"Team 1: Kurama Yakumo, Karin Uzumaki, and Inuzuka Kiba."
Kitazawa continued, "The team leader is Yūhi Kurenai."
Kiba nodded, very satisfied.
Yakumo needed no introduction—she was fifth place in the graduation exam and already stronger than most jōnin.
Karin, meanwhile, was an extremely rare combination of medical ninja and sealing ninja in the Genius Class, with support abilities that were top-notch.
As for Kurenai, she was already a Genius Class instructor and very familiar to him, saving the trouble of getting used to someone new.
Yakumo and Karin were also pleased with the arrangement.
Yakumo had been Kurenai's student even before entering the academy.
Karin lived under the same roof as Kurenai, and the two knew each other very well.
Inuzuka Tsume, watching from the sidelines, was also content.
Her son hadn't become Kitazawa's student, but being taught by Kurenai was not bad at all.
After all, everyone knew Kitazawa and Kurenai were closely connected.
"Team 2: Aburame Shino, Chino, and Haruno Sakura."
Kitazawa added, "The team leader is Hatake Kakashi."
"I'm not on Sasuke-kun's team?"
Sakura felt as if she'd been struck by lightning and stood rooted to the spot.
Sasuke glanced at her and couldn't help thinking that she really was a jinx.
"Kakashi isn't bad either," Shibi thought to himself.
Though Kakashi Hatake couldn't compare to Kitazawa, he was at least a shinobi directly in the Hokage's line.
Because of his personality, Shino's expression didn't change at all.
But inwardly, he was very satisfied with Kakashi Hatake.
Chino felt like she'd won the lottery.
Even with the Ketsuryuugan, she was still an outsider to Konoha.
She had assumed her instructor would be some ordinary jōnin, not the famous Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi.
To her, this was an unexpected windfall.
"Team 3: Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Chōji."
Kitazawa read off the most predictable formation. "The team leader is Sarutobi Asuma."
In the original story, Team 3 had been Might Guy's squad, while Sarutobi Asuma had led Team 10.
But now, due to a series of butterfly effects, it was impossible to keep Teams 3 and 10 exactly the same as in the original timeline.
"As expected," Shikamaru said, not surprised at all.
Ino let out a sigh.
She'd already guessed they would be assigned to Sarutobi Asuma, but not becoming Kitazawa's student still left her a bit regretful.
Shikaku, Chōza, and Inoichi felt much the same.
Although their three clans had a long-standing agreement with the Sarutobi, if their children could have become Kitazawa's disciples, that agreement could have been cast aside without hesitation.
Between the retired Third Hokage and the soon-to-be Sixth Hokage, they knew which side to choose.
"Team 4: Kimimaro, Jūgo, and Tayuya."
Kitazawa announced, "The instructor is Mitarashi Anko."
Kimimaro, Jūgo, and Tayuya were all momentarily stunned.
They hadn't expected the three of them to be placed together.
But once it sank in, they each felt the arrangement was actually quite good.
After all, they'd known one another since their days in Otogakure.
As for Mitarashi Anko, they had no complaints.
She was, after all, Orochimaru's student.
"Team 5: Rock Lee, Hotaru, and Haku Yuki."
Kitazawa paused for a moment before announcing, "The instructor is Might Guy."
"Lee!"
Guy answered Lee with a radiant grin and a big thumbs-up.
After Kitazawa's announcement, the instructors for each team began arriving one after another, taking their places on the left side of the Genius Class.
"Guy-sensei!"
Lee practically vibrated with excitement. "We can unleash our blood-boiling youth together again!"
Hotaru and Haku both felt a headache coming on at his words.
From now on, they would be surrounded by Might Guy and Rock Lee's Way of Youth at all times.
"Is it still not Sasuke's turn?"
Fugaku was growing anxious.
Hiashi felt the same way.
They didn't know whether Kitazawa himself would become an instructor, nor whether he would choose Sasuke and Hinata.
The answer, however, was about to be revealed.
Five ninja teams had already been announced. Only two slots remained to place the top twenty-one students.
Once Team Six was named, Team Seven would be obvious.
"Team Six: Hyuga Neji, Tenten, and Shion," Kitazawa declared. "Instructor: Tenzo."
"Alright!"
Tenten subconsciously clenched her fist.
Her greatest wish had been to become teammates with Neji—and now it had come true.
Neji had no complaints about his teammates. It was just a pity their instructor wasn't Kitazawa.
Still, Tenzo was formidable in his own right.
Back when he'd taught the Genius Class, he had even demonstrated wood release for them.
"Then Team Seven should be Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata?"
Fugaku's eyes brightened.
Hiashi also felt a pleasant surge of surprise.
The instructor for Team Seven had yet to be announced, but aside from Kitazawa, who else was qualified to lead those three?
Hinata unconsciously pressed her hands together.
She didn't care who her teammates were; what she cared about was whether Kitazawa would be her instructor.
"Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Hyuga Hinata."
Kitazawa smiled. "And I will be your instructor."
The Konoha Arena fell silent.
Kitazawa was soon to become the Sixth Hokage.
There was no need to question how well his students would be treated.
Fugaku and Hiashi broke into matching smiles.
Hinata's eyes widened.
Her sudden dream come true left her frozen for an instant.
Then the corners of her lips slowly curled upward, and she gripped the hem of her jacket in giddy excitement.
"Sasuke, I didn't expect us to end up as teammates!"
Naruto's teeth flashed as he grinned. "This is youth!"
"..."
Sasuke's mouth twitched.
He did feel happy—but not entirely happy.
"That concludes all team assignments for this graduation exam," Kitazawa announced.
He turned to Tsunade. "Next, please welcome Hokage-sama to the stage."
Thunderous applause erupted at once.
Tsunade gave a brief nod, then used the Body Flicker to appear at the center of the field.
Kitazawa stepped aside and watched as she began to speak.
"In this graduation exam, all of you performed very well—especially Team Seven."
A faint smile touched Tsunade's lips. "I believe they will become Konoha's new generation of Sannin."
Her words sent a tremor through everyone's hearts.
The status of the Sannin in Konoha needed no explanation.
The new Konoha Three Sannin would be just as extraordinary. Barring any accidents, the Seventh Hokage would almost certainly come from Team Seven.
Moreover, Tsunade had singled out Team Seven on purpose. Her intention was obvious.
"One last announcement."
Tsunade paused, sweeping her gaze over the crowd. "Next Monday, the Hokage succession ceremony will be held."
Unlike Hiruzen, she didn't enjoy long-winded speeches. Once she had finished the task Kitazawa had given her, she ended her remarks quickly.
At this moment, however, no one cared about the length of her speech. They were still stunned by its content—especially the announcement of the Hokage succession ceremony next Monday.
"Alright, thank you for your hard work today. You're all dismissed."
Tsunade didn't give anyone time to react. She waved her hand as she spoke, already turning away.
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The crowd froze for a heartbeat, then snapped to attention and answered in unison.
Kitazawa walked over to the students of the Genius Class. They and their instructors were still standing in place, as if the moment hadn't quite ended for them yet.
"Congratulations on your smooth graduation."
He smiled. "You may now go to your respective instructors."
"Goodbye, Kitazawa-sensei!"
The Genius Class echoed together, then scattered, sprinting toward their new sensei.
Kakashi, Kurenai, and the others gave Kitazawa a brief greeting before leaving with their teams. As usual, they would find a place to introduce themselves, and some would probably add their own extra test.
For example, the classic bell test between Kakashi and Team Seven in the original story.
Kitazawa, however, had no intention of doing a bell test.
There was no need.
Besides, if it really came down to fighting, the commotion would be terrifying.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto bounded up, eyes shining. "What are we going to do next?"
"Nothing."
Kitazawa shook his head. "Go back and rest. Wait for my notice."
He was about to become the Sixth Hokage, and there was a mountain of things to handle. On top of that, with the Akatsuki's movements growing more suspicious, there would be no missions for them for the time being.
"Huh?"
Naruto had been sure there would be new missions waiting. The idea of having nothing to do hadn't even crossed his mind.
"What do you mean, 'huh'?"
