Yuji yawned, a deliberate movement filled with profound boredom. His jaw made a soft clicking sound. Today was team announcement day. The day their fate for the next few years would be decided by a few adults in a room who probably didn't even remember their names. Maybe. He wasn't particularly excited about it. To him, it was just another formality, another bureaucratic step on the long, troublesome road to becoming strong enough not to die.
Oh, and since it was announcement day, that meant they were now twelve years old. Twelve. Yuji once again had to go through the annoying acne phase. A small but stubborn pimple had decided to set up camp right on the tip of his nose this morning, a little red beacon broadcasting the suffering of puberty. Fantastic. As if living in a world full of assassins wasn't bad enough, he also had to deal with clogged pores.
He glanced to the side. Naruto, of course, was completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere in the classroom. He was trying to balance an eraser on his head while whispering to Choji about a new lunch menu at a stall. He had grown taller over the past few years, his face losing some of its childish roundness, but his boundless energy remained the same.
One thing was different, and Yuji was incredibly grateful for it: the Naruto of this timeline did not steal the forbidden scroll under Mizuki's orders.
Mizuki... the name left a bad taste in Yuji's mouth. The man was still at the academy, a Chunin instructor with a smile that was too friendly and a gaze that never reached his eyes. Yuji had been watching him for years, a disturbing presence on the periphery. Yuji knew he couldn't get rid of him. He had no proof, no power. All he could do was neutralize the most immediate threat.
So, Yuji had taken action. He had dragged Naruto to the forest every day after training with Iruka. "You're weak on the basics," Yuji had said at the time. "Your clones suck. They don't even look real."
"But it's hard!" Naruto had whined.
"The world is hard," Yuji had replied flatly. "Now try again."
And so, Yuji had taught Naruto how to create shadow clones. Not the regular illusionary clones they learned in class, but the more advanced version he had read about in one of the scrolls from the Nara library. It was a frustrating process. Naruto had so much chakra that every time he tried, he would create a massive explosion of smoke and produce nothing. But Yuji was patient. He explained the theory over and over, about dividing the chakra evenly, not just spewing it out. And after a few exhausting weeks, the kid finally got it. The result was spectacular. Because Naruto divided so much chakra, his clones looked incredibly real. They were solid. They could punch. They were a perfect one-man army. Unlike Yuji's own clones, which, due to his pathetic chakra reserves, were just thin illusions good for a momentary distraction.
With Naruto now able to pass with ease, Mizuki lost his chance to manipulate him. It was a small victory, a little pawn's move on the grand Shogi board.
The training with Iruka had also borne fruit. His ass was still kicked soundly, but now, their fights felt more like a dangerous dance than a one-way lesson. Yuji had managed to defeat (well, just knock down) Iruka a few times, though he had to rely on speed, luck, and a few unexpected moves that caught Iruka off guard. But it was enough. Yuji felt a little proud of himself.
The classroom door slid open, and Iruka-sensei entered, carrying a stack of papers. Instantly, all noise ceased. Iruka stood at the front of the class, looking at the tense, hopeful faces of his students.
"Congratulations," he said, a sincere smile on his face. "You have all graduated. From today, you are shinobi of Konoha. I am proud of you all."
A few quiet cheers were heard, but they quickly died down as Iruka raised his hand. "Now, for your Genin team assignments."
This was it. Yuji leaned back in his chair, resigned.
"Team Seven," Iruka began. "Naruto Uzumaki..."
Naruto immediately sat up straight.
"...Sakura Haruno..."
Sakura looked slightly disappointed, perhaps hoping her name would be paired with another.
"...and Sasuke Uchiha."
It was predictable. Like the sun rising in the east. A balanced offensive team with the Jinchuriki, the last Uchiha, and... well, Sakura.
"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled, jumping to his feet. "Why can't I be with Yuji?! Shikamaru?! Or even Choji?!"
"Sit down, Naruto," Iruka said with a tired sigh. He was used to the boy's antics. "The teams have been determined based on a balance of strengths and skills. This decision is final."
Naruto sat back down with a loud huff, crossing his arms and pouting.
"Team Eight," Iruka continued. "Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and... Kiyoshi Tanaka."
Yuji raised an eyebrow slightly. Kiyoshi. Not Kiba. This was the first truly tangible butterfly effect he had seen in the team formations. A small change. But Yuji had stopped caring about such things a long time ago. His world had already deviated from the original story. What mattered now was how he navigated his new path.
Team Nine was not mentioned.
