The classroom fell silent.
Everyone listened with rigid faces as Sarutobi Taiga read the roster.
Uchiha Jin did the same, curious who would land beside him.
Soon his name came up.
"Squad Seven: Nara Kazama, Ishikawa Itsuki, Uchiha Jin."
Jin's eyes narrowed.
He scanned the room and found the two who would be his teammates.
First, Nara Kazama.
Classic Nara. Perpetually lazy. Nothing else stood out. Clearly not mainline. Weak enough to land in Class B.
Still, Nara.
Since the Yoshio incident, Jin had felt something off about Nara Shikaku. Now, a Nara in his squad.
Coincidence.
Or design.
What did the Nara want.
His thoughts spun, but with too little intel he had no answer.
Second, Ishikawa Itsuki.
A civilian shinobi. Nothing more to say.
From what Jin knew, the guy knew only the Three Body Technique and had pushed some basic taijutsu.
No Eight Gates, no formal style.
Just self training.
More muscle, more street brawls.
That was it.
His temper was poor, and being third in the class had made him dismissive of others.
"Annoying lineup."
"A Nara with unknown motives and a muscle bound civilian."
"Whatever."
"One step at a time."
"If they cannot read the room, I can always arrange for a heroic sacrifice."
Half an hour later, Takao finished the lists and left without a word.
Nine chunin came and called out Squads One through Nine.
From Ten onward it was true cannon fodder.
No leader, no mentor. Just basic techniques and bundles of kunai, headed to the meat grinder.
With luck and survival they might trade merit for common village ninjutsu.
Without it, their names would be etched on the stone.
For the first nine squads there were chunin leaders, but that was comfort more than substance.
A chunin was a genin who had survived.
Most so-called mentors knew fewer techniques than nobles' children.
Reality matched.
In a small grove, their chunin leader brought the three of them in and spoke plainly.
"I am Kudo Shin. Aside from the Three Body Technique, I know one C rank jutsu, Earth Style: Earth Wall."
"I handle defense."
"Your turn."
Jin's eyes brightened.
An Earth Style user. A real surprise.
Do not sneer at a single C rank jutsu. That was the line between fodder and a proper shinobi.
Judging by his name, Kudo was a civilian.
For him to be granted a C rank technique meant he had not only survived a war, he had earned real credit. Otherwise the village would never bestow it.
In small villages, a ninja with a C rank technique could lead mid ranks. With a B rank, the core.
The original story made B ranks look cheap, A ranks common, and only S rank forbidden arts decent, as if real power meant Mangekyo, Sage bodies, or the Rinnegan, titans like Hashirama and Madara.
Nonsense.
Look at the world now. Shisui with three tomoe was already famed as Body Flicker Shisui. Hatake Kakashi became an elite jonin with a single A rank, Chidori. Even Nohara Rin and the unawakened Obito were elite chunin of Konoha.
Were they strong.
Rin knew the Three Body Technique and basic medical arts.
Obito, the clan disgrace, had not awakened even a single tomoe, stumbled through the Three Body Technique, and tossed a couple of small fire jutsu.
Yet they were in Class A, the village's most elite, and students of Namikaze Minato.
That was Konoha, the strongest village.
Other great villages. Small ones.
Say no more.
By that standard, Kudo Shin had earned his pride.
"I am Ishikawa Itsuki. I know the Three Body Technique and taijutsu," Itsuki declared. "I am top three in class, one of the best."
"Give me time and I will be the strongest. I want to be our squad captain."
He bristled with arrogance.
A civilian who did not understand the world. Being top three in Class B had filled him with air. He did not know that clan kids did not bother with rankings here. Class A was where the prodigies fought. A Class B crown would draw laughter at home.
Jin felt only mild disdain and still smiled.
"I am Uchiha Jin. Aside from the Three Body Technique, I know a little clan Fire Style."
"I have no opinion on captain."
Nara Kazama yawned.
"My name is Nara Kazama. Three Body Technique and a bit of clan arts."
"No opinion on captain either."
Kudo listened and blinked in surprise.
Two clan kids in his squad. Not what he had expected.
He was no Itsuki. Having stepped outside school, he knew the gulf between clan and civilian.
Hearing that neither of them cared about captain, his surprise faded. He did not press it.
He looked down on Itsuki.
Arrogant civilians died fastest on the field.
Not his problem.
He had already decided to keep close to Jin and Kazama.
As for Itsuki.
He was already a dead man walking.
Kudo drew a breath and set it down.
"Good. Then it is settled."
"When I am not with you, Ishikawa Itsuki is captain."
"Gather at the village gate tomorrow at eight. We deploy to the Mist front."
"Go home and prepare."
"…"