Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

Fortunately, Iruka's arrival put an end to the farce. He seemed to be slightly injured, though it was nothing serious. Announcing his students' graduation and team assignments was the most important matter, and he would never miss it.

"Students, you have all graduated and become ninjas. Your teacher is happy for you. I will now announce the team assignments, so listen carefully."

"Team 1..."

"Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura, Sasuke Uchiha. Team leader: Kakashi Hatake."

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

"Team 9: Tatsuya Yamashiro, Megumi Kato, Xia Mu. Team leader: Aoba Yamashiro."

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

Aoba Yamashiro

"All right, those are the team assignments. You may dismiss now. Return to the classroom this afternoon, and your team leaders will come collect you. Finally, congratulations!"

There was a trace of moisture in Iruka's eyes. He had devoted himself wholeheartedly to this class, and while he was gratified to see every student graduate successfully, he could not help but worry.

The path of a ninja was fraught with danger. He hoped all of his students would be well in the future.

After Iruka left, Naruto was both delighted and depressed. He was happy to be in the same team as Sakura, but that smug Sasuke had been assigned with them too. Sakura, on the other hand, was overjoyed. Naruto was completely ignored; being on the same team as Sasuke was enough to make her happy.

"What a shame. We weren't assigned together." Shino sounded somewhat regretful.

"Heh, it is a shame, but it's fine. We're still good friends, still companions from the same village," Xia Mu comforted him.

In truth, none of the team assignments surprised him, since they were the same as in the original story.

What surprised him was that Hiruzen Sarutobi had assigned Aoba Yamashiro, a Special Jonin, as his team leader.

Aoba Yamashiro was a Konoha Special Jonin attached to the Intelligence Division. He excelled at sensing, reconnaissance, interrogation, concealment, and other methods. He was also proficient in the Mind Reading Technique, Summoning Jutsu, binding techniques, Fire Style, and all kinds of ninjutsu. He even knew the Thousand Crow Technique, and his taijutsu was not weak either. He could be called a truly versatile support ninja.

Aoba Yamashiro did not have much screen time in the original story. His most notable moment was rescuing Asuma.

At the time, Asuma had been cursed to death by Hidan, while Shikamaru and the two gate guards were in danger. Aoba Yamashiro arrived with Namiashi Raidō, Choji, and Ino. Aoba controlled a large flock of crows to harass Hidan, then fought Kakuzu alone in taijutsu without falling behind. His Fire Style was also quite impressive.

Of course, his strongest method was the Mind Reading Technique. Once, he had even entered Kisame Hoshigaki's mind to read his memories.

Xia Mu simply had not expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to assign Aoba Yamashiro as his team leader.

It was truly unexpected.

What Xia Mu did not know was that Hiruzen Sarutobi had struggled to find a suitable candidate. Konoha had quite a few jonin, but many were unsuited to teaching students.

For example, Hyuga Hiashi, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shibi Aburame were all heads of their respective clans. They also had important duties in their daily lives, making them unsuitable for leading a team. Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi had already been assigned as well.

Most of the other jonin worked in the Anbu and were not suitable for reassignment.

That left only the Special Jonin. After considering the options, he chose Aoba Yamashiro.

Aoba Yamashiro might not have been exceptionally powerful, but he was very versatile. Perhaps he would make a good teacher. At the very least, that was what Hiruzen Sarutobi thought.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had also considered it for a long time. He felt that Xia Mu had strong self-learning abilities and was already teaching himself the Eight Gates and Hatake Kenjutsu. What Xia Mu needed was not necessarily a powerful teacher, but a versatile one who could impart ninja experience. That was why Aoba Yamashiro became the first choice.

"I'm going to meet up with my teammates."

Xia Mu said goodbye to Shino. He exchanged glances with Tatsuya Yamashiro and Megumi Kato from across the room, pointed outside, and the two nodded in response. They rose together and headed out.

At an empty training ground, Xia Mu stood face-to-face with his two new teammates.

Thinking of their names, he almost could not hold back a laugh. The two names were strangely fitting together, making it feel like the plot of a rom-com heroine story.

Megumi Kato... could she be related to Dan Katō or Shizune Kato? Still, the girl looked rather delicate, yet there was no spoiled girlishness in her eyes. She seemed decent enough.

As for Tatsuya Yamashiro, Yamashiro... perhaps he was from the same clan as Aoba Yamashiro.

But guessing was useless. The most important thing now was to settle one matter first.

Xia Mu crossed his arms and said seriously, "Now that Team 9 has been formed, we need to decide on a leader besides our teacher. When our teacher isn't around, we listen to the leader. I think I'm suited for the role. Do either of you have any objections?"

Since they were a small team, Xia Mu naturally did not want to be passive. He had no idea whether these two would prove troublesome, so he might as well seize command himself.

Tatsuya Yamashiro and Megumi Kato exchanged looks, then nodded to show they had no objections.

