Chapter 182: Introductions

As our young genins waited in the classroom with several degrees of emotional states, Hatake Kakashi, the jonin in charge of their team and now squad leader arrived almost 2 hours later.

The four ninjas soon left the classroom for a more open area where the atmosphere soon turned tense as Kakashi instructed the young ninja to introduce themselves.

As Homura continued to feign attention to Kakashi's instructions, his mind was a battleground of speculation. He summoned C, the A.I. entity within his mind, to conjure potential reasons for his placement in Team 7.

Homura: (I wonder why the Hokage placed me in Team 7. What's the logic behind it?)

C: (Monotone) Inconclusive. There are many factors as to why host could be assigned Team 7. Does Host have a suggestion?

Homura: (I'm not entirely sure. Childhood connection with Naruto, healing skills, good ranking... who knows?)

Childhood association with Naruto, proficiency in healing ninjutsu, and his second-place ranking in the last evaluations were among the possibilities.

Homura contemplated his friendship with Naruto, acknowledging it was friendly but not to the extent of being best friends. His skills in medical ninjutsu, which were not exceptional, raised questions about the practicality of his selection based on healing abilities. Saya, with her superior healing skills, might be a more logical choice.

C: Conclusion. Teams are often crafted to complement each other. Host's skills might balance the team dynamics.

Homura: (I doubt it. Most teams seem pretty similar. Is it just a coincidence?)

The idea that teams were crafted to complement each other crossed Homura's mind. Yet, his skepticism persisted, considering that most teams, apart from Team 7 and Sakura's team, seemed quite similar.

It was difficult for him to believe that the assignments were entirely coincidental.

C: According to the specificities of each member, the assigned team does seem to compliment each other. 

C interjected, asserting that, from a tactical standpoint, Homura, Naruto, and Sasuke constituted a balanced team. Homura's preference for long-distance combat, Sasuke's proficiency in mid-range, and Naruto's strength in close combat could indeed form a harmonious unit.

Homura: (I'm not convinced. There has to be something else. Why Team 7 specifically? I mean, why put me in the same team as Sasuke...it makes very little sense, it would only decrease the average team, or that is not a factor and the goal is to create one strong team. But then it makes no sense as to why Naruto is also part of the same team. Even if Naruto is the nine tails Jinchuriki nothing guarantees he will be strong on his own merit or are we meant to stop...or even kill him if anything goes wrong?)

Still uncertain, Homura wondered if there might be another layer to his placement. Both Kakashi and Sasuke had the possibility to suppress Naruto's chakra, the sharingan was the perfect tool to suppress tailed beasts but Homura doubted of the aforementioned shinobi would be able to in their current incarnation; though in the future it would certainly be possible.

C: Unknown. According to the actions taken by the third hokage in the past, there's a negligible margin between both extremities.

Homura: (So not even you can tell what is inside that old coot's head?)

C: Possibility. What if it's for host's sake and Naruto's? The Hokage might have intentionally chosen this arrangement.

C proposed an idea that struck Homura like a revelation — the possibility that the Hokage intentionally chose Team 7, particularly for the sake of both Homura and Naruto.

Homura: (Wait, what? Why would he do that? I am not Minato's son he doesn't owe me anything...and even then, how he handled the Naruto situation and let live alone; I don't think I want to be.)

C: Hypothesis. Sarutobi Hiruzen might be aware of your true heritage, it could be a move to support both you and Naruto.

Homura: (What?! No! No way. The Hokage can't know about that. Can he?)

This notion threw Homura into a mental whirlwind. If true, it implied that the Hokage was aware of his true heritage.

Instinctively, Homura rejected this idea. He convinced himself that there was no way the Hokage could possess such knowledge.

C: Possibility. Crystal Ball jutsu. He could have used it to spy on host, and the info from the enemy shinobi – it's plausible.

This jutsu could spy on anyone, and coupled with the information obtained from the enemy shinobi that Homura had spared, there was a probability that the Hokage had deduced crucial details about Homura.

Homura: (Why would the hokage waste his busy schedule to spy on me of all people? Besides, I was transformed during that encounter. He shouldn't know it was me.)

Homura vehemently denied this possibility, insisting that he had been transformed into a masked version of himself during that encounter.

C: True, but with the pattern of host's face paint and other suspicious activities, he might have connected the dots.

Homura: (I am not the only one who wears face paint. Still, those Sarutobis are a devious bunch, just like their moniker implies, I never really trusted them...but this is unsettling. I need to be more careful. )

 He argued that many people adorned similar face paint, making it a common occurrence.

The debate within Homura's mind left him grappling with the uncertainty of how much the Hokage truly knew about him.

Homura: (So, being in Team 7 might change things. How significant will this derailment be?)

C: It's uncertain. Team 7 barely lasted a year, so the impact on their dynamics will be substantial. But if you're asking about Sakura and Sasuke...

Homura: (Yeah, what about them? Will Sakura still chase after Sasuke?)

C: The probability is high. Even with changes, Sakura might still aim to bring Sasuke back, considering the events leading to that decision remain consistent.

Homura: (Give me a number. What's the likelihood?)

C: About 83 percent, with a margin of error of 0.0000000067.

Homura: (That specific, huh? So, what if Sasuke dies?)

C: In that case, the chances of them becoming a couple drop to 72 percent based on the data you have.

Homura: (Wait, what? How does that even work?)

C: Answer. The 9 % discrepancy involves cases of death, celibacy, and other factors. Similar patterns and examples of female portrayal in this world, though it decreases by estimations of over 30 to 53 percent if applied to other series logic. It doesn't always follow a straightforward logic.

