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"Team Three, come out. I'm your jonin instructor."
Not long after Iruka left the classroom, a jonin wearing a green flak jacket appeared at the door.
"Team Five, follow me."
As soon as Team Three left, another jonin appeared at the entrance.
The once-crowded classroom quickly emptied.
Before long, only a dozen or so students remained.
Unlike the perpetually late Hatake Kakashi, Yuhi Kurenai didn't keep Ryūsei and the others waiting for long.
Soon, a stunning black-haired woman with a fiery figure appeared at the classroom door. Her crimson eyes, the same shade as Ryūsei's, swept across the room before settling on him. She smiled and said, "Team Eight, come out. I'm your jonin instructor."
Before Ryūsei and his teammates could even stand up, a bearded man appeared at the door, his gaze also landing on Ryūsei. "Team Ten, come with me."
As Kurenai's suitor, Sarutobi Asuma had clearly left the Hokage's office at the same time as her.
"We're heading out now, Sakura. Come find us during the break, okay?"
"Yeah, see you later."
After exchanging farewells with Sakura, who was forcing a smile, Ryūsei and the others finally left the classroom.
"Kurenai, should we let these kids get to know each other first?" Asuma suggested, his ulterior motives obvious to anyone with eyes.
Shikamaru, who was walking behind them, overheard this and couldn't help but frown.
Their jonin instructor… didn't seem very reliable.
Kurenai glanced at Asuma, who had somehow already lit another cigarette, and her delicate brows furrowed slightly. "No need. You've already seen how well they get along. And Asuma, could you not smoke in front of a lady?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry…" Asuma hastily stomped out his cigarette, his submissive demeanor instantly shattering any remaining respect Team Eight and Team Ten might have had for him.
Ino looked especially horrified.
Not only had she failed to get into the same team as Ryūsei, but their jonin instructor was also a chain-smoker?!
Ryūsei, however, seemed lost in thought. Had their relationship really not progressed at all?
If he remembered correctly, in the original story, when Uchiha Itachi returned to the village, Kurenai and Asuma had been on a date before running into Kakashi. That was right after the Konoha Crush.
Did that mean their relationship only took off after Hiruzen's death?
The moment this possibility crossed his mind, Ryūsei couldn't help but look at Asuma with a hint of disdain.
'Damn, so he's using tragedy to get the girl? What a pathetic simp.'
"Hey… brats, what's with those looks?"
The judgmental stares from Ryūsei and the others made Asuma's face flush with embarrassment.
Ino, never one to hold back, even gave him a pitying look that nearly made him lose his composure.
Only then did he realize what he'd just done in front of his students.
Well, there went any semblance of authority.
"See you later, Ryūsei! Come visit the flower shop when you have time!"
After leaving the school building, Ino waved goodbye to Ryūsei, and Teams Eight and Ten went their separate ways.
Instead of taking them to one of the school's training grounds, Kurenai led Ryūsei's team out of the academy, past the central streets of Konoha, and into a deserted training field in the wilderness.
This training ground was identical to the one Team Seven used in the original story.
To be precise, most of the outdoor training grounds were the same.
Stopping in front of a wooden post, Kurenai turned to face Ryūsei and the others with a smile. "Until you're capable enough to stand on your own, we'll be spending a lot of time together. Let's introduce ourselves first."
"I'll go first as an example. My name is Yuhi Kurenai. You can call me Kurenai-sensei from now on. My specialty is genjutsu. My favorite foods are shochu, vodka, and wasabi octopus. I hate cake. My dream is to become a kunoichi as great as Lady Tsunade."
After finishing her introduction, Kurenai's gaze settled on Ryūsei.
Unlike elite jonin like Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, or Might Guy, Kurenai was a "newcomer" who had only recently been promoted to jonin.
When she found out that several of their generation were becoming instructors, someone had organized a gathering. During it, Kakashi and the others had looked down on her, even excluding her from their bet on whose students would turn out the best.
Though Kurenai hadn't shown it, she was deeply frustrated.
After receiving her student roster from the Third Hokage, her focus hadn't been on Hyuga Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuga clan, or Aburame Shino of the Aburame clan—it had been on Ryūsei, the top student of their year.
Seeing how Ryūsei had consistently outperformed the heirs of major clans for years, Kurenai had pinned her hopes on him.
She was determined to train an outstanding student who would humiliate Kakashi and the others in the upcoming Chunin Exams—or any other competition.
Of course, Ryūsei had no idea what Kurenai was thinking.
Noticing her gaze on him, he quickly introduced himself: "My name is Hoshina Ryūsei. I know several types of jutsu, but my strongest is water release. I like spicy food and hate sour and bitter flavors. My dream is to become an outstanding shinobi."
The first part was true, but the "dream" was just something he threw out to satisfy Kurenai.
His real dream was to unlock every rare ability and become an all-powerful Sage of Six Paths-level fighter.
This was the goal—the main quest—he had set for himself after awakening his gaming system!
"My name is Hyuga Hinata. I'm skilled in the Gentle Fist and sensory techniques. My favorite foods are red bean soup, cinnamon rolls, and cold dishes. I dislike shrimp and crab. My dream… is also to become an outstanding shinobi."
Hinata's voice was soft, but she didn't lower her head or show any timidity.
Her dream wasn't about gaining her father's approval, either. Thanks to Ryūsei's influence, Hinata had never disappointed Hyuga Hiashi.
Over the past few years, Hiashi and Inoichi had secretly observed Ryūsei and the others' training more than once.
They were well aware of their daughters' true strength—compared to other clan heirs, they were already exceptional.
Under Ryūsei's influence, Hinata wasn't as insecure as she had been in the original story.
But her real dream wasn't to become an outstanding shinobi.
No one knew what it actually was.
After Hinata finished, Aburame Shino began his introduction. "My name is Aburame Shino. I specialize in my clan's secret techniques. I like vegetable salad and winter melon. I dislike strongly flavored foods. My dream is to discover new species of insects."
"Good. Now I know your strengths and preferences."
Kurenai nodded in satisfaction. "But I still don't have a clear grasp of your actual abilities, so I'll be testing your skills and teamwork. Tomorrow at 8 a.m., meet here on time. We'll be doing a survival exercise. For now, you're dismissed."
With that, Kurenai vanished in a blur.