Chapter 110: Team One
Ishiro returned to Advisor Saka's office and reported the three students he had chosen.
Upon seeing Ishiro's selection, Saka was at a loss for words. It was one thing not to pick from the same class—but he had chosen two elite students and one from a regular class. How was Saka supposed to organize the rest?
The academy assigned students in groups of three precisely for the sake of easy future team formations. Back when Ishiro's year had an extra student—Uzumaki Yumi—it had already given Saka a major headache during class placements.
Now Ishiro was causing another mess. Saka waved him off impatiently, clearly exasperated.
Ishiro realized the issue too. Scratching his head awkwardly, he quickly took his leave.
News that Ishiro had gone to the academy to choose disciples spread the same day—even those students who hadn't shown up heard about it. Many began to regret their choices: Why had they trained with their clan instead of showing up at school like everyone else?
But they all knew Ishiro had likely made his choices already. Now everyone was guessing who the lucky ones were. Everyone hoped it would be them.
After all, Ishiro's reputation in the village was not small. A 14-year-old jōnin—something rare in Iwagakure, a village not exactly known for producing prodigies.
He had also opened trade routes, bringing attention and recognition.
Being from a civilian background, Ishiro was frequently used by teachers as an inspirational example to students—so he had quite a few fans.
With three days left until graduation, the academy was packed with students. Even those who usually trained elsewhere showed up, hoping to be seen. Maybe someone else besides Ishiro would come to pick disciples?
Wasn't Ikura, the rising star of Iwagakure, still without disciples?
Ishiro wasn't aware of all this. At the moment, he was eating lunch with that very same Ikura.
The two had bumped into each other by coincidence—Ikura had just finished reporting to Onoki, and Ishiro had come from Saka's office. Since they both had free time, they decided to eat together.
They headed to the barbecue shop where their class used to gather. It was still early, so there weren't many people. The two started chatting about their respective experiences over the years.
Ikura's story was the stuff of shonen manga—defeating stronger opponents, surviving assassination attempts, and getting placed on multiple enemy hit lists.
Compared to that, Ishiro's path seemed dull—until the trade route success. That had brought him some spotlight.
As they talked, Ishiro said, "I'm going to be a jōnin instructor in a few days. I've already decided to take on three disciples."
Ikura was surprised. "You're only 14 and already taking students?"
"I'm working on developing a new Water Release technique. I need a lot of time and can't afford to go on difficult missions for now. So I figured I'd train some students while handling simple missions."
Ikura nodded, then asked about the details of the technique. The two ended up discussing the development of Ishiro's Water Pressure Line. Ikura also shared some of his own jutsu-crafting experiences.
Being of similar age, their conversation was smooth, relatable, and highly productive for Ishiro.
After some time, Ishiro said, "The ninja world's been at peace for seven or eight years now. The countries haven't fully recovered from the last war, but they're much stronger than they were right after the Second War."
"Honestly, any small spark could trigger another war. Like what just happened at Konoha's borders—every nation was practically mobilizing for battle."
"So I thought: better to train a few disciples now while there's still peace. Once war breaks out, there won't be time. You should consider it too."
Ikura thought for a moment, clearly tempted, but eventually said, "Not this year. Maybe next. Right now, I still need to be tempered in battle—I'm not ready to teach."
Ishiro nodded and didn't push further. They shifted the topic to their old classmates.
Among their original class, Ikura's teammate Uzumaki Yumi had grown rapidly. Though still a chūnin, her skill in sealing techniques had already reached jōnin level.
Another teammate, Mikagami, who used to be under Ishiro's command, had recently awakened his second chakra nature and been promoted to tokubetsu jōnin.
He wasn't alone. Taniya had also become a tokubetsu jōnin. With the chakra metal blade he got from Ishiro, Taniya was now one of the stronger tokubetsu jōnin in the village.
Ishiro's own teammates were also progressing. Shinohara was still a chūnin but close to tokubetsu jōnin level. Tanaka, now in ANBU, hadn't yet been promoted, but her strength was already there—just lacking the opportunity.
Most of their peers were also at chūnin level. People like Kibuki and Fujino were preparing for tokubetsu jōnin exams.
Eventually, Ishiro playfully asked Ikura about his love life—and was shocked to see him blush.
That got Ishiro really interested. Ikura had always been the center of gossip, but never once showed embarrassment. Now, this reaction could only mean one thing—something was going on.
Pressed for answers, Ikura finally admitted to having a budding relationship with Uzumaki Yumi.
Ishiro sighed in his heart. Tanaka, you've lost.
Ishiro had expected this—after all, their team composition had been deliberately arranged by the village.
Unable to handle Ishiro's burning gossip-fueled gaze, Ikura made his escape.
Ishiro finished the last piece of meat, paid the bill, and went back to his training.
