Chapter 1

Naruto grunted noisily, slouching on his desk as he glared at the papers in front of him as if those white sheets had done the biggest crime ever in Konoha after years since the Fourth Shinobi World War. But nope, the sheets were just the Ninja Academy Graduation result. Result! And his son had graduated, surprisingly with flying colors. He always thought Boruto wasn't serious at becoming a ninja considering how he had despised Naruto's position as a Hokage. He always needed to remind his son over and over again about that. But Boruto wasn't the one that troubled Naruto at the moment.

Naruto's eyes darted down to the name sitting at the bottom list—the last place in the Academy Graduation Exam. Naruto groaned again. That was exactly the name that made him sit uneasily since he got hold of the sinful papers. Nara Shikadai. What the fuck! Of all the students there in their academy, why must Shikadai's marks sat in the last place? He was the Nara heir—the son of Shikamaru and Temari for God's sake! There was no way in hell he can be anywhere near stupid! But hell, Naruto knew where this led them. Shikadai is just as ignorant as his father. When he first knew Shikamaru, he never thought of Shikamaru as anyone clever, let alone genius. His marks were just around his, and for the whole time during their childhood, he believed Shikamaru was just with him in the list of dropouts. It wasn't until Shikamaru was being the first to be promoted to Chuunin that he finally understood what lies beneath the Nara boy—or man now.

But then again, that was exactly Naruto's problem now. Shikamaru had Asuma to lead him and build up his sense of responsibility. Asuma was doing great at that. And today Shikamaru had grown into a splendid responsible shinobi that Konoha cannot do without. He was the Hokage's advisor, the Shinobi Union member, and informally the one in charge of public relations with Sunagakure. So here lies the question that had been troubling Naruto.

Who would be the next 'Asuma'?

The sound of knock on his office pulled him out of his reverie. He sat up properly, turning to his laptop again as he voiced his permission for whoever that was to enter. Shikamaru stepped in. And Naruto groaned again.

"Shikamaru, is this troublesome attitude of yours kinda like hereditary?" Naruto immediately complained at the sight of his close friend.

"Huh?" Shikamaru looked at him cluelessly.

"This!" Naruto shoved the papers slightly on his desk. "It's obvious that your son is faking his intelligence."

Shikamaru approached the table, giving a glance at the result before shrugging. "Are you sure you're not overestimating him? He might not be a genius or anything."

Naruto scowled playfully. "Don't give me that excuse. I know exactly what he's capable of. When our kids were still babies, Shikadai was even the first to speak his first word!"

"Naruto," Shikamaru clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You don't seriously regard a baby's ability to talk as something intelligent, do you?"

"Well, what else would that mean?"

"Temari was just so adamant at talking to him, that's all," Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Now where's Shino. I wanna get this done and over with—"

"I'm here."

Shikamaru and Naruto jumped at the voice from the corner of the room.

"Shino!" Naruto groaned again. "Would you stop being a creep and come in from the door?"

"Considering you can sense anyone coming, I figured it would be the same as to come in from the window," Shino's flat tone was still the same as always.

"Since when were you here?"

"Since you were slouching distractedly at the results."

Before Shikamaru came, huh. Naruto jutted out his lips in complaint, turning his head away as he took the papers. "So now that we're here, let's discuss the teams. As well as the Jounins that will be in charge of them."

His sulky tone didn't go unnoticed by Shikamaru and the Nara head had to snicker a bit. These two had never really changed. "Are we going about the grades this time?"

"I think we can put Shikadai, Inojin and Chouchou in a team by default. What troubles me with this team is, who will be the Jounin in charge of them?" Naruto wrote something on the paper, assigning the three into a team before lifting his head back to face Shikamaru. "And correct me if I'm wrong, Shikamaru. But if the affair with Gaara was true, then there is a possibility that Shikadai might be the next Kazekage?" his eyes squinted in uncertainty.

Shikamaru cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. "That might be the case but I believe with the peace the world is currently blessed with, I can see that it won't happen soon. In fact, it might not even happen at all."