They did need someone to lead them when the teacher was absent, and that person had to be strong enough.

Based on Xia Mu's usual performance, they both acknowledged his strength. Besides, judging by his posture, he was clearly determined to be the leader. If they refused, they feared they would get beaten up. It was better to admit defeat early.

Xia Mu smiled in satisfaction. "Very good. From now on, we're companions. As the leader, I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen, and we can discuss a few things while we eat."

Tatsuya Yamashiro and Megumi Kato immediately formed a better impression of Xia Mu.

After all, his smile conveyed friendliness, and offering to buy them a meal showed that their leader was not stingy. They would not be treated harshly in the future either.

At Ichiraku Ramen, Xia Mu ordered deluxe meals for all three of them before asking, "Tatsuya, your surname is Yamashiro too. Are you related to Teacher Aoba Yamashiro?"

Tatsuya Yamashiro nodded eagerly. "He's my older clansman. He's kind and easy to get along with, and he's quite strong too. He's highly proficient in taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu, Summoning Jutsu, the Mind Reading Technique, and more. I've always admired him."

Megumi Kato was extremely excited. "Our team leader is actually that amazing?"

Tatsuya Yamashiro practically raised his nose to the sky. "Of course! Boss, Megumi, let me tell you, learning properly under Brother Aoba can't go wrong. He knows all sorts of things!"

Megumi Kato nodded eagerly, clearly believing Tatsuya Yamashiro's words.

Xia Mu did not doubt it either. In fact, he knew more than Tatsuya Yamashiro did. Aoba Yamashiro was indeed impressive and had many qualities worth learning from. Take taijutsu, for instance. Could someone who could briefly fight an old monster like Kakuzu evenly possibly be weak? Then there was the Mind Reading Technique, which could enter another person's mind and read their memories. That was quite interesting too.

Xia Mu turned to Megumi Kato. "Megumi, I heard Lady Tsunade once had a lover named Dan Katō and a young attendant named Shizune Kato. How are you related to them?"

"Huh? Um... maybe they're distant relatives?"

Megumi Kato was uncertain. "Why don't I ask my parents when I get home? They might know. But if they really are relatives, that would be wonderful. I never thought I might have relatives connected to Lady Tsunade in that way!"

It was perfectly normal for girls to admire Tsunade.

Still, Megumi Kato and Shizune Kato were probably somewhat related.

There were many small clans in Konoha, but it should have been rare for people with the same surname to belong to different clans. He would see later.

After they finished their ramen, Xia Mu brought the two back to the training ground. "Although we've graduated, I think our team leader will definitely test us. It'll probably be to assess our strength. To give Teacher Aoba a surprise, we need to plan this carefully..."

Aoba's Team

Hokage's Office.

A group of jonin and Special Jonin had gathered.

After receiving their team information, they left one after another for the Ninja Academy.

Kakashi looked at Team 7's student list with some helplessness. He clearly wanted to live an easygoing life, yet the Hokage had assigned him trouble.

Naruto Uzumaki, the child of his teacher Minato and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Sasuke Uchiha, the Uchiha clan's sole surviving orphan.

This team would not be easy to lead!

At that moment, Aoba Yamashiro also received Team 9's files. When he saw that one of the students was his younger clansman, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He did not understand why a Special Jonin from the Intelligence Division had been assigned to lead a team. But seeing that he would be teaching his younger clansman, he did not think too much about it. He would treat it as a rare vacation.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi mentioned, "Aoba, there's a little fellow named Xia Mu in your team. He's a genius, so you must nurture him well."

Xia Mu? A genius?

Aoba Yamashiro opened Xia Mu's file and froze. "This Xia Mu is actually the inventor of the Ninja Kill Card Game, and he even defeated Sasuke Uchiha! One-Handed Seals, Water Style Ninjutsu... Lord Hokage, forgive my bluntness, but a genius like this should be entrusted to Kakashi!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. Why did everyone want to dump troublesome matters on him?

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "Kakashi has other arrangements. You should know that Kakashi is the most suitable person to lead the Uchiha child, and there's Naruto as well... In any case, pay more attention to that little fellow Xia Mu."

Kakashi patted Aoba Yamashiro on the shoulder as well. "Aoba, Xia Mu is a good kid. He's smart, rational, and responsible. Leading him will be easy."

Aoba Yamashiro gave Kakashi a surprised look. He had not expected Kakashi to hold Xia Mu in such high regard.

He would have to take a good look for himself.

"All right. I'll do my best."

Aoba Yamashiro left with the files. Before arriving at the academy, he read through all the information and put it away. Then he reached the classroom door.

"Team 9: Xia Mu, Tatsuya Yamashiro, Megumi Kato, come with me!"

With that, he turned and walked away.

Xia Mu nodded to Shino, then hurried out of the classroom with his two teammates and followed the receding figure.

