Yin and Yang
Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Chapter 7 – Upping the Pace
Naruto arrived early to class for once. I'd have wondered why he'd chosen to do so on the final day of class, of all days, but of course it was because we would be receiving our genin team assignments. He looked about as nervous as I felt, and his limbs shook as he collapsed into the seat next to me.
"S-So today's the big day, huh, Hinata-chan?" he laughed uneasily.
"Yes," I said. "I hope the Hokage saw reason and heeded Iruka-sensei's recommendations."
"Me too," Naruto sighed. "I think he probably did. The old man is kind of a stickler, but he can be nice, too."
"You say that as if you know him on a personal basis," I noted.
"Well, yeah," Naruto said with a nod, much to my surprise. "He checks up on me sometimes, and he's the one who gives me my monthly stipend so I can pay rent on my apartment and buy groceries and stuff."
I frowned. The Hokage was a very important man with countless responsibilities to attend. Why should he have found the time to take a personal interest in one particular orphan? Surely Naruto was not the only boy or girl to have lost his parents in some tragic twist of fate. I knew now that he was special in his own way, but were it not for my counterpart's request, I would never have given him so much as a second glance. Did the Hokage also possess a sort of preternatural ability to sense the untapped well of latent potential within an individual, or was there something more to the story that both Naruto and I were unaware of?
Well, I won't pretend to be able to understand the mind of the Hokage. He was our leader and surely had his reasons. Idle speculation on what those reasons might be wouldn't serve any purpose but to waste my own time and energy.
"So where's Kiba?" Naruto asked, looking around.
"He hasn't arrived yet," I said. "You're early, for once, and he's actually running a bit late."
"You think he's okay?" Naruto wondered aloud. "Maybe his alarm clock broke or something. What if he sleeps all day and misses the team assignments?"
"Don't compare me to yourself, Naruto," came the sarcastic reply. Kiba walked up to us with a small white dog on his heels. "I'm not such a scatterbrain that I'd miss today."
"Oh, good," Naruto said in relief, his nerves apparently so frayed that he either didn't notice Kiba's barb or chose to ignore it. "So who's your little friend?"
Kiba's canine companion barked enthusiastically.
"This is my partner, Akamaru!" Kiba said with a puffed chest. "We've been together since we were just pups, but my clan doesn't allow us to take our partners outside the compound until we become full-fledged ninja. You visited one time and met him before, Hinata, remember?"
"Of course," I lied through my teeth. "Hello again, Akamaru."
I got up from my seat and kneeled down, hesitantly extending a hand to pet the little dog. Akamaru padded forward and sniffed at my fingers before giving them a lick.
"He remembers you, too," Kiba said with a grin.
"Hey, I wanna pet him too!" Naruto declared. He swooped down and scratched Akamaru behind the ears. The puppy made a pleased whining sound. "Aww, he's a cute little fella. But are you sure you wanna take him around with you now that we're ninja? Maybe if he were bigger he could help in a fight or something, but he's so little and--"
Akamaru growled as though he could understand that Naruto was, literally, belittling him. Instantly, he snapped his tiny head around and clamped his teeth onto the hand Naruto had been petting him with.
"OUCH!"
He flailed his arm, but Akamaru clung fast, still growling angrily. "Get him off me! Come on, Kiba! Call him off!"
"You shouldn't underestimate him just because of his size," Kiba drawled as he watched the scene, the corners of his lips upturned in amusement. "I thought you of all people would understand something like that."
"Okay, I get it!" Naruto shouted. "I'm sorry, Akamaru! I didn't mean it!"
Immediately following Naruto's apology, the little dog released him and landed gracefully back on his feet. He then sat and gave another bark, tail wagging happily.
Naruto sucked on his hand where Akamaru had bitten him.
"He looks harmless, but he's actually quite fierce, isn't he?" I noted. "And he's obviously very loyal. I am reminded of another individual who shares these traits."
"Rah?" Naruto said as he continued to nurse his injury. "Ooozat?"
Kiba looked at me and rolled his eyes. I smiled. "Never you mind, Naruto…"
"Oooh! Look at the cute little puppy!" squealed a voice from nearby. I turned my head in the direction I'd heard it and saw Ino. She came up to us, scooping Akamaru into her arms and nuzzling him. The puppy whined in pleasure.
"He's just adorable!" Ino gushed. "Who does he belong to?"
