112. The Assembly of Tsunade’s Squad
---
The next day, in the classroom of Grade 5, Class A.
Hanekawa and the others were seated early, eagerly awaiting the team assignments.
"It has to be Rin!" Uchiha Obito clasped his hands together, praying earnestly.
"Good morning, Senpais," a cheerful voice greeted them as Uchiha Shisui walked into the classroom with a bright smile.
"Shisui?" Sarutobi Asuma asked in surprise. "Why are you… Oh! Are you teaming up with us?"
"I think so," Shisui replied with a slight nod. "But I don't know the exact details yet."
"No matter who it is, it's great that we're all together again," Asuma said, clearly pleased.
Perhaps this was all orchestrated by that man.
---
A few minutes later, Eichiro walked into the classroom.
The chatter stopped immediately as everyone turned to him with anticipation.
"Congratulations on graduating," Eichiro said seriously. "But the world outside is not like school. Danger lurks everywhere, and caution must be your constant companion."
As a teacher, he had witnessed too many of his students perish.
In times of war, a graduating class often struggled to maintain even a 50% survival rate—a grim reality.
"Now, let's announce the team assignments," Eichiro continued, his tone softening slightly.
"Hanekawa."
At this, Kurenai Yuhi, Uchiha Obito, and the others immediately tensed up.
"Kurenai Yuhi," Ryoichiro said next.
"Yes!" Kurenai stood up excitedly.
Sarutobi Asuma sensed things weren't going in his favor.
Just as Hanekawa had predicted, the chances of them being in the same team were slim.
He couldn't help feeling envious. Hanekawa truly had it all.
"Rin Nohara," Ryoichiro added, glancing at his list. "The three of you will form the First Squad."
"No!" Uchiha Obito shot up in disbelief. "Why Rin?!"
Rin was momentarily stunned, taking a few seconds to process the announcement.
I'm on the same team as Hanekawa?
She was genuinely surprised. Normally, a team would only have one medical ninja.
She hadn't expected this outcome at all, but being on Hanekawa's team made her happy.
One major advantage was that she could better learn medical ninjutsu from him.
"Obito, this was decided by the Hokage," Eichiro said with a shake of his head.
"I'm going to see him!" Obito exclaimed, his emotions overwhelming his rationality.
A cold, oppressive aura began to emanate from him. In his eyes, a single black tomoe spun into existence.
Sharingan?
Eichiro instinctively stepped back.
"Obito!" Rin exclaimed, grabbing his arm in shock.
"Rin, I…" Obito looked at her, gradually regaining his composure.
"Obito, your eyes!" Might Guy suddenly pointed out.
Obito blinked in surprise, realizing what had happened.
He clenched his fists.
Power!
He could feel it—real, tangible power surging through him!
"Hahaha!" Obito laughed uncontrollably. "I awakened it! I finally awakened my Sharingan!"
"Congratulations, Obito-senpai," Shisui said, though his feelings were complicated.
He knew many Uchiha awakened their Sharingan through witnessing tragedy, often in battle or during a teammate's death.
But Obito's awakening was… unusual, to say the least.
Kakashi Hatake and Sarutobi Asuma were surprised, though not overly so. After all, they had already seen Shisui's Sharingan multiple times.
Compared to Shisui, Obito was several years late in awakening his.
Hanekawa, however, was calm, having anticipated it.
Still, this felt odd. Was this the power of… jealousy?
No, not exactly. After all, Rin had never explicitly expressed romantic feelings for Obito in the original story.
---
"Quiet!" Eichiro coughed to regain order. "Second Squad: Uchiha Shisui, Sarutobi Asuma, and Shizune."
"Looking forward to working with you, Asuma-senpai," Shisui said, glancing at Asuma.
As for Shizune, seated farther away, Shisui could only offer her a polite look.
"No problem," Asuma replied, nodding. Teaming up with Shisui left him quite satisfied.
Shizune, meanwhile, was stunned. She hadn't expected such strong teammates but saw it as a good thing.
---
"Third Squad," Ryoichiro continued. "Kakashi Hatake, Uchiha Obito, and Might Guy."
"Kakashi!" Guy jumped up, his face filled with excitement. "This is the bond of our youth!"
"..." Kakashi sighed internally, resigned to his fate.
His worst fear had come true. There was no escaping Guy's enthusiasm now.
Meanwhile, Obito sat there, utterly dejected.
Not only had he failed to be on Rin's team, but he also had to watch her team up with Hanekawa.
It was a nightmare.
Even the joy of awakening his Sharingan couldn't dispel his gloom.
---
"Third Squad."
At that moment, Minato Namikaze appeared at the door.
"Obito, it's Lord Minato!" Rin exclaimed in surprise.
Obito slowly lifted his head, recalling who Minato was.
One of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya's student, and a prominent young ninja of his generation.
