However, according to the original historical trajectory, there was someone else who joined Minato Namikaze's team at that time.
Could it be that...
Has history changed again?!
Araki fell into deep thought. He was no longer surprised by the changes in history. His arrival had already caused a butterfly effect, and now that Orochimaru was dead, any other changes were not so difficult for him to understand.
" Araki, do you think we have a chance to be in the same group?" Kushina suddenly became shy. Ever since she learned about the group assignments, her mind had been filled with Araki. Her anticipation had reached an uncontrollable level, and she had even begun to fantasize about how wonderful it would be to do missions with Araki. She then added, "I want to be in your group!"
"Maybe," Araki said casually, without even considering that possibility.
"That's what I think too!" After hearing Araki's affirmative answer, Kushina's face flushed red, and she looked much shyer. No matter what the final result was, she had Araki's attitude, and at least in her opinion, Araki was willing to be in the same group as her.
Mikoto, who was standing nearby, looked envious as she watched the two talking. However, she had already graduated and had no chance to participate in such group activities, so she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
In an instant.
The two girls exhibited completely opposite emotional states.
Araki, of course, had no idea what the two of them were thinking. At this moment, he was already thinking about what would happen after the group assignments.
Other people are fine...
After all, he is Tsunade's disciple. If he doesn't want to participate in the team, he can simply join the medical-nin team, and everything will be perfectly resolved.
Any Jonin Tsunade respect upon hearing her name, but Jiraiya different. As one of the Tsunade Sannin of Konoha Sannin, Jiraiya might not be willing to grant Tsunade any special privileges as her Tsunade.
" Araki, if we were in the same group, who would be the other person?" Kushina pondered again, her mind completely preoccupied with the group assignments, unable to control herself. All she could think about now was this.
"We'll find out tomorrow." Araki didn't say the name, but he already knew the answer in his heart: Minato Namikaze.
This kind of guess is actually not difficult.
Minato Namikaze was originally Jiraiya's disciple, and given Jiraiya's appreciation for Minato, he would definitely take him on as a disciple as well.
If we add him to the mix...
That leaves only one spot.
In other words...
If this premise is based on him being in the same group as Kushina, then the remaining spot can only go to Minato Namikaze, not anyone else.
certainly.
Araki didn't say it aloud, not because he found it troublesome, but because he was afraid Kushina would get hurt.
He didn't have any inside information about the group assignments; he'd only overheard a few hints from Orochimaru. However, he wasn't entirely convinced by Orochimaru's words, fearing something might go wrong. So, even though he had his suspicions, he didn't voice them.
More importantly...
Araki worried that if Orochimaru was telling the truth, then he would be chosen by Jiraiya, and Minato would Jiraiya. As for the last spot, he wasn't sure if it would go to Kushina.
If the expectations are set too high now, filling Kushina with anticipation, but Kushina doesn't make it into the group the next day, it could be a blow to Kushina.
However, if he doesn't say anything, Kushina won't care about Minato. It will just be that the two of them weren't assigned to the same group, rather than Kushina feeling abandoned.
On this point.
Araki did take Kushina's feelings into consideration to some extent.
"Sigh, I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm actually quite looking forward to it, but I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well tonight!"
Kushina sighed helplessly. She had never imagined that there would be such a waiting period. Every minute and second she was spending was agonizing. She wished she could speed up time to tomorrow morning so she could directly welcome that exciting moment.
"Tell me as soon as you get the group assignments. I'm really looking forward to it and want to know if you've been grouped together."
Mikoto's dark eyes darted around, a strange feeling settling in her heart. This kind of topic and matter left her with absolutely no chance to participate; if she didn't force herself to make her presence felt, she would be completely excluded.
This is a feeling she doesn't like.
Right now, she felt a selfish feeling that only she knew; she didn't want Kushina and Araki to be in the same group.
However, she couldn't say these words aloud; she could only keep them silently in her heart while still saying the same things she and Kushina were looking forward to.
Chapter 2: Who is in the same group as Minato?
early morning.
Araki and Kushina arrived at the Ninja Academy classroom as usual.
There are far fewer students here than usual, only about half the usual number, and many faces are nowhere to be seen.
Including the Maemoto Takashi, with whom he had some connection.
Araki sat in his usual spot, a hint of curiosity in his heart about the final group assignments.
He hadn't really cared about it, but Kushina and Mikoto talked for a long time yesterday, and they were both very curious about the group assignments.
Normally, ninjas at the Ninja Academy wouldn't need to know so much about this, as teachers would explain many things after grouping them. However, Kushina and Mikoto were very close, and Kushina obtained a lot of information about this from Mikoto.
Yesterday, after passing her graduation exams, Kushina successfully became Genin in Konoha. During her meeting with Mikoto, Mikoto kept talking about team assignments, so Kushina learned a lot about it and became even more excited to be in the same team as Araki.
As they discussed this, Araki was also pondering in his mind that he didn't actually know who would be in his group.
but...
Araki did have a plan in mind...
If he does manage to be in the same group as Kushina, he will stay in that group, since it's no longer appropriate for Minato and Kushina to be alone together.
