Genin

The Ninja Academy was about to graduate its students.

Hinata was somewhat worried, because after graduating from the Ninja Academy, students would form teams of three, with a jonin serving as their instructor and leading the team.

Hinata was worried that she and Sasuke might not end up on the same team.

According to information obtained by her clan, Hinata would most likely form a "Search Specialization Team" with Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka. With Hinata's Byakugan, Kiba's dogs, and Shino's insects...

As the princess of the Hyuga clan, it was only natural for her to have access to certain sources of information.

It was said that this team had been personally planned by the Third Hokage, with a focus on cultivating the three of their tracking abilities. That was why it was called the Search Specialization Team.

But Hinata wanted to be on the same team as Sasuke.

Sasuke gave Hinata an OK gesture. "Don't worry. We'll definitely be in the same class."

The power currently held by the Uchiha was on par with Konoha's higher-ups. Sasuke only needed to exercise a "small caprice of power" to arrange for Hinata to join his class.

So Sasuke was not worried about this at all.

On the day of the Ninja Academy graduation assessment, Sasuke naturally graduated as the top student.

And the student ranked dead last was Naruto.

Naruto was utterly terrible at the Three Body Techniques. Although he had trained with Jiraiya for a long time, the Three Body Techniques had never been Naruto's strong suit.

In a real battle, Naruto had the Rasengan.

He could even summon Gamabunta to fight, but the Three Body Techniques tested in the assessment truly were not his strength.

Still, Naruto graduated successfully.

That night, at the Ninja Academy training grounds.

A cool-looking man with white hair, one eye covered by his forehead protector, and a mask over his face sat in a chair.

A moment later, an elderly man dressed in Hokage robes sat beside Kakashi and handed him a bottle of soda.

"Kakashi, you don't resent me for transferring you out of the Anbu, do you?"

Kakashi said, "No, Third."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, slowly said, "With your abilities, teaching students will allow you to make better use of your talents."

"Also, I intend to assign Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto to your class for you to guide. Sasuke is the Uchiha clan's genius ninja, while Naruto is the Fourth's child and the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki..."

Kakashi was somewhat surprised. He could not understand why two ninjas with such immense potential were being placed in the same class.

But the Third said, "Sasuke is a genius, while Naruto is [dead last]. Hahaha, isn't that exactly like Minato's team back then?

"But Naruto needs to suppress the Nine-Tails, so he is naturally a little weaker. That's why the genius boy Sasuke will be in the same class as Naruto.

"Originally, I wanted to assign Haruno Sakura to your class, but Fugaku came to me and asked me to do him a favor by placing Hinata in the same class as Sasuke..."

"Ninjas nowadays operate as groups, so I have been forming classes with diverse specializations. The Guy Team formed last year was a taijutsu specialization team. This year, I want to form a search specialization team led by Kurenai Yuhi, and a tactical specialization team led by Asuma."

After saying that, the Third stood up and said to Kakashi, "Kakashi, I'm counting on you."

Kakashi said nothing.

That night, Kakashi returned home and lay on his bed, staring silently at the ceiling.

As an Anbu, Kakashi had always carried out missions with meticulous precision.

But he had never been a teacher before.

Kakashi felt somewhat uneasy, afraid that he would not be a qualified teacher.

Kakashi thought back to his time on Minato's team.

Back then, it had also been Team Seven.

Back then, he had been aloof and had almost no friends.

Obito had been carefree and careless, but he had also been "dead last."

Yet "dead last" Obito had been able to desperately train for the girl he loved, Rin.

People were complex, and ninjas were diverse as well.

Successfully teaching ninjas and nurturing them into capable talents was very difficult.

Moonlight shone through the window and fell upon the blade on the table.

It was a short blade, but it was also a broken blade.

It had once been his father Hatake Sakumo's weapon... and the only keepsake Hatake Sakumo had left him...

Kakashi thought of his father's death.

He thought of his comrades dying before his eyes because he had been powerless to save them.

Kakashi looked at the bells hanging at his waist and clenched his fists.

He could not let the tragedies he had experienced repeat themselves with these children. The Third had entrusted these children to him because he believed in him.

Trusting and protecting one's students—this was the way of a teacher!

The next day.

Early in the morning, the graduating students of the Ninja Academy gathered in the classroom.

A burly, cocky-looking man with a cigarette clenched between his lips slowly walked over. "I'm Sarutobi Asuma, instructor of Team Ten. When I call your names, come over..."

With a smack, a red-haired woman slapped Asuma across the mouth, knocking the cigarette from his lips onto the floor!

Kurenai Yuhi said with a dark expression, "Asuma! How many times have I told you not to smoke in front of the children? You'll set a bad example!"

Asuma muttered, "Seriously, at least leave me some dignity in front of the kids..."

Kurenai glared at Asuma. Cold sweat immediately poured down his forehead, and he nodded. "Okay! Okay!"

Then Asuma said, "Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Yamanaka Ino. Starting today, you three are my students. We will form Team Ten, the [Tactical Specialization Team]."

After Asuma left, Kurenai called three names.

"I'm Yuhi Kurenai, instructor of Team Eight. Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Haruno Sakura, we will form the [Search Specialization Team]."

Sakura was completely confused.

Search specialization?

Me!?

She clearly specialized in monstrous strength. No matter how she looked at it, that had nothing to do with tracking abilities.

When it came to tracking, Hinata's Byakugan was clearly more suitable, wasn't it?

But why had she joined the Search Specialization Team?

Although Sakura was dissatisfied, she still followed Kurenai out of the room.

She had no choice. Sakura's parents were ordinary people who merely ran a clothing store in Konoha.

Hinata's father, however, was the head of the Hyuga clan.

The gap in status was insurmountable.