Chapter 1:
It was a great surprise, to be sure, seeing Uzumaki Naruto there at graduation. A surprise some had a better reaction to than others.

The class was forty strong, But it was a longshot that even three of them wouldn't be finding their way back to the academy by the end of testing. Fate was a strange and mysterious mistress. However, The presence of one man would change the course of many lives.

In another world, another timeline, He would have been disinterested in taking on a team of genin. Another man to be slaughtered by Uchiha Madara, in a war that had not yet occurred.
But one week before graduation, In this new world. He had arrived at the third's office, Determined.

Twenty-two-year-old Hikaru Ikigomi
He was tall and slim, with shoulder-length crimson hair, and with a grizzly scar covering the right side of his face though, the eye on that side a milky amber countering the bright, vibrant eye on his left.
Neglecting the flak jacket most jonin wore, He preferred a more casual look, with a loose black jersey and long comfortable pants.
Were it not for the protector tied around his right shoulder, one would mistake him for a nameless bum. And certainly, that was how he preferred it.

He wasn't a special person, He came from no clan. He graduated later than everyone he knew, at age 15, But rose to the ranks of chunin and jounin relatively quickly. He specialized in nothing And excelled at nothing. However, the one thing that was of any particular note, was his skill in helping others along.

He was a magnificent teacher. If only he had the ambition to expand upon that one particular niche.
In one timeline he had never gotten the chance.

He had entered the office of Hiruzen Sarutobi "Lord Hokage." Hikaru spoke quietly. "I come seeking a favor."
Hiruzen gave a hum, As his attention turned to the visitor. "Ah, Ikigomi Hikaru Your visits are a rarity. How can I help you?"
Hikaru nodded. "It is… a special request. Understanding my own inexperience as a jounin. I would like to take on a team."
Hiruzen's eyebrows shot up for a brief moment "I see… You know this is a very last-minute proposition, Correct?"
"I do, however, it has come to my attention that there are several problem children presently within the system, trouble makers, A slacker or two, And from what I can gather, The Hyuga girl graduating in this class has a particularly low aptitude for being a ninja in the first place. "
"And why the sudden interest? There have been troubled children in previous years as well"
"The trouble is, with all due respect sir, That the quality of our academy has on the whole gone down. Since the third great war."

Hiruzen took a moment to think about this… Hikaru was in the academy long enough to see the supposed decline. Eight years is certainly nothing to sneeze at when it comes to personal experience. So Hiruzen decided to hear him out. "... Go on. "
"If we're going to make genin of children who are clearly not ready for it. Then I would like to do my part to ensure that they become ready."
"You have acknowledged yourself, Hikaru, That you are inexperienced. Who is to say you won't make the issue worse?'
Hikaru thought for a moment. "I will teach the children more than the three most basic Jutsu, for one. "
"Are you saying the fundamentals are not important?"
"I'm saying that not everyone has a clan, or a ninja in the family to teach them D-Class and C-class Jutsu. Give me the lowest scorers, And I will give them what they need to hold their own"
Hiruzen hummed.
The lowest scores in the academy, Shikamaru Nara, Naruto Uzumaki, And Hinata Hyuga
Shikamaru and his runner-up Chouji were to be part of a new Inoshikacho team.
Which left… not many options, Kiba Inuzuka was poor in written tests but had remarkable ability in combat, both armed and unarmed, And practical jutsu usage.

Shino Aburame and Uchiha Sasuke were hardly the worst students available.

The class was forty-strong, but aside from Naruto and Hinata, all he could think to give Hikaru was just a student in the sea of average test results.
Taking a breath, he hummed "very well, I have three candidates for you, But be warned…"
'Hm?'
Hiruzen took a breath "as you know, one of the students at the ninja academy is the Kyuubi jinchuriki"
"...I see, " Hikaru took a feel at his scar, He had gotten it when he was a child of ten years old, from falling debris, Beyond that, there was the matter of his parents, Who had died from the attack.

"Understood," Hikaru said," I am to train the boy then?"
Hiruzen sighed "you asked for the lowest results, Hikaru, And I am afraid he is amongst them"
Hikaru nodded" I see, Despite my past with the Kyuubi, he deserves the same chance as any to become a strong shinobi"

Hiruzen studied the young jounin, Trying to read if he was being sincere. He knew Hikaru was always a kind person, However, the third also knew even the kindest of people had a certain level they could take before they started to lash out.