Three days later came the graduation exam. The three students Ishiro had picked performed… decently.
Kawakita and Kajiyama Ri, both from the elite class, had no issues passing—though they were among the lower performers in their classes.
Tomoe, on the other hand, almost failed. She got nervous during the exam, and her score was borderline. Technically, the teachers could've failed her or passed her—but because someone "from above" had spoken on her behalf, the teachers gave her a pass.
She was overjoyed for days.
After a rowdy day, the academy returned to calm.
Those who passed the exam sat quietly in their seats, waiting for team assignments.
Since Ishiro had picked his students in advance, they were listed as Team One.
He went to pick up Kawakita and Kajiyama from the elite class first, then headed to the regular class to get Tomoe.
Wearing his jōnin uniform, Ishiro didn't attract too much attention in the elite class. While students were envious, they also had their pride. Even if they weren't chosen, they believed they wouldn't lose to Kawakita or Kajiyama in the long run.
But when Ishiro appeared in the regular class and called Tomoe's name, the entire class went silent. Tomoe herself was stunned. In a daze, she followed Ishiro outside under the shocked stares of her classmates.
The class exploded as soon as they left, and the news spread like wildfire.
A student from the regular class—who nearly failed—had become a jōnin's disciple. This was unprecedented. A real underdog story.
Especially considering most regular class graduates would only get chūnin team leaders.
What made Tomoe so special? Why did someone as renowned as Ishiro pick her?
Ishiro knew rumors had spread in the past few days, but he didn't mind. Influence was a good thing.
His three disciples were fairly ordinary right now, but if he could raise them well, it would greatly enhance his prestige.
He took the three to a secluded rooftop.
Smiling, Ishiro said, "Let's sit and talk."
"My name is Ishiro. I'm a jōnin. The village assigned me as a team leader, and I decided to take in three disciples. I picked students from the academy a few days ago, though the news spread faster than I expected."
"Your skills aren't top-tier among your peers." The three looked ashamed. Tomoe lowered her head even more.
"But each of you has a unique strength the others don't. You were carefully selected from among many students. In my eyes, you're all geniuses."
Their eyes lit up, but there was still doubt.
To reassure them, Ishiro added, "In time, you'll learn why I chose you. For now, let's introduce ourselves."
"I'll start. I'm Ishiro—you can call me Captain Ishiro or Sensei Ishiro."
"I like barbecue. I live a pretty quiet life. I mostly just train."
"My dream is to become an excellent ninja—like my parents—and protect the village."
He looked to the three.
Kajiyama Ri spoke first. He had known in advance that he'd be chosen, so he was the calmest.
"I'm Kajiyama Ri. I specialize in ninjutsu—Water Style. My dream is to become Tsuchikage."
Kawakita followed. "I'm Kawakita. I like swordsmanship… but I'm not very good at it." He shrunk a little, but added, "But I'll become a great swordsman someday."
Ishiro nodded as he saw Kawakita's posture straighten slightly when talking about his dream.
Then he looked at Tomoe.
Under the gaze of the others, Tomoe got nervous. Knowing both her teammates were from the elite class made her self-conscious.
"I… I'm Tomoe. I'm good at… I'm not good at anything." She had wanted to say taijutsu, but worried she couldn't compare. "My dream is to become a good ninja."
Ishiro nodded. "That's a good start. From today, we're a team."
"I'll teach you a lot—but those teachings won't come for free. You'll need to earn contribution points."
The three listened attentively.
"Don't worry. My system is much cheaper than the official one. You can even get things on credit."
"Like Kawakita and Tomoe—your physiques are a bit weak. I've prepared some food that will help. I'll give it to you now and deduct the cost from your future mission pay. Only one-tenth of the market price."
"Kajiyama has good physical conditioning. Your family probably already has those kinds of supplements, so I won't give you any."
He handed them each a scroll with food materials inside.
Then he took out three more scrolls.
The first he gave to Kajiyama. "This contains my insights on Water Release and my notes on developing jutsu. It's worth 500 contribution points. I'll note it down as credit."
The second he handed to Kawakita. "A full foundational sword training manual. Update your training regimen accordingly. It's more expensive—2,000 points."
Both boys were thrilled. These were exactly what they needed.
The last scroll went to Tomoe.
"This contains basic knowledge of sensory techniques. Learn those first. It also includes a sensory jutsu—your current chakra level won't let you use it yet, but study the theory."
"There's also a custom fitness program. Use it to improve your condition. This scroll is 500 points."
Tomoe's hands trembled as she took the scroll. A student like her—barely scraping by—had never expected to get a jutsu. Even if it was just sensory-type. Even if it was on credit—she was beyond grateful.
Seeing their joy, Ishiro smiled.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll gather at 9 a.m. to take missions."
"But today—let's celebrate."
"Let's go get some barbecue. Team One… has officially been formed."
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