Where there are students, there must be teachers.
All the Jōnin in the village had gathered to select students from the Ninja Academy—and among them was Kagami Uchiha, the one Danzō Shimura had been obsessing over.
As long as Kagami took on a squad, he'd have to leave the village on missions.
And in times like these? Getting ambushed and having the whole team wiped out wouldn't be too surprising.
At that thought, Danzō let out a sinister smile.
...
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows into the classrooms of the Ninja Academy.
The room buzzed with chatter—sixth-year students and early graduates all waiting excitedly for their Jōnin instructors to arrive.
At the back of the noisy class, a blond boy and a red-haired girl sat together, laughing and chatting.
"Minato, are you really going to graduate now? I thought you said you'd wait two more years?"
The boy named Minato smiled gently, his expression warm as he looked at the girl beside him.
"No need to wait. Let's graduate together. Maybe we'll even end up in the same team—then I can always look out for you."
The red-haired girl instantly turned bright red.
Her mind couldn't help but drift back to that moment half a year ago—when he saved her. Her heart warmed with the memory.
Her name was Kushina Uzumaki. Around eight or nine years old, sweet-looking and adorable.
If Reiji had been there, he'd have broken up this little couple without a second thought.
Early romance? A dangerous path!
Just look at Obito—if he hadn't fallen in love so young and instead spent more time learning how to fish or forge blades, would he have gone full dark mode?
Though to be fair, it wasn't entirely his fault. After all, students often reflect their teachers.
And really, it all traced back to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He passed on his pervy tendencies to Jiraiya, who then passed them to Minato Namikaze, who in turn passed them to Obito Uchiha.
So really, it was all Danzō's fault!
Yep—flawless logic. Totally consistent.
The classroom was abuzz with excited talk as the students speculated about their future teachers.
Just then, Nakaryū Ōzora, a long-time instructor at the Academy, pushed open the door and walked to the podium.
Tap tap tap—he knocked on the blackboard to get their attention, then held up the class roster.
"Now announcing team assignments. After that, your assigned Jōnin will come in to collect you."
...
Outside the classroom, a large group of Jōnin in flak jackets stood around chatting.
At the front were three very familiar faces—Hiruzen Sarutobi's personal students: Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
The trio hadn't stood together like this in a while and were clearly enjoying it.
Not far off, a white-haired man kept stealing glances in their direction.
Jiraiya, noticing the guy, leaned over to Tsunade with a grin and whispered while waggling his eyebrows,
"Tsunade, I think Dan's checking you out~"
Tsunade flicked her gaze subtly in Dan Katō's direction and smirked. Leaning in close to Jiraiya's ear, she whispered back,
"Not necessarily, Jiraiya...
Maybe he's checking you out~
And haven't you been reading 'Konoha's Light and Darkness: Forbidden Love – Hiruzen and Danzō' lately?"
Her voice wasn't loud—but every shinobi present was top-tier Konoha. Their passive intel-gathering skills were maxed out.
The moment she finished, the entire group collectively, whether on purpose or not, stepped back from the three of them.
Even Orochimaru, usually calm and composed, broke into a cold sweat. He gulped, eyes darting rapidly.
I told you not to talk to Sakumo Hatake. But nooo, you wouldn't listen.
Now look at you. Social suicide. Enjoy.
...
As everyone exchanged awkward glances, Nakaryū Ōzora's voice called out from the classroom.
"Jōnin Jiraiya. Jōnin Jiraiya—you're up first."
With that, Nakaryū walked off holding the roster.
Seeing him go, Jiraiya—face flushed red—glared daggers at Tsunade, then quickly composed himself. With an air of seriousness, he turned and walked into the classroom.
Inside, the kids were grouped up, already aware of their teams—it was just a matter of who their Jōnin would be.
In a corner, Minato Namikaze managed a weak smile.
Total disappointment. He hadn't been placed with Kushina. So blue. So mushroom.
Then came the sound of footsteps—tall and commanding, Jiraiya stepped onto the podium. Unfolding a sheet of white paper, he raised his voice:
"Minato Namikaze, Ōkawa Sarutobi, Seki Shimura—I'm your Jōnin, Jiraiya. Team meeting starts now. Let's move!"
With a flick of his long white hair, he strode out of the room, effortlessly cool.
In the corner, Minato looked like he'd just seen a ghost.
He knew that guy. That was the pervy old man from a few years ago!
Minato vaguely remembered—wasn't there also a scheming old man with him?
His heart started pounding. He prayed hard—not for himself, but for Kushina.
Being assigned to the pervy guy's team was fine... but please, please don't let Kushina get stuck with the scheming one!
With that guy's twisted personality, who knows what he'd teach her? If that happened, Minato was sure his life would be over.
What a worrywart.
...
Soon, Jiraiya's team left the classroom.
Then, with a calm expression, Orochimaru walked in. One sweep of his gaze—and the room fell completely silent.
"Nawaki... I'm Orochimaru, the Jōnin in charge of Team 8. Nice to meet you."
A slightly hoarse voice rang out. The moment the child heard his name, he jumped up excitedly from his seat and followed Orochimaru.
That's Snake Auntie! She can be a man or a woman—wait, no!
That's Orochimaru! The Third's personal student, a superstar in the eyes of all the kids!
After stepping out of the classroom, Orochimaru gave Tsunade a nod and led his team away from the Ninja Academy.
...
Right after that, another Jōnin entered the room.
Tsunade stood nearby, glancing at the roster in her hands, frowning in frustration.
Normally, the village's higher-ups had already decided which teacher would take which student.
But in her hands were two different rosters.
The first was arranged by Hiruzen-sensei on behalf of the village leadership.
It listed names like Kushina Uzumaki and Mikoto Uchiha.
Pretty standard, nothing out of the ordinary.
The second list, however, had been given to her by Konoha's senior advisor Shika Nara. It wasn't quite by the book, but it had Hiruzen-sensei's silent approval.
This one listed Shikaku Nara, Chōza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka.
Tsunade recalled exactly what the head of the Nara Clan had told her.
He wanted her to track down Reiji Sakuhō and ask him to teach these three kids.
As for why he didn't go himself, he had his reasons.
He'd visited Reiji's home—66 Tea Street—multiple times.
But every time, the place was empty. In the end, he could only ask Princess Tsunade for help.
Thinking about it made Tsunade groan in irritation. She scratched at her head, turning her golden hair into a complete mess.