Chapter 27 Class Division
Everyone in the graduating class of the Konoha Ninja Academy was stunned, including Naruto and Sasuke.
Just as everyone stood frozen in shock, a voice came from behind Naruto: "I'm here first, Ino-pig."
It was Sakura.
At that moment, Ino responded sharply,
"Forehead girl, you just bumped into someone."
Sakura looked ahead and noticed the white divine robe in front of her. Realizing she had bumped into Naruto, she quickly bowed and apologized,
"I'm sorry, Naruto."
She glanced around the classroom, puzzled by the sudden silence. Then she looked up—and saw Naruto and Sasuke kissing each other. She let out a loud scream of surprise.
Naruto and Sasuke immediately snapped out of their stunned state, recoiling in horror and vomiting in disgust. The girls in the class glared fiercely at Sakura and Ino, who suddenly felt the malicious stares of the entire class.
Naruto's mental state was on the verge of collapse.
Now he understood the source of his uneasiness all morning.
Though he knew much of what would happen in this life, he hadn't been a diehard anime fan in his previous one. Most of the time, it was his girlfriend who dragged him into watching it. As a result, he had forgotten many minor plot points.
Now, he regretted not watching the entire series more carefully.
Naruto shot an intense glare at Sakura and Ino but, seeing their pitiful expressions, could only sigh helplessly.
"It's fine," he said. "Just… don't do something that affects others like this next time."
Sasuke also gave Sakura and Ino a sharp look before walking to his seat without a word. Naruto took Hinata, who was still frozen in confusion, and guided her to their seats.
But if anyone was more devastated than Naruto or Sasuke, it was Hinata.
In her heart, only one voice echoed:
"Naruto-kun's first kiss… is gone. It was supposed to be mine!"
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office, several senior ninjas and the Third Hokage were watching the graduating class through the crystal ball.
They, too, were left speechless.
After a long cough to regain attention, Hiruzen Sarutobi said,
"Let's move on to the class assignments for the new genin."
Kurenai asked respectfully,
"Third Hokage-sama, do you have any instructions?"
The Third Hokage nodded,
"Yes. This year's class includes several heirs of major clans. Therefore, I'm assigning elite jonin as instructors for them."
Asuma bit his cigarette and said,
"Just tell me what the arrangement is."
The Third Hokage began,
"Asuma, you'll be in charge of Team 10. Your students are Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Choji."
Asuma raised an eyebrow,
"Oh? The Ino–Shika–Cho trio? This will be interesting."
The Hokage handed him a scroll showing the profiles of the three students.
Then he continued,
"Kurenai, you'll be responsible for Team 8, which consists of Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka."
Kurenai hesitated,
"The Hyuga heiress… do you think I can handle this?"
The Third Hokage smiled kindly,
"I believe in you, Kurenai. Have confidence."
Kurenai took a deep breath and nodded,
"I'll do my best. Thank you, Lord Third."
Finally, Hiruzen turned to Kakashi.
"Kakashi, your assignment is the most crucial."
Kakashi tilted his head, intrigued,
"Who exactly do you want me to handle?"
The Hokage's face turned serious,
"You will guide Konoha's future. This decision comes not just from me, but also from the two advisors—and Danzo."
Everyone was stunned by the weight of the words.
Hiruzen continued,
"You must pass on the Will of Fire to two students who may one day stand at the top of the world—like the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara once did."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow,
"And who are these students?"
Hiruzen replied,
"You'll lead Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, son of the Fourth Hokage; Uchiha Sasuke, the last Uchiha of the clan; and Haruno Sakura, a civilian girl. The two students I referred to are Naruto and Sasuke."
"The Uchiha boy has already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan," he added. "And as for Naruto…"
The Third Hokage paused before revealing,
"Naruto is… special. He possesses the full potential of the Uzumaki Clan, but his bloodline has regressed to its origin. He also has the Sage Body, the Byakugan, and the Sharingan."
Kakashi blinked in disbelief.
"Wait, what? My teacher's son has all of that?"
The Hokage nodded gravely.
"He is Konoha's greatest hope. Do not let him go astray, Kakashi. That is your mission."
The room fell into stunned silence. Even the elite jonin were shocked.
The Hokage handed everyone confidential scrolls containing Naruto and Sasuke's details.
"You are now aware of one of Konoha's greatest secrets. You must never speak of this to outsiders."
