Chapter 12: The Cruel Truth
"Does knowing this even matter?" Sasuke asked. His tone had lost its earlier edge, sounding more like a genuine question now.
"Of course it matters. From what I know, there's a female jonin who's skilled in genjutsu," Naruto replied. "Chances are, she's the one leading Team Three this time."
"Genjutsu?" Sasuke frowned. "Based on what you said before, the higher-ups want to train Team Three as a reconnaissance unit. Why would they assign a jonin specializing in genjutsu as their leader?"
"Yeah, genjutsu doesn't really have much use in scouting, does it?" Sakura was just as confused.
"Heh, Iruka-sensei's going to introduce the jonin instructors this afternoon in class. But I sneaked into the office and stole the team assignments list!"
With that, Naruto pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket.
It was a chart listing the four newly-formed genin teams. At the top of Team Seven's section was a name: Hatake Kakashi.
"So he's our teacher?" Sakura stared curiously at the name. "I can't wait to meet him. I wonder what kind of person he is."
Sasuke only glanced briefly at Team Seven's entry before his eyes locked onto the name listed as Team Three's leader.
Yūhi Kurenai.
A name he had never heard before—completely unfamiliar.
The Hidden Leaf was home to numerous clans, large and small. Some, like the Hyūga and the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, held significant influence. Others, like the Yamashiro, Aoyama, and Nohara, were smaller and lesser-known.
Naruto ignored Sakura's comment, thinking to himself: Your future teacher is my dad's student… the future least reliable Hokage, the Sixth—Hatake Kakashi.
"Who's Yūhi Kurenai?" Sasuke asked.
"She's the girlfriend of Asuma, the jonin leading Team Ten," Naruto replied, half-wondering if the Third Hokage was watching him through that crystal ball of his, snacking as he spied.
But figuring the old man wasn't that perverted, and sensing no one's gaze on him, he didn't dwell on it.
"Asuma?" Sakura frowned, but quickly found the name on the chart. "Sarutobi Asuma… same surname as the Hokage?"
"Yeah," Naruto said, scanning the two of them. "Team Ten, led by Asuma, is made up of the second generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio—Shikamaru, Chōji, and Ino."
"In other words, the Hyūga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans are all directly tied to the Hokage."
"And since these six clans have always been staunch supporters of the Hokage, this kind of team distribution isn't surprising."
"How do you know all this, Naruto?" Sakura asked, unsettled. It was the first time she had been exposed to these kinds of "grown-up" matters, and it left her uneasy.
Sasuke, however, remained calm. He hadn't forgotten his original purpose. Staring thoughtfully at the list, he finally looked up at Naruto.
"So you're saying there's a deeper reason we were placed on the same team?"
"Congratulations, Sasuke," Naruto said, snapping his fingers. "You got it. Nobles with nobles, commoners with commoners—simple as that."
At those words, Sasuke's expression darkened. He fixed Naruto with a hard stare.
"That's it?"
"Of course not," Naruto replied, suddenly smiling.
Sasuke felt a prickle at the back of his neck under that gaze and frowned.
"What are you looking at me like that for?"
"Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto said with a grin. "The Uchiha clan's combat ability is legendary. And me? I'm from the Uzumaki clan."
"You might not have heard of them, but that's fine. All you need to know is that the Uzumaki were just as strong."
"And…"
He let his eyes sweep over the stunned Sakura and the visibly shaken Sasuke, paused for a few seconds, then lowered his voice.
"Unfortunately, my entire clan was wiped out."
"Our team isn't a 'commoner team,' nor is it a 'fallen noble team,'" Naruto continued. "We're the Rare Bloodline Team—except for Sakura."
He chose not to mention the Nine-Tails. It wasn't the right time.
Sakura froze, her hands trembling on her lap. She suddenly felt adrift. She had thought being placed on this team was just her good luck.
She'd even felt a bit proud—though she wasn't as good as Naruto and Sasuke in ninjutsu or combat, her theory scores were top of the class, and her overall rank was third.
She had believed that with enough effort, she could close the gap between them.
But faced with the raw truth, her pride and self-esteem melted away in silence.
She was just a backdrop. An ordinary girl. In Team Seven, she was the one with no defining traits. Compared to Sasuke and Naruto, she…
The realization hit her hard, leaving her nauseous, her body cold as if plunged into icy water. Her stomach clenched involuntarily.
"Sakura."
A hand suddenly rested on her shoulder, yanking her out of her spiraling thoughts.
She looked up abruptly. Both Sasuke and Naruto were watching her. For some reason, their faces blurred in her vision.
"I'm fine," she said, but her trembling voice betrayed her.
She forced a smile to hide her embarrassment, trying to say more, but stopped short when she noticed tears splashing onto the desk.
With the atmosphere ruined, their information-sharing session ended there.
When they left the barbecue place, Sakura had calmed down. She apologized for losing control earlier; both boys said it was fine, and their bond as a trio grew a little stronger.
"Let's make this information-sharing thing a regular thing," Naruto suggested. "It'll benefit all of us. But whatever we discuss stays secret from outsiders."
"I agree!" Sakura said brightly, raising her hand in support.
"Mm." Sasuke gave a slight nod, signaling his assent.
The arrangement would indeed help them—not only to better understand the village but also to strengthen their sense of unity as a small team.
Naruto thought that if they could build more trust and cut down on needless drama, their future together would be much smoother.
Just as Sakura turned to leave for the classroom, Naruto suddenly called out.
"Sakura."
"Hm?" She turned back, puzzled. "What is it?"
Naruto didn't answer. He just jerked his head toward the side, where Sasuke stood stiff as a board.
"Lord Sasuke has something to say to you."
Hearing him call him "Lord," Sasuke shot Naruto a cold glare.
"Sasuke?" Sakura asked nervously.
Sasuke turned away, clearly flustered, and after a long moment finally muttered,
"We're teammates."
Sakura blinked, stunned. It took her a few seconds to process the words, and then her eyes reddened again.
"Don't cry, Sakura," Naruto said gently, smiling. "Sasuke's right. You're not just ordinary—you're our teammate."
"Honestly, there's nothing wrong with being ordinary. If we had the choice, both of us would rather live as ordinary people. But…"
He spread his hands in a helpless shrug.
"…as you know, life doesn't always give you what you want."