Some celebrated, while others lamented.
"I'm with Sasuke-kun..."
With a smile on her face, Sakura looked at Ino.
"Damn it..."
Admitting defeat, Ino remained silent. She felt that if she said anything, Sakura would end up making fun of her.
'So that's my team.'
Toru narrowed his eyes and sighed. For some reason, he had a feeling that being on this team was going to bring him tons of stress.
"Iruka-sensei, why am I with the weirdo?"
Slamming her palm against the desk, Ino looked at Iruka and asked. Iruka let out a sigh at that. Even though he had already explained it, there were still students who disagreed with the teams.
"I already explained this: the teams are formed so that the students have equivalent abilities. I'll use your team as an example. Although Toru and Hinata have outstanding grades, unlike you, each of them has different abilities. Toru specializes in taijutsu, you specialize in your family's jutsu, and Hinata's abilities serve as a sensor for the team. Do you understand?"
Ino understood the explanation perfectly. However, she didn't want to be with someone like Toru. After all, the person she wanted to be with was Sasuke.
"All right. Since no one has any more questions, I'll just say that after lunch, you'll be assigned a classroom where you'll meet the sensei who will be in charge of your teams."
After speaking, Iruka picked up some papers from his desk and left the classroom.
"Why me?"
Ino rested her head on the desk and lamented.
'No, I don't have to get depressed! I can still beat Sakura. I just have to make Sasuke fall in love with me.'
Placing her hands on the desk, Ino spoke to herself.
"You two!" Ino pointed at Toru with her finger and then gestured toward the door while looking at Hinata. "Come with me."
'Just a few seconds ago, she was making a scene because she didn't want me on the team. What now?'
Toru stood up from his seat, and Hinata followed his actions.
"I..." Hinata said, looking at the floor.
She was nervous, since starting today, she was a kunoichi and would have to spend most of her time with her team.
"Since we're a team, we'll have to eat lunch together before meeting our sensei," Ino said, picking up a wooden lunch box and looking at Toru with annoyance.
"I see. I didn't bring lunch," Toru replied. He had eaten a little while ago, and although it hadn't been much, it had been enough to satisfy his hunger.
"I can give you some of mine," Hinata added.
Toru's gaze shifted toward the girl with the pale eyes. He still felt a little guilty for ignoring her for so long, so accepting her lunch was the first step toward reconciliation.
"Thank you, Hinata."
Giving her a slight bow, Toru thanked her, causing a small smile to appear on Hinata's face.
"All right, then let's go," Ino said as she left the classroom.
—Somewhere in the Shinobi Academy—
"Ha~ Sasuke..."
Sitting on the stairs somewhere in the Academy, Ino let out a tired sigh.
"What bad luck I had to end up on the same team as this guy," she complained, looking at Toru with annoyance.
"Well, I'm sorry..." Toru said, turning the page of the book in his hands. It hadn't even been ten minutes, but he was already tired of Ino's attitude.
"I'm sorry too."
Hinata also apologized, even though there was no reason for her to do so.
"That doesn't matter anymore. Now, if you want this to work, you'll have to follow my orders. From now on, I'll be the leader of this team."
Hearing Ino speak, a sigh escaped Toru's lips.
'I knew something like this would happen.'
Taking a bite of the rice ball Hinata had given him, Toru turned another page of his book.
"If we have you as our leader, our team will fall apart," Toru said without taking his eyes off the book, causing Ino's anger to flare up like a bonfire.
"Do you think it'll be better if you're the leader? Don't make me laugh. You don't have what it takes to lead a team."
"And you do?" he replied coldly, looking Ino directly in the eyes.
"What did you say, freak?"
The only thing Hinata could do at that moment was watch as Ino glared at Toru as if she wanted to strangle him. However, she decided to intervene a few seconds later.
"Don't fight. We're a team now, so we should... get along."
Hinata looked at the floor so she wouldn't have to see the angry look on Ino's face at that moment.
"Somehow, you're right."
Ino resigned herself and sat back down on the stairs. Her mind was a mess. She couldn't organize her thoughts properly, and she was still angry at Sakura for being placed on Sasuke's team.
"Anyway. We should go to the classroom we were assigned to. Lunch is almost over," Toru said, closing his book.
—In the Halls of the Shinobi Academy—
His footsteps echoed through the halls. His expression was stoic, his short brown hair framing his face, and his eyes were as black as night...
"Kakashi... I never asked you to recommend me for this."
The man looked disappointed. He wore the standard tactical vest that Jounin normally wore, along with a kind of mask that didn't cover much of his face, except this one had a forehead protector embedded into it.
"So, it'll be Team 11..."