Class Assignment

Their gazes were practically tangling together, their faces drawing closer and closer.

Ignoring the noisy classroom, the two could hear nothing but the thumping of their own hearts.

Their hands tightened, and just as they were about to kiss—

Thump, thump, thump.

"Quiet!"

Iruka Umino walked in holding a wooden board clipped with the list of student team assignments. He stood at the podium and tapped it to signal for silence, prompting the other students to scramble back to their seats.

The strange, intimate atmosphere between Hinata and Zeyu was shattered. They froze in place, both blushing furiously, steam practically rising from their heads.

"Zeyu, Hinata, what are you two doing?" Iruka asked, eyeing the pair still staring at each other at the back of the room.

The rest of the class, now seated, turned their heads in unison to look.

The two quickly sat up straight, heads bowed, and pulled their hands back.

"N-nothing," Zeyu said, scratching his head.

"Y-yes," Hinata replied, pulling her collar up to cover her lips, looking bashful.

"Alright then. I'm going to announce the team assignments, so everyone listen carefully." Iruka shook the board in his hand. Realizing there was nothing more to see, the students turned their attention to the lecture.

Damn it, Iruka, you ruined my moment! Don't think just because you're Naruto's favorite that I won't beat you up! Zeyu complained inwardly.

His brows furrowed and his mouth twitched; he looked as if he'd just eaten something foul.

Zeyu-kun, we were so close... Hinata bit her lip and pulled her collar up further, burying her entire face in her clothes.

She didn't know how to face Zeyu anymore, so she chose to hide. If she couldn't see him, she wouldn't have to think about it so much.

At that moment, Zeyu leaned over and whispered softly to the girl buried in her clothes.

"Hinata, about what we were doing... let's finish it later."

Upon hearing this, the steam on Hinata's head intensified. She buried her head even lower, then peeked up to look at Zeyu.

Zeyu had already turned his head to watch Iruka speak, his chin resting on his right hand, a smile on his face.

Sensing Hinata watching him, he reached out his left hand, palm open, and held it in mid-air, his expression unchanging.

Hinata understood. She reached out and took Zeyu's hand. They shared a smile before turning back to watch Iruka at the front.

"I will start calling names now. Three people to a team. The three consecutive names called will form one team. After that, get to know your teammates and wait in the classroom for your jonin instructor to pick you up. Do you understand?"

"Understood," the class replied.

"Zeyu-kun, I hope we end up in the same team," Hinata whispered, turning to Zeyu. Her face was still flushed, as if she hadn't fully cooled down yet.

"Yeah, Hinata, I hope so too," Zeyu said with a grin.

But he knew better. Hinata was definitely going to be teamed up with Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame; that was a certainty.

It's going to be so frustrating not being on the same team, Zeyu thought, frowning.

I guess I'll end up with two background characters, just like in my past life.

In his previous life, Zeyu hadn't even attended classes in this room. When teams were assigned, he'd been paired with two nobodies, and he hadn't even participated in the first Chunin Exams because they were all too weak.

Wait? There's one extra person in the classroom? What about me? Zeyu looked curiously at his classmates, suddenly realizing the discrepancy, and counted the heads.

Iruka had been calling names for a while now.

"Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame..."

Hm? Here it comes, Zeyu thought, glancing at Hinata.

"Hinata Hyuga, you three are a team."

Hinata looked a little dejected upon hearing this; she wouldn't be with Zeyu.

"I'm sorry, Zeyu-kun, I can't be with you," she whispered, turning toward him.

Seeing her downcast expression, Zeyu patted her head and comforted her softly.

"It's okay, Hinata. We'll have plenty of chances to see each other. Do your best in your new team, and I'll always be by your side."

Hinata beamed at his words, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at him.

"Yes, Zeyu-kun, I will!" She clenched her small fists in front of her chest and gave a determined nod.

Zeyu felt incredibly satisfied watching this, a smile plastered on his face.

Hehe, Hinata is so cute. She's the best.

After a while, everyone had been called except for Zeyu.

Puzzled, Zeyu raised his hand to ask Iruka, who was preparing to leave.

"Um, Iruka-sensei, what about me?"

Iruka stopped what he was doing and looked at Zeyu.

"Ah, Zeyu. We ran out of people in this classroom, but don't worry. There are extra students in other classrooms, too. Your jonin instructor will come to find you shortly."

