[ Ken Shimura PoV ]
Well well, now I understand why having a sensory ninja in a squad is such a big deal in this world.
I activated the ability with a thought, and the world shifted. Colors muted to grays and darker tones, washing out everything into a desaturated palette. People stood out against this backdrop—some of them, anyway.
It was like someone had installed an overlay mod on reality. Except instead of highlighting loot drops and quest markers, I got to see who wanted to kill me.
9/10.
The system notification had been simple enough:
[ Reward Claimed: Eagle Vision (Assassin's Creed) ]
[ Ability: Enhanced sensory perception. Highlights allies in blue, enemies in red, targets in gold. Can detect hostile intent and track targets through obstacles when focused. ]
I'd rolled the Silver Gacha ticket last night after returning home, half-expecting to get something useless like a decorative sword or a bag of holding that only worked on Tuesdays. Instead, I got discount sharingan.
Could be worse. Could be better. At least it wouldn't make me go blind from overuse.
Most of the civilians around me remained unchanged—just normal people in the desaturated world, going about their morning routines. The old woman carrying groceries, the shopkeeper arranging his stall, even the stray cats prowling through alleyways—all just regular, unhighlighted figures.
Then the colors appeared where they mattered.
A jonin flickered past on the rooftops—glowing blue, an ally to the village. Three ANBU positioned around the market district, also blue, their presence barely noticeable to normal eyes but clear as day to me now.
I tested the ability, focusing on one of the ANBU. The figure's outline sharpened, and I could track their position even when they moved behind a building. The vision pierced through the wall like it wasn't there.
Okay, that was actually cool. Borderline unfair, even.
Then I spotted it.
The Red One.
Someone moving parallel to my path, maintaining distance. The color meant hostile intent—not necessarily attacking, but watching with purpose. Tracking me. The figure adjusted position when I turned corners, staying just out of direct line of sight.
My first thought was It's Kabuto.
Made sense. I'd killed a chunin last night, stayed weirdly calm about it, displayed tactics beyond academy level, and basically raised every red flag short of wearing a sign that said "potential threat to village stability." Of course Orochimaru would want eyes on me because I ruined one of his plans.
The red glow bothered me for real. Eagle Vision highlighted threats, not just observers. Whoever this was didn't have benign intentions.
Maybe ANBU doing a psych evaluation? Testing if I'd notice? Or maybe ROOT, though I really hoped Danzo wasn't interested in me yet. That was a can of worms I wanted to keep sealed for at least another few years.
I kept walking, didn't break pace, didn't acknowledge them. If they wanted to watch, let them watch. Wasn't like I was planning to do anything suspicious. Just heading to the academy for team assignments and trying not to think about how my life expectancy had probably dropped significantly the moment I got isekai'd into a ninja world.
The academy building came into view, and with it, a cluster of glowing blue students. All gathered for team assignments.
I deactivated Eagle Vision. The colors snapped back to normal, the glowing outlines disappearing.
Time to find out which team I'd be stuck with. And more importantly, which team to avoid at all costs.
The academy building came into view, and with it, a cluster of chakra signatures inside. Students. All gathered for team assignments.
I sighed internally.
Team assignments meant Team 7. Which meant Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Which meant I needed to avoid being placed with them at all costs.
The protagonist effect was real in this world. I'd seen it last night with Mizuki. A simple theft that should've been handled quietly had escalated into a life-or-death confrontation. That was Naruto's gravity well at work—everything around him got pulled into increasingly dangerous situations.
A C-rank mission turning into an A-rank because Naruto chose it? That was canon. I'd watched it happen with the Wave mission. Zabuza, Haku, Gato—none of that should've been part of a simple escort quest.
And if I got stuck on the same team as him?
Then it won't be surprising that we get a C Rank one that might become S-rank. I wasn't ready for that. Not yet. I needed time to build my strength, master my abilities, understand this system before getting dragged into battles against jonin-level opponents or worse.
So please, I thought to whatever cosmic force handled team assignments, put me literally anywhere else.
I deactivated the Eagle Vision as I approached the academy entrance. The blue glow faded from my vision, leaving just normal sight. No point drawing attention by staring at people with visibly glowing eyes.
---
The classroom was exactly as chaotic as I'd expected.
I slid the door open and was immediately greeted by the noise of girls clustered around one specific seat. They stood in a semi-circle, voices rising in competition, each trying to talk over the others with increasingly desperate pitches.
I didn't even need to guess who they were surrounding.
Sasuke Uchiha sat at his desk like a black hole of brooding indifference, arms crossed, eyes closed, completely ignoring the gaggle of academy girls fighting for the privilege of sitting next to him.
"I was here first!"
"No, I called it yesterday!"
"Sasuke-kun would obviously prefer someone who—"
I sighed internally.
