Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
“Dialogue”
‘Thoughts’
-Author notes-
Chapter 24: Graduation
Three days had passed since the night in the forest.
And now it was time to return to the academy.
Sho sat in his usual seat at the back of the classroom, his shoulder still wrapped in bandages beneath his shirt.
The wound was healing well enough.
The system had done its work in stabilizing him when he should have died, but the memory of that night lingered like a shadow he couldn’t shake.
He glanced at the empty seat beside him.
That was Naruto’s desk.
His eyes then scanned the rest of the classroom.
It was nearly empty.
Only seven other graduates had shown up: Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji.
Shino was conspicuously absent.
The mood was extremely heavy.
No one was talking.
The usual chatter and excitement that accompanied team assignments was nowhere to be found.
The news of what happened that night had reached the ears of the entire village within hours.
At least, they had learned about the Hokage’s curated version of the story.
Iruka’s funeral had taken place the day before.
Most of the village had attended.
Sho had stood in the back, watching as his classmates wept and the Hokage spoke of sacrifice, honor, and duty.
Sho had wanted to speak with Naruto after the funeral, but his friend hadn’t attended.
He’d been alone somewhere, dealing with his grief in his own way.
An academy teacher, a substitute filling in for Iruka, stood at the front of the room, explaining how the team assignments would work.
“You will remain in this classroom until your assigned jonin sensei comes to collect you.
Do not leave until you’ve been called.”
Sho barely listened.
His mind was elsewhere.
And then…the door slid open.
Sho looked up and found a familiar face starting back at him.
Naruto walked into the classroom with a smile on his face…wide, bright, and completely forced.
A Konoha headband gleamed on his forehead.
The room went silent.
Sakura was the first to speak.
“Naruto?
What are you doing here?
You failed the exam!”
Naruto’s grin didn’t waver.
He pointed at his headband.
“Wrong!
I passed!
I did an extra secret task, and they let me graduate after all!”
Ino’s eyes narrowed.
“You should at least stop smiling.
Haven’t you heard about Iruka-sensei?”
Naruto’s smile faltered…just for a moment.
Sho saw it, the crack in the mask, the flash of pain behind his friend’s eyes.
Then the smile was back, bright and hollow.
“Of course I heard,” Naruto said, his voice too cheerful.
“But Iruka-sensei wouldn’t want us to be sad, right?
He’d want us to keep moving forward!”
Sakura and Ino exchanged confused glances.
They didn’t see it.
They didn’t understand what Naruto was hiding behind that ridiculous grin.
But Sho did.
He saw the way Naruto’s hands trembled at his sides.
The way his eyes darted away from anyone who looked too closely.
The way his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
‘He’s hurting.
He’s hurting so much, and he’s trying to hide it.’
“Shut up.”
The voice was cold, sharp.
Everyone turned to look at Sasuke, who was glaring at Sakura and Ino with barely contained fury.
“Both of you.
Shut up already.”
Sakura’s face went pale.
“S-Sasuke-kun, I-”
“I said shut up.”
The room fell silent.
Even Naruto’s forced smile faded, replaced by genuine surprise.
Sakura and Ino would often yell at Naruto.
It was a normal occurrence, and they had all gotten used to it.
But Sasuke never said a word about it…until today.
Sasuke didn’t look at anyone else.
He just stared straight ahead… his expression remained unreadable.
Sho understood.
Sasuke had lost his family.
He knew what grief looked like.
He could see through Naruto’s mask just as clearly as Sho could.
‘Maybe he’s not as cold as he pretends to be.’
Naruto made his way to the back of the classroom, sliding into the seat beside Sho.
His forced smile was gone now, replaced by a tired, hollow expression.
“Hey,” Sho whispered.
“Hey.”
Sho studied his friend’s face.
The dark circles under his eyes.
The way his shoulders slumped.
The way he stared at the desk without really seeing it.
“How are you doing?” Sho asked quietly.
Naruto was silent for a long moment.
Then he shrugged.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine.”
Naruto’s jaw tightened.
“I said I’m fine.”
Sho didn’t push.
He knew his friend well enough to know when to back off.
Instead, he glanced at Naruto’s headband.
It wasn’t new… the metal was worn and scratched, with a large chip on one side.
