"Alright, that's it for the team assignments. You're dismissed for now. Come back to your classroom this afternoon—your squad leaders will be here to pick you up. Lastly, congratulations to all of you!"
Iruka's voice carried a hint of emotion. He had poured his heart into teaching this class, and now that every one of his students had successfully graduated, he felt proud… but also worried.
The path of a shinobi was full of dangers. He could only hope they'd all be safe and sound in the future.
After Iruka left, Naruto was torn between joy and frustration. On one hand, he got assigned to the same team as Sakura—awesome! But on the other hand, that smug Sasuke was on the team too. Sakura, meanwhile, was overjoyed and completely ignored Naruto. Just being on Sasuke's team made her happy.
"What a pity we didn't end up on the same team," Shino said with slight regret.
"Hehe, it is a bit of a shame. But no worries—we're still friends, still comrades in the same village." Natsuki smiled and reassured him.
In truth, he wasn't surprised by the team divisions—they were the same as the original story.
What did surprise him was that Hiruzen Sarutobi had assigned Yamashiro Aoba, a Special Jonin, to be his squad leader.
Yamashiro Aoba—Special Jonin of Konoha, part of the Intelligence Division. He excelled in sensory, reconnaissance, interrogation, support, and was skilled in mind reading, summoning, binding, Fire Release, and more. He could even use the "Scattered Thousand Crows Technique," and his taijutsu wasn't weak either. A true all-rounder support ninja.
In the original timeline, Aoba didn't get much screen time. His most memorable moment was during the rescue of Asuma.
Back then, when Asuma was fatally cursed by Hidan and Shikamaru and his team were in deep trouble, Aoba had rushed over with Raido, Choji, and Ino. He disrupted Hidan with a swarm of crows and even held his own in taijutsu against Kakuzu, going toe-to-toe. His Fire Release was pretty impressive, too.
But most impressive of all was his mind reading technique. He once even dove into Kisame's brain to extract memories.
Natsuki didn't expect that Hiruzen would assign someone like Aoba as his team leader.
Truly surprising.
But what he didn't know was that Hiruzen hadn't had many good choices left. Konoha had plenty of Jonin, but most weren't suitable for leading a genin team.
For example: Hiashi Hyuga, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shibi Aburame—these were all clan heads with important duties and no time to spare. Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai were already assigned.
Most of the remaining Jonin were in the ANBU, and couldn't be pulled out easily.
That left only the pool of Special Jonin to choose from. After much deliberation, Aoba seemed the most suitable.
Aoba might not be the strongest, but he was certainly versatile. Hiruzen believed he'd make a good teacher.
And besides, Natsuki was self-motivated and strong in independent study. He was already learning the Hachimon (Eight Gates) and Hatake sword techniques on his own. He didn't need someone powerful—he needed someone experienced to guide him. So Aoba became the first choice.
"I'm going to meet up with my teammates~."
Natsuki said goodbye to Shino and exchanged a look with Yamashiro Rone and Kato Megumi. He gestured outside, and the two nodded, getting up to leave together.
At a deserted training ground, the new members of Team 9 stood face to face.
When Natsuki recalled their names, he almost laughed. The combo of Megumi and Rone sounded like characters straight out of Saekano.
Kato Megumi—could she be related to Kato Dan or Kato Shizune? She looked elegant, calm, and didn't have the usual delicate aura of most girls. Not bad.
As for Yamashiro Rone, maybe he was from the same clan as Aoba.
Still, speculation meant nothing right now. There was something more important to take care of.
Natsuki crossed his arms and spoke seriously, "Now that Team 9 is formed, we need to choose a leader. When the sensei isn't around, we'll follow the leader's command. I think I'm the right person for the job. Any objections?"
Since they'd be working closely together, Natsuki didn't want to sit back passively. He wasn't sure if these two were reliable or not, so it was better to take the initiative and claim leadership early.
Rone and Megumi exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.
They did need someone to take the lead when the teacher wasn't around—and that person had to be strong.
Given Natsuki's usual performance, they were convinced. And seeing his aura now, it was clear he wasn't asking. If they refused, they might just get beaten up.
Better to submit early.
Natsuki grinned. "Great. From now on, we're a team. And as your team leader, I'll treat you guys to Ichiraku Ramen. We'll eat and talk strategy."
Both Rone and Megumi warmed up to Natsuki quickly.
His smile was friendly, and his offer to treat them to food showed he wasn't stingy. That was a good sign—less chance of being bullied later.
At Ichiraku Ramen, Natsuki ordered the deluxe set for all three of them and began asking questions.
"Rone, you've got the same last name as Aoba. Are you two related?"
Rone nodded. "He's my cousin. He's a kind and easygoing guy, and really strong. He's great at taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu, summoning, even mind reading—he's a jack of all trades. I've always admired him."
Megumi's eyes lit up. "Our squad leader's that amazing?!"
Rone's nose practically pointed to the ceiling. "Of course! Boss, Megumi, trust me—learning from my cousin is the best decision. He's got mad skills!"
Megumi nodded earnestly, clearly convinced.
Natsuki had no reason to doubt it either. In fact, he knew more than they did. Aoba really was impressive. Just think—he managed to go hand-to-hand with someone like Kakuzu and even disrupted Hidan. And being able to dig through someone's brain to retrieve memories? That was wild.
Then Natsuki turned to Megumi. "Megumi, I heard Tsunade-sama once had a lover named Kato Dan, and an assistant named Kato Shizune. Any relation to you?"
"Eh? Uh… maybe? Possibly distant relatives?" Megumi looked unsure. "I can ask my parents when I get home. If we really are related, that'd be amazing—I never thought I'd be related to someone like Tsunade-sama!"
Totally normal—most girls admired Tsunade.
There was probably some connection between Megumi and the Kato family. Konoha might have many small clans, but people sharing the same surname usually weren't strangers. He'd look into it later.
After finishing their ramen, Natsuki led them back to the training ground. "We may be graduates now, but I have a feeling our squad leader will still test us. Probably to gauge our abilities. Let's prepare something special to impress Aoba-sensei…"
(End of Chapter)
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