Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

With the addition of Minato and other promising recruits under his command, Gin Uchiha's otherwise boring days finally gained some enjoyment.

After all, he's the famous Golden Flash; how can we not take the opportunity to give him a good thrashing?

When I have nothing else to do, I come to the training ground to guide the children on their cultivation path, and incidentally break their losing streaks as well, so it's a win-win situation.

Soon after, Fugaku, Nawaki, and the others finally graduated. They passed the genin exams with excellent results and became genin qualified to wear headbands.

After graduation, the classic team assignment process naturally followed. Through someone's underhanded manipulation, Fugaku and Nawaki, these two sworn enemies, became teammates. With Mikoto playing a mediating role, the three formed the strongest genin team of their year, Team 7.

As for the Hyuga brothers who failed to snag Mikoto, they were randomly matched with a random girl and left the game with regret.

After forming the team, it would be customary to assign a Jonin to lead it. Uchiha Setsuna intentionally appointed a powerful Jonin from the clan to lead Fugaku and his team, both to provide guidance and to protect the future clan leader.

However, this proposal was quickly rejected by Hisana Senju, who was temporarily stationed in the village.

Does she want her eldest grandson to be under the surveillance of the Uchiha clan?

Go eat shit!

Who knows if you inherently evil folks might secretly sabotage Rope Tree, like sending him on a mission full of traps, only to have him end up dismembered?

The two sides were at loggerheads over this matter, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, acting as the mediator, was also quite troubled.

On one side is the Uchiha clan, whom he secretly supports to check the elders, and a major taxpayer in Konoha.

On the other side is the orphan of their teacher, Tobirama Senju, and the Nine-Tailed Knight, the village's top warrior.

In this matter, he could only try to be impartial and choose not to take sides.

Hokage's office

Wearing the Hokage hat, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head and puffed on his pipe.

Before him, Uchiha Setsuna, dressed in a magnificent robe, frowned deeply, his eyes, gleaming with a faint crimson light, fixed intently on the woman before him.

"Young Master Fugaku is the future of our Uchiha clan, and I absolutely disagree with having someone other than an Uchiha as his team leader Jonin."

Sensing the coldness in Uchiha Setsuna's gaze, Senju Hisa, sitting on the sofa, leisurely crossed her legs, her ruby-like eyes filled with disdain and mockery.

Even if the person standing in front of her were Uchiha Madara or Uchiha Izuna, she wouldn't show the slightest fear, let alone Uchiha Setsuna, who was known as the "Roadside Swordsman."

Senju Hisana didn't even bother to retort, maintaining a nonchalant and dismissive demeanor that made Uchiha Setsuna grit his teeth.

She had already said what needed to be said: Nawaki's team of Jonin must not be envious.

The Senju clan has only scattered, not died. With a single call to arms, she can gather a massive force to confront the Uchiha clan head-on in no time.

"Lord Hokage, we request that you make the decision!"

Seeing that his words had no effect, and wary of Senju Hishima's strength, Uchiha Setsuna decided to hold back and instead sought help from his backer.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been summoned, looked utterly helpless. It was just a small genin squad; how had they managed to cause such a huge commotion?

"Elder Setsuna, there's no need to make a fuss over such a trivial matter. We're all Konoha people, so it doesn't matter who leads the team, does it?"

Caught in the middle, Hiruzen Sarutobi started trying to smooth things over again, attempting to persuade the two not to care too much about the so-called Jonin leading the team.

"I know you're worried about the skill level of the Jonin leading the team. I can assure you that all the Jonin leading this team are from respectable families and are highly skilled ninjas."

"Outstanding? Can anyone be more outstanding than our Uchiha's Jonin who leads the team?"

Uchiha Setsuna was not comfortable entrusting Fugaku to some unknown nobody. What if something happened? How could he face the deceased Izuna-sama?

"hehe."

Senju Hisa, standing to the side, let out two cold laughs in protest.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly. If he didn't still need Setsuna Uchiha to restrain Danzo and the other high-ranking officials, he would have kicked this arrogant guy aside long ago.

"Why don't you take a look first?"

As he spoke, he handed over two identical sets of Jonin files that were placed on the table.

This Jonin was handpicked by him; his strength and courage were both top-notch. He not only had extensive mission experience but was also highly skilled in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu, making him a very well-rounded, all-around ninja.

"Maruboshi Kosuke?"

Looking at the handsome, black-haired man in the file, Uchiha's brows furrowed deeply.

