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It was eleven at night. Kushina tiptoed into Shin''s room. Shin was still awake.
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"Shin, I''m here to sleep with you."
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Kushina lunged towards him, but a hand shot out and grabbed her by the collar.
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"Hey! Put me down, Tsunade! You meanie!"
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Kushina shrieked, glaring at Tsunade. She hadn''t expected Tsunade to be awake at this hour.
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"Hmph, I knew you''d sneak in here. Back to your own room, young lady."
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Tsunade dragged Kushina away, ignoring her protests.
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Kushina cast a pleading look at Shin, but he could only offer a helpless shrug.
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"Tsunade, what''s it to you if I sleep with Shin?" Kushina demanded.
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"You''re both too old to be sharing a bed now."
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Tsunade ignored Kushina''s further protests and tossed her back into her own room. Kushina pouted, defeated.
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The next morning, at breakfast, Kushina glared at Tsunade before dragging Shin off to school.
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"Little brat, still glaring at me? Just you wait," Tsunade muttered under her breath.
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At the Academy, Shin noticed that they were the last to arrive. Even Nawaki, who was usually late, was already there.
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The students, all wearing their forehead protectors, were a mix of excitement and nervousness. After the team assignments, they would be real Shinobi, ready to go on missions.
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"Shin, who do you think your Jōnin-sensei will be?" Nawaki asked excitedly.
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"My guess is your sister, Tsunade," Shin replied.
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Tsunade had promised him a surprise yesterday, and he suspected this was it.
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"Really? Did she tell you? Did she say who my sensei would be?" Nawaki looked at Shin with anticipation.
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"She didn''t tell me. It''s just a guess. Who do you want your sensei to be, Nawaki?"
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Shin shook his head. It wasn''t confirmed, but he was pretty sure Tsunade would be their Jōnin-sensei.
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"I want Orochimaru-sama!"
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Nawaki''s eyes shone with admiration. He seemed genuinely eager to be on Orochimaru''s team.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
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Shin gave him a strange look. Orochimaru? What was so appealing about him?
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Then he remembered that Orochimaru did have a certain charisma. In the original story, many were devoted to him.
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"I don''t understand why you like that creepy guy."
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Shin shook his head. He didn''t dislike Orochimaru, but he didn''t particularly like him either. The current Orochimaru wasn''t as sinister or twisted as he would become.
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"Orochimaru-sama is a genius, one of the strongest in Konoha. He''s way stronger than my sister."
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Nawaki seemed to idolize Orochimaru.
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"Don''t let your sister hear you say that, or you''ll be in trouble," Kushina warned.
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"Settle down!"
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Tanaka-sensei entered the classroom. Seeing the chaos, his face darkened.
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Nawaki scurried back to his seat, and the others followed suit.
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Tanaka-sensei was still a formidable presence.
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The team assignments began. One by one, Jōnin entered the classroom, read out the names of their team members, and left.
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"Team Three: Senju Nawaki, Uzumaki Kai, Hyūga Hizashi."
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Orochimaru entered, read the names, and left without a word.
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Nawaki''s face lit up. He couldn''t believe he was actually on Orochimaru''s team. He rushed out with Kai and Hizashi.
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"Team Five: Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Akiko, Inuzuka Tsume. Follow me."
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Jiraiya entered and called out the names.
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Minato and his team left. The classroom was getting emptier.
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"Uzumaki Shin, Uzumaki Kushina, Uchiha Mikoto, you three are Team Nine. Come with me."
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When only a few students remained, Tsunade entered and called out their names.
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Shin smiled. He had guessed correctly. Tsunade was their Jōnin-sensei.
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They followed Tsunade to a training ground in Konoha.
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"Shin, you don''t seem surprised at all," Tsunade observed.
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"I already guessed it was you. This must be the surprise you mentioned."
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"Hmph, you guessed it again. How annoying."
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Kushina scowled. She wasn''t thrilled about having Tsunade as their sensei. She almost wanted to request a transfer.
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Mikoto, however, was delighted. Not because of Tsunade, but because she was on the same team as Shin and Kushina.
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"Now, I''ll assess your abilities. Don''t hold back," Tsunade said.
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She wasn''t going to give them another test, but gauging their strength was necessary.
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As their Jōnin-sensei, she needed to know their capabilities to assign them appropriate missions.
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"Is this assessment really necessary?" Shin asked.
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"Of course. I can''t assign you missions without knowing your strength. Unless you want to do D-rank missions, then we can skip this."
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There were five mission ranks in Konoha. D-rank missions were the lowest, simple tasks with no combat or risk, such as weeding, babysitting, and cleaning the streets.
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C-rank missions involved some risk of injury, but no combat against enemy Shinobi.
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B-rank missions were dangerous, often involving combat and the risk of death.
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A-rank missions were even more dangerous, often involving Jōnin or stronger opponents. Genin weren''t allowed to participate in these.
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S-rank missions were the most dangerous, involving the safety of the village or even the nation. They were rare, but when they did occur, they were a big deal.
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S-rank missions required elite Jōnin or even Kage-level Shinobi. They were the highest paying missions, but also the most perilous.
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Fresh graduates usually started with D-rank missions. But it seemed Tsunade wasn''t planning on giving them those.
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That was fine with Shin. He had no interest in those low-level missions. They wouldn''t help him improve, and the pay was pathetic.
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Besides, he didn''t need the money.