𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝒀𝑶𝑼 | 𝑲.𝑰𝑵𝒁𝑼𝑲𝑨

|I{•------» [6] «------•}I|

CELEBRATING PASSING THEIR EXAMS, Ruka and Kiba decided to grab some dango and eat it at their favorite spot until late at night. It was the first time her grandfather allowed her to stay out so late, but she would have to face the consequences of waking up late the next day.

She quickly grabbed a piece of toast from the table and shoved it into her mouth before leaving the house. "Sorry, Asuma! Gotta go!"

Asuma froze in stunned silence, watching her leave the house in a hurry. He found himself in a somber mood, knowing that she couldn't be on his team no matter how much he wanted it. "I'm going to get killed by her, again."

---

"I hope you're on my team, Ruka!"

"Good morning, Ruka!"

"She's definitely gonna be on my team!"

Her eyes brightened as she found Kiba waiting for her as usual, with an empty seat beside him. She ignored the boys on her side as she sat beside him, causing the other boys to groan in annoyance while Kiba smirked in victory.

The raven-haired boy in front of her glanced slightly at her before clicking his tongue, causing both Ruka and Kiba to narrow their eyes at him. "What's his problem?" Kiba asked in annoyance.

Ruka rolled her eyes. "Probably can't stand that I'm first in the class."

"Hey, Sakura, what's up?"

"Move it!" she yelled, pushing him out of the way. "Good morning, Sasuke."

"May I sit next to you?"

"Back off, forehead! I'm sitting next to Sasuke."

Ruka stared at the table in front of her as the girls began to fight over the popular Uchiha. "What's so good about him?" she asked, to which Kiba shrugged in response. "Girls like them must really like angry guys like him."

"Hm, that is true," Ruka agreed before sighing dreamily. "That's why I want to marry Iruka-sensei. He always smiles."

Kiba clicked his tongue in disgust. "First Kakashi-san, now Iruka-sensei? I'm worried about you, Ruka."

Knowing that he was referring to her peculiar taste in males, Ruka glared at him. "Worry about yourself, idiot. With that personality, no girls want you."

---

"The most promising student, Sasuke Uchiha. Is that him?" Kakashi asked the Hokage as his eyes gazed at the ravenette.

"Yes, he's the one," the Hokage confirmed, positioning his hand as Sasuke did.

"He's the only survivor left in the Uchiha Clan."

"Hm."

The orb's sight moved to Naruto, who was rubbing his injury.

"Naruto Uzumaki, huh?"

"As usual, Naruto has gotten himself into some type of trouble," the Hokage stated. The sight then shifted to Sarutobi Ruka, arguing with the boy beside her before hitting his head. "And here she is," he said, smiling slightly.

Kakashi noticed the affectionate smile the Hokage had while looking at his granddaughter, then he turned his attention to the girl. "The true prodigy of Konoha," Kakashi mumbled. "She's grown now." He looked back at the Hokage. "You entrusted me with the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, the girl who caused the great five shinobi fear, the last survivor of the Uchiha, and the pink-haired girl. You really thought this through."

"You're a man of many skills, Kakashi,"

Hiruzen smiled at him. "I believe you can handle it, and I'm sure my dearest Ruka is willing to help you. She does remind me of you, after all."

Kakashi stared at him deadpanned, while Asuma tried to hold back his laughter. "Don't let her hear that, Lord Third."

---

"All the genin will be grouped into three-man squads, but since there is an odd number in our class, one group will be a four-man squad," Iruka announced. "Each squad will be led by a jounin, an elite ninja."

Ruka slowly glanced at the ponytailed boy across from her, who looked at her lazily with half-opened eyes.

"Squad Seven! Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Sarutobi Ruka." Her eyes widened when Naruto turned around and gave her a large smile, while Ruka sighed in defeat. "Haruno Sakura."

"I'm doomed," Sakura muttered under her breath.

"Sasuke Uchiha!" The name was called out, causing Ruka and Naruto to sulk, while Sakura stood up from her seat and began to cheer.

Most of the boys in the class groaned in annoyance, while Kiba let out a growl.

Shikamaru smirked slightly as he watched the girl look down solemnly. 'Guess the deal is on.'

After Iruka announced all the squads, Naruto stood up from his seat and pointed at Sasuke. "Iruka-sensei! Why does a great ninja like me have to be paired up with Sasuke?"

Iruka sighed before answering his question. "Naruto, aside from Ruka, Sasuke had the best score of all the graduating students. Naruto, you had the worst. To create balance, we put the best with the worst."

Ruka frowned in confusion. She knew she had the best score, but shouldn't she be put with the worst, like Kiba, instead of being with Sasuke and Sakura?

"Then... shouldn't I be with the worst?" Ruka spoke up, tilting her head. "Why do you need me to balance out the team?"

Iruka smiled at the female Sarutobi. "Even though you got the highest score and are the strongest, Lord Third believed that you would have the ability to lead the group."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. How did her grandfather know that she could lead? She had never led a group before, although she did have a tendency to boss the males around in her family.