"Then what did you mean?" Sakura, clearly not letting Naruto off the hook for his earlier comment, continued to glare at him, her dissatisfaction evident.
"Er! What I meant was," Naruto stammered, his head swiveling around frantically as he searched for an escape, his gaze finally locking onto a group of older students from the year above them, "that those upper-year graduates… their skills are no good! It's a disgrace for us to be graduating alongside them!" Perhaps because he was too flustered and desperate to deflect Sakura's anger, Naruto blurted this out rather loudly.
In an instant, a group of the older students standing nearby, who had overheard his declaration, all turned to look, many of their faces darkening with displeasure, their brows furrowed. However, when they saw that the one who had spoken was Naruto, much of their initial anger dissipated. Having been at the Ninja Academy for some time, many of them had heard of this notorious troublemaker, Naruto.
In the original storyline Tatsuya knew, Naruto during his Academy days was famous for being the dead-last, the class clown. In this current timeline, however, Naruto was renowned because his teacher was the legendary Tatsuya Akimichi, and also for his own surprisingly impressive skills. Within the Ninja Academy, Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji Hyuga from the year above them were all widely acknowledged as prodigious talents. Although the three of them rarely showcased their full abilities at school, every time they did, it was an overwhelmingly dominant display. Naruto, in particular, with his boisterous and energetic personality, had gotten into more scuffles and altercations than most. Anyone unfortunate enough to get on this kid's bad side rarely came out of it well.
Most of the older students, knowing this, chose to let it slide, having no intention of picking a fight with Naruto. But two individuals among them were not about to let the insult pass so easily.
One of them was clad in a distinctive green jumpsuit, his wrists and hands wrapped in bandages. This was Rock Lee, from the year above Naruto's class. At this moment, his eyes were fixed on Naruto, a burning fighting spirit blazing within them. Hearing Naruto's disparaging remark, Lee didn't actually feel particularly offended. He simply registered Naruto as a new, worthy challenger. Lee had heard a great deal about Naruto and Sasuke from his own sensei, Might Guy, who often sought out Tatsuya when Tatsuya was guiding Naruto and Sasuke's training.
In the ranks of the upper-year students, another figure stood out: a youth dressed in white, with long brown hair tied back in a small ponytail at the end, and a pair of striking, pupil-less white eyes. He shot Naruto a brief, disdainful glance, his brow furrowed in displeasure. This was Neji Hyuga, the renowned genius of the Hyuga clan. Unlike Rock Lee, who was fired up with a desire to fight, Neji felt more of a simmering indignation. Having been hailed as a genius since he was young, how could he tolerate someone looking down on him with such blatant disrespect?
Standing beside Rock Lee and Neji was a sweet and lovely-looking girl, the one who would later be jokingly referred to by some as Konoha's "little rich girl"—Tenten. Tenten, however, didn't react much to Naruto's offensive words. Her attention was more focused on Sakura and Ino. These two girls, a year younger than her, had also been allowed to graduate early. It seemed their skills must be quite impressive! Perhaps she could get to know them sometime.
As Naruto's ill-considered words hung in the air, his own classmates standing beside him were all rendered speechless, a collective sense of exasperation washing over them. Way to make friends and influence people, Naruto! You just insulted an entire cohort! They could feel the pointed glares from the upper-year graduates, and a sense of helpless frustration welled up within them. They had just graduated, and already they'd made enemies with a large group of their seniors! What if they ended up being assigned to the same teams as some of these older graduates?
Sasuke couldn't help but shoot Naruto another exasperated glance. He was truly fed up with this idiot's brainless pronouncements.
Feeling the collective wave of ill will directed his way from all around, Naruto finally seemed to realize he had misspoken. He scratched the back of his head again, a sheepish, embarrassed grin on his face, and wisely decided to keep his mouth shut, not daring to say anything further.
Up on the platform, the Third Hokage had also heard Naruto's tactless remark. The wrinkles on the old man's forehead seemed to deepen even further. However, he didn't say anything about it. Soon, he began his customary speech about the Will of Fire. This was a time-honored tradition, a staple of every Ninja Academy graduation ceremony since the Third Hokage had taken office.
After the Third Hokage finished his inspiring speech on the Will of Fire, all the graduates were led back to their respective classrooms by their class instructors. Then, the process of assigning them to three-person ninja squads and designating their Jonin instructors began. Naruto and his classmates were led back to their classroom by Iruka-sensei.
Although their graduation time had been advanced, the team assignments for Konoha's "Rookie Nine" (plus Team Guy) remained unchanged from Tatsuya's knowledge of the original timeline.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were assigned to one team. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji formed another. Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Shino Aburame made up the third. And Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten were grouped together.
After receiving their official ninja headbands and having their team assignments finalized, these graduates were now officially declared Genin of Konoha. All that remained was for them to be assigned their Jonin instructors, under whose guidance they would begin undertaking official ninja missions.
Iruka-sensei's congratulatory words had barely finished leaving his mouth when Naruto, unable to contain his excitement any longer, was the first to bolt out of the classroom. After enduring the Academy for so long, he had finally graduated! He could finally go on real ninja missions!
Ichiraku Ramen.
Tatsuya, Kakashi, and Guy sat side-by-side at the counter, each with a steaming bowl of delicious ramen placed before them.
As they ate, Kakashi spoke, his voice muffled slightly by his mask, "Why aren't you personally taking on Naruto and Sasuke's team as their Jonin instructor?"
Tatsuya replied simply, "Because I'm not qualified."
Kakashi shot him a sidelong glance, his visible eye conveying his utter speechlessness. What the hell did he mean by that? Was he mocking Kakashi's own qualifications?
Sensing Kakashi's pointed gaze, Tatsuya looked back at him and chuckled softly. "Don't misunderstand. I'm talking about the aspect of leading a team on actual missions. You know my history; apart from the time I spent in ANBU Squad Eleven, I haven't actually undertaken that many standard missions. My mission experience isn't really suitable for teaching these rookies the ropes."
"You, on the other hand," Tatsuya continued, "came up through the ranks step by step in the traditional way. Your experience is much more suitable for leading them. Kakashi, I have high hopes for you!"
Kakashi: "..." He finally understood. This guy was just being lazy and didn't want to be bothered with leading a Genin team on missions! What nonsense about 'experience not being suitable'! If Kakashi remembered correctly, this very same Tatsuya had, back in the day, churned through a massive number of low-rank missions in an incredibly short period. If that didn't count as suitable experience, then Kakashi himself was even less qualified.
However, Kakashi didn't press the issue further. Tatsuya was willing to entrust his personally trained disciples, whom he had mentored for many years, to Kakashi's leadership. Kakashi had no reason to refuse. Their friendship, their bond, was already well-established. Kakashi also knew that Tatsuya was always secretly busy with various important, clandestine matters and truly wasn't suited to personally guiding three greenhorn Genin on routine ninja missions.
Moreover, Naruto was also the son of Kakashi's own beloved sensei, Minato Namikaze—his teacher's last living blood relative in the ninja world. Kakashi also wanted to fulfill some of his duty and obligation to his late sensei by looking after his son. Otherwise, given Kakashi's own typically laid-back and somewhat indolent nature, if it had been any other two Genin, he might not have agreed to take on the responsibility of being a Jonin instructor at all.
Beside them, Guy, listening to Tatsuya and Kakashi's conversation, didn't interject. His own next steps had also already been decided. He would be the Jonin instructor for the team consisting of Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten.
Four years ago, not long after Tsunade had ascended to the position of Hokage, Guy had retired from Konoha's regular active ninja forces. He, too, had become a teacher at the Ninja Academy. The first class he had taught was precisely the one that included Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten. Now that these three had graduated, Guy didn't plan to continue teaching at the Ninja Academy. He intended to personally become their Jonin instructor.
This decision was primarily because of Rock Lee. In Lee, Guy saw a reflection of his younger self. During Guy's own childhood, he had had his father to support and guide him. Rock Lee, however, had no such figure in his life.