"Team Ten: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi."
Yuji snorted quietly. This was a given. The legendary Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Nepotism. Family tradition. He glanced at Shikamaru, who just yawned as if he had just been told he had to take out the trash.
"And finally," Iruka said, looking down at his list. "Team Eleven."
Yuji's heart beat a little faster, though he tried hard to maintain a bored expression.
"Yuji Yamashita..."
Alright. Here we go.
"...and Kiba Inuzuka."
Yuji groaned softly, his head slumping forward and hitting the desk with a quiet thud. Kiba. Of course, Kiba. He had just thought he was free of a noisy, hyperactive classmate, and now the universe had given him a dog-smelling doppelganger of Naruto.
"What's with the groan, huh?!" Kiba snapped from across the room, Akamaru barking in agreement from on top of his head.
"He didn't mean anything!" Naruto exclaimed, defending Yuji. "He's just... tired! Yeah, tired! From being too awesome!"
"And the third member," Iruka continued, ignoring the commotion, "is Masami Ichihara."
Yuji recalled. Masami. A long, black-haired girl who sat in the middle row. She rarely spoke. She was quiet, but not in a clumsy way like Yuji or a shy way like Hinata. There was an aura of elegance and calm around her. When everyone else was panicking or excited, she would just sit there, observing, with a calm, unreadable expression.
Iruka finished reading off a few other teams composed of students Yuji didn't know well, some of whom didn't get a Jonin instructor and would be placed in the reserve corps. How sad.
"Your Jonin instructors will come to pick you up after lunch," Iruka concluded.
The class erupted in noise as everyone started talking about their teams. Yuji just sat still, waiting for the chaos to die down.
An hour later, the classroom was nearly empty. One by one, Jonin instructors came and went. A beautiful woman with red eyes came and called for Team Eight. Kurenai Yuhi. Then a large, bearded man with a cigarette in his mouth. Asuma Sarutobi. He called for Team Ten, and Shikamaru followed him reluctantly as if walking to the gallows.
Now, only Team Seven and Team Eleven were left.
Naruto was already getting restless, peeking out the door every thirty seconds. "Where's our teacher?! Why is he so late?!"
"Maybe he got lost on the path of life," Yuji said, quoting one of his own favorite excuses.
The door slid open. But it wasn't for Team Seven.
A man stepped in. He looked to be in his early thirties, still radiating a youthful energy but with a look in his eyes that showed experience. His face had sharp, masculine features, with short, slightly messy black hair as if it had just been tousled by the wind. But what stood out the most was his smile. It was a wide, confident grin that graced his face, making his dark eyes crinkle at the corners. He exuded an aura of relaxed yet powerful energy.
"Yo!" he greeted, his voice deep and cheerful. "Is Team Eleven here? My name is Tsukasa Fuji, and it seems I'm lucky enough to be your teacher. Yuji, Kiba, Masami? Come on, my little soldiers. Our adventure is about to begin."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were still left behind, staring in confusion.
Kiba snorted and stood up, Akamaru leaping onto his shoulder. Masami rose with a graceful, silent movement.
Yuji sighed. He stood up, grabbing his bag, and something else he had placed beside it, wrapped in cloth. He unwrapped it. It was the mask he had finished a few months ago. The light wooden mask with the ridiculous crying face.
He didn't put it on. He just held it in his hand, its smooth surface feeling familiar.
Well, he thought as he walked, following his new teacher out of the classroom, leaving Team Seven behind in their awkward wait. This is probably finally starting.
…
Tsukasa Fuji led them not to one of the busy training grounds near the academy, but to a more secluded spot. A small training field flanked by a dense forest on one side and a fast-flowing river on the other. The place was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves and the gurgle of water breaking the silence. Three worn, heavily scarred wooden posts stood in the middle of the field like forgotten tombstones.
They arrived in the center of the field, and Tsukasa turned to face them, his wide smile not faltering in the slightest. He clapped his hands together once with a loud, satisfying sound.
"Alright, my little soldiers!" he exclaimed, his voice full of an energy that felt out of place in the calm surroundings. "This is our new home for now! The place where we will sweat, learn, and maybe cry a little! But before we do all that, there's one thing we must do. Let's start with introductions!"
Yuji felt a strong urge to just turn around and walk home. Introductions. Of course. The standard, boring procedure.
Kiba, as Yuji had expected, voiced his annoyance. "Huh? Introductions?" he growled, Akamaru barking in agreement from on top of his head. "Why? We already know each other! We were in the same class for years!"
