Uchiha Sasuke.
The little Uchiha genius who had already awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan.
The sole surviving heir of the Uchiha clan in Konoha Village.
So—
The most suitable jōnin to guide Sasuke would naturally be Hatake Kakashi.
After all, Kakashi also possessed the Sharingan and was known far and wide as the Copy Ninja.
On top of that, he was a direct disciple of the Fourth Hokage—
making him an ideal fit to mentor Uzumaki Naruto as well.
But then…
What about Yoruha?
Should he also be placed on Kakashi's team?
In terms of strength alone, Yoruha absolutely deserved it.
But tradition dictated that each squad must have at least one girl.
Girls were known to be more detail-oriented during missions, and also helped balance the dynamics between two male teammates.
In that case, Haruno Sakura was the most logical choice.
But then what?
Where would that leave Yoruha?
Would they just stick him with two random students from the remaining class?
But aside from the three already-formed teams…
The skill level of the other students this year was noticeably average.
Putting Yoruha with them would only drag him down.
And if that happened, the Yamanaka clan would definitely be unhappy.
"It's tough… It's tough being Hokage.
Even tougher being a responsible Hokage…"
The Third Hokage stood at his office window, gazing out at the towering Hokage Rock,
letting out a sigh as smoke curled from his pipe.
"Maybe it's best if I just meet with the boy and hear what he thinks for himself."
The results of the graduation exam were finally out.
All of Yoruha's friends had successfully graduated, proudly receiving their new forehead protectors.
The only thing left was team placement.
At the Yamanaka Clan's training grounds,
Yoruha was practicing sword techniques on his own.
Ino had been taken to Shikamaru's house by her father.
Everyone already knew that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was a done deal—
so the older generation of Pig-Deer-Butterfly needed to pass down their wisdom to the new generation.
Hinata didn't come either.
The Hyuga clan was holding a private celebration to honor her graduation.
So today, Yoruha trained alone in silence.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Yoruha's wooden blade struck the training post again and again.
The movements were familiar—similar to how he trained a few years ago—
but now, each strike carried a steady rhythm and precision.
In the last three years, Yoruha had grown tremendously through his mission rewards:
His basic swordsmanship was excellent.
His shuriken accuracy was top-tier.
His Wind Release had developed into a lethal edge.
He had unlocked Taijutsu Mastery, Swordsmanship Mastery, and Wind and Fire Ninjutsu Proficiency.
However…
His Fire Release was still only at the proficient level.
Which meant he still hadn't reached the threshold to fuse bloodline chakra through his Byakugan.
Even so—
Yoruha's current strength was already on par with that of a jōnin.
It's just that Yoruha was a quiet and low-key person,
and never liked to show off in front of others.
As he continued swinging—
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him.
A tall, elegant ANBU kunoichi, with flowing purple hair and a calm demeanor.
"Yoruha Yamanaka. Lord Hokage wishes to see you."
Yoruha finished his final slash, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked her over.
Purple hair… ANBU… sword at her waist…
If he wasn't mistaken, this was Yugao Uzuki.
"There aren't many sword specialists left in the village," Yoruha said with a calm smile.
"Would you be interested in sparring? I've never fought a blade-wielder like you before."
Under her ANBU mask, Yugao's expression turned subtly strange.
A newly graduated academy student—challenging her, an elite ANBU?
He had guts, she'd give him that.
But even so…
In an era where fewer and fewer young shinobi trained seriously with the sword,
a boy like Yoruha was something of a rarity.
So, she decided not to turn him down.
Of course, her mission still came first.
She couldn't waste too much time here.
Still, if she could show him something with her swordsmanship,
perhaps it would serve as inspiration for his own growth.
"Alright," she said calmly.
"I accept—but only one move."