Graduation

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tenjho Tenge

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This chapter will finish up the training arc and next chapter we will start the canon timeline. Here's chapter 25:

Last time:

Twenty minutes later Tsunade finished a deep medical scan and said, "The operation is a complete success. I dare say Gekko Hayate has the healthiest set of lungs in the Elemental Nations." The relief in her voice was evident. She motioned for Jiraiya to let go of Yūgao.

Yūgao came over and looked at Hayate. The bags normally under his eyes were gone and he was resting peacefully. He'd never looked so healthy to her in his life. Tsunade touched his temples and then pulled away so Yūgao would be all he saw when he woke up. His dark eyes fluttered open and he saw Yūgao's warm brown ones full of tears. "Yūgao-chan, why are you crying?" his voice and breathing sounded steady and even with a trace of the usual raspy edge he normally had.

Yūgao gave him a deep, loving kiss that made him want to melt. When she pulled back, she was smiling, "I'm crying because I'm happy you baka. I love you my Hayate-kun."

The confused Hayate smiled up at his lover and said, "I love you to Yūgao-chan. I don't know why but I haven't felt so good in years."

Yūgao just smiled and kissed him again lovingly. 'Hayate my love, you're going to be just fine now. Everything will be just fine.'

…

Chapter 25

Konoha, Forest of Death

The Advanced Genin Class had settled in for the night and generally was doing okay. No one had been injured badly and various jonins were observing them and taking notes. Sarutobi Asuma was observing Shikamaru, Emi and Ino. They'd set up a tent and the three students were taking shifts of guarding. The bearded Jonin wrote, 'Their Teamwork was a tad rough at first, but they've adapted quickly and have performed well. These ANBU Brats are living up well to their name. They are very aware of their surroundings and more than once I've had to avoid a kunai thrown by Isuzu Emi. Her throwing speed and accuracy are uncanny. I have no doubt that I'd be dead or injured seriously if I was moving at chunin speeds. Nara Shikamaru has reluctantly assumed the role of the leader of this team and given their first day's performance they should reach the tower unharmed.' –Sarutobi Asuma

Kakashi was watching Naruto, Maya and Hinata from long range because all of the various seal traps they'd set up wouldn't allow him to get any closer. There were also four of Naruto's shadow clones guarding the camp. 'From my observations this team has performed flawlessly as an experienced genin team or better. Their teamwork is superb and they already seem familiar with each other's strengths and weaknesses. They seem to follow a different leader as the circumstances change. So far, this system has worked well and whoever has the best skill set for a given circumstance has automatically taken the lead. I recommend these three become a future genin squad together and I believe all three of them are destined to become excellent leaders. With the right teacher I believe their potential is endless.' –Hatake Kakashi

Choji, Sakura and Sai had set up camp at a cave entrance and were sleeping behind a carefully constructed set of traps. Shiranui Genma was tasked with watching over them. He wrote, 'From my observations this group's teamwork was very spotty at the beginning but after the incident with the bear they quickly put their differences aside and began functioning as an efficient unit. I don't know what all Uzuki Yūgao has been teaching them but whatever it is has been very successful. I would say given more time these three would mesh into an excellent combat team. They have adapted to every situation they've been put in smoothly since the bear attack and have set up a formidable defense for their camp. They should be at the tower by afternoon tomorrow at their current rate.' - Shiranui Genma

Yūhi Kurenai was observing her charge Kurama Yakumo as well as Kiba and Shino. Admittedly, Kurenai was a bit biased and concerned because of Yakumo's presence in the Forest of Death but much to Kurenai's surprise both of Yakumo's teammates were extremely supportive of the Kurama heiress and while they didn't coddle her, they were very protective of her. 'This team has performed very well and so far, they are outstanding. As a group they have a diverse set of skills but rather than conflicting with each other as I would expect from fresh Academy Students; they have used their skills to complement each other's abilities. On a personal note, I would like to lead this team. Their potential is outstanding.' –Yūhi Kurenai

…

Konoha Hospital

Naruto's shadow clone nearly popped under the bone crushing hug from Yūgao. He was very happy for his Cat nee-chan but at the same time he rapidly was running out of chakra and needed to trade notes with Tsunade about the Creation Rebirth seal. He was soon sitting beside a tired Tsunade at a table who ruffled his hair affectionately. "Mito Obaa-sama would be just as proud of you as I am Naruto-kun." said Tsunade. "To have completed that seal that I couldn't after ten years of study only proves to me that you are the true heir of the Uzumaki Clan. Mito Obaa-sama left behind a lot of other seal creations and notes that I want you to have."

"But they belong to your family Tsunade-sama." said the clone in shock.

Tsunade smiled. "We are cousins but we are still offshoots of the same Royal line. We are family Naruto-kun. I based my Creation Rebirth Jutsu on that seal but it only works on me using chakra I've stored for years. It took me a decade to create that. The true purpose of the seal that Mito Obaa-sama was working on was to take anyone's chakra and convert it into healing chakra to save someone's life in an emergency situation. You completed it for her and it worked beautifully. On behalf of my beloved Obaa-sama I thank you deeply my Uzu Prince." The clone blushed at her praise which made Tsunade laugh. She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Become the great man I foresee you becoming Naruto-kun." with that she flicked the clone's forehead causing him to dispel and returned all of his memories to the original Naruto that was resting in the tent his team set up.

…

Forest of Death

Naruto woke up after receiving the massive number of memories from his shadow clone about the Creation Rebirth seal and what had happened with Hayate. Seeing both Hinata-chan and Maya-chan were sleeping he decided to tell them about it in the morning. For now, he would bask in the happiness that Cat nee-chan was happy and she and Hayate were safe and well…

…

ANBU Headquarters

Seven members of ROOT ANBU arrived at ANBU Headquarters to report in …or at least that was their story. "So you just spoke to Danzo-sama a few minutes ago after your long term mission and he told you to report here?" asked ANBU Monkey at the front security desk.

The spokesperson of the seven said, "Yes, we came directly from his mansion to here ANBU-san."

"I understand." said Monkey as he made a hand signal.

All hell broke loose. Monkey and several hidden ANBU attacked the seven fake ROOT ANBU and in the process only three of the imposters escaped with several ANBU hot on their heels. Gazeru and Rat appeared out of nowhere and Gazeru took the head of one of them with her katana. The leader of the imposters screamed " NO! Brother! " as he threw an exploding tag back at Rat and Gazeru. The resulting explosion killed Rat instantly and Gazeru was hurt badly. "Let's finish this Konoha whore off!" growled the leader as he turned back and closed on the injured Gazeru.

"But we need to flee sir!" said his subordinate frantically.

"I don't give a fuck! She killed my brother. I'll cut her head off!" the leader yelled.

Hikari looked up from the position where she was lying face down on the ground and saw the imposter pull out a tanto. 'Shit! I'll have to use it.' she thought. Gazeru made the Tiger sign and said, "Scorch Release: Extreme Steaming Murder!" Three miniature suns of white-hot flame formed around her. Two hit the leader dead on and instantly boiled the water in his body leaving a mummified corpse behind. The other fireball hit the follower who was trying to run but he met the same fate as his leader. Gazeru blacked out after she saw both her enemies were dead…

ANBU Dove and Bear arrived on the scene and found the downed Gazeru and Rat. "She's hurt but alive." said Dove as she gently rolled Gazeru over on her back and started using the mystic palm jutsu on Hikari.

"Rat is dead via explosion." said Bear after checking his fallen comrade's vitals. Bear then went over to the two fallen imposters. "Damn…so that's her S-ranked bloodline. I'd heard it was extinct." he said as he stared at the two desiccated corpses and cringed.

Dove said, "I'm taking her straight to the infirmary. Guard over Rat's body until others arrive." Bear nodded as Dove disappeared with Gazeru in a body flicker.

Off in the distance Yakushi Kabuto watched carefully in the underbrush as more ANBU arrived to clean up the mess. He'd been too far away to intervene and help his Sound Village allies. But discovering the extinct Scorch Release bloodline still existed in Konoha (of all places) was a complete shock to him. Making a disappointed look he pulsed his chakra twice to activate the suicide seals on any remaining members of the Sound infiltration squad left alive to prevent them from talking.

'They were only fodder to recover the Uchiha bloodline anyway.' Truthfully Kabuto expected them to fail but this was truly pathetic. 'They didn't even make it past the front security desk. All the work gathering information and passwords I did over the last few weeks amounted to nothing.' thought the snake's right hand. Kabuto withdrew wondering what Orochimaru-sama's reaction would be to this failure and the news of the scorch release reappearing…

…

Forest of Death

The following morning the various teams of the Advanced Genin Class all woke up automatically at 3 A.M. in the morning and began quietly cursing out their sadistic instructor for putting them on such a ridiculous sleeping schedule. The moment the sun crept over the horizon all the teams moved out to get a jump on the day. The morning was cool and dew was everywhere when Naruto, Maya and Hinata moved out with Hinata on point. Kakashi observed them keenly as they took an odd route into the vegetation. He was about to follow them when a trap was set off and in the blink of an eye, he was upside down hanging from a tree by a net filled with chakra restraining seals.

He opened his eye to look around and saw Hinata sitting in front of him on a high tree branch. She smiled rather pleasantly. "Well, well. Good morning to you jonin Hatake-san. You told us we wouldn't see you but you either forgot about the byakugan or you're a bit sloppy since we're just Academy Students." she chuckled as Kakashi sweat dropped.

Maya said from his left, "Hatake-san, do we get bonus points for capturing you? Everything Yūgao-sensei does has a purpose. I have a hard time believing you're not planning to ambush us or something."

Kakashi was sweating heavily in his upside-down position. Every time he tried to move the chakra net seemed to constrict a bit. 'Yūgao, what the hell have you been teaching these little monsters?' "Mah, mah. I'm not here to attack you. I'm here to observe you in case you get in over your heads. Surely Uzuki-sensei wouldn't ask a fully-fledged jonin to attack a bunch of kids. I can't believe you three would think she was that kind of sadist."

The silver haired jonin heard Naruto's voice behind him. "Oh yes she would!" said the blonde as the girls nodded in unison. "She's sent ANBU Teams after us on homework assignments!"

"Oh dear…" said Kakashi with his one eye wide. 'I think these brats are serious…'

Maya smiled seductively and said, "If you just tell us what bonus is involved for capturing you, we won't hog tie you and haul you to the tower like a prized kill. Otherwise…This isn't called the Forest of Death for nothing."

…Meanwhile…

Emi had three kunai in each hand and Ino was crouched down trying to reach out mentally for their quarry…Sarutobi Asuma. 'Good god! I had to jump to avoid the Nara's shadow and the Isuzu girl has more ammunition than entire battalions! What the hell has Yūgao been feeding them?' thought Asuma as he looked down and saw several neat slices through his uniform from the near misses from the kunai Emi launched earlier.

He heard Shikamaru's voice nearby say, "What kind of bonus points do you think he's worth?"

It wasn't very reassuring to the cigarette smoking jonin when he heard Ino ask, "Dead or alive Shikamaru?"

Asuma gulped loudly and then realized he'd given away his position in the process. He saw two kunai with a rope in between them flying at him before he started running again…

…With Shiranui Genma …

The senbon chewing jonin leapt to the side as Choji's human bullet tank went flying by. Genma suddenly got his ankle snagged by a water whip from Sakura. With a wild look in her eyes the pink haired kunoichi in training said in a crazed voice, "Come here bonus points assignment!"

'I thought that the animals were the most dangerous thing in the forest!' thought Genma before he was knocked out by the pommel of Sai's sword.

…With Yūhi Kurenai…

"I'm really sorry Kurenai-sensei!" fretted Yakumo. "But between the swarm of Shino-san's beetles, the tidal wave genjutsu I made and Kiba and Akamaru's fang over fang it was a little late to pull back!"

The battered Kurenai coughed and said, "It's alright Yakumo-chan; I had no idea you all would think I was a bonus test instead of a safety net. I wasn't watching out for an ambush. You three were the only thing I didn't see as a threat. Can you please take these chakra cuffs off me now?"

Shino shook his head. "I'm very sorry Yūhi sensei but you'll have to wear them to the tower. We have absolutely no logical reason to trust you and you did make us aware that you would be stalking us from the second we entered Training Ground 44."

'What kind of mind games has Yūgao put you three through?!' thought Kurenai. 'They act like little ANBU agents…' She sweat dropped. 'Oh yeah; ANBU Brats…'

…

Training Ground 44 -Central Tower

All four teams (and their poor, unsuspecting captives) were camped outside the tower as a group waiting for the doors to open. All the Jonins were ashamed and they heard Anko's hysterical laughter more than once from within the tower…

Naruto looked at his watch. "Another six hours and we'll be let in."

The Jonins all groaned. Their collective thought was; 'I'll kill Yūgao for setting us up in a trap like this!' It was at that point that the Hokage himself arrived from inside the tower. When the doors opened and Hiruzen stepped out the Jonin's collective thoughts changed to 'Oh. My. Gawd…We'll never live this down."

Hiruzen smiled as he lit up his pipe. "Quite a talented little group of Academy students we have here; wouldn't you say?" Asuma and the others sweat dropped.

Anko was standing beside the Hokage studiously though she practically had to shove he fist in her mouth to keep from exploding into laughter at her fellow Jonin's pathetic plight…

The Third Hokage said, "Advanced Genin Class, you may release your captives. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's reports on this little adventure."

Naruto smiled as he released Kakashi from the net he was still wrapped up in. "So Hokage-Jiji, how many bonus points are they worth?" he said as he motioned his thumb back towards Kakashi.

Hiruzen blinked. "What are you talking about Naruto-kun? The goal was for you to make it to the Tower here unharmed. I had no idea that you were supposed to capture your Jonin caretakers."

"Caretakers?!" asked the Academy Students in horror.

"Yes, they were assigned to watch over you should you get into too much trouble." said the aged Hokage. "They were to bring you here or to the nearest exit should any of you get injured."

Emi got wide eyed and said, "You-you mean?!"

Asuma roared, "Hokage-sama means you little fiends turned on your safety net like a bunch of hungry piranhas! For three hours you…you little…You hunted me like a missing nin. Just how many kunais do you carry little girl?!" Asuma was totally red in the face by now and breathing heavily.

"Ummm…sorry?" said Emi.

"You mean all along you were telling the truth?!" asked Maya in shock. The Jonins all nodded 'yes' violently.

"Gee, I feel kind of bad…" said Sakura. "I figured Yūgao-sensei sent you to take us out and make us lose points…" The angry glare from Genma's bloodshot eyes told her otherwise.

Hiruzen clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention. "Well, I'd say this test was quite educational. Let's get all of you back home. I'll expect full reports from everybody by tomorrow morning."

…

While Yūgao was taking good care of the now fully healthy Hayate at home her students and the Jonins involved were all wondering if this whole fiasco was by accident or by design…

For his part, Hiruzen found the whole situation quite amusing. He didn't blame the Jonins for not expecting to be ambushed but at the same time he could have a little fun with it…'Well, I did tell Yūgao to train them like ANBU trainees (chuckle). ANBU Brats indeed. I'd better order the Jonins not to hold any grudges or there could be pitched battles in the streets and I don't want to deal with the paperwork. I'll have to conveniently bring that up to Asuma over dinner tonight since he is a tad riled up.'

…

Konoha Ninja Academy

The next morning the Advanced Genin Class reported into their sensei and found that Yūgao was basically beside herself with happiness and that everything was okay with Hayate. She announced how proud she was of Naruto because his mastery with seals had saved Hayate's life. The class was surprised because Naruto had only informed them Hayate was okay and hadn't mentioned the seals. (He'd told Hinata and Maya privately after they got home last night).

Yūgao was soon reading her student's reports of what happened in the Forest of Death before she turned them over to the Hokage. Her eyebrows nearly hit the ceiling before she burst into laughter. The day went fairly normal after that though Yūgao was prone to the occasional bouts of the giggles from time to time. Everyone went to their usual afternoon classes and Naruto soon found out Hikari was in the secure ward in the Hospital from his Fuinjutsu Class.

