All Members of Team 12

Masayo patiently explained to Saki, "The purpose of this survival trial was to test your teamwork and trust in one another."

Masayo's words left Sakiban speechless. He lowered his head dejectedly.

"However, you were a newly formed team, so building trust was difficult. Sakiban, I gave you many chances. I even specifically reminded you yesterday, yet you paid no attention at all. You only cared about yourself. In your eyes, there was no Inoue or Mimai. Even Inoue, who took the survival trial with me back then, was never like you."

Masayo explained why Sakiban had been eliminated.

"I'm afraid Inoue had been accommodating you all this time, wanting to work together with you. Yet your arrogance made you completely oblivious to it. You even kept hurling insults at Inoue, finding some sense of superiority in his failures."

"Stop it, Teacher Masayo!"

At some point, Sakiban had begun to cry. This lesson had jolted him awake from his confusion. Only now did he understand what he existed for. He had been wrong—wrong to believe the whole world revolved around him.

"I was wrong. I'm sorry, Teacher Masayo. Please let me calm down by myself for a while. I'm sorry. I'll take my leave first."

Sakiban left Training Ground 44 in a daze. He had never experienced such a feeling of being denied before, and his lonely figure slowly vanished from the sight of the other three.

Rather than feeling disappointed or sympathetic, Inoue Mura and Mimai felt fortunate and let out sighs of relief. They were not the ones being sent back to school.

"Meet at the mission assembly hall tomorrow. I'll go explain the situation to Lord Hokage first. Dismissed."

Whoosh!

Masayo departed with Wind Body Flicker, leaving only the excited Mimai and Inoue Mura, who was tied to a wooden post, at Training Ground 44.

"This is great! This is great! We became ninja!"

Mimai cheered and jumped for joy. Just as she was about to leave, Inoue Mura urgently shouted, "Wait! Untie me first!"

Mimai turned around. Seeing Inoue Mura tied to the wooden post and struggling nonstop, she smiled sheepishly and stuck out her tongue. She had been so happy that she had forgotten about him.

Inside the Hokage's Office, Masayo reported the situation regarding Mimai, Inoue Mura, and Sakiban to Hiruzen Sarutobi, explaining why he had made that decision.

"Ninja teams generally consist of three people. Situations like yours are rare, and most of the time, they would all be sent back to school to repeat the year..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained the reasoning behind three-person teams to Masayo. A case like his, with one person standing out so much, was entirely exceptional.

"Lord Hokage, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I truly couldn't bear to see Inoue sent back to school again because of his teammates."

Masayo was referring to the second time Inoue Mura had been sent back to repeat the year. Inoue Mura had met the requirements in every aspect, but his strength had not reached Masayo's level, so Inoue Mura had been sent back as well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and shook his head. "I'm not blaming you for that, Masayo. I want to fill out your Team 12. She is different from the others. She has never attended the Ninja Academy, but she possesses an extremely dangerous power. Let me ask you again, Masayo—have you mastered the Spirit Transformation Jutsu?"

"An extremely dangerous power?! Lord Hokage, not only did I learn the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, I also developed other moves based on it. This Spirit Transformation Jutsu suits me very well."

Masayo was somewhat puzzled. For Hiruzen Sarutobi to call it dangerous, it was clearly no simple matter. But Naruto was already with Kakashi. Even after thinking for a long time, he could not come up with anything matching Hiruzen Sarutobi's description.

"Then that's good. In that case, I'm relieved. Take a look at her! She'll be the next member of your Team 12. Take a look."

Hiruzen Sarutobi handed Masayo a photograph. His expression was grave. Clearly, this was a very troublesome person, and handing her over to Masayo had required much consideration and trust.

"What? It's actually her!"

Masayo suddenly understood. A wave of shock surged through his heart, and he nearly shouted aloud. This person was far more than merely dangerous.

"Lord Hokage, are you joking? Sister Hong told me about her. Are you trying to get me killed?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi adjusted his hat and said helplessly, "As expected, you know her. This child dreams of becoming a ninja. Since you possess the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, you should be able to keep her under control."

"What do you mean, 'should'? Lord Hokage, even you can't guarantee it! Are you kidding me? If she gets upset and kills me while I'm sleeping or at some other time, I won't even know how I died. Is it too late for me to exchange this for the Flying Thunder God?"

Masayo looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a pleading expression. He was truly afraid. One had to know one's limits. In his mind, this person ranked on the same level of danger as the tailed beasts and Chi, Mi, and Mōryō.

"I can only trouble you with this, Masayo. If she truly loses control one day in the future, all of Konoha will be destroyed. I'm counting on you. Since you've learned the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, you should be able to restrain her."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke to Masayo, but he sounded distinctly lacking in confidence. It made Masayo want to split this rotten old man in two with the Light-Concealing Sword. He was truly awful.

Seeing Masayo's thoroughly resistant expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "How about this? If you successfully restrain her and help her control her power, I'll give this mission an S-rank evaluation, along with one month of paid leave. How does that sound?"

"Really?"

Masayo looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi skeptically. The month of paid leave had caught his attention. He had been thinking about how to travel to the Land of Waves with Naruto and Sasuke. If that was the case, it was worth taking a chance.

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "Really. Given her level of danger, this already meets the requirements for an S-rank mission. As long as you complete it, I'll add another S-rank mission to your record."

"That's great! I was just thinking about how to ask you for leave. Lord Hokage, if that's the case, I won't hold back. Hahaha... one month of paid leave."

"Ha... What are you taking leave for this time?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a puzzled expression. When Masayo had been teaching at the Ninja Academy before, he had needed time to train, and there had also been many missions. But now, why was Masayo asking for leave again?

Masayo shook his head and explained, "Because I've always lived in Konoha and have never seen the sea, I plan to take leave and visit the Land of Waves. Don't forget, I'm still a sculptor, Lord Hokage. During my missions outside the village, I've seen deserts, perilous mountains, and glaciers. So I want to see the sea as well. Lord Hokage, when I return, I'll carve you a gift too."