Naruto: Skill Editing System

"Alright, thank you."

Standing in the Academy auditorium, Hirakawa Yuuki politely thanked the ninja in front of him as he received his forehead protector and the official ninja ID printed with his photo.

"Congratulations. You're now a genin, a full-fledged shinobi."

The ninja handing out the forehead protectors smiled as he offered his congratulations.

Yuuki thanked him once more, carefully tucking away both the forehead protector and his ID before exiting through the other side of the auditorium.

Creak.

The moment he pushed open the door and stepped outside, he found himself surrounded by excited students who had just received their own forehead protectors. One by one, they eagerly pulled them from their hands and clumsily tried to tie them onto their foreheads.

Yuuki wasn't that interested in doing the same. He figured he'd experiment with different ways to wear it once he got home.

What did catch his interest, however, was the official ninja ID.

He pulled it from his ninja pouch and began studying it carefully.

"Hmm…"

"Name: Hirakawa Yuuki. Gender: Male?"

"Well, obviously."

"Ninja Registration Number: 06532."

After inspecting it for a while, Yuuki realized that aside from his basic personal details, the only noteworthy information on the card was the registration number.

Shaking his head, he stowed the ID back into his pouch, having lost interest.

"Yuuki!"

A sudden yell right next to his ear made him jump.

It was Kushina, who had snuck up and shouted loudly, nearly scaring the life out of him.

After calming his startled heart, Yuuki turned and asked, "What are you doing?!"

Kushina grinned playfully. "What do you mean, 'what am I doing'?"

"I heard you turned down Shiina Kō's invitation to go out?"

Yuuki gave her a puzzled look.

"Yeah, I did. So what?"

"With the current tension in the ninja world, it's only natural to turn down something like that."

As he spoke, he glanced toward Shiina Kō, who was standing in the distance blushing and sneaking glances their way.

"She didn't even say anything about it herself. Why are you getting involved?"

Kushina rolled her eyes hard.

"Why am I getting involved? Because it's so obvious Shiina Kō likes you. Anyone with eyes can see it."

"As her best friend, it's my duty to help her out!"

After that, Kushina gave him a thorough once-over.

"I just don't get what she sees in you."

"A girly-looking face, shorter than me, and you smell like flowers more than I do. Honestly, the whole vibe is oilier than Choza."

Yuuki couldn't hold back anymore and immediately shot back, "I've explained this so many times—the flower scent is because my family runs a flower shop. I'm practically marinated in that smell every day. You think I want to smell like this?"

"And boys usually develop later than girls. Is it really that weird I'm shorter than you right now?"

"As for being girly…"

Yuuki stopped, unsure how to continue.

Mostly because Kushina's standards for what counted as "girly" were totally incomprehensible.

The kind, sunny, family-man type like Minato? Girly.

The classic cool Uchiha type like Fugaku? Still girly.

Even Choza, who was built like a tank and had a face full of flesh, got called girly by her.

It was downright ridiculous.

"Do you need something or not?"

Yuuki sighed, giving up on trying to reason with her and turning to leave.

"Hey, wait, don't go."

Seeing he was about to walk away, Kushina quickly stopped him.

Yuuki frowned to show he was serious. "I really have to go. Graduation was today, and missions start tomorrow. I need to prepare."

Kushina pouted when she heard he was busy with real work and reluctantly gave up on pushing for that date with Shiina Kō.

"Fine, I won't bug you anymore."

"But do you know? Tomorrow's the team assignment."

"To make sure teams can bond quickly, they usually group us two guys and one girl."

"Wanna guess who your two teammates are?"

She waggled her brows, teasing him before spinning around and walking away.

Yuuki frowned, unsure what game she was playing, but he could only turn and leave as well.

The next morning.

Yuuki stood outside the family flower shop, helplessly staring at the two people in front of him.

"Yuuki, you have to be careful out there!"

His mother was crying, her face full of worry and reluctance.

"Listen, don't just believe whatever people say outside."

"If things look bad, don't rush in headfirst."

"If the situation turns dangerous, sneak to the back of the group."

"Only come out when you're sure it's safe."

His father leaned in and whispered these final pieces of advice in his ear.

Hearing their heartfelt concern, Yuuki felt a warmth rise in his chest.

"Don't worry, Mom, Dad. I'll be careful."

He glanced at the sky. It was getting late. If he didn't leave now, he'd miss the team assembly.

"I'm off now."

Giving one last look to his parents, he turned and walked away.

Since time was tight, Yuuki leapt onto the rooftop and headed in a straight line toward Konoha's main gate.

It didn't take long before the massive gate came into view.

Because of his parents' parting words, he'd taken a bit longer than expected.

By the time he arrived, a large crowd had already gathered in the open area outside the gate.

Some were fully formed squads preparing to head straight to the front lines in the Land of Rain.

Others were freshly graduated genin, like Yuuki himself.

Due to wartime efficiency, everything was being kept simple. All new genin were to be grouped into three-man cells right here and sent off under the leadership of appointed instructors.

Finding his assigned class, Yuuki slipped into formation.

After a short wait, Mizukawa Katsu approached, holding the team assignment list in his hands.

Without wasting words, he began calling out names immediately.

"Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Team Three."

"Namikaze Minato, Yamamoto Kōsuke, Edogawa Kanami, Team Six."

"Hirakawa Yuuki, Shiina Kō, Uchiha Yuuichi, Team Seven."

Mizukawa quickly divided all the students into teams of three.

Once he finished, he looked over the group of fresh graduates before him, none of them even came up to half his height.

"Your assigned instructors will arrive shortly. They'll take you directly on your missions."

"Take care of your lives out there."

With those final words, Mizukawa turned and left.

As his figure disappeared into the distance, the previously quiet crowd started buzzing with excitement.

Those who ended up with their ideal teammates began cheering and huddling together to celebrate.

Even those who were disappointed still gathered in their trios to get to know one another.

Yuuki, on the other hand, just stood frozen.

The moment he heard he'd been grouped with Shiina Kō and Uchiha Yuuichi, a sinking feeling crept in.

What were the odds?

Out of the dozens of students in the class, the one person he didn't want on his team… and he still ended up with her.

He thought back to what Kushina had said the day before. His brow twitched.

Turning toward the back of the crowd, he spotted her watching him with a bright smile.

"Ugh…"

Seeing that, Yuuki could only shake his head.

He didn't even bother saying anything.

/////////////////////////

Support me by adding this fic into your library!

100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter