Namikaze Minato looked at Night Maple. "Night Maple-kun, you choose first."
Night Maple smiled. "Then I won't be polite—I choose Team Seven."
The will of "7" really is everywhere.
This year's Team Seven is the one that will change the world.
Obito, originally the weakest, becomes Madara's catspaw—at one point even the big bad facing the Hokage.
And Kakashi is a key figure too.
Night Maple suddenly wondered if his arrival would alter Team Seven's historical track.
If Obito didn't suffer grievous injuries at the Kannabi Bridge battle, would he still walk that path?
If Night Maple could control the Three-Tails sealed in Rin, could he prevent the tragedy?
There's also Konoha's White Fang's suicide, and so on.
Thinking along those lines, Night Maple felt a spark of interest.
Seeing Night Maple pick Team Seven, Minato sighed—he'd originally favored Team Seven most himself.
Hearing Night Maple claim it, he felt a strange sense of loss.
As if something precious had slipped away.
Still, Minato nodded. "Alright, Team Seven it is."
Night Maple asked, "And you?"
Minato smiled. "I don't mind. I'll take whatever's left. Go meet your students. Oh—and here's the teaching guide. Give it a look."
Night Maple accepted a copy of the New Shinobi Instructor's Guide and flipped it open.
Opening words: the Will of Fire.
"Wherever leaves dance, the fire will never die. Its light will continue to shine upon the village, and new leaves will sprout."
Night Maple rolled his eyes, then glanced back at the author on the cover—Sarutobi Hiruzen. Figures.
That line is Hiruzen's favorite; he says it every day, carves it into trees, spreads it across the village.
The ideological work is, admittedly, top-notch.
Flipping ahead, the first section says that to be a teacher you must have the ability to instruct, a generous heart, and noble character—so you can lead by example and help students grow better.
Being a killer shinobi and still expected to be morally upright—that's pretty badass.
Then section two begins: as a teacher, how to cultivate capable students by organizing various missions.
A "capable" student means becoming a genin, a chūnin, even a jōnin—ready to fight on the front lines.
Whether the Land of Fire or Konoha, both need fresh blood to maintain their standing.
That's the purpose of shinobi.
First task: organize your team of three to carry out a wilderness survival exercise.
Before it begins, remind them how hard it will be.
For example, out of thirty graduates, only ten will be recognized as genin; the rest will be sent back to the Academy to try again next year.
Get them to take it seriously—no slacking.
The survival exercise means heading into the wild and, within a set time—say before noon—snatching the bells from your person to train their ninjutsu application and teamwork.
Also, by showing your strength as the teacher, let them grasp what a battle-tested shinobi's power looks like.
Those who fail to snag a bell don't get lunch—use hunger to fire them up.
Complete the survival exercise first to ensure these graduates can at least protect themselves on missions and the battlefield.
Then start with D-rank, then C-rank missions.
That's Konoha's veteran-guides-newcomer pipeline.
Night Maple stared—why did this process look so familiar…
"Let's go meet them first."
…
Standing outside the classroom door, Night Maple heard a soft girl's voice: "Geez, Obito, why isn't our teacher here yet?"
"Rin, I don't know either."
That voice must be Uchiha Obito.
"Hehe, maybe he's helping an old lady cross the street?"
"Kakashi, what's that supposed to mean?!"
No need to look—Kakashi was dunking on Obito again.
Honestly, the "helping an old lady across the street" excuse is terrible.
Obito always uses it like everyone's an idiot; no wonder Kakashi looks down on him.
"Ahem. Hello, you three—I'm your instructor."
Night Maple stepped in, took one look at the three kids—and froze.
This wasn't quite what he'd imagined.
The little girl and the two little boys were tiny—felt like grade-schoolers.
Fifth or sixth grade, tops!
Rin Nohara was the first to speak, all well-behaved. "Hello, Sensei!"
She thought to herself, This teacher's kinda handsome.
Then the black-haired boy in goggles—Obito—glanced at Night Maple, curled his lip, and muttered, "Hello, Sensei."
Obito thought, This guy looks a bit dense—like Kakashi.
Finally, the masked boy who showed only his eyes—Kakashi—said, "Hello, Sensei."
Night Maple nodded. "Mm. Let's start with introductions."
All three spoke in unison: "You first, Sensei…"