Early in the morning, the Ninja Academy was already overflowing with noise and excitement.
Three months had passed since the war ended. During that time, the massive machine known as Konohagakure had gradually returned to normal operation.
A new generation of academy students was preparing to graduate and officially become genin.
Likewise, many young jonin who had grown up during the war were now stepping into the role of team leaders for the first time.
This cycle was how the Will of Fire continued to pass from one generation to the next.
Of course, the children preparing to graduate had no interest in lofty ideals like that.
Right now, they only cared about one thing.
Their future teammates.
"Rin, do you think we'll end up on the same team?"
Uchiha Obito leaned forward impatiently, trying to peek at the assignment sheet in Nishimura-sensei's hand. His face was filled with nervous anticipation.
"Kurenai, please let us be on the same team..."
Asuma Sarutobi quietly muttered to himself while plucking flower petals apart one by one.
He already knew who his jonin instructor would be, but his teammates were still a mystery.
Some students were anxious.
Others were excited.
And then there were the strange ones.
"Raido, if we're assigned together, it'll definitely be fate."
Shiranui Genma casually chewed on his senbon while giving Namiashi Raido a dramatic stare.
"Kakashi, my youthful passion is ready for our new journey together!"
Might Guy tightly held a package wrapped in green cloth. Inside were gifts he had carefully prepared for his future teammates and instructor.
"Ahem."
Nishimura-sensei cleared his throat loudly, instantly silencing the classroom.
He stood behind the podium and picked up the assignment sheet.
"Next, I will announce the genin teams."
Everyone immediately straightened up.
"Team One: Asuma Sarutobi, Might Guy."
"Jonin Instructor: Uchiha Hayashi."
Asuma already knew his instructor would be Hayashi, but hearing that his teammate was Might Guy instead of Kurenai Yuhi still dealt him a painful blow.
Could his father not consider his son's future happiness for once?
His older brother was still unmarried.
Was the Sarutobi family line supposed to depend entirely on him?
Asuma glanced resentfully at Might Guy.
In his eyes, this loud idiot had stolen his future romance.
Might Guy completely misunderstood the look and flashed an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"Great! It's Hayashi-sensei and Kakashi too!"
Nishimura continued reading.
"Team Two: Kurenai Yuhi, Inuzuka Rin, Aoba Yamashiro."
"Jonin Instructor: Uchiha Mikoto."
Obito looked devastated.
Not only had he failed to join Hayashi's team, he hadn't even ended up under Mikoto-sensei alongside Rin Nohara.
His entire body seemed to lose color.
"Team Three: Aburame Kuro, Hyuga Suzu, Tobitake Tonbo."
"Jonin Instructor: Hyuga Himeji."
As a member of the Hyuga main family, Himeji had specifically requested a branch family student for her squad.
She had always maintained a good reputation among the branch family members.
"Team Four: Nara Ensui, Yamanaka Santan, Akimichi Doto."
"Jonin Instructor: Uzumaki Kushina."
No one questioned Kushina's strength.
She had already proven herself countless times during the war.
Recently, she had also carried out missions alongside Hayashi frequently, gaining plenty of practical leadership experience.
To ensure stability, the Third Hokage intentionally placed the new Ino-Shika-Cho formation under her supervision.
With a member of the Nara Clan present, the team's intelligence level would never become a problem.
Naturally, the happiest person was Akimichi Doto.
Kushina was famous for feeding people.
"Team Five: Ebisu, Yagyu, Hyuga Kagami."
"Jonin Instructor: Senju Nawaki."
"Team Six: Masadai, Rin Nohara, Ibiki."
"Jonin Instructor: Yakushi Nono."
"Team Seven: Uchiha Obito, Shiranui Genma, Namiashi Raido."
"Jonin Instructor: Minato Namikaze."
The classroom immediately erupted into conversation after the final announcement.
Students who received their preferred teammates were thrilled.
The unlucky ones looked completely miserable.
Nishimura-sensei ignored the chaos. After finishing the announcements, he simply left the classroom.
About ten minutes later, the classroom door slid open once more.
Uchiha Hayashi walked inside calmly.
The room instantly fell silent.
Many students stared at him with obvious admiration.
During the war, Hayashi's reputation had spread throughout Konoha. To academy students, he already felt like a legendary ninja.
Hayashi swept his gaze across the classroom before speaking plainly.
"Team One, come with me."
"Yes, Hayashi-sensei!"
Might Guy practically launched himself out of his seat in excitement.
Asuma stood up more slowly. Before leaving, he gave Kurenai a meaningful look, then glanced smugly toward Obito.
Obito merely snorted.
Honestly, he wasn't too dissatisfied with his assignment.
Minato Namikaze was already famous across the ninja world as the Yellow Flash of Konoha.
Being trained by such a powerful ninja was still an incredible opportunity.
The only unfortunate part was that his teammates were Genma and Raido instead of Rin.
Outside the academy building, Hayashi stopped briefly.
"I'll wait for you two at the Uchiha Plaza."
The moment he finished speaking, his figure vanished instantly using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Asuma blinked.
"...He seriously left already?"
Might Guy scratched his head awkwardly.
"Wait, where did Hayashi-sensei say we were supposed to go? I got too excited and forgot."
Asuma stared at him speechlessly.
About ten minutes later, the two finally arrived at Uchiha Plaza.
The plaza had gradually become one of Konoha's most popular gathering spots for retired and off-duty ninja.
Its spacious layout and luxurious decorations attracted large crowds every day.
Several elderly shinobi from the Nara Clan were currently gathered around shogi boards while nearby vendors loudly advertised snacks and tea.
At the center of the plaza, Hayashi sat casually on a stone bench while reading mission documents.
Standing beside him was Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi wasn't paying attention to Hayashi at all.
His entire focus was fixed on a pair of elderly Nara clan members playing a high-stakes shogi match.
The more he watched, the more tempted he became.
In just a short while, one challenger had already won several thousand ryo from the old men.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed with interest.
He could definitely do better.
And more importantly...
He desperately needed money.
Even through his mask, the excitement in his expression was obvious.
Hayashi noticed everything but chose not to interfere.
There were benefits to young people suffering small losses once in a while.
At the very least, it taught them not to underestimate members of the Nara Clan.
As for the old men running gambling stalls in the plaza, Hayashi had no intention of stopping them.
If people couldn't make money here, why would anyone bother setting up stalls?
And if nobody opened stalls, how would the Uchiha district continue collecting management fees?
Whether the villagers complained or not was the Military Police Force's problem.
Currently, Shimura Danzo was serving as the captain of the Military Police Force.
That responsibility had nothing to do with the Uchiha Clan.
It was better to let Danzo handle matters that made people unpopular.
Hayashi narrowed his eyes slightly.
Sooner or later, he intended to deal with Shimura Danzo completely.
Unfortunately, Danzo was both a village elder and one of the Third Hokage's closest allies.
Brute force alone would never solve the issue cleanly.
So before making a move, Hayashi intended to slowly ruin Danzo's public reputation first.
If Danzo avoided interfering with the Uchiha district's businesses, both sides could maintain peace.
But if he tried using the Military Police Force to pressure the Uchiha Clan...
Then Hayashi would gladly expose every instance of violent law enforcement carried out under Danzo's authority.
After all, if the Second Hokage could isolate the Uchiha Clan politically back then...
Hayashi could return the favor to Danzo now.
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