The next day at the Academy, the air was thick with the nervous energy of graduation.
"Today's graduation exam will be on the Clone Jutsu," Iruka announced to the class. "When I call your name, please come to the front."
The Academy's curriculum was straightforward, focusing on just three fundamental ninjutsu: Transformation Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, and Clone Jutsu. The graduation exam always tested one of them.
"Sakura Haruno!"
As the student with the highest written scores, Sakura went first. With a focused release of chakra, an identical, illusory version of herself shimmered into existence beside her.
"Perfect!" Iruka declared with a nod. "Next, Sasuke Uchiha."
Sasuke's clone was just as flawless.
"Perfect!"
One by one, the students were called. Soon, it was Naruto's turn.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
*Poof!*
Two solid, tangible copies of himself appeared in the middle of the room. They weren't illusions, they were real enough to leave footprints.
Iruka's expression was hard to read as he looked at the two extra Narutos. In all their years at the Academy, he and Naruto had barely spoken more than a handful of words to each other. Naruto felt the man's unresolved conflict hanging in the air, a conflict that had nothing to do with him.
'If he wants to treat me well, fine,' Naruto thought with a shrug. 'If not, that's fine too.'
Out of professional duty, Iruka gave a curt nod. "Excellent. Next."
"Thank you, Sensei," Naruto said respectfully before returning to his seat.
Minutes bled into one another, and soon Iruka announced the list of students who passed the exam, handing out the ninja forehead protectors. Half of the students did not pass.
Even though the Ninja Academy only taught these three ninjutsu, a large number of students still failed. Not everyone possesses ninja talent. Even the Naruto of canon, the one who would have stolen the Scroll of Seals to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu, hadn't passed. Of course, that particular failure stemmed from the Nine-Tails chakra interference.
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After the graduation exam came team assignments. Teams were traditionally comprised of three genin, led by a Jonin. A practice upheld since the Great Ninja Wars, it was a cornerstone of Konoha's military structure.
"Team One..."
As Iruka began reading the list, Hinata's hands clenched in her lap. 'Please let me be on Naruto-kun's team,' she prayed.
Her hopes were quickly dashed. The teams weren't assigned by grades, but by strategic compatibility. Team Eight was Hinata, Kiba, and Shino, a specialized reconnaissance unit. Team Ten was the traditional Ino-Shika-Cho formation.
"And Team Seven," Iruka announced, "will be Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha."
The Uchiha clan was known for its stubbornness, its members often proving uncontrollable. But a singular Uchiha? The Sharingan's natural ability to suppress tailed beasts was on par with the Uzumaki clan's legendary Adamantine Sealing Chains. Placing Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto together certainly was to be expected, 'Though I don't know why Danzo didn't raise much fuss over this.'
Naruto cast a flat gaze at Sakura, who was beaming with delight at being placed on Sasuke's team. There was a theory that Sakura Haruno's family was of unusual lineage. The theory posited that after the Second Hokage's death, the remaining Senju had dispersed into the populace, adopting new identities and blending into Konoha's villagers until their clan effectively vanished. Sakura was said to carry Senju blood, which was why Tsunade would eventually be willing to take her as a student.
According to this theory, Team 7's composition would be: Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Senju. Naruto had no idea how much truth there was to it. Regardless, the Senju had indeed vanished after giving up their clan name.
'What a shame,' Sasuke cast a look of subtle regret at Hinata. He had, if given the choice, hoped Hinata would be placed on their team. Having trained alongside Naruto, Hinata's capabilities were undeniable, and the Byakugan's unparalleled advantage in reconnaissance would have been invaluable. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Naruto was on his team, but there was an extra...
His gaze shifted to the pink-haired girl in mild confusion. 'Sakura Haruno? Who is she? Was she in our class?'
*Smack*
Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed through the room. Everyone turned to see Hinata, her hand pressed flat against her desk. Cracks spiderwebbed out from her palm, and with a low groan, the wood splintered and collapsed into a pile of dust.
'Hinata won't turn into the violent Hinata from the Limited Tsukuyomi world, will she?' Naruto mused. 'Though that kind of Hinata would be quite exciting.'
The boys, meanwhile, shared a collective thought: 'It's over. The Hyuga clan's heiress has been infected and become Sasuke fangirl.'
