Chapter 33: THE FIRST DISPATCH SQUAD

Chapter 33 - THE FIRST DISPATCH SQUAD The dimly lit office of the Third Hokage was filled with nearly two dozen shinobi, all clad in standard Konoha-issued uniforms. Ten jōnin stood in front of the Hokage and the Jōnin Commander in an orderly formation, while several chūnin and tokubetsu jōnin stood at the back, awaiting their assignments. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, gazed out of the window, his smoke pipe in hand, watching over the village as he began to speak. "Once again, the time has come for young fledglings to leave the greenhouse we have provided for them. It will be your duty to ensure they are prepared for the challenges ahead, so that they may grow into the pillars that will support our village our home, the Hidden Leaf. Some of them are exceptional, others... a bit less so, but remember, these are the shinobi who will one day stand where you now stand. Do not dismiss this task as just another mission." He finished with a light chuckle, the usual warmth in his voice masking the heavy burden of leadership. A few jōnin smiled lightly, while most maintained their neutral expressions. Seeing that Hiruzen had finished, Shikaku Nara, the Jōnin Commander, stepped forward, yawning as he unrolled a large scroll in his hands. "This year, we have 120 graduates, which makes the squad assignments easier. As always, the ten of you" he gestured toward the ten jōnin in front "will be responsible for the elite class. The rest of you will handle the regular classes." No one objected, as this was how it had always been done. The elite class would undergo further training under jōnin instructors, but only those who passed their first test would receive further training till they reach the chūnin rank. The regular students, however, would continue to operate in four-man squads until their team leaders deemed them ready for the chūnin exams or if they were transferred to the genin reserves. Seeing no questions, Shikaku began assigning squads, starting with the regular students. As each team was announced, the designated leader stepped forward, received their students' names, and flickered away they did not wait for the team number since only the elite teams were granted team numbers the rest were to operate under the name of their team leaders. Once the regular class assignments were completed, only the jōnin instructors for the elite class remained. Shikaku exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. "The elite class this year was not up to par, except for the top five. You are free to send them back to the reserves if their performance is unsatisfactory." His voice was neutral, making it clear that he had little expectation of most of them. Seeing no questions Shikaku continued, calling out the squads in order. "Akihito Tōma. Reiji Kurama, Ami Hado, and Takeshi Yamamoto. You will form Team 17, assuming they pass." Akihito nodded, already expecting that his squad would be made up of those ranked at the bottom and the rookie of the year. However, his eyes narrowed slightly when he did not hear the name of the first-place graduate. He was about to ask when another jōnin with black hair tied in a ponytail spoke up in a neutral tone. "He's with me." The response was simple, but firm. Akihito glanced at the man, recognizing him, and nodded in understanding before flickering away. Shikaku didn't even pause at the interruption and continued announcing the squads till there were only two jonins were left. "Chōjūrō Akimichi. Eiji Nakamura, Shin Sarutobi, and Akemi Hyūga. You will form Team 2, if they pass." Chōjūrō glanced briefly at Hiruzen, exchanged a small nod with Shikaku, and flickered away. Only one jōnin remained. Before Shikaku could continue, Hiruzen spoke. "Utakata, you will be responsible for the top three." A brief silence followed. "Your squad will have you as the healer and support. The first and second-place graduates, Ren Takahashi and Yugao Uzuki, will serve as offensive specialists. Hitoshi Aburame will be the team's scout. Your team will be the first dispatch squad of the year, the Team 1. They are all combat-capable, so get them ready soon." Hiruzen took a slow drag from his pipe as he finished speaking. Utakata, standing as stoic as ever, gave a single nod. "Understood, Lord Hokage." Then, without another word, he flickered away. Now, only Shikaku and Hiruzen remained. Shikaku sighed, stretching slightly before muttering, "How many teams do you think will actually last this year?" Hiruzen gazed out at the village silently for a moment before responding. "Four, at most... even if we include Team 1." Shikaku simply hummed in agreement, rolling up the now-empty scroll. Hiruzen took another long drag from his pipe and started doing paperwork once again. (LOCATION- ACADEMY) The elite classroom of the academy buzzed with excitement as the newly graduated genin showed off their shiny Leaf headbands to one another, each flexing their symbol of achievement. The graduation exam had concluded the previous day, and today, the students had been summoned to receive their final results, headbands, and team assignments. Ren sat at his usual seat, turning the headband over in his hands. The results were predictable he had secured the top rank and was officially the Rookie of the Year. However, what caught him off guard was the second place ranking. He had expected it to go to Eiji or Hitoshi, but instead, it was Yūgao Uzuki. While she had occasionally won against the two of them, her win ratio was not in her favor, and yet she had still managed to claim second place. The ranking system had been based on two factors the written exam and a tournament-style battle that determined the final placements. Yūgao had beaten Hitoshi, and Hitoshi later fought Eiji and won, resulting in an even score among the three. Ultimately, her higher written exam scores must have pushed her ahead. Ren finished inspecting the headband and tied it securely to his forehead, then turned to Eiji, grinning. "How does it look?" Eiji, still grumbling over his fourth-place ranking, barely glanced at him and muttered, "Like a headband. What else would it look like?" Before Ren could fire back a response, the