Chapter 11: Team 7's First Information Sharing
Iruka entered the classroom and announced the groupings, and as expected, the class was divided into groups of three.
"Team 7!"
Naruto was stunned for a moment when he heard the name. Was Team 7 first on the list? It must have been a decision made after much deliberation by the Third Hokage.
But could this be different from the original storyline?
The top three graduates of this year's graduation exam were Naruto in first place, Sasuke in second, and Sakura in third. If we only considered their scores, would having all full marks in one class be a bit too much?
"Haruno Sakura!"
When her name was called, Sakura froze for a moment before nervously standing up.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
As expected, Naruto had already guessed this outcome.
Sakura seemed somewhat pleased, as after all, who wouldn't want a powerful teammate?
After the soul swap, Naruto didn't push for recognition. Sakura didn't dislike Naruto, and they still had a normal classmate relationship.
Even though he was lazy and had no ambitions, his strength was unmatched among the classmates. This piqued Sakura's curiosity, and she couldn't help but feel that Naruto had grown overnight.
Curiosity aside, it didn't go as far as to develop into affection.
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
As Sasuke's name was called, Sakura immediately stood up, her face filled with uncontrollable joy.
"Yay!"
"Troublesome," Sasuke muttered coldly, clearly displeased.
"Next, Team 8," Iruka's voice came again.
Naruto quietly listened and found that the groupings were the same as in the original storyline. Suddenly, he seemed to sense something and sharply turned his head to the right, meeting the gaze of someone sitting in the back corner.
Hinata quickly turned away, her face instantly flushed, like a clumsy thief caught red-handed.
After the groupings were finished, Sasuke didn't leave immediately.
"Let's go eat together," Naruto suggested.
"Sure!" Sakura seemed very happy, her eyes glancing at Sasuke before she immediately agreed without much thought, silently giving Naruto a big thumbs up.
"I'm not going," Sasuke coldly refused.
Naruto wasn't surprised by this and stopped walking. He turned to Sasuke and asked,
"Are you unwilling to join us because you want to train at home?"
"What does it have to do with you?" Sasuke's eyes showed a cold detachment.
If it were anyone else, being treated this way would surely cause anger, but Naruto completely ignored Sasuke's little tantrum.
"To be blunt, this attitude of yours will just waste time," Naruto said. "We're already teammates, and that can't be changed."
"So what?"
"So what? You don't even know what that means?" Naruto looked at Sasuke calmly. "Do you know the power of cooperation?"
"I don't need teammates," Sasuke said indifferently, glaring at Naruto before trying to leave.
"Sasuke..." Sakura, stuck in the middle, reached out, trying to stop Sasuke.
"Don't worry about him," Naruto said. "He's just a self-righteous brat. If you don't want to get stronger and just want to waste time, feel free to leave."
"Always be a failure."
"Say that again?" Sasuke suddenly turned around and grabbed Naruto by the collar.
"I can say it ten thousand times," Naruto glared back at him. "I thought you were a smart person, but it turns out you're just an idiot."
"You!" Sasuke's face was like ice.
"Naruto, Sasuke, stop!" Sakura rushed forward and tried to separate the two of them, pulling at their arms with all her might.
"Aren't we teammates?"
"He doesn't see you as a teammate, he only sees himself," Naruto said. "Someone like him can't have teammates!"
"I told you, I don't need teammates!" Sasuke shouted. "I'm enough by myself. Teammates only become a burden."
"Sasuke," Sakura, stuck between them, forced a smile and softly tried to persuade him. "Naruto just suggested we eat together. Maybe he has something to share with us."
"Naruto has suddenly gotten stronger recently. He must have some good training methods. It's worth going to listen."
Hearing this, Sasuke's face showed a moment of hesitation. After a brief struggle, he finally let go of Naruto.
Naruto didn't mind much; his goal was to provoke Sasuke so that he would join them for the meal and share information.
As Sakura had said, Naruto had intelligence he wanted to share with both of them.
For a long time afterward, the three of them would be carrying out dangerous missions together, fighting side by side.
They would avoid pitfalls whenever possible.
Suffering is not a treasure, and losing is not a blessing; it is just something people cannot avoid. All suffering ultimately leads to despair.
The three of them went to a barbecue restaurant and ordered several plates of grilled meat and juice.
Sakura seemed to be grilling for the first time and appeared a bit awkward in front of Sasuke. Sasuke, with a cold expression, simply stood with his arms crossed, seemingly just there to listen.
Relying on his past experience of gathering with friends, Naruto skillfully brushed a layer of oil on the grill and then added a layer of cheese.
The cheese-covered grilled meat exuded a creamy aroma, making it tempting to eat.
"Naruto, do you eat grilled meat often?" Sakura asked, a bit surprised.
"Well... I don't have the money for that. I just hunt often, so I have some experience with grilling meat," Naruto humbly replied.
He then shared the grilled meat with Sakura and Sasuke before putting the next batch onto the grill.
"Thank you," Sakura blushed for a moment.
"Thank... thank you," Sasuke said awkwardly.
After eating a plate of grilled meat, the atmosphere between the three relaxed considerably. Sasuke quietly ate the grilled meat, and although his face was still cold as ice, his furrowed brows had relaxed.
"Delicious," Sakura said as she took a sip of juice, complimenting the food.
Seeing the right moment, Naruto stopped holding back. Wiping his mouth, he looked at both of them for a while before speaking.
"Do you guys know the inside information about this class grouping?"
Sakura shook her head, replying,
"I think this was decided by the Hokage. It probably has to do with the results."
Sasuke, uninterested, asked,
"What does that have to do with us?"
"Of course, it matters," Naruto said. "One of the most important aspects of being a ninja is gathering intelligence. Knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory."
"In the future, we might cooperate or even compete with other teams. After all, we still have the Chuunin Exams, don't we?"
"That makes some sense," Sakura said, somewhat confused. "Naruto, do you know the inside info about the class groupings?"
"Of course," Naruto nodded.
"Team 8 consists of Konoha's reconnaissance families, belonging to the second-generation direct line of the Reconnaissance Division. The Hyuga clan specializes in vision tracking, the Inuzuka clan tracks by smell, and the Aburame clan tracks with insects."
"This grouping was likely decided by Konoha's higher-ups, taking into account each person's characteristics and personalities."
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