Chapter 5: My Hidden Leaf Brotherhood

Ino jumped down from Rojie’s back, arms crossed, glaring defiantly at the Mianqiananmabayun .

“Eight Cloud, what are Itachi yelling about?”

“I’m just having a normal conversation with Rojie—what’s it to Itachi?”

Her voice was crisp, tinged with a touch of spoiled brattiness.

Eight Cloud’s cheeks flushed crimson with anger; she stormed forward and pointed accusingly: “Itachi love-struck pig, how dare Itachi sneak off!”

“No sneaking off!”

Ino puffed out her cheeks in retort: “I didn’t sneak off.”

“We’ve been childhood friends—how is that sneaking off?”

The two bickered back and forth, neither willing to yield.

The air grew thick with tension.

Rojie sighed, stepped quickly between them, trying to quell this sudden, fierce quarrel.

“Stop arguing.”

“Itachi’re both my wings.”

Yet Ino and Eight Cloud both turned their heads away, refusing to acknowledge each other.

The atmosphere turned awkward, frozen in stalemate.

Rojie looked at the pouting Eight Cloud.

As the daughter of the Uchiha clan’s Anmayizu , Eight Cloud’s bond with Rojie began with an accident.

Since childhood, Eight Cloud had been frail in health.

Several years ago, she collapsed suddenly at the Ninja Academy.

Rojie happened to spot her.

He carried her to the infirmary.

After that incident, Eight Cloud had to take a leave of absence.

Her parents, worried for her health, planned to bring her home and hire a private tutor.

After all, in the Hidden Leaf Village, beyond the Academy’s system, most ninja Erdai had their own clan-based training.

In fact, the Academy’s importance only rose gradually under the Third Hokage’s rule.

Originally, ninja training relied mostly on clan-based systems.

After insisting on it, Eight Cloud returned to the Academy after six months’ leave.

From then on, her relationship with Rojie gradually grew closer.

But over time, Eight Cloud often clashed with Ino over Rojie, competing for his attention.

At first, Eight Cloud would pretend otherwise, claiming she didn’t like Rojie—she only wanted to repay his life-saving kindness.

But after seeing Ino’s bold defense of him,

Eight Cloud transformed into an outright aggressor.

She stopped pretending entirely.

…

Just as the two were locked in their squabble, a proctor’s voice rang out from inside the exam hall.

“Next, Anmabayun .”

Hearing her name, Eight Cloud turned to Rojie and whispered: “I’m going in for the test.”

Rojie nodded with a smile: “Do your best.”

Ino made a face beside him: “I bet Itachi’ll fail this time—Itachi’ll have to repeat the year.”

“Then Itachi’ll just watch me and Rojie head out on missions together.”

Eight Cloud snorted, furious—almost broken.

She wasn’t angry because of Ino’s provocation.

Over the years, Ino had provoked her countless times; they fought over Rojie nearly every day.

What truly shattered Eight Cloud was that Ino’s words struck at her deepest wound.

Lies don’t hurt—truth is the sharp blade.

Because of her health, her parents had repeatedly urged her to abandon her dream of becoming a ninja and live a normal life.

Had it not been for Rojie’s quiet support and Eight Cloud’s own relentless efforts to overcome her physical limitations,

she wouldn’t have just faced repeating the year.

She might have dropped out entirely.

After Eight Cloud stormed into the exam hall, Rojie and Ino stood outside, silent for a moment, staring at the door.

Then, without speaking, they shifted the topic to tomorrow’s team assignments.

After graduating from the Ninja Academy and becoming genin, students are grouped into teams of three, led by a sensei on missions.

This three-person structure isn’t just a teacher-student relationship—it includes leadership and subordination.

Yet for new genin like Rojie, the guidance and training from their sensei remain crucial.

But sensei aren’t always jonin.

Usually, a chunin is sufficient to lead a team of genin.

The value of a sensei generally correlates with the village’s level of attention.

From Rojie’s observation, ordinary new genin—outside of ninja Erdai —stand almost no chance of getting a jonin as their sensei.

Even special jonin serving as sensei are rare.

Most new genin get a chunin as their sensei.

Why would jonin lords have time to babysit newbies?

Unless Itachi’re a ninja Erdai , a jinchuriki, or a connection kid—the jonin lords won’t even glance your way.

Even someone like Sakura, a relentless overachiever, only got tagged along thanks to her twisted ties with Huang Yuan and Zi Gou.

A form of emotional leverage on the jinchuriki.

So, shouldn’t Itachi thank La Duo?

Even if it’s fake emotional leverage.

True emotional leverage? That’s Sasuke.

Sigh—Hidden Leaf brotherhood.

During casual chatter, Ino stole a glance at Rojie.

As the daughter of the Yamanaka clan, she’d long known from home who her future teammates would be.

The classic Pig-Deer-Butterfly trio has always been the tradition among the three clans—never lightly changed.

And as the Yamanaka heiress,

she would inevitably become this generation’s Pig-Deer-Butterfly with Shikamaru and Choji.

Even for her sensei, Ino had begun to suspect.

Her thoughts drifted back to last night.

Last night, a man with a goatee, reeking of smoke, had visited her home.

That man was likely her future sensei.

Thinking of that smoker, and her two childhood friends—

Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji—

Ino sighed again.

Smoker, lazybones, glutton.

Do I even have a future?

…

The next morning, the Ninja Academy.

Rojie walked into the classroom as usual, but before he could sit, a clamor drew his attention.

He looked up.

Two figures in the classroom were kissing passionately.

My Hidden Leaf brotherhood.

Too shocking.

Huang Yuan, Zi Gou?

Then it’s fine.

Don’t understand, but respect.

Thinking this, Rojie clapped without hesitation.

Under Rojie’s lead, the classmates, stunned moments before, snapped out of it.

The classroom erupted in enthusiastic applause.

“Sasuke!”

Naruto, finally coming to his senses, lunged at Sasuke with flailing arms, shouting wildly.

Sasuke wiped his mouth with disgust, eyes blazing with fury, teeth gritted: “La Duo, I’ll kill Itachi!”

As the two stood on the verge of violence, Iruka rushed in, clutching a stack of papers.

He saw the chaotic scene and frowned slightly.

“Be quiet.”

Iruka’s voice instantly drowned out the classroom’s noise.

Seeing this, Rojie sat back down in his seat.

The other students also fell silent one by one.

Iruka looked around the classroom, his gaze filled with pride, and spoke slowly:

“Classmates, starting today, Itachi have officially graduated and become qualified ninjas.”

“I am proud of Itachi.”

After offering a few words of encouragement, Iruka began assigning classes.

(End of Chapter)