13 The Confusion of Team Placement

It took over an hour to complete the process of taking the class photo. As Hayashi and Hinata concluded their photo session and made their way toward the school gate, they spotted a lonely figure beside the swing set.

That figure was none other than Naruto.

Since awakening Observation Haki, he keenly sensed the disapproving glances and disdainful murmurs from the parents nearby. These glances and murmurs were directed towards Naruto, adding to the weight of judgment in the air.

The words carried no warmth, only contempt.

Observing this scene, he maintained his outward composure. Inwardly, however, he was deeply moved by what he witnessed.

Here was a hero, yet he faced the scorn reserved for a criminal.

In the real world, such treatment would undoubtedly breed resentment towards Konoha.

Shaking his head slightly, Hayashi departed from the ninja school alongside Hinata.

They parted ways at the entrance of their respective homes. With daylight still lingering, he refrained from escorting her all the way back to her house.

Upon returning to his room, he placed the ninja forehead protector on the counter before removing his kimono and heading to the bathroom for a shower.

After emerging, he changed into his exercise attire and made his way to his training ground to complete today's daily tasks. 

The content of these tasks had remained largely unchanged over the past two years. For the last year, the quota of 300 cuts had been fixed. However, during this time, he had mastered the art of wielding a sword and making each swing a precise slash without disrupting the surroundings. 

As dusk descended, he continued his practice. The rhythmic swings of the sword filled the air, each movement precise and deliberate.

When night fell, the events surrounding the Scroll of Sealing incident were set to unfold. 

Despite the impending occurrence, he had no intention of involving himself. The plan seemed riddled with loopholes. It appeared to be merely a ploy by the Third Hokage to apprehend a spy. Additionally, there was the added gesture of compensating the Fourth Hokage's son. Only a fool would partake in such a scheme. 

After a two-hour jog around the leafy pathways, Hayashi returned home for a shower and retired early.

Lying in bed, he gazed out the window. The night sky was star-studded, captivating his attention. His mind was far from sleep, lost in contemplation.

Tomorrow marked the beginning of teams, though the uncertainty of which team he would be assigned to loomed over him.

Certainly, being placed in Team 7 was out of the question. The Third Hokage would never allow the top student and the runner-up to be placed in the same team.

Moreover, the fateful battle between Indra and Ashura sealed their destinies. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the status pf an Uchiha orphan ensured that Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke were destined to be inseparable. Whether it was dictated by the consciousness requirements of the world or the identities of the parties involved, their paths were intertwined.

Furthermore, the reconciliation of two men and one woman made it unlikely for a third male member to be added to Team 7.

Similarly, Team 10 was reserved for the new generation of Ino–Shika–Cho. This made it inaccessible to outsiders.

Lastly, Team 8 comprised ninjas with sensory abilities. The likelihood of him being assigned to this team was slim. It was almost non-existent, given that his own sensory abilities were unknown to Konoha.

With these considerations in mind, how would the Third Hokage arrange for Hayashi as the top student?

Would he be randomly assigned to an ordinary team?

The thought left him feeling inexplicably unsettled. While being placed on an ordinary team wouldn't be an issue, being paired with incompetent teammates who might be sent back to the ninja school for survival drills was a different matter altogether.

He refused to become a mere babysitter!

If being a ninja wasn't in the cards, Hayashi was determined to stand out in this tumultuous era.

Having made his decision, he finally closed his eyes. Gradually, he drifted into the realm of dreams.

Unbeknownst to him, there was another individual grappling with the same concerns about the division of teams.

That person was the Third Hokage.

In the dead of night, after resolving Naruto's theft of the Scroll of Seals, Iruka submitted the list of graduating students for the year. This prompted the Third Hokage to commence classifying these names.

Without the presence of Hayashi, organizing the students would have been a straightforward task. His impact, however, proved significant. The children of the six major clans would have been assigned directly to two teams, followed by the placement of the Uchiha clan and the Jinchuriki into two separate teams. Then, the addition of a girl whom Naruto cared about would complete the arrangement of the new generation.

However, Hayashi presented a remarkable anomaly. The Third Hokage found himself in a dilemma because of it.

Ino–Shika–Cho teams couldn't be altered, leaving Hayashi along with Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto as the extra students. This made for a perfect arrangement of two teams. 

But as Hayashi anticipated, grouping the top two students together would be unfair to the other teams. This arrangement could potentially lead to conflicts, especially if all members were male.

Excluding Sasuke and Naruto, only the children of the Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hyuga clans remained—two boys and one girl. 

However, grouping them all into one small team would mean placing the additional top student with the ordinary students. 

"Yusuke Hayashi, that genius..." The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, studying the ninja file on his desk. Upon seeing Hayashi's photo, a sense of familiarity washed over him.

His mind immediately flashed back to the image he had seen when using the Telescope Technique. 

"Has the child who practiced swordsmanship grown so much? So he is this year's top student..." A flicker of reminiscence crossed the Third Hokage's aged eyes, and he sighed. "He truly evokes memories of Minato and Sakumo!" 

With this realization, the Third Hokage's tangled thoughts finally reached a resolution. 

Thus, he picked up a digital seal and stamped it on Hayashi's file.