"I have an idea..."
"I hope that within the next year or two, you'll be able to lead all the ninjas of your generation."
Naruto blinked in confusion.
"They'll work themselves to death!"
His eyes widened.
"What do you mean?!"
Tsunade laughed.
"It's simple. Form a Konoha Youth League. Gather all the young ninjas—including Sasuke, Hinata, and everyone else—and encourage them to train as hard as you do. Let them grow stronger together and become powerful enough to stand on their own."
Jiraiya burst into laughter.
"Ahahaha! Tsunade, that's actually a brilliant idea!"
Hinata's eyes sparkled.
"Naruto-kun... you'll be encouraging everyone to train together?"
"No... I think it should be..."
She hesitated before smiling shyly.
"Teacher Naruto."
Naruto froze for a moment.
Then he slowly repeated the words to himself.
"Teacher... Naruto..."
A huge grin spread across his face.
"Really?"
In his mind, he imagined everyone—including Sasuke—standing in neat rows, bowing respectfully while calling him Teacher Naruto.
Just imagining the scene filled him with excitement.
Tsunade noticed the delighted look on his face and smiled to herself. Everything was going exactly as she had planned.
"So, Naruto," she asked, "what do you think?"
"You already possess the strength and qualifications for it. After all, you're the only Jonin among your generation."
Naruto clenched his fists excitedly.
"This is amazing!"
"Grandma Tsunade! Pervy Sage! I accept this challenge!"
He looked determined.
"We'll all become stronger together!"
---
Once the Hokage's order was issued, the news quickly spread throughout Konoha's younger generation.
Everyone was shocked.
At the same time, they were curious—and even excited.
The very next day, Naruto eagerly gathered everyone together.
He cleared his throat and proudly placed his hands on his hips.
"Ahem! I'm sure you've all heard Hokage-sama's order."
He pointed proudly at himself.
"Uzumaki Naruto will now be your teacher!"
Standing before him were the members of the Rookie Eleven:
- Uchiha Sasuke
- Hyuga Hinata
- Haruno Sakura
- Inuzuka Kiba
- Aburame Shino
- Nara Shikamaru
- Akimichi Choji
- Yamanaka Ino
- Hyuga Neji
- Rock Lee
- Tenten
There were also three newcomers.
Karin Uzumaki, an orphan from the Uzumaki Clan who had been rescued from the Hidden Grass Village by Team 7.
Jugo, a young man rescued from Orochimaru's hideout by Jiraiya and Kakashi.
And Sai, the quiet former Root operative who had gained his freedom after Danzo's imprisonment and investigation.
The three of them had recently been assigned to Team 11, led by the Jonin formerly known as Tenzo, now using the name Yamato.
Including them, there were fourteen young ninjas gathered together.
---
Naruto's enthusiastic announcement produced all kinds of reactions.
Hinata looked at him with admiration, her cheeks slightly red.
Sasuke simply stood with his hands in his pockets, wearing a faint smile.
The others reacted differently.
Some were surprised.
Some looked skeptical.
Some remained silent.
And some were incredibly excited.
Especially Rock Lee.
"Naruto is going to be our teacher?!"
"That's wonderful!"
"He's already the strongest among us!"
"And no one trains harder than Naruto! If he teaches us, we'll definitely become much stronger!"
"Osu! I'm fired up!"
Naruto laughed happily.
"Just as expected, Lee!"
"You're the one who understands me the best!"
"This is the power of youth!"
Everyone else fell silent.
"..."
Ino finally spoke.
"Naruto... what exactly are you trying to do?"
"We already have our own teachers."
Naruto folded his arms confidently.
"Of course I know that."
"So even if you call me Teacher Naruto, I won't actually replace your instructors."
"What I want to do is supervise everyone's training."
"I'll make sure none of you slack off."
He grinned brightly.
"In short..."
"Become just like me!"
Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
Shikamaru looked completely speechless.
"...Become like you?"
