It didn't take long before the instructor arrived.
He pulled out a sheet of paper and began reading out the team assignments.
"Team One... Team Two..."
"Team Three: Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, Ebisu."
The announcements continued.
Genma and Ebisu, who had been laughing earlier, now couldn't crack a smile.
Finally, Kyōen's name was called.
"Team Seven: Ryōmine Kyōen, Kurenai Yūhi."
Kurenai blinked as she looked over at Kyōen.
Thankfully, it was just one of them.
Though Kyōen and Guy both trained hard and were probably pretty strong, the sparks that flew earlier between them had honestly been too intense for the young Kurenai to handle.
The academy instructor continued reading off names.
"Team Eight..."
Kurenai suddenly grew anxious.
Wait, what?
Why were there only two of them?
Kyōen glanced at her and whispered, "Don't worry. Let's ask once we're outside."
"Um, okay."
Kurenai nodded, pushing down her confusion.
Outside.
"Sensei, why does Team Seven only have two people? Isn't it supposed to be a jōnin leader and a three-person squad?" Kyōen asked.
The instructor scratched his head, clearly awkward. "Well... I'm not sure either. You'll probably understand when you meet your team leader this afternoon."
"Huh?"
Kurenai looked totally lost.
The instructor quickly body-flickered away, leaving Kyōen and Kurenai staring at each other.
Now they were the ones confused.
Of course—
Kyōen had a theory, but he wasn't sure if it was right—
A gloomy, high-strung prodigy who'd already been promoted to chūnin last year, but had such a problematic personality that no team could function properly around him.
Hatake Kakashi.
Could it be him?
At 2 p.m., the new genin gathered at the academy. Downstairs, the younger students were still in class, while the graduates waited for their squad leaders.
Kyōen sat quietly, thinking about the path ahead.
He had started to figure out the system's mechanics.
Being on a team with Kakashi might come with some advantages.
The only problem—
He didn't know who their team leader was.
Could it be Minato Namikaze?
He absentmindedly twirled a kunai as he pondered.
At that moment, Kurenai finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"Kyōen-kun, um, can I ask you something?"
She was a year or two older and hadn't been in the same class, so they weren't very familiar.
But—
Since they were teammates now, they'd need to get to know each other.
Kyōen stopped twirling the kunai.
"What is it?"
"Are you training your finger dexterity with that?"
She was curiously eyeing the kunai spinning like flower petals around his fingers.
Kyōen froze for a second, then chuckled.
"Just a habit."
"A habit..."
Kurenai nodded, saying no more—but her gaze carried a newfound respect.
Forming a habit like that must've taken years of painful and lonely training. She couldn't even imagine the hardship behind it.
No wonder he got along with Might Guy.
She began filling in the gaps with her imagination.
Kyōen had no idea what she was thinking. He was just wondering—
Would building rapport help him take advantage of the system?
Suddenly—
Knock knock.
The door opened, and Kyōen looked up—
He almost laughed.
A silver-haired boy in a mask stepped in, eyes half-lidded, expression stiff, pretending everything was normal as he sat down.
Kurenai's mouth dropped open.
She blinked rapidly, stunned.
Then—
"You're not our squad leader, right?!"
"Hmph."
Kakashi turned his head away and said nothing.
Kyōen leaned in and whispered, "Kurenai, Kakashi only became a chūnin last year. There's no way he's a jōnin."
"Oh, right."
Kurenai was still dazed, unable to wrap her head around it. She looked totally confused.
Kyōen sat beside her, trying to hold back his laughter.
So it really was him!
Which meant—
"Kakashi, does this count as repeating a grade?"
"…"
Kakashi shot him a glance, then stared straight ahead without replying.
Tch.
Kyōen resisted the urge to mock him further, straightening up and keeping quiet. The classroom was now so silent it was almost eerie.
If he had to classify Kakashi by boss level from his previous life's games—
This was a high-difficulty boss for sure. No way could he just talk his way through like with Guy or Kenji.
Better to take things slow.
First, he needed to figure out who their teacher actually was.
Just then, a set of footsteps echoed in the hallway.
All three looked toward the door.
Was it their sensei?
They waited, but the footsteps suddenly stopped—turning away toward another classroom.
Kurenai's brow furrowed.
She murmured, "Our teacher just… disappeared?"
Kakashi said calmly, "As shinobi, we just wait."
"…"
Kyōen glanced at them, his mouth twitching slightly.
If Kurenai's sensory ability was right—
Then their teacher might be playing games, watching them to assess their personalities and abilities.
Who could it be?
And when they introduced themselves—what should he say?
Kyōen's mind raced.
Outside the room, Jiraiya let out a long sigh.
He hadn't expected that at his age and rank, he'd still be called back to babysit fresh genin.
Seriously—
It was all that damn old man's fault!
He silently observed the students inside.
"The girl's sharp. Skilled in genjutsu. Seems to have potential in sensory abilities too. Maybe she could be trained for medical or support roles."
"The silver-haired brat is a handful. No wonder no one wants him—real pain to deal with."
"And the last one…"
"Tch, not an easy one either. What a headache I've signed myself up for."
Jiraiya stroked his chin, recalling what happened the night before.
Yesterday, inside the Hokage Tower—
"Old man, I was planning to leave the village soon. Now you want me to take students? You're doing this on purpose!"
"The village needs you," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied.
Jiraiya scowled, fell silent for a few seconds, then said, "So, what's so special about these kids?"
"One of them is Hatake Kakashi."
Hiruzen's voice was calm.
Jiraiya went quiet. After a long pause, he said, "Didn't that kid already become a chūnin?"
"Take a look."
Hiruzen handed him a folder.
Jiraiya opened it to find page after page of complaints from other ninja. No team wanted Kakashi. Everyone was trying to pass the buck.
Sure, the Hokage could force an assignment—
But Hiruzen hoped Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, could help straighten him out.
Jiraiya thought of Sakumo's suicide and sighed, saying nothing at first. Then, something caught his eye.
Another resume in the pile.
He picked it up.
It was that kid!
He read carefully.
A Senju descendant.
Orphaned over a year ago. Personality changed drastically after. Distant, eccentric, didn't get along with classmates.
A child orphaned by war...
Jiraiya held the paper in silence.
Back during the Second Great Ninja War, the Sannin rose to fame—but many ninja died under their command.
A hardworking kid like this... his personality—
"The other two aren't finalized yet, right? Add him. I'm curious about that boy."
"You know him?" Hiruzen asked, mildly surprised.
That child—
Though he'd graduated early, the Hokage hadn't paid much attention. Just remembered he was excellent with the Body Replacement Technique and quite skilled in taijutsu.
"A hardworking, intelligent kid. I think he has potential like Minato," Jiraiya replied.
Hiruzen paused, then nodded slightly. "Very well. Him, Kakashi... and who else? I'll leave it to you."
"Doesn't matter."
Jiraiya casually glanced through the remaining files and picked the one that caught his eye most.
"Let's go with her."