It wasn't long before the teacher arrived.He pulled out a sheet of paper and began reading out the class assignments.
"Class One… Class Two…"
"Class Three: Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, Ebisu."
Those who had been laughing earlier—Shiranui Genma and Ebisu—finally fell silent.
Finally, it came to Haruto's name.
"Class Seven: Kisaragi Haruto, Sarutobi Konan."
Konan blinked at Haruto. Only one of them had been assigned here.Although Haruto and Guy were both hardworking and likely strong, the clash of their skills earlier had been overwhelming for young Konan.
The teacher continued reading.
"Class Eight…"
Konan tensed.Wait… why were there only two of them?
Haruto glanced at her and whispered, "Don't worry, we'll ask after class."
"Uh… okay."Konan nodded, suppressing her curiosity.
Outside the classroom:
"Teacher, why does Class Seven only have two students? Usually there's a lead Jonin and a three-person team, right?"
Haruto asked.
The teacher scratched his head, embarrassed. "I… I'm not sure. Once you meet your lead Jonin this afternoon, you'll understand."
"Huh?"
Konan looked confused, completely unable to make sense of the situation.
The teacher quickly Body Flickered away, leaving only Haruto and Konan staring at each other.
They were both dumbfounded.
Of course, Haruto had a suspicion—but wasn't certain if it was correct.
There was one unlucky, high-pressure genius—promoted to Chunin last year—but his personality and style made him notoriously difficult to handle in a team.
Hatake Kakashi.
Could it be him?
…
At two o'clock in the afternoon, all the classes gathered inside the academy.Downstairs, other students were still attending lessons, while they waited for their lead Jonin to arrive.
Haruto sat at his desk, contemplating his future.
He had begun to grasp some of the system's mechanics.Being in a team with Kakashi seemed to have its advantages—Just that… he had no idea who the lead Jonin would be.
Minato Namikaze?
He absentmindedly twirled a kunai as he thought.
Finally, Konan couldn't contain herself.
"Haruto-kun… I… I have a question."
She was a couple of years older, not in the same class, so they weren't close yet.
But as teammates, they needed to get familiar with each other.
Haruto stopped twirling the kunai. "What is it?"
"You… are you practicing finger dexterity?"
She pointed at the flurry of kunai dancing between Haruto's fingers.
Haruto paused, then chuckled silently. "Just a habit."
"A habit…"Konan nodded respectfully, looking at him with a new admiration.
Building a habit required years of training—she could hardly imagine the effort and hardship behind it.No wonder he shared common ground with Might Guy.
Haruto didn't know what the young girl was thinking; he was pondering—would getting closer to her help him gather more system rewards?
Soon after, knock knock!
The door opened.Haruto looked up and almost laughed out loud.
A silver-haired boy wearing a mask walked in, eyes half-lidded, expression stiff, pretending to be casual as he sat down.
Konan's jaw dropped.She blinked, utterly incredulous.
Then…
"You're not our lead Jonin, are you?!"
"Hmph."Kakashi merely turned his head, silent.
Haruto whispered a reminder."Konan, Kakashi only became Chunin last year—he can't be a Jonin."
"Oh, right."Konan's thoughts were in chaos, still trying to understand the situation.
Haruto bit back a smile, amused by the irony.
It really was him!
So…
"Kakashi, is this considered repeating a year?"
"…"Kakashi glanced at him, then returned his gaze forward, refusing to answer.
Tch.Haruto restrained his urge to tease, sitting upright and maintaining a terrifyingly quiet classroom atmosphere.
By the previous world's game-level standards…Kakashi now was at least boss-level difficulty, definitely not someone that could be handled with simple banter like Guy or Genma.
Patience. He would approach this carefully.
Better see who the teacher was first.
As Haruto pondered, footsteps approached outside.The three of them instinctively turned to the door.
Could this be their teacher?
After a long pause, the footsteps abruptly stopped, as if heading to another classroom.
Konan frowned."Where did our teacher go?"
Kakashi replied calmly, "As ninjas, all we have to do is wait."
"…"Haruto glanced at them, lips twitching.If Konan's perception was correct—then their teacher had a bit of a twisted sense of humor, likely observing the three of them to gauge personality and ability.
Who would it be?When introductions happened later, how should he answer?
Haruto's mind raced.
…
Outside, Jiraiya sighed.He hadn't expected, at this age and rank, to still have to personally supervise a team—let alone a group of freshly graduated kids.Truly… all the fault of that old man!
He observed the class discreetly.
"The little girl is sharp, good with genjutsu, and has potential in perception… maybe suitable for medical or support roles.""The silver-haired kid is difficult to deal with. No wonder no one wants him—a troublesome one.""And the last one…""Tch, doesn't look easy either. I'm asking for trouble here."
Jiraiya stroked his chin, recalling last night.
Yesterday, inside the Hokage building:
"Old man, I just planned to travel outside the village… and now I'm assigned to lead students? Are you doing this on purpose?!"
"The village needs you."Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
Jiraiya smirked. After a few seconds of silence, he asked,"These three kids I'm leading… are they special?"
"Kakashi is one of them."Hiruzen replied.
Jiraiya fell silent. After a long pause, he finally said,"Isn't that kid already a Chunin?"
"Take a look."Hiruzen handed over some papers.
Jiraiya scanned them—filled with complaints about Kakashi from various ninjas.Almost no team dared to take him; everyone passed him off.
Hiruzen could have forced an assignment, but…He wanted Jiraiya, the Sannin, to personally manage Kakashi.
Thinking of Shikamaru's suicide case, Jiraiya sighed. He didn't decline, scanning the desk.
Then, he noticed another file.He picked it up.
It was about the boy!He read carefully.
Kisaragi Haruto.A descendant of the Senju.Over a year ago, his parents passed away. Since then, his personality changed—somewhat aloof and odd, not fitting in with others.A war orphan.
Jiraiya held the paper silently.During the Second Great Ninja War, the three Sannin gained fame—but many ninjas under their command had perished.
A hardworking child like this… his character…
"The other two aren't fixed yet? Add him. I'm interested in this one."
"You know him?"Hiruzen asked, surprised.
Though the boy graduated early today, Hiruzen only remembered his exceptional Substitution Jutsu and solid taijutsu skills.
"A diligent, intelligent child. I think he has the potential of a Minato," Jiraiya said.
Hiruzen was silent for a moment, then nodded lightly."Fine. Him, Kakashi… and who else? Your choice."
"Doesn't matter," Jiraiya replied, scanning the room and selecting the one that seemed best."Let's take her."