After class Naruto was interrogating (read: strangling) ANBU Sloth about the situation. "What do you mean Hikari-chan was hurt and in the Hospital? I need to go see her damn it! Tell me her Room number Sloth!"

"It's classified Fox-sensei!" whimpered Sloth. "Even I don't know what room she's in and she's assigned to my team. You'll have to talk to ANBU Commander Dragon!"

Naruto growled, "Very well. I'll talk to Dragon immediately." With that Naruto stormed out of the room.

"Whew…Better Commander Dragon than me." thought Sloth aloud after Naruto left. The lazy ANBU beat a hasty (for a Nara) retreat after that.

It only took threatening ANBU Dragon one time with a prank that would outdo Operation: KARMA for Naruto to get the information he wanted about Hikari's whereabouts…

…

Natsume Clan Home

"Hikari was injured in the line of duty?" asked Maya.

Naruto nodded. "Yes, I'm going to go see her but she's in the ANBU ward so only I can go because I have ANBU clearance."

Hinata sighed. "Well, this won't do Naruto-kun. We need to send gifts with you to give her."

"Gifts?" asked Naruto clueless.

Maya giggled. "Candy or flowers Naruto-kun."

"Yes, a bouquet of flowers and some chocolates from us girls." Hinata added decisively. "You need to bring her something too Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned and kissed both of his girlfriends. "I have just the thing in mind."

…

Konoha Hospital

That evening Hikari was lying in her hospital bed in the secure ward. She felt like hell but was very fortunate the damage hadn't been much worse. ANBU Rat had absorbed the brunt of the explosion with his body but the shockwave still hit Hikari dead on and made her a walking bruise. If not for her ANBU body armor, it still could have been fatal. Doctor Akira promised Hikari she was going to make a full recovery but for now bed rest was the order of the day. The young purple haired woman was going stir crazy as a result. 'Hurry up and wait. Kami I want something to do!'

She was also concerned she'd had to use her bloodline. The scorch release was extinct in Suna where her late parents had migrated from. She really didn't remember them well since they died when she was little. Apparently, her Great-Grandfather on her Mother's side had the scorch release and the recessive trait for it manifested in Hikari. When it was discovered, Hikari was an Academy Student and was quickly rushed into ANBU training to protect her bloodline. In spite of the fact Tomoe Hikari was born in Konoha and was a Konoha citizen from the outset the Third Hokage felt everything should be kept under wraps for her safety. Seeing all of the political wrangling that she'd seen in her ANBU career Hikari figured that Suna would have tried to extradite her on some ancient set of clan laws from before recorded history…

…

'Bored; bored, bored!' thought Hikari. 'I wish Naruto-kun would come and visit me. He's the only one outside of ANBU that might…of course he might be denied access since he's technically semi-ANBU.' She heard a knock on her door and thought. 'Please let my prayers be answered! Give me something to do!'

ANBU Fox poked his head in and saw Hikari there looking exhausted. "Hikari-chan…? Can I come in?"

Hikari smiled tiredly. "Please come in Fox." 'Thank you Kami! I'll try to remember to pray more often!' She saw Naruto come in and close the door. Her smile widened when he took off his mask and she saw the concern in his eyes. He gently leaned over her and kissed her sweetly much to her happiness.

"I've been worried sick about you Hikari-chan." said Naruto. "I practically had to threaten Sloth and Dragon before they revealed all their secrets to me."

Hikari went bug eyed. "Y-you threatened ANBU Commander Dragon?"

"Mmhmm. You just need to know the right words to say." said Naruto with a smile.

"What did you say to him?" she whispered.

Naruto flashed a toothy grin that showed off his elongated canines. "That's a trade secret Hikari-chan." She pouted and Naruto chuckled. "Besides, I brought you something good."

Hikari perked up. "What is it?"

Naruto unsealed some flowers and some candies. "These are from Hinata-chan and Maya-chan since I told them you were in the Hospital." He unsealed a binder full of papers. "This is from me. It's my rough draft of the fuinjutsu book I've had my clones working on 24/7. What better way to pass the time than to share it with my brightest student? Besides, I wanted you to be the first to see it. Do you want to look at it together?"