"Isn't that basically asking us to work ourselves to death?"
Choji continued eating his potato chips.
"Exactly."
"Your training methods are way too reckless."
Crunch.
Sakura's eyes suddenly lit up.
"We'll all be training together?"
"That's actually a wonderful idea!"
"I support you, Teacher Naruto!"
Ino immediately rolled her eyes.
"Sakura... you're only saying that because you'll get more chances to spend time with Sasuke, aren't you?"
Sakura answered without the slightest embarrassment.
"So what?"
"I still support the idea."
Naruto naturally understood her true motive, but another supporter was always welcome.
He immediately gave her a thumbs-up.
"As expected of Sakura!"
"Now then..."
He looked around at everyone else.
"What about the rest of you?"
---
Tenten sighed after glancing at Neji and Lee.
"Team Guy's training is already intense enough."
"If we start training like Naruto..."
"I'm afraid it'll become even more unbearable."
She paused.
"But..."
"If it really can make us stronger..."
"I've always dreamed of becoming a kunoichi as strong as Lady Tsunade."
Naruto clenched his fists enthusiastically.
"Exactly!"
"Tenten, you've got the right attitude!"
"As long as you train with me, you'll definitely become as strong as Grandma Tsunade!"
Tenten simply smiled helplessly.
"That's easy for you to say."
She turned toward Neji.
"What do you think?"
There was no point asking Lee.
Everyone already knew his answer.
Although Neji had changed considerably, he remained calm and composed.
"If this training can make me stronger..."
"I have no objections."
He glanced toward Hinata.
"And I'd also like to measure the gap between us."
Hinata's heart skipped a beat.
"Neji-nii-san..."
Neji nodded.
"I know you've been training under Hokage-sama."
"I've also heard you've developed a powerful new Gentle Fist style."
"But I haven't been standing still either."
"Under Father's guidance, my Eight Trigrams Gentle Fist has improved significantly."
"I've even created techniques of my own."
"If Naruto's training gives us opportunities to spar..."
"Then I'll gladly participate."
Hinata smiled gently.
"I've been looking forward to training with you as well, Neji-nii-san."
Tenten sighed again.
"If even Neji agrees..."
"I suppose I have no reason to refuse."
Rock Lee was practically overflowing with excitement.
"Yes!"
"Team Guy is fully on board!"
---
Kiba laughed loudly.
"Whether I like it or not, Naruto really is the strongest among us now."
"If we don't train harder, we'll never catch up."
"I'm joining too!"
"What do you think, Akamaru?"
"Woof!"
Shino adjusted his sunglasses.
"I'll participate as well."
"As for why..."
"I don't want to become someone who's ignored and left behind."
Sakura clapped happily.
"Great!"
"That means all of Team 8 is joining!"
Ino looked toward Shikamaru and Choji.
"Well?"
"You two don't have much choice now."
"We're joining too."
Shikamaru let out a long yawn.
"What a drag..."
Choji smiled.
"I'll join too."
---
Finally, Naruto turned toward the members of Team 11.
"What about you three?"
Karin smiled brightly.
"Teacher Naruto saved my life."
"So of course I'll join."
Even as she spoke, her eyes kept drifting toward Sasuke.
Sakura and Ino immediately noticed.
Both girls instinctively sensed another rival had appeared.
Jugo calmly nodded.
"I have no objections."
Only Sai remained unusually quiet.
He stood at the back with a strange expression, deep in thought.
After Naruto repeatedly urged him to answer, Sai finally forced one of his artificial smiles.
"Very well."
"I'll join too."
Naruto looked puzzled by Sai's expression but didn't think much of it.
Instead, he happily raised both arms into the air.
"Awesome!"
"The Naruto Team is officially established!"
"Starting today..."
"You will all address me as Teacher Naruto!"
"And that's an order from Grandma Tsunade..."
He quickly corrected himself.
"...No."
"An order from Hokage-sama!"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)