Konoha
In a corner of the training ground, an abandoned warehouse.
Shinji leaned back against a wooden crate piled high with discarded Kunai, clutching the crumpled team assignment sheet in his hand.
It was already the third time.
He stared at his name in the "Pending Assignment" column on the paper and suddenly found it almost funny.
When he received his Genin forehead protector three months ago, it wasn't like this.
Back then, he stood at the entrance of the Ninja Academy, turning that thin iron forehead protector over and over dozens of times, his mind filled with all sorts of glittering fantasies.
Perhaps Sandaime would suddenly summon him tomorrow, saying that this child actually possessed a hidden Kekkei Genkai.
Maybe during his next mission, he would stumble upon some relic of the Sage of Six Paths and embark on the path to the pinnacle of life.
How wonderful those fantasies were.
But three months had passed.
Expectations are like sand held in the palm of your hand. You think you're holding them tight, but when you look down, they've already leaked away.
Now, he had no fantasies left.
He only asked to be successfully assigned to a team, so he wouldn't be stuck with the words "Pending Assignment" on the Genin registry forever.
That was all he asked for.
Yet today, the third team assignment failed.
On that long list on the bulletin board, his name wasn't next to any of the successfully formed teams.
All he got was:
"Sorry, your Taijutsu foundation is too weak."
"We need more aggressive members."
"For his own safety."
Shinji stuffed the assignment sheet into his Ninja tool pouch, stood up, and brushed the dust off his pants.
There was one last chance at the Hokage Building; Sandaime said he wanted to talk to him. So, he would talk.
Walking along the streets of Konoha, passing through several familiar alleys, his footsteps suddenly paused.
Not far ahead, four figures were turning out from another side street.
Leading them was a female Ninja wearing a black Jonin flak jacket, her long black hair tied back. Kurenai Yuhi.
Behind her followed three Genin:
Shino Aburame, silent as a stone.
Inuzuka Kiba, leading his dog with an expression that said, "I'm the best in the world."
And one more.
White eyes, short grayish-purple hair, her fingertips subconsciously twisting together.
Hyuga Hinata.
Shinji's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then he looked away nonchalantly and continued walking forward.
But he didn't go around them; he walked straight toward them.
"Hinata."
He spoke first, his voice gentler than usual.
Hinata froze, her face turning even redder as she lowered her head and replied softly:
"No, Shinji-kun."
"Just got back from a mission?"
"Yes. It, it was a D-rank mission, helping a villager find their cat."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, until it was almost inaudible.
Beside her, Inuzuka Kiba rolled his eyes and muttered, "Here we go again."
Shino didn't speak, his gaze from behind his sunglasses landing on Shinji. Kurenai Yuhi, however, took an extra look at Shinji, her eyes filled with a hint of appraisal.
She had heard of this boy; his theoretical knowledge was solid, but his Chakra levels were too low, and he had never been assigned to a team.
Hinata often mentioned him.
"Shinji-kun."
Hinata suddenly mustered the courage to look up: "Are, are you doing okay lately?" In those white eyes, there was sincere concern.
Shinji looked at her, and somewhere in his heart, something stirred slightly.
After transmigrating to this world, he had made many calculations.
Which path was the safest, which choice had the highest return, which people were worth investing in.
Hinata was a name he had calculated in his mind many times.
The eldest daughter of the Hyuga Main Branch, the future wife of the Hokage.
If he could build a bond with her early on, if he could walk into her heart.
Then the Hyuga Clan, one of the most powerful noble families in Konoha, would become his greatest asset.
It was very utilitarian. He knew that. But in this cruel Ninja World, an orphan without talent had too few cards to play.
That was why he was often good to Hinata when they were in school.
It wasn't too deliberate; he just took the initiative to greet her every time they met, occasionally helped her pick up things she dropped, and stood up to block for her when she was bullied by classmates.
The way Hinata looked at him gradually changed.
This sometimes made Shinji think, how nice it would be if he weren't approaching her with an ulterior motive.
But he was.
And right now, he couldn't give her anything.
"I'm doing quite well."
Shinji replied, his tone calm:
"I'm just about to head to the Hokage Building; Sandaime wants to talk to me."
Hinata's eyes brightened:
"Is, is it about the team assignments?"
"Something like that."
Inuzuka Kiba finally couldn't help it; he stepped forward, blocking the space between Hinata and Shinji:
"Hey, that's enough. Hinata is just being polite by talking to you, stop pestering her."
Shinji looked at him without speaking.
Kiba felt a bit unsettled by those calm eyes, but he pressed on, biting the bullet:
"Don't you have any idea what your own situation is? You can't even perform the basic Three Body Technique properly, and your Genin registry still says 'Pending Assignment'."
"Hinata is the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Main Branch, and you…"
He paused, swallowing the last half of the sentence, but the meaning was already clear. You aren't qualified.
Shinji lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a small shadow on his face.
He knew Kiba was telling the truth.
In these three months, he had heard too many similar words.
Every sentence was the truth.
Every sentence reminded him that he was a waste.
"Kiba!"
Hinata's voice suddenly rose a little; although it was still soft, it carried a rare sense of urgency:
"Don't, don't say that."
She took half a step forward, standing between Shinji and Kiba. With her back to Shinji, she faced Kiba.
That small figure stood in front of him.
Shinji was stunned.
"Nobu, Shinji-kun, he…"
Hinata's voice was trembling slightly, but she tried her best to finish her sentence:
"He has always been working very hard. Every time I finish training and go home, I can see him at the training ground. Even when it's dark, he's still practicing."
Kiba curled his lip: "What's the point of practicing? Chakra is innate; you can't practice it into existence."
Hinata's eyes turned a little red, but she didn't back away.
At this moment, a hand rested gently on her shoulder.
Shinji walked out from behind her, stood beside her, and looked at Kiba.
"He's right."
Shinji's voice was very calm:
"Chakra is innate; I truly can't practice it into existence."
Hinata turned to look at him, her eyes filled with heartache.
Shinji didn't look at her, just continued: "But even if I can't practice it into existence, I still have to practice. I can't just wait to die."
The words were spoken calmly, but they made Kurenai Yuhi, who was standing nearby, raise an eyebrow.
Shino finally spoke, his voice low:
"Your theoretical knowledge is very good, and your tactical mind is not bad either. If you took the intelligence analysis route…"
"I want to try the Chunin Exams." Shinji interrupted him.
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
"The Chunin Exams?"
Kiba's eyes widened: "Are you crazy? It can be entered individually, but what are you going to use to pass? The written test is one thing, but what about the practical combat? Any random Genin could…"
"Kiba, that's enough." Kurenai Yuhi finally spoke, her voice not loud, but it made Kiba immediately shut his mouth.
Kurenai looked at Shinji, her gaze filled with a complex sense of appraisal: "Are you sure you want to take this path?"