Not long after, the teacher arrived.

He took out a piece of paper and began reading the class assignments.

"First class... second class..."

"Third class: Might Guy, Nara Shikamaru, Ebisu."

The teacher continued to announce.

Nara Shikamaru and Ebisu, who had been laughing earlier, could finally no longer smile.

Finally, it was time for Kiyohiko's name.

"Seventh class: Ryouhou Kiyohiko, Yuhi Kurenai."

Kurenai glanced at Kiyohiko, blinking her eyes.

Fortunately, it was just one of them.

Although both Kiyohiko and Guy put in a lot of effort and should be quite strong, the sparks that flew when they collided just now were hard for the young Kurenai to accept.

The Ninja Academy teacher continued to announce.

"Eighth class..."

Kurenai began to worry.

Wait?

Why were there only the two of them?

Kiyohiko looked at Kurenai and whispered, "Don't worry; ask outside later."

"Uh, okay."

Kurenai nodded, suppressing the doubts in her heart.

Outside the door.

"Teacher, why are there only two people in the seventh class? Normally, there should be one leading jōnin and a three-person team, right?"

Kiyohiko asked.

The Ninja Academy teacher was also awkward, scratching his head and saying, "Well, I don't know either. You should have a clear understanding when you meet the leading jōnin this afternoon."

"Huh?"

Kurenai looked bewildered, completely confused about the situation.

The Ninja Academy teacher quickly used a Body Flicker Technique to leave, leaving Kiyohiko and Kurenai staring at each other.

Now it was their turn to be dumbfounded.

Of course.

Kiyohiko had a guess in his heart, but he wasn't sure if it was correct—

There was a troublesome, pressure-creating genius boy who had become a chūnin last year but whose personality and style made it difficult for him to manage team relationships.

Hatake Kakashi.

Could it be him?

...

At two o'clock in the afternoon, each class gathered in the Ninja Academy. Below, the other ninjas who hadn't graduated were in class, while they had to wait for the leading jōnin to arrive.

Kiyohiko sat in his seat, contemplating his future direction.

He had already figured out some of the system's mechanics.

Being on a team with Kakashi seemed to have some benefits.

The only issue was—

He didn't know who the leading jōnin was.

Could it be Namikaze Minato?

As he thought, he unconsciously twirled a kunai in his hand.

At this moment, Kurenai finally couldn't hold back.

"Kiyohiko-kun, I... I have something I want to ask."

She was a year or two older than Kiyohiko and wasn't in the same class, so they weren't very familiar.

However, since they would be teammates in the future, they needed to get to know each other.

Kiyohiko stopped twirling the kunai.

"What is it?"

"Are you practicing finger dexterity?"

Kurenai curiously pointed at the kunai that danced like flowers in Kiyohiko's fingers.

Kiyohiko was slightly taken aback and then chuckled.

"Just a habit."

"Habit..."

Kurenai nodded, not saying anything more, but the look she gave Kiyohiko held a bit of respect.

Forming a habit takes years of training, and there must have been hardships and bitterness that she couldn't understand.

No wonder he and Guy had common ground.

She let her imagination run wild.

Kiyohiko had no idea what the girl was thinking; he was just pondering—

Would building a closer relationship help him take advantage of the situation?

Before long.

Knock knock!

The door was knocked on.

The next moment, the door opened, and Kiyohiko looked up, almost bursting out laughing.

A silver-haired boy wearing a mask walked in with a vacant expression, sitting down stiffly and trying to act nonchalant.

Kurenai's mouth dropped open.

She blinked in disbelief.

Then...

"You can't be our leading jōnin, right?!"

"Hmph."

Kakashi turned his head away and didn't say anything.

Kiyohiko quietly reminded her.

"Kurenai, Kakashi was just promoted to chūnin last year; he can't be a jōnin."

"Oh right."

Kurenai was in a confused state and hadn't quite grasped the situation, her face displaying a dazed expression.