door slid open, and Seichi Kano entered the room, his usual calm smile in place. "Congratulations to all of you. As of today, you are officially shinobi of the Hidden Leaf," he began, his voice carrying over the noise, quickly silencing the room. "From now on, we are all comrades, and I expect you to support not just your teammates, but also any fellow Konoha shinobi you meet on the battlefield." His gaze swept across the class before he continued. "Now, I will begin announcing your teams." The room held its breath as the moment they had all been waiting for arrived. "Team 1. Ren Takahashi, Yūgao Uzuki, and Hitoshi Aburame. Your Jōnin sensei will be Utakata Itō." A brief silence followed before a wave of murmurs spread through the class. The top three students were all placed together a decision that wasn't common. Most had expected them to be split up to balance the teams, but instead, they had been concentrated into a single squad. Ren was equally surprised, though not because of his teammates he was fine with them but because of their sensei. "Utakata Sensei?" Ren thought, blinking in surprise. His old academy instructor? Not only that, but Utakata had also been his father's former teammate. He had assumed the village would assign them to a random powerful Jōnin, but instead, they had been given someone Ren already knew. Before he could dwell on it further, Seichi continued. "Team 2 Eiji Nakamura, Akemi Hyūga, and Shin Sarutobi. Your Jōnin sensei will be Chōjūrō Akimichi." Akemi was 5th in the overall class ranking and Shin was ranked 9th. Hearing Eiji's name, Ren glanced toward him, meeting his gaze before the two of them low-fived. Although they weren't on the same team, they had both been assigned solid squads, and that was enough to make them happy. By the time Seichi finished announcing all the teams, the classroom was filled with hushed discussions and excited whispers. The teacher raised a hand, signaling for silence. "Your Jōnin sensei will be arriving soon to take you. I expect you all to behave accordingly." Just as he finished speaking, the door slid open, and the first to enter was Utakata. Without wasting time, he said in his usual calm, emotionless tone "Team 1, with me." Ren, Hitoshi, and Yūgao immediately stood up. Yūgao bid a quick farewell to a group of girls who were excitedly talking to her, while Ren high-fived Eiji before heading toward the front of the classroom. As the three gathered in front of Utakata, he gave them a single order. "Training Ground One. Five minutes." And with that, he flickered away. Without hesitation, Ren and the others vanished from the classroom as well, flickering after him. In the 1st training ground Utakata stood calmly, arms crossed, his neutral expression unwavering as Ren landed in front of him, steady and composed. A minute later, Hitoshi and Yūgao arrived simultaneously, taking their positions beside Ren without a word. Once the three of them were assembled, Utakata spoke in his usual monotone voice. "My name is Utakata Itō. My specialty is healing and Water Style ninjutsu." He then gave a slight nod, signaling for Yūgao to go next. Stepping forward slightly, Yūgao introduced herself. "My name is Yūgao Uzuki. I specialize in Kenjutsu and Lightning Style ninjutsu." Next was Ren, who spoke confidently. "My name is Ren Takahashi. I specialize in Taijutsu and Wind Style ninjutsu." Finally, Hitoshi stepped forward, his voice calm and quiet like always. "My name is Hitoshi Aburame. I specialize in Aburame Clan techniques, scouting, and Fire Style ninjutsu." Utakata stood with his arms crossed, his sharp gaze passing over the three new genin before him. "The three of you are smart enough to understand the composition of this team, I assume?" Ren, Yugao, and Hitoshi nodded without hesitation. Their squad was well-balanced two combat specialists, a scout, and a healer. The only unusual aspect was that Utakata himself, a powerful jōnin, was assigned as their medic and support. It was clear that this was no ordinary team, it was a specialized unit, designed for efficiency. Seeing their understanding, Utakata continued. "Our squad is designated as the first emergency dispatch team for any missions below A-rank, this is only after you are deemed ready though. Hence, we are known as Team 1. This training ground, Training Ground One is also assigned to us because of its close proximity to the village gates. That way, we can be deployed at the earliest notice." He paused briefly, giving them a moment to process the information. "Any questions?" All three shook their heads, fully grasping the importance of their assignment. Utakata nodded slightly before continuing. "Traditionally, jōnin sensei conduct an initial test for their assigned students. Only those who pass are allowed to continue as genin those who fail are sent back to the academy. However, I see no value in testing the three of you. Your abilities have already been proven." Ren, Yugao, and Hitoshi listened attentively as Utakata's voice turned stern. "That being said, do not take this as blind approval. If I see any problems within this team whether it be a lack of discipline, poor teamwork, or incompetence I will terminate this squad immediately and revoke your genin status." All three genin nodded and Utakata then gave his final order. "Meet me at the Hokage building in five minutes. We need to finalize the paperwork." And with that, he flickered away vanishing in an instant. Without a word, Ren, Yugao, and Hitoshi followed suit, flickering toward the Hokage building. {A/N:- Finally the genin arc starts. Tell me what you think about the idea of First Dispatch Team, I think that there should definitely be something similar in the Naruto universe. Also what about the team, I had designed Hitoshi just like Shino, barely mentioned but very strong (only in og naruto not in shippuden) and I think that Yugao was understandable.} { I feel like I missed something in this Chapter but can't figure out what, comment if you find something and I'll correct it.} {Update as on March 11:- Holy hell the popularity blew up so fast that we got 200K+ views in 24 HOURS and rank 132 in all time power stone ranking on the 1st day of the week ????????}