Three years. Three years of ninja training—learning to fight, to kill, to survive in a world where giant monsters and S-rank criminals could end you without breaking a sweat—and half the class was still primarily concerned with impressing a twelve-year-old who'd never looked at any of them twice.
Priorities. These girls had them.
I moved through the crowd, aiming for an empty seat near the back. Several girls shifted aside automatically, their attention locked on Sasuke like he was the last life raft on a sinking ship.
"Oh! Ken-kun!"
My escape was cut off.
Ino and several other girls turned toward me, their expressions brightening. Within seconds I was surrounded by a different cluster, questions coming from multiple directions at once.
Great. From the frying pan into the fan club.
"Ken-kun, did you really fight Mizuki-sensei last night?"
"Is it true you saved Iruka-sensei?"
"Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
I'd made the mistake of being polite to my classmates over the years. Actually responded when they talked. Helped with training when asked. You know, basic human decency.
Apparently that made me "approachable," which translated to: the backup option when Sasuke was being particularly ice-cold.
I was the second-choice husbando. The bronze medal of academy crushes.
My ego would never recover.
"It was just—"
"I heard Mizuki-sensei tried to steal a forbidden scroll!"
"And that Naruto was involved somehow—"
Of course Naruto was involved. The kid was a walking plot magnet. If there was trouble happening within a five-kilometer radius, Naruto would somehow be at the center of it, usually by accident.
"Take your seats, everyone"
He stood in the doorway, one arm in a sling, bandages visible under his chunin vest. His presence immediately shifted the atmosphere. The girls scattered back to their seats with hasty apologies.
Thank god for responsible adults.
I took the opportunity to slip away to a desk near the window. Sat down. Let my gaze drift outside while the classroom settled.
Iruka moved to the front, his expression stern but tired. He'd been up all night getting medical treatment, probably debriefed by ANBU, and now had to handle team assignments on maybe two hours of sleep.
The man deserved a raise. And a vacation. Preferably somewhere far away from twelve-year-olds with apocalyptic levels of chakra and poor impulse control.
"Alright," he said, waiting for the last whispers to die down. "I know you're all excited. As of today, you're officially genin of Konohagakure."
A ripple of excitement went through the room. Some students sat up straighter. Others exchanged grins.
Yeah, celebrate now. Wait until your first real mission when you realize academy training barely scratched the surface of "things that can kill you in horrible ways."
"However," Iruka continued, "your real training starts now. You'll be assigned to three-person teams, each led by a jonin instructor. These teams will be your squad for the foreseeable future. Your teammates will become like family. You'll train together, fight together, and rely on each other with your lives."
He picked up a clipboard from his desk.
Here we go. The moment of truth.
My entire survival strategy hinged on not being placed on Team 7. Naruto was the protagonist, which meant plot armor for him and death flags for everyone in a fifty-meter radius.
"Team assignments are based on balancing skills and abilities. We've evaluated your performance over the past three years—your strengths, weaknesses, and potential team dynamics. The goal is to create squads that complement each other."
Translation: We're throwing random kids together and hoping they don't kill each other before the jonin shows up.
"Team 1..."
I tuned it out. Names I barely recognized. Students I'd never really talked to. They seemed happy enough.
Good for them. Probably wouldn't last six months.
"Team 2..."
My attention drifted to the window. Outside, normal villagers went about their normal lives, completely unaware that in a few years this place would get flattened by a giant fox, invaded by a snake pedophile, and literally become a war zone.
Ignorance really was bliss.
"Team 6..."
Still not my team.
Come on, universe. I've been good. Well, mostly good. I killed a guy last night but he deserved it. That should count for something.
"Team 7." Iruka's voice carried across the room. "Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."
Naruto jumped up from his seat. "YES! I'm on a team with Sakura-chan!"
Sakura's face went through several emotions in rapid succession—horror at being teamed with Naruto, joy at being with Sasuke, then settling on determined acceptance.
Sasuke said nothing. Just continued staring out the window like the team assignment was beneath his notice.
I felt tension drain from my shoulders that I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
Not Team 7.
Thank you, universe. I take back half the things I said about you.
The protagonist team was set. Canon was still on track. And I wasn't going to be anywhere near it when everything inevitably went sideways.
"Team 8: Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Hinata, and Shimura Ken."
My name.
I felt multiple eyes turn toward me. Kiba pumped his fist with a loud "Yes!" Akamaru barked excitedly from his shoulder. Hinata's gaze flickered in my direction before quickly looking away, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Team 8. With Kiba and Hinata.
Not Team 7. Not with Naruto.
Relief washed through me so hard I almost felt lightheaded.
I wasn't going to die on a bridge in Wave Country. Wasn't going to fight Zabuza and Haku months before I was ready. Wasn't going to be anywhere near Naruto when his protagonist powers turned a simple C-rank into an A-rank disaster.
This was good. This was manageable.