Sho recognized it immediately.
‘That’s Iruka-sensei’s headband.’
“Naruto…
that headband…”
Naruto’s hand went to the metal plate, his fingers tracing the chipped edge.
His voice was barely audible.
“The Hokage gave it to me.”
Sho didn’t need to ask why.
He understood.
“I see…take care of it.” He nodded slowly and returned his attention to the front of the room.
‘Iruka-sensei believed in him.
And now he’ll carry that belief with him forever.’
The silence stretched for several heavy minutes.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Then the door opened again.
A jonin walked in.
A tall man with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a gruff expression.
He scanned the room, his eyes landing on three specific students.
“Shikamaru.
Ino.
Choji.
You’re with me.”
Asuma Sarutobi gestured for them to follow.
Shikamaru sighed, muttering something about being troublesome.
Ino complained loudly about not being on Sasuke’s team, but one look at Sasuke’s cold expression made her reconsider.
Choji followed silently, already eating from a bag of chips.
Asuma paused at the door.
“Heavy atmosphere in here.
Lighten up, kids.
Ninjas die every day.
It’s part of the job…you will get used to it.”
He left, the door sliding shut behind him.
More silence.
A short time later, the door opened again.
A young woman stepped into the room, her presence commanding attention despite her quiet entrance.
She had long black hair tied back and a pair of vibrant red eyes that gleamed with wisdom beyond her years.
She was dressed in a standard jonin uniform, but there was an elegance to her movements that set her apart.
Her eyes swept across the room, landing on three specific students.
“Hyuga Shokuhi.
Hyuga Hinata.
Inuzuka Kiba.
Wait for me at the entrance.” She then disappeared in an instant.
Sho felt his heart skip.
‘This is it.
My team.’ He glanced at his sister, and she looked as surprised as he was.
Neither of them had expected to be put on the same team.
After all, teams only consist of three people, so a variety of skills would be preferred.
There was little advantage to having two Hyugas in the same team.
He stood up and glanced at Naruto.
His friend was staring straight ahead, his expression unreadable.
“Good luck,” Sho said quietly.
“With your team.”
Naruto blinked, finally looking at him.
“Yeah.
You too.”
Sho hesitated, then placed a hand on Naruto’s shoulder.
“We’ll talk later.
Okay?”
Naruto’s eyes flickered.
“Yeah.
Later.”
Sho walked to the front of the room, joining Hinata and Kiba.
As they left the classroom, Kiba glanced back at the remaining students: Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto.
They were obviously going to be the members of the last team.
“Looks like the dead last is stuck with the top two,” he muttered.
“That’s gonna be a disaster.”
Hinata frowned.
“Kiba-kun, that’s not nice.”
“I’m just saying.” Kiba shrugged.
“Anyway, what’s up with Shino?
He graduated, right?
Why isn’t he here?”
Sho considered the question.
“Maybe he was assigned to a different team.
Or maybe he’s getting a personal sensei.”
“Huh.” Kiba scratched his head.
“Weird.”
They walked out of the academy building and into the courtyard.
They found their new jounin sensei standing in a quiet corner, away from the other students and teachers.
She turned to face them, her red eyes studying each of them in turn.
“I am Kurenai Yuhi.
I will be your jonin sensei.” Her voice was calm and measured.
“Before we begin, I want each of you to introduce yourselves.
Tell me your name, your strengths, your weaknesses, and what you hope to achieve as a ninja.”
Kiba went first.
“Inuzuka Kiba!
My partner Akamaru and I are the best trackers in the academy!
My strength is my nose and my teamwork with Akamaru.
My weakness…” He scratched his head.
“I guess I can be a little impulsive sometimes.
And I want to become a strong ninja who can protect the village and a worthy heir for my clan!”
Akamaru barked in agreement.
Kurenai nodded, then turned to Hinata.
“H-Hyuga Hinata,” Hinata said softly, her cheeks flushing, as she did not like to speak in public.
“My strength is my Byakugan and my Gentle Fist.
My weakness is…
I’m not very confident in myself.
I want to become stronger so I can protect the people I care about.” She glanced at Sho.
Kurenai’s expression softened slightly.
“Good.
And you?”
Sho stepped forward.
“Hyuga Shokuhi.
