[X] I'll see you in hell, Pachelbel...
"... Team 5, assigned to Sarutobi Asuma, are Kuwabara Ami, Inuzuka Kiba, and Yamanaka Ino..."
As one, three voices ask, "WHAT?!"
Shikamaru actually sits bolt upright to say it. Chouji's on his feet, both hands flat on the desk.
Okay, granted, there were a few raised eyebrows when Sasuke was put together with Naruto, but maybe they had to restructure the teams when the blond goofball graduated at the eleventh hour, or maybe Hatake Kakashi has some sort of connection to him and requested him. Or something. Breaking up the Ino-Shika-Cho, though...
"But, sensei, that has to be a typo," you say, still slightly stunned. "Chouji and Shika-chan and I are supposed to be together."
"There's no mistake, Ino," Iruka-sensei says. "I agree, I was surprised to see it as well, but it's consistent with your position as Kunoichi of the Year; your grades balance out Kiba's."
"Hey!" Kiba protests. "Don't lump me in with Naruto!"
You're still not sure how you ended up with Kunoichi of the Year. You were trying for Rookie, damn it! Stupid Sasuke and Hinata being actually good at taijutsu. When Lee-sempai's class graduated, you were dropped back into your grade's taijutsu courses and lost your only real challengers in the speed department, Neji and Tenten 'the Professional', a chick who worked her way up from the bottom classes to reach the secondary ones in her final year. All this year you've just been hopping around people waiting for them to get tired and then upper-cutting them, which is only impressive in the sense that someone with taijutsu as lazy as yours really shouldn't do so well in close combat.
Shika's eyes find yours, and you share a look of disappointment. You hadn't really discussed it, but both of you were waiting with a certain expectation that this would be the day you two and Chouji would be back together, like you were, and that the three of you could finally start fresh.
Apparently not.
You wait, somewhat sulkily, for Iruka-sensei to finish.
"It could be worse," Ami offers, in a more sympathetic tone than she's ever used on you before. "You could be stuck on a team with two people you don't know, like poor Sasuke-kun."
Shika and Chouji get assigned to someone you've never heard of called Yuuhi Kurenai, along with Hinata, and an early lunch is called for all the teams while you wait for the jounin-sensei to arrive.
"So. You thinking what I'm thinking?" Chouji asks as he and Shika arrive at your desk.
"Interrogate the Hokage?" Score! A chance at the Hat!
"... eventually," Shikamaru concedes. "Maybe."
Chouji looks at both of you like you're nuts.
"You're right," you say with a firm nod, "parents first. They have to know something. And if they don't they're probably gonna wanna hear about this."
The three of you book it; the lunch break is only an hour long and this conversation is probably gonna take a while.
Shika's house is closest, and apparently you're in luck in that regard, because just as you're rounding the corner you see your father in the Nara's front garden punching Shikaku in the face.
You and Chouji grab Shika by both arms to keep him from running over to find out what the hell's going on and pull him back into the side street you just exited.
Peeking around the corner again, you see your dad run off in the direction of work. If you hurry you might be able to catch him before he arrives.
[X] Go after Dad.
-> [X] Ask what the hell that was about.
-> [X] Tell him about your team assignment and pretend you didn't see what just happened.
[X] Go with Chouji and Shika to talk to Shikaku and Yoshino-angel. And hey, is that Chouza-san?
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Yeah, I just let you pick flat-out. Sorry. I'm dull.
It was either pick your teammate or pick your sensei, and I figured you'll likely be seeing more of your teammates than your sensei just in general it wouldn't be fair to have you pick them.
Would have made for a better twist if I let you pick your sensei, but twists last one update, teammates last the whole quest unless you get them killed. I thought it was the better call to make.