Full Summary: As Naruto and friends take up their roles in Konoha as they enter true adulthood, the village's youth begins to burn paths for themselves. So much lies ahead, but the Will of Fire still shines bright in the village's new rookies. "From one generation to the next, the following one will continue to surpass the previous." -Kakashi Hatake

I've thought about doing something like this for a long time. So, here it is! I hope you all enjoy and if you want to tell me what you think in a review.

Also, if anyone was wondering, Naruto and friends are 24, 25, and 26 at this point with the new students being 12.

The New Age of Konoha

N0M0R3

Chapter One:
The Will of Fire Sparks

The Village Hidden in the Leaves. Ever since the Fourth Shinobi World War, it has been known as the strongest village in existence. Multiple factors make this possible, but many believe it to be because of the Hokage that has watched over the village even before the title was placed upon him. Naruto Uzumaki, the sixth Hokage of Konoha, was not only the village's hero but also the world's hero. Alongside his many friends, he stopped the world from falling into an eternal dream.

Those that stand out from the rest that were there on the battlefield are Naruto's own teammates since their genin days, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Both, like Naruto, have been recognized over and over again for their bravery and strength during the exhausting battle. The duo hold many different roles these days but are still devoted ninja of the Leaf Village nonetheless.

All three proudly hold the title Sanin now but unlike their predecessors, they've chosen to stay in the village to remain a constant threat to enemies that even think about attacking their home. They also remain a constant inspiration to the youth that aspires to be brave ninja just like them someday.

For some, today is that day.

"Alright class, please quiet down and have a seat," A dark-haired woman with pearl eyes called out to the crowded classroom of excited graduates. She smiled as they all did so. "I know you're all very excited and I am too. It's a pleasure to now call you all fellow shinobi." This got a cheer from the classroom which only made the woman smile more. "However, instead of running off on your own, you'll all be placed on a team of three with a jounin being your instructor to further...well, instruct you."

A hand rose from the crowd which she recognized with a nod. "But Hinata Sensei, what if we don't get along with those on our squad?"

The woman, Hinata Hyuga, soon to be Uzumaki, smiled with a sigh. "Well, all I can say is that's a bridge you'll eventually have to cross together." With there seeming to be no more questions, Hinata picked up her sheets and began calling out names. After a few teams, she got to the fourth one. "On Team Four is Kenji Hyuga..."

A boy sat up a little straighter at the sound of his name. Like Hinata, he had dark hair parted down the middle but had it only come as far as slightly past his chin in the front with the back being cut shorter and pearl eyes. However, where Hinata's bangs were was the place he wore his forehead protector. He wore an off white, zip up vest with a black, short sleeve shirt underneath with a collar that stood up around most of his neck. He also had on black pants, the typical shoes a shinobi wore at that young age, and had bandages on his arms that didn't reach his elbows.

As Kenji looked around curiously at who could be his two new comrades, Hinata continued on.

"...Takashi Yamanaka..."

Another boy snorted from the back and tried to hold back his smirk at Kenji but failed. He had blonde hair that was long enough in the front to fall in front of his right eye while it was short in the back and the blue, pupilless eyes like all others in his clan. He wore a black shirt with fish net sleeves that had an open, dark blue vest thrown over it with his forehead protector sewn onto the right side of his vest's collar. For bottoms, he simply wore black pants that stopped right after his knees and had the rest of his legs banged up and wore the traditional shinobi shoes.

"...And Masa Inuzuka," Hinata finished off.

"Wha...?" A lazy voice called out, making the class all look in the direction it came from.

With a yawn, a short girl slowly sat up straight in her seat, obviously still half asleep like the small, reddish brown dog hiding in the front of her jacket. Like most people in the dog loving clan, she had messy brown hair that once looked like a cute pixie cut but had now grown out into messy, barely chin length hair with her overgrown bangs swept to the side, though it came close in covering her right eye, while the other side was pinned back behind her ear with black clips. The other features she shared with her clan were the red, triangular marks on her cheeks and her brown eyes. She wore a sleeveless, dark brown hoodie with black fur on the hood that was a size or two too big to go with her black, fingerless gloves that reached her elbows and black shorts that reached mid-thigh. The same as the rest, she wore the typical ninja shoes. Like most girls, she wore her forehead protector around her waist.

As Hinata continues on with the teams, Kenji looked between both of his new comrades while they did the same, except Masa was petting her small dog. Kenji and Takashi shared a glare before turning away from each other and Masa simply sighed and silently spoke to her little companion in her hoodie.

Not far from the academy, Rock Lee was taking a small stroll before heading that way. As he walked, he wore a bright smile on his face and looked down at a sheet of paper with the pictures of the students he'd soon be mentoring. He stopped and chuckled a little, excitement bubbling up and out of him it seemed. "Team Four. Yes. I quite like the sound of that."

Team Four quietly ate their lunch together out under a large tree near the academy. No one made eye contact or looked at one another. The only one who seemed to not really care was Masa's small dog, who was eating off of everyone's lap without them noticing. At least until Kenji felt pressure on his leg and looked down then frowned.

"Uh...no," Kenji said, trying to be as polite as he could as he pushed the small dog away but she wouldn't listen. "Uh...sit...uh..."

"Chiharu,"Masa suddenly said.

Kenji looked up at her. "Huh?"