Tsukasa just chuckled, as if he had expected that reaction. "Ah, but do you really know each other?" he asked, his amused eyes shifting from Kiba to Yuji, then to Masami. "You know his name, he knows your name. You know he likes to shout, and he probably knows you like to grumble." He gestured towards Yuji, who just stared at him flatly.
"But being classmates and being a team are two very different things," Tsukasa continued, his tone becoming slightly more serious, though his smile remained. "In class, you were individuals. Competitors. Here..." He spread his arms to encompass the three of them. "Here, you are a unit. A single entity. The person standing to your right and to your left, they are no longer your rivals. They are your lifeline. You need to know what makes them tick. What makes them scared. What their dreams are. Because one day, your life might depend on that knowledge."
He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "And besides," he added, his smile widening again. "There's me now. And I know nothing about you, other than the fact that you managed to graduate from the academy without making Iruka-sensei lose all his hair. So, let's begin."
An awkward silence fell over them. Kiba looked slightly abashed, having no counter-argument. Yuji just thought that the explanation, while logical, was still a drag.
Then, a calm, clear voice broke the silence.
"In that case," Masami Ichihara said, speaking for the first time since they had left the classroom. "Why don't you go first, Sensei?"
Yuji glanced at her. The girl stood with a perfect posture, her hands clasped gracefully in front of her. There was no challenge in her voice, just a cool, simple logic. If you want us to open up, you have to show us how first.
Tsukasa's eyes widened in surprise, then his face lit up with genuine admiration. He pumped his fist in delight. "There it is! I knew I sensed a smart one on this team!" he exclaimed. "That is an excellent idea, Masami-chan! I love having a student who isn't afraid to use her brain! Alright! I'll start!"
He cleared his throat dramatically, taking a position in the middle of them as if he were on a stage.
"My name is Tsukasa Fuji!" he began, which of course they all already knew. "The things I like... hmm, so many! I like fishing in the early morning when the mist is still on the river. I like trying to write a great adventure novel, though I've never managed to finish more than three chapters."
Yuji raised an eyebrow slightly. A Jonin who was a wannabe novelist. Weird.
"I like oranges!" Tsukasa continued with the same enthusiasm. "And milk candy! And the fried chicken from the old lady's stall near the south gate! Oh, it's the best!" He paused, his eyes gazing into the distance as if reminiscing about the taste of that fried chicken. "The things I dislike are long, boring mission reports. And spiders. Those things have too many legs."
"And my dream for the future," he finished with a slightly wistful smile, "is that when I'm old and tired of kicking bad ninjas' butts, I want to retire and open a small candy shop by the sea."
Complete silence.
Yuji, Kiba, and Masami just stared at their new teacher. It was the most un-Jonin-like introduction Yuji could have ever imagined. No mention of his favorite jutsu, the S-rank missions he had completed, or his determination to protect the village. Just fishing, failed novels, food, and a candy shop.
This guy, Yuji thought, is either completely insane, or he's the most normal person I've ever met in this world. I can't decide which is more terrifying.
"Alright! Who's next?" Tsukasa asked, seeming completely unfazed by their flat reactions.
Kiba snorted, as if deciding to get this over with as quickly as possible. "My name's Kiba Inuzuka, and this is my partner, Akamaru!" he exclaimed, patting the puppy on his head who barked in agreement. "What I like is training with Akamaru and beef jerky! What I dislike are slow, boring people! And my dream is to become the Hokage, of course! Greater than all the Hokages before me!"
It was a classic Kiba introduction, almost exactly the same as his first one at the academy, just now spoken with more solid conviction and a slightly deeper voice. At least he was consistent.
"Good! Ambitious! I like it!" Tsukasa said. "Next!" His eyes shifted to Masami.
The girl stepped forward slightly. "My name is Masami Ichihara," she said, her voice calm and melodious. "What I like are roses, but I dislike their thorns."
Yuji pondered that sentence. A strange, poetic statement. She liked beauty, but not the pain that often came with it. Or maybe it meant she looked delicate on the outside, but was dangerous if you tried to touch her the wrong way.
"I also like to play the piano," Masami continued. "It's calming." She paused for a moment. "What I dislike is unnecessary noise. And my dream... is to become a great kunoichi that my village can rely on."
Her introduction was short, elegant, and didn't reveal much, yet somehow felt much deeper than Kiba's.
"Elegant! Mysterious! I like that too!" Tsukasa exclaimed. Then, his bright eyes landed on Yuji. "And last, but certainly not least! Our thinker!"
