Chapter 10: The Village's Reaction
When Iruka posted the notice with its twelve names—under the title "Konoha Special Tactical Squad"—on the Academy bulletin board, Shikamaru happened to be passing by.
"What a drag..." Shikamaru's brow furrowed. He stared at the list: himself, Naruto, Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, Ino, Hinata, and even all three members of Guy's team, all crammed onto one roster.
He let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Lumping a group of problem children... oh, wait, plus two super problem children, and Guy-sensei's team? How is this plot getting so far off track? I must still be asleep. Yeah, I'll just go back to bed."
He dragged his feet as he walked away. It had only taken a single morning of observing his classmates for him to understand.
He wasn't the only one in this world who had memories of the future, who had returned to the past.
"When the sky falls, someone else can hold it up. I'll just take it one step at a time."
Not long after Shikamaru left, a crowd began to form in front of the bulletin board.
Everyone wanted to see what this "Konoha Special Tactical Squad," which had shattered all village precedent, was about.
"I heard Lady Tsunade herself gave the order," someone with good sources boasted to the people around him.
"Lady Tsunade? Is she finally back to become the Hokage?"
"If Lady Tsunade becomes Hokage, I'm all for it!" a Tsunade supporter declared, thumping his chest.
"Lord Third is still the Hokage. That's not an appropriate thing to say, is it?" another villager questioned.
"How is it not? You looking for a fight, kid?" The Tsunade supporter rolled up his sleeves.
The villager who'd been questioned shrank back, but he still held his ground and retorted, "It's not that I don't respect Lady Tsunade. But Lord Third has been Hokage for so many years, he's worked his heart out for Konoha. To suddenly say Lady Tsunade is replacing him... isn't that too unfair to Lord Third?"
As soon as he said it, the crowd split into two factions.
The old tofu vendor set down his carrying pole, frowning. "The young man has a point. Lord Third watched us grow up. Back when the Second Hokage passed away, who knows what disasters Konoha would have faced without him. Suddenly changing the Hokage... it just doesn't feel right."
"But Lord Third is old!" the well-informed man immediately shot back. "The village has had its share of trouble over the years. The burden of being Hokage is heavy; we need someone young, strong, and powerful to carry it. Lady Tsunade is one of the Sannin! In terms of ability, in terms of reputation, how is she lacking? Besides, having her return as Hokage is for the good of Konoha!"
Beyond these two factions, there were some younger people who were completely lost.
"Tsunade? Hokage? What are you talking about? Is that even a person from Konoha?" a young ninja asked curiously.
The moment he spoke, someone nearby leaned in, their tone a mix of "you don't even know that?" surprise. "You're new, aren't ya, kid? Lady Tsunade is a Konoha legend! Back in the day, she, Lord Jiraiya, and Lord Orochimaru were known as the 'Sannin.' We're talking about a powerhouse who fought the 'Demigod' of the Hidden Rain Village!"
The one speaking was an old man with white hair, holding a bag of fresh vegetables. When he spoke of Tsunade, his eyes were full of admiration.
"Back in the Second Great Shinobi World War, how many shinobi did Lady Tsunade save on the battlefield? No matter how bad the injury, if she stepped in, they'd almost always pull through! And her monstrous strength! I heard one punch of hers can flatten a mountain. She's incredible!"
"That incredible?" The young man's eyes lit up. "Then why is she only just now coming back? I've been a Genin for two years, and I've never heard her name."
The old man sighed, his voice growing heavier. "Something happened... a long time ago. I don't know the details, just that Lady Tsunade was gone from Konoha for many years. For her to suddenly come back and take charge of team assignments, I guess Lord Hokage must have asked her to return and help."
As the crowd thinned, the news spread through every street and alley.
Amidst the steam of the teahouses, the smoke of the ramen stands, and even in the pauses between haggling at the market, you could hear villagers huddled together, discussing it in low voices.
In a teahouse on the west side of the village, two middle-aged shinobi, just off patrol, started talking over their hot tea.
One of them, a man with a full beard, frowned and tapped his fingers on the table. "Twelve kids in one class? And having four Jonin—Kakashi, Asuma, and the others—lead them? I've never seen a setup like that in my entire life."
The thin man across from him sipped his tea, glanced out the window, and lowered his voice. "Didn't you hear who proposed it? Lady Tsunade! One of the Sannin. She just got back, and the first thing she does is change the team assignments. I heard from someone in the Hokage's office that she's afraid something will happen to these kids, so she's gathering them all together to protect them."
"Protect them?" The bearded man was confused. "What's going to happen? Konoha is peaceful right now, isn't it?"
"Peaceful?" The thin man sneered. "Did you forget the Uchiha incident four years ago? And then there's Naruto Uzumaki..."
He didn't finish. Someone at a nearby table tugged his sleeve. He was forced to swallow the rest of his words, muttering vaguely, "Anyway, Lady Tsunade must have her reasons for doing this. We should just keep an eye on things."
In the nearby ramen shop, Teuchi was serving a bowl to a customer when he overheard the discussion at the next table and couldn't help but interject.
"I think what Lady Tsunade did is a good thing. Look at Naruto. That kid's always so pitifully alone. Now that he's with so many people, at least it'll be a bit more lively. And Sasuke, that boy is too gloomy. If he's forced to be around people more, maybe he'll get better."
Ayame, wiping a bowl at the counter, nodded in agreement. "Naruto came by for ramen yesterday. He was so happy, telling me he'd get to train with Sasuke. If these kids can really learn to get along, without all this 'who's better' nonsense, it would be a really good thing."
But two villagers at the next table didn't see it that way.
A woman spoke, her voice laced with mistrust. "I don't think so. Look at that Naruto, always loud and causing a ruckus. And Kiba Inuzuka... his dog nearly scared my chickens to death last week. You put that many 'problem children' together, who knows what kind of chaos they'll start! I'm telling my son to stay far away from that class, so he doesn't get corrupted."
The man across from her chimed in, "Exactly! And that Uchiha kid, Sasuke. I hear he's got a nasty temper, cold as ice even to his own comrades. With a group like that, can four teachers really manage them? I'm telling you, that class is going to fall apart, and soon."