Chapter 28: The Most Sought-After Teammate
It didn't take long.
Iruka, his body wrapped in bandages, limped into the classroom from outside.
"Huh? Iruka-sensei, what happened to you?"
"Weren't you perfectly fine yesterday? How did you get so badly injured today?"
Seeing Iruka's miserable state, many students were shocked, thinking something serious had happened.
Iruka glanced subtly at Ren Arakawa and Naruto Uzumaki, then said with a serious expression, "I accidentally bumped into something last night!"
The students looked at each other, their faces full of doubt. Clearly, Iruka's explanation was too far-fetched, and they simply didn't believe it. A few mischievous kids even started gossiping behind his back.
Some said Iruka must have been beaten up last night because he didn't pay for... certain services!
Others speculated that Iruka lost money gambling and couldn't pay up, which was why he got beaten.
It had to be said, these kids had quite the imagination!
"Alright, alright, stop gossiping. I, Iruka, am a proper Ninja Academy teacher, a role model for others. How could I possibly do such despicable things!" As Iruka spoke, a novel with an extremely provocative cover suddenly fell out of his pocket.
Everyone looked down and their eyes widened in shock.
"Icha Icha Paradise? Isn't this the hottest adult novel on the market right now?"
"I heard from my dad that this book contains unspeakable things between men and women. It's not suitable for children!"
"Terrifying! I never imagined Iruka-sensei would be that kind of person!"
"A teacher who dares to be a role model? I think he's a hypocrite!"
...
Iruka picked up the little yellow book with an embarrassed expression, then coughed twice and said, "Everyone, don't misunderstand. I just confiscated this book from the class next door and haven't had time to dispose of it yet."
Iruka was trying to explain, but no one believed him! Because the class next door had the day off today—there was no one there.
[Minato Namikaze: Icha Icha Paradise? Isn't that a novel written by Jiraiya-sensei?]
[Tobirama Senju: The title sounds quite exciting. Fourth Hokage, as the disciple of a novelist, have you read that novel?]
[Minato Namikaze: Um... Jiraiya-sensei did ask me to help review the manuscript during the writing process. A lot of the plot is excellent; it's just that some parts are a bit... explicit!]
[Tobirama Senju: Oh? So it's an adult novel with an actual plot? It seems that Jiraiya guy has some talent!]
[Kushina Uzumaki: ? ? ?]
[Minato Namikaze: Ahem~ Second Hokage, why are you suddenly asking about this?]
[Tobirama Senju: Because I wish to... borrow the book for research purposes.]
Minato Namikaze: ...
"Teacher Iruka, I have a question!"
At that moment, Kiba Inuzuka, who had been squatting in the corner of the classroom feeding his dog, suddenly stood up. He pointed at Naruto with a puzzled expression and said, "Naruto didn't come to the exam yesterday, so why did he graduate?"
As soon as these words were spoken, aside from Naruto and Ren, everyone else's eyes fixated on Iruka.
"Naruto?" Iruka glanced at Naruto Uzumaki, then calmly explained to everyone, "The school made an exception for him yesterday, allowing him to retake the exam, and he passed!"
The casual response immediately stunned everyone.
Graduation exams can be retaken?
Is this fucking favoritism?
Everyone thought they were about to witness a spectacle, but they never expected it to end like this! They were utterly disappointed!
At this moment, Iruka continued, "Although you have all become capable ninjas, the real hardship has only just begun! From now on, you will be divided into groups of three, forming mission squads, and you will follow a senior ninja to carry out missions."
Hearing this, all the students' eyes lit up. Since it was groups of three, the composition of these squads became extremely important! Good teammates could enhance the team's overall strength. Conversely, terrible teammates would drag the team down and might even affect the mission success rate.
At this moment, everyone's eyes turned toward Ren Arakawa.
That's right.
As the top graduate in the entire academy's assessment—and a record-breaking one at that—Ren quickly became the most sought-after teammate. Everyone wanted to be assigned to the same squad as him. Especially the female students; their eyes were practically gleaming with desire!
[Yamanaka Ino: I wonder who will be paired with Ren-kun!]
[Haruno Sakura: Ino, stop dreaming! I will definitely be the one paired with Ren-kun in the end!]
[Hinata Hyuga: Ren-kun...]
[Random Female Student A: If I could be in the same squad as Ren-kun, I would definitely find a chance to have his baby!]
[Random Female Student B: With your looks? I think you should probably give up. Ren-kun's taste isn't that bad!]
...