A New Teammate

Jun made a pit stop at his residence to pack his bag. it was quite easy when one had a Storage Seal. He then began to prepare things for his absence. He had to find someone to train Neji and Tenten and find them a third partner for the upcoming Chunin exam. He thought he had more time for it, but he didn't know how long he'd be gone. It was better to be safe.

Their partner couldn't be one of the Genins who graduated this year. None of them was close to Chunin level… except maybe Sasuke. But Kakashi would probably not release him from Team 7. Or Kazuma perhaps? But if Jun were to ask Yamato to lend him Kazuma for his team, Yamato would feel obliged to accept, and… Jun didn't think it was a good idea. Team 9 had a good dynamic, unlike Team 7, and the Uchiha clan leader didn't want to mess it up.

He took Tenten, Neji, and Shin with him, and set out with them in search of a temporary replacement for Shin so the team could take part in the exam. At first, they stopped by a restaurant to eat, because Jun liked to invite his three students to lunch. And then they went on their way.

"My brother, Sai?" Shin suggested.

"Gai wants to register his team for the exam," Jun explained. "Sai deserves a chance to take the tests with his team."

"We need someone good at taijutsu," Tenten added. "A person able to keep to keep up with our pace, to Neji's and mine. Jun-sensei, last time you talked about taking someone from the Genin Division…"

This conversation went back almost three months. Jun hadn't thought about it much since. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Or a member of the police."

"The police would be better," Neji pointed out. "They are more used to working in teams."

"Not a bad idea," Shin said. "What do you think, Tenten?"

The young kunoichi shrugged her shoulders.

"For me, it's the same. If you agree, I'm fine with it."

Jun nodded his head, and they all walked in the direction of the police headquarters. His three students trotted behind him like ducklings. He headed for Shiba-sensei's office. Several young recruits practically stood to salute when they saw him, probably remembering his hellish training. He had helped Shiba train the first batches of recruits. He had used some of Gai's training exercises, but it hadn't been so bad. He believed the police members were exaggerating. 

Neither Anko nor Madoka Hyuga were there, Jun realized with a glance. They were probably on patrol. It was too bad. Anko was always good company. She and Jun dated for almost a year, and they stayed close after they broke up. It was Jun's first and longest relationship. Long before that, Anko had been a good friend and also a mentor on occasion. No wonder they had a strong relationship. 

As for Madoka Hyuga, former genin teammate of Iruka… Jun wasn't as close to her. But they were good friends. Jun, in a somewhat abstract way, considered Madoka to be someone he had to protect. Even though she was exceptionally gifted and the only Hyuga member of the police, she was also a member of the Branch family. She was automatically subjected to the main family, their rules, and their obligations. And like Neji, she bore the Caged Bird Seal on her forehead.

Jun was going to destroy that tradition one day. For Kazuma and for Neji.

Shiba-sensei was at his desk, a pile of files in front of him. When Jun opened the door, he motioned for him to enter without looking up.

"Chunin exam?"

"How did you guess, sensei?" The Uchiha was surprised by his sensei's sharpness.

"That's all I've been doing for the past few days," he said, designating the paperwork on his desk. "These are the files of the fifteen happy police candidates selected to enter the exam. Nine of them don't have a team yet. I was going to ask you tonight if you wouldn't take one for your team since Shin is already a Chunin."

"Oh, that's perfect!" Tenten replied, entering the room. "It means we have the choice, Jun-sensei!"

Tenten had always been the most spontaneous in the group. Jun held an amused smile, then brought in his other two students. After all, it wasn't a decision for solely himself ... It was Neji and Tenten who were going to take the exam with this stranger. It was Shin who was going to give him or her his place temporarily. They had a say. More than he, even.

Shiba-sensei pushed the nine files in question toward him, and Jun quickly scanned through them. One of the options was Yoroi Akado. Jun remembered the name and cursed inside. He was a traitor who worked for Orochimaru. He had no evidence of it right now, but still, he would rather not have him be among the options for his Genins. Jun resisted the urge to remove his file from the pile. That would have been suspicious. Instead, he passed the documents to his students with a condition.

"Choose someone who is not much older than you, not to attract attention. That's my only demand; otherwise, you are free to select whoever you want. Just be thoughtful about it, you will have to go through life-and-death situations with this person."

His three students flipped through the files. The youngest candidates were eighteen or nineteen years old. They were closer to Izumi's age than theirs… Eventually, they chose a kunoichi named Inaho. She was nineteen years old but looked a little younger from the picture in the file. She would not stand out too much from her teammates. With her hair cut short and her clothing, she easily passed for a boy. Her specialty was Submission Taijutsu, which was specifically created by the police to avoid deadly blows.

Next to Neji's Gentle Fist or even Tenten's basic taijutsu, Inaho's style may seem weak. But she was also good at Genjutsu and the use of explosive tags. Moreover, she knew how to fight with a tanto. Overall, she was acceptable. Plus, Jun knew her a little. Inaho came from the Genin Division. It was where they sent those who failed their Jonin-sensei test upon becoming genin. Therefore, Jun briefly trained her when she was a Police recruit. She was among the people Jun helped train for the Police. According to his memories, Inaho was sometimes too confident in her abilities, but she was also determined, attentive, and loyal. That was the most important.

Jun gave his approval and left Shiba-sensei the task of contacting Inaho, who was currently on duty, to inform her that a team had been found. Then, the Uchiha clan leader quickly organized a training program for her Genins to do in his absence and ordered Shin to supervise them. Now that he was Chunin, he was their superior when Jun wasn't around. The ex-member of the Root didn't miss any opportunities to remind everyone of the fact with a big, naughty smile.

Jun pretended not to see Tenten making funny gestures at her comrade, which Shin replied to by throwing Genjutsu at her, forcing Tenten to take an even funnier pose. Jun shook his head powerlessly. It was when they acted like this that Jun remembered these lethal ninjas were only kids.