Call Me Dad

16. Sensei

Naruto scanned the classroom full of recent graduates. It seemed nearly all of them made it, including his friends. Quietly, he mulled over the possibilities of his new teammates.

'Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji aren't possible because of the InoShikaCho tradition. Sakura...I'm not sure. She's training in taijutsu right now and caters to book smarts, and a genjutsu type. Hinata, Shino, and Kiba are all sensor types, so they'll probably be put together. That leaves...'

"Oi, Naruto. I know you're worried about the team assignments." Sakura grinned, nudging his shoulder with her own. To his left, Sasuke was talking with Hinata who sat behind him, but paused to snort at the guilty expression on the Hatake's face.

"Stop worrying so much." Sasuke snickered.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh, I could say the same for you. I know who you want on your team." His friend flushed darkly in contrast to his pale skin tone. He turned his attention back to the front of the classroom where Iruka stood, propping up his chin with the palm of his hand.

'That leaves either Sasuke, Sakura, or some random kids I never got to know.'

Iruka cleared his throat, calling all of the class's attention to him. Naruto eyed the kind man. He looked tired, but otherwise in good health. His smile was strained, but genuine as he gazed upon each child with pride.

"I'd first of all like to congratulate you all on coming this far." Iruka beamed, eliciting choruses of 'thank you!'s from the graduates.

"We'll now be divided into three-man squadrons. Your two teammates will consist of your genin team, and you will be with them until you graduate to chunin, sometimes even past that. After lunch, you'll all be picked up by your sensei and start your journey as full-fledged shinobi."

Everyone's excitement was infectious, for a wide grin spread across Naruto's face, his eyes alight with anticipation. Finally, the whole world was before him and he could begin moulding his life into whatever he wanted. As a shinobi, he'd be doing something important.

Naruto shared a bright smile with Ino, who sat in front of him.

"Team Seven consists of Sakura Haruno, Naruto Hatake—" Naruto grinned at the pink-haired girl and high-fived her. Iruka smiled at them. "And Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto held a sympathetic smile when Sasuke subtly deflated. Hinata was perhaps the closest friend to Sasuke, and he knew how much Sasuke would miss having her around.

Sakura nudged the boy with her shoulder. "We're not that bad." She smiled, displaying her pearly whites. "You'll still see Hinata around all the time."

Sasuke's cheeks colored rosy red as he nodded, averting his eyes to the window to seem disinterested.

"For Team Eight: Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga—" Sasuke visibly perked up— "and Shino Aburame."

Naruto watched as Sasuke smiled. He seemed to have approved of Hinata's teammates. It was nice to see that he wanted the best for her, especially since he wasn't on her squadron.

"Team Nine; Raiko, Shen, and Mari."

"Team Ten will be Ino Yamanaka," Naruto noted with a fond smile that his flowery friend didn't move. She knew who she was getting. "Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi."

Iruka closed the roster with a proud smile. "And that concludes the team assignments. We have half an hour until break, but you all can talk among yourselves."

Naruto beamed at his new teammates.

::

Naruto doodled on the paper in front of him, his chin propped up on one palm.