Team Assignments

If the plot hadn't gone off the rails, Team 7 would be Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. As for which team he'd be assigned to, he'd been thinking about it for the past few days.

The best-case scenario was obviously Team 7.

If he followed the main storyline, he'd at least have some idea of what was going to happen.

The worst-case scenario was getting assigned to a team he didn't know, then having Danzo find a chance to make a move against him. That would be a real problem.

"Team 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame."

"Team 10: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi."

When Ino heard she hadn't been grouped with Chiya, she immediately wilted. Still, she'd been prepared for it, since Ino–Shika–Cho had always been together.

Shikamaru didn't react much. He was slumped over his desk as if he'd accepted his fate long ago. Choji was still eating chips; when he heard his name, he merely looked up.

After reading out the names of several teams, Iruka finally turned to the next page.

"Team 7."

The classroom fell noticeably quieter.

Sakura tensed up, clasping her hands together and muttering something under her breath.

Iruka glanced at the list.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto froze, then immediately jumped to his feet.

"Oh! My ninja career is finally about to begin!"

"Sakura Haruno."

Sakura's eyes lit up.

She was just about to celebrate when Iruka read out the next name.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"Ah!"

Sakura nearly squealed. Her whole face turned red.

Naruto's expression instantly fell.

"Why do I have to be on a team with that Sasuke guy?!"

Sasuke didn't even lift an eyelid.

Iruka ignored them. He paused, then looked at the final name on the list.

"And Chiya Uchiha."

The classroom went quiet for a moment.

The next second, it erupted into chatter.

"Huh? Aren't there supposed to be three people on each team?"

"Why do they have four?"

"Two Uchihas are on Team 7?"

Naruto had the biggest reaction. Pointing at Chiya and Sasuke, he shouted, "You've got to be kidding me! Why do I have to be on a team with two stuck-up Uchihas?!"

Chiya leaned back in his chair and gave him a lazy glance.

Naruto snorted.

"I don't want to be on a team with you!"

Sasuke finally looked up at him.

"Dead last."

"Who are you calling dead last?!"

Naruto immediately lunged toward him.

A vein twitched on Iruka's forehead.

"Naruto! Sit down!"

Only then did Naruto reluctantly return to his seat, still muttering under his breath.

Sakura, meanwhile, was over the moon.

One Sasuke and one Chiya.

Naruto was a bit of an eyesore, but this team was just too good.

Ino watched from the side, green with envy.

"Forehead girl, you're way too lucky."

Sakura immediately put her hands on her hips.

"Can't be helped. It's fate."

Chiya's mouth twitched.

Now fate was getting involved.

Still, he felt relieved.

He really had made it onto Team 7.

Hokage Office.

Kakashi held the Team 7 roster and studied it for a long while.

His already listless gaze paused slightly when it reached the final name.

"Lord Hokage."

Kakashi looked up, his voice as languid as ever.

"Three are already enough trouble. I have to take four?"

The Third sat behind his desk, smoke rising from his pipe.

"Ah, Kakashi. You have an important mission."

Kakashi said nothing. He merely lowered his head and looked over the file again.

Chiya Uchiha, one of the surviving Uchiha.

Suspected to have sustained a fatal wound to the chest, but after being taken to the hospital, he miraculously healed.

Kakashi's gaze lingered on that line for a moment.

Then the Third suddenly spoke.

"Sasuke and Chiya are orphans of the Uchiha Clan. They'll certainly develop their Sharingan in the future. You're the only one in the village who knows how to use the Sharingan. No one is more suited to this than you, Kakashi."

Kakashi closed the file and sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll do as you say."

The Third didn't smile. His expression grew more serious.

"Kakashi, Danzo has his eye on that child too."

At the mention of Danzo, Kakashi's gaze finally sharpened.

The office fell silent for a moment.

"Understood."

Root Base.

In a dim room, Danzo had also received the team assignments.

A Root shinobi knelt on one knee.

"Lord Danzo, Chiya Uchiha has been assigned to Team 7 under Kakashi Hatake."

Danzo looked at the roster, his expression unreadable.

"Kakashi..."

He tapped his cane lightly.

"Sarutobi is certainly keeping him close."

The Root shinobi asked quietly, "Should we continue arranging for someone to approach him?"

Danzo didn't answer right away.

After a while, he said coldly, "No rush. Once he becomes a Genin, he'll have to leave the village on missions."

The Root shinobi lowered his head.

"Yes."

Danzo tossed the roster onto the desk. There wasn't a trace of warmth in his single eye.

"An Uchiha who survived having his heart pierced shouldn't be wasted in Sarutobi's hands."

The other teams' instructors began arriving at the classroom one after another.

The students were called away one by one.

Team 8 left.

Then Team 10 left.

Fewer and fewer people remained in the classroom, until only the four members of Team 7 were left.

At first, Naruto could sit still. After waiting half an hour, he was about ready to explode.

"Why hasn't our teacher shown up yet?!"

Sakura was a little annoyed too, but she held it in.

Sasuke leaned against the window, his expression cold.

Chiya was sprawled over his desk, catching up on sleep.

He'd slept too little last night and was genuinely exhausted now.

Naruto paced around the classroom a few times. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he moved a chair to the doorway.

Chiya heard the noise and glanced up.

As expected.

The kid had grabbed an eraser again.

Chiya was at a loss.

He'd just tried this yesterday, and now he was doing it again.

Couldn't he come up with something new?

Naruto wedged the eraser over the door, then turned and grinned smugly at the others.

"When that teacher walks in, heh heh..."

Sakura looked a little nervous.

"Naruto, isn't this a bad idea? Our teacher's a jonin."

"A jonin wouldn't fall for a trap like this," Sasuke said coolly.

Chiya laid his head back down on the desk.

"You never know."

As soon as he said it, the door opened.

The eraser dropped with a slap, hitting the newcomer right on the head.

The classroom went quiet.

A silver-haired man stood in the doorway. He wore a mask, and his Forehead Protector sat at an angle, covering one eye. He was holding a book and looked nothing like a reliable teacher.

Naruto froze for a moment, then clutched his stomach and burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha! It worked! He actually fell for it!"

Sakura's face went pale.

Sasuke fell silent too. Was this guy really a jonin?

Chiya looked at the man in the doorway.

Kakashi Hatake.

He'd finally arrived.

Kakashi slowly took the eraser off his head, looked at Naruto, then Sakura and Sasuke, and finally let his gaze rest on Chiya for a moment.

For some reason, Chiya felt that Kakashi looked at him longer than he had the others.

Kakashi set the eraser aside and spoke in a lazy voice.

"Hmm, how should I put it..."

He closed the book in his hand.

"My first impression of you is that I don't like you."