"He doesn't belong to anyone," Kiba said with just a hint of steel in his voice. "His name is Akamaru and he and I are partners."
Ino blinked at him. "Huh? Oh…" She set Akamaru back on the ground. "Uh… sorry. I knew that your clan was pretty close to your dogs, but I didn't know you were that close…"
It took Kiba a second to process Ino's implication. "We're not that kind of partners!" he growled furiously with a red face. "What the hell is wrong with your head, Ino? Is that all you think about?"
Ino laughed heartily. "I was joking, Kiba! You don't have to get so worked up. Or is it that I hit a bull's-eye?"
Kiba clenched a fist and bared his teeth. "Why don't you just sh--"
"Ugh, do you mind keeping it down over there?" a student in the row in front of us who'd been napping on his desk interrupted. His black hair was tied back and stuck up the back of his head, giving him the resemblance of a pineapple. "This is probably the last time I'll get to take it easy for a while. Go argue somewhere else, if you must."
Ino rounded on him. "What's with that lazy attitude, Shikamaru? We're ninja now! Show a little spirit!"
Shikamaru stared blearily at her. "What's the point? Spirit isn't going to complete my missions for me so it's just a waste of energy."
"Ugh, you're impossible!" Ino scowled in disgust. "I hope I don't end up on a team with you!"
"The feeling is mutual," Shikamaru grumbled as he lay his head back on his desk. "Troublesome girl…"
Originally, I'd found these volatile interactions with my classmates to be a nuisance, but admit that they now amused me somewhat. The clash of so many different personalities in an enclosed space was a completely foreign phenomenon for me, and I felt they might warrant closer study. The world beyond my tiny cell was chaotic, but also alive. I realized now that I should welcome new experiences rather than simply discard them as frivolous or burdening.
"Shouldn't you be fawning over Sasuke right now, Ino?" Naruto muttered sourly. He seemed to bear a hostility towards our classmate that I didn't quite understand.
"I have interests other than Sasuke, Naruto!" Ino snapped. "What do you even have against him anyway?"
"You mean besides the fact that he's a stuck up bastard?" Naruto replied darkly.
"You know what?" Ino said in a provocative tone. "I think you're just jealous of him. Sasuke-kun is twice the ninja you'll ever be. If it weren't for Hinata and Kiba, you probably wouldn't even have passed the graduation exam."
"Hey, you're going too far, Ino," Kiba said, stepping in. "Yeah, me and Hinata helped him, but Naruto worked his ass off. He deserves to wear his hitai-ate just as much as you do."
Naruto walked between them and placed his hand on Kiba's shoulder. "It's okay, Kiba. I can handle this." He turned back to Ino. "You're right, Ino. I was jealous of Sasuke. I wanted to be just like him." He paused, and his gaze turned back to Kiba and then myself. "But not anymore. He might be one of the great Uchiha, and he might be popular, but for all that he doesn't have a single person to call his friend, and it's not because there's a shortage of people who are willing."
Naruto shook his head. "He's alone, and I thought that made him just like me. But now I know he and I aren't anything alike. He chooses to be alone, where all I ever wanted in the world was a single person to acknowledge me. Yeah, he's strong. And yeah, compared to him, I'm weak. But I don't resent him for that anymore. I feel sorry for him, because power is the only thing he values. It's the only thing he understands. I finally met a person just as strong as him, who understands the things that he doesn't."
He looked directly as me as he said this and then turned to Kiba. "I've met people who accept me for who I am and don't snub their noses at me just because I'm weaker than them." He turned back to Ino. "Maybe you're right. Maybe Sasuke is twice the ninja I'll ever be. But so what? He walks his path all by himself. Nobody can truly be strong if they don't know how to rely on others, sometimes."
Naruto sighed. "But I guess that doesn't give me the right to criticize you for liking him. A guy like him is only going to end up hurting you, but hey, don't let me get in your way if that's a chance you're willing to take."
He returned to his seat. It wasn't until then that I noticed the classroom had become deathly silent. Everyone, including the Uchiha boy, was staring at Naruto.
"What the hell happened to him?" I heard someone whisper. "Is that the same dead last Naruto?"
"Hey, Naruto might actually be kind of cool…" said another awed voice.
"How dare he talk like that about Sasuke-kun?!" said still another.
Ino blinked, staring at Naruto as though he was stranger.