Kiba was impulsive, sure, but he wasn't a walking apocalypse trigger. Hinata was talented despite her confidence issues. And most importantly—this team wouldn't have the same gravitational pull toward catastrophe that followed Naruto around like a bad smell.
I could work with this. Maybe even survive long enough to figure out how to deal with the actual threats: Akatsuki, Orochimaru, the eventual war...
One crisis at a time, Ken. One crisis at a time.
"Team 9 is still in circulation from last year."
Of course. The rookie teams only formed every year or so, when enough students graduated.
"Team 10: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji."
The Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Traditional clan team structure. Shikamaru groaned about troublesome teammates. Choji offered him chips.
Iruka set down his clipboard. "These assignments are final. Your jonin instructors have been selected based on your team compositions and specialties."
Final. No take-backs. No refunds.
I was officially stuck with the dog boy and the shy girl with godlike vision.
Could be worse. I could be stuck with Sasuke's emotional baggage and Naruto's death wish.
"In the afternoon, I'll introduce you to your jonin instructors," Iruka continued. "You're dismissed until then. Use this time to get to know your teammates."
The classroom erupted into noise. Students immediately clustering with their new teams, talking excitedly about what kind of instructor they'd get, what missions they'd go on.
I stood and headed for the door before anyone could try to start a conversation about last night. The fewer people who knew details about Mizuki, the better.
The hallway was quieter. I made my way toward the stairs leading to the roof.
I needed space. Time to think. Maybe check this chat group feature that had been sitting dormant in my system for two days.
And maybe, just maybe, figure out how to keep my new teammates alive in a world that really, really wanted to kill everyone.
---
The academy rooftop was empty. Quiet. Just me, the sky, and the distant sounds of the village going about its day.
I sat on the edge, legs dangling over the side, and pulled up my system interface with a thought.
The gacha system appeared as a translucent blue screen visible only to me. Various menus and options floated in my vision, responding to mental commands.
A video game HUD in a world where people could breathe fire and summon giant toads. Sometimes I wondered if the universe was just fucking with me at this point.
I navigated to the Chat Group feature. It had unlocked two days ago after I'd completed some minor quest. The description had been vague:
[ Chat Group: Connect with individuals across the multiverse. Share knowledge, exchange skills, form alliances. ]
The feature had been inactive since then. No members. Just an empty chatroom waiting for someone, anyone, to accept the invitation.
A multiversal group chat. Because apparently my life wasn't complicated enough with just ninja death world problems. Now I could add interdimensional communication to my list of "things that could go horribly wrong."
What's next? A dating sim feature? A crafting system?
Actually, don't answer that, universe. I don't want to jinx it.
I'd almost forgotten about the chat group entirely, honestly. Too busy trying not to die, avoiding attention, and coming to terms with the fact that I'd killed someone last night and felt... nothing.
That probably should've bothered me more than it did.
"U-um... Shimura-san?"
The voice was soft, hesitant. I dismissed the interface and turned.
Hinata Hyuga stood a few feet away, hands clasped in front of her, lavender eyes fixed on the ground. Her white jacket with the Hyuga clan symbol stood out against the gray rooftop.
One of my new teammates. The girl with X-ray vision who could barely look people in the eye.
The irony wasn't lost on me.
"Hinata." I kept my tone neutral. "What's up?"
"I... I wanted to..." She paused, took a breath. "We're on the same team now. I thought..."
She trailed off, fidgeting with her fingers.
Was she waiting for me to finish her sentence? Because I had no idea where she was going with this.
Before I could respond—or figure out what the appropriate response was—heavier footsteps announced a second arrival.
"There you are!" Kiba's voice carried across the rooftop as he emerged from the stairwell, Akamaru perched on his shoulder. "I've been looking everywhere for—oh, hey Hinata."
He grinned and walked over, dropping down next to me without asking. Akamaru barked happily.
No concept of personal space. Great. This was going to be a fun partnership.
"Perfect! All three of us are here. Team 8, assembled!" Kiba punched his fist into his palm. "So listen up—since we're teammates now, we need a leader, right? And I'm obviously the best choice!"
Akamaru barked in agreement.
I watched him posture like a rooster in a henhouse. Leadership by enthusiasm. What could possibly go wrong?
Then again, in a world where a kid could learn to split mountains with his fists, maybe confidence actually did matter more than common sense. Or maybe Kiba was just going to get us all killed within the first month.
Fifty-fifty odds, really.
Hinata stood off to the side, still not sitting. "But... don't the jonin instructors usually..."
Her voice was so quiet I almost didn't catch it.
"Yeah, but until our instructor shows up, someone needs to take charge!" Kiba crossed his arms, looking pleased with himself. "And I'm the most fired up about this, so it makes sense."
Fired up. That was one way to describe it.
"Dangerously impulsive" was another, but who was I to judge? I'd stabbed a man through the heart last night and my main concern had been whether anyone saw me do it.
