Today was the day.

The day Haru was going to be assigned to her ninja squad.

She had already cleaned her room, hiding anything that was too personal for outside eyes. From what she remembered from the anime, her sensei was going to drop by later while she was gone. She wasn't sure if the Third Hokage accompanied any sensei other than Kakashi. But she didn't like either her sensei or the Third Hokage looking too deeply into her personal life.

As Haru got ready, she looked at the sweatband on her desk. The Ninja Turtle head cheekily grinned up at her.

She wasn't going to be wearing her favorite sweatband again for a while. If ever again…

Next to the sweatband lay Haru's official Konoha headband.

She had one of these when she was a little kid in her past life.

To think she had the real thing now.

Haru picked the Konoha headband up, the metal's weight heavy in her hand. She tied the headband on with finality.

Her former eight-year-old self would've been ecstatic to tie the Konoha headband on.

But now? She only donned it with dread.

All right. Day of reckoning. Here goes nothing.

According to Haru's Ninja Yearbook Profile, her ninja registration number was 012609.

Haru thought she looked quite good in her photo. She was grateful that the photographer didn't ask her to smile. Even in her past life, she could never put on a pretty smile for the camera. Having to force a smile on her face instead of having it happen naturally just didn't work for her.

Although he could've just taken her photo without mentioning Naruto…

"You're not going to put body paint on, are you?"

The photographer stared suspiciously at Haru.

"Uh…no, sir. Why do you ask?"

Haru knew why though. Naruto must've already taken his yearbook photo. And she remembered exactly what he did in the second chapter of the manga and the second episode of the anime.

"This one guy put body paint all over himself!" the photographer exclaimed. He scrutinized Haru. "Is he your brother?

"We are not related."

"You sure? You two look a lot alike."

"No. Nope. Absolutely not, sir."

The photographer scratched his head. "Huh. Strange resemblance though. Ok then…" He got his camera ready.

"Say 'cheese!'"

Haru groaned. Seriously. Was that going to be a thing? People saying that she looked a lot like Naruto? She hoped not.

Haru entered the classroom to see Naruto sitting at a desk, grinning proudly with a Konoha headband.

Haru felt relieved.

Good. Naruto still graduated like he did in canon.

At least she hadn't screwed things up for him like she did with Lee.

Mizuki was nowhere to be seen. He must've been sent to prison after Naruto kicked his ass with the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Good riddance.

Haru glanced at Sakura. And she had to do a double take.

Sakura kept her hair short…

But Haru knew that Sakura still had a crush on Sasuke! So why…?

Sakura was seated right next to Ino, giggling happily about their graduation.

And Sakura wasn't acting hostile with Ino…could it be that they didn't break up their friendship?

Ino playfully nudged Sakura's arm. "You're going to be such an awesome medic-nin, Sakura! I know it!"

That's when everything clicked for Haru.

Of course! She had encouraged Sakura to pursue medical ninjutsu! That must be why Sakura had changed from canon!

But…was this change for the better?

Haru looked at Sakura and Ino again. They were having fun together at their desk.

Yes. It was definitely for the better.

"Haru!" Lee waved at Haru from one of the desks. "Come sit next to me! I saved a spot for you!"

Haru took her seat next to Lee.

"Naruto managed to graduate after all! Isn't that great, Haru?"

"Yeah." Just as Haru turned to look at Naruto, he crouched atop a desk, glaring at Sasuke.

Haru thought about whether or not she should intervene.

On one hand, seeing Naruto and Sasuke's accidental kiss in real life would be absolutely hilarious.

On the other hand, Sasuke's Fan Club was going to beat up Naruto for it. The sounds of beating and Naruto's cries of pain would just make the class annoyingly noisier…

Haru sighed and got up from her seat. She stood next to Naruto, who didn't notice her since his full attention was on Sasuke.

Sasuke's Fan Club wasn't so happy with Naruto's antagonism towards their idol.

"Naruto! Stop glaring at Sasuke!"

"Just beat him up, Sasuke!"

Haru flexed her hand.

And the time would be…now! - Haru tugged Naruto's collar, pulling him away.

"Wha-? Haru!" Naruto whirled around. "What the hell was that for?"

"Saving your hide. That guy-" Haru pointed a thumb at said guy (who responded to her with a bewildered "Who, me?") "-almost elbow bumped your ass. If I didn't pull you away in time, you and Sasuke would've smooched. And you know exactly how his fan club would've reacted."

Naruto shuddered, imagining the horror of having his first kiss with Sasuke and the pain of the beating he could've gotten. "Oh-uh-thanks."

Haru and Naruto looked away from each other, shifting uncomfortably. Then they returned to their seats, saying nothing else.

Everyone quieted down as Iruka entered the classroom. After making a graduation speech, he held up a stack of papers. "Now for your team assignments!"

Haru didn't pay much attention to the first six teams Iruka announced. She heard no canon characters' names mentioned. Everything was so far, so good.

"Team Seven."

Now Haru was paying close attention.

