After the incident with Mizuki, Iruka had been extremely nonplussed. His trust and faith on who he could call one of his best friends had been shattered just like that. He then had spent an entire hour talking with Naruto. It turns out Mizuki had ‘exposed’ the fact Naruto was the ‘Nine Tails’ when the former had given him the fake scroll.

 

In factm, even the Third had been alarmed. The two progenies of the Uzumaki and Senju clan had been involved in such a plot. If not for for the two outsmarting Mizuki, who knew what would’ve happened.

 

Ren had almost come out of his hiding spot and attempted to murder the chunin before they could even execute the plan, somehow, he had held back and not done that.

 

The ANBU squad which had captured Mizuki, had sent him directly to a location they did not wish to disclose. Well Ren had a pretty clear of idea of where he was and what they were doing to him, and he couldn’t say he wasn’t amused by it.

 

Let’s say a certain snake mistress and a scarred man would have a great day, maybe even a Yamanaka would accompany them on certain days~

 

“Your face is scaring me dude.” Naruto pointed out with an uncomfortable expression, sweat oozing down his face after a training session. Training with Ren was always difficult, the redhead often combined fuinjutsu with taijutsu and made it altogether even harder.

 

Ren capriciously laughed at his shorter friend and did not take too long to respond to his comments.

 

“Oh, really? M’bad then, I was thinking of something… pleasant you could say.”

 

“Still, why do they take a week to separate us into teams. We’re like 10 people, shouldn’t be that hard.”

 

Actually, Naruto it isn’t that easy as you make it sound – was what Ren wanted to tell his friend, but withheld himself from outright stating. It would be the start of just another dumb argument he had no wish to enter at the moment.

 

First, every graduate had to register on the Ninja Registration Book. The process itself took a few dozens of minutes to an hour per person. Not to mention the fact the Hokage was getting older, so this process could at times take even more time.

 

Second, the clan bias. Konoha was just like any other hidden village, their leader had the final say, true, but the clan leaders still could influence his final say on this matter to a degree. For example, you could take a trio composed of 3 clans: Yamanaka, Akimichi and Nara.

 

It was so traditional that no one even tried to stop it from happening.

 

And there you go, there was a team already done. However, such selections made the other teams tougher to pick and form. There was a need for a tracking team, so Kiba, Hinata and Shino would most likely form it.

 

Kiba’s sense of smell, Hinata’s eyesight and Shino’s insects would make for a fearsome combination and form a team to be feared if they were trained and taught the way they should be. Or at least that’s what Ren thought.

 

That left 4 people without a team. Them being Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke and him. This might seem like an asshole move, but Ren was determined to not let Sakura get into a team with him and Sasuke.

 

She might be the kunoichi of the year, but as a kunoichi she was a failure. She excelled at no physical activity, had no knowledge of ninjutsu whatsoever – excluding the basic ones – and would most likely hold them back.

 

In a short note, she was anything but valuable in a team, she was a bookworm in and out. She’d be far more valuable in other sections of the village rather than out there in the battlefield.

 

Not to mention that in the overall class score, she was actually below Naruto as funny as it might seem. The latter actually surpassed her in every class which included stuff suck as shuriken or kunai throwing or taijutsu spars.

 

…

 

Alright, he might be the one doing the shady work amongst the four of them. His word as a semi-clan leader did have some say in the village even thought it was minuscule. So what?

 

He definitely thought Sakura was more suited to be a medical ninja under Tsunade’s apprenticeship. It definitely did not have anything to do with him holding a grudge against her, or his hatred of Sakura!

 

He just found her extremely unsuitable to be a proper kunoichi, her strengths had better elsewhere This might be sordid some people, but it was a necessary move on his part – or so he repeated to himself like a mantra.

 

XxX

 

Hiruzen sighed but kept a serious look on his face. Around him were at least 10 jounins and several chunins who had either been the graduating classes’ teachers or would soon be their instructors.

 

“So Hiashi wants me to put his daughter on a proper team and not with bug users and rabid dogs. That’s very rude to our other clans. Put her on a team with exactly those two.” Hiruzen was merciless on his decision-making. Many unexperienced chunins gulped at his words, afraid of Hiashi’s reaction, but the jounins did not seem to care at all.

 

“Lord Third, what do we do about the remaining 4 then? “

 

The oldest man in the room put his tabaco pipe down on his desk and pondered for a moment. He pulled a drawer and took out a letter. It was a letter given to him by none other than Ren over the predicament he was facing right now.

 

He did not re-read it, but he did agree with most of what was written on it. Personally, from the very few visits he had done to that class, the Haruno girl did not leave a big impression on him as a kunoichi who deserved to be at the front-line.

 

Not to mention she was a civilian and even if left outside the team, there wouldn’t be a big outcry. The development of clan members with bloodlines was far more important, as harsh as it might seem and sound.

