Naruto and Sasuke shared a knowing smile. It seemed their senior always kept his word.
They then turned to Hinata, who still looked utterly stunned. The sudden stroke of good fortune left her both overjoyed and flustered.
*I'm really on the same team as Naruto!*
Naruto waved at her with a bright smile, while Sasuke gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. A blush crept across Hinata's face, a mix of shyness and happiness, but she did her best to compose herself and returned their greeting with a smile.
Sakura and Ino, sitting in the front row, were clearly not pleased. After all, the two most handsome boys in the class—Sasuke and Naruto—had just been put on the same team.
Just then, Iruka-sensei continued reading the list. "Team 8: Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame."
"Team 10: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi."
"That concludes the team assignments."
Disappointment was written all over Sakura and Ino's faces. Unable to contain themselves, they both blurted out at the same time, "Iruka-sensei, why are Sasuke and Naruto on the same team?"
The two girls stared at each other in surprise, having spoken the exact same words.
Setting down the papers in his hand, Iruka explained with a sigh of resignation, "Their academic scores are the highest, but their tracking and reconnaissance skills are comparatively weaker. Hinata's Byakugan, however, provides a premier visual range that complements them perfectly. This combination allows for a balance of strengths. Do you understand?"
*But in his heart, he thought: That explanation is just something to placate the children. The truth is, Naruto is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, Sasuke is a genius of the Uchiha clan, and Hinata is the direct heiress of the Hyuga main family. They've gathered the children from the three most influential families in the class together for easier management.*
With that thought, Iruka held up the list and announced, "You will meet your Jonin instructors this afternoon. That's all for now. Class dismissed!"
And with that, he left the classroom. The room immediately erupted into a buzz of activity as everyone gathered with their new teams. They had been classmates before, but seeing each other every day as teammates would be different.
Naruto ran over to Hinata. "Hinata, let's go get lunch together."
Hinata's head was still spinning. When she was a child, she had been bullied because of her Byakugan, and Naruto had stepped in to defend her. Even though Naruto got hurt, she had started to like him from that day on.
In the years that followed, Naruto's life had steadily improved, and his charm had grown. Hinata would often overhear other girls praising him, calling him handsome and strong. Because of her shyness, she never joined in on those conversations. Being socially awkward, she rarely had a chance to speak with him alone. She had always secretly hoped to be placed on the same team as him. She never imagined that her Byakugan, the reason she first met Naruto, would now be the reason she was on his team.
For the first time, Hinata felt that being a member of the Hyuga clan was truly a good thing.
Thinking about the missions they would undertake together, Hinata tried her best to act more composed. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she took out her bento box. "I made my own lunch. Did you two bring anything?"
Sasuke shook his head. "I forgot to bring mine today."
"Me neither," Naruto added. "We were planning to grab something at Ichiraku Ramen."
Hinata bit her lip. "Oh, then you two should go ahead. I'll just eat my bento here."
Naruto immediately grabbed her by the wrist. "Come with us. You can still eat your bento there. Since we're a team now, we should definitely have our first meal together."
Sasuke nodded in agreement.
Hinata's face grew even redder, but moved by Naruto's enthusiasm, she followed them.
Many of the girls in the classroom could only watch Hinata with envious eyes. However, they had all graduated from the Academy now. They understood the significance of the Hyuga name. No one dared to bully Hinata anymore. On the contrary, her kind personality had earned her quite a few friends.
Arriving at Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto pushed aside the noren curtain and walked in, with Sasuke and Hinata following behind.
"Old Man Teuchi, we're here!" Naruto called out loudly.
A smiling Teuchi responded, "Naruto, good to see you! You look like you're in a great mood. What's the special occasion?"
In truth, Naruto was happy because Kawasaki had told him his father could be revived, but that was a secret he couldn't share. Still, graduating and being assigned to a team was a good reason to be happy.
"We graduated, Old Man Teuchi! And we all got put on the same team."
Teuchi recognized the group, being particularly familiar with Hinata. "That's fantastic! What can I get for you?"
Naruto turned to Hinata. "You should try some ramen too! You can save the bento for later..."
A warm feeling spread through Hinata's chest. She shook her head and said softly, "I should probably eat my bento. I'm afraid it'll spoil in this heat."
Naruto didn't insist. "Alright then. Hey, Teuchi, I'll have one deluxe bowl. Hinata brought her own food, so we'll have her try it next time. Sasuke, what do you want?"
Sasuke thought for a moment. "I'll have the nori onigiri and takoyaki."
Teuchi called out the order immediately. "You got it! One deluxe bowl, one nori onigiri, and a side of takoyaki!"
Neither Naruto nor Sasuke mentioned paying, which puzzled Hinata slightly. Just then, Ayame came out with a ledger to record their order. "Naruto, Sasuke, it's been a while. Lord Kawasaki has deposited quite a bit of money for you two. It's enough to last you a long time."
Naruto scratched his head. "Oh, more money from Kawasaki-senpai? Guess we'll be eating well for a while."
Sasuke smirked. "He said it's enough that you could eat here every day and still not run out." He had heard Kawasaki's orders: someone would check their account every week, and if the balance ever dropped below five thousand ryo, another ten thousand would be added.
As Ayame brought their food, Naruto picked up some juice and handed a glass to each of them.
"To the formation of Team 7! Cheers!"
Naruto and Sasuke raised their glasses, and Hinata quickly clinked hers against theirs. The simple toast, and the idea of being together from now on, made Hinata's face flush even more.
After the three of them took a sip of juice, Naruto began to wolf down his food. Over the years they'd known each other, he'd noticed that Hinata blushed easily, but he never knew why and didn't ask. He just figured as long as she wasn't sick, it was fine.
Slurping his noodles, Naruto asked indistinctly, "So, who do you think our Jonin instructor will be?"
Hinata felt a small sense of relief that he hadn't asked about her blushing this time. "I'm not sure. I heard it might be Asuma-senpai or Kurenai-senpai..."
As they spoke, Naruto picked up a chicken leg with his chopsticks and then placed the pork cutlet from his own bowl into Hinata's bento. Under the guidance of Kawasaki and Tsunade, he had developed the habit of sharing food from his plate as a gesture of friendship.
Hinata was pleasantly surprised. "Th-Thank you, Naruto."
Naruto ate incredibly fast, almost inhaling his food, and while it wasn't exactly elegant, it had a way of making anyone watching him feel hungry too.