"Oh, alright." Zeyu lowered his hand after hearing this, continuing to rest his head in his palm and sit obediently.

I suppose my grades are mediocre, and I'm not from a prestigious clan, so they just arranged things randomly. Sigh. Zeyu thought to himself.

A long time passed, and the people in the classroom had left in dribs and drabs.

Hinata also left the classroom after Kurenai Yuhi arrived.

As she left, she said goodbye to Zeyu.

Kiba and Shino were already used to it; it was common knowledge to everyone at the academy that the two of them had a good relationship, so they waited obediently in the back.

To Kiba and Shino's surprise, Zeyu called out to them.

"Kiba, Shino, and Kurenai-sensei, please take good care of Hinata for me. Thank you."

"Yeah, leave it to me!" Kiba readily agreed when he saw Zeyu bowing before him.

"Mm, I understand. I'll help you out this once," Shino said, adjusting his glasses.

Hinata, standing to the side, was deeply moved, a soft sound escaping her lips.

"Zeyu-kun."

Kurenai Yuhi, standing nearby, wore a knowing, aunt-like smile.

She teased Hinata in her ear.

"That boy Zeyu really likes you, Hinata."

Hearing this, Hinata's face turned bright red instantly, steam rising from her head, and the look she gave Zeyu became even more bashful.

Afterward, Kurenai Yuhi led the three of them away.

I don't know how much time passed, but only Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Zeyu remained in the classroom.

Naruto was pacing around impatiently, while Sakura kept staring at Sasuke, who was sitting with his eyes closed in contemplation.

Sigh, Kakashi-sensei, take me with you too. Zeyu thought, feeling annoyed and thinking he had been left behind.

Just then, the classroom door was pushed open, and a boy with spiky black hair strode in, followed by a girl with twin tails. The two of them stood at the doorway, sizing up the people inside.

Naruto looked at the two who had walked in, a bit bewildered, and stepped forward to size them up as well.

Before Naruto could ask anything, the boy spoke up.

"Which one of you is Zhao Yun Zilong? We're looking for him to form a team!"

"Huh? Is there such a person? Hey! What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked, confused by what he heard.

Zeyu, who was resting his head in his palm in the back row and complaining to himself, was suddenly startled when he heard this.

Ah? How could this name be known? And they came specifically to find me to form a team? Zeyu thought to himself.

He was also stunned as he looked at the two who had entered; he didn't recognize them at all.

The boy then introduced himself.

"My name is Shota Mochizuki, and this is my younger sister, Megumi Mochizuki. We got impatient waiting in our classroom, so we came out to find the Zhao Yun Zilong my sister mentioned. We want to form a team with him," Shota said.

"Brother, there's no need to explain so clearly to them. They're just a bunch of small fry."

"Hey, you blondie, is Zhao Yun Zilong here or not?"

The younger sister, Megumi, said with her head held high, looking disdainful.

Naruto was instantly enraged upon hearing this.

"Who are you calling small fry! If you've got the guts, let's fight!"

He wanted to rush forward as soon as he finished speaking.

At this moment, Shota blocked Naruto's path and said, "Fight me. The lead teacher hasn't shown up yet, and I'm bored to death." As he spoke, he threw a couple of punches into the air, his face full of excitement.

Naruto looked at the Shota before him, feeling a bit at a loss, and thought, Is this guy really that fond of fighting?

His mouth twitched, and he lost interest.

Sasuke, off to the side, merely glanced at them, thinking, Another idiot. How boring.

Sakura continued to watch Sasuke as he struck a pose, not wanting to pay them any mind.

At this moment, Megumi, who was still at the door, noticed there was one more person in the back of the classroom, and immediately pointed at Zeyu and shouted.

"Hey, you, come over here."

Zeyu frowned, waved his hand, and said, "Is there something you need? Miss Megumi, can't you just say it? I don't want to come over."

Megumi heard this and let out a soft chuckle.

"Small fry acting all haughty—how refreshing."

"Hey, do you people actually know where Zhao Yun Zilong is or not? This young lady doesn't have time to waste on you lot."

Megumi looked toward the crowd again, her eyes filled with disdain.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the door.

A moment later, a woman with a mushroom-cut hairstyle and round-rimmed glasses came rushing in clumsily, looking disheveled with leaves stuck to her clothes and mud smeared across her face.

Everyone in the classroom stared at her, completely bewildered.