บท 93: Ch.93 Burdens
Tenten looked a bit disappointed, "Shinji, won't you reconsider? If you split up from Neji, your chances of winning will drop a lot!"
Neji also glanced at Uchiha Shinji but remained silent.
He wanted to win, but he didn't want to rely solely on others. So if Uchiha Shinji wanted to team up with him, he'd gladly accept, but if Shinji didn't want to, he wouldn't force it.
Uchiha Shinji shook his head, "Sorry, we've already formed a team. You two should find someone else."
"Alright then."
Tenten and Neji left, a bit regretful.
As soon as they were gone, Karin rushed up to Uchiha Shinji, looking pitiful, and said, "Shinji, thank you for teaming up with me!"
Uchiha Shinji's expression remained indifferent, "Don't hold me back!"
Karin nodded quickly, "I'll do my best."
Haku smiled, "Great! The three of us can take the exam together!"
Uchiha Shinji had indeed felt a moment of pity for Karin, who hadn't been invited to form a team, but what worried him more was the idea of Karin accidentally killing someone during the exam if he wasn't there to watch over her.
After all, Karin's chakra was growing stronger by the minute, becoming terrifyingly powerful.
Now, Uchiha Shinji was starting to panic, wondering if he'd gone too far.
So this time, he wasn't teaming up to take care of Haku and Karin, but rather to restrain these two monsters.
In a twist of fate, Tenten and Neji ended up teaming up with Rock Lee, the lowest-ranked student in the class.
Well, it was likely that Tenten saw that no one else wanted Lee and felt pity for him.
But in her view, as long as Neji was in the team, even if Lee was a burden, it wouldn't be a big problem.
After the morning classes ended, the newly formed teams gathered on the training grounds to practice teamwork.
Uchiha Shinji also led Haku and Karin to the training grounds.
When Sasuke saw Uchiha Shinji, he quickly approached him, frowning, "Shinji, why are you still hanging out with these two? Don't you know there will be a class competition at the end?"
Naturally, Sasuke was referring to Haku and Karin, who were following behind Uchiha Shinji.
Haku didn't mind, but Karin was immediately upset upon hearing Sasuke's words.
Uchiha Shinji glanced at Naruto and Sakura, who had followed Sasuke, and while considering the pull of fate, said, "Your teammates don't seem that great either."
"Hey, who are you talking about?"
Naruto rolled up his sleeves, ready to confront Uchiha Shinji.
Sasuke raised his hand to stop Naruto, "Idiot, you're not his match. I'm the only one who might be able to beat him!"
Sakura also stepped forward to calm Naruto down.
At that moment, a voice suddenly called out from a distance, "Shinji, over here!"
Everyone turned to look and saw Shion pulling along Kimimaro with one hand and a girl unfamiliar to Uchiha Shinji with the other, as they walked over.
Seeing Kimimaro, Sasuke's face immediately darkened.
He had been sparring with Kimimaro once a week, and although his strength had grown significantly, he still wasn't a match for him.
As a result, Sasuke had come to regard Kimimaro as his lifelong rival.
When Shion reached Uchiha Shinji, she greeted him enthusiastically, "Shinji, have you been avoiding me on purpose lately?"
"Why would I avoid you?" Uchiha Shinji paused, then added, "Wait, what are you doing here at the shinobi academy?"
"Guess!"
Shion had a smug look on her face.
Naruto blurted out, "Aren't you the new transfer student in our class?"
Uchiha Shinji blinked in surprise, "You really enrolled in the academy?"
Shion knocked Naruto on the head, then put her hands on her hips, "How about that? I, Lady Shion, am now a shinobi too!"
Shion had actually wanted to join Uchiha Shinji's class but was placed in Sasuke and Naruto's class by the Third Hokage, which she had complained about for quite some time.
After glancing at Kimimaro, who had been dragged along by Shion and remained expressionless, Uchiha Shinji asked, "You formed a team?"
Shion nodded immediately, "That's right! I felt bad for them, so I teamed up with these two!"
At that moment, the girl who had been dragged over by Shion said, "Isn't it because no one wanted us, so the teacher assigned Kimimaro to our team?"
Shion was annoyed at being exposed, "Kurama Yakumo!"
Kurama Yakumo didn't pay her any mind and instead bowed politely to the group, "Hello, everyone. My name is Kurama Yakumo. I rarely attend the academy due to health issues, so please take care of me in the future!"
Haku and Karin quickly returned the bow and introduced themselves as well.
At that moment, Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee also walked over.
After learning that Sasuke had teamed up with Naruto and Sakura, and Kimimaro with Shion and Kurama Yakumo, Tenten remarked, "This is getting interesting! Four geniuses, spread across four teams. Who will come out on top?"
Hearing this, Sasuke glanced around the group and realized it was true. His eyes immediately burned with intense determination, "Everyone's got two burdens, so it's fair!"
"Hmm!"
Neji nodded lightly.
Rock Lee stepped forward and said to Naruto, "Naruto, even though we're considered burdens, we'll still have to work hard this time!"
Naruto shouted, "I'm not a burden!"
Shion also raised her hand in protest, "Neither am I!"
Kurama Yakumo calmly remarked, "Yes, you are."
Shion was furious, "No, you are!"
Kurama Yakumo remained unfazed, "Yes, we both are."
With their playful bickering, the four teams dispersed.
Feeling the pressure from Sasuke, Neji, and Kimimaro, Karin once again promised Uchiha Shinji, "Shinji, I won't be a burden to you!"
Uchiha Shinji gave Karin a sideways glance and thought to himself, "Just don't accidentally kill anyone!"
Inside the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage scanned Kakashi, Kurenai Yuhi, and Aoba Yamashiro, "Recently, reports have been coming in from various shinobi villages about mysterious disappearances of shinobi, including some elite Jonin."
Kakashi's heart skipped a beat, recalling the encounter at Kikyo Mountain not long ago.
Kurenai asked, "Hokage-sama, are there any leads?"
After taking a puff from his pipe, the Third Hokage slowly said, "There are rumors that these shinobi disappearances are connected to an organization called 'Akatsuki.' You three will form a temporary squad, with Kakashi as the captain, and your mission is to investigate the missing shinobi cases."
"Understood!"
Kakashi, Kurenai, and Aoba replied in unison.
The Third Hokage continued, "Kakashi, stay behind. The others are dismissed."
Kurenai and Aoba left the office.
Knowing the Third Hokage had something confidential to discuss, Kakashi asked, "Hokage-sama, is there something I should be aware of during this mission?"
The Third Hokage pondered for a moment, "There's actually an informant within the Akatsuki organization. You will need to meet with him in secret during this mission."
Kakashi asked, "Who?"
The Third Hokage quietly said a name.
"Him!?"
Kakashi's face showed his surprise.
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