Kakashi arrived before the Hokage in a swirl of leaves. He lowered his head in a bow, taking a knee with the fingers of his right hand brushing the floor and his left fisted over his chest. He'd moved so quickly that to the casual observer, it would look like he'd appeared in his kneeling position. The only other people in the room, the Hokage and two hidden ANBU guards, were more than skilled enough to have detected his incoming chakra and focused in on the motion. The Hokage remained unaffected behind his desk except for a slight twitch to the pipe in his mouth as his lips tightened. Seven chakra signatures, the jonin Kakashi had been called to a meeting with, departed down the hallway beyond the office's closed doors.

The Hokage removed his pipe, disturbing a thin line of smoke drifting on his right side. "To your feet, Kakashi."

Kakashi rose. With the lower half of his face and left eye covered by a half-mask and hitai-ate, his smile could only be discerned by the squinting of his visible eye. He rubbed his right hand over the back of his neck in a pretense of nervousness. "My apologies, Lord Third."

The Hokage nodded. "I'm sure you were simply following a lead that could not be left uninvestigated."

"Yes, sir," Kakashi said. "I determined the stray cats in the business district do not have the chakra of summon animals."

The corner of the Hokage's mouth twitched into a smile before returning to neutrality. Grabbing a file from the center of his crowded desk, he offered it to Kakashi. "There are no changes in procedure since your last assignment."

Kakashi dropped his casual posturing to accept. The Hokage continued puffing his pipe as he skimmed the first page. Meeting his eyes, Kakashi said, "You know I won't pass anyone based on pedigree. Why these three?"

"However many students you fail, you will always be permitted to use the bell test. It was my error not to consider your convictions for Naruto's graduation."

Taking another look at the file, Kakashi flipped to the short profiles on the next page. "You think this time is different."

"That's for you to determine." He looked at the closed doors, where Kakashi sensed a new source of chakra drawing up to that of the Hokage's secretary. "Contact details are in the file."

Kakashi closed the folder and nodded his head in a small bow. "Yes, Lord Third."

The Hokage caught his attention with a slight shift of his head. "And Kakashi, try not to be late." At the jonin's masked smile, he said, "Dismissed."

Kakashi escaped in another body flicker through a window just as the secretary opened the office doors.

In a classroom full of new genin, Sasuke Uchiha sat with his elbows on his desk and his hands clasped in front of his mouth. He'd arrived when there had only been a dozen others seated, choosing an open desk next to the window to avoid the crosstalk of his excited classmates. As others trickled in, the noise level had risen. No specific voice had caught his attention until the tone of a pair racing up the aisle sharpened. Without needing to look, he'd recognised the two involved: a Yamanaka named Ino and a clanless girl named Sakura. Their typical argument had chosen him as a subject again. Specifically, they both wanted to sit next to him. Sasuke tried not to give them any sign he'd noticed. He wasn't a teacher, who could assign seats or settle the dispute with a single-round competition. Without Iruka or Kou, he fell back on evasion.

Across the room, another boy sauntered in. His heavy-lidded gaze dragged over the disruption near Sasuke before moving on. With the arrival of that slacker, the Nara clan heir but someone who'd slept through most classes, nearly every student who had taken the graduation test had passed.

Ino flipped her long blonde ponytail, scoffing. "You may have gotten the best written scores, but I'm top kunoichi in taijutsu."

Sakura nearly growled. "Sasuke doesn't need someone who can fight. Teams need balance, you know, and he can beat anyone in class."

"What are you saying, Forehead? Do you think Sasuke needs his written scores balanced?"

"No!" Sakura said, glancing at Sasuke, who glared out the window. "Ino-pig, you're always twisting things!"

Although morning bustle filled the streets beyond the academy grounds, everyone attending or teaching should have been inside by then. Movement to Sasuke's right caught his eye. While Ino and Sakura argued, Shikamaru Nara slid into the seat in question. Shikamaru nodded at Sasuke's sideways look, making himself comfortable. He folded his arms in front of him and turned his head to the third person in the aisle.

"Excuse me, Ino," the Akamichi boy said. His heavy physique, characteristic of his clan, prevented him from sneaking by like Shikamaru had.

"Choji?" Ino said, before seeing Shikamaru. "What! I called that spot, Nara!"

"We got here first!" said Sakura.

Shikamaru lowered his head into his arms, peering sideways at them. "You're too loud."

Choji said, "Sorry, Ino. You'll be able to stare from the seats in the row up anyway."

Ino let Choji pass. She met Sakura's eyes in a moment of inaction before both girls ran, the thud of their feet announcing their positions. They fought through the protests of the boy occupying the aisle seat of that desk, and even after shoving past him, they continued to bicker. At least it kept them from staring like Choji had suggested.

A man walked in, focused on the papers in his hands. He had a long scar running across the bridge of his nose and brown hair styled in a spiky ponytail similar to Shikamaru. He said, "Sakura, Ino, settle down. Everyone take a seat."

"Iruka!" an Inuzuka boy shouted, along with support from the more excitable among them and a small bark from the puppy laying on his head. "You're late!"

The admonishment, echoed from all the times they'd gotten the same treatment, did nothing but give Iruka a small smile. He wasn't technically late, but he didn't usually let the class go without supervision for so long. He'd been their teacher for years, longer than Kou, and the change stood out. The clamor died down in the time it took him to take his place front and center.

Iruka folded his hands behind him, smiling up at the twenty-six twelve and thirteen-year-olds. "As of today, I am no longer your teacher. You are all ninja, beholden to the Will of Fire, but the trials you faced to get to this point don't compare to what your responsibilities now demand. Just remember that your lessons don't stop in this classroom. Even those who pass genin rank, chunin, or jonin, rely on their comrades to cover their weaknesses and foster their improvements. That's the reason we've grouped you into three-man squads, led by jonin. These squads have been set up to balance your respective strengths and abilities so you can continue to grow."

Sasuke had trained every day after school, alone, yet he'd graduated ahead of his peers. He listened with one ear as Iruka started to list the team configurations. He had counted twenty-six students. Without the numbers for three genin per team, the remainder would probably get their own jonin teacher. They'd need to be more skilled than average though. The second top student, Shino Aburame, was tolerable enough. However, if his name was called before the end, that would mean that the reduced team would probably be the top shinobi and kunoichi, which would put Sasuke with Ino.

"Team Seven: Sasuke Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shikamaru Nara."

Sasuke tensed slightly, containing his desire to scowl while beside him, Shikamaru gave a quiet sigh. The weight of the class's attention kept him from looking over, so he barely caught Kiba giving two thumbs up to Shikamaru, prompting one in return. Choji began devouring a bag of chips. As Iruka continued, his munching intensified.

"Team Eight: Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, and Choji Akamichi."

Choji's furious pace slowed.

Iruka's attention shifted to the two remaining students. "Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno, due to your respective scores, you've both been offered apprenticeships," he said, setting off a few low whispers. If high scores were the only qualifier, an offer should have gone to Sasuke. Iruka's neutral expression didn't explain the decision either. "Your teachers will give you your designations."

Ino raised her voice over the murmering. "Wait a minute. Who are the jonin?"

"You'll all find out who your team leaders are when they arrive later today." Iruka relaxed his stance, addressing the room. "For now, you're all free to enjoy a long lunch, but make sure you're back here by twelve. Your teachers don't have to stick around if you're late."

Given leave to eat and gossip, the class exploded into motion. Sasuke unclenched his jaw. Taking a breath, he gradually released the tension that had built up through Iruka's announcements.

"Hinata and Shino are nice," Shikamaru said to Choji. "Probably nicer than Ino would have been anyway."

Choji crumpled up his empty chip bag. "Yeah, I wish I knew them better though. You're lucky you got Kiba."

"Oh, that loser?" The insult had a wry edge that indicated Shikamaru was smirking. "I think he must have passed by cheating off Akamaru."

With a clunk, Kiba jumped onto the desk, crouched in front of the two. He had the two red triangular marks of the Inuzuka clan on his cheeks, reminiscent of fangs, and a white puppy peeking from the collar of his fur-lined grey jacket. "Alright, you little weasel. It sounds like you're asking for a beating."

Sasuke stepped into the aisle at his left. From the immediate break in conversation, he felt their attention shift his way.

Kiba called after him, "Hey wait a minute, Sasuke."

He faced the desk again.

Kiba dropped to sit with his legs crossed towards the aisle. "I was thinking we could have a team lunch before we meet our jonin teacher. Choji, you can get your team in on it too."

"Works for me," Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, sure," Choji said. He glanced around at the scattering class. "I don't see Shino though."

"What, already? Well, we can track him down in a minute." Kiba eyed Sasuke. "What do you think?"

The thought of fending off questions from five people made the area behind his eyes ache. "I have my own plans," he said.

Kiba shrugged. "Alright, offer's open if you change your mind. We'll probably be on the roof."

Sasuke gave them a nod before continuing down the aisle. He was one of the first to head for the door. Similar clusters had formed at other desks and in aisles, but they'd left the perimeter clear enough to get by.

Behind him, Kiba said to Choji, "Maybe we should have this lunch just between us. One last meal together."

"Man, do you have to be so dramatic about it?" Shikamaru said. "You make it sound like we're dying."

"So what if it's dramatic? How often have we seen Naruto since he graduated, huh?"

Sasuke distanced himself from the conversation. He had to find a lunch spot that couldn't be seen from the roof.

Kakashi didn't often spend his afternoons with the jonin commander. Shikaku Nara, for all his clan's purported laziness, was a busy man. Their afternoon stroll through the Nara compound came from tradition tying their hands. Throughout their meeting, Shikaku said a few specific words in order to entrust Kakashi with his son's training, and Kakashi made the necessary responses as he tried to keep his eyes open. He accepted the meditative silence that settled in when they finished, Shikaku guiding him back to the compound gates.

Shikaku gave no indication he would bring up Kakashi's history until the moment he said, "I get the feeling you don't expect them to pass."

Kakashi hummed. "Who can say?"

He couldn't deny it. Shikaku had reached the most logical conclusion. The silence returned for a few steps, until Shikaku sighed.

He said, "I've never faulted your instincts."

"You haven't," Kakashi agreed.

"You won't fail my son if he's ready."

"I won't."

"You won't pass him if he's not."

"No."

Shikaku nodded, then met Kakashi's gaze. "Shikamaru knows a clan technique. Don't allow him to use it in your sight."

"So mean, Shikaku. I keep the Sharingan covered."

"He's had opportunity to read the bingo books."

They were approaching the gate. A guard leaned against the wall, sleepy eyes focused out. The Nara lands, being half forest, straddled a village border, which meant that the streets beyond were clear.

"That's my condition," Shikaku said.

Kakashi gave a slight bow. "Yes, sir."

Shikaku returned the gesture with something more like a slow nod. "Teach them well."

Kakashi decided not to comment on Shikaku's sudden show of confidence. He nodded and stepped past the border, freeing himself to body flicker to his next destination.

AN: Thank you for reading this far. If you have any comments or criticisms, feel free to be honest. Any suggestions on how to improve would be appreciated.