This thought brightened Obito's mood slightly.
At least the teacher is remarkable. Maybe someday, I can defeat Hanekawa.
No, not maybe! Definitely!
Uchiha Obito glanced at his newly awakened Sharingan. The power it held gave him immense confidence.
One tomoe might not be enough, but with three tomoe, I can definitely win.
---
"Let's go."
Kakashi stood up, signaling the group to leave.
"Kakashi, Obito, see you tomorrow!" Rin waved goodbye to them.
---
After Minato Namikaze, the next teacher to arrive was Sakumo Hatake.
He scanned the classroom with a bright smile.
"Second Squad," he announced.
"Our teacher is the White Fang of Konoha!" Asuma exclaimed in satisfaction.
Shisui and Shizune, having heard of Sakumo Hatake's legendary reputation, were also delighted. Though unlike Asuma, they didn't show their excitement outwardly and simply stood quietly.
---
Now, only Hanekawa, Rin Nohara, and Kurenai Yuhi remained.
"Hanekawa," Kurenai asked after a moment, unable to hold back her curiosity, "is our team leader Lady Tsunade?"
"Yeah," Hanekawa sighed. "She's probably still sleeping in."
"Huh?" Rin looked at him in shock.
To her, Tsunade was the most outstanding medical ninja and her idol.
"As expected," Kurenai muttered, already familiar with Tsunade's habits thanks to Hanekawa's complaints.
Rin glanced around, hesitant to speak. Tsunade's image in her mind began to waver.
---
Half an hour later, the door swung open.
"Hey there!" Tsunade entered nonchalantly. "I'm your squad leader, Tsunade."
"You're late, Sensei," Hanekawa said, clearly displeased.
"Watch your mouth, kid," Tsunade retorted, flicking his forehead lightly. "Alright, follow me."
With that, she strode out.
This doesn't seem promising, Rin thought to herself, finding Tsunade's behavior rather unreliable.
The three quickly followed her, and soon Hanekawa realized their destination was the school rooftop.
Of course, the rooftop, he thought. It's almost a cliché for undercover operatives.
---
"Introduce yourselves, and focus on the ninjutsu you've mastered," Tsunade instructed, leaning against the railing and surveying the academy before turning to face them.
"Sensei, haven't you already read our profiles?" Hanekawa couldn't help but ask.
"Too much talking, kid!" Tsunade flicked his forehead again.
Rin and Kurenai exchanged awkward glances but remained silent.
"You go first, Kurenai," Tsunade said, pointing at her casually.
"I'm Kurenai Yuhi," Kurenai began. "I specialize in genjutsu and water-style techniques. The jutsu I've mastered include the Water Dragon Bullet Technique…"
"Good," Tsunade nodded in approval.
Although she wasn't at Hanekawa's level, Kurenai was undoubtedly a prodigy. Particularly, her mastery of Tobirama Senju's water-style techniques struck a chord with Tsunade.
While Konoha had many ninja, those who practiced water-style jutsu were rare, making Kurenai's skills all the more precious.
---
"I'm Rin Nohara," Rin said shyly. "I haven't learned many techniques. Aside from the basic transformation, substitution, and clone jutsu, I only know the Healing Jutsu."
She glanced at Hanekawa as she spoke, since he had taught her the Healing Jutsu.
"Medical ninjutsu is notoriously difficult. Learning the Healing Jutsu is impressive," Tsunade said with a smile.
"Thank you, Sensei," Rin replied, visibly relieved.
---
"Your turn, kid," Tsunade said, looking at Hanekawa.
"Do I really need to?" Hanekawa asked, puzzled. "Don't you already know everything about me?"
"I do, but your teammates don't," Tsunade said with a knowing look. "You'll be working together for a long time. It's important to understand each other's strengths."
"Alright," Hanekawa conceded and began listing his skills.
Unlike most students, he had mastered an extensive range of techniques, excluding earth, water, and wind styles. His repertoire included genjutsu, kenjutsu, taijutsu, lightning-style, fire-style, and medical ninjutsu—over 40 techniques in total.
Kurenai and Rin were dumbfounded, while even Tsunade found his abilities extraordinary.
Most academy students spent six years mastering basic techniques, yet Hanekawa had achieved so much in just five years.
"Well… let's leave it at that," Tsunade said, waving her hand dismissively. "Meet at my house tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Sensei," Rin and Kurenai responded in unison.
"Dismissed."
Tsunade then put an arm around Hanekawa. "You're coming with me to the Hokage's office. We're getting two missions."
"Wait," Hanekawa asked, confused. "Aren't you going to test our abilities first?"
He recalled Kakashi mentioning that testing their strength, like the bell test, was a tradition among Hokage-line mentors.
"With your skills, there's no need for a test," Tsunade replied, shaking her head.
__
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