Had to edit this chapter and cut back on some of the over done angry sasuke angst that seems to permeate most harem fanfics when they need a foil for our protagonist. If they cant make a charming main character without destroying another then they need to think about why their character might not be so popular to the female characters.
Lets get started
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Iruka entered the classroom to announce the team arrangements, and sure enough, they were arranged in teams of three.
"Team Seven!"
Hearing this, Naruto was momentarily stunned, 'The first on the list was Team 7? It must have been a decision made after much consideration by Sandaime.'
'However, will the team arrangement be different from that in the original work?'
'The first place in this graduation exam is me, the second is Sasuke, and the third is Sakura. If they only look at the results, wouldn't it be a bit biased to put us all in the same team?'
"Haruno Sakura!"
When called, Sakura froze for a moment, then became nervous again.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
'Sure enough.' Naruto had already guessed the result.
Sakura on the side seemed annoyed. After all, who would want to be around someone who continuously pestered them to go out with them?
If Naruto could hear her inner thoughts he would be dumbfounded by her calling him out on this behavior then turning around and doing the same thing to sasuke.
After coming to Naruto's body, Naruto stoped pestering her to go out with him, so Sakura didn't hate this Naruto as much as she did in cannon, but, just because he was no longer bothering her did not mean the accumulated annoyance over his past behavior would suddenly disapear.
Even though Naruto was determined to take it easy, his potential was still unmatched among his peers. it was even more ridiculous now that the system was able to quell the side effects of the seal. Since the seal would no longer hinder his control, he would have an easier time than canon Naruto.
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
As soon as the name was called, Sakura stood up instantly, with uncontrollable joy on her face.
"Yay!"
"Tsk." Sasuke snorted in displeasure. He looked over at the blond and scowled.
"Next is Team 8." Iruka's voice rang out again.
Naruto listened quietly, realizing there was no difference from the original work. Suddenly, a shiver went down his spine and he quickly turned sharply, looking at the back corner on the right, he lock eyes with Hinata.
Hinata quickly looked away, her face burning like a clumsy peeper.
After the team assignment was over, Sasuke did not leave immediately.
"Let's go out and have a meal together," Naruto suggested.
"Sure!" Sakura seemed very happy.
'Way to go Naruto, now I can get closer to sasuke-Kun.'
She glanced at Sasuke beside her in a shy manner. Thanks to Naruto's suggestion she might have a shot at getting closer to the usually cold Uchiha. In her heart, she silently gave Naruto a big thumbs up! Inner Sakura was also pumping her fist yelling in an exuberant voice.
"I am not going." Sasuke refused coldly.
Hearing this, Naruto wasn't surprised. He stopped and turned to look at Sasuke, then asked, "Are you going to go home and train?"
"What does it have to do with you?" Sasuke's eyes were filled with a fighting spirit. No one else could get past his usual cold persona and under his skin faster than the dobe.
If it was the old Naruto treated like this, he might get angry and lash out, but this Naruto completely ignored the young avenger's tsundere personality.
"Let's get straight to the point, that attitude is just a waste of time." Naruto said, "We are already companions, and that can't be changed."
The Uchiha bristled like an angry cat.
"So what?" he delivered in a defensively cold tone.
"What? Don't you even know what the power of teamwork is?" Naruto looked calmly at Sasuke, "Do you know what the power of cooperation is?"
He started channeling the power of all the motivational speakers he was forced to endure during his time in school.
"I don't need companions." Sasuke coldly glanced at Naruto and then tried to leave.
"Sasuke." Sakura was caught in the middle and reached out to grab Sasuke.
"sigh. let him go" Naruto said, "If he wants to waste time practicing techniques that he has already perfected and stagnate then let him go."
"usurantokachi, say that again!" Sasuke suddenly turned around and grabbed Naruto by the collar.
"I'll say it a thousand times." Naruto also glared at him, "I thought you were smart, but you're just an idiot. wasting your time on already perfect techniques when you could be learning something new."
