Team 12

The briefing began. Naruto, who had been beaten until he was barely recognizable, sat in his seat as the wounds and bruises on his body began healing at a visible rate. He had taken quite a beating just now.

Iruka arrived and announced the three-person team assignments. When he read out Team 12, Sakiban turned around and noticed the person in the corner wearing a Konoha forehead protector. This was the person he had been discussing earlier. He had not expected them to be assigned to the same team.

After Iruka left, it was already the noon break. Inoue Mura took out his lunch and headed to the rooftop. He had once been high-spirited, but two consecutive failures had made him seem more composed and mature than before.

"I wonder how you're doing now, Masayo. You've already been made into a movie. You've become so strong. If I hadn't been so stupid back then, could I have become a ninja long ago, just like you?"

Inoue Mura shook his head with a bitter smile. It was too late for regrets. The past was already in the past. This was his last chance as well. If he failed the assessment three times in a row, he would never have another opportunity to become a ninja.

As Inoue Mura ate his lunch, a figure suddenly approached. It was Sakiban, who had also been assigned to Team 12.

With his hands in his pockets and his head lowered, Sakiban looked at Inoue Mura with displeasure. His tone was somewhat unfriendly. "You're Inoue Mura, right? You're that student who got sent back to school twice and had to repeat the course. How come I've never seen you before?"

Inoue Mura did not get angry at Sakiban's words. He smiled and extended his hand. "Because I learned the Ninja Academy curriculum long ago. I've been working hard to improve myself. Hello, Saki. From now on, we're teammates. Please take care of me."

Sakiban rudely slapped Inoue Mura's hand away. With both hands still in his pockets, he wore a cold, disdainful expression. "Hmph, I'm not going to be in the same group as trash like you. You're even more useless than Naruto, that dead-last loser."

No one knew where Sakiban's sense of superiority came from. Inoue Mura shook his head with a bitter smile. Sakiban looked exactly like he had in the past—clearly terrible, yet completely unaware of it. The difference was that Masayo was strong, while he himself was now nothing more than a loser who had been sent back to school twice.

"Yes, I really am a failure. After failing the first time, I was depressed for a long time. It took at least half a year to crawl out of that shadow. Sakiban, I'm sorry that you have to be on the same team as someone like me. But don't worry. After failing twice, I won't hold the team back."

Inoue Mura's calm manner, without anger or outrage, made Sakiban feel inexplicably irritated.

"Hmph..."

Feeling bored, Sakiban snorted coldly. Inoue Mura's attitude made him look like a clown. But when he thought of Mimai being on his team, his imagination ran wild. He had already pictured himself becoming a ninja, saving the beauty in distress, and receiving congratulations from their unknown Jonin teacher and Inoue Mura from behind them before walking into a hall of happiness together.

The afternoon arrived quickly. Kakashi had apparently run off somewhere to slack off. Masayo, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma entered the classroom together, chatting and laughing.

"Masayo!"

The moment they saw Masayo, Sasuke, Naruto, and Inoue Mura called out in unison.

"Mm!"

Masayo first nodded politely at Sasuke and Naruto, then turned his gaze toward Inoue Mura, who was filled with shock and disbelief.

"Long time no see, Inoue Mura."

Masayo's words stunned Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma as well. They turned to look at Inoue Mura sitting in the back row, while the other students in the classroom were equally dumbfounded.

"Y-you... did you become a Jonin?"

Inoue Mura could not help clenching his fists. Surprise, joy, and panic filled him as the events at Training Ground 44 two years ago flashed vividly through his mind. Matsumoto Kei and he had been instantly defeated by Kakashi's Hell Viewing Technique, while Masayo had passed Kakashi's test and become a ninja.

"What's going on? He was actually classmates with Teacher Masayo?" Sakiban's eyes widened as he looked at Masayo and Inoue Mura.

Mimai, seated in the corner, felt the same way. A strange feeling rose within her. Seeing former classmates become what they were now gave her an inexplicably dramatic feeling.

Masayo nodded, then looked at Mimai and Sakiban. "Students of Team 12, come with me. Sister Kurenai, Senior Asuma, I'll be leaving first."

"Mm, all right. See you tonight. Students of Team 8, come with me."

Kurenai Yuhi came back to her senses, curiously glanced at Inoue Mura, then called for Team 8's Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame to leave the classroom with her.

"Bye-bye. Students of Team 10, please come with me!"

Asuma also called for Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka of Team 10 to leave.

Watching Masayo and the others depart, disappointment appeared on Sasuke's face.

"Wasn't Masayo supposed to temporarily lead Team 7?"

Sasuke murmured softly. Compared to the others, he wanted to follow Masayo more, and he felt somewhat disappointed.

"So that guy was the classmate Masayo mentioned. Former classmates becoming what they are now... Right, I didn't expect Masayo to become a Jonin. What kind of congratulatory gift should I give him?"

Sasuke pondered what gift he should give Masayo.

"Ah, I never thought Masayo would become a Jonin. That's amazing! Seriously amazing!"

Naruto's eyes shone as he watched Masayo's departing back, filled with envy. In his eyes, that ninja vest paired with the Light-Concealing Sword on his back looked incredibly cool.

Naruto's reaction made Sakura ask curiously, "Come to think of it, Naruto, when school lets out, you and Teacher Masayo always head in the same direction!"

"Yeah! Masayo's house isn't far from mine. Sakura, let me tell you, aside from being incredibly strong, Masayo's carving skills are the best I've ever seen. And that thing called a Puzzle Ball—I seriously can't believe it was carved by hand. It has nineteen layers of patterns inside it, and also..."

Naruto excitedly told Sakura about it. Even Sasuke nodded in agreement. He had deliberately avoided Naruto's home and approached Masayo's house from another direction. When he saw that Puzzle Ball in Masayo's home, he had been too shocked for words. Even if Masayo had not become a ninja, his carving skills alone would have let him live comfortably without worrying about food or clothing.

"Really? Teacher Masayo can actually carve?"

Sakura's first meeting with Masayo had been during her remedial lessons. At the time, she had been glad that it was no longer Iruka teaching her. Masayo explained things clearly and simply, and his refined, scholarly appearance carried a gentle air of bookish weakness.

After watching the movie, she had formed a new impression of Masayo. Yet no matter what, she could not connect him with a master carver.