Homura: (Similar patterns and examples of female portrayal in this world...She'd rather stay alone instead of not marrying her crush... that... that doesn't sound right. I don't get it. She's so crazy about Sasuke, that she'd consider to stay single for life? But she could still give Naruto a chance if he perseveres enough or by some kind of miracle? This is messed up. That can't be right. Y-yeah, this can't be how romance works. But if it is... then what have I been doing all this time?)

Suddenly Naruto's voice pierced through the discussion Homura was having inside his head.

"Why don't you introduce yourself first, then!" Naruto yelled pointing at his appointed and slightly aloof teacher.

However, much to their surprise, Kakashi's own introduction left them with more questions than answers.

"Me? I am Kakashi Hatake. My likes and dislikes...Hm... I don't feel like telling you that. My dream for the future, haven't really thought about that," Kakashi stated nonchalantly, leaving the trio somewhat bewildered.

The awkward silence persisted until Kakashi gestured towards Homura. It was Homura's turn, and he felt a mix of discomfort and uncertainty.

"Me? Uh... I have no specific hobbies, likes, or dislikes. No specific dreams either, besides living a long life and having been popular with the ladies while doing so. Also, I guess I want to learn everything that I can... that's all," Homura mumbled, revealing a hint of his internal struggles.

Sasuke, the brooding Uchiha, followed with a calm yet assertive tone. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and destroy a certain somebody."

Homura couldn't help but feel internally confused at Sasuke's intense declaration; as someone who had an idea of the future, most of what Sasuke said sounded like a lie or at least he would stray from that path so far that it was hard to reconcile with what he knew with what he had just heard. Nonetheless, the air was thick with the weight of Sasuke's ambitions.

For someone so young man to be able to send out such a subtle murderous intent was not what anyone present, especially for Naruto and Homura had expected. 

It seems that Sasuke's hatred for a certain someone had been festering for years inside his heart unbound. Which was different from the normal Sasuke, whom Naruto and Homura thought they knew; who did not seem bothered by anything.

Kakashi continued, "I see... Good. You are all unique and have your own ideals. We will have our first mission tomorrow."

Naruto, ever enthusiastic, blurted out, "Oh, yeah?! What kind of mission are we going to have?"

"It's a task that the four of us will do together... a survival exercise," Kakashi revealed.

The trio was taken aback. Naruto, being Naruto, couldn't contain his surprise. "What, what, what, what?!"

Kakashi clarified, "A survival exercise."

Sasuke and Homura absorbed this information in silence. Homura found himself questioning what exactly was going on, while Sasuke remained composed, his eyes revealing nothing.

Kakashi explained further, "This won't be your ordinary survival exercise. It's a test to see if you are qualified to be a ninja. The likelihood that you will fail is at least as high as 66%."

Outrage and confusion filled the area, especially from Naruto. "That's crazy! We worked really hard to get here, believe it! So what was the point of all that hard work we had to put up with during the tests!?"

Kakashi's response only intensified their shock. "Oh, that? That was just to select those who might become genins... or not."

Naruto's outburst mirrored the others' disbelief. Kakashi calmly assigned their meeting time for the next day and dismissed them, adding a cryptic note about skipping breakfast.

After Kakashi left, the trio was left to process the bombshell they had just received. Homura, somewhat accustomed to life's unexpected turns, tried to reassure the others. "From what I can gather, what he told us is mostly false."

Naruto, still worked up, exclaimed, "False!? You mean he lied to us!?"

"Not exactly. Jounin sensei are quite rare. There are only a few available each year. So if students are deemed too incompetent, they will be sent back to the academy or become part of some sort of genin corps, basically, they are genins who join together to complete missions and sometimes serve as backup, though you can also act on your own and assignments and teammates are pretty much random... or so I have heard," Homura explained, his gaze shifting to Sasuke.

"Sent back to the academy... Damn! So nothing has changed!" Naruto exclaimed.

"In a way, though... it is true, if we don't want to f*ck up this up we have to be careful about Hatake Kakashi and do what he says... I heard some nasty rumors," Homura cautioned. Trying to put the fear on his two classmates so that they would be more easily able to cooperate.

Sasuke, now interested in the conversation, paid attention to Homura's words.

"Why? What's wrong with him?" Naruto asked.

"Hatake Kakashi... is said to have been the youngest cadet to graduate the academy...at 5 years old.

"5 YEARS OLD?!!!!" Yelled Naruto.

For once even Sasuke was visibly surprised. 

"...5 years old... that means," he suddenly thought of a certain someone.

" Jeez, you don't have to yell so loud besides it was a different time back then...*sigh* Anyways, he is infamous for failing several genins and sending them back to the academy... or so I have heard," Homura revealed.

"That last part... didn't seem very convincing, do you really know what you're talking about?" Naruto grumbled.

"Well, I am not of anything about the guy. I only met the guy once before, and after that I tried to investigate him but got almost nothing but rumors, he's like a ghost. But he is said one of the best jonin in the village... or so I heard from another jonin," Homura added.

He didn't want to admit that his major source was Might Gai, someone who was incredibly biased towards Kakashi which he viewed as his eternal rival.

"Doesn't matter," stated Naruto as he proceeded to stand up. 

"Tomorrow I will show him the might of Uzumaki Naruto, believe it!" Naruto declared with unwavering confidence.

Homura sighed inwardly, contemplating the unique blend of idiocy and determination that defined Naruto. 

Leaving his teammates both surprised and confused by Naruto's strange proclamation, any other genin would doubt their ability to stand up to a jonin, the highest rank a ninja could have besides the title of Kage; but Naruto's confidence was nonetheless unshaken.

Which Homura could not help but think that perhaps he made a mistake.