Konoha Year 63
On the day of the Ninja Academy graduation exam, the training grounds were filled with tension.
"Clone Jutsu—pass!"
With Iruka's announcement, another student cleared the test. At the back of the line stood Tetsuhara Akira, his aqua-blue hair glinting under the sunlight.
"Next—Tetsuhara Akira."
He stepped into the center of the field and began forming hand seals. This wasn't the standard Three Basic Jutsu—the sequence was clearly more complex.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Three shadow clones appeared instantly, perfectly identical to the original. Their movements were synchronized, their expressions lively and alert. Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Isn't that… a B-rank ninjutsu?"
A flicker of satisfaction crossed Iruka Umino's face, but he quickly put on a stern expression.
"The test is for the Clone Jutsu, not the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Sorry, Iruka-sensei," Akira said with a smile. "I just wanted to show the results of my training over the past few years."
As he spoke, the three shadow clones formed hand seals at the same time.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
"Combination Ninjutsu—Wind–Water Tornado!"
A small tornado formed in the middle of the training ground, wind and water spiraling together. Every distant target was shattered cleanly, yet the control was so precise that no one nearby was harmed.
The entire field fell silent.
"Pass… no—passed with excellence," Iruka said at last, smiling openly.
"Tetsuhara Akira, you've become an outstanding ninja."
Akira bowed and dispelled the shadow clones. His chakra had dropped by about forty percent, but it was still well within control. Years of intense training had raised his reserves to the level of an elite chūnin, and his refined control allowed him to handle displays like this with ease.
"Akira! That was incredible!" Ino ran over, her eyes shining.
"You did great too," Akira said, lightly ruffling her blonde hair. "A perfect score on the perception test."
Nearby, Shikamaru yawned.
"What a drag… now we're really getting overshadowed."
"But he's reliable, isn't he?" Choji said, chewing on potato chips.
Naruto approached with a dejected look. His Clone Jutsu had failed again—the clone he produced had collapsed like a puddle of mud.
Akira comforted Naruto for a bit before leaving. Naruto had his own destiny to walk.
---
The next day, in the classroom, Akira sat down, already prepared to enjoy a familiar scene—one he had been waiting for.
Before long, Naruto burst in, instantly drawing attention. He proudly showed off his forehead protector, but when he saw his beloved Sakura still fawning over the aloof Sasuke, irritation flared up. He jumped straight onto the desk in front of Sasuke, and the two of them locked eyes, sparks practically flying.
At that moment, Akira casually pulled out a camera from who-knows-where and pointed it straight at them.
"Buddy in front, nudge… nudge… nudge…" he muttered.
"Ah—there!"
Click.
The historic moment of Naruto and Sasuke being forced into an accidental kiss was perfectly captured.
Akira lifted the photo to admire it.
"Not bad… I'll keep this for later."
He grinned to himself. Hehehe… Hinata-chan, you wouldn't want—
Cough.
Getting distracted.
To be clear, Tetsuhara Akira firmly declared that he only liked Ino. Yes. Absolutely.
Naruto and Sasuke snapped back to reality and noticed the camera in Akira's hand. They tried to rush over and snatch it, but Sasuke's fangirls completely surrounded him, leaving no opening. As a result, Naruto ended up getting beaten down, a smoking bump forming on his head.
Just then, Iruka walked into the classroom.
"Alright, take your seats. I'll be announcing the team assignments."
Akira returned to his desk and waited calmly.
With a name that doesn't exist in the original story… which team will I be placed on?
He had read plenty of transmigration novels before. Most of them shoved the protagonist straight into Team 7. Even when following the main cast, it always felt awkward—forced inclusion was just uncomfortable, wasn't it? (^▽^)
Then Iruka spoke.
"Team Two: Tetsuhara Akira, Aoki Ren, Ishida Ken.
Jonin Instructor—Shiranui Genma."
Two unfamiliar names.
Akira glanced to his side. A girl with a black ponytail and a boy with short brown hair sat nearby—both average students who usually didn't stand out.
"Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke.
Jonin Instructor—Kakashi Hatake."
"Team Eight: Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino.
Jonin Instructor—Kurenai Yuhi."
"Team Ten: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji.
Jonin Instructor—Asuma Sarutobi."
Akira stood up and took the initiative, extending his hand.
"Nice to meet you."
Aoki Ren froze for a moment before hurriedly shaking it.
"H-hello! I'm Aoki Ren. I specialize in Fire Release and basic Medical Ninjutsu."
Ishida Ken adjusted his glasses.
"Ishida Ken. Earth Release and trap deployment. Analysis-focused."
"Tetsuhara Akira," he said simply. "Wind Release, Water Release. Currently studying Space-Time Ninjutsu."
"Space-time…" Light flashed across Ishida Ken's lenses.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique? Theoretically, it requires chakra control and spatial perception far beyond that of a jōnin. According to existing data, the only confirmed users were the Second Hokage and the Fourth Hokage, with a success probability of just 0.0003%—"
"My father left behind notes," Akira cut in calmly.
"And besides, I can already perform short-distance teleportation."
Both of them stared at him, eyes wide in shock.