My strength is my endurance and my ability to adapt quickly.
My weakness is that I’m still catching up to everyone else in terms of raw skill.
And I want to prove that I’m not weak.
That I can be a ninja worth respecting.”
Kurenai studied him for a long moment, her red eyes unreadable.
Then she nodded.
“Good.
Now listen carefully.”
She folded her arms, her expression turning serious.
“Your team number is Team 8.
Our specialty will be tracking, reconnaissance, and sensory detection.
We will be the first ones to venture into dangerous territory, scout for enemies and traps, and chase dangerous criminals.”
Kiba grinned.
“Sounds like my kind of job!”
Akamaru barked in agreement.
“It is a dangerous job,” Kurenai continued, her voice sharp.
“You will be sent into situations where your lives will be on the line.
You will face enemies who are stronger, faster, and more experienced than you.
You will need to rely on each other to survive.”
The weight of her words settled over them.
Kurenai’s lips curved into a small smile.
“Which brings me to my next point.
You may have graduated from the academy, but that doesn’t make you a genin yet.”
Sho blinked.
“What do you mean?
We passed the exam.”
“You passed the academy exam.” Kurenai’s eyes glinted.
“But to become a true genin, you need to pass my test.
If you fail, you’ll be sent back to the academy to wait for another year before being reassigned to a new Jounin Sensei.”
Sho felt his stomach drop.
‘Another test?
After everything we’ve been through?’
“Graduating from the academy just means you have the skills,” Kurenai continued.
“But to be a true ninja, there are other important things.
Teamwork.
Trust.
The ability to work together when lives are on the line and to perform under pressure.”
She paused, letting the words sink in.
“My job is to make sure you’re all up to the task.
So you don’t go out and die on your first mission.”
Sho exchanged a glance with Hinata.
Her face was pale, but there was determination in her eyes.
Kiba’s grin had faded.
“So…
what’s the test?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow.” Kurenai turned to leave.
“Meet me at Training Ground 3 at sunrise.
Don’t be late, or you will be failing the test before it begins.”
She walked away, disappearing around the corner.
The three of them stood in silence for a moment.
“Well,” Kiba said finally, breaking the tension.
“That was intense…she reminds me of my older sister.”
Sho nodded slowly.
“She’s serious.
This isn’t going to be easy.”
“Nothing about being a ninja is easy,” Hinata said softly.
“But I think…
I think we can do this.
If we work together.”
Kiba grinned, his confidence returning.
“Yeah!
We’re Team 8!
We’re gonna be the best tracking team in Konoha!”
Akamaru barked enthusiastically.
Sho allowed himself a small smile.
‘Yeah, we can do this.’
“Hmmm?” He noticed something strange just then.
Sho looked around, but there was nothing.
“Sho?.
What is it?” Hinata noticed his reaction and felt the need to ask.
“Oh…nothing.
I just thought I saw something.” Sho scratched his head and smiled.
“Let’s go back home.”
Hinata nodded.
‘This is such an important moment…’ Sho thought.
‘Why didn’t I get a quest?’
He found it odd.
Until now, every time he reached an important point in his life, he always got a sudden emergency quest or something.
But this time, when his future as a ninja was on the line, the System remained quiet.
‘Is there something wrong with the system?’ Sho wondered.
[Status Update – End of Chapter 24]
Name: Hyuga Shokuhi
Level: 6
Title: The Unbreakable
Stats:
Strength: 6
Agility: 6
Vitality: 6
Perception: 6
Chakra Capacity: 7
Chakra Control: 8
Available Stat Points: 6
Status Effects:
Chakra Vein Constriction (Mild) – Permanent
Brittle Bones (Mild) – Permanent
Byakugan Inefficiency – Permanent
Major Wound (Shoulder) – Healing (40%)
Passive Skills:
Endurance: Intermediate (Level 1)
Shuriken Throw: Novice (Level 7)
Quick Learner – All skill experience gained is increased by 15%.
Active Skills:
Clone Technique: Novice (Level 7)
Transformation Technique: Novice (Level 8)
Substitution Technique: Novice (Level 8)
Gentle Fist: Novice (Level 9)
Desperate Strike
System Functions:
Inventory – 10 Slots, 50 kg
Quests Active:
None
A.N: