RADG: Chapter 126: Ownership of Team 7

Hiruzen was feeling a bit panicked at the moment.

Yami had mentioned to him some time ago that he wanted to be a team leader Jōnin, but he had only come once.

Later, Hiruzen had forgotten about it—or rather, hadn’t taken it seriously.

He couldn’t imagine what kind of team Yami would lead as a Jōnin sensei.

But now that Yami had come again, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly realized that this wasn’t a joke. Yami really intended to lead a genin team.

“Yami, are you sure you want to be a Jōnin sensei? What about the Third Unit?”

“I’ve been doing Anbu work for too many years, I’m tired of it.” Yami nodded to the two elders first, then spread his hands. “I recommend Yuhi Kurenai as the new Anbu captain. Her qualifications and strength are enough to carry the responsibility.”

After saying that, the boy smiled playfully. “Of course, if you want to appoint someone else~ I won’t stop you.”

“No, I trust your judgment. Let Kurenai take over.”

Hiruzen raised his hand and immediately rejected the bait without hesitation.

It was already an unspoken rule that the Third Unit belonged to Yami. If he foolishly tried to send someone else in, the new Anbu captain would probably die on a mission within three days.

“Since you want to be a Jōnin sensei, there's a team that fits you well.”

“Wait a second,” Yami interrupted Hiruzen again.

“I’ve already chosen my team. I want Hinata.”

“No problem.”

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. He had actually guessed Yami’s goal. It wasn’t surprising.

Karin and Yamanaka Ino were likely also on the list.

After all, only those three girls had close relationships with Yami.

Karin was basically glued to Yami, and Hiruzen wasn’t going to try and pull her away. Giving her to Yami was fine. But Yamanaka Ino was different.

He couldn't break up the Ino-Shika-Chō formation.

He was just about to argue with Yami when the next two names Yami gave made him furious.

“For the other two, I choose Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke.”

“No!”

Sarutobi Hiruzen refused without hesitation. “I’ve already arranged for Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto to be in another team. You’re not their instructor.”

“The instructor can only be me.” Yami smiled at just the right time, but the smile only made Hiruzen more annoyed.

“You know exactly how important they are.”

Hiruzen gritted his teeth. “This is your first time as a Jōnin instructor. I can’t hand over the Nine Tails’ jinchūriki and the last Uchiha orphan to you.”

“So you chose Kakashi?”

Hiruzen’s heart trembled slightly.

How did Yami know Kakashi was the one he had picked?

Yami tilted his head, puzzled. “Kakashi’s been a Jōnin sensei for two years now, right? But no one’s ever passed his test to officially become his student. So what’s the difference?”

“Kakashi’s Will of Fire can influence those two problem children. Yami, you’re too much of a lone wolf. That’s not good for Naruto and Sasuke’s development.”

Yami didn’t reply to Hiruzen directly. Instead, he looked at Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

“Old Man, what you said was a little too much. You should know how I’ve treated Naruto all these years, right?”

The two elders nodded instinctively.

It was no secret in the village that Yami treated the “fox” well. Many villagers had been expelled for speaking ill of Naruto, causing quite a stir.

Yami continued, “As for Sasuke, I gave him candy when he was little. Itachi and I were classmates and friends. Isn't it reasonable for me to look after his younger brother?”

This time, the two advisors shook their heads repeatedly.

“Yami, your relationship with Itachi isn’t exactly good.”

“How do you know that?” Yami asked with feigned surprise.

The two elders exchanged looks, utterly helpless.

During the Chūnin Exams, he had humiliated Itachi in front of everyone, and he had helped Danzō wipe out the Uchiha clan.

How could that relationship be “good”?

“Fine.” Yami changed tactics. “But I have Izumi. Wouldn’t Izumi be a more suitable person than Kakashi to teach Sasuke how to use the Sharingan?”

“My Izumi awakened the three tomoe a few years ago. She’s a true genius.”

Hiruzen frowned. That argument was difficult to refute.