Tsunade smiled. "As Genin, the most important thing for you is to obey your instructor's orders."
"Don't worry. It won't be long before you have plenty of new missions."
Kitazawa added after a moment of thought.
What he was really thinking of was the Fourth Great Ninja War.
"Okay, Kitazawa-sensei!"
Naruto immediately brightened at the prospect.
"Goodbye, Kitazawa-sensei."
Sasuke and Hinata spoke simply, without any extra words.
"Tsunade-sensei, do you need me to walk you back to the Hokage Office?"
Kitazawa turned to her. By now, only the two of them remained in the Konoha Arena.
"No, I don't need to go back to the Hokage office anymore. Here, this is for you."
Tsunade's lips curled into a small smile as she held out a set of keys, her expression openly pleased.
"What does this mean?"
Kitazawa stared, momentarily stunned.
"I mean, from now on, you are the Sixth Hokage."
She pushed the keys into his hand. "These are the keys to the Hokage's desk. I'm heading to the casino now. Good luck."
With that, she turned and walked away without a trace of hesitation.
Kitazawa looked down at the keys in his palm, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.
This was exactly like Tsunade.
He let out a quiet sigh and used the Flying Thunder God to teleport straight to the Hokage Office.
Sitting in the Hokage's chair, he couldn't help drifting into thought.
He wouldn't officially assume the title of Hokage until next Monday, but Tsunade had already become a completely hands-off leader. That meant he had to decide what to do next.
Now that he was the new Hokage, he needed to take action.
The first thing that came to Kitazawa's mind was the position of Hokage advisor.
At present, Konoha had three Hokage advisors: the former elders Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu, and the head of the Hokage Secretariat, Nara Shikaku.
Kitazawa planned to abolish the position of Hokage advisor entirely and keep only the Hokage Secretary.
Homura and Koharu could simply retire.
As for Shikaku, his role would remain the same. He would continue to oversee the Hokage Secretariat.
After all, the Nara clan's intellect was something he could rely on.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin in thought.
He had originally considered appointing Kurenai as the Hokage's secretary, but now that she was serving as head of the Film and Television Department, there was no longer any need.
With Shikaku and Shizune overseeing the Hokage Secretariat, that area was already well covered.
Of course, more staff could always be added later.
Aside from the Hokage's advisor and secretary, the most understaffed department was Anbu.
With Kitazawa becoming the Sixth Hokage and Asuma moving into an instructor role, Anbu had suddenly lost two of its leaders.
Fortunately, Kitazawa had already decided on replacements: Konan and Kakuzu.
That thought naturally led him to Nagato.
After Nagato joined Konoha, what position should he be given?
Kitazawa shook his head.
It was still too early to worry about that. He would decide once the entire Akatsuki organization had officially joined Konoha.
He mentally went over all the current departments in the village.
Overall, most could remain as they were.
However, after the Fourth Great Ninja War, there would definitely be many new departments established.
Just thinking about it made his head ache.
Luckily, there was no need to finalize everything right away. He could gradually expand and adjust over time.
The sun was already sinking in the western sky.
Kitazawa rose from his seat, ready to call it a day.
At that moment, three lines of text suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[Current Mission: Form the New Konoha's Three Sannin.]
[Mission Reward: Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.]
[The host has completed the mission; reward issued.]
Kitazawa let out a quiet sound of surprise.
He had completed this system mission already?
He thought back for a moment.
It was already dusk. After an afternoon of rumors spreading, it was likely that the entire village now knew about the so-called New Konoha's Three Sannin.
In any case, the result was good.
Mastering Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands meant he had now fully mastered wood release.
The only difference between Kitazawa and Senju Hashirama was chakra, and now that he has nearly eight tails' worth of chakra, it is not that absurd. With all the jutsu and bloodlines he has acquired, it is not an exaggeration to say he has surpassed the God of Shinobi!!
As long as Ōtsutsuki Kaguya didn't appear, there would be no problem.
Of course, once Kitazawa became strong enough, he still intended to release her.
Because her appearance would definitely trigger new system missions.
Perhaps they would be related to the Rinne Sharingan or the Divine Tree.
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