There was a rush of movement and pink-haired girl slammed her hands down onto Naruto's desk.
"What gives you the right to say such horrible things about Sasuke-kun?!" she demanded. "He's at the top of our class and you graduated almost at the bottom! A dunce like you can't hold a candle to him!"
A wounded look flashed on Naruto's face, but then he bit his lip and his expression hardened. "Well sorry for being so dumb, Sakura-san. I guess the opinions of an idiot like me just don't matter."
"You're damn right they don't!" Sakura scowled, evidently unable to grasp that Naruto was being facetious. "You apologize to Sasuke-kun right now!"
Naurto cast a glance towards the Uchiha boy, who looked absolutely livid. "I'm sorry you're such a bastard," he said.
Sakura slapped him. "Do it properly! Or we can take this outside and settle things right now! I'm not going to let you get away with insulting Sasuke-kun's honor!"
Naruto touched his already reddening cheek. His fingers jerked away as soon as he made contact. His eyes began to water. Slowly, he rose from his seat. He turned towards Uchiha.
And then he bowed very low.
"I'm sorry for saying those things right in front of you. Even if I think they're true, I was out of line."
Uchiha's eyebrows knit together and he stared coldly at Naruto's bent form. He didn't say anything for a long time, and I could see the muscles in Naruto's back and waist begin to strain. Finally, he said, "Feh. Whatever." And he turned back to the front of the room.
Naruto let out a relieved gasp as he stood back up. Sakura wagged a finger at him. "You're lucky Sasuke-kun is so forgiving. If it were me, I would've taken you outside and taught you a lesson. You'd better keep your mouth shut about him from now on, or else…" She made a slitting gesture across her throat. "…a slap to the face is going to be the least of your worries."
Naruto was a far better person than I. Were I in his shoes, I would have never allowed that girl to speak to me in such a tone. And I especially would not have castrated myself before the Uchiha boy in such a humiliating manner. I'd known there was more to him than it seemed on the surface, but each new day revealed still hidden depths to him. His courage and his shame and humility humbled me. My counterpart had been correct about this boy. Someday he might make a very fine Hokage, indeed.
There was sparse applause from a few girls after Sakura was finished speaking. I glared at them, activating my Byakugan as I did so, and it quickly stopped.
Kiba put a hand on Naruto's back. "Hey, let's sit down now, Naruto. Iruka-sensei should be here soon with the team assignments."
"Y-Yeah," Naruto stuttered. "Sure. Thanks Kiba."
He returned to his seat next to mine while Kiba took the chair on his opposite side. I could see he was trying very hard not to look at me.
I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I moved and placed my hand over his. At first he stiffened at my touch. Slowly he turned his head, and I finally could confirm that he was crying. Not so long ago, I would have considered the behavior one of cowardice and weakness and thought less of him for it.
Now… now I felt that boy with tears flowing from his eyes was the bravest person I'd ever had the honor of knowing. That one such as him would deem me worthy of the title of his friend humbled me far more than any loss in battle ever could. How was it that so few people could see what an extraordinary person he really was?
I looked at him, and there was pain. Right at that moment, I wanted more than anything to take that pain and throw it at the pink-haired girl magnified a hundred fold. Instead, I smiled at him. Though the tears didn't stop, he smiled back. I felt terrible that I couldn't do more for him than that, but he had his demons to face and I had my own.
I doubted I would fare half so well as him, but I would draw courage from his example when the time finally came.
Iruka-sensei finally entered the room soon after the incident. He seemed bewildered by how silent the room was. If someone had dropped a needle, the tiny ping as it hit the ground would have been as audible as a bullhorn.
"Er… I'm happy to see you all," he said, clearing his throat. "I've just returned from speaking with the Hokage, and he has given me his final decisions on the make-up of the three man genin cells you will now be separated into. Realize that no single shinobi is capable of everything himself. Your teammates will balance out your weaknesses with their own strengths, just as you will balance theirs. Learn to trust each other, because you hold one another's lives in your hands. Every life is precious and should not be squandered. Bring honor to yourselves and your village by preserving life whenever possible, and being swift and merciful when it must be taken. The path we shinobi walk is often paved with blood, but never forget what it means to take a life. All of us share the same fate in death, and the dead are to be honored, be they your fellow ninja of the Leaf or those of an enemy village."
