A week passed in the blink of an eye.
The early graduation assessment at the Ninja Academy came to an end. A group of fresh faces, filled with excitement and anticipation, were about to step into the true world of shinobi, and Shinichi also received a notice.
"Higashino Shinichi, Chūnin, please report at exactly 8:00 a.m. tomorrow to the Fourth Year, Class Two classroom at the Ninja Academy to assemble with your new teammates."
As expected!
In the end, the Third Hokage still intends to assign me to a team with those my own age.
'My teammates should be Shizune and Ryū, right?'
Shinichi thought to himself.
The next day, after equipping himself, Shinichi headed toward the Ninja Academy. Just as he was about to step through the school gate, a familiar figure came into view.
Hatake Kakashi.
At that moment, a distant, keep-away aura radiated from his entire body.
"Long time no see, Kakashi," Shinichi greeted him first.
"It's you." Kakashi's voice came through the mask, calm—almost cold. "You received this kind of pointless notice too?"
"Yeah. Though I have to admit, it was somewhat unexpected," Shinichi nodded.
"Having a Chūnin team up with a bunch of newly graduated Genin—what a waste of time." Kakashi let out a cold laugh.
Shinichi shook his head. "Don't say that, Kakashi. If the village arranged it this way, there must be a reason. There might even be someone who used to be your friend."
"Friend?" Kakashi retorted coldly. "I don't have any—"
"Yo! Kakashi! Shinichi!"
Before he could finish, a loud and energetic voice cut in like a whirlwind. A boy in a green jumpsuit with thick eyebrows and bright eyes rushed forward like a cannonball—it was Might Guy.
"What a coincidence! You got the new team assignment notice too?" Guy's voice brimmed with energy. "I thought only a Genin like me would be assigned to team up with newly graduated classmates. Didn't expect that you two Chūnin would get the same arrangement!"
Kakashi did not reply, merely turning his face to the side.
Shinichi, however, gave Guy a smile and patted his shoulder. "Let's go. It's about time. Don't keep our future teammates and sensei waiting."
The three of them stepped into the school together, passed through the somewhat noisy corridor, and at the fork in the teaching building, Kakashi and Guy walked straight toward the classroom marked Fourth Year, Class One.
Shinichi turned instead toward the neighboring Fourth Year, Class Two.
He stopped at the door. From inside, he could faintly hear the mingled chatter of boys and girls, filled with excitement, nervousness, and speculation.
He raised his hand and pushed the door open. The sound of it caused the classroom's noise to fall abruptly silent, and dozens of gazes turned in unison toward the entrance.
When they got a clear look at who had come in, the brief silence was instantly broken by startled whispers.
"Shinichi?"
"Shinichi? Why is he here?"
"Did he go to the wrong classroom?"
Someone called out half-jokingly, "Hey, Shinichi! Don't tell me you're here to be our instructor, huh? That'd be terrifying!"
Shinichi's gaze swept quickly across the room. Out of habit, he looked toward the area where his old seat had been—only to find that Ishizuka Ryū was not there.
In the three-seat row by the window, the middle seat that had originally been his was now occupied by a girl with delicate features, long jet-black hair, and rare ruby-like eyes—Yūhi Kurenai.
She seemed to be slightly turned to the side, quietly saying something to Shizune, who was seated to her right.
Why is she here?
Isn't she from Class One next door?
A trace of confusion flickered through Shinichi's mind.
Class One and Class Two were in adjacent classrooms, and many outdoor practical lessons and ninjutsu training classes were often held together, so it wasn't strange for students from the two classes to know each other.
But right now, she had appeared in the Class Two classroom where team members were being assigned, and she was even sitting in that clearly reserved seat…
Kurenai had obviously seen him as well. Those beautiful red eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Shinichi smiled, walked into the classroom, and casually closed the door behind him. In an easy tone, he responded to the earlier teasing: "Long time no see, everyone. But I'm afraid I might disappoint you—I'm not qualified to serve as an instructor yet."