He vaguely remembered this ninja; he was indeed a highly skilled Jonin. However, being skilled alone wasn't enough to qualify him as Fugaku's mentor. He immediately shook his head slightly.

"Too ordinary."

"Don't say that. Maruboshi Kosuke is already a very good Jonin."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, saying that Kosuke Maruboshi's strength had been tested by blood and fire.

"Besides, they are only temporary Jonin leaders. Once they have accumulated enough experience, they can go solo at any time."

In truth, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have preferred Fugaku and the others to become disciples of Jiraiya and his group. With this master-disciple relationship, his position would only become more secure.

Unfortunately, those kids were tricked by Danzo into going on a long-term mission, and nobody knows when they'll be back.

When he returns, he will definitely act as a matchmaker among them and do his best to facilitate this master-disciple relationship.

Despite Hiruzen Sarutobi's insistence, Setsuna Uchiha still looked troubled.

"but."

"I think it's a good idea."

Suddenly, Senju Hisana, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up. Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Setsuna turned around in surprise, only to see her engrossed in reading Maruboshi Kosuke's file.

"Miss Hisana, you agree?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless. He had assumed they wouldn't agree either, and he had prepared a whole host of arguments.

"Yes, I trust this person."

Senju Hisa, her head bowed, nodded slightly. She wasn't actually familiar with this Jonin named Maruboshi Kosuke, but from his photo, she could vaguely make out a familiar silhouette.

Many years ago, when she was still him, Senju Hisa had encountered a kid receiving instruction from Uchiha Gin while fishing by a stream outside the village.

Although time has worn away the boy's naivety, one can still vaguely discern the figure who diligently practiced Water Release techniques back then.

Since he's a curly-haired person, she can trust him. And since Nawaki has good aptitude for Water Release, it wouldn't hurt to have Maruhoshi Kosuke, who's an expert in Water Release, give him some guidance.

Could it be a Senju clansman who has changed his name and identity that Senju Hisama can trust?

Coming to her senses, Uchiha Setsuna picked up Maruboshi Kosuke's file again, trying to find any trace of the man changing his name. However, after searching through the entire file, she found no evidence to prove that he had ever been a member of the Senju clan.

"Hmph! Stop flipping through it, he's not one of the Senju."

Senju Hisana, sensing what Uchiha Setsuna was worried about, snorted coldly.

"Then what about you?"

Uchiha Setsuna raised his head, his face full of suspicion.

"We Senju aren't as petty as you Uchiha, you're all like you're suffering from paranoia."

"you!"

"Alright, alright, Setsuna, since Ms. Hisana has agreed, you don't need to worry about it anymore."

Seeing Uchiha Setsuna's eyes turn red, and fearing he would be killed by Senju Hisama's punch, Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly spoke up to dissuade him and sealed the matter.

"I hereby announce that Kosuke Maruboshi will serve as the Jonin leader of Team 7."

Konoha Ninja Academy

"Then we'll be going now."

Inside the graduating class classroom, the Hinata brothers, whose names were called, stood up, greeted their friends, and then turned to leave with a female teammate who happened to be passing by.

Thus, only Fugaku, Nawaki, and Mikoto remained in the classroom.

"Just who exactly is our team leader, Jonin?"

Bored out of his mind, Rope Tree lay sprawled on the table and asked listlessly,

Fugaku, who was sitting by the window enjoying the sunlight, pursed his lips upon hearing this. He had a very clear plan for his future development.

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter who it is, it's just a formality anyway, I still want to become Jiraiya's apprentice in the end."

That's right, only by becoming a disciple of Jiraiya could he obtain firsthand information about his new book.

"I wonder when Tsunade and the others' mission will be over."

Mentioning Jiraiya and the others, Mikoto, who was resting her chin on her hands, couldn't help but miss the dashing Tsunade. They had promised to be master and apprentice.

"It will probably take another two years."

Rope Tree recalled the letter her sister had sent home some time ago, which briefly mentioned the deadline for the mission.

"Huh? It took that long?"

Creak~

Just as the group was chatting, the classroom door suddenly opened, and the three of them quickly looked over, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Who will be their supervising Jonin?

Hi~

A very familiar red head poked its head in from outside the door, greeting them with a smile. The three men's expressions instantly tightened.

"Teacher Mi Luo?"

The person who arrived was none other than their homeroom teacher for the past few years, Miro Uzumaki.