"The keyword is 'might'. We can't say for sure so I suggest we be on the safe side," Naruto tapped his index finger on his desk to make a point. "We need a good Jounin to guide these three. One that we can really trust who would be able to turn them into an adult. This issue is vital to both Konoha and Suna."

"Their family jutsu combination is more like a tactical infiltration approach. Someone specialized in that would be good," Shino suggested.

"It doesn't have to be someone from the same field per say. Asuma sensei wasn't exactly the tactical infiltration ninja either. What we need is someone who can actually bring out the best in them. Someone who can see past their façades without judging anything and have a strong will. You know how it is with their family," Naruto explained.

Shino had been raking through his mind at the description of a Jounin that Naruto had given them. "Someone who has a good view in life and is not judging—"

"I would have suggested Lee but he already is in charge of a team," Shikamaru said. He didn't feel compelled to participate in this one, as he was the father of Shikadai himself. He would let Shino and Naruto decide.

But his suggestion opened the path for Naruto anyway. "No, if Lee can't then we can have Kiba."

"Kiba?"

"He is in the lead of tracking technique, and he had experienced of being around the same ground as the boys. I think it would be best for him to lead as he probably knows how the kids feel about it," Naruto's eyes seemed determined.

"I don't mind actually. Since Ino had been training them jutsu wise, so the rest is up to their Jounin leader," Shikamaru added.

"Right, so we settled one team," Shino said. "Let's move on to another."

"Why am I in the same team as you two?" Sarada's eyes squinted, half glaring at the two boys sitting in front of her.

"How would I know? Besides, this would be fun. Right, Mitsuki?" Boruto nudged his best friend. Mitsuki was leaning his back on the chair, arms folded on his chest in a relaxing manner—totally not convincing for Sarada. They were just teamed up by Shino and currently waiting for their assigned Jounin who would be in charge of them.

Sarada groaned in annoyance. "You guys just do not understand. This is important to me! I want to be the Hokage! I can't laze around with fun things!"

"And whoever said we're not serious about this?" Mitsuki smirked with his all-knowing smile that Sarada hated so much. "Having fun doesn't mean we're not serious. We're just taking our job seriously but in a fun way."

"You don't get it."

"You're right, I don't," Boruto interrupted. "For an Uchiha to actually want to be Hokage, wasting time taking care of other people without taking care of their own family? That's just bullshit," he scoffed.

Sarada's face contorted at his words. She wanted to retort as much as she could, but her lips remained tight. Protest evidenced all over her face, but Boruto rested his elbow on the table as if he wasn't bothered.

"Then? What about your best friend? That Akimichi girl?" Mitsuki probed, partially trying to dissolve the apparent tension between the two.

"Chouchou? She's teaming up with Shikadai and Inojin. Shikadai and Inojin are best friends anyway like the two of you. Ugh, why can't kunoichi be in the same team?" she wailed dramatically.

"No, seriously. You guys are being so not gentleman. You don't go around asking girls to sit on the ground without laying a blacket or jacket or anything. Do you have any idea how many boys around Konoha who actually liked me and you are just lucky to be in a team with me," Chouchou was nagging about how the boys were accommodating themselves so nicely up on the tree branch while she had to sit on the grass in the middle of a training ground. Her hands were busy patting the ground to provide herself a place to sit while waiting for their Jounin team leader—mouth still didn't stop nagging.

Shikadai shifted from his spot, lying on a tree branch while Inojin sitting by his side. "What is she blabbering about? It's so bothersome," he complained.

"She sure can talk though," Inojin chuckled slightly. "Speaking of which, who is our sensei? It's been an hour past our appointment and whoever that is still not here."

As if in cue, a swoosh of wind ran past through them and for a split second, Inojin and Shikadai were frozen in spot. A swirl of spinning white and gray made its way to the ground before the man landed on his feet, looking up to the familiar kids.