"Her name's Chiharu," She repeated then whistled, getting the small dog's attention. Chiharu turned and barked and happily ate the rest of the sandwich Masa fed her. She petted her companion then looked at them. "So, you guys okay with dogs, right?"

Takashi shrugged. "Yeah. Dogs are cool, I guess."

Kenji nodded then mumbled, "As long as they don't eat my food without permission."

Masa laughed and punched Kenji in the shoulder. The Hyuga forced a laugh but rubbed his possibly bruised shoulder when she turned away to look at Chiharu. The small dog was currently catching little bits of ham Takashi was throwing towards her. As she caught the last piece, she barked and wagged her tail. Masa snickered and scratched her back. Kenji watched quietly, finishing up his lunch.

After a few moments, he stood up. "Well, we better head back to the classroom or else we'll be late."

Takashi rose an eyebrow. "We still have ten minutes."

"Better early than late," Kenji said with a bright smile then gathered his things and headed back to the academy.

Masa and Takashi shared a look before standing up and following him after gathering their own things with Chiharu close behind. It didn't surprise them that they were the first group back in the classroom. It did surprise them though that Hinata's fiancé, the Hokage of Konoha, had taken time to visit her during her lunch. The three just stood back, shocked.

"I should get home around that time," Hinata was saying to the blonde. She then stopped and looked over at her students, blushing slightly. "Oh...you three are back quite early."

Slowly, Takashi pulled himself together and nodded. "Yeah...Kenji wanted to go ahead and come back and we just went along with it."

As Takashi took a seat with Masa, who placed Chiharu back in the front of her jacket, Kenji huffed at him then turned his attention back to Hinata then Naruto before quickly bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hokage, sir!"

Naruto stared at him for a moment before chuckling and ruffling in his hair. "There's no need for that. Stand up straight and let me get a look at you...Yep. I can definitely see the Hyuga in you." He chuckled and looked at the other two members, trying to put two and two together. "So, let me guess, this is-"

"Team Four!" Lee suddenly shouted as he burst into the room. "Be prepared to be amazed, for I am Rock Lee, your new instructor and also the one who will show you the Power of Youth!"

No one said a thing. They were all silent, especially Team Four, who were in shock at their new sensei's abrupt and loud entrance. Lee slowly let his smile fall and looked around, noticing how empty the classroom was then looked at Naruto then at the three young rookies. He smiled again.

"I see you've already met the Hokage! Way to go!" Lee cheered, giving them a thumbs up.

Naruto laughed but tried to muffle it and turned away and whispered to Hinata. "Those kids are going to have a heck of a time..."

Hinata could only sigh at her two old friends as Naruto continued trying to hold his laughter while Lee went into a speech about Youth with his new team as more students started coming in, looking at the scene with a mixture of both confusion and amusement.

"Alright, Team Four," Lee said as he stood before the three young shinobi on a roof not far from the academy. He then sat down and smiled. "Why don't you tell me about yourselves?"

"Like?" Kenji asked, not sure where to begin.

"Hmm..." He thought for a moment then looked to them. "I'll start! My name is Rock Lee. I like intense training and relaxing by taking laps around the village." All three looked at each other oddly as he continued. "I'm not fond of failure so when I do I train even harder than before as a punishment. This is to help prove to everyone that even if you're a ninja that only uses taijutsu, you can still be one of the greatest, that is my dream."

Kenji rose an eyebrow. "Hmm...interesting."

"Alright! Ladies first!" Lee said, pointing to Masa.

The brunette jumped, startled. She then petted Chiharu, who was slightly unsettled by the sudden movement, to calm her down. "Well, I'm Masa Inuzuka and this is Chiharu. I like running around the Inuzuka compound and racing all my cousins throughout the village to get to the gates. I don't really like vegetables or fruit and I really don't like being forced to clean up the dirt me and Chiharu track into the house. And my goal is to prove to everyone that I'm not the runt of the family."

Lee nodded. "Good. Next...?" He then looked at Kenji.

Kenji gulped but spoke clearly. "I'm Kenji Hyuga. I like studying and visiting the hospital to help out when I can. I don't like being forced to train with my older and stronger family members who take advantage of my inexperience in a fight. I also don't like spicy foods unless it's a sauce on chicken. My goal is to prove to my family that I'm just as useful as they are by becoming a medical ninja instead of following the typical path a Hyuga shinobi usually goes."

"Interesting," Lee replied, thinking back to a certain pink haired ninja. He then looked at Takashi. "Last but not least."

The blonde sighed. "My name is Takashi Yamanaka. I like relaxing in the sun and spending time in the Yamanaka flower shop. I don't like being bossed around by our clan head, Ino, or my mom. And for goals...well, I don't really have one to be honest. I guess get stronger? Earn a good living then retire happy might be a simple but good one. I'm okay with that."

"I see..." Lee nodded again. He then smiled and stood up, gaining their attention again. "Well, that ends our first team meeting. Tomorrow, I want you all to meet me at the village gates for your final exam."

"Final exam?" Masa questioned, sitting up.

"Yep. This exam will determine if you really become genin," Lee answered.

"What?" Kenji asked, shocked.

Lee nodded. "Yep! Not many pass so be prepared. But keep in mind, my test isn't like any other one you've ever had!"

With that, he vanished in a poof of smoke, leaving the three rookies to look at each other questionably, only wondering what their new sensei could have up his sleeve for them.

Not going to lie but I'm quite proud of this so far! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and come back for more to see what happens to Team Four!