Itachi was outside the village now and rarely communicated. But Hiruzen knew he still watched over the village.

Obviously, they couldn’t raise Sasuke to be just a clan heir who would produce the next generation. He needed real training.

The two elders agreed and looked to Hiruzen.

“Sarutobi, I think what Yami said actually makes sense.”

“Given his bond with Naruto, he really is the best teacher. He’s also the strongest in the village when it comes to sealing techniques. If Nine Tails’ chakra leaks, he can handle it.”

“Exactly,” Koharu chimed in. “Sasuke’s becoming more and more unstable. He needs Yami to keep him in check. Compared to Kakashi, Yami is more suitable.”

After all, Hiruzen wasn’t the sole ruler of Konoha.

With the two elders, Danzō, and Yami standing against him, if he wanted to object, he needed a valid reason.

What was he supposed to say? That Kakashi was stronger than Yami?

Even he didn’t believe that.

Originally, Hiruzen planned to put Haruno Sakura with Naruto and Sasuke. He knew that Naruto liked Sakura, and Sakura liked Sasuke. That triangle would help balance the team emotionally.

If Hinata joined instead, that bond wouldn’t form. The team dynamic would become a pure teacher-student one.

But Naruto liked Yami and trusted him deeply. And Yami was the only one to defeat Uchiha Itachi. That alone could tie Sasuke to him.

Not a bad idea after all?

Thinking it through, Hiruzen suddenly realized... maybe Yami was more suitable than Kakashi.

The only problem was that Yami wasn’t “his own.”

Decades of political maneuvering and being over 60 had worn away Hiruzen’s last shred of fire. All he wanted now was peace and stability.

In the end, he didn’t object again and approved Yami’s team assignment, much to Yami’s surprise.

That easy?

He didn’t even need to use the threats he had prepared.

Before leaving, Yami glanced at the old man sitting in the Hokage’s seat with a hint of pity.

Perhaps... Orochimaru had chosen the best ending for Sarutobi Hiruzen. Yami could feel that many in the village were tired of the man who had held onto the Hokage seat for over 30 years.

New growth could not forever serve as fertilizer for an old tree.

After leaving the Hokage building, Yami arrived at Senju Tobirama’s secret laboratory.

The lab covered nearly a thousand square meters. Once empty, it was now packed with experimental equipment and materials.

Some were purchased by Yami. Some were invented by Tobirama himself.

As soon as he arrived, Tobirama greeted him with a familiar line.

“You’re just in time. The funds are running low. Give me another 200 million.”

“...Damn.”

Yami clutched his chest. “Were you this shameless when you were Hokage? I gave you 300 million just half a year ago. How are you broke already?”

Senju Tobirama was spending faster than Tsunade lost bets. Was being a money sink a genetic trait of the Senju?

Tobirama said matter-of-factly, “When I was Hokage, I was spending the village’s funds, so of course I was frugal. But your money? That’s personal. Why would I be frugal for you?”

Swish!

A sharp blade flashed. Tobirama’s body was instantly sliced in half. His upper and lower halves were reattached piece by piece.

He didn’t react at all during the process. As if he wasn’t the one being chopped up.

He was used to it. Every time he asked Yami for money, he’d either get sliced or hit with Dust Release.

He was just an Edo Tensei body. Chop him all you like, just hand over the funds.

“...You old man really have no shame,” Yami sighed.

“If it gets the job done, who cares about shame?”

Yami couldn’t win.

“You can ask for money, but you better give me some results. You’ve been researching Hashirama cells for three or four years, even including the time when you were alive. If you’ve got nothing, I’ll go work with Orochimaru instead.”

That made Tobirama snap. “How can a mere traitor compare to me? I was just about to show you the results.”

He led Yami to a long lab bench and gestured for him to come closer.

On the table were three jars containing cultured Hashirama cells, each in a different colored medium.

“This is what you wanted.”