We all had our coping mechanisms.
"I don't mind," I said simply.
Kiba's expression faltered. "Wait, seriously? I thought you'd want to fight me for it or something."
"You want to lead? Lead. I'm not interested in the position."
Being responsible for keeping Kiba alive sounded like a recipe for an early grave. Let him have the honor of explaining to our jonin instructor why his brilliant plan involved charging headfirst into whatever smelled interesting.
Besides, someone needed to be the voice of reason on this team, and it clearly wasn't going to be the guy who thought "most fired up" was a qualification for leadership.
"Oh." He scratched the back of his head. "Uh... that was easier than I expected."
Akamaru barked, sounding almost disappointed there wasn't a confrontation.
"I-I think..." Hinata's voice was barely above a whisper. "It's good that we... that we can..."
She stopped, her face going pink.
Kiba tilted his head. "What was that?"
"N-nothing! I just... think it's good we're not arguing."
"Well yeah!" Kiba grinned. "That's because I'm obviously right. With my nose, Hinata's Byakugan, and Ken's... uh..." He paused. "What do you do again? Besides being good at taijutsu?"
Ah yes. The question I'd been dreading.
"What's your special ability, Ken?"
Oh, you know, nothing much. Just a cheat system that lets me pull abilities from other universes, meta-knowledge of every major event for the next few years, and the emotional range of a sociopath when it comes to killing people.
But I couldn't exactly say that.
"I observe," I said. "And I don't rush in."
"So basically you're boring."
I raised an eyebrow. "I prefer 'not dead.'"
Kiba laughed, completely missing any insult in my words. "Man, you're weird. But whatever—point is, we're gonna be a great team! Tracking stuff, fighting bad guys, all that ninja stuff."
At least he was optimistic. That would last right up until our first C-rank mission inevitably escalated into fighting someone three ranks above our pay grade.
I gave it two months. Maybe three if we were lucky.
He wasn't wrong about the team setup though. Kiba's nose for tracking, Hinata's Byakugan for seeing everything in a several-kilometer radius, and me with my cheat system and knowledge of future events.
On paper, we were actually solid. On paper. Reality had a way of crumpling paper and setting it on fire.
Hinata had moved a bit closer but still stood rather than sat. Her fingers pressed together nervously. "I... I'll do my best not to... to hold everyone back."
Oh no. The self-deprecation was starting already.
This girl had literal X-ray vision and could see chakra points, and she thought she'd hold us back. Meanwhile, Kiba over here thought being able to smell good made him qualified to lead.
The confidence distribution on this team was all kinds of wrong.
"Huh? Why would you hold us back?" Kiba looked genuinely confused.
"I'm not... I'm not very strong, and I—"
"You've got the Byakugan!" Kiba interrupted. "That's already super useful! Plus you're way better at taijutsu than most people in our class."
Hinata's face went red. "T-that's not—"
"He's right," I said. "Your Gentle Fist is solid. You just need more confidence."
She looked like she wanted to disappear into the rooftop.
Kiba stood up, stretching. "Anyway! We've still got time before we meet our instructor"
"Or we could just hang out!" Kiba quickly added. "Get to know each other better. Team bonding!"
I could see Hinata's internal conflict playing out on her face. She clearly wanted to leave but also didn't want to seem rude. The social anxiety was practically radiating off her.
Someone needed to give this girl an out before she had a panic attack.
"We should probably stay within the academy," I said. "Our instructor could show up early."
Relief flashed across Hinata's face "Y-yes...."
Kiba shrugged. "Fine, fine. But I'm starving. Anyone got food?"
"We just had breakfast an hour ago," I pointed out.
"Yeah, and? Akamaru's hungry too."
The dog barked, though I suspected Akamaru was just backing up his partner out of loyalty rather than actual hunger.
"I... I might have something.." Hinata said quietly, reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out a small package of rice crackers.
Kiba's eyes lit up like she'd just pulled out the Holy Grail. "Nice! See, Hinata's already the most useful person on this team."
She turned bright red and nearly dropped the crackers.
I watched the interaction with a detached sort of amusement. This was my team. A girl who could barely speak to people and a boy who spoke without thinking.
As Kiba enthusiastically crunched through rice crackers and Hinata sat quietly a safe distance away, I reopened my system interface in the corner of my vision.
The Chat Group screen still floated there, empty as before.
Then something changed.
Notifications began appearing in rapid succession, making my head slightly dizzy.
---
[[ Bang has joined the Chat Group (One Punch Man) ]]
[[ Mitsuri Kanroji has joined the Chat Group (Demon Slayer) ]]
[[ Itadori Yuji has joined the Chat Group (Jujutsu Kaisen) ]]
[[ Reze has joined the Chat Group (Chainsaw Man) ]]
---
. . .
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