Jonin began to filter into the classroom to collect their new squads. A woman with striking red eyes and a confident smile appeared at the door. "Team Eight, with me." This was Kurenai Yuhi, their Jonin leader.
Hinata shot Naruto a reluctant farewell glance and left with her new team.
As they left, Naruto considered their chances. This wasn't the real final exam. The Jonin leaders had their own test, one with a two-thirds failure rate. It was the true trial for becoming a Genin. Logically, a team of Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Hyuga, two close-range fighters and a scout, made more sense than a full recon squad, but the village Advisors had made their decision.
One by one, the teams departed, until only Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura remained. The room fell silent, the quiet so heavy it was almost a physical presence.
Sakura cleared her throat, trying to break the tension. "Um, why do you think our sensei is running late? I hope nothing happened..."
Her voice trailed off. Neither boy responded.
"Hahaha," Sakura forced a laugh when no one responded, her inner thoughts a cacophony of mortification. Inner Sakura started shouting in her head, 'Ughhh... Sasuke-kun isn't even looking at me. This is so embarrassing! It was such a good opportunity!'
Naruto caught Sasuke's eye. 'She's your problem.'
Sasuke's subtle eye-roll was a clear reply. 'No way. She's annoying. You deal with her.'
Naruto raised an eyebrow. 'What if she's your future wife?'
Sasuke glanced at Sakura for a fraction of a second, his expression unchanging. The message was clear: 'Too weak. And not my type.'
Sasuke dismissed her candidacy three times over, without a flicker of hesitation. How sad Sakura would be if she knew. A truly amusing thought.
Just as the two were amusing themselves with their silent exchange, with a *creak*, the classroom door creaked open, and a man with silver hair and bored, heavy-lidded eye slipped inside. He wore a mask over the lower half of his face and looked them over slowly.
"Well, my first impression of you three is-" he began, his voice a lazy drawl.
He didn't get to finish.
"We meet again," Naruto said, his voice cutting through the quiet room. "Anbu-nii-san."
Kakashi's visible eye curved into a crescent at being recognized, he raised a hand in a casual wave. "Yo. Not bad, kid. You have good memory."
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Narrator:
- Does Team 7 even need a Jonin sensei, or can they just run on unresolved tension and awkward silences?
- Why is Sakura still fangirling like the Uchiha will pay her emotional rent?
- Is Sasuke even aware Sakura exists, or does she rank below "mildly interesting wallpaper"?
- When did Hinata upgrade from "shy heiress" to "desk-crushing chakra-enhanced rage machine"?
- Why does Naruto long for Tomboy Hinata from Limited Tsukuyomi?
- Why does Sakura's family fan theory have more lore drops than her actual character development?
- Will Sakura ever realize she's on Team 7 to fill the "useless but narratively required" slot?
- How did Sasuke block out years of fangirl screeching without even perceiving her existence?
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**UCHIHA EARPLUGS™: Silence Your Surroundings, and Your Classmates**
- From the clan that specializes in emotional expression, now comes auditory suppression.
Are you:
- An handsome Uchiha with many fangirls?
- A prodigy with no time for fangirl frequency attacks?
- Trapped on a team with someone whose voice could register on a seismograph?
- Just trying to mourn your loved ones in peace without getting dragged into romance side plots?
Introducing: UCHIHA EARPLUGS™ - The earplugs so advanced, you'll forget your classmates exists or ever existed.
Features Include:
- Fangirl-Scream Filter™ - Blocks 99.9% of love-struck decibels.
- Selective Sound Seal™ - Hear life-or-death threats, not feelings.
- Auto-Genjutsu Cancel Mode - Because unsolicited conversations are a form of illusion.
"I didn't hear a thing. I thought we were still waiting for our third teammate."- Actual Sasuke testimonial.
"He literally didn't hear me confess for three years!" - Everyone, probably.
Order now and get a free "Dramatic Hair Flip Mirror", because even in silence, you're still the main character.
Warning: Production currently is halted. It should resume in couple decades, depending on how long clan repopulation takes. Thank you for your patience.
--**--**
Find out more next time on: "Late Sensei, Louder Teammate! Sasuke's Ultimate Weapon: UCHIHA EARPLUGS™!"
===============
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