Tobirama folded his arms and proudly explained, “I’ve developed a new measurement—Hashirama Endurance. Based on a subject’s constitution, they can withstand different levels of Hashirama cell fusion.”

What kind of naming sense is “Hashirama Endurance”? If Hashirama came back, he’d probably slap Tobirama a thousand times.

“Explain. How do you evaluate this... ‘Hashirama Endurance’?” Yami didn’t bother correcting the name.

Tobirama pointed to the milky white culture dish. “This is Level One. As long as the subject has chakra at chūnin level, they can resist the erosion of Hashirama cells. Successful fusion boosts chakra slightly.”

“The light blue one is Level Two. It requires certain physical conditions. After passing the assimilation test, chakra increases significantly. It’s several times more effective than the first.”

“The light green one is Level Three. It needs an even stronger physique than Level Two. So far, I haven’t found a subject who qualifies.”

Yami nodded.

It seemed Tobirama had finally made some progress. Yami wasn’t particularly interested in the chakra increase, but the erosion control method had real value.

He promised to send the funds the next day and copied all the research notes.

He wanted to compare them with his own Yami Cells back home.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the village, Uzumaki Naruto was also having quite a night.

Not only had he killed the Third Hokage in a fantasy, stolen the Scroll of Seals, but he also learned from Mizuki the reason why the villagers had always shunned him.

The Nine Tails that had attacked the village more than ten years ago had been sealed within him. Even Iruka’s parents had died that night.

Just as Naruto stood on the edge of turning dark, Iruka had shielded him from a massive shuriken, pulling him back.

Then Naruto used the newly-learned Shadow Clone Technique...

...and buried Mizuki under a flurry of fists. He had officially become a genin.

Naruto forgot all his earlier pain and simply felt happy that Iruka had acknowledged him. He also remembered what Yami-nii had once promised:

Once you become a ninja, I’ll tell you who your parents are.

Naruto had never brought it up for years, not because he forgot, but because he didn’t want to disappoint Yami’s expectations. He had held it in all this time.

The next day.

With heavy dark circles under his eyes, Naruto wore his forehead protector and arrived at class.

Right in front of Haruno Sakura’s eyes, he and Sasuke accidentally shared their first kiss.

If Iruka hadn’t appeared in time, the Nine Tails jinchūriki might’ve died prematurely.

“Now, I’ll announce the team placements!”

Iruka held up a list and began reading.

“Team 1: Passerby A, Passerby B, Passerby C!”

“Team 2: …”

“Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata!”

Naruto immediately protested, “Eh? I’m not with Sakura-chan? I’m stuck with that arrogant Sasuke instead?!”

“Shut up! The teams are arranged by grades. Two top students paired with one laggard. What are you complaining about?”

Under Iruka’s stern gaze, Naruto quieted down.

Haruno Sakura showed a brief hint of disappointment.

Iruka continued, “Team 8: Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Haruno Sakura.”

After announcing all the teams, many students noticed Karin wasn’t assigned to any of them.

Iruka explained, “Karin’s situation is special. The village has other arrangements for her. Her instructor will come pick her up later. From now on, you’re all real ninja.”

Iruka gave one final, reluctant glance at his students, then walked out of the classroom.

Even in a time of peace, the shinobi world was cruel. Ten years from now, how many of these students would still be around?

One by one, instructors came to collect their teams.

After Sarutobi Asuma took Team 8 away, only Team 7 and the Ino-Shika-Chō group remained.

Just as the two groups sat around waiting for their teachers.

At Ichiraku Ramen, Yami put down a large empty bowl with satisfaction. He raised his hand and shouted, “Old Man Teuchi! Two more bowls of Super Deluxe Tonkotsu Ramen!”

“Coming right up!”

Kakashi’s mouth twitched.

“Even if I’m paying, isn’t this a bit much?”

Yami sipped his lemon tea without even looking at him. “Stingy. That’s why you lost the right to lead Team 7, Kakashi.”

(To be continued.)