Student days were truly something special.
Especially for Yoruha, Hinata, and Ino—
the three of them were together almost every single day,
laughing, training, relaxing.
It was a happy and peaceful life.
But…
Graduation was just around the corner.
And once that happened—everything would change.
After graduating from the Ninja Academy, every student would be placed into a team of three under a jōnin instructor,
and begin performing real ninja missions.
Sometimes they'd be sent on long-distance assignments…
And it wasn't uncommon to be gone for weeks or even months at a time.
The thought of not seeing Yoruha for so long made Ino and Hinata feel genuinely sad.
"Everyone has to grow up eventually," Yoruha said, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't be so gloomy.
Besides, if I stay a student forever, how will I ever go to Hinata's house and propose?"
That made both girls flush.
Yoruha's relationship with Hinata had already been made clear.
But even so—
In his eyes, twelve-year-old Hinata was still a little girl.
So their relationship had always stayed pure and respectful.
At most, the most they ever did was hug each other.
"I really hope I end up on the same team as you," Hinata murmured, snuggling into Yoruha's arms with a soft sigh.
Team placement was something Yoruha was curious about, too.
Originally, if he didn't exist,
the Nine Rookie Genin of Konoha—also known as the Konoha 9—would've had pretty straightforward team placements.
But with Yoruha added into the mix…
The Nine became Ten.
How would the Third Hokage handle the teams now?
The three sat close together, watching the sun set behind the trees—
each lost in their own thoughts.
At that moment, Uzumaki Naruto came walking over from a distance,
his whole demeanor slumped and dejected.
"Yo, Naruto! What's up?" Yoruha waved and smiled.
Naruto flinched slightly at the sound of his voice—
then sighed and slowly shuffled over.
"Ugh... Yoruha, the graduation exam is coming up," Naruto muttered. "But no matter how hard I try, I just can't get the Clone Jutsu right…"
"But I really want to graduate and become a ninja! I'm gonna be Hokage someday, y'know?"
Yoruha tilted his head, a bit amused.
"The Clone Jutsu's actually pretty basic. I don't know how you're still stuck on it… How are you gonna become Hokage like this?" he teased.
Ino giggled.
Hinata nodded politely.
Even though the Hyuga clan wasn't known for using ninjutsu,
everyone learned the Three Basic Jutsu in school.
"I don't get it either!" Naruto groaned. "I do everything Iruka-sensei says! I try to control my chakra carefully, but every time I form a clone, it's messed up. The chakra just gets all scrambled…"
His eyes drooped, utterly defeated.
"Don't stress too much, Naruto." Yoruha placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Even if you don't get it this time, just be patient. I believe you'll graduate eventually."
Internally, Yoruha couldn't help but chuckle.
You can learn Shadow Clone Jutsu instantly…
but can't perform a basic Clone Technique?
It was so typical of a protagonist.
Always a little extra.
Three days later.
The graduation exams were over.
And in the Hokage's office,
the Third Hokage sat at his desk, smoking his pipe with a troubled expression on his face.
"Now then… how should I assign the teams this year…"
Normally, the placement of graduation teams wasn't something the Hokage had to personally decide.
But since Hiruzen Sarutobi also held the honorary title of Principal of the Ninja Academy,
the final decision fell to him.
The Ino–Shika–Cho trio was the easiest.
Even though the Yamanaka clan had two students this year—
Everyone knew that Yoruha had no real interest in the clan's mind techniques.
He followed a combat-heavy path instead.
So the Ino–Shika–Cho formation could proceed as usual:
Ino Yamanaka
Shikamaru Nara
Choji Akimichi
As for the Byakugan, Insect-user, and Dog-user—
Those three had natural tracking and sensory talents,
so grouping them into a recon squad made perfect sense.
That left the toughest decision:
"Yoruha Yamanaka… Uchiha Sasuke… Uzumaki Naruto…"
"How do I place these three?"