Chapter 401: Chapter 399 : Team Division!!
"Uchiha Genya, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Nara Shikamaru, known as the smartest of their generation, still couldn’t figure out what Genya was planning.
If he put himself in Genya’s shoes, he wouldn’t even bother participating in this so-called team selection.
Any Uchiha with average skills could already match the level of a regular instructor.
So wouldn’t it be better to just lie down and rest in the clan’s merchant association?
Shikamaru genuinely couldn’t understand it.
Genya only exchanged a quick greeting with Naruto before sitting lazily between Shikamaru and Hinata.
He leaned back to rest, while also quietly observing the movements around him.
His eyes swept across everyone in the classroom.
There was Naruto Uzumaki with his bright blond hair.
Sakura Haruno with her pink locks.
The always cool and aloof Sasuke Uchiha.
Ino with her wide eyes.
Hinata looking adorably shy.
Shikamaru slouched as always.
Shino with his thick-rimmed glasses hiding behind shadows.
Kiba with his dog-like expression.
Choji still munching on snacks.
And many more.
Genya’s gaze flickered with thought.
"Now that I’ve joined, I wonder if the teams will be assigned differently this time?" he murmured softly, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Genya-kun, do you think we could be in the same team?"
Just as Genya was lost in curiosity, Hinata asked him with wide, innocent eyes full of hope.
She genuinely wanted to be in the same squad as him.
That way, she’d have more chances to interact with him.
Just imagining it made her cheeks flush pink with embarrassment.
"If we’re lucky, it’s possible," Genya replied with a warm smile and a nod.
"Not necessarily," came Shikamaru’s lazy voice from the side.
"Technically, the school says team assignments are random. But in reality, they consider strength and influence. The teachers already have most of the teams planned out.
You’re from the Uchiha clan.
She’s from the Hyuga clan.
If nothing unexpected happens, the school will likely separate you two to avoid any imbalance or political issues."
Nara Shikamaru analyzed the situation confidently.
The key point was: although Hyuga Hinata might not necessarily be the direct heir of the Hyuga clan, she still almost represented the entire Hyuga family.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Genya was the pure heir, apparent to the future head of the Uchiha clan!
Considering multiple aspects, the village might have some concerns.
In fact, Nara Shikamaru’s analysis was quite accurate.
Unfortunately, this time there were too many people involved, so the variables increased.
In the end, everything still depended on the final outcome.
"Is that so?" As expected, after hearing Shikamaru’s analysis, Hinata’s expression immediately fell, her face full of disappointment.
"Don’t listen to his nonsense. Can that kid really control all those teachers?" Genya sneered, quickly trying to comfort her.
Over these past years, although Hinata’s strength had grown, her mindset had become somewhat fragile.
"That kid..." Shikamaru twitched his eyelid whenever Genya called him "kid."
He wanted to argue with Genya to explain why he said those things, but after thinking it over, he gave up. He was too lazy to argue.
Once the teams were announced, it would prove that his analysis was correct!
Time slowly passed.
The students in the classroom all took their seats, and the surrounding environment became noisier.
Tap, tap, tap.
At that moment, Iruka, leaning on a cane with bandages wrapped around his back, limped in.
"Iruka-sensei!"
Everyone’s eyes almost popped out when they saw Iruka.
What happened?
How did the healthy Iruka become like this?
It looked like his injuries were very serious.
However, some children from the ninja clans, like Nara Shikamaru, were only a little surprised by Iruka’s severe injuries, without showing much other reaction.
After all,
The major clans had delayed the team divisions at the Ninja Academy, and the news of Iruka’s injury had already spread.
"I’m fine, just a minor wound!" Iruka walked up to the podium, threw his crutches aside, and supported himself with one hand on the desk while placing some documents down with the other.
Silence returned to the classroom as a smile reappeared on Iruka’s face.
He looked at his students with a tone full of blessing, "Congratulations. From today, you are officially ninjas who can handle things on your own. But for now, you’re still rookie genin. The real hardships are only just beginning!"
"From now on, you will be divided into groups of three, forming a squad that will follow a jonin instructor on missions," Iruka announced the plan for the day.
Almost everyone there already knew about the grouping, as for numbers, jonin had always led new genin on missions in teams of three.
Everyone hoped to be grouped with someone they admired.
Sakura Haruno glanced at the expressionless Sasuke Uchiha, while Naruto Uzumaki looked at Sakura, already beginning to imagine possibilities.
Although Naruto could be a little mischievous, in matters of early feelings between boys and girls, he was still innocent and naive.
"At first, the school planned to draw lots to keep it fair, but after consideration, we decided to group you according to your abilities. This way, you can cooperate and complement each other better," Iruka explained.
Looking at the eager faces before him, he pulled out a sheet of paper he had prepared in advance and continued, "Now, I will announce the group assignments!"
"Grouped by ability... I wonder which group I’ll be in?"
"I hope I get assigned to Sasuke. He’s not only handsome but also very strong!"
"Tch, what’s so good about Sasuke? He’s so cold and clearly not a good teammate!"
"I think it’d be better to team up with Ino and her long legs—just by looks, she’s perfect for a squad!"
"I hope I can—"
As Iruka finished speaking, the people around began to murmur excitedly.
The boys and girls were lost in their own fantasies and hopes.
"Cough, cough... Quiet!" Iruka coughed twice to get everyone’s attention and quiet the noisy classroom.
Immediately, everyone fell silent. Each person seemed to be imagining the perfect partner for themselves.
Iruka opened the paper with the list and began to read aloud.
"Team One."
"Team Two."
(I wanted to write more names to fill the space, but except for the core twelve strong, almost no one had names!)
"Team Three."
"..."
As the groups were announced, some were happy, some worried, each showing their own expression.
"Team Seven: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke!"
"Great!" Naruto stood up excitedly when he heard the team assignment, but when he heard the last name, he felt a little disappointed.
Naruto was unhappy inside.
Cough, cough.
He didn’t dislike Sasuke because Sakura liked him, but because Sasuke’s cold personality bothered him.
He was from the same clan as Genya, so why could Genya be so kind and gentle, but Uchiha Sasuke was so cold?
Iruka, without showing Naruto’s reaction, continued announcing, "Team Eight: Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, Uchiha Genya!"
"Genya."
When Hinata heard she was in the same team as Genya, her heart pounded loudly.
(Why wasn’t he in the same team as Inuzuka Kiba? Cough, cough, personally, I think Kiba doesn’t have any real advantages or strong abilities compared to Aburame Shino, who can control insects!)
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