Reborn as a Nara

four

C H A P T E R     4
— Team Placements: Of Teammates and Changes

Her hands smoothed over the soft fur of their deer, alone in the deer ranch as she basked in the moonlight. The sun hasn't been out yet despite it being morning, but Shirayuki found herself awake and filled with a sense of peace, unlike the usual blankness that overcomes her. Footsteps resounded behind her, too light to be a civilian, too loud to be unintentional.

"Oji-san," Shirayuki greeted. "Why are you up so early?"

"Hm, I could ask you the same." A hand reached out from behind her to pet the same deer as she was. Shirayuki merely tilted her head slightly to allow her uncle with whatever he wanted, completely ignoring how his eyes were fixed on her in an examining manner.

"Team placement is today," Her uncle started, "What is your goal to achieve in the next year?"

"Survive long enough to get past my birthday," came the dry answer.

"Anyone, in particular, you wish to be teammates with?"

"Not really."

"Not even Shikamaru?"

Shirayuki scoffed, "Shikamaru is already in a premeditated team. If the system isn't broken, why change it, he's going to be with Ino and Choji."

"Hm... and who do you think your other classmates will be teamed with?" Shikaku asked, pulling away from the deer. Shirayuki moved back as well, drifting over to where her uncle had just taken a seat at. She slumped beside him, thinking over her classmates slightly.

"Ino-Shika-Cho is confirmed. Then, we probably have a tracker team with Inuzuka, Hyuuga, and Aburame. Top Shinobi will likely be paired off with Dead last because of the points, going with... either a Top Kunoichi or someone who's dead last as well." Shirayuki frowned, "Then we have the infiltration team? The Yamanaka, probably me, and this civilian guy who's abnormally good in henge techniques."

"Civilian guy who's abnormally good in henge techniques," her uncle echoed her words with an amused look. "You don't even know their name, do you?"

Shirayuki huffed, "It's not like I talk to them much."

"And the others?"

"I don't know, some would probably be dropped from the Ninja program or fail, I suppose?" Shirayuki tilted her head. "Sakura would probably be a frightening medic in the future. She got down the leaf concentration technique really quickly. And she was also really quick to counter the academy Genjutsu. So, I'd go out on a limb to say that even if she doesn't make the Ninja Program, she would probably be a Tokubetsu Jounin."

"You seem to think she'll be dropped from the Ninja Program," Shikaku picked up.

Shirayuki shook her head, "No. I think she'll be incredibly formidable once she puts a line between her private life and professional life. But right now? There's a chance her teacher won't even notice her potential and just write her off like any other fangirl. But then again, she's been maintaining top kunoichi since four years back so..."

"Which reminds me, you and my son are really hilarious. One is steadily maintaining the bottom tier grades while the other is keeping up the freakishly average grades," Shikaku pointed out with a wry smirk.

Shirayuki turned away, "None of the teachers called me out yet so I assume no one cares, which they don't."

"Oh no, I'm sure someone cares."

Shirayuki paused, "Iruka-sensei doesn't count. He's like a mother hen. Naruto broke him."

Her uncle broke out into snickers.