Chapter 14: Team Allocations and a Lazy Prophecy
The morning sun streamed into the academy classroom, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air and the anxious faces of the newly minted genin. Today was the day of team assignments, a pivotal moment that would shape the first years of their shinobi careers. The room hummed with a nervous energy, a mixture of excitement and dread.
Naruto sat with a practiced air of nonchalance, observing his classmates with detached interest. His calm was suddenly broken by a flurry of movement and a soft, familiar voice.
"Na-Naruto-kun!"
He looked up to see Hinata, her face flushed with a happiness so pure it was almost luminous. She hurried to his side, her steps light. Today was her liberation; from this point forward, she would no longer be perpetually shadowed by the bodyguards her father had assigned. For the first time, the possibility of truly spending time with Naruto, free from prying clan eyes, felt real.
Naruto responded with a soft smile, reaching out to gently ruffle her hair. "Good morning, Hinata."
Hinata leaned into the touch, her eyes closing for a brief moment of bliss, utterly oblivious to the world around them.
Their public display did not go unnoticed. A wave of muttered complaints and envious sighs rippled through the room.
"How does a guy like him end up with a girl like Hinata?"
"Yeah, the Hyūga heiress and a... commoner. Why couldn't it be me? Woe is me!"
Ignoring the chorus of jealousy, Naruto and Hinata took their seats, joining the collective wait for the arrival of the jōnin sensei who would dictate their futures.
The first to arrive was Sarutobi Asuma, exuding a casual confidence with a cigarette tucked behind his ear. "Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji, Yamanaka Ino. With me." Without another word, he turned and strode out.
Shikamaru stood with a long-suffering sigh. "What a drag."
Chōji simply continued munching on his chips.
Ino, however, looked utterly crestfallen. "Sasuke-kun..." she wailed softly before hurrying after her new team.
Next came Kurenai Yūhi, her presence calm and elegant. "Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino. Follow me."
At the sound of her name, Hinata's hopeful expression crumpled. A wave of disappointment washed over her, and she looked at Naruto with eyes full of quiet heartbreak.
Naruto felt a pang of sympathy. He gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "It's okay," he said softly. "Even if we're not on the same team, we can still see each other. I'll find you."
His words were a balm to her spirit. Hinata nodded, her determination returning. "Yes!" she said, her voice firm before she stood and joined her new teammates.
Naruto watched her go, a quiet sigh escaping his lips. 'The path ahead with her is still long,' he mused internally.
One by one, the classrooms emptied as jōnin collected their squads. Naruto wasn't surprised in the least when only he, Sasuke, and Sakura remained. He had known this was inevitable.
"Two big trouble magnets," he muttered under his breath, though not quietly enough.
Sasuke shot him a cold, sidelong glance. Sakura, however, erupted. She stormed over and slammed her hands on his desk. "Just who do you think you're calling trouble?!"
Naruto merely glanced up at her, his expression one of profound boredom. He had no energy for her theatrics.
"What's with that look—" she began, but was cut off as the classroom door slid open with a soft shoof.
A man with spiky silver hair stood there, his one visible eye curving into a lazy smile. "Yo. Arguing already?" Kakashi Hatake asked, his tone utterly bland.
All three sets of eyes locked onto him, the previous tension momentarily forgotten.
"Well, never mind. You three, come with me." With that, he turned and ambled out, just as every other sensei had.
Sakura immediately began fuming again. "Unbelievable! Not only is he late, but he's completely irresponsible! We're so unlucky to get a jōnin like him!"
Naruto couldn't help it. A soft, derisive "Heh," escaped his lips.
Sakura whirled on him. "And what's that supposed to mean?!"
This time, Naruto didn't stay silent. He met her glare with a calm, knowing look. "You'll find out soon enough just how 'lucky' we are to be assigned to him," he said, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "After all, there isn't a jōnin in Konoha stronger than Kakashi."
The statement hung in the air, heavy and profound.
No jōnin stronger than Kakashi?
Both Sasuke and Sakura stared, their shock evident. This perpetually late, seemingly lazy man was Konoha's strongest active jōnin? Sasuke's eyes, for the first time that day, held a flicker of genuine interest. If this man truly possessed such power, he might hold the key to the strength Sasuke so desperately craved.
Naruto, of course, knew the nuances. Kakashi was arguably the most well-rounded. In a straight fight, Might Guy with his Seven Gates opened would be a formidable, likely victorious, opponent. But Kakashi had a reputation, a legend among shinobi—the man who fought everyone to a stalemate.
As they stood to follow their new sensei, Naruto's final thought was a wry one. 'Well, this should be anything but boring.'
(End of Chapter)