After breakfast, Shinsei headed out as usual.
The sky was clear, with white clouds drifting overhead.
Shinsei suddenly stopped. Right, he had already graduated.
He went home to get his ninja forehead protector and put it on. Today, he had to have his ID photo taken.
The photography studio was not far away. When he arrived, he saw Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji already standing outside.
"Hey! Shinsei!" Ino bounded over and leaned against his shoulder.
Uh...
Ino is pretty, but I'm only twelve.
Fortunately, Ino suddenly remembered to be reserved and put a tiny bit of distance between them.
"Women are such a drag!" Shikamaru muttered.
"What did you say?" Ino punched Shikamaru on the head, and he crouched down, clutching his head in pain.
After they each had their ID photos taken, Ino suggested taking photos together.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. He knew exactly who Ino wanted a photo with.
Sure enough, once Ino had dragged Shinsei into a photo with her, she never mentioned group photos again. Shinsei, however, pulled Shikamaru and Choji over for a photo. Although they had already taken a graduation photo together, he had never taken one with just Shikamaru and Choji.
By the afternoon, the ID photos were ready. He handed his in and completed his ninja registration without a hitch.
Ninjas had registration numbers, too. Looking at his own number, 4567, Shinsei could not help marveling that, after two lifetimes, he had finally landed an official position in Konoha.
Unfortunately, this position did not seem to come with a base salary.
Having nothing to do feels wonderful.
Too bad it's about to end. I wonder which Jonin I'll be assigned to. An ordinary Jonin won't be much help to me, and I don't want to waste time catching cats and dogs.
What could he do? Shinsei was only a lowly Genin, without power or influence.
"Naruto, this is the team assignment meeting for graduates. What are you doing here?" Kiba looked astonished. Akamaru gave a bark as well.
"Hey, hey, hey! Take a good look at this!" Naruto shouted, pointing at the ninja forehead protector on his forehead.
"You didn't steal that somewhere, did you?" Kiba was unconvinced, and Akamaru barked again.
"What are you saying? I'll kill you!" Naruto tried to lunge at Kiba Inuzuka, but Shinsei blocked the aisle, leaving him only able to wave his arms and shout.
Shinsei stroked Akamaru's head, then lifted his ears. Those ears were so long they could even cover his eyes.
Akamaru felt wronged but did not dare move, only shrinking his head into his owner's arms.
"What a good dog. Kiba, does your clan really not have any ninja dogs for sale?" Shinsei quite liked dogs, especially ninja dogs. Not only were they intelligent, they could also help their owners track targets and stand watch.
"No," Kiba said, taking out a little dog food and feeding it to Akamaru. "Even when there are puppies next time, there won't be enough to go around within the ninja dog clan."
Shinsei had only asked in passing. He had not really expected to get a ninja dog. This was what Kiba's clan relied on to make their living, and they would not sell them to outsiders so easily.
Actually, Kakashi's Pakkun was pretty good, too, even if he was a little ugly.
The bell rang, signaling the start of class.
Although they had already graduated, everyone still took their seats out of habit.
Iruka walked into the classroom holding a sheet of paper.
"We'll be assigning teams today. From now on, you'll work in groups of three, led by a Jonin teacher. Now, for the assignments." Iruka wasted no time and began reading the names.
After reading out several teams, Iruka cleared his throat.
"Team Seven, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno."
"Yes!" Naruto jumped up happily. The Sakura Haruno he had been longing for was on his team.
"And Sasuke Uchiha."
"Huh?" Naruto slapped the desk and pointed at Sasuke. "Iruka-sensei, I'm so outstanding! Why am I on a team with this annoying jerk?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Sasuke is one of the most outstanding graduates. Naruto, you're the dead last. These assignments are meant to balance the teams' strength," Iruka said helplessly.
"Then why not put Shinsei on my team?" Naruto pointed at Shinsei.
Shinsei raised his eyebrows. He also wanted to know which team he would be assigned to. Although he had never deliberately shown off his strength, anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was on a different level from these graduates.
"Shinsei is this year's top graduate. There are separate arrangements for his assignment." Iruka looked at Shinsei, delighted that he had been able to teach such an outstanding student.
