Reserves Corps
"You Fail," Kakashi said emotionlessly.
It was not a shock, considering I expected and wanted this outcome. He gave us ten minutes to reach training ground 3 from Academy, which for an average genin is impossible. Reaching here, he just said his piece and left. My now-former teammates were left with their jaws hanging, but I am not too surprised by the situation.
Hatake Kakashi, the copy ninja, an elite jonin of Konohagakure is someone who is considered an ideal ninja. An A-rank nin who excels in every field, from ninjutsu to fuinjutsu. From memories of the past, the impression Itsuki had of Kakashi is a perpetually late lazy pervert but that Kakashi is still four years in the future.
'The Kakashi I saw was Inu with the moniker of Hound, an Anbu captain with a reputation of being one of the best Tracker and Assassin in whole Elemental Nations.'
Although Inu's real identity is unknown to most, he is still very feared for his skills. Iwa even listed him as an S-rank threat, not because he had the devastating combat prowess of an S-rank as he does not, but because of his long list of flawless assassinations of high profile targets. Inu behaves like a Hound hunting its game. Once you set him onto someone's scent, he will relentlessly pursue his target like a Dog pursues its prey, stalking, shadowing its target until pouncing at it when the prey's guard is down. It matters not you are stronger than Inu, you will eventually have to sleep, it matters not you have armies guarding you in a castle, every patrol route has a blind spot, every room a door. Once you are a target of Inu, you are good as dead.
These descriptions are written in Iwa's bingo book, along with one of the highest standing bounties, even higher than his own bounty as copy ninja Kakashi. His physiological profile labels him as suicidal who should be immediately retired from active duty. All in all, Kakashi is a very dangerous shinobi who has nothing left to live for, a remorseless hunting dog who will kill any target his master points to.
But more importantly, his decision on team seven's qualification cannot and will not be challenged by anyone. No one wants to mess with Kakashi, no one.
Leaving shell shocked teammates behind, Itsuki quietly left the training ground with a smirk on his face. 'I was a little afraid Hokage will commission a jonin to keep an eye on me. But turns out I was worried about nothing."
Smiling a little, Itsuki says out loud, "Reserves, here I come."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
A week later, Training ground 30
Itsuki along with about a hundred freshly graduated genins was standing in rows in front of a few chunin and a join. In the past week, every graduate was rigorously tested for their skills and taught the ins and outs of being a genin.
"From today onwards, you are part of Reserve Corps. You can take any D-rank mission from the mission hall. C-rank missions will be only available to you after six months probation period and with at least Fifty D-ranks in your file. Use these six months to train. Dismissed." Ninja in a jonin flack jacket finished. The assembled ninjas started to scatter after being dismissed.
"Hey, Itsuki!" A voice called Itsuki. Turning around, Itsuki saw Kuhara coming towards him. A tall boy with neatly combed brown hair, Kuhara was a civilian-born with a knack for taijutsu.
"Hello, Kuharu good to see you. How were your evaluations?" Itsuki asked.
"Haa, they said my chakra reserves small but my Taijutsu was better than average. Though chunin said my shuriken and kunai handling will be adequate with little training."
Itsuki nodded, for most reserves, shuriken, and kunai were bread and butter of the trade. Kuhara continued, "What about you, how was your evaluation?"
"Nothing special. Just same old same old." Itsuki replied in nonanswer, not giving away anything.
'More like I had to cast genjutsu on the examiner and the hidden Anbu's to hide all my capabilities other than Taijutsu, that is still atrocious.' Itsuki thought. Itsuki was really lacking in Taijutsu compared to his skills in other ninja arts.
Fundamentally, taijutsu is mastered with repeated practice. A master guides his students through it step by step, after which it is honed with constant practice and spars and refining it in heat of the battle. Unfortunately, Itsuki has neither time, master, or a decent sparring partner.
"Hey, Itsuki, I heard we are allowed to take one C-rank ninjutsu for the element we have an affinity for. Come let's go-to the weapon's depot." Kuhara said, before pulling Itsuki alongside.
Tree hopping through the village, Itsuki, and Kuhara reached a large building with 'Ordinance Depot' written at front. A few ninjas were coming in and out of it. Kuhara and Itsuki entered the narrow door to arrive at a large hall with multiple counters, each counter labeled for different ninja rank.
Reaching the genin counter, seeing a long line, both of them queued and waited for their turn. A team of three genins queued after them.