Everyone bowed respectfully.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The Third Hokage looked at Kakashi.
"So, what is your decision?"
Kakashi closed his eyes and said solemnly,
"I, Hatake Kakashi, accept the duty. I will guide Team 7 and pass on the Will of Fire."
The Hokage smiled with satisfaction.
"Very well. It's settled."
Back in the classroom, Iruka entered and addressed the class:
"Although you've graduated and are now officially ninjas of Konoha, you're all Genin, the lowest rank. You will now be divided into teams of three under a jonin instructor who will guide you and teach you missions and advanced ninjutsu."
Everyone silently prayed to be in the same group as their crush.
Iruka announced,
"Team 7: Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke."
Sakura jumped up in joy.
"I win!" she whispered proudly to Ino.
Next to Naruto, Hinata's expression darkened with disappointment.
"I didn't get to be in Naruto-kun's team…"
Naruto patted her gently.
"It's okay, Hinata. We're just in different teams. It's not like we won't see each other again."
Hinata smiled sweetly.
"That's true. As long as Naruto-kun has me in his heart."
Naruto gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
Ino pouted,
"Ugh! I can't believe Sakura gets to be with both Naruto and Sasuke!"
Shikamaru groaned,
"I really don't get what you girls see in them."
Ino shot back,
"That's why no one likes you! I don't want to be in your team anyway!"
But just then, Iruka read out,
"Team 8: Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka.
Team 10: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi."
Ino froze. "What?! Nooo!"
Shikamaru smirked, "Troublesome girl…"
As Teams 8 and 10 left with their jonin, only Team 7 remained in the classroom.
Sakura sighed, "Why isn't our instructor here yet?"
Sasuke said nothing, arms folded, face calm and emotionless.
Naruto had his head down on the desk, half-asleep.
Seeing both boys ignoring her, Sakura shook Naruto awake.
"Naruto, wake up!"
After being woken up by Sakura, Naruto rubbed his eyes and mumbled sleepily, "Hinata, is it time for dinner?"
Sakura immediately flared up. "Eat, eat, eat! Naruto, all you ever think about is food!"
Naruto scratched the back of his head, blinking in confusion. "Oh… it's you, Sakura. What's wrong? Why are you so mad?"
Seeing his clueless expression, Sakura let out an exasperated sigh. "Naruto, why hasn't our instructor shown up yet? The other teams left hours ago!"
Naruto, well aware of Kakashi's infamous habit of being late, could only shrug. "He's probably pondering the meaning of life or something. Don't worry, he should be here soon."
Then, turning to Sasuke, Naruto asked, "By the way, Sasuke, I'm coming over to your place tonight. Has Aunt Mikoto made my favorite dinner?"
Sasuke replied coolly, "I don't know. I left early this morning. Ask her yourself later."
Naruto frowned at Sasuke's frosty attitude. "Sasuke, if you keep acting like this, you'll never get married. Look at me—I already have Hinata. You're still single. Always walking around with that cold face, like someone owes you a few hundred million ryo."
Still unfazed, Sasuke responded, "I don't need a fool like you worrying about me."
Naruto pointed at him, speechless. "You… You…" But in the end, he couldn't say anything back.
He sighed and muttered, "Man, I miss the old Sasuke. Now you're cold as ice. So annoying. You're never going to find a wife like this. Uncle Fugaku and Aunt Mikoto must be heartbroken."
That got to Sasuke. He scowled and snapped, "You wanna fight?"
Naruto waved him off. "Nah, I've been sparring with you for seven or eight years already. Give me a break. I'm trying to get on Uncle Hiashi's good side these days. He's been strict with Hinata lately, making her master the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. I have to win him over if I want her to go out on more dates with me. So yeah, no time for practice fights with you."
Sasuke scoffed. "Suit yourself. I can train without you." With that, he turned away, ignoring Naruto completely.
Naruto sighed again, clearly used to this by now. Sakura, standing off to the side, felt oddly left out.
Watching Naruto and Sasuke bicker like always, she couldn't help but feel envious. When will Sasuke ever act like that with me? When will he care about me the way he argues with Naruto?
Just then, the classroom door creaked open. All three of them turned to look.
A tall young man with silver hair, a forehead protector covering one eye, and a mask over his face strolled in casually. Naruto immediately recognized him—it was their instructor, Kakashi.
Kakashi glanced at the trio and said in his usual lazy tone, "My first impression of you three… not bad."