"Sorry I was late. I had an errand at the Hokage office," Kiba flashed his grin, standing up properly as to greet his new junior teammates.

"You are?" Chouchou rested a hand on her hip, raising a brow in a way she thought most elegant.

"Inuzuka Kiba is the name," he promptly introduced. "I'll be your team leader starting from today. Even though I'm not giving off the right impression for being late on our first meeting."

"Exactly," Shikadai nodded absentmindedly.

Kiba raised a brow. Oh wow. Shikamaru's brat is being quite rude. But then again, Temari is his mother. And he was spoilt rotten since he was a baby. What else would he expect?

"It's rude to make a lady wait during the first date, sensei," Chouchou complained.

And those narcissistic nature must have come from Karui. Kiba rubbed his nape. These kids are so typical. He sighed inwardly.

Inojin jumped down to the ground, giving Kiba an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, sensei."

Those smiles... Kiba couldn't even fathom how similar it was to Sai's.

He slipped a hand into his pockets, taking in the image of the three newly graduated Genins. The moment Naruto had called him and asked him to lead a Genin team—particularly InoShikaChou—he had adamantly refused. It wasn't because he didn't like them. Rather, it was the opposite. These are the kids of his comrades. How the hell was he going to be responsible of them? Of course, since he was already a Jounin, he had led a number of missions already. But this mission is the mission he would like to avoid the most. If Kurenai, Asuma, Gai and Kakashi were any indication, he wouldn't want to be bound to a lifetime mission such as this—to train a team of Genins into full-fledged ones.

Kiba had never really dealt with kids directly. He wasn't even sure how to act around them. In fact, he wasn't a well-endowed kid years ago to begin with. He couldn't possibly do it like any of the senseis of the past. He was just not cut for it.

Why Naruto had picked him? He had no idea. But the moment he refused, Naruto had showed that it wasn't a request from a friend. It was an order from the Hokage. Damn that blonde for using such authority.

"Very well, since we are off one hour, let's skip the introduction and start introducing yourselves," Kiba instructed. He knew them, of course. But they have to know each other in depth. After all, they might be together for such a long time.

Shino was just about to leave the academy when he saw the familiar face of the dog-user ninja sitting on the roof of the building. "You are not supposed to sit there. Because you know why? The kids might get an idea of a prank from that."

"If the kids had never climbed up the academy roof before, I'd say the current generation had become less adventurous," Kiba rolled his eyes. He remembered those days when he, Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji would play around till the adults were having headache with how to stop them.

Silence dawned upon them. Neither had spoken nor moved. But the silence somehow told Shino everything he needed to know. He had known Kiba since they were child. He was so easily readable to him like an open book.

"Were you involved in picking me as the Jounin leader?"

There it was, as Shino thought. Indeed, he knew Kiba too well. "The Seventh had been putting a lot of people he trusted in charge of various divisions. Ino had taken the Intelligence Division, Sai is still active in Anbu, Sakura had taken over the hospital, I had taken over the Academy, Shikamaru was promoted as the Hokage Advisor, Hinata had taken over the Hyuuga clan, Lee had lead a full-fledged team of Chuunins, Tenten was given the honor for being the weapon supplier, and even Sasuke had become the village's Information Gathering Division. It is time for you to take over a team too. Because you know why? The bonds we had are being trusted upon."

"I do not need to listen to a reminder to where everyone's positions are," Kiba shook his head slightly. "I simply do not cut out to be a teacher."

"You were lost," Shino decided to say, head tilting up to the roof to meet his. "I hope you had found your way back."

Kiba did not understand what the hell that was supposed to mean.

He told his new teammates to meet up at the outskirts of the Fire Country two days later. It was fairly towards the east of Konoha, so he told them to exit via the back gates. Those gates were usually used by Anbu members to flee to their mission discreetly, as Sai had told him. But some ninjas unusually breech the usual traditions of leaving from the front gates and escaped from the back instead. Shikamaru had done it once.

