"Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka."
The bearded Asuma walked into the classroom and called out his team members.
As the three of them left, only Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin remained in the room—along with three unfamiliar faces.
Two of those unfamiliar faces looked rather nervous, while only Gaara seemed to be chatting comfortably with Naruto.
Temari and Kankurō couldn't understand why their younger brother liked that blond boy so much. As transfer students arranged by Takeshi, they had only spent about a month with the class.
"I… I wonder if I'll be in the same team as Naruto-kun..."
Hinata glanced shyly in Naruto's direction, silently praying in her heart.
Sasuke, sitting by the window, turned his head to the left, gazing absently at the students training outside on the field.
...
"It's been a while, Kurenai."
Voices echoed in the hallway.
"Yes, it's been a long time."
Yūhi Kurenai replied softly, sliding open the classroom door.
Everyone's attention was drawn immediately toward the entrance.
Two female ninja walked into the room.
Both were unfamiliar faces to Naruto and the others.
The one in front was Yūhi Kurenai, who had just been promoted to jōnin.
Beside her stood Mitarashi Anko, temporarily pulled in by Sakumo to take charge of Naruto's Team 7.
"Alright, Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Karin, Uchiha Sasuke—step forward!"
Anko, being the impatient type, called out her team members before Kurenai could even speak.
"Who's this loud lady supposed to be?" Naruto whispered, eyeing the somewhat familiar jōnin.
"How should I know?" Sasuke muttered, equally confused.
"I think she's… um…" Karin frowned, having met Anko a few times before but unable to recall her name.
"I'm Mitarashi Anko! Don't be nervous. Your captain's busy with something and can't come right now, so I'll be your temporary leader."
Anko laughed heartily, clapping Kurenai on the shoulder before leading the bewildered trio out of the classroom.
Watching Naruto leave, Hinata's mood visibly dimmed, her expression falling slightly.
...
"I'm not one for too many rules. Just remember one thing—my orders are absolute, understood?"
At a nearby training ground, Anko had the three kids sit down as she began explaining the basics of life as a ninja.
"First, introductions. I'm Mitarashi Anko, a special jōnin of Konohagakure. I like dango and red bean soup, and I hate disobedient kids."
Hearing that their temporary captain was only a special jōnin, the three showed little reaction.
"Uzumaki Naruto. I like Ichiraku Ramen. As for what I hate… haven't found anything yet."
Naruto's answer was short.
At this point, he didn't have much interest in the title of Hokage either.
Seeing his composed response, Anko nodded to herself in approval.
As expected —his manners and tone were impeccable.
"Uchiha Sasuke. I like rice balls with dried bonito. I hate sweet things… and blond idiots."
"Hey, Sasuke!"
"Hmph."
"I'm Uzumaki Karin. I love my mom the most. I hate it when Takeshi acts all flaky. That's about it."
After listening to all three, Anko gained a pretty good grasp of their personalities.
"Alright, you've got spirit."
She clapped her hands together and issued her first order.
"Since we've all gotten acquainted, I'm announcing your first task—tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., meet at Training Ground Seventeen. Don't be late. That's all."
With that, Anko used a Konoha-style Body Flicker, disappearing in a swirl of falling leaves.
She had meant to show off a bit, not realizing that Takeshi had already performed that same move before. The three kids weren't particularly impressed.
"I still think Dad's Flying Thunder God Technique is faster," Naruto commented.
"Hmph. I heard your old man secretly taught you that technique—true or not?" Sasuke asked, clearly reluctant to admit it, but unable to boast about his own brother at that moment.
"Shh! Keep it down! If Mom finds out, she'll kill him for sure!" Naruto hissed, waving his hands nervously.
Karin leaned closer and whispered,
"How's your training going now?"
Naruto grinned confidently.
"Hehe, I can already move short distances."
Sasuke froze, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Blondie, are you kidding me? Even Takeshi-san didn't learn that fast!"
Naruto only smiled, saying nothing.
That expression made Sasuke even more flustered.
Right now, he had only mastered the Great Fireball Technique. He'd thought that was enough to stand tall among their peers—but apparently, the blond next to him was even more outrageous.
Geniuses are the worst.
Remembering that Naruto had ranked first among the graduates, Sasuke angrily decided not to speak to him for the rest of the day.
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