"Third team, come with me. I'm your jonin instructor."
Not long after Iruka had left the classroom, a jonin wearing a green vest appeared at the doorway.
"Fifth team, follow me."
As soon as the third team had left, another jonin appeared at the entrance.
The classroom, which had been full of students, quickly began to empty.
In no time, only about a dozen students were left in the classroom.
Unlike Kakashi, who was known for being late, Kurenai Yuuhi did not keep Yagyu and his team waiting.
Soon, a voluptuous woman with black hair and striking red eyes, like Yagyu's, appeared at the classroom door. After scanning the room, her gaze fell on Yagyu, and she smiled, "Team 8, come with me. I'm your jonin instructor."
Before Yagyu and his team could stand up, another bearded man appeared at the door and also looked toward Yagyu's group. "Team 10, come with me."
As Kurenai's admirer, Asuma Sarutobi had clearly left the Hokage's office at the same time as her.
"We're heading out, Sakura. Don't forget to visit us during the break," Ino said.
"Yeah, see you!" Sakura replied.
Yagyu and the others said goodbye to Sakura, who was forcing a smile, and then left the classroom.
"Kurenai, should we let the kids meet each other first?" Asuma asked, his intentions obvious to anyone paying attention.
Following behind them, Shikamaru slightly furrowed his brow. Their jonin instructor didn't seem very reliable.
Kurenai glanced at Asuma, who had already lit a cigarette again, and frowned. "There's no need. You already know how their relationships are. Also, Asuma, could you stop smoking in front of ladies?"
"Sorry, sorry..."
Asuma hurriedly put out his cigarette, looking so humble that his image as a jonin crumbled instantly in the eyes of Team 8 and Team 10.
Ino was particularly exasperated.
Not only was she not in Yagyu's team, but now her jonin instructor was a chain smoker!
Yagyu, however, was deep in thought. Was it possible that their relationship hadn't advanced yet?
If he remembered correctly, in the original story, when Itachi Uchiha returned to the village, Kurenai and Asuma were already dating and happened to meet Kakashi on the street, right?
That was after the Konoha Crush incident.
Could it be that their relationship didn't progress until after Hiruzen Sarutobi's death?
Thinking about this possibility, Yagyu looked at Asuma with a hint of disdain.
Good grief, using a tragedy to get close to someone? How pathetic of a "licking dog" could you be?
"Hey... what kind of looks are you kids giving me?" Asuma asked, blushing as he noticed the piercing stares of Yagyu and the others.
Ino, who had never been subtle, gave him a pitiful look, almost making Asuma lose his composure.
Only now did Asuma realize how badly he had messed up his image in front of the students.
Great, now his authority as their teacher was in ruins.
"Goodbye, Yagyu! Don't forget to visit me at the flower shop when you have time," Ino said as she waved goodbye.
After leaving the school building, Team 8 and Team 10 went their separate ways.
Kurenai didn't take her team to one of the school's training grounds. Instead, she led Yagyu, Shino, and Hinata out of the village's main street to a deserted training ground in the wilderness.
This training ground was very similar to the one used by the original Team 7.
In fact, most of the outdoor training grounds were nearly identical.
Stopping in front of a wooden post, Kurenai turned to face her three students and smiled, "Before you can handle missions on your own, we'll be spending a lot of time together. Let's introduce ourselves."
"I'll go first as an example. My name is Kurenai Yuuhi. You can call me Kurenai-sensei. My specialty is genjutsu. My favorite foods are sake, vodka, and wasabi octopus, and I dislike cake. My dream is to become a kunoichi as powerful as Lady Tsunade."
After she finished her introduction, Kurenai's gaze shifted to Yagyu.
Unlike elite jonin like Kakashi, Asuma, and Guy, Kurenai had only recently been promoted to jonin.
When she learned that she would be a jonin instructor along with the others, she felt a bit slighted when Kakashi and the others didn't include her in their bets on who would produce the best students. Though she kept her feelings to herself, deep down, she was determined to prove them wrong.
When she received her student list from the Third Hokage, Kurenai's focus wasn't on Hinata, the heiress of the Hyuga clan, nor on Shino, the heir of the Aburame clan. Her attention was on Yagyu, the top student in their year.
After learning that Yagyu had consistently outperformed the heirs of several prominent clans, Kurenai placed her hopes on him.
She was determined to train Yagyu into an exceptional shinobi and use the Chunin Exams or other contests to show up Kakashi and the others.
Yagyu, unaware of Kurenai's thoughts, saw her gaze fall on him and immediately introduced himself.
"My name is Yagyu. I know a variety of jutsu, but I'm best at water-style techniques. I like spicy food and dislike sour and bitter things. My dream is to become an excellent ninja."
The first part of his introduction was true, but the part about his dream was just to satisfy Kurenai.
In truth, Yagyu's dream was to collect all the valuable powers and become a well-rounded, Sage-level ninja.
This had been his goal since awakening his game system—his main quest.
"I'm Hinata Hyuga. I specialize in the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist and sensory techniques. My favorite foods are red bean soup, cinnamon rolls, and cold dishes. I dislike shrimp and crab. My dream... is also to become an excellent ninja."
Hinata's voice was soft as she introduced herself, but she didn't bow her head or show any signs of shyness.
Her dream was no longer to gain her father's approval. Thanks to Yagyu's influence, Hinata hadn't made Hiashi Hyuga feel disappointed in her.
Hiashi and Inoichi Yamanaka had secretly observed their children's training more than once, so they knew exactly how strong their children had become.
Compared to other ninja clan heirs, Hinata was more than competent.
Under Yagyu's influence, she wasn't as timid or self-deprecating as she had been in the original story.
However, her true dream was still a mystery to everyone.
After Hinata's introduction, Shino Aburame spoke up.
"My name is Shino Aburame. I specialize in my clan's secret techniques. I like vegetable salads and winter melon, and I dislike foods that are too strong in flavor. My dream is to discover a new species of insect."
"Very good, I now know your specialties and preferences."
Kurenai nodded approvingly and smiled. "But I still don't know much about your skills. So, tomorrow at 8 AM, meet me here. We're going to have a survival training exercise."
"For now, you're dismissed."
With that, Kurenai vanished in a blur of speed.
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