Class 8

Graduation Day

The students who had successfully passed the graduation examination sat neatly in the classroom while a middle-aged man stood at the podium and loudly announced the class assignments.

"Team One: Ebisu, Genma Shiranui, Might Guy."

"Team Two: Ibiki Morino, Shizune Kato, Kotetsu Hagane."

"Team Seven: Uchiha Obito, Rin Nohara, and one additional member. The teacher will bring him along when the time comes."

"Team Eight: Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Hayate Gekko."

After finishing, the teacher instructed the students to wait in the classroom for their squad leaders, then left on his own.

The instant the door shut, the entire classroom erupted.

Obito excitedly rushed up to Rin Nohara, grinning broadly. "Great, Rin, we're in the same team! I'll definitely protect you!"

Rin narrowed her eyes with a faint smile. "Then I'll thank you in advance, Obito."

As soon as those gentle words fell, Obito's entire face suddenly turned red. He covered his face, spun around, and began freaking out.

The classroom was filled with noise. Some were dissatisfied, while others were happy, but without exception, every conversation revolved around the team assignments. Asuma's side was naturally no exception.

With a blade of grass dangling from his mouth and his arms folded, he gave Kurenai a smug chuckle.

"Well, Kurenai? Didn't I say we'd be assigned to the same team? And our squad leader is definitely going to be a powerful ninja!"

Kurenai Yuhi had seemed somewhat uninterested, but upon hearing that, she appeared to recall something. She asked expectantly, "I heard Uchiha Mo was promoted to jonin a few days ago. Do you think he might become one of the squad leaders for our class?"

"Who? Uchiha Mo?" Asuma frowned in confusion.

"Yeah! The legendary Blood Ninja. Haven't you heard of him, Asuma?"

"Haha... B-Blood Ninja... I-I know, of course I know." Asuma scratched his head, revealing an awkward smile.

Although Mo had gained a bit of fame by now, he was still far from reaching the level of the Three Ninja or White Fang, whose names shook the ninja world. Naturally, most people who did not pay much attention to such matters did not know much about him.

"I... cough cough! I know, I know!" Hayate Gekko, who had been standing beside them without being able to get a word in, suddenly grew excited.

"Blood Ninja is the strongest Uchiha genius since the village was founded. Over the past few years, the number of missions of all sizes he's completed is already comparable to some veteran jonin. I heard he got that name because his Fire Release is as vivid as blood, and he's especially skilled in Fire Release swordsmanship, so Blood Ninja also carries the meaning of Blood Blade! The most incredible thing is that I heard he's about the same age as us. That's just too... cough cough! Cough cough cough! Too amazing!"

Hayate's face was flushed, making even his pale complexion look much healthier.

Upon hearing that, Kurenai's eyes curved into crescents, and an adorable smile lifted the corners of her lips. She looked utterly delighted.

"Right? He's amazing! And his genjutsu is really strong too!"

Seeing how happy Kurenai looked, Asuma's thoughts churned rapidly. After racking his brains for a long while, inspiration suddenly struck him, and he revealed an enlightened expression.

"Oh! I remember now! The old man mentioned him before—the one who was too cruel to his enemies and... cough cough! So it was him..."

Seeing Asuma like this, Kurenai immediately turned to ask, "Then is it possible that he could be a squad-leading jonin?"

"He... if I remember correctly, he's only ten, right? Although I don't know the old man's specific arrangements, by convention, aside from needing to be jonin, squad leaders are generally experienced ninja in their prime..."

"And besides..." Asuma recalled Kurenai's excited expression, and his gaze drifted as he spoke in an apparently casual tone. "Although there are plenty of precedents for special jonin becoming squad leaders, the members of our team are rather special... Uchiha Mo may be a genius, but at his age... his strength is probably still somewhat lacking."

Though Asuma was talking about the members of Team Eight, both of them understood that he was referring to himself.

Kurenai frowned slightly, folded her arms, and said with some displeasure, "Honestly, I never said Mo would become our squad leader. I was only asking whether he might become a squad leader for our class..."

Seeing that Kurenai was somewhat angry, Asuma immediately became flustered. Fortunately, at that moment, the classroom door was suddenly pulled open, and a middle-aged man walked inside.

With this sudden development, the noisy classroom immediately fell silent, and pairs of curious eyes settled on the man.

"I'm the squad-leading jonin of Team Four. My adorable little teammates, come with me."

The man smiled, then led three children out of the classroom.

After that, several more people entered the classroom one after another and took away their respective team members.

Before long, half an hour had passed. Only five people remained in the classroom between Team Seven and Team Eight.

"Why is this teacher so slow?! Almost all the students have left, and he still hasn't come!"

Obito shouted impatiently. In a huff, he ran up to the podium, grabbed the blackboard eraser, and prepared to set a trap for the next unlucky person to enter.

But at that very moment, a set of footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, followed by the classroom door being violently pulled open.

A blond man and two youths stood side by side in the doorway. Obito froze on the spot, hastily hid the eraser behind his back, and awkwardly greeted them.

"Big brother, you're our squad-leading jonin, right? I... Kakashi?! You're that additional... Mo!!! Wait... y-you two aren't both our additional teammates, are you?!"

Obito's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open exaggeratedly as his trembling right hand pointed at the two of them.

Mo glanced at the bristling Obito and ignored him completely, walking straight toward the other side of the classroom.

The three members of Team 8 watched as the boy, not much taller than they were, drew closer and closer, and two completely different surges of emotion rose in their hearts.

"N-No way?!"

The footsteps stopped. Mo came to a halt before the three of them and said, "Team 8, come with me."

"Yay!"

Kurenai Yuhi jumped up excitedly, but after realizing what she was doing, her little face reddened. Somewhat embarrassed, she quickly sat back down.

Beside her, Hayate Gekko was equally thrilled, looking every bit like an avid fan.

"Are you kidding me?! I clearly told the old man I wanted a powerful jonin team leader!"

The young Asuma was not yet the steady, dependable tough guy he would become later on. He was a genuine rebellious teenager. He would even later clash with the Third Hokage and develop the notion that "the Hidden Leaf and the Hokage are nothing special; only the daimyo is the true important core."

His face darkened with anger as he raised a hand and pointed at Uchiha Mo, about to say something.