The classroom buzzed with excitement, tension, and the faint scent of chalk dust. It was the day—the day—every student at the Ninja Academy had been waiting for. Iruka-sensei stood at the front with a scroll in his hand, clearing his throat as the last of the graduation rankings were revealed.
He tried to maintain his teacherly composure, but even he felt emotional.
"Second place—Uchiha Sasuke!"
A wave of whispers rippled through the classroom. Sasuke sat with arms folded, expression cool as ever, but a flicker of pride glimmered in his eyes.
"Third place—Hyuga Hinata!"
Hinata jumped slightly, cheeks flushing pink. She bowed stiffly, barely able to contain her relief.
"Fourth place, Sakura Haruno.
Fifth place, Ino Yamanaka.
Sixth place, Shino Aburame."
On and on it went.
"Eleventh place, Inuzuka Kiba."
A loud "What?!" echoed from Kiba's direction, followed by Akamaru's sympathetic bark.
"Thirty-second place, Akimichi Choji."
Choji blinked slowly, shrugged, and continued munching on his chips.
"Fiftieth place, Nara Shikamaru."
Shikamaru didn't even bother reacting. He simply yawned and muttered, "Troublesome…"
Finally, the rankings were complete.
And Iruka-sensei… looked like he might cry.
He exhaled shakily, a proud smile tugging at his lips. "Everyone… as of today, you have officially graduated from the Ninja Academy."
A moment of silence—
Then the room erupted.
Cheers, shouts, thrown textbooks, a Kiba-Akamaru jump-hug, and Ino screaming "Sakuraaaa I beat you by one place!!"
Iruka laughed softly, rubbing his eyes before speaking again.
"But… this is not the end."
The room gradually quieted.
"It is only the beginning."
His voice deepened, becoming solemn.
"From this moment on, you are no longer students. You are ninja. Your lives will change."
The cheerful atmosphere slowly faded into seriousness.
"A ninja's path is filled with danger. Missions may take you far beyond the safety of the Academy. You will face trials… harsh tests of life and death."
Iruka looked at each of them—Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Sakura, everyone—trying to engrave their faces into his memory.
"You are all excellent students with limitless potential. Your teacher wishes… that each of you will survive, grow stronger, and achieve your dreams."
Iruka bowed.
The classroom went silent.
Then—
"Sensei, that was so emotional…"
"Do you want us to cry, Iruka-sensei?!"
Iruka let out a sheepish laugh and wiped the corner of his eye. "S-sorry… it slipped out."
Naruto swallowed hard.
Hearing Iruka's words, the reality hit him: He was truly leaving the Academy. Iruka, the first person who ever acknowledged him, the first person who gave him warmth… This man might not be a daily presence anymore.
"Iruka-sensei…" Naruto whispered, eyes damp.
Iruka glanced at him, saw the tears threatening to spill—and quickly looked away before he cried as well.
"Ahem! No more emotional speeches!"
He clapped his hands sharply.
"Now! Time for… team assignments!"
The noise died instantly.
The entire classroom held its breath.
Team assignments meant everything.
Your teammates could make or break your future. The jonin assigned to your team could change the path of your entire life. Everyone sat up straighter.
Iruka opened the scroll dramatically.
"First… Team 7!"
Naruto tensed.
Sasuke focused.
Hinata's fingertips tapped nervously together.
Sakura and Ino leaned forward like hunting cats stalking prey.
Iruka-sensei announced:
"Team leader: Jonin Kakashi Hatake!"
Naruto blinked.
"Kakashi… Hatake?"
He recognized the name. Naruto had pried some information from Bushy Brow Sensei (who had practically sparkled while talking about his eternal rival, Kakashi). Naruto's impression was…
A gloomy guy with dead-fish eyes, super strong, brilliant, and a bit socially awkward.
"…he's kind of like a cooler, adult version of Sasuke," Naruto muttered bitterly.
Not the mentor he had hoped for.
He wanted Asuma-sensei… or even someone big and flashy like Guy-sensei.
Still—
"As long as he makes me stronger, I'll deal with it…"
His heart thumped.
"Please… please don't let Sasuke be on my team…"
Iruka-sensei inhaled deeply and continued.
"The ninja assigned to Team 7 are—"
Naruto held his breath.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
Naruto froze.
"M-me?!"
His heart pounded wildly.
He clenched his fists, chest swelling with anticipation.
"Next—"
Iruka paused, letting the suspense kill half the class.
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
"NOOOOO!!!"
Naruto slammed his head onto his desk, shaking violently as if struck by lightning.
"WHY?! WHY HIM?!"
Sasuke scowled at exactly the same time.
"Why must I be paired with that loser…?"
Both boys sat slumped over their desks in synchronized misery.
Hinata, Sakura, and Ino—all gasped at once.
Hinata's breath caught. "Naruto-kun… and Sasuke-kun… together?"
Sakura gripped her desk. "Yes! If Naruto's there, fine! As long as Sasuke-kun is there too!"
Ino nodded. "Honestly, I'd be happy with either of them!"
But then—
Iruka said the final name.
"And the last member of Team 7 is…"
Everyone leaned forward.
Even Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
"Hyuga Hinata!"
Naruto shot up in shock.
Hinata froze like a startled deer.
Sakura's jaw dropped.
Ino clapped a hand over her mouth.
Naruto blinked—once, twice—and then—
"YES!!!"
He jumped so high he nearly hit the ceiling.
Hinata's eyes widened as color rushed to her cheeks.
"I-I'm… on the same team as Naruto-kun…"
Her vision blurred slightly, and her heartbeat exploded. Thinking about traveling together, training together, eating together—
—her entire face turned red.
Ino leaned in and whispered with a grin, "Hinataaa~ congratulations!"
Hinata buried her face into her hands, shaking.
Sakura, meanwhile, stared blankly at nothing.
"…Hinata."
"I'm not… on Sasuke-kun's team?"
For Sakura Haruno, this was equivalent to the sky collapsing. She slumped onto her desk like a defeated spirit.
But Sasuke didn't even look at her.
He was too busy glowering at Naruto.
Naruto, on the other hand, was glowing.
"Worst-case scenario, I'll just go on missions with Hinata from now on. Sasuke can go brood alone somewhere!"
Hinata peeked shyly at Naruto, her heart overflowing.
This is the happiest day of my life…
Even Ino, though disappointed, managed a shrug. "Well… Hinata being happy is nice too."
Iruka-sensei cleared his throat again.
"And yes… Kakashi Hatake is very, very strong."
The entire classroom murmured.
"After all… the top three students this year—Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata—are all on his team."
Everyone turned to look at Team 7's three newly assigned members.
A blond ball of sunshine and chaos.
A dark-haired prodigy brimming with pride.
A shy heiress with hidden determination.
A strange combination.
A volatile combination.
A… promising combination.
Iruka smiled.
"Team 7… good luck."
The future was about to begin.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)