He tone softened. "Too often do many good shinobi forget this. They come to view lives as commodities to be bought, sold, and bartered. I hope that none of you ever fall prey to such cynicism. Yes, there are times when we must take a life, sometimes even an innocent one. But never forget that we are all human, as well as shinobi. A shinobi takes a life, but a human mourns death. To forget this is to rob the meaning of the lives we take. The shinobi of Konoha are not like other villages. We take no pleasure in the taking of a life. We do as we must in service of our friends, our families, and our village. That is our will of fire! May yours always burn brightly, even in the blackest darkness."
He bowed to us, and not a single soul in the room stirred.
I had never heard a ninja express such views before. It went beyond all logic. A shinobi is an instrument of death. In our world, blood flows like water. Death, both those of others and eventually our own, was simply an unavoidable hazard in our line of work.
Yet, Iruka-sensei's words moved me. I don't know if I believed them, but I think I wanted to. I had never heard the will of fire expressed so eloquently. I touched the hitai-ate around my neck. It identified me as a shinobi of Konohagakure. I had never been more proud of that fact than I was at that moment.
"Iruka-sensei, you're SO cool!" Naruto gushed from next to me. There were a few scattered laughs and all at once the tension drained from the room. I smiled, glad that Naruto had returned to his usual self.
Iruka-sensei chuckled. "There's no point in cozying up to me anymore, Naruto. You've already graduated!"
A few more laughs from the students echoed through the room.
"Now, I know you didn't all come today to listen to me lecture you. I'm sure you've had your fill of that after the years we've spent together. So without further delay, allow me to read aloud your genin team assignments, as dictated by the Hokage himself."
Naruto leaned in close to me. "I hope we get put together," he whispered.
"As do I, Naruto," I said back. And I made a secret wish with all my heart that it would be so.
"Hello to you all," my new jounin sensei said to my teammates and me. "My name is Kurenai Yuuhi and it will be my honor to act as your new captain and mentor of your assigned genin cell. Allow me to congratulate you on making it this far in your careers as shinobi. It is my hope that you will continue to grow and flourish under my tutelage as you aspire to even greater heights."
I bowed to her. "Thank you, Kurenai-sensei. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Yeah!" Naruto chirped from my side. "I can't wait to learn some awesome new moves from you!"
"Heh," Kiba said snidely from my opposite side. "Simmer down, idiot. You're going to give her a bad impression of us."
"No, I'm not!" Naruto denied hotly. "Am I, Kurenai-sensei?"
Kurenai-sensei blinked. "I take it you all are familiar with each other?" she asked us.
My estimation of her rose by a point. She'd proven already that she was not unobservant.
"Yep!" Naruto confirmed brightly. "Hinata-chan is the best friend I ever had! Oh, and Kiba is cool too, I guess."
"Stop adding 'I guess' when you talk about me!" Kiba snarled. Akamaru barked his consensus.
Kurenai-sensei pinched the bridge of her nose and I mentally awarded her another point.
"Settle down, boys," she reprimanded. "Save that energy for when we start performing missions. For now, I'd like for you to introduce yourselves. This is primarily for my benefit because you all seem to know each other quite well already."
"Is there anything specific you would like us to tell you?" I asked.
"Start with your names," she nodded. "I'd also like to hear why you each decided to become ninja and what goals you have for the future. As your new sensei, I will go first."
She took a breath. "As I mentioned earlier, my name is Kurenai Yuuhi. I became a ninja because I desired to protect this village and the people whom I care about from our enemies. My current goal is to get the three of your prepped to become chuunin and hopefully teach you a thing or two along the way."
"Ooh, me next!" Naruto volunteered enthusiastically. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I became a ninja because ninjas are super awesome and kick a lot of butt! My goal is to one day become Hokage and be acknowledged by everyone in the village!"
Kurenai-sensei and I bore similar looks of incredulity when Naruto revealed his reason for becoming a ninja. Yet another point in her favor. Naruto pouted at me and against my will, I smiled. He grinned back, looking pleased with himself.
"Thank you, Naruto," Kurenai-sensei said patiently. "That's a very lofty goal but I will do what I can to help you on your path to achieving it in the time we have together." She smiled at him and I decided then that I both liked and respected the woman.
"Guess I'll go next," Kiba grunted. "The name's Kiba Inuzuka and this is my partner, Akamaru." Akamaru barked once. "I became a ninja because my whole family are ninjas and I also want to prove my strength against strong opponents. As for goals, can't really say I have any. I guess maybe to get good enough to beat my older sister."