Kiyohiko suppressed a smile at the side.

It really was him!

So.

"Kakashi, does this mean you've been held back?"

"..."

Kakashi glanced at him, then looked straight ahead, directly ignoring his question.

Tch.

Kiyohiko held back his desire to mock and sat up straight, maintaining a frighteningly quiet atmosphere in the classroom.

According to the monster level classifications from his previous life’s game...

Kakashi in front of him was at least boss-level difficulty, definitely not someone like Guy or Shikamaru who could be dealt with using just words.

He needed to take it slow!

He should first see who the teacher was.

As Kiyohiko pondered, a series of footsteps sounded outside.

The three of them focused their gazes on the door.

Could it be their teacher?

After waiting for a long time, the footsteps suddenly stopped, as if they had gone to another classroom.

A trace of doubt appeared on Kurenai's face.

She whispered, "Our teacher suddenly disappeared."

Kakashi said lightly, "As ninjas, we just have to wait."

"..."

Kiyohiko glanced at them, the corners of his mouth twitching.

If Kurenai's perception was accurate—

Then their teacher seemed to have a bit of a twisted sense of humor, wanting to observe their personalities and abilities.

Who could it be?

When they met later, how should he respond during introductions?

Kiyohiko thought quickly in his heart.

...

Outside, Jiraiya sighed.

He hadn't expected that at this age and status, he would still have to personally come out to help lead a group of newly graduated kids.

Really.

It's all the old man's fault!

He was secretly observing the situation inside.

"The little girl is quite sharp, skilled in illusion techniques, and seems to have potential in perception... perhaps she could be trained in medical or support roles."

"The silver-haired kid is hard to get along with; no wonder no one wants him; he's a troublesome guy."

"As for the last one."

"Tsk, he doesn't seem easy to manage either. I'm really asking for trouble!"

Jiraiya rubbed his chin, recalling what had happened the night before.

Inside the Hokage building yesterday.

"Old man, I just made plans to travel outside the village recently, and you want me to take students? You're doing this on purpose, right?"

"The village needs you," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.

Jiraiya curled his lips, and after a few seconds of silence said, "Are the three kids I'm taking particularly special?"

"One of them is Hatake Kakashi."

Sarutobi Hiruzen replied.

Jiraiya immediately fell silent. After a long while, he said, "Isn't that kid already a chūnin?"

"Take a look."

Sarutobi Hiruzen handed him a document.

Jiraiya took it and saw that it was filled with complaints from other ninjas about Kakashi; there were almost no teams willing to take him, and everyone was shirking responsibility.

Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen could force an arrangement.

But...

The old man wanted him, one of the Legendary Three, to help train.

Jiraiya thought of the unfortunate Sakumo and sighed, not immediately pushing back, his gaze sweeping the table.

Then, he noticed a resume among the pile of papers.

Jiraiya picked it up.

It was that kid!

He read through it carefully.

It detailed Kiyohiko's situation.

A descendant of the Senju clan.

More than a year ago, this child’s parents passed away, and since then his personality changed drastically, becoming somewhat withdrawn and strange, not fitting in with the rest of the class.

An orphan in the midst of war!

Jiraiya held the paper, momentarily silent.

During the Second Shinobi World War, the Legendary Three became famous, but many ninjas lost their lives under their command.

Such a hardworking child, with a personality...

"The other two are not fixed, right? Add him; I'm a bit interested in this child."

"You know him?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, slightly surprised.

This child...

Although he graduated early today, Jiraiya didn't have a deep impression of him, only remembering that he was very skilled in the substitution technique and also quite proficient in taijutsu.

"A very hardworking and intelligent child. I think he has potential like Minato."

Jiraiya said.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent for a moment and nodded gently: "Alright, then it's him, Kakashi, and who else? You get to decide."

"Doesn't matter."

Jiraiya replied, then glanced around and picked the one he found most agreeable.

"Let's go with her."