Ah. The assignment of Team Seven.

Haru couldn't believe she was witnessing this historic moment in person rather than on a digital screen or manga page. How exciting!

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Here we go.

"Haruno Sakura."

Mmhmm. And then comes Sasuke.

"And Sai."

Mmmhm-! Wait…

Sai…

Sai…

Haru's eyes popped out of her head.

Sai?!

Wait. What?!

The classroom door opened. "Excuse me."

Haru's head whipped around in the direction of the classroom entrance.

Holy shit. It was Sai.

As in, Sai from Shippuden.

"Huh?" Naruto pointed at Sai. "Iruka-sensei, who's this guy?!"

"Naruto! Don't point your finger at other people! That's rude!" Sakura scolded.

Ino blushed. "Sai-kun? What a cutie. My heart still belongs to Sasuke though!"

"But why is he in one of our class's genin teams? I've never even seen this guy in our class before!" Naruto said.

Sai smiled. "That is true, Naruto-kun. Due to special circumstances, I had to attend class separately."

At this new turn of events, Haru was still stunned.

What was Sai doing here? Wasn't he supposed to still be in Root? He didn't even show up until Shippuden!

Then…which team was Sasuke going to be assigned to?!

What the fuck was happening?!

Sasuke and Naruto's friendship and rivalry (or rivals-to-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, if you interpret it that way *coughs*) were built into the very fabric of the Naruto universe and plot!

Sakura's brains fostered the team's knowledge reservoir!

They couldn't not be on the same team!

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were the Team Seven. They could not be separated!

So fucking why?!

Wasn't there some sort of sanctity being violated here?!

"Haru? You seem unwell." Lee patted Haru's back with a concerned expression. "Do you need me to walk you to the infirmary?"

"N-no. I'm fine, Lee." Haru took in some calming breaths and steadied herself in her seat. She couldn't leave now. She had to find out what teams stayed true to canon and what didn't.

As Sai took a seat beside Naruto and Sakura, Iruka continued announcing the team assignments.

"Next up! Team Eight! Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino."

Haru breathed a little easier. Team Eight was the same at least. What a relief.

"Team Nine. Kuzumaki Haruto."

Haru straightened up in her seat.

Here it was—the defining moment.

"Rock Lee."

Lee cheered and shot Haru a massive grin. "Yes! We are staying together, Haru!"

Haru smiled and gave Lee a fist bump.

Inwardly, Haru cheered wildly. - Whoo! Yes! Rock Lee! My best friend who isn't plot bait! I'm safe!

"And Uchiha Sasuke."

Haru froze. Then she deflated, swaying over to the side.

"Haru!" Lee cried in alarm, catching Haru as her head landed on his shoulder. "Oh no! You're really sick, aren't you?!"

Haru stared blankly at the ceiling. - Oh? Was that her soul leaving her body?

"Iruka-sensei! Why is Sasuke being put on the same team as the crybaby?!"

Sweat dripped down Haru's brow. She felt ominous auras all around her.

Bloodlust.

The Sasuke Fan Club was definitely glaring daggers at her with the intent to kill.

Wasn't her fault! She didn't want to be on a team with Sasuke either! How many times did she have to make it clear that she didn't have a crush on him?!

Shit! Shit! This was bad!

Sasuke was a danger magnet! He was going to attract death at every corner!

Everyone and their mother wanted his Sharingan! Especially that creepy snake fucker Orochimaru.

No good! No good!

Then a brilliant idea popped into Haru's head.

Wait! Maybe she could make a convincing enough argument to get Sasuke on a different team! It was worth a shot!

Haru raised her hand. "They're right, Iruka-sensei!"

The bloodlust around Haru died down. Whew.

"Sasuke is way out of our league."

"Hn." Haru was going to take Sasuke's grunt as an agreement.

Lee's face underwent a series of expressions.

Hurt and astonishment. "What? Haru! How could you say that about us!"

Worry. "How could you put yourself down like that!"

And determination. "The both of us could become just as skilled as the talented prodigy Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke scoffed. "Tch. Keep dreaming, loser."

"What?!" Lee yelled.

Haru internally cried, Lee, please! I'm trying to save us from imminent death here!

"Lee! Sasuke! Enough!" Iruka shouted. "You have decent tactical scores, Haru. You also have the best stealth score in this class."

Shit…Haru had gotten too good at avoiding people so she didn't have to talk to them.

"Lee is on-par with Sasuke, having the best taijutsu skills in the class."

Hearing Iruka's praise, Lee's cheeks flushed as he smiled with pride.

"Lee is unable to use ninjutsu and genjutsu. So Sasuke will provide him support on those ends.
Haru, Lee will support you with his taijutsu skills. Sasuke will benefit you with his prowess as a talented ninja."

"But Sasuke's at the top of the class while Naruto is at the bottom," Haru pointed out.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted.

Haru ignored him. "Sakura is the most intelligent kunoichi in our class."

Sakura blushed.

