement. "How about it, have you two decided?"

Asuma looked at the lazy Lu Yu and Shikamaru, then at Naruto and Sasuke, who were about to fight. He gritted his teeth and said, "Hokage-sama, leave the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho to me."

"Oh?" Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Asuma meaningfully. "Have you thought it through?"

"Yes."

"Fine, the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho is yours. You can go and prepare as well."

"Yes!"

After seeing Asuma off, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the conflicted Kakashi and said with a smile, "Kakashi, it seems you have no choice. Naruto, Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura will be yours."

"Ah, what a bother. They seem like a few very unlikable brats."

Seeing Kakashi looking dejected, the Third Hokage stood up and walked in front of him, saying solemnly, "Your mission is very important, Kakashi. You should already know Naruto and Sasuke's identities."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Hmm, you need to put in more effort to guide these children down the right path."

"Yes!"

"Alright, go back and think it over."

Kakashi nodded, then excused himself with a headache.

With the team assignments settled, Sarutobi Hiruzen's mood greatly improved. He then looked at the happy group in the crystal ball and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Hmm, the days ahead will be interesting. I wonder if Kakashi and Asuma will be greatly surprised during the bell-grabbing exercise? Heh, amusing..."

The next morning, Lu Yu looked speechlessly at his busy mother and couldn't help but complain, "Mom, I'm going to school, not a blind date. Do you have to make such a big fuss?"

Shikamaru, standing to the side, began to complain:

"Mom, the clothes you bought for big brother look better than mine. I seriously suspect I was picked up from the side of the road."

Nara Yoshino ignored the two little ones' complaints, finished dressing Lu Yu in his new clothes, and nodded with satisfaction.

In truth, Lu Yu's current attire was quite simple: a white stand-collar T-shirt and a pair of gray trousers, with his Ninja Headband fastened around his arm.

"Hmm, as expected of my son. You look just like me; even a simple outfit makes you look so handsome. Alright, off to school you go."

Shikamaru looked at his handsome older brother and muttered:

"Mom, I want that kind of treatment too."

"You? You look the same whether you tidy up or not. Alright, hurry up and get to school."

Shikamaru swayed, feeling as though he had taken ten thousand points of critical damage. He looked at Mom with a resentful expression, momentarily questioning the meaning of his life.

The two said goodbye to Mom and headed toward the Ninja Academy, with Lu Yu turning heads everywhere they went.

Usually, this guy was a magnet for little fan-girls even without trying, but since he was a natural slacker who preferred lying by the lake fishing and catching the breeze, not many people actually knew him.

Now, after Nara Yoshino's careful styling, the girls on the street looked at the somewhat unfamiliar handsome boy with eyes full of stars.

Shikamaru looked at his brother with a sullen expression, unable to stop himself from grumbling inwardly.

Big brother just has eyes a bit bigger than mine, a bit more spirit, a bridge of the nose a bit straighter, a face shape a bit softer, and eyebrows a bit thicker. How does it all come together to look so much better than me?

Soon, Lu Yu and Shikamaru arrived at the ninja classroom. The moment Lu Yu stepped inside, many girls looked over instinctively, and then they couldn't tear their eyes away.

Ten seconds later, the noisy classroom gradually grew quiet, and the looks everyone cast toward Lu Yu were filled with shock.

Countless boys and girls began to vent their thoughts frantically, eventually merging into a single sentiment: Handsome stranger, who are you?

Hinata and Ino also saw Lu Yu, and for a split second, both were stunned—

Lu Yu-kun is so handsome!

It was the first time in his life Lu Yu had been stared at by so many people. Enduring the countless gazes, he bit the bullet and sat down at his desk, his face turning a rare shade of red.

Fortunately, Iruka appeared just in time, helping to divert much of the attention away from him.

Iruka coughed twice, drawing everyone's attention to himself. Looking at his expectant students, his eyes filled with both gratification and sentimentality as he offered his heartfelt blessing:

"Congratulations! From today on, you are all independent ninjas."

"However, since you are still genin, you will need to form three-person squads and carry out missions under the guidance of a jounin leader."

"Now, I will begin announcing the groupings."

"..."