"Could you be our instructor Jonin?"

Rope Tree blinked in confusion, then quickly showed a look of utter disgust on his face.

"Oh? Not welcome?"

As Miro passed by, she raised an eyebrow, giving Nawaki, who clearly looked down on her, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"No, no, it's our honor to receive guidance from Teacher Mi Luo again!"

Seeing that Nawaki, that idiot, was about to anger the short-tempered Uzumaki Miroku again, Fugaku quickly stood up to defend him, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

"That's right, that's right~"

Mikoto nodded enthusiastically, which deeply moved Miro Uzumaki.

"I am very pleased, but it is a pity that I am not your instructor Jonin."

"ha?"

Great!

The three of them silently gave each other a thumbs-up in their hearts, but forced out expressions of disappointment on their faces.

"So, teacher, you came to see us because..."

"I was just passing by, and happened to see which unlucky ones hadn't been assigned to be Jonin instructors yet."

"Weren't you resting?"

The three people being ridiculed dared not get angry, and could only force a smile and ask,

"Rest? Rest my ass! I'm going to teach the first graders now."

Logically, now that Miro's class has graduated, he could take a half-semester break, but one of the first-year homeroom teachers just happened to resign.

He was lying at home, but was pulled back by a decree from the school leaders, ordered to take over the class that didn't have a homeroom teacher.

"First grade? Which class?"

"I think it's Class B."

"what!"

The three of them froze upon hearing this. Wasn't that the class that Minato and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio belonged to?

"What, do you know anyone in that class? Come on, don't worry, tell your teacher, and I'll take good care of them~"

Seeing the complicated expressions on the three people's faces, Uzumaki Miro revealed a mischievous smile.

Upon hearing this, Fugaku's expression turned serious, and the determination in his eyes drew attention.

"I would never betray the people in the Watergate prison!"

"That's right! I will never betray those three prison spies: Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, and Yamanaka Inoichi!"

As brothers, we may not share happiness, but we will definitely share hardship.

Mikoto:.

If you two are human, I'll eat you!

"Okay, I've got it. Thanks for your cooperation."

After memorizing the four names, Miro Uzumaki waved to the three of them with a smile.

As he was leaving, he seemed to suddenly remember something, turned his head and said,

"Oh, right, when I was going upstairs just now, I ran into a Jonin carrying a sword. His strength... was pretty good."

Don't be fooled by Miro's seemingly carefree demeanor; his true strength is among the top in the Land of Whirlpools.

Even if he couldn't kill a Kage-level powerhouse with a wave of his hand, he could easily kill a Jonin. The fact that Maruboshi Kosuke caught his eye shows that his strength is indeed remarkable.

Bye-bye~

After saying that, Miro left without looking back, heading to his new class to begin another remarkable and inspiring teaching career.

The three left alone in the classroom looked at each other, their minds still replaying the words that Uzumaki Miro had just spoken.

"For Teacher Miro to call him 'quite strong,' he must be a powerful Jonin, right?"

Rope Tree scratched his head, his doubt only growing stronger.

In their minds, Miro Uzumaki was synonymous with unreliable.

He doesn't say a word in class except drooling while watching live streams. I have no idea how powerful his connections are to allow him to slack off at school so easily.

"At this point, all we can do is wait."

Fugaku, on the other hand, took it all in stride. He knew at least that the Jonin who had come was skilled in swordsmanship, and since he happened to be practicing swordsmanship, he hoped it could be of some help to him.

"Crunch~"

The classroom door was opened from the outside again, and this time a handsome young man with black hair entered. He wore a standard Jonin vest, carried a long sword, and his features were exactly as described by Uzumaki Miro.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late."

The newcomer scratched his head apologetically, his speech lacking the authority expected of a Jonin, making one doubt his true abilities.

"I see you must be Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto, and Senju Nawaki, right?"

As he spoke, he pulled out the squad member information he had recently acquired, glanced at it briefly, and then asked to confirm.

Yes, I don't know who you are.

Seeing that it was yet another unreliable teacher, Fugaku frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing across his wrinkled little face.

An ordinary Jonin?

Sensing a hint of displeasure from Fugaku and the others, Maruhoshi Kosuke didn't take it to heart. Instead, he smiled and took the lead in introducing himself.

"I am Maruboshi Kosuke, and I will be your team leader Jonin for the foreseeable future. I am skilled in ordinary Water Release techniques and not particularly flashy swordsmanship." (End of Chapter)