Hayato Ren sat on the railing by the rooftop and cleared his throat before speaking to the three kids in front of him:
"If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be your team leader in the future. My name is Hayato Ren. Pleased to meet you."
Hearing this, Konan and the other two responded in unison:
"Pleased to meet you!" *3
Hayato Ren nodded and continued:
"As per tradition, let's do a simple self-introduction. I'm Hayato Ren. What I like is a secret, what I dislike is also a secret, and I don't want to tell you my dream either."
"What's the difference between saying that and not saying anything at all?"Upon hearing Hayato Ren's rather unusual self-introduction, Yuhi Kurenai couldn't help but complain."
"We've just met. Keeping some mystery is good for everyone. Alright, it's your turn to introduce yourselves. Let's start with you, little one."
"I'm not a little one! I'm Yuhi Kurenai. I'm good at Illusionary Arts. I like wasabi octopus and shochu, and I dislike cake."
Hearing this, Hayato Ren couldn't help but show a strange expression on his face.
"You like drinking? Which unscrupulous merchant dared to sell you shochu?"
Yuhi Kurenai stuck out her tongue, a sly smile appearing on her face.
"I steal my dad's shochu to drink! Besides, I'm a ninja now. Killing isn't a problem, so what's drinking?"
Hayato Ren waved his hand and then turned his gaze to Nohara Rin.
Under Hayato Ren's gaze, Nohara Rin's cheeks flushed slightly, and she spoke somewhat nervously:
"My name is Nohara Rin. I'm not particularly good at anything, sorry (＞人＜;). I like strawberries and dislike seafood. I'll work hard not to hold everyone back."
Although Nohara Rin's academic performance in school was above average, it was still considerably lower compared to Yuhi Kurenai and Konan.
Konan goes without saying - she consistently ranked first in her grade, demonstrating her substantial capabilities.
And Yuhi Kurenai, with her profound and unpredictable Illusionary Arts, was also among the top five in strength.
Being in a team with two such geniuses put considerable pressure on Nohara Rin.
Hayato Ren stepped forward and gently patted Nohara Rin's head, comforting her:
"It's alright. I can see you have extraordinary bone structure - you possess an innate medical ninja body. Follow me to study medicine. Studying medicine can save the Leaf.Hayato Ren's suggestion perfectly matched Nohara Rin's wishes, as she preferred helping her teammates from behind rather than fighting.
If she learned Medical Ninjutsu, then she probably wouldn't be useless anymore.
Nohara Rin nodded heavily, casting a grateful look at Hayato Ren.
Meanwhile, Konan, watching this scene from the side, was grinding her back teeth in frustration.
Kushina, Mikoto, and Tsunade were one thing, but how could this Nohara Rin also get to enjoy Hayato Ren's head pats?
Could this guy have planned it all along, deliberately putting on a weak act to win Hayato Ren's favor?
Facing Konan's death glare, Nohara Rin's body trembled involuntarily a few times before she scurried behind Hayato Ren with quick, small steps.
Seeing this scene, the expression on Konan's face grew even more unpleasant.
Meanwhile, a triumphant smile appeared on Yuhi Kurenai's face.
Nothing was more satisfying than seeing one's rival suffer a setback.
Hayato Ren let out a heavy sigh, then stepped forward and patted Konan's head, which finally restored her expression to normal.
[Ah, I really don't understand why Konan's possessiveness is so strong...]
"Alright, Konan, why don't you introduce yourself to your two teammates as well."
Konan nodded and then spoke up:
"My name is Konan. I specialize in Paper Style. What I like is grilled fish, what I dislike is fried food, and my future dream is to become an outstanding wife."
After saying this, Konan fixed a burning gaze directly on Hayato Ren's face.
"Tch, so she's just a love-struck airhead. How annoying..."
Yuhi Kurenai couldn't help but mutter under her breath from the side.
"By tradition, we should have a bell-stealing exercise, but since I trust you all, we can skip it. To celebrate our team's formation today, I'll treat you all to barbecue."
Hayato Ren proposed with a cheerful laugh.
As soon as he said this, bright smiles immediately spread across the three youngsters' faces.
"Um, can I order some shochu?"
Yuhi Kurenai raised her arm and suggested to Hayato Ren.
Hearing this, Hayato Ren showed a thoughtful expression.
Under Yuhi Kurenai's nervous gaze, Hayato Ren slowly said:
"You can only have half a bottle. I don't want Yuhi Shin Kurenai showing up at my house."
Yuhi Kurenai hadn't been expecting much, but to her surprise, Hayato Ren actually agreed to her request.
Overjoyed, she rushed forward and hugged Hayato Ren's leg, shouting excitedly:
"Yay! Long live the teacher!"
Konan's lips twitched a few times before she stepped forward and pulled Yuhi Kurenai off.
"Hey, you! Don't go causing trouble!"
Watching the interaction between Konan and Yuhi Kurenai, Hayato Ren felt that his team wasn't exactly harmonious and friendly.
Just this morning, he had been laughing about how Kakashi and Uchiha Obito in Namikaze Minato's team would butt heads, and now the boomerang had come back to hit him so quickly.
Amid the bickering and roughhousing, the four-person team headed toward the largest barbecue restaurant in the Leaf.
Since it was nearly noon—peak dining hours—the barbecue place was almost full.
Just then, Hayato Ren spotted two familiar faces.
Namikaze Minato came up beside Hayato Ren and greeted him warmly.
"Yo! Ren. Bringing your subordinates for barbecue too? If you don't mind, how about we join you?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Obito, who had been very unhappy about being teamed up with Kakashi, suddenly brightened up.
The reason was simple: his goddess, Nohara Rin, happened to be in Hayato Ren's class.
"What if I said I do mind?"
Hayato Ren teased with a laugh.
"If you mind, then this meal is on me."
Namikaze Minato replied, still wearing his gentle smile.
Although Namikaze Minato couldn't compare to Hayato Ren in terms of wealth—Hayato being a bestselling "novelist"—years of completing missions had allowed Minato to accumulate substantial savings.
Treating someone to a barbecue meal was nothing more than a drop in the bucket for him.
Moreover, when they used to drink with Nawaki, the three of them would take turns treating each other.
Therefore, Hayato Ren nodded without any hesitation.
"If you're treating, that's a different story altogether. Only a fool would pass up a free meal..."