Kiba wanted to kids to do that because he wanted them to know that there will always be more than one way to reach a place. Regardless the obvious difficult tresses when left from that gate, he insisted anyway.

It was almost noon when the kids reached him, panting. Chouchou was complaining as usual, Shikadai was groaning in annoyance, and Inojin with his smile. Kiba rubbed his face. Here goes nothing.

"Alright, now that you're all here, let's start your test."

"What? What test?" Chouchou spat.

"When you passed the academy, it doesn't mean you'll definitely be a ninja. You have to pass the team leader Jounin's assessment first. If you failed, you will be sent back to the academy," Kiba explained. "And mind you, if you failed, then you failed. I don't give pity marks even if your parents are my close friends."

"Wait a second, this is becoming bothersome," Shikadai interrupted. "We just went into a hell lot of trouble to get here and now you're asking us to go under assessment? No one had ever told us about this before!"

"That's because no one wanted to mention it. Just to save your anxiety of possibly having to fail one," Kiba said simply. "Now I'll explain your test. You see this cliff?"

He pointed behind him, and the trio Genins looked back at the tall cliff behind the Jounin. It was so impossibly tall that they could not actually see the peak. The clouds had surrounded the cliff far up there at some point, but it was extremely high. The greenery of random branches protruding from the rocky cliff had reduced in amount at some height. And the three kids definitely did not know what to expect from it.

"Climb to the top of it."

"What?!" they choired and Kiba could have sworn the InoShikaChou formation was starting already.

"You heard me," he nodded. "All of you had to race to the top by any means possible. You can use weapons or jutsu or anything which might be handful for you. The first two who made it will pass. The last one will be sent back to academy."

"Wait, what?!"

"You are allowed to kill," Kiba added, making the three gasps in surprise. "Or you can set any traps, you know the drill. However—"

The three kids widened their eyes in anticipation, waiting for what more weird rules their new sensei was trying to imply.

"Even if the last person failed, if whoever that is failed to reach the top, then all three of you will fail. In other words, despite one will be sent back to academy, all three of you must reach the top."

What the actual fuck!

"What insane rules that is? I cannot simply condone to this! This is beyond bothersome!" Shikadai's voice rose in protest.

"This is shinobi world, little Nara. You are no longer academy students. Open your eyes and welcome to the real world," Kiba's lips curved into a smirk. "The time limit is three days. I hope you prepared enough food. See you at the top," with that, he span into his gatsuga form and rolled up in a few hit on the cliff, disappearing from the sight of the three Genins. By the sight of it, he would reach the top in no time.

"Is he freakin' serious? He expects us to kill each other?" Chouchou freaked out, her usual demeanor worn off.

"We can but we don't have to do it," Inojin stated the obvious.

"But one of us will fail and be sent back to academy!" Chouchou's eyes widened dramatically.

"What the actual hell is he thinking?" Shikadai bit his lips, clearly irritated with the situation. Why did they even team InoShikaChou up if they plan to fail one of them? Or was it Kiba's own decision to separate them by purpose?

"Time is ticking guys. We need to move or we might all fail. Let's get moving. God knows how high the cliff is," Inojin reminded them.

"I'm so going to kill him at the top and throw his corpse down," Shikadai pulled out a kunai and started plucking it to the cliff to assist his climbing while focusing his chakra at his foot to remain his spot.

Inojin pulled out his scroll, drawing a bird with his Choju Giga technique—except his bird wasn't big enough to carry him up the cliff.

Chouchou used her Bubun Baika no Jutsu to enlarge her hands to assist her climbing, even though it proved to be rather more difficult instead.

It happened to be the cliff climbing might not seem as easy as Kiba made it to be.

A/N: Does Shino have to mention all the divisions of their friends? Yes, coz their divisions play important part in the plot of the story. I hope you enjoy the story. Btw, I REALLY wanna make Sarutobi Mirai as their Jounin leader tbh. But since she seems to be still a Chuunin, I changed to Kiba instead. There goes my heart.