Hikari was all smiles. "I'd really like that Naruto-kun." Neither Hikari nor Naruto noticed the time passing as she asked numerous questions as they read together until visiting hours ended. Hikari hadn't fully decided what to do yet but the idea of sharing Naruto wasn't too bad in her mind at this point. The warmth that surrounded him made her want to curl up with him like a blanket…

…

Two weeks later Hikari got out of the Hospital and she agreed to meet up with Maya and Hinata at the Natsume Clan Home to discuss the possibilities. Since she was in the ANBU ward Hinata and Maya couldn't visit her directly. Naruto indicated that the girls wanted to know Hikari better and since Naruto had been visiting her in the Hospital Hikari and Naruto actually had some quality time together. Hikari noted that Naruto practically worshiped the ground Hinata and Maya walked on and she wanted that kind of affection in her life too. But for now, Naruto had to concentrate on class and graduation so Hikari asked him to work on that while she worked he body back into physical shape…

'Physical therapy is so much fun…' Hikari thought dourly.

…

Rice Country, Sound Village

Yakushi Kabuto was standing before Orochimaru finishing his report. "…and that's what happened Orochimaru-sama. I discovered the scorch release belongs to one of the ANBU but the infiltration squad failed. I can only confirm three dead but I was able to activate the suicide seals as you ordered. I cannot deny or confirm that the remaining four in the squad are dead."

The Snake sannin shrugged noncommittally. "It's of little importance in the grand scheme of things Kabuto-kun. We'll collect Sasuke-kun in the course of our invasion…The fact that the scorch release is alive and well does interest me though. Is all you are absolutely certain of is it's a female in ANBU?"

Kabuto nodded. "Yes Orochimaru-sama. I would suspect Danzo has the complete information but I haven't been able to contact him through any of the usual channels."

Orochimaru hummed as he considered the situation. "So, we've still heard nothing from Danzo and security has been beefed up since that massive…prank took place in Konoha?"

"Correct, Orochimaru-sama." answered Kabuto. "Slipping in and out of the Village has become much more difficult than I imagined possible and the two other sannin being present in the village is a bad sign. My spy network within the village is gradually being rooted out and Danzo seems to have vanished. I feel I can only rely on myself at this point. Konoha is quietly mobilizing. Do you think they are on to our invasion plans Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru shook his head at his loyal subordinate. "No, if they were they would already be making diplomatic moves with their so-called allies in Suna to solve things peacefully. You worry too much Kabuto. I know the way Sarutobi-sensei thinks. The idea of him mobilizing for a war against us is preposterous. The Leaf Village has grown weak and complacent just as he has; we will teach them that lesson when we burn Konoha Village to the ground during the Chunin Exams in six months. You'd better get back to the Leaf Kabuto-kun; there's only so long you can be missing you know."

Kabuto bowed. "By your leave Orochimaru-sama." he said as he vanished in a body flicker.

'What are you up to Sarutobi-sensei?' wondered the Snake sannin. '…And what happened with that ridiculous series of pranks a couple of months ago? Was it all staged? I've lost all contact with Danzo as well. I can't imagine the old warhawk actually teaming up with Sarutobi-sensei for real…Danzo is a bigger traitor than I could ever hope to be.'

Of course, the idea that Shimura Danzo was already dead never occurred to the Snake sannin…

…

Konoha, Hokage's Office

It was Friday and Sarutobi Hiruzen was whistling a jaunty tune as he finished up his paperwork. 'The Advanced Genin Class will be graduating Monday; even better Tsunade-chan will be taking over as Hokage next Monday. Even better than that I have a date with the beautiful Hanako-chan tonight (giggle, giggle).' He stole a glance at his picture of the young Hanako in her bikini and blushed while stemming a nosebleed.