Haru kept talking. "She could provide the team with valuable knowledge and help with chakra control and genjutsu. Wouldn't it be better for Sasuke to be on a team with Naruto and Sakura?"

Naruto and Sakura blanched.

"Good idea for me to be on a team with Sakura-chan! But Sasuke? Seriously? Putting him on the same team as a talented ninja like me? No way!" Naruto shouted.

"It's nice to be in a team with Sasuke, but I wouldn't want to be stuck with someone annoying like Naruto!" Sakura responded.

Naruto was struck right in his heart. - Sakura-chan. You really don't like me? Damn it! I will beat Sasuke!

Sasuke didn't know which was worse. Being stuck on a team with Useless Loser Naruto and Barely Tolerable Sakura. Or Bushy Brow Lee and Wimpy Crybaby Haru. - He would rather not work with others at all. They would just slow him down.

"Although you make some good points, Haru," Iruka acknowledged, "-the team assignments were considered and chosen very carefully, taking into account how to balance everyone's strengths."

"The decision is final." Iruka's tone turned stern, effectively telling Haru there was no further room for complaining.

"Yes. Understood, sensei."

Haru slumped down in defeat.

I'm doomed.

"Sasuke, do you want to come eat lunch with us?"

Despite their animosity earlier, Lee enthusiastically waved at Sasuke, encouraging him to join.

Sasuke scowled. "No."

"What? But we are teammates! Lunch is best eaten together!" Lee protested.

Haru placed a hand on Lee's arm, shaking her head.

They shouldn't force Sasuke to eat with them.

Loners had to be eased into social interactions. Or just left to their solitude in peace. She would know, as a fellow person with a low sociability threshold.

"We need to give Sasuke space and respect his boundaries, especially if we're his teammates," Haru explained.

Lee rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh! I see! All right then!"

Haru pointed a thumb behind her. "If you need us, Sasuke, we'll be on the rooftop over there." She turned with Lee to walk off. "See you later."

"Have a good lunch, Sasuke!" Lee shouted as Sasuke walked away.

Haru and Lee sat down, taking out their lunch.

"Who do you think is going to be our sensei, Haru?" Lee asked as he chowed down on some onigiri. "I hope it's Guy-sensei!"

"Guy-sensei already has his own team, Lee."

Lee visibly deflated. "Oh. Right."

A pang of guilt shot through Haru.

If Lee wasn't going to be on Guy's team, who was Tenten and Neji's teammate?

And how was Might Guy doing? His team just wasn't the same, wasn't complete without Rock Lee.

The same could be said for Team Seven with Sasuke missing. He was supposed to be the driving force for Naruto and Sakura to get stronger. Would Naruto even be who he was without his rival? Would Sakura even live up to her fullest potential? Both Naruto and Sakura wanted Sasuke's respect and admiration in canon. Just how were they going to develop without him now?

Was Kakashi still going to be Team Seven's sensei? Originally, Kakashi was supposed to use his expertise and Sharingan to help keep Naruto's Kyuubi under control and train Sasuke to develop his Sharingan.

Just why did the Third Hokage decide to put Sai on Team Seven? Was he even aware that Sai was from Root and associated with Danzo?

What caused such a drastic change to happen?

Was it because of Haru and Lee? Did their being in the same graduation year as Naruto really change things this much?

That was the only explanation Haru had.

And what of this world's future?

There was never a Team Nine (or Kuzumaki Haruto…) in the Konoha Eleven.

Who was going to be in charge of Team Nine? Sasuke was on their team so they must've assigned someone important.

Would it be better for Team Nine to pass or fail their sensei's graduation test to prevent any more changes to this world's events?

Just what was going to happen to everyone?

A/N: Did any of you see that team arrangement coming? How's that for wrecking canon? :D

As for the reasons I picked those specific members for Team 9…
Personally, I find Sasuke's rivalry with Rock Lee to be more compelling than his rivalry with Naruto ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Also, Sasuke-Lee and Kakashi-Guy parallels, let's go!

I also just really wanted Haru to be on a ninja team with Rock Lee 'cause he's so awesome.

I picked the number 9 in Team Nine for a reason.
While 7 is lucky, 9 is unlucky in Japanese culture. The number 9 is usually pronounced as "kyuu" to avoid saying "ku", which has the same pronunciation as agony or torture. (Source: Japanese Superstitions - Unlucky Numbers (Wikipedia))
Also, 9 for the Nine-Tailed Fox, y'know?
Even Haru's ninja registration number has a 9 at the end lmao.

I know that Team Guy is called Team 9 in the English dub. But that was a mistranslation. In the Japanese dub, Team Guy is said to be Team 3 in a filler episode. So in this fanfic, Team Guy will be Team 3.

Chapter updates will be one-chapter updates from now on instead of multiple chapters at once. I only did the mass chapter updates earlier because I really wanted to get to this Team Assignment chapter. That's what a lot of us were curious about, right? Now the real fun begins. :)

Ok! Time for round 2 of Haru's Ninja Team Guessing Game!
Who do you think is going to be Team 9's sensei?