"Alright, that's the team assignment. You can disband now. Come back to the classroom in the afternoon, and your team leaders will pick you up. Finally, congratulations!"
Iruka's eyes were a little moist. He had put his heart and soul into this class, and seeing all the students successfully graduate, while he was relieved, he couldn't help but worry.
The path of a Ninja is full of dangers, and he hoped that all his students would be well in the future.
After Iruka left, Naruto was both happy and depressed, happy because he was in the same team as Sakura, but the arrogant Sasuke was also in the same team. Sakura, on the other hand, was very happy; Naruto was completely ignored, being in the same team as Sasuke made her happy.
"It's a shame we weren't assigned together," Shino said with some regret.
"Haha, it is a shame, but it doesn't matter. We are still good friends, still partners from the same village," Natsuki comforted him.
In fact, he wasn't surprised by these team assignments, as they were the same as in the original work.
What surprised him was that Sarutobi Hiruzen had assigned Yamashiro Aoba, a Special Jonin, as his team leader.
Yamashiro Aoba, a Konoha Special Jonin, belongs to the Intelligence Division, skilled in sensing, reconnaissance, interrogation, cover, and other techniques. He is also proficient in various Ninjutsu such as Mind Reading, Summoning Technique, Binding Technique, Fire Release, etc. He can also use the Art of Scattered Crows and his Taijutsu is not weak. He can be said to be a truly versatile support Ninja.
In the original work, Yamashiro Aoba didn't have many scenes; his most brilliant moment was rescuing Asuma.
At that time, Asuma was cursed and killed by Hidan, and Shikamaru and the two gate guards were in danger. Yamashiro Aoba arrived with Mitarashi Anko, Choji, and Ino. At that time, Yamashiro Aoba controlled a large number of crows to harass Hidan and fought Kakuzu in Taijutsu alone, even matching him. His Fire Release was also used quite nicely.
Of course, his most powerful technique is Mind Reading; once, he even delved into Kisame Hoshigaki's brain to read his memories.
Natsuki just didn't expect that Sarutobi Hiruzen would assign Yamashiro Aoba to be his team leader.
It was truly a bit unexpected.
But what Natsuki didn't know was that Sarutobi Hiruzen had searched and searched and couldn't find a suitable candidate. There were quite a few Konoha Jonin, but many were not suitable for leading students.
For example, Hiashi Hyuga, Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Shibi Aburame, these people are basically the heads of their respective clans, and they also have important missions on a daily basis, so they are really not suitable for leading a team. And Kakashi, Kai, Asuma, Kurenai, they were already assigned.
Other Jonin mostly work in Ambu and are not suitable for reassignment.
So he could only choose from the Special Jonin, and after searching, he chose Yamashiro Aoba.
Yamashiro Aoba may not be very strong, but he is very versatile, and perhaps he would be a good teacher, at least that's what Sarutobi Hiruzen thought.
Moreover, Sarutobi Hiruzen considered it for a long time and felt that Natsuki had strong self-learning ability, already learning Eight Gates and Hatake Swordmanship on his own. In fact, he didn't need a powerful teacher, but rather a versatile teacher to impart Ninja experience, so Yamashiro Aoba became the first choice.
"I'm going to meet up with my teammates."
Natsuki said goodbye to Shino, exchanged glances with Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi across the room, Natsuki pointed outside, and the two also nodded in agreement, getting up and walking out together.
In a certain deserted training ground, Natsuki faced his two new teammates.
Thinking of their names, he almost couldn't help but laugh, because these two names were too coincidental, feeling like a mob heroine plot.
Kato Megumi, could it be that she has some relative relationship with Kato Dan and Katou Shizune? However, this female classmate looks quite delicate, and her eyes don't have the pampered air of a young girl, which is not bad.
As for Yamashiro Rinne, Yamashiro... perhaps he is from the same clan as Yamashiro Aoba.
But guessing is useless. The most important thing now is to do one thing first.
Natsuki folded his arms and said seriously, "Our Team Nine is established. Besides the teacher, we need to determine a leader. From now on, when the teacher is not around, we will listen to the leader. I think I am suitable to be this leader. Do you have any objections?"
Since they were in a small team, Natsuki naturally didn't want to be passive. Anyway, he wasn't sure if these two were a burden, so it was better to take the command power himself.
Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi exchanged glances and nodded, indicating they had no objections.
Besides the teacher, there really needed to be a leader, and this leader had to be strong enough.
Judging by Natsuki's usual performance, the two were convinced, and looking at Natsuki's posture, he clearly intended to be the leader. If they didn't agree, they were probably going to get beaten up, so it was better to concede early than that.
Natsuki smiled with satisfaction, "Very good, from now on, we are partners. As the leader, I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen, and we can discuss some things along the way."
Yamashiro Rinne and Kato Megumi heard this and their impression of Natsuki improved significantly.
After all, a smile meant friendliness, and treating them to a meal showed that this leader was not stingy, and they wouldn't be troubled in the future.
At Ichiraku Ramen, Natsuki ordered a deluxe set meal for the three of them, and then began to inquire, "...Rinne, your surname is also Yamashiro, so are you related to Yamashiro Aoba-sensei?"
Yamashiro Rinne nodded, "He is my clan brother. He is kind and easy to get along with, and his strength is considerable. He is very proficient in Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, Summoning Technique, Mind Reading, etc. I have always admired him."
Kato Megumi was very excited when she heard this, "Is our team leader that amazing?"
Yamashiro Rinne's nose almost lifted to the sky, "Of course! Boss, Megumi, let me tell you, following my Aoba-nii and learning well is definitely the right choice. He has so many skills!"
Kato Megumi nodded, clearly believing Yamashiro Rinne's words.
Natsuki naturally didn't doubt it either, and he knew even more than Yamashiro Rinne. Yamashiro Aoba was indeed formidable, and there were many aspects worth learning from him. For example, Taijutsu, could a person who could fight Kakuzu, that old monster, on equal footing for a short time be weak? Furthermore, the Mind Reading technique that could penetrate into someone's brain to read memories was also very interesting.
Natsuki then looked at Kato Megumi, "Megumi, I heard that Tsunade-sama once had a lover named Kato Dan, and also a little follower named Katou Shizune. What is your relationship with them?"
"Ah? Uh, maybe, perhaps distant relatives."
Kato Megumi wasn't quite sure, "Why don't I ask my parents when I get back? They might know. But if they really are relatives, that would be great! I never thought I had relatives who had such a relationship with Tsunade-sama!"
It's normal for girls to admire Tsunade.
However, Kato Megumi and Katou Shizune should have some relative relationship.
Although there are many small clans in Konoha, there should be very few with the same surname but different clans. We'll see later.
After finishing the meal, Natsuki took the two back to the training ground, "Although we have graduated, I think the team leader will definitely have a test, which is nothing more than seeing our strength. To give Aoba-sensei a surprise, we need to plan carefully..."