 

“I’d like to keep The Uchiha Heir and the two Uzumaki’s together under Kakashi’s leadership. As for the civilian girl, I think she’d be well suited to be under an apprenticeship with my own student, Tsunade.”

 

“Tsunade-sama?! I heard she was back… but to take another apprentice, this is great news!” A chunin excitedly pointed out the obvious and many people present had to hold back a groan at the immature action.

 

“Indeed. She is now back in action and will work together with the medical department of our village, an apprentice wouldn’t hurt her and I believe that with Sakura’s good chakra control she’ll make a fine one.”

 

Hiruzen grabbed his tabaco pipe and inhaled it before puffing out the smoke. His eyes were as sharp as those of an eagle as he reminded everyone.

 

“I’d also like to speak about an issue which has been haunting me for many years.”

 

All eyes and attention turned back to the Third Hokage.

 

“My health has been deteriorating extremely quickly as of late; a replacement is a must in my book, as soon as possible that is. It is why I also recalled Tsunade who is one of my best choices for the role as the Fifth Hokage.”

 

“That’s…”

 

“I am aware you probably all know about Tsunade’s medical problems, such as trauma and hemophobia, but a kunoichi of her caliber will definitely surpass such limits. I’d just like all of you to give it some time.”

 

The hair on their body bristled at the thought of the Hokage who had served for many decades dying, they found it impossible to a degree, after all he had survived three wars and was a veteran. To them, he was invincible.

 

“I will be convincing her to take the role in the meanwhile.”

 

XxX

 

Iruka stepped into the same classroom he’d spent most of his educational career inside off with a wide smile on his face. It was quite apparent he was not going to let what happened to Mizuki affect him any longer.

 

The number of students who were now genins had fallen dramatically. There were only about ten people present in the classroom excluding him.

 

This meant that at least twenty had failed the previous exams.

 

Complicated feelings arose deep in his heart. He had spent year working with every single of them, seeing so many of their dreams shatter was just heartbreaking to him. At the very least, they will find a new dream in something else.

 

Still looking at the feisty faces of everyone present made him feel a bit better.

xXx

 

“Beginning today, you all have qualified to become ninjas. However, do not let it get to your heads, you are but genins, as low as you can be as a ninja. The journey of hardships has only begun for you all.”

 

Iruka started his speech while holding his arms behind his back with a paper which probably held the names of each team.

 

“Genins are all required to enter a team of three, teams which the village itself takes as a responsibility to create. I’m sure you all are aware that those teams all have a superior, a ‘jounin’ teacher.”

 

“Under his tutelage you will complete tasks and missions alike which will be assigned to you by the village.”

 

“Each team was formed based on one’s strengths and weaknesses and also their chemistry.”

 

Iruka put his hands forward and looked at the paper. Ren looked around to see how everyone was reacted. He saw various emotions; nervousness, anxiousness, coldness, happiness…

 

“Team 7, Ren Uzumaki-Senju.”

 

Ren nodded at the mention of his name.

 

“Uchiha Sasuke.”

 

The avenger did not show any change on his countenance, but there was a certain shift in body posture that Ren immediately noticed, he had eased up slightly.

 

“Naruto Uzumaki.”

 

Naruto grinned at the mention of his name and at the same time showed a bit of displeasure at being teamed with what he dubbed as the class’s ‘duckbutt’.

 

Sakura was not present in the room. At the mere mention of Tsunade’s name and the fact she could become a great kunoichi under her tutelage she had already taken the bai- offer.

 

“Normally we’d introduce each team to their Jounin teachers as soon as possible, but since you all just graduated… You can wait until the afternoon. Take some time to familiarize with your team and meet here once again later today.”

 

Iruka smiled and folded the paper. He put it on one of his scroll pockets of his chuunin vest and told everyone to take a break.

 

Ren decided to do what his teacher had suggested. He pulled Sasuke and Naruto aside and much to their protest dragged them to a nearby park’s bench. Judging by the agitated look on the Uchiha and the very annoyed one on the blond’s face, he might’ve overdone it.

 

“Uzumaki, do you think this is funny? I have other things I could do instead of familiarizing with… people who won’t aid me in my goal.”

 

Sasuke pulled a tomato from god knows where and proceeded to eat it slowly. Ren already knew of the obsession he had with tomatoes so he did not question it, but Naruto being as immature as he often was snickered.

 

“You have a problem with what I’m eating, bastard? You also inhale ramen as if it’s air in the first place.”

 

… That was enough for Sasuke to take the bait apparently.

 

This made the blond shut up as he was also obsessed with ramen and had place questioning his new teammate’s tastes. This did not mean he wasn’t going to fight him however.

 

“Hey, ramen is one hundred times better than this garbage you’re eating right now!”

 

“…”

 

Ren put a hand over his face and his shoulders slumped downwards. This wasn’t going according to his plan in the slightest.