Yuji sighed internally. Alright, his turn. He stepped forward, his hands in his pockets.
"Yuji Yamashita," he said flatly. "What I like is watching comedy shows on TV and the good food my mom makes. What I dislike is waking up early and people who interrupt me when I'm doing nothing."
He paused, letting the silence hang.
"And... your dream?" Tsukasa prompted gently.
Yuji looked straight into his teacher's eyes. "To open a branch of the mask shop in another town and retire early."
Kiba snorted derisively. "That's the lamest dream I've ever heard."
"At least it's realistic," Yuji retorted without turning his head.
Tsukasa gave him two thumbs up.
"EXCELLENT!" he boomed, making Kiba jump slightly. "A perfectly balanced team! We have fiery ambition! Deadly elegance! And... refreshing pragmatism!" He winked at Yuji. "I couldn't have asked for a more interesting team! This is going to be very, very fun!"
..
Tsukasa Fuji's smile didn't waver in the slightest as he observed his trio of bewildered new Genin. He seemed to genuinely enjoy their confusion, as if it were part of his entertainment.
"Alright, my little soldiers!" he said, clapping Yuji and Kiba on the shoulders simultaneously with surprising strength. Yuji staggered slightly, while Kiba just grunted. "Now that we all know each other so well—"
"This is stupid," Kiba cut in.
"—it's time for the next step in our heroic journey!" Tsukasa continued, completely ignoring Kiba. "We're going to the Hokage Tower and requesting our first mission!"
Kiba's eyes immediately lit up, all his annoyance evaporating in an instant. "A mission?! For real?! Right now?! What kind of mission? Catching bandits? Escorting a princess? Fighting a giant monster?!" Akamaru barked in agreement, his tail wagging furiously.
Yuji, on the other hand, just raised an eyebrow. This felt... wrong. Too fast. "Wait a minute," he said, his flat voice cutting through Kiba's enthusiasm. "Sensei, aren't we going to be tested first?"
Tsukasa turned to Yuji, his smile slightly askew. "Tested? You mean like a troublesome little game of tag or something?"
"Something like that," Yuji replied. He knew about Kakashi's bell test. It was standard. A way for a Jonin to determine if their Genin truly understood the meaning of teamwork. Skipping it was strange.
Tsukasa shrugged casually, putting his hands in his pockets. "Why would I do that?" he asked genuinely. "You've already been tested for years. Your final test was graduating from the academy. Iruka-sensei has already deemed you worthy. I trust his judgment. Testing you again would just be a waste of precious time."
"But... how do you know if we can work together?" Yuji pressed, feeling a little frustrated with his teacher's overly relaxed logic.
"I don't," Tsukasa said cheerfully. "But we're about to find out, aren't we? Besides," he added, his tone becoming lighter, "the first missions given to rookie Genin are at best chasing a lost cat or pulling weeds. I'm pretty sure the three of you can handle a cat without killing each other. Probably."
He winked. "And if I really want to see your true abilities, tomorrow morning is a good day for that. When the sun is fresh and your fighting spirit is burning. For now," he grinned, "let's just have some fun. Consider it a team orientation day. Let's go!"
Without waiting for any further response, he turned and started walking leisurely towards the center of the village.
Kiba, too excited by the prospect of any mission, immediately ran to catch up. Masami followed with her graceful, silent steps. Yuji could only sigh and follow behind. This guy was an enigma. He didn't follow the rules, he didn't follow tradition. He just did what he wanted.
This is going to be a disaster, Yuji thought. Or at the very least, very troublesome.
The walk to the Hokage Tower was short and filled with Kiba's chatter about how great their first mission was going to be. As they passed the academy, Yuji saw a familiar and slightly pathetic sight. Team Seven was still sitting in the classroom. Naruto looked like he was about to explode from boredom, Sakura was trying and failing to start a conversation with Sasuke, and Sasuke was just staring at a wall with the same intensity he gave everything. Their teacher still hadn't shown up.
Maybe my team isn't so bad after all, Yuji thought fleetingly, feeling a pang of pity for Naruto.
Tsukasa handled the bureaucracy with surprising efficiency. He handed in their team form, joked with the Chunin behind the desk, and was back in less than five minutes with a small scroll in his hand.
"Here we go!" he exclaimed, unrolling the scroll. "Our first mission!"
Kiba leaned in, his eyes shining. "What is it?! What is it?!"
