Squad Assembly

The next day, Li Yu donned his black robes and Anbu mask early to report for duty.

Since he had to go to the Ninja Academy to meet his students today, Li Yu, unlike Kakashi, had no intention of being late and arrived at the classroom well ahead of time.

Just as he reached the door of the graduating class, he spotted Namikaze Minato wearing his green flak jacket.

"Minato, you're here early."

"Indeed. Senju Nawaki, you've arrived quite early as well."

The two exchanged brief pleasantries before entering the classroom together.

Seeing them walk in, the chunin instructor for the graduating class announced, "Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, Hatake Kakashi, your team leader, Namikaze Minato, has arrived."

Li Yu looked at the black-haired boy standing up from his seat, goggles perched on his head, and mused, This must be Obito, the future minor boss.

Another girl with two purple markings on her face stood up, alongside a cool-looking boy with silver hair and dead-fish eyes.

So these are Nohara Rin and Kakashi.

This is my first time seeing Kakashi; he really does look quite a bit like Hatake Sakumo.

Watching the three of them, Li Yu couldn't help but mutter to himself, wondering if he should change their fates or let them follow the original plot.

If Obito were removed, Madara would simply find another Uchiha to execute his plan in a different way; what benefit would that bring him? What did the life or death of the Uchiha Clan have to do with him?

It was like being given the answer key to an exam—if he didn't copy it, he would be forcing himself to do the work from scratch.

He was a transmigrator without a system; he had to rely entirely on himself, and his only advantage was his familiarity with the plot and his knowledge of various ninjas and techniques.

Since he had the ability to foresee the plot, why not put it to use?

Watching Namikaze Minato's retreating back, his gaze gradually turned cold, and he told himself over and over that to avoid disrupting the plot, he had to think: Minato, Kushina, I am sorry.

As he reached the door, Namikaze Minato seemed to sense something and suddenly turned back with a gentle smile. "Nawaki, come over to my place for dinner when you have time."

Li Yu nearly lost his composure, stiffly replying, "Right, right, I'll be there."

It felt as if his inner thoughts had been exposed. Only after watching Namikaze Minato disappear from the doorway did he finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Sarutobi Asuma, Yuhi Kurenai, Uzuki Yugao. This is your team leader, Senju Nawaki."

At this moment, the black-haired boy and the purple-haired girl were easy to distinguish; both Yuhi Kurenai and Uzuki Yugao were quite cute as children.

Too lazy to scrutinize them further, Li Yu beckoned the three of them to follow him as he left the classroom and headed toward the training grounds.

Li Yu adjusted his forehead protector, which covered his left eye, and said casually, "I am your team leader, Senju Nawaki. Now, it's your turn."

The three introduced themselves, though it hardly mattered; their files were already quite clear.

"Alright, that's enough. Attack me together; let me see what you're capable of."

Sarutobi Asuma said with a touch of arrogance, "Oh, you'd better be careful, Teacher."

According to their files, Sarutobi Asuma was indeed the strongest of the group, excelling in both taijutsu and ninjutsu, with only his genjutsu being slightly lacking.

"Then let's begin."

The three immediately leaped backward, surrounding Li Yu in a triangle. They drew kunai and shuriken from their ninja pouches and, with practiced coordination, launched them simultaneously.

Li Yu sidestepped in one direction, caught a kunai aimed at him, and instantly knocked all the other projectiles to the ground.

Uzuki Yugao drew the katana from her back, while Yuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma charged at Li Yu from three different directions with kunai in hand.

Clang! Clang! Weapons clashed repeatedly.

The three exhausted their moves, but Li Yu parried them all with ease. Seeing that he had seen enough of their taijutsu, he moved.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Two punches struck the girls in the abdomen, using soft force to send them flying, but he was far less gentle with Sarutobi Asuma, delivering a heavy kick to his backside.

"Off you go!"

The two girls landed and regained their footing, while the boy was launched like a human cannonball, slamming into a large tree and sending a shower of leaves raining down.

Sarutobi Asuma struggled to stand while clutching his rear, a look of fury on his face as he began to weave hand signs.

He can actually use ninjutsu? I wonder if his chakra is sufficient. To be able to perform ninjutsu right after graduation—he really is the most outstanding student of this year.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Li Yu used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge the massive fireball and looked at the panting Sarutobi Asuma, knowing it was time to wrap things up.

"I have a good enough understanding of your strength now."

"I'll treat you all to barbecue first, then your genin missions start tomorrow."

The two girls cheered in unison, their stomachaches seemingly vanishing on the spot.

"I've heard it's delicious; I really want to try it."

The four of them arrived at the barbecue restaurant and had a meal that cost Li Yu another fifty thousand ryo; he hadn't expected girls to be such big eaters.

"Thank you for the treat, Teacher."

The three of them headed home separately. Watching their departing backs, Li Yu sighed.

"The future pillars of Konoha."

"Judging by Uzuki Yugao's performance today, her sister must not have mentioned me to her yet."

He had worked his way up from the Ninja Academy to become a squad leader, but thinking about the long stretch of D-rank missions ahead—finding lost cats and dogs, weeding, and farming for the village—he felt a shift in perspective.

"It doesn't seem as interesting as I imagined."

"I'll just send a Wood Clone to accompany them on those D-rank village missions."

"That way, I can go home to spend time with Yuying and check on my Hot Pot Restaurant while it's being renovated."

Having made up his mind, Li Yu hummed a little tune and strolled leisurely toward home.