"Thank you, Kiba," Kurenai-sensei said evenly. "I am familiar with your sister, Hana, and know that she happens to be an excellent shinobi. Aspiring to best her is a worthy goal, and I will endeavor to aid you in what capacity I can as your sensei."
"I suppose that leaves me," I said. "My name is Hinata Hyuuga. I became a ninja because ninja are strong, and I wish to become as strong as I can so that I might one day free my clan from its self-harming traditions, such as the Caged Bird Seal. That is my highest goal."
Kurenai blinked at me. "You're the heir to the Hyuuga clan," she said. "But I'd heard…" She shook her head. "No, never mind. I am aware of the situation concerning your main and branch families, and believe your goal to be very worthy, indeed. I would be honored if the lessons you learn from me prove to be of any help as you strive to make it a reality. I do suggest, however, that you not speak of it so freely again. This is a ninja village, after all, and even the walls have ears…"
I felt appalled, realizing what a grave mistake I'd nearly made. Why did I tell her of my plans? I should never have been so open with such sensitive information.
Was I… becoming too soft?
The thought almost threatened to consume me when I remembered what Naruto had done earlier, and also the actions of my counterpart when I tried to goad her into battle.
"Soft" was not "weak". There were more paths to strength than the domination of others. Naruto and my other self had taught me that. It was a lesson I would carve into my heart so that I might never forget it again.
"Thank you for your candid responses," Kurenai-sensei said. "I feel I have a better idea of what motivates each of you now, and believe this knowledge will aid me as I perform my duties as your new sensei. I'd like to open the floor now to any questions you may have for me."
Naruto's hand shot up instantly.
"Yes, Naruto?"
"What kind of jutsu do you know, Kurenai-sensei?" he asked curiously.
"I suppose that's a fair enough question," Kurenai-sensei admitted. "I am a genjutsu specialist, but like any other jounin, my skills in both ninjutsu and taijutsu are not unimpressive. I was only recently promoted to my rank, but please do not assume I am somehow inferior to my peers because of it."
She flashed a grin and it almost looked feral. "Those who question my capabilities on account of either my gender or perceived inexperience will find that I take exception to such bigotry. The ones who do not recant their mistakes in this area often come to regret it later."
I completely threw out my point system from earlier. This woman now had a special place in my heart.
Naruto shuddered. "Th-thanks for the answer…"
Even Kiba looked subdued and Akamaru was whining softly.
"Are there any other questions?" Kurenai-sensei asked.
Naruto raised his hand again, albeit more hesitantly this time. "When will we be getting our first mission?"
"Tomorrow," Kurenai-sensei answered promptly. "Today, I'd simply like to see some of your skills in action so that I have an idea of where each of you needs improvement. I will alter your training regimen both as individuals and as a team based on my assessment of your abilities. Is there anything else before we proceed?"
The room was silent.
Kurenai-sensei nodded. "Then let's not waste any time. Do you all know where Training Ground Four is?"
Naruto, Kiba, and I all shared a look.
"I think we do," Naruto said smugly.
"You three are going to have to tell me your story eventually," Kurenai-sensei said with a frown. Then she formed a hand seal and was replaced by a whirl of falling leaves.
The three of us stared.
"Jounin are SO cool!" Naruto gushed.
Kiba and I nodded our agreement. Akamaru barked.
The three of us, or rather four including Akamaru, were sweating profusely by the time Kurenai-sensei had finished her assessment. First she had us demonstrate our chakra control by ordering us to walk upside-down on the tips of our fingers for as long as possible. If we sent too much chakra to our digits, then we would drain our reserves very quickly and soon collapse. Not enough and they wouldn't even support our weight.
After a half hour of this exercise, she tested each of us individually in hand-to-hand combat. She hadn't been kidding about her taijustsu skills being "not unimpressive". Naruto spent most of his time either sitting or lying on the ground and Kiba and I barely fared any better. None of us could come close to breaching her defenses and I wondered if the frustration I felt was anything like Naruto's when he'd trained with me.
After we'd been suitably winded, she allowed all three of us to attack her at once. If anything, we performed even worse. Our attacks were uncoordinated and we ended up hitting each other far more often than Kurenai-sensei. Actually, we didn't hit her even once.
Finally, she demonstrated her prowess with genjutsu and put us all into a series of horrifying imaginary scenarios ranging from the bloodied, beaten bodies of our teammates to the sacking and burning of Konoha. I was forbidden to use my Byakugan to escape her illusions. She called my clan's bloodline limit a "crutch". Ordinarily, I would have taken offense and argued, but I was so physically drained by then that I simply didn't have the energy to.
She explained that genjutsu was merely a means of binding an artificial chakra construct to another's chakra circulatory system. The foreign chakra would manipulate a person's five senses into experiencing whatever the illusion caused them to suffer, and even if our bodies suffered no physical damage, the nerve impulses for pain would still feel just as real to our brains.
We were to learn to escape her mental traps by temporarily halting the flow of chakra through our bodies and thus causing the foreign chakra construct to fall away with nothing left to bind to. She even demonstrated how to do it for us. But it was a far different thing to perform the simple technique under mental duress, even armed with the knowledge that it wasn't real!
After the tenth time she'd placed me under an illusion and I'd failed to break it, I was so disoriented that my internal dialogue filters failed and I idly commented about her being a rather articulate and well-mannered sadist.
She laughed at that, and said something about hoping I should never meet "Anko", whatever that meant.
After our egos had finally finished being ground into a fine powder, she allowed us to rest as she voiced her evaluation.
"You all have above average skills for fresh genin," she told us as we lay on the ground gasping for air. "I find this a pleasant surprise because Naruto in particular graduated from the academy with a less than flattering grade point average."
Naruto let out a strangled wheeze.
"Hinata, you have the best chakra control. This comes as no surprise, given the nature of your clan's Gentle Fist. Your taijutsu is also the most developed for the same reason."
I tried to nod, but my head just sort of lilted to the side.
"Naruto and Kiba, you've exceeded my expectations in both areas and should not be discouraged," she continued. "Do not feel that Hinata's inborn advantage gives her an edge that you cannot hope to overtake. The Byakugan does have its weaknesses, despite what the Hyuuga clan would have us believe."
Naruto and Kiba stared listlessly at her with their eyes.
"All three of you need to practice on breaking genjutsu," Kurenai-sensei informed us. "It is an essential skill for all shinobi to have and we will continue to train until you are successful one hundred out of one hundred times. Hinata, I must inform you that there are some advanced genjutsu techniques that your Byakugan will not help you dispel. It would be best if you did not rely on it and also learn the traditional method used by most shinobi. In any case, it never hurts to have more weapons in your arsenal or skills in your repertoire."
I tried to nod again, and failed for the second time.
"You also need to learn how to attack in tandem. You have teammates for a reason. I believe you grasp the principle of this, and only need to learn the proper execution. This is another thing we will work on in our time together as a group."
Then Kurenai-sensei finally smiled. "That being said, you all did quite well. I was impressed. Allow me to congratulate you on passing my test. Your completion of my drills showed me your skill and the fact that you didn't run for the hills screaming showed me your will. It will be an honor to take you on as my students."
She looked down at our prone bodies. "I want you to rest up for the remainder of today and meet me at the entrance to the Hokage's Tower tomorrow at 0800 hours, where we will receive and proceed to undertake our first mission. That is all."
And then she was gone with a fluttering of leaves.
The three of us spent a very long time lying there on the training field. Not surprisingly, Naruto recovered first. He got up shakily to his knees before assisting Kiba and myself in doing the same.
"J-Jounin are s-scary…" he shuddered.
Kiba and I nodded our agreement. Akamaru whimpered his.
A/N: I'm interested in hearing the comments on this chapter, particularly on the confrontation between Naruto and Sakura/Sasuke and my portrayal of Kurenai. I think Naruto's canon teammates made for very poor examples of friendship and Kakashi's lackadaisical teaching style made the copy nin a terrible role model.
Concerning the genin test… even if there's no basis in canon on which to infer that any sensei besides Kakashi has one, I feel like there should be. Genin are going to graduate from the academy thinking they're hot stuff and, especially being the pre-teens that they are, need a whopping serving of humble pie. They need to see that a jounin will eat little baby genin for breakfast and it's a lesson that needs to come hard and fast so there's no doubt in their minds that they're the low man on the totem pole.
I'd make some more commentary, but I don't want to taint the feedback I get for this chapter. It's a key turning point in many ways (Could I be more ambiguous?) and I want honest opinions.