Tsukasa read the scroll with a mock-serious expression. "A D-Rank mission. Crucial for the maintenance of the village's beauty and order." He paused for dramatic effect. "Painting Mrs. Tora's fence."
Silence.
Kiba's eager face fell like a failed souffle. "Painting... a fence?" he whispered in disbelief.
"That's right!" Tsukasa said cheerfully. "Let's go! That fence isn't going to paint itself!"
Half an hour later, they were standing in front of a small, slightly rickety house with an unkempt yard. And surrounding that yard was a long, dull, peeling wooden fence. A few cans of white paint and brushes of various sizes lay on the grass nearby.
"Alright, team!" Tsukasa said, gesturing towards the fence as if it were an enemy fortress. "Your mission is clear. Make this fence look new and beautiful again. I'll be over there if you need anything."
He pointed to the branch of a large, shady tree in the corner of the yard. Before anyone could protest, he had already leaped onto the branch with the agility of a cat, found a comfortable position, leaned his back against the trunk, and closed his eyes.
"Don't hesitate to ask if you're confused about the correct brushing technique," he mumbled from above, his voice already sounding sleepy.
Yuji, Kiba, and Masami could only stare at their now clearly sleeping teacher.
"He's... kidding, right?" Kiba asked, his voice strained.
"I don't think so," Masami said quietly.
Yuji just picked up a brush. "The sooner we start, the sooner we finish," he said flatly.
And so began Team Eleven's first mission. Kiba, still fuming, attacked the fence with aggressive energy, swinging his brush in wide, fast strokes, leaving a thick, uneven trail of paint. Masami, on the other hand, worked with methodical precision. Each of her brushstrokes was smooth and controlled, creating a thin, perfect layer of paint. Yuji was somewhere in between. He worked with a quiet efficiency, not rushing but also not wasting any movement, his only goal to get the job done.
For nearly an hour, the only sounds were the swish of brushes against wood and the soft snores from up in the tree.
Then, Kiba, growing more frustrated with the monotonous work, swung his brush back with too much enthusiasm. A drop of white paint flew through the air and landed right on Masami's cheek.
Masami stopped. She didn't move. She just slowly raised her hand and touched the paint smudge on her cheek. She looked at the white paint on her fingertip, then looked at Kiba with a completely cold stare.
"Uh," Kiba said, looking a little nervous. "Sorry."
Masami said nothing. She just dipped the tip of her brush into the paint can, and with a single, incredibly fast and accurate flick of her wrist, she snapped her brush.
A thin, perfect white line shot through the air and landed right down the middle of Kiba's nose.
"Hey!" Kiba yelled.
And the war began. Kiba retaliated with a large splash of paint, which Masami gracefully dodged for the most part, but which instead hit Yuji who was nearby.
"Oh, come on," Yuji sighed as white paint dripped from his hair.
Now he was dragged in too. Within minutes, they were no longer painting the fence. They were painting each other. It was a chaotic mess filled with laughter from Kiba, annoyed shouts also from Kiba as Masami constantly outmaneuvered him, and grumbles from Yuji.
Finally, exhausted and out of paint, the three of them were lying on the grass, panting and covered in splotches of white paint. The fence itself was only half-finished.
Kiba was the first to get up, his face red from a mixture of exertion and renewed anger. He looked at the half-finished fence, then at their teacher who was still sleeping soundly up in the tree.
He threw his empty brush on the ground in frustration.
"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the quiet yard. "THIS ISN'T A NINJA MISSION! WE SHOULD BE TRAINING! NOT PLAYING WITH PAINT LIKE SIX-YEAR-OLDS!"
He pointed at Tsukasa. "AND WHY IS SENSEI JUST SLEEPING?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TEACHING US!"
Up in the tree, Tsukasa didn't move. He didn't even open his eyes. He just shifted his position a little more comfortably.
"I told you," he said, his voice lazy and sleepy. "I'm supervising you."
"Supervising what?! You're asleep!" Kiba snapped.
"Of course I'm supervising," Tsukasa said, a small smile playing on his sleepy lips. "Because I'm the parent here. And my job is to watch the kids."
He paused for a moment, then added in a very serious tone.
"Remember, don't play too far."
Complete silence.
Kiba could only stare with his mouth agape, rendered speechless by the absurdity of the statement. Masami, for the first time, let out a small, stifled laugh behind her hand.
And Yuji... Yuji just looked at his teacher, then at his paint-covered teammates, then at the half-finished fence. He didn't laugh. But inside, he was smiling.
This guy was completely insane.
----
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