A week flew by in a flash.
The Ninja Academy's early graduation exams came to a close. A fresh batch of eager faces, filled with excitement and dreams, were about to step into the real shinobi world.
Meanwhile, Shinichi received his own notice.
"Chunin Shinichi Higashino. Please report to the Year Four, Class Two room at the Ninja Academy at exactly 8:00 AM tomorrow to assemble with your new squad."
Just as I thought! The Third Hokage ultimately decided to place him in a squad with his peers. My teammates should be Shizune and Takashi, right? Shinichi thought to himself.
The next day, Shinichi geared up and headed to the academy. Just as he was about to step through the gates, a familiar figure caught his eye.
Kakashi Hatake.
He was currently giving off an icy, "stay-away-from-me" vibe.
"Long time no see, Kakashi," Shinichi called out, taking the initiative to greet him.
"It's you." Kakashi's voice was muffled through his mask. It was flat, even a bit cold. "Did you get that pointless notice too?"
"Yeah. Though I have to admit, it caught me a little off guard," Shinichi nodded.
"Making Chunin team up with a bunch of fresh Genin grads. What a waste of time," Kakashi scoffed.
Shinichi shook his head. "Don't say that, Kakashi. The village definitely has its reasons for this arrangement. Who knows, some of your old friends might be in there."
"Friends?" Kakashi retorted coldly. "I don't have any—"
"Yo! Kakashi! Shinichi!"
Before Kakashi could finish, a loud, energetic voice cut in like a hurricane. A boy with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a green jumpsuit barreled toward them like a cannonball.
It was Might Guy.
"What a coincidence! Did you guys get the new squad assignments too?" Guy's voice was bursting with vitality. "I thought only Genin like me were getting grouped up with the new grads! I didn't expect you two Chunin to get the same treatment!"
Kakashi didn't reply. He simply turned his face away.
Shinichi, however, gave Guy a smile and patted his shoulder. "Let's go. It's about time. We shouldn't keep our future teammates and sensei waiting."
The three of them walked through the gates and navigated the noisy hallways.
At the fork in the academic building, Kakashi and Guy headed straight for the classroom labeled Year Four, Class One.
Shinichi turned toward the room next door: Year Four, Class Two.
He paused at the door. Inside, he could faintly hear the chaotic chatter of boys and girls—a mix of excitement, nerves, and wild speculation.
He pushed the door open.
The sound instantly killed the noise in the room. Dozens of eyes snapped toward the entrance.
When they saw who had walked in, the brief silence was shattered by shocked whispers.
"Shinichi?"
"Shinichi? What is he doing here?"
"Did he walk into the wrong room?"
Someone yelled out, half-joking, "Hey, Shinichi! Don't tell me you're here to be our Jonin instructor! That would be terrifying!"
Shinichi's gaze quickly swept the room. Out of habit, he looked toward his old seating area, only to be surprised: Takashi Ishizuka wasn't there.
At the three-person desk by the window, sitting right in his old middle seat, was a beautiful girl with long, dark hair and rare, ruby-red eyes.
Kurenai Yuhi.
She was leaning over slightly, whispering to Shizune, who sat in the right-hand seat.
What is she doing here? Isn't she in Class One next door? A flash of confusion crossed Shinichi's mind.
Classes One and Two were right next to each other. They often shared outdoor combat and ninjutsu training sessions, so it wasn't weird for the students to know each other.
But for her to be in Class Two's room during squad assignments—and sitting in the clearly reserved seat...
Kurenai obviously spotted him too. Her pretty red eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Shinichi chuckled, stepped inside, and casually closed the door behind him. He replied to the earlier joke with a relaxed tone, "Long time no see, everyone. But I'm probably going to disappoint you—I don't have the qualifications to be an instructor just yet."
"I'm here joining as a squad member. So, who are the other two members of Squad 10?"
Shizune still hadn't fully processed the situation, instinctively looking at Kurenai next to her.
Kurenai blanked for a second but quickly recovered. She raised her hand. "Over here. Squad 10 member, Kurenai Yuhi."
Her voice was crisp. It carried the unique vitality of a young girl her age, yet sounded far more composed than most of her peers.
Shizune finally snapped out of it and hurriedly nodded. "And me, Shizune. The two of us... well, plus you, Shinichi. We must be Squad 10."
When the squad lists were posted yesterday, she noticed she was the only one listed under Squad 10. Her old classmate and good friend, Takashi Ishizuka, had his name moved to Class One's roster.
Then Kurenai came over to Class Two today, saying she had been assigned to Squad 10. The two of them formed a team.
They had just been whispering to each other, guessing who their delayed third teammate might be. They ultimately agreed it was probably some mystery student transferred from another grade or a past graduating class.
They never imagined that the person walking through the door would be Shinichi Higashino, who was already a Chunin.
Shinichi walked over to them. He nodded at Kurenai and then looked at Shizune, offering a gentle greeting. "Shizune, Kurenai. I look forward to working with you both."
"I look forward to working with you too, Shinichi," Kurenai nodded slightly. Her response was natural and proper. Her gaze lingered on Shinichi's face for a brief second before politely shifting back to Shizune.
Shizune also nodded in return. "Likewise, Shinichi."
She was well aware of Shinichi's maturity and overwhelming strength. Having him on the team definitely brought a massive sense of security.
The other students in the room watched the three gather. Looking at Shinichi—who possessed a steady aura vastly different from a normal Genin—the whispering flared up again. Their eyes were full of envy and curiosity.
After all, Shinichi Higashino was a village-famous genius. Just last year, he crushed the competition at the Chunin Exams held in the Sand Village and took first place.
At that moment, Shinichi's mind was racing.
When he got the notice, he naturally assumed his teammates would be Takashi and Shizune. They had shared a desk for years, and they all shared a connection through Sensei Zenn. Their teamwork should have been the smoothest.
He didn't expect Takashi's spot to be taken by Kurenai Yuhi.
In his memories from his past life, Kurenai was placed in a squad with Asuma Sarutobi and Raido Namiashi. She would even become Asuma's lover in the future.
But he immediately realized he was letting his preconceptions blind him.
Future relationships didn't mean they had any special feelings for each other right now. There was no hard evidence showing Kurenai and Asuma liked each other as kids.
Their romance felt more like something that blossomed naturally into adulthood—after Asuma finished his stint with the Twelve Guardian Ninja and returned to Konoha, when they were both Jonin of similar age.
So, what is the Third Hokage's intention with this arrangement...? 'Does he think that since I'm already considered Sensei Zenn disciple, my bond and synergy with Takashi don't need to be artificially fostered by putting us on the same team? So he swapped in a new teammate for me to build a bond with?'
'And because I haven't shown any talent in genjutsu so far...' Shinichi's gaze casually swept over Kurenai's dark hair and calm red eyes.
'He gave us a teammate with extreme genjutsu talent to cover our squad's potential weakness in genjutsu perception and control? A more balanced team composition?'
This deduction felt perfectly logical. As the Hokage, planning a comprehensive growth path for a subordinate with high potential—including assembling a squad with complementary skills—was the most standard consideration.
Still, such a meticulous, almost tailor-made arrangement made Shinichi unable to resist muttering a complaint in his head:
'Why does it feel like I'm the Third Hokage's secret son? He's arranging absolutely everything for me so perfectly...'