Shinsei did not know where he would be assigned, so he could only keep listening patiently.
Ino looked at Shinsei, disappointment written all over her face. What she did not know was that Ino-Shika-Cho could never be split up.
"Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi."
"Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame."
Shino Aburame really is easy to overlook. If Iruka hadn't read his name, I wouldn't even have remembered he was here.
"Your Jonin teachers will be introduced this afternoon. Dismissed."
As soon as Iruka left the classroom, Naruto jumped onto a desk and crouched down, staring into Sasuke's eyes from close range.
"You! Don't hold me back!" Naruto was furious. Sakura, who had been beside him just now, had already cheered several times about being on Sasuke's team.
"You're the dead last!" Sasuke was getting angry, too, his gaze growing increasingly fierce.
The classmates around them egged them on to fight. Ever since Shinsei had started leading gatherings in the grove, if nothing else, the whole class's Taijutsu skills had become far stronger than in the original story. Naruto and Sasuke had always been close in ability; Sasuke was simply more consistent.
"Are they really going to fight?" A student in the front row stood up excitedly and turned to watch, tipping his chair backward.
The chair tipped back and hit Naruto in the backside. Naruto stumbled, pitching forward.
Because Naruto and Sasuke were so close, their lips met in a kiss.
Shinsei shook his head. He had not expected this to happen anyway. If the scene had not played out, he would never have remembered it. Truly, the bonds of fate!
Both of them froze for a moment, then began retching violently.
Furious, Sakura went to settle the score with Naruto for stealing Sasuke's first kiss.
Ino jumped up in excitement, wishing they would do it again and regretting that she had no camera to capture it.
Hinata's face flushed red, her thoughts unknown.
That afternoon, Naruto appeared in the classroom looking sickly, while Sakura glared at him furiously.
Ino's gossiping spirit flared up, and she hurriedly asked Sakura what had happened. It turned out Naruto had transformed into Sasuke and ruined her date with Sasuke.
Amid the commotion, an adult ninja walked into the classroom, called three names, and led them out.
Before long, another adult ninja arrived, called three names, and took them away.
"Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame." A female ninja entered through the doorway. She wore a trench coat and had wavy black hair, deep red eyes, an attractive face, and a well-proportioned, shapely figure.
This was Shinsei's first time seeing Kurenai Yuhi. Although they lived in the same Konoha, a Jonin's daily life was very different from that of a Ninja Academy student.
Among the famous characters from the original story, Might Guy was the one he saw regularly. He was always leading people through training around Konoha.
"Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi." Another adult man appeared in the doorway, wearing a traditional ninja flak jacket. He had a rugged face and held an unlit cigarette between his lips.
After they left, only Shinsei, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke remained in the classroom.
"Shinsei." A man wearing a white mask appeared in the doorway and nodded at Shinsei, signaling for him to follow.
Shinsei followed him out.
They walked all the way to the Hokage's private office.
It was Shinsei's first time here.
The Hokage's desk stood in the spacious room. The Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat in his office chair smoking a pipe.
"Lord Hokage." Shinsei bowed respectfully.
Puff... whoosh...
Sarutobi Hiruzen blew out a smoke ring and put on a smile.
"Ah, Shinsei. Have a seat."
Shinsei stepped into the room and sat properly in the chair opposite him.
"I know about you, Shinsei." Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up the documents in his hand. "This year's top graduate. With your results, it's difficult to fit you into a squad, and there isn't a particularly suitable teacher."
Puff... whoosh...
He took another drag and blew out a smoke ring.
"Ah..." Whatever had come to mind, he gave a soft sigh. "Have you heard of the Special Assassination and Tactical Squad?"
"No, Lord Hokage." Shinjō straightened his back. "I will follow your instructions."
"Well," the Hokage nodded, "it's a unit directly under the Hokage. You'll be able to learn more there."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded and called toward the door.
"Wood Kite."
The door opened, and a man wearing a white animal mask appeared in the doorway, bowing respectfully to the Hokage.
"Take Shinsei to register." Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled at Shinsei. "Go with him."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Shinsei rose, bowed, and followed the man in the animal mask out of the room.