Hiruzen looked over the Advanced Genin Class arrangements one last time and made a minor correction before he called it a day. 'The future of the village is brighter than ever. Orochimaru my failed student; you don't stand a snowball's chance in hell with what we have waiting for you and the Fourth Kazekage –assuming that Rasa-sama doesn't back out when he finds the playing field has changed rather drastically…'

…

Monday morning, Konoha Ninja Academy

…It had been a long and rough road but the final day of the Advanced Genin Class had finally arrived…

The twelve Advanced Genin trainees reported in at 4 AM as usual and were all quietly looking at twelve sleek black forehead protectors sitting on the table by Yūgao's desk. They all wondered what their final exams would be to earn those headbands. When Yūgao arrived, they exchanged greetings with their sensei and she began to speak. "This is your last day in the Advanced Genin Class. There is no final test as there is no need for one. You have all more than proven your mettle in the last two months and I am proud of you. Your forehead protectors and headbands are matte black to match your stealth combat gear. Come up in alphabetical order and pick the one you want. They are all identical though I'm sure you'll be customizing them a bit over time. Well done my ANBU Brats. You are burning examples of the Will of Fire."

One by one the class members came up and picked their forehead protectors and strapped them on in the standard position on their foreheads. They were all smiling amongst themselves and quietly complimenting each other with their new look now that they had headbands on.

After everyone settled back down; Yūgao started to read the team assignments for the Advanced Genin Class off to her students. "After much consideration from the Hokage and myself we have arranged the class into four teams each with different specialties. I've evaluated your scores based on your weekend homework assignments and these are the combinations that have worked best and work well with your particular skill sets. Be professional and work well with your new team. You have all become close comrades in this class by working together and will continue to do so in the future but a genin team is more like a family. You have to stick with each other through thick and thin, respect one another and support each other even at the worst of times. Here are the Teams as decreed by the Third Hokage:"

"Team 7 is an Assault team under Jonin Sarutobi Asuma. You've met him in the Forest of Death. (Emi cringed). He is known for his expertise in strategy and tactics. The Team will be made up of Akimichi Choji, Haruno Sakura and Sai. I trust all three of you to do your absolute best. You will learn a lot from him."

"Team 8 is a Tracking & Capture team under the Jonin Yūhi Kurenai whose specialty as a genjutsu expert is widely known. You all already know her from the special genjutsu course. The Team is comprised of Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Kurama Yakumo. You three can learn much from her and I expect you all to excel under her tutelage."

"Team 9 is already established under Maito Gai. Your tutors Hyūga Neji, Lee Rock and Tenten make up this Team so you can look forward to working with them again in the future."

"Team 10 is an Interrogation & Assassination unit under the Jonin Mitarashi Anko. You've already met her. Like myself Anko has an ANBU background. This Team is made up of Isuzu Emi, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino. Work hard and don't slack off and you'll do very well with Anko." 'I hope.'

"Team 11 is a Heavy Assault Unit organized around sword wielders like they do in Kumo. This is a bit of an experiment on the Hokage's part since we've broken new ground with this class. It will be made up of Hyūga Hinata, Natsume Maya, and Uzumaki Naruto. Yūgao cocked her head as she saw the Hokage had written in a last-minute change. The Jonin in charge of this unit is….ME?! What the fuck?! I've done more than enough training these little maniacs for the Hokage and now he wants me to take a genin team?! This was supposed to be Hatake Kakashi's team, damn it!" Yūgao vanished in a body flicker screaming about the injustice of it all and there being hell to pay…Naruto, Maya, and Hinata were all a bit stunned. They were all very excited and happy to be on the same team but at the same time weren't sure how to gauge Yūgao-sensei's reaction…

Within the next twenty minutes Asuma, Kurenai and Anko arrived to pick up their respective teams and all the classmates said warm goodbyes to each other. (Emi gave a huge hug to Naruto which made him blush). That left Team 11 to wonder what their errant sensei had gone to do…They just hoped it wasn't too drastic…

…

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, after 25 chapters we are finally at the beginning of the canon timeline (or at least the Teams being formed and real missions starting). It took a lot longer to develop than I expected but it's worked out well enough. Orochimaru and Kabuto have finally made an appearance and Hikari's bloodline has attracted the wrong kind of attention as well. Tsunade will soon take office. How will everyone react when that happens? More importantly, how is poor Yūgao going to get out of being a Jonin Sensei? See you next time. Blue out. 6/21/23