Itsuki turned and looked at the team, 'Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Yamanaka. Standard tracking team configuration.' Itsuki noted. Hyuga saw him looking at them and after checking out Itsuki's attire, sporting a condescending smirk, he says, "Any problem... Reserve trash?"
Itsuki tried hard to not roll his eyes at typical Hyuga mightier than thou attitude. Both Kuharu and Itsuki were wearing standard-issue Leaf genin uniforms while the team was wearing clothes and armor that was more casual and represented their respective clans. Reserves are strictly required to wear a standard outfit while elite genins, those in a team under Jonin are not. Wearing a uniform while as a genin instantly marks you as a reserve and despite making up most of Konoha's ninja force, Reserves no matter genin, chunin, or Jonin, are looked down on in entire ninja forces.
"Nothing Hyuga-san," Itsuki replied, voice perfectly neutral. Hyuga scoffed but did not continue. Kuhara was frowning, clearly offended.
After some time, Kuharu's turn came. "Fifty standard-issue Kunai and shuriken and chakra test," Kuharu said while taking off his shiny leaf headband and handing it to chunin sitting on the counter. Chunin runs metal plate of the headband over a seal drawn directly on the table. Confirming the order writes a receipt for weapons before pulling a chakra paper and handing it to Kuharu. Rising up from his chair, Chunin turns towards Itsuki.
"You too for Chakra test?" He asked, to which Itsuki nodded. Chunin hands another chakra paper to Itsuki.
"Run your chakra through them." Chunin instructed.
Kuharu's chakra paper started to burn in one corner. "Yes! Fire Affinity" He loudly exclaims. The fire affinity was a favorite among Konoha ninjas. After all, breathing out huge fireballs is the romance of every man.
Itsuki focuses on the small slip of paper, sending a minuscule amount of chakra through it. The paper turns brown in the corners and started to disintegrate into dust.
"Earth Affinity" Itsuki informs the chunin.
Chunin walks towards the end, a limp noticeable in his steps. Like most of the ninjas with a desk job, he too was suffering from some form of physical disability.
"Earth affinity. Looks like you don't belong here. Why don't you go back to the earthworms you came from." Inuzuka and his teammates laughed. They were basically accusing Itsuki of being an Iwa spy, which in ninja ranks is among the worst slurs possible.
Kuhara looked positively livid and looked like he would like nothing more than beating the Inuzuka. But Itsuki put a hand on his shoulder and said to him in low voice. "Look behind them." Only then Kuharu notices a Jonin now standing behind the laughing genin team.
Kuhara calms down. Itsuki didn't take any offense at their words, even if he did, he would not show it.
'First, there is no reason to and second, as a reserve, my status is much lower than an elite team which has a jonin and their clans behind them. After all, a lot of reserves die on 'misranked' missions every weak and I don't want to make more enemies over something so trivial.'
Taking their scrolls and weapon receipts from chunin, Itsuki leaves the depot, along with Kuharu who seemed a little subdued.
'He only started to notice the disparity between statuses. As a reserve, we are barely considered a Ninja. The entire system views us as cannon fodder to be used in wars.'
Reserves are given next to no resources or training, the only way they can improve is through the mind-numbing practice of academy basics or in heat of battle. Even if a reserve genin is given a field promotion, he or she would still be a reserve, albeit a reserve chunin. As for jonin promotion, it is better to forget it. Becoming a jonin requires political support more than actual skills. Jonin are decision-makers and have real power to affect workings in a village and no one wants to share power. A reserve with no background to support him will never be given any power.
The highest rank a ninja can achieve without any political clout is that of a special Jonin, which is basically a jonin but without the advantages of being one. A lot of capable ninjas were kept at the rank of special jonin just because it was inconvenient for higher-ups to let them have more power. Special Jonin like Anko Matirashi, who have more than enough skill to become an elite Jonin but are deliberately withheld at lower rank are not uncommon.
'Konohagakure's military system was extremely skewed in favor of those in power who coincidently want me dead. I have six months to prepare before Danzo or the council makes a move. Taijutsu, elemental transformation, apotheosis, fuinjutsu and ninjutsu, so much work and so little time.'
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author notes:
Kakashi is one of my favorite characters in the whole Naruto series but I often feel he is underestimated. Granted, by end of Shippuden his combat prowess was nowhere near the likes of Naruto and Sasuke, he still surpassed them in nearly every other aspect. At the start of the chapter, I wanted to establish just how dangerous Kakashi actually is as he will be a major character later in the story.