"It's just that there's the matter of assigning Uchiha Izumi to a team..."
After Daikoku Funano left, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the pipe on his desk and took a deep drag. He slowly exhaled, his gaze flickering as his thoughts raced.
The senior students at the Ninja Academy graduated a few days before the junior students finished their term. As a result, the senior students had already been assigned to teams and evaluated by their team leaders.
It didn't seem appropriate to add another person to a team now.
At the same time, Uchiha Clan members who could inherit the Will of Fire were people the village needed to make every effort to win over.
Every ninja who left the ivory tower and stepped into the cruel world of shinobi underwent a profound psychological change. That was why the assignment of team leaders and teammates had to be handled with the utmost care!
Ideally, they would all be shinobi who loved the village deeply and could guide her through this period, leaving a lasting impression!
The Uchiha Clan Head's eldest son, Itachi Uchiha, had already displayed a strong Will of Fire, and Shisui Uchiha continued to influence him...
Meanwhile, the Uchiha Clan Head's younger son, Sasuke Uchiha, was still young. Uchiha Izumi was his future wife, making her position special. Her way of thinking could directly and effectively influence Sasuke, whose mind was not yet fully developed...
With the combined influence of his older brother and future wife...
The more Hiruzen Sarutobi thought about it, the more carefully he knew he had to arrange things. Soon, an idea came to him. He took out a file on a ninja team and began looking it over, lightly tapping his fingers on the desk as he read.
The team had been formed two years earlier, after its members graduated. Recently, one of them had died on a mission. Hiruzen hadn't planned to replace the fallen member, since one of the remaining members had already passed the Chunin exam and submitted an application to join Anbu. That member was currently under review.
If the candidate passed the review and succeeded in the assessment, the fractured team would be disbanded anyway.
But now, Uchiha Izumi could be assigned to it!
Even as an Anbu candidate, being considered for the role meant that the candidate had passed the basic political screening, met the ideological standards, and possessed a strong enough Will of Fire.
Besides, no group in Konoha was more obedient than a certain one!
"Anbu!"
"Here!"
"Send Hizashi Hyuga to me!"
"Yes!"
A short while later, Hizashi Hyuga arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Lord Hokage."
"Mm." Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a slight nod, then handed over Uchiha Izumi's file. "Hizashi, take a look."
"Of course." Hizashi didn't ask any questions. He took the file and read it carefully, his thoughts stirring.
Another Uchiha prodigy...
If only the Hyuga Clan could...
If the Hyuga Clan didn't have the Branch House system, and everyone could train in the clan's advanced techniques, he believed the Hyuga Clan would be no weaker than the Uchiha Clan!
He knew that was impossible. A system passed down for a thousand years and rooted so deeply couldn't be changed easily. Still, he couldn't help imagining it. It could only remain a thought...
He sighed inwardly and set the thought aside. Once he had finished reading the file, he asked, "Lord Hokage, do you want this Uchiha Clan member added to our team?"
"That's right." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "She's an Uchiha who inherited the Will of Fire. She's someone the village must win over. You understand what I mean, don't you?"
"Yes!" Hizashi nodded firmly. "I'll make sure to guide her well!"
"Good. I'm counting on you, Hizashi."
"She's actually been assigned to Hizashi Hyuga's team?"
Two years earlier,
Sasuke, who had been keeping an eye on Hiruzen Sarutobi, had found the makeup of this team a little strange. After all, he'd never heard of it before.
Still, although it struck him as odd, he hadn't paid much attention to the changes to a single team. He'd assumed his arrival had caused a butterfly effect, and soon forgot about it.
But now, Hiruzen Sarutobi had assigned Uchiha Izumi to that team. Combined with their conversation, it was impossible for him to ignore.
Ninja Academy.
"Uchiha Izumi, your graduation assessment has been arranged."
"Since the senior students have already been assigned to teams, you'll have to join a different team. Your graduation assessment will take place alongside that team's tryout."
"If you fail their tryout, you won't be able to graduate. Do you understand?"
After hearing her homeroom teacher, Daikoku Funano, Uchiha Izumi asked tentatively, "Teacher Daikoku, do you know who the team leader and members are...?"
"I'm afraid not." Understanding that she wanted to find out who was on the team so she could prepare in advance, Daikoku Funano could only shake his head. "Because the team is unusual, even the teachers don't know its roster. Lord Hokage only told me that the team leader is an upper-rank ninja, with one Chunin and one Genin among its members."
"But you should understand that ordinary ninja teams are led by Chunin. Having a Special Jōnin as your team leader is already very good!"
"This team has an upper-rank ninja as its leader and a Chunin as your teammate. That shows how much Lord Hokage values you. You have to make the most of this opportunity."
An upper-rank ninja and a Chunin?... Since her teacher didn't know, she could ask Sasuke... Thinking this, Uchiha Izumi nodded firmly. "Mm, I understand, Teacher Daikoku. Don't worry. I'll do my best to earn their approval!"
She knew Sasuke was watching the Hokage twenty-four hours a day. No one in all of Konoha knew more about the Hokage's decisions than he did.
If she hadn't needed to apply for graduation today and come to the Ninja Academy in person, she probably would already have known her team assignment.
"Mm, good." Daikoku Funano smiled and waved her off. "Go on. You can leave school now. Get the necessary ninja tools ready, then be at Training Ground 1 at five this afternoon."
"Yes!"
After leaving the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Izumi hurried back to Sasuke's home. "Sasuke, what team have I been assigned to?"
"Here. I've prepared it." Sasuke tossed her a file. "Read it yourself, then burn it."
"That's great!" She took the file. Seeing that the ink hadn't fully dried, Uchiha Izumi knew Sasuke had written it himself. It was so detailed that it filled nearly ten pages.
Touched, she cupped Sasuke's head in both hands and planted a firm kiss on him. "Mwah~ Thank you, Sasuke!"
"That's it?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, then pointed to his other cheek.
Uchiha Izumi rolled her eyes at him coquettishly, then pressed her lips to his other cheek. "Mwah~"
"Happy now?"
She was already used to this sort of affectionate gesture. As long as no one else was around, she wasn't particularly embarrassed.
Only after Sasuke nodded in satisfaction did she focus on reading the file. When she saw the team leader's name, she looked surprised. "The team leader is Hizashi Hyuga?"
She had spent so much time around Sasuke and Elder Nobuhiko that she naturally knew of the head of the Hyuga Clan's Branch House.
"Yeah, but he's not important. You don't need to know about him for now." As he spoke, Sasuke flipped to another page in the file and pointed to a name. "She's the one who'll give you the tryout this afternoon. It's a practical test. You just have to last five minutes against her to pass."
"Five minutes?" Realizing Sasuke had already eavesdropped on the team's plans for her assessment, Uchiha Izumi skipped over Hizashi Hyuga and carefully studied the other ninja's file, her thoughts stirring.
An eleven-year-old female Chunin... skilled in swordsmanship?
Before you continue