Ren jogged through the streets of Konoha, weaving through early-morning crowds. The village was already awake and bustling, but his mind was only on one thing — the forgotten headband in the corner of their room.
"How does he always forget the most important thing on the most important days?"
Within minutes, he was inside their home, grabbing the headband from the dresser and heading right back out. The moment his feet hit the ground, he sprinted.
Back at the Academy, the classroom had settled into an anxious hush. Iruka stood at the front, clipboard in hand.
"When I call your name, head to the adjacent room. You won't know your full team until everyone is assembled."
The students straightened up with mixed expressions of anticipation and nervousness.
Iruka scanned the room and paused.
"Where's Ren Uzumaki?"
Before Naruto could even open his mouth, a chorus of voices rose.
"He went to get Naruto's headband!" "Naruto forgot it!" "Ren's covering for him again!"
Iruka sighed, rubbing his temple.
"I should've known."
Naruto laughed awkwardly from his seat. "He'll be back in a sec!"
Iruka smiled faintly despite himself. "Let's wait a moment."
Just then, the classroom door slid open.
Ren stepped in, slightly winded but composed. He walked straight to Naruto and handed over the headband without a word.
Naruto grinned wide and immediately tied it around his forehead.
"Thanks, bro! Lifesaver!"
Ren just gave him a flat look. "Try remembering it tomorrow."
Iruka nodded in acknowledgment. "Glad you made it, Ren. Let's begin."
He started reading from the list — one name at a time.
"Sakura Haruno."
Sakura blinked, stood up, and walked nervously to the next room.
"Shino Aburame."
"Kiba Inuzuka."
"Hinata Hyuga."
One by one, the students were called, each disappearing beyond the door with no idea who they'd be paired with. The classroom slowly thinned as Iruka worked down the list.
"Sasuke Uchiha."
He stood calmly and walked out.
"Naruto Uzumaki."
"Finally!" Naruto jumped to his feet, gave Ren a quick grin, and darted off.
Ren watched him go, then turned as Iruka continued.
The room was nearly empty now.
"Ren Uzumaki."
Ren rose silently and walked toward the door.
Iruka looked up at him with a small smile. "You and Naruto — don't go too far. The Hokage wants a word with both of you before team assignments are finalized."
Ren raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Understood."
As he stepped into the hallway, he spotted Naruto already waiting, bouncing in place with curiosity.
"Hey, Iruka-sensei said the old man wants to see us. You think it's serious?"
Ren kept walking, calm and unreadable. "If he wants to talk before we're assigned... yeah, it might be."
The door to the next room closed behind them.
Inside, other students were still being matched. Team 7 and Team 1 — the final teams — were still incomplete.
And the Hokage, it seemed, had something important to say to the Uzumaki brothers before they took their next step.