This Teacher Aoba did not play by the usual rules. He called them out, then ran far ahead himself. Was he immediately beginning to test their abilities?

The three decisively chased after him. With Xia Mu at the center, he set their pace and rhythm. They followed Aoba Yamashiro closely without falling behind, yet did not waste too much stamina. More importantly, none of them said a word, as though they were not curious at all about what Aoba Yamashiro had planned.

Aoba Yamashiro naturally noticed and nodded to himself.

Setting aside their strength, this calm composure alone made them qualified genin.

That was how ninjas were. When the team leader said go, they followed. They did not ask what they should not ask. If there was something they needed to know, the leader would naturally tell them.

If it were Naruto, he would already be chattering and asking questions nonstop. Team leaders hated that kind of personality the most. It was obvious he was a noisy, hot-blooded idiot who might disobey orders and charge recklessly during missions, easily ruining everything.

Only Kakashi would indulge him. Any other jonin would never put up with it.

Putting that aside, back to Aoba Yamashiro.

Xia Mu had also been observing his team leader. His appearance was more or less the same as in the original story.

He had black hair spiked high like a hedgehog, a slightly slanted forehead protector, green sunglasses, a blue bodysuit, and green jonin armor. He looked rather cool.

As for his personality and strength, Xia Mu would have to learn about those gradually.

Before long, Aoba Yamashiro stopped at a training ground. Xia Mu and the other two stopped as well, standing motionlessly across from him.

Aoba Yamashiro pushed up his sunglasses. "My name is Aoba Yamashiro. I'm a Special Jonin of the Intelligence Division, and from now on, I'll be Team 9's leader. I've already read your files, so let's skip the introductions. Show me your strength."

Oh? He really was decisive.

That was fine too. Introducing what one liked, disliked, and dreamed of was a little too foolish.

Then they would fight first!

Xia Mu immediately made a hand signal. Tatsuya Yamashiro and Megumi Kato promptly moved to Aoba Yamashiro's sides, forming a loose three-sided encirclement. However, neither rashly lunged forward.

Aoba Yamashiro smiled. "You're attacking directly? Isn't infiltration a ninja's basic skill?"

Xia Mu's expression did not change. "Teacher Aoba is a Special Jonin skilled in scouting and tracking. Our little infiltration tricks wouldn't be worth showing you, so we won't play that game with you."

Aoba Yamashiro nodded slightly. "A good judgment. So how do you intend to attack?"

Xia Mu drew out a shuriken and flung it as a probe.

Aoba Yamashiro casually took out a kunai and blocked it. He was clearly guarding against Megumi Kato and Tatsuya Yamashiro at his sides. Dodging would expose an opening, so he chose to block.

Yet Megumi Kato and Tatsuya Yamashiro also threw a shuriken each. Aoba Yamashiro frowned and blocked them.

Something felt wrong.

The next second, the shuriken suddenly exploded the moment they struck his kunai. Acrid poison mist instantly engulfed Aoba Yamashiro, making his expression change as he immediately held his breath.

"These little brats are pulling this trick!"

Xia Mu quickly formed hand seals, created several Shadow Clones, and had them burrow underground. He then continued forming seals and used the Four Demon Technique and the Clone Fusion Technique. Meanwhile, Megumi Kato and Tatsuya Yamashiro kept throwing shuriken. The shuriken embedded themselves in the ground, then shot out hooked steel wires the next moment, successfully snagging Aoba Yamashiro's clothes.

Before Aoba Yamashiro could jump out of the poison mist's range, his clothes had been caught. Struggling free would be troublesome as well.

Xia Mu had specially given those shuriken to his two teammates. The poison-mist shuriken not only contained poison but also obstructed vision. The Steel Wire Shuriken did not deal much damage, but once their hooks caught someone's clothes, they became extremely annoying. Trying to force free would pull at their clothes. In short, they would delay the target and make them endlessly frustrated.

"You little brats are quite good at sneak attacks!"

Aoba Yamashiro almost laughed. He was fairly satisfied with the three students.

He might only be a Special Jonin and not exceptionally strong, but for a genin team to suddenly ambush and restrain him was already quite rare.

Still, he could not look too weak. Otherwise, he would have no authority within the team later.

He quickly formed several seals and exhaled a gust of wind, successfully blowing away the poison mist.

But before he could free himself from the hooked wires, Xia Mu charged at him head-on. His speed was astonishing, and the sound of air tearing could be heard from his fist. It was clear that he possessed considerable strength.

Aoba Yamashiro instinctively tilted his head to dodge. But with the hooks caught on his clothes, dodging was troublesome. Fortunately, he still avoided it.

But Xia Mu smiled. Another fist suddenly extended from his shoulder blade behind his back and slammed viciously into Aoba Yamashiro, sending him—and a mass of Steel Wire Shuriken—flying.