Taken aback

Toru Kujyo was taken aback at first, but then his lips curled uncontrollably into an amused smile, his shoulders shaking slightly. Hinata's little mouth fell open, and two patches of red quickly bloomed on her fair cheeks. The sudden "kiss of the century" had clearly left her too stunned to know what to do.

"Blargh-!"

"Ptoo! Ptoo! Ptoo!"

Naruto and Sasuke jerked apart as though they had been electrocuted, both bending over and retching. Sasuke's face was thunderous, his eyes practically blazing. He wiped his lips fiercely, his voice trembling with rage. "Naruto Uzumaki! I'm going to kill you!"

Naruto was in no better shape. He pointed at Sasuke between dry heaves. "It was you! You got too close to me! Urgh..."

"Naruto, you bastard-!" Sakura Haruno was the first to react, letting out a piercing shriek as veins bulged on her forehead. Behind her, the girls in Sasuke's fan club, led by Ino, glared with murderous fury.

"How dare you sully Sasuke-kun's first kiss!"

"Unforgivable!"

"Drag him out!"

Sakura Haruno led the charge, lunging at Naruto like an enraged lioness. Poor Naruto had yet to recover from his nausea when the girls hauled him out of his seat. A flurry of punches and kicks followed, along with his agonized screams.

"All of you, stop!" Umino Iruka finally arrived, silencing the classroom uproar with an angry shout. Looking at Naruto sprawled on the floor with a battered face, the still-fuming girls, and the livid Sasuke, he rubbed his temples with a headache.

"What's all this racket? Everyone, back to your seats!" Iruka's voice carried unquestionable authority.

With lumps all over his head, Naruto climbed to his feet, looking thoroughly wronged. Under Iruka's stern gaze, he slunk into the empty seat behind Toru Kujyo. Sakura Haruno shot Naruto a furious glare, then reluctantly sat down beside him.

Iruka cleared his throat and swept his gaze over the class. "First, congratulations to all of you on passing the graduation exam. Starting today, you are ninja capable of standing on your own in Konoha!"

Scattered applause sounded through the classroom, though most of the students were still preoccupied with the earlier farce.

"Next, I'll announce your ninja team assignments," Iruka continued. "After graduation, you will train and carry out missions in teams of three, under the guidance of a jonin instructor."

Only at the mention of "team assignments" did the classroom truly come alive. Many of the girls kept stealing glances at Toru Kujyo and Sasuke Uchiha, their faces filled with anticipation and unease.

Iruka picked up the roster and began reading:

"Team 1..."

"Team 2..."

With every name he called, some cheered while others looked disappointed.

"Team 6: Minako, Genichi Sawano, and... Kiba Inuzuka."

Kiba Inuzuka whistled excitedly, and Akamaru barked beside him. Toru Kujyo's gaze shifted slightly in understanding. Hiruzen Sarutobi had chosen to invest in him rather than Kiba Inuzuka, who also possessed excellent potential. It seemed Hyuga Hiashi had indeed played a significant part, and the Third Hokage was happy to do the Hyuga Main Family a favor. After all, his Byakugan potential and value to the village far exceeded those of an ordinary Inuzuka Clan member.

"Team 7: Sakura Haruno..." Sakura nervously clenched her fists.

"...Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto sprang out of his seat, throwing both arms up in celebration. "Yes! I passed!"

Sakura Haruno's face instantly fell, as though the end of the world had arrived. She seemed to turn entirely gray.

Ignoring Naruto's cheers and Sakura's despair, Iruka paused before adding, "And... Sasuke Uchiha!"

"Wha-at?!" Sakura Haruno's expression made an instant about-face, leaping from the depths of despair to the heights of joy. She jumped up excitedly and flashed a triumphant V sign at Ino Yamanaka nearby. "Ino-pig! See that? I'm on Sasuke-kun's team! Hahaha!"

Ino Yamanaka gritted her teeth in fury, but there was nothing she could do.

Sasuke remained expressionless. He merely glanced at the overexcited Naruto and Sakura, a barely perceptible flicker of complicated emotion crossing his eyes.

"Team 8: Hinata Hyuga..."

Hinata trembled slightly at her name, clutching the hem of her clothes. A delighted blush spread across her face, and her eyes involuntarily turned toward Toru Kujyo beside her.

"...Shino Aburame..." A boy wearing sunglasses and a high collar silently nodded.

"...And Toru Kujyo."

Hearing her name announced alongside Toru Kujyo's, Hinata felt an enormous wave of joy rise in her heart. Her eyes instantly brimmed with tears, and she nearly stood up in excitement. Wonderful! I really am on the same team as Toru! Father's efforts weren't wasted!

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

Ino looked disgruntled, Choji kept eating potato chips, and Shikamaru yawned, muttering, "What a drag..."

Iruka put down the roster and concluded, "Those are all the team assignments. Starting this afternoon, your elite jonin instructors will arrive to collect you. Until then, please wait quietly in the classroom." With that, Iruka left the room.

The classroom grew noisy again as the members of each team gathered to talk.

Before long, the elite jonin instructors began arriving one after another.

"Team 3, come with me," said a stern-looking jonin with a senbon between his lips.

"Is everyone from Team 5 here?"

"Team 1, hurry up!"

"Team 9, Rock Lee, Tenten, Neji Hyuga, let's go!" Guy appeared with his trademark passionate grin, followed by three youngsters wearing different expressions.

The classroom steadily emptied. Naruto fidgeted in his seat, while Sakura kept fixing her hair, hoping a handsome elite jonin instructor would arrive. Sasuke rested with his eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to everything.

Hinata sat beside Toru Kujyo, looking a little nervous. She asked softly, "Toru, what do you think our instructor will be like?"

Toru Kujyo had his eyes closed, sensing the chakra fluctuations outside. At her question, he opened them and said calmly, "We'll find out soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, a tall, alluring figure appeared in the classroom doorway. She was a female ninja with long, wine-red curls and a voluptuous figure, dressed in a sexy fishnet underlayer and a plunging ninja outfit. Her narrow eyes gleamed with an enchanting red light, and a playful smile rested on her lips.

"Where are my little cuties from Team 8?" The female jonin's voice had a languid, husky quality. Her gaze swept around the classroom before settling on Toru Kujyo and Hinata. "I'm your elite jonin instructor, Kurenai Yuhi. I look forward to working with you."