"You!" Sasuke's face was as cold as ice.
"Naruto, stop bothering Sasuke." Sakura stepped forward shouting angrily.
Naruto looked at her in bewilderment.
'This useless fan girl was about to get punted out the window'
"Aren't we companions?" he asked in a deceptively calm tone.
"I told you, I don't need any companions!" Sasuke said, "I'm fine on my own, companions are just a burden."
"Sasuke." Sakura, who was standing on the side, forced a smile. She was a little hurt by his comment, but she was also looking at sasuke like he was a damaged edgy bad boy that just stepped out of her darkest fantasies.
After a moment of struggle, Sasuke finally let go of Naruto.
Naruto didn't mind this. His original intention was to provoke Sasuke and plant a seed in his mind of the possibility that he could learn new things from a group setting that he would be unable to learn alone.
For a long time to come, the three of them will be undertaking dangerous missions together, risking their lives.
Any pitfalls they could avoid beforehand, they should.
Hardships aren't treasures, and suffering isn't a blessing, it's just something people can't avoid. All hardships lead to despair.
After some more back and forth, the Uchiha agreed to go with them.
The three arrived at a barbecue restaurant, ordering a few plates of meat and some juice.
Sasuke was sitting sullenly between the blond and the fan girl. you could feel the tsundere aura radiating off of him.
'Im not here because of anything the dobe said, but because if I kept refusing to come they would have continued pestering me.'
It seemed that this was Sakura's first time grilling meat by herself, and she seemed a little restrained in front of Sasuke. Sasuke sat coldly with his arms crossed, he seemed to be here just to listen to what Naruto wanted to say.
Relying on his experience of dinner parties before the crossing, Naruto skillfully brushed a layer of oil on the grill, followed by a layer of cheese.
The cheese-covered barbecue soon emitted a fragrant aroma, whetting their appetites.
"Naruto, do you eat barbecue often?" Sakura was slightly surprised.
"Well, I don't really have the money for it. It's just that I hunt often, so I have some experience with grilling meat," Naruto said modestly.
He then distributed the grilled meat to Sakura and Sasuke, and started grilling another batch in the same manner.
Sasuke passed the plate over to the annoying fangirl.
"Thank you." Sakura blushed the moment she looking at sasuke.
"Tsk." Sasuke exclaimed.
After finishing a plate of barbecue, the atmosphere among the three eased considerably. Sasuke quietly ate his meat. Although his face still looked like an ice block, his furrowed brows have relaxed.
"Delicious." Sakura took a sip of juice and exclaimed with satisfaction.
Seeing that the timing was right, Naruto didn't beat around the bush. He wiped his mouth and stared at the two for a while before speaking.
"Do you know the inside story about this team assignments?"
Sakura shook her head and said, "This is something that Hokage-sama has decided. It's probably related to our grades."
Sasuke asked indifferently, "What does this have to do with us?"
"Of course, it matters." Naruto said, "Gathering intelligence is one of the most important aspects of Shinobi's missions. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to winning a hundred battles."
"In the future, we might cooperate with or confront other teams. After all, there is still the Chunin Exam to consider. Whether you can progress to the rank of chunin and take higher grade missions that will challenge you is dependent on how well one can work as a team. After all the first two stages of most chunin exams hosted by konoha are made so that those with no teamwork will be weeded out."
He purposefully leaked this information so that the Uchiha would come to realise that he needed teamwork in order to advance in his career. After all how would he be able to compete with his brother as a mere genin.
"That makes sense." Sakura nodded thoughtfully, "Naruto, do you know the inside story behind the team assignments?"
"Of course." Naruto nodded and said.
"Team 8 consists of members from Konoha's reconnaissance clans. The Hyuga Clan for visual scouting, the Inuzuka Clan for scent tracking, and the Aburame Clan for insect tracking."
"This team assignment should be the result of a discussion among Konoha's higher-ups, who considered everyone's traits and personalities for the team assignments."