Humans are inherently selfish!
Araki already considered Kushina a very good friend. Although they hadn't officially become boyfriend and girlfriend, they had grown accustomed to each other's presence and thoroughly enjoyed the admiring look Kushina gave him. If Kushina were to revert to her old self and stare at Minato again, he would feel a great loss in his heart.
Araki didn't come to the ninja world to do charity. If nothing changes after he arrives, wouldn't that be the same as him coming for nothing?
In a sense.
Kushina's ability to stay with him had nothing to do with him; he hadn't actively provoked Kushina.
But by a twist of fate, the two of them are now so close, it feels like a preordained arrangement.
It's as if he traveled through time to get here.
Originally, the world of Naruto existed only in the two-dimensional space, but he came here, breaking the original rules and changing the history of this place. The resulting butterfly effect led different people down different paths.
For Araki, this is a real world, unlike the feeling he gets when watching anime. It's like another dimension, where there are connections to each other, but no real intersection.
Therefore, when it came to Kushina, he didn't care much about Minato, because in this timeline, Kushina and Minato weren't familiar with each other yet, and the two seemed like strangers.
Araki didn't continue his training yesterday because he felt that after obtaining the title of ninja, his time to rest was not without reason. He could take a reasonable break and stay away from the forest to avoid getting involved in these messy things.
As for how Konoha and the Hokage ultimately thought about this matter, that's none of his business.
Even if the Third and the others eventually learned that Orochimaru had transformed into the Eight-Headed Serpent and fought there, they would never have guessed it was him.
Araki didn't care how these things would turn out. In his mind, he didn't consider these things to be happening to him. He was just an ordinary student, and the rest had nothing to do with him.
With this mindset, Araki had completely detached himself from this matter.
Far from feeling tense or uneasy about this matter, Araki felt quite relieved, because he believed he had eliminated Orochimaru, which was a significant step forward for him.
As long as Orochimaru is gone, he can live in peace in Konoha.
As for Danzo...
Araki knew very well that Danzo would not be coming after him anytime soon.
Orochimaru, who had undergone Hashirama Cells transplantation, was the greatest threat to him.
After Orochimaru's death, he felt a sense of peace.
The classroom was very quiet; no one spoke, and everyone was waiting for Ibuki-sensei to arrive.
certainly.
The people sitting in the classroom all wore Konoha ninja Forehead Protector, signifying that they had successfully passed their graduation exams.
Gradually.
Time passed second by second.
After an unknown amount of time, footsteps sounded outside the door, and the students in the class immediately focused their attention there.
Almost instantly.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a figure walked in.
That's Ibuki-sensei.
It's a pleasure to see you all here!
A rare smile appeared on Ibuki-sensei's face. He had always presented himself as extremely stern, and rarely did he make people feel warm and welcoming like this.
"The fact that you received the notification and came here means that you have all passed the Ninja Academy's graduation exam and become Genin of Konoha. This can be proven by the Forehead Protector on your heads, and I personally issued each of these Forehead Protector!"
Ibuki-sensei began his opening remarks with a smile. His words were not particularly elaborate and were clearly heartfelt. Judging from his smiling demeanor, he was very relaxed in front of his students.
"As you can see, the classroom isn't as full as it usually is. Some students are missing; they didn't pass their graduation exams," Ibuki-sensei continued.
"Hiss..."
The students in the class gasped in surprise, realizing that many familiar faces were missing, and they felt a pang of sadness.
"From this moment on, you are officially ninjas, while those who did not pass the test have become ordinary people. Admittedly, some of them will continue to repeat the year and retake the test, and perhaps they will also pass the graduation test and become ninjas. But at this moment, you and they have embarked on different paths in life. You must look forward and not look back and think about their affairs!" Ibuki-sensei seemed to see some fluctuations in the hearts of everyone present, and then spoke to comfort them.
Upon hearing this, no one responded, but everyone nodded silently. They all knew that the students at the Ninja Academy wouldn't stay together forever; there would always be a time for them to part ways, and now that time had come.
The ninja world has always been extremely cruel. From the day they enter the Ninja Academy, they are told that they may be eliminated and unable to become ninjas.
However, they were lucky enough to stay.
Of course, this good fortune is inseparable from their usual hard work.
The claim that some people in the Ninja Academy cannot graduate is not an exaggeration. Many people fail to pass this hurdle and are proven incapable of becoming ninjas, thus leading them down different paths in life.
They had initially felt a pang of sadness, but after hearing Ibuki-sensei's words, each of them adopted a different expression and began to look forward to the days to come.
"So, I've gathered you all here not to declare victory, but because you've passed the Ninja Academy's graduation exam and will be leaving the Ninja Academy. This marks the beginning of your ninja career; your journey has just begun. Now, I'm going to assign you to classes!"
As soon as Ibuki-sensei said this, whispers immediately broke out in the room. Everyone was discussing it because they didn't know about the class division beforehand, and it sounded quite novel, especially considering that this kind of thing sounded like they were still studying in the Ninja Academy.
certainly.
Not everyone is so agitated.