During the morning reading session, the classroom was filled with noise.
Everyone already knew they would be heading out on a mission ahead of schedule.
They were all discussing which Jonin from the village would be their instructor, rather than worrying about the war they might soon face.
Perhaps, for them, war was a good place to make a name for themselves.
The one who would die certainly wouldn't be them.
Soon, Ms. Mayabi walked in with a serious expression.
"Quiet." She stood at the podium, her hands supporting the table.
"So, these are the circumstances. I think you are all aware. The Hokage wants you to go out and experience a real battle before graduation." Her loud voice echoed from the podium.
Her voice was filled with seriousness. She was very supportive of the Hokage's decision this time.
She was a survivor of the First Shinobi World War, and she knew how cruel the battlefield could be, so her hope was that all of her students could survive and become great shinobi.
"Alright, next is the distribution of the list."
Ms. Mayabi picked up a list from the table, the list filled with densely packed names as she began speaking the name of each team.
...
"Team Two, Kushina Uzumaki, Hana Inuzuka, Samui Kurama."
"Jonin Leader - Tsunade"
Kadoya thought carefully, this should be Kushina's first and last mission.
Mito's condition was getting worse and worse.
After becoming a Jinchuriki, Kushina should no longer be able to go out on missions casually.
And choosing Tsunade as Kushina's Jonin teacher was also out of the desire for Tsunade to protect her well.
Kushina had a very disappointed expression, seeing that her friends weren't with her. She drooped her head and lay on the table.
...
"Team Four, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi."
"Instructor Jonin - Dan Kato."
Hmm? Hearing this name, Kadoya's attention was instantly drawn.
The name Dan Kato still made Kadoya very concerned.
After all, he is Tsunade's beloved disciple, so of course he is worried about his teacher.
Dan Kato, a Jonin of Konoha, was also Tsunade's lover when she was young.
As a dream-chasing teenager, he pursued the position of Hokage, but he couldn't resist the curse of this position, and he was seriously injured and died in the war.
Still, Kadoya sees Dan as a waste; he possesses the powerful Spiritualisation Jutsu, letting his soul exist outside his body to attack and kill many enemies. The idiot only needs to keep his body in a safe place, and he will practically be unkillable in the war.
Yet he still somehow managed to get himself killed, which led to Tsunade's fear of blood.
Honestly, a Jutsu that lets you become a living spirit to attack your opponents and even take control of a target's body. Just give it to Kadoya, and everyone in the enemy camp would have insomnia and hallucinations in under an hour.
The enemies won't even have the energy to even stand, let alone fight.
However, the current him should not have had any contact with Tsunade yet.
After all, the idiot Nawaki hasn't died under the exploding tag yet.
Kadoya noted to himself that he would do everything in his power to help Tsunade never get together with this waste.
...
"Team Six, Minato Namikaze, Tomonari Kagemaru, Ichigo Shusen."
"Instructor Jonin - Jiraiya."
After Teacher Nishimura finished speaking, Kadoya looked at Minato with pity.
He didn't expect the members of his team to be two extras.
Minato also smiled helplessly.
He originally thought that he would be in the same team as Kadoya and Saiguu, seeing how close the three were, and how well they complemented each other's skills. But he didn't expect to be on a team with two relatively weak people.
However, fortunately, the team leader is Teacher Jiraiya. This made him feel much better.
...
"Team Seven, Kadoya Uchiha, Saiguu Hyuga, Nawaki Senju."
"Jonin Teacher - Orochimaru"
Kadoya frowned, already anticipating this allocation.
After all, Orochimaru had already greeted him yesterday. As for Nawaki, who gets transferred into his class during the third year, Hokage's order, but Kadoya never interacts with him much.
In the original story, Orochimaru was the one leading Nawaki's team. The only thing he wasn't sure about was the other candidate.
He didn't expect it to be Saiguu in the end.
Kadoya frowned, thinking that his team would be more powerful if he were set up with Minato instead.
Should he somehow get Nawaki held back a few years?
That way, he could get blown up at the same age in the origin story,
However, this team is indeed a bit eye-catching.
All three are children of major clans.
The genius of the Hyuga. One of the last Senju. And a fake Uzumaki- I mean a Uchiha.
If the team leader's strength isn't sufficient, it really won't work.
Of course, this team's performance is still up to par.
Kadoya Uchiha, a genius young man, the true ranked first in the grade.
Saiguu's grades are also good. The second or third in the grade.
As for Nawaki, without a doubt, he's a complete idiot. Although his practical combat performance is indeed good, compared to the other students, his written test scores are at the bottom of the list.
"Tch. If only we could trade Nawaki for Minato, then our team would be great." Saiguu murmurs, although Kushina is good too, but Minato would make a better meat shield with his masochistic personality.
"Don't worry, if he can't pull his own weight in the team, we could ask Orochimaru-sensei to send him back to the academy." Kadoya said, ignoring that Nawaki had heard him and was glaring at him.
"Damn you Evil Uchiha!" Nawaki cursed; his previous hatred for the young Uchiha hadn't disappeared. In fact, it actually deepened once he found out his grandmother had made Kadoya the head of the Uzumaki.
Kadoya gives him a side gaze and asks, "Who are you? Do we know each other?"
Nawaki: "..."
...
Time passed slowly, almost painfully so.
All the names had been called. All the instructions had been given. There was nothing left to say.
And then, standing alone on the podium, their homeroom teacher, Mayabi-sensei, looked at them all with a heavy heart. Her voice, soft and trembling, carried just enough sorrow to make the room go still.
"Everyone… don't die."
A silence fell over the class.
Kadoya felt something stir in his chest. It wasn't often that happened.
Mayabi-sensei was genuinely a good teacher. Kind, patient, way too patient with his antics, and always treating them like her own children. Her smile was gentle, her scolding never harsh, and even when he tested her nerves, she never once treated him like a burden.
In a way, she reminded him of Iruka.
And in that same vein, he was definitely the Naruto in this story, loud, strange, troublesome… and just maybe, someone worth caring about.
Then it hit him like a rogue kunai to the head.
"Wait a minute… I'm Team 7."
The realization sent a chill down his spine.
He thought back to the long, twisted history of Konoha. In every era, Team 7 seemed to be cursed, no, doomed to repeat a pattern.
One prodigy: Orochimaru. Kakashi. Sasuke. Kadoya.
One idiot with a good heart: Jiraiya. Obito. Naruto. Nawaki.
One girl: Tsunade. Rin. Sakura. Saiguu.
One legendary ninja as a teacher: Hiruzen. Minato. Kakashi. Orochimaru.
And what happened every time?
Obito fell to darkness. Orochimaru betrayed the village. Sasuke walked a bloodstained road.
Tsunade spent decades mourning, Rin died young, Sakura… well, she is still useless.
Kakashi drowned in grief, Jiraiya lived with regret, Naruto burned his youth chasing after a broken bond.
Sure, there was no record stating Hiruzen's squad was officially Team 7… but with a lineup that tragic, how could it not be?
It fits too well.
If this cycle really was repeating following the original story… then Orochimaru would defect. Nawaki would die. Saiguu would fade into obscurity, just another girl left behind in the story.
And as for him?
Kadoya Uchiha…
Would he, too, walk the same path as his cursed clan? Would he become another villain in the making?
He stared at his reflection in the window, dark hair, darker thoughts, black eyes flashing crimson.
A single question echoed in his mind, heavy as a storm.
"Am I next?"
...
It wasn't until the first class was nearly over that a distinctive, raspy voice echoed through the quiet room.
"Team Seven, follow me."
All heads turned.
Orochimaru stood at the doorway, his presence alone enough to drain the air from the room. The moment his Yin-like aura spread across the class, silence fell like a curtain. No one dared to speak.
That was Orochimaru-sensei for you, just standing there, and already the temperature felt like it dropped a few degrees.
Surprisingly, he had ditched his usual kimono. Today, he wore a sleek black ninja outfit beneath a standard Jonin flak vest. It somehow made him look more intimidating.
Of course, Kadoya also switched out from his usual kimono, now dressed in a simple black long-sleeved shirt and pants, still wearing the haori that Tsunade gifted him.
His golden, slit-pupiled eyes briefly scanned Mayabi-sensei before he turned without another word.
Kadoya exchanged quick glances with Nawaki and Saiguu. After a brief farewell to Kushina and Minato, they hurried after their new teacher.
But Orochimaru didn't wait.
He picked up speed.
Naturally, Kadoya and Saiguu matched his pace with ease, and even Nawaki, despite his slightly clumsy footwork, managed to keep up.
They weaved through the village at a sprint, finally arriving at Konoha's main gate.
Orochimaru didn't break stride. No greeting. No explanation.
With a flick of his wrist, a mission scroll appeared in his hand, seemingly out of nowhere, and sailed through the air. It struck the gatepost beside the guards with a thud, embedding itself deep into the wood.
Then, just like that, the four of them dashed straight out of the village.
No words. No permission slips. Just gone.
Two Chunin guards blinked at the sudden whirlwind.
"Oi, who the hell were they? So cocky…" muttered one of them, a young man in his early twenties. He straightened his back, trying to look important despite being visibly rattled. "I'm the gate guard, damn it. Show some respect."
"Shh! Keep your voice down, you idiot," hissed the older Chunin beside him. "That was Orochimaru. As in, student of the Hokage. You really want to be on his bad side?"
The younger one grumbled, still staring at the gate where the team had disappeared.
"Yeah, well… if something goes wrong, I bet we're the ones who get blamed. Temporary workers always catch the fallout."
...
After leaving the gates of Konoha, the group moved swiftly east.
Four shadows blurred across the terrain, their speed far beyond what any ordinary person could track with the naked eye.
At the front, Orochimaru cast a brief glance over his shoulder, his golden serpent-like eyes narrowing with intrigue.
"Not bad," he muttered.
Behind him, Kadoya was keeping pace with ease, hands in his pockets like he wasn't even trying. Saiguu followed slightly behind, focused and determined. Nawaki trailed the two, sweat forming on his brow, but his breathing remained steady, he wasn't faltering just yet.
Orochimaru's gaze lingered briefly on Kadoya, then curved into a faint smile as he licked his lips with his unnervingly long tongue.
"Fascinating… So many remarkable people orbiting around you. What kind of storm will you bring, I wonder? I'm looking forward to it."
And with that cryptic remark, Orochimaru suddenly accelerated.
Time seemed to stretch thin as the forest blurred past them.
Kadoya remained calm and composed, barely breaking a sweat. Behind him, Saiguu was starting to pant, her steps just slightly less steady. Nawaki, on the other hand, was struggling, his breath sharp, movements growing sluggish.
Orochimaru shook his head subtly.
So this is their current limit.
In his mind, he scoffed at the village's conservative training approach. Danzo may have been ruthless, but he wasn't always wrong.
A caged eagle, no matter how majestic, is still just a pet. To soar above the clouds, it needs strength… and the will to fly.
Eventually, Orochimaru began to ease his pace.
By the time they reached a clearing in the forest, the sun had already begun its descent. The group's speed had significantly slowed compared to when they started.
Orochimaru raised his hand.
"Stop."
At once, Nawaki collapsed onto the ground like a sack of bricks, arms and legs splayed.
"I… I can't… even if you kill me, I'm not running anymore…" he wheezed, face planted into the dirt.
Saiguu bent over, hands on her knees, breathing deeply. She kept her form composed, partially out of pride, partially because Kadoya was watching. Thankfully, the breathing technique he'd taught her years ago was helping.
"Here," Kadoya said, offering her a bottle. "Salt water?"
Saiguu took it with a quiet "thanks," sipping gratefully.
Nawaki peeked up from the ground, eyes shimmering with hope. "Kadoya… Bro… just one sip?"
Kadoya looked away. This Evil Senju, usually called him Evil Uchiha, but when he needed something, the Evil Uchiha suddenly turned into Bro.
Saiguu definitely didn't look at him.
Nawaki deflated.
Orochimaru glanced around the clearing, then nodded slightly.
"We'll rest here for today."
Nawaki immediately began digging through his pouch, pulling out dry rations like a starving man.
But then-
"Nawaki," Orochimaru said, voice calm, almost casual, "you should probably throw that away."
The boy froze. "…Huh?"
Orochimaru smiled, that unsettling grin stretching his face. "I poisoned it."
Nawaki "…"
Nawaki blinked, holding his dry food like it had personally betrayed him.
"This forest is rich in wildlife. If you want clean water and food, earn it. That applies to my share, too." Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed with dark amusement. "Now get moving. I'm craving grilled meat."
He licked his lips again, as if already imagining the taste.
Nawaki let out a long, slow sigh of despair.