A week has passed in a flash.
The early graduation exams at the Ninja Academy have come to an end, and a group of fresh faces, full of excitement and anticipation, are about to step into the real Shinobi World.
Shinichi has also received the notification.
"Shinichi Higashino, please proceed to class 2, grade 4 of the Ninja Academy at 8:00 am tomorrow to assemble with your new teammates."
Really!
The third Hokage ultimately wanted to include him in the group of people his own age.
The teammates should be Shizune and Takashi, right?
Shinichi thought to himself.
The next day, Shinichi put on his gear and headed towards the Ninja Academy.
Just as he was about to step into the school gate, a familiar figure came into view.
Kakashi Hatake.
At this moment, he exuded an aura of coldness that kept strangers at bay.
"Long time no see, Kakashi."
Shinichi greeted him.
"It's you."
Kakashi's voice came through the mask, flat, even somewhat cold: "You received this kind of boring notification too?"
"Yes, it was a bit of a surprise to me."
Shinichi nodded.
"It's a waste of time to have Chunin team up with a bunch of freshly graduated Genin."
Kakashi sneered.
Shinichi shook his head: "Don't say that, Kakashi. The village must have its reasons for making such arrangements. There might even be some of your former friends among them."
"Friends?"
Kakashi retorted coldly, "I don't have any..."
"Yo! Kakashi! Shinichi!"
Before he could finish speaking, a loud, energetic voice burst in like a whirlwind. A young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, dressed in a green bodysuit, rushed forward like a cannonball.
It was Might Guy.
"What a coincidence! You guys also received the new team assignment notification?"
Might Guy's voice was full of energy: "I thought only Genin like me would be teaming up with newly graduated comrades. I didn't expect that even you two Chunin would have the same arrangement!"
Kakashi didn't reply, but simply turned his face away.
Shinichi smiled at Guy and patted him on the shoulder: "Let's go, it's almost time. Don't keep our future teammates and teachers waiting for us."
The three of them stepped into the school gate together, walked through the slightly noisy corridor, and arrived at the fork in the education building.
Kakashi and Guy went straight to the classroom with the sign, class 1, grade 4.
Shinichi, on the other hand, turned to class 2, grade 4, next door.
He stopped in front of the door and could vaguely hear the noisy sounds of boys and girls inside, a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and speculation.
He raised his hand and pushed open the door. The sound of the door opening suddenly silenced the noise in the classroom, and dozens of eyes turned to the doorway.
When they saw who it was, the brief silence was instantly broken by astonished whispers.
"Shinichi?"
"Shinichi? What's he doing here?"
"Did he go to the wrong classroom?"
Someone jokingly shouted, "Hey, Shinichi! You're not here to be our instructor, are you? That's terrifying!"
Shinichi's gaze quickly swept across the classroom, and he habitually looked towards his former seat area, only to find that Takashi Ishizuka was not there.
In the three-seater by the window, the middle seat that was originally his was now occupied by a beautiful girl with long, dark black hair and rare ruby-like eyes, it's Kurenai Yuhi.
She was slightly turned to the side, whispering something to Shizune, who was sitting in the seat to her right.
What is she doing here?
Isn't she in the class next door?
A hint of doubt flashed through Shinichi's mind.
Class 1 and Class 2 were located next to each other, and many outdoor combat classes and Ninjutsu training classes were often held together, so it was not surprising that the students in the two classes knew each other well.
But at this moment, she appeared in the classroom where class two was assigning team members, and was even sitting in that clearly reserved seat...
Kurenai Yuhi clearly saw him too, her beautiful red eyes widening slightly in surprise.
Shinichi smiled, walked into the classroom, and closed the door behind him.
He responded to the earlier teasing in a relaxed tone: "Long time no see, everyone. But I may have to disappoint you, as I am not qualified to be a teacher for the time being."
"I'm here as a team member. May I ask who the two members of team 10 are?"
Shizune seemed a little slow to react and subconsciously looked at Kurenai beside her.
Kurenai was taken aback at first, but quickly recovered and raised her hand, saying, "Here, member of team 10, Kurenai Yuhi."
Her voice was clear and bright, full of the energy typical of a girl her age, yet she seemed more composed than many of her peers.
Shizune snapped out of her daze and quickly nodded, "Me too, Shizune. The two of us... Um, plus you, Shinichi, we will be team 10."
When the team assignment list was announced yesterday, she found herself all alone in team 10, while her former classmate from class 2, and her good friend and deskmate, Takashi Ishizuka, was listed in team 1.
Later today, Kurenai came to class two and said that she had been assigned to team 10, making them teammates.
They were just whispering and guessing who the third teammate, who had not yet been announced, would be. They finally agreed that it was likely a mysterious person who had been transferred from other grades or even from previous years.
To their surprise, the person who pushed open the door was Shinichi Higashino, who had already become a Chunin.
Shinichi walked over to them, nodded to Kurenai, and then looked at Shizune, greeting her gently: "Shizune, and Kurenai-san, I look forward to working with you."
"Nice to meet you, Shinichi."
Kurenai nodded slightly, responding naturally and politely. Her gaze lingered on Shinichi's face for a moment before she politely looked away and turned to Shizune.
Shizune nodded in return: "Please guide me, Shinichi."
She was well aware of Shinichi's maturity, composure, and formidable strength; having him in the team certainly made her feel much more at ease.
The other students in the classroom watched the three of them gather together, especially Shinichi Higashino, whose composure was clearly different from that of an ordinary Genin.
Whispers broke out again, their eyes filled with envy and curiosity.
After all, Shinichi Higashino is a genius known throughout the village, and last year he even defeated all the other candidates in the Chunin exams held in the Village Hidden in the Sand to win the championship.
Meanwhile, Shinichi was also thinking rapidly.
When he received the notification, he subconsciously thought that his teammates would be Takashi Ishizuka and Shizune. After all, they had been deskmates for many years and had a common connection with Master Chen, so their cooperation should be smoother.
Unexpectedly, Takashi's position was taken by Kurenai Yuhi.
In his past life, Kurenai Yuhi was in the same team as Asuma Sarutobi and Raido Namiashi, and was even expected to become Asuma's lover in the future.
But he immediately realized that he had made a preconceived mistake.
A future relationship does not prove that they have special feelings for each other now.
There is no clear evidence that Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma had feelings for each other in their childhood. Their relationship seems to have developed naturally after Asuma returned to Konoha after completing his mission as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and because they were both Jonin and of similar age.
So, what was the third Hokage's intention in making this arrangement...?