"I'm here this time as a teammate joining the squad. May I ask—who are the two members of Team Ten?"
Shizune seemed to still be processing it. She instinctively looked toward Kurenai beside her.
Kurenai froze for a moment, then quickly reacted. She raised her hand and said, "Here—Team Ten. Member: Yūhi Kurenai."
Her voice was clear, carrying the lively energy typical of a girl her age, yet it also sounded a bit steadier than many of her peers.
Shizune came back to herself as well and hurriedly nodded. "And me—Shizune. The two of us… mm, plus you, Shinichi—then that should be Team Ten."
When the class assignment list was posted yesterday, she had already noticed that she was listed all alone under Squad Ten, while Ishizuka Ryū—her former Class Two classmate and close deskmate—appeared on the Class One list instead.
Later, Kurenai came to their Class Two today and said she had been assigned to Squad Ten, and the two of them became a team.
Just now, they had been quietly talking, guessing who the long-unannounced third teammate would be. In the end, they both agreed it would most likely be some mysterious figure transferred in from another grade, or even from a previous cohort.
But they never could have imagined that the one who pushed the door open would be Shinichi—someone who had already become a Chūnin.
Shinichi walked over to them, nodded to Kurenai, then looked at Shizune and greeted her gently: "Shizune, and Kurenai-san—please take care of me."
"Please take care of me, Shinichi-kun." Kurenai gave a slight nod, her response natural and composed. Her gaze lingered on Shinichi's face for a brief moment before she politely shifted it away and looked toward Shizune.
Shizune also nodded in return. "Please take care of me, Shinichi."
She was well aware of Shinichi's maturity, steadiness, and strength. Having him on the team truly made one feel much more at ease.
The other students in the classroom watched the three of them gather—especially Shinichi, whose composed bearing was clearly different from that of an ordinary Genin. Whispered discussions rose again, their eyes filled with envy and curiosity.
After all, Shinichi was a genius known throughout the village. Just last year, at the Chūnin Exams held in Sunagakure, he had overwhelmed the competition and claimed first place.
At the same time, Shinichi's mind was also working quickly.
When he received the notice, he had instinctively assumed his teammates would be Ishizuka Ryū and Shizune. After all, they had shared a desk for many years, and with the common link of Old Master Chen as their sensei, their coordination should have been smoother.
Yet he had not expected Ryū's position to be replaced by Kurenai.
In his memories from his previous life, Kurenai had been in the same class as Asuma and Namiashi Raidō, and in the future, she would even become Asuma's lover.
But he immediately realized he had made an assumption based on preconceived notions.
Future relationships did not prove that they already had special feelings now.
There was no clear evidence that Kurenai and Asuma had mutual affection in their childhood. Their relationship seemed more like something that developed naturally in adulthood—after Asuma completed his service with the Twelve Guardian Ninja and returned to Konoha, when the two of them, both listed among Konoha's jōnin and close in age, gradually grew closer.
Then the Third Hokage's intention in arranging things this way was…
'Could it be that he thinks I already count as Chen-sensei's disciple, and that the tacit understanding and bond between me and Ryū no longer need to be deliberately cultivated through being on the same team, so he replaced him with a new teammate with whom I need to build a bond?'
'And because I have never shown any particular talent in genjutsu so far…'
Shinichi's gaze swept inadvertently across Kurenai's jet-black hair and calm red eyes. 'A teammate highly gifted in genjutsu, to fill the potential shortcoming in our team's perception and control in that area? A more balanced team composition?'
This speculation seemed reasonable enough. As Hokage, planning a more comprehensive growth path for promising subordinates—including forming teams with complementary abilities—was entirely normal.
But such meticulous, almost tailor-made arrangements still made Shinichi unable to resist muttering inwardly: 'How does it end up feeling like I'm the Third Hokage's own biological son, with everything arranged so thoroughly for me…'
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---