Yui Yuigahama woke up earlier than usual on the day of team assignments.
She'd barely slept. That one line from Makoto Nishikado kept circling her brain like a song she couldn't shake: "They're not my women."
She had no idea why it bothered her so much, but the words sat in her chest like a splinter, and no amount of turning them over made them sting any less.
Forget it. Go make breakfast.
Four years of training under Kayoko Akizuki and Ichinose Chizuru had upgraded her cooking from "biohazard" to "technically edible." Still a long way from "good," but at least nobody needed their stomach pumped afterward.
She paused outside the Akizuki sisters' room.
Rustling sounds leaked through the door, and voices...
"Sis, move over, this side's mine... mwah, mwah..."
"Airi, you can't hog it all. We agreed, one side each... smack... smack..."
The sisters' words came out syrupy and slow, punctuated by wet sounds like someone going at a popsicle.
Eating breakfast already?
The thought came automatically, but the longer she listened, the more something felt off. The sounds had an almost magnetic pull, rooting her feet to the floor.
"Makoto, who's better at it, me or Sis?"
Akizuki Airi's voice again. Yui's heart lurched. He's in there?
Then came Makoto's review, delivered with the calm authority of a judge at a cooking competition: "Marina is more professional. You're more energetic, Airi."
What does that even mean?
Before she could untangle it, fabric rustled. Something being removed.
"Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze!" Airi chirped. "Well? Pretty close to how big they are in the real world, right?"
"M-Makoto, I... I'm not that far behind!" Marina refused to be outdone.
Yui's face ignited.
She could be dense, but she wasn't that dense. She knew exactly what was happening on the other side of that door.
Her gaze drifted downward. In this body, things had already grown enough to block the view of her feet, though she still hadn't quite caught up to her real-world proportions.
Four years in this world. This body was twelve now.
Which meant Makoto was also... whatever images flashed through her mind next turned her face an even deeper shade of red.
...
"Yui, why is your face so red?"
On the way to school, Yumiko Miura squinted at her with open suspicion.
Everyone wore their forehead protectors today. Some tied across the forehead, others hanging around the neck like Hinata's, a few strapped to an arm.
Yui had hers on straight and proper, but no amount of adjusting it could hide the blush burning across both cheeks.
"I-it's nothing! It's just... kind of warm out, that's all." She waved her hands frantically, eyes betraying her as they slid toward the Akizuki sisters up ahead, both chewing gum without a care in the world.
"Warm?" Yumiko looked unconvinced. "It's barely spring."
Before she could press further, Hina Ebina let out a shriek from the front of the group and collapsed backward, blood gushing from her nose.
"Hina!"
Yumiko caught her with quick reflexes, then looked up at the classroom.
Inside, Naruto and Sasuke were locked in an accidental kiss.
"..."
Yumiko stared down at her friend, still twitching on the floor with blood streaming freely, and sighed.
Fair enough. Hina lived and breathed boys' love novels. Stumbling onto the real thing without warning? The fact that she hadn't ascended to a higher plane of existence showed remarkable restraint.
"Ugh, gross." Eriri Spencer Sawamura, already seated at her desk, rolled her eyes.
Utaha Kasumigaoka responded without looking up. "Is it, though? Doesn't Aunt write Sayuri that stuff for a living."
She, Eriri, and Megumi Kato had lived together at Eriri's place for four years now. The three of them were close, even if Utaha and Eriri still bickered like an old married couple. Anyone could see it was more ritual than rivalry.
Naruto sported two fresh bruises around his eyes.
A lighter beating than in the original story. Most of the background characters in this class had been replaced by transmigrators, and the female players couldn't care less about Sasuke's brooding good looks.
It wasn't that they were immune to his face, but deep down, they still saw the natives as NPCs. Who knew when they'd all get pulled back to the real world? No point catching real feelings.
Before long, Iruka walked in with a warm smile. "Congratulations, everyone. Starting today, you're all full-fledged ninja. But you're still genin. You'll be organized into three-man squads, led by a jonin instructor for training and missions."
He raised the list in his hand. "I'll now announce the team assignments."
The room buzzed.
Yumiko glanced at Yui and Hina. The three of them exchanged a look that said everything.
Across the room, Eriri, Megumi, and Utaha huddled together, whispering.
Ran Mouri didn't seem to mind either way. Sonoko Suzuki had dropped out two years ago, so Ran was fine teaming up with whoever.
"Squad One," Iruka called out. "Hayato Hayama, Kakeru Tobe, Haruno Yukinoshita."
Every head turned.
Haruno Yukinoshita, the oldest student in the class at fifteen. With her effortless charm and social maneuvering, she'd sat comfortably at the top of the food chain for years.
"Aww, I can't be on the same team as little Yukino? What a tragedy..." Haruno turned a theatrically wounded gaze on her sister, dragging out every syllable.
Yukino Yukinoshita stared pointedly in the opposite direction, pretending she didn't exist.
Same team as her sister? She could kiss any peace and quiet goodbye.
Tobe shot a glance at Hina, his face full of regret. Hayama quietly clenched his fist, something complicated flickering behind his eyes.
The list continued.
"Squad Six: Ichinose Chizuru, Yumiko Miura, Eriri Spencer Sawamura."
The reactions were instant. This meant both tight-knit trios had been broken apart.
Squads Seven, Eight, and Ten followed, unchanged from canon.
"Squad Eleven: Saika Totsuka, Marina Akizuki, Hachiman Hikigaya."
Totsuka and Hikigaya nearly launched out of their chairs, radiating pure joy.
Marina, seated in the front row, got the distinct feeling she was the third wheel.
"Squad Twelve: Yui Yuigahama, Akizuki Airi, Yukinoshita Yukino."
Yukino's brow creased.
Both of her teammates lived under that man's roof.
Airi immediately shot Yukino a look of undisguised disdain. "I have to be on a team with her?"
"Airi, easy. Easy." Yui jumped in to smooth things over.
She could already see her future: full-time mediator.
"Squad Thirteen," Iruka announced last. "Utaha Kasumigaoka, Megumi Kato, Ran Mouri."
The room erupted into chatter. Iruka slapped the podium. "Settle down. Stay in the classroom. Your jonin instructors will be here to pick you up shortly."
He gathered his list and left.
One by one, jonin appeared at the door and collected their squads.
The Akizuki sisters pressed their palms together, chanting under their breath like a prayer. "Makoto, Makoto, Makoto, Makoto..."
Everyone else watched the door with barely concealed curiosity. Would he actually show up?
"Squad Twelve, you're with me!"
Anko Mitarashi swaggered into the doorway.
Airi deflated onto her desk like a punctured balloon, voice cracking with despair. "Nooo, my Makoto..."
Teams filed out one after another.
The minutes crawled toward noon. Only Squads Seven and Thirteen remained.
Then another figure stepped through the door.
Makoto Nishikado.
Naruto's eyes lit up. His relationship with Makoto was solid. If he was going to be their jonin instructor...
"Makoto! Are you our..."
He didn't get to finish.
"Squad Thirteen," Makoto said. "With me."
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*Every 80 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter*