Time flows like water, and the years pass by swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, another year of training had passed, and it was now June of Konoha's 63rd year.
Over the past year, Tenten had successfully graduated from the Ninja Academy and was now grouped with Neji and Lee, training under the elite Jonin, Might Guy.
Meanwhile, Shishou, Ino, and Hinata had also passed their graduation exams yesterday, marking the arrival of their graduation season.
"Shishou, over here!"
As soon as Shishou walked into the classroom, he heard Yamanaka Ino calling out to him.
Following the voice, Shishou saw Ino and Hinata sitting in the back row of the classroom, waving at him.
Noticing Ino's purple crop top, Shishou smiled and walked over.
Over the past year, Ino and Hinata had grown significantly taller, reaching about 150 cm and becoming elegant young ladies.
Shishou himself had grown to 170 cm, making him stand out among his peers who were mostly around 150 cm tall. This was despite him having shrunk his body slightly.
In reality, his true height was already 180 cm, and with a full beard, he could easily be mistaken for a Flying Thunder God user.
"Shishou, have you had breakfast?"
As soon as Shishou sat down, the long-haired Hinata offered him her breakfast sandwich.
Hinata's stepmother, Hyuga Yuka, showered Hinata and Hanabi with plenty of pocket money to win their favor. Additionally, Hyuga Rimei would visit them weekly, leaving them with ample funds, turning Hinata and Hanabi into little heiresses.
Of course, compared to the truly wealthy Tenten, they were still a bit behind.
"I'll just have a little."
Taking the sandwich from Hinata, Shishou tore off a small piece and handed the rest back to her.
He had already eaten the breakfast Mikoto had prepared in Fire Source City, but seeing Hinata being so sweet, he felt he could eat a bit more.
"Ah~~"
Seeing the sandwich in Shishou's hand, Ino opened her mouth, signaling him to feed her.
Seeing Ino's gesture, Shishou chuckled and tossed a small piece into her mouth.
Hinata, seeing Ino's actions, also wanted Shishou to feed her, but being too shy, she just kept the thought to herself.
As the three of them chatted and joked around, Shikamaru and Choji walked into the classroom.
"Yo, you guys are early," Shikamaru greeted the three before sitting in the row in front of them.
Choji pulled out a bag of chips and said, "I wonder how they'll divide us into teams today."
By this time, most of the students who had passed the graduation exams were in the classroom, awaiting their team assignments.
This time, Naruto hadn't been held back like in the original story. He had barely passed the graduation exam, thanks to Tsunade's "motivational flicks."
Even though Tsunade spent most of her time training in Shikkotsu Forest, she took Naruto's studies seriously at Kushina's request.
Whenever Naruto failed to complete the tasks assigned by his instructors, Tsunade would give him a painful flick on the forehead upon her return, ensuring he learned his lessons.
As a result, Naruto worked hard to avoid the dreaded forehead flicks.
Shikamaru took a chip from Choji's bag and ate it, saying lazily, "That's easy."
"You, me, and Ino will be in a team. The Ino-Shika-Cho formation is renowned throughout the ninja world."
Hearing Shikamaru's words, Ino felt a wave of discomfort and displeasure. If it were up to her, she would rather be in a team with Shishou. However, she knew that team assignments were beyond her control.
It was already decided that she, Shikamaru, and Choji would form a team.
Choji, hearing Shikamaru's prediction, asked, "What about the others?"
"Well..." Shikamaru yawned and continued, "Sasuke, Shishou, and Naruto will probably be in the same team, paired with a girl who has high potential but lower skills."
"Konoha has a tradition of balancing each team by mixing talented and less-talented members. With this principle, you can easily predict the team assignments."
Of course, Shikamaru didn't mention some other things.
Like how children of ninja clans were usually grouped together with other ninja clan children, while children of civilians were often grouped with other civilians.
Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Sasuke, and Naruto were likely to be placed in teams and receive guidance from elite Jonin. This ensured they learned from the best and had their safety guaranteed.
This was another tradition in Konoha, a way for the ninja clans to protect their interests.
However, this truth was too harsh, and Shikamaru chose not to say it aloud.
Among those six, only one was a girl, meaning another girl from the civilian students would likely be added to balance the teams.
As a result, either Shishou or Shino might be reassigned to a civilian team...
Thinking about this, Shikamaru glanced at Shino with some sympathy.
With Shishou's brilliance overshadowing him, Shino really had it tough.
Not only might Shishou take the position of clan head, but he might also push Shino out of the team assignments.
However, this couldn't be helped since Shishou's talents were too exceptional.
Shino, sensing Shikamaru's gaze, seemed to understand his thoughts and simply glanced at him without saying much.
Returning his gaze from Shino, Shikamaru suddenly recalled something.
Hmm? Last year, Shishou had tried to apply for early graduation but was interrupted by Naruto and the others.
Could it be that Shishou intended to graduate early to ensure Shino wouldn't be reassigned to a civilian team?
Thinking of this, Shikamaru looked at Shishou, uncertain.
If that were the case, Shishou was truly far-sighted...
Hinata, sitting behind Shikamaru, was delighted upon hearing his analysis.
Her grades were quite average, which meant she might end up in a team with Shishou.
Previously worried about her poor grades, Hinata now couldn't help but smile at this unexpected blessing.
Seeing Hinata's reaction, Ino felt a pang of envy.
Meanwhile, Sakura, sitting by the window, glanced at Ino and Hinata, then at Sasuke in the distance, and finally at Shishou.
Due to Shishou's overwhelming presence, Sasuke had often been left defeated and humiliated, which made Sakura less infatuated with Sasuke than in the original story. Instead, she valued her friendship with Ino more.
Before long, Naruto, once again running late, burst into the classroom, beaming with his headband on.
Perhaps running too fast, Naruto tripped over his own feet and ended up kneeling right in front of Sasuke, who was sitting in the first row.
Sasuke: "..."
Naruto: "..."
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This fanfiction is complete on my P@treon. If you want to read it, you can find it at p@treon.com/Betek. change @ to a