"Is something wrong? Lord Hokage?" he asked with a curious voice.
"Ah, well, If I am being honest. I am a bit concerned for the well-being of Your soon to be student"
"... You trust me that little?"
"It is a big responsibility, especially for someone so young as you"
"I understand that much" Hikaru said firmly" The boy has the power within him to destroy entire nations, I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize our village, Beyond that, The jinchuriki, As uncomfortable as it makes me to refer to the boy this way, Is the leaf village's secret and most valuable weapon. I wouldn't destroy him just for some misplaced sense of revenge"
Hiruzen took note of his tone And decided he was being genuine. "Very well, Your request shall be granted."
Hikaru smiled and gave a bow to the Hokage, before making his way out.

And now, one week later, it was time for the real final test to begin.
He had met his students, team six, the previous day, and told them to make their way to training ground fourteen.

He had arrived early, wanting to make the impression of a responsible teacher. And waited, Reading a manual on the fire release technique, Ash pile burning. And even giving it a few attempts. Two of the students had shown up while he was in the middle of practicing.

"Yo!" Naruto called out "Ikigomi-sensei! We're here!"
Hikaru paused his practice And noticed Naruto and Hinata Watching him, Hikaru hummed and took a brisk jog over to them
"Early huh? I'm impressed, Naruto. I heard you weren't so good about that in class"
"Yeah! Well! You know! I'm a ninja now! I gotta take things seriously now!" He said with a cheeky grin.
Hikaru smiled and nodded, before turning to Hinata "And madam Hyuga, It's nice to see you again"
The girl looked down shyly, and nodded "y-yes, You too, I-Ikigomi-sensei" she stuttered out quietly. Siling simply trying to make a good impression.
"Now it's just your last teammate we're waiting on…' Ikigomi stated, And, almost on cue. He came

Koga Akiyama, Age twelve, And a boy not from any clan.
His hair was dark brown, the back braided into a long 'tail' of hair, with a spiked tuft at the end. He dressed in a somewhat 'business casual' sort of manner, A light blue plain tee-shirt tucked into dark brown pants that he could move about in easily enough. Without necessarily suited to intense workouts. Long with a nice, leather belt.

'Sorry I'm late, sensei' he said Politely giving a bow, Trying just a bit too hard to seem respectful "My elder sister kept me up with her gossip"
Hikaru hummed "No problem, Koga." he bowed his head in greeting "Now that all three of you are here. We can end the pleasantries and get straight to business"
He said, gesturing for them to sit down, An instruction they followed

"Now, Since I was a bit busy yesterday, We didn't get to introduce ourselves, it seems we finally get a chance to do so," Hikaru said cheerfully though maybe a bit more monotone than the children was used to hearing. Seeing the three were silent, he sighed "Suppose I'll go first then…"

He looked over the three students "To keep it short, My name is Hikaru ikigomi, I am twenty-two years old. My likes include sculpting, and learning new things that can be used in both shinobi and civilian life, My favorite food is gyutandon, My dislikes are uncooked vegetables, and teachers that waste the potential of their students. My goal in life is to settle down with a nice woman, Maybe a few years younger than myself, and start a family, And to protect that family as a shinobi of the hidden leaf until I'm too old to continue doing so. ' he said, finishing up the general summation of his overall personality.

The students thought on his words, Naruto was the first to break the awkward silence, Though not with an introduction… "Why younger?" asked Naruto "you're not some kinda weirdo are ya sensei?"
"Ah, that's an odd question."Hikaru said but decided to answer anyway "It's so she can outlive me. If my spouse were to die before I did, I don't think I'd be able to deal with it. So a young woman some years my junior would be ideal, "
Hinata's turn to give his words some thought,' W-wouldn't that leave her heartbroken then?'
"I suppose… But I suppose if I knew I was going to die, I'd encourage her to find someone else." The jounin said casually. Not at all mind the questions.

That said, he did need to get on with the day "Anyway, Naruto , since you were first to speak, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself"
"Ah! Yeah ok!" He said with a smile"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like pullin' pranks, watering my houseplants, And i especially love ramen! As per what i dislike, we're in the same boat as far as veggies go! And I also hate arrogant people. There's this one guy in the academy I just couldn't stand in the slightest And one day I'm gonna be the Hokage!"
"Pshh' Koga huffed at naruto's behavior.
"I see we have a volunteer," Hikaru said to Koga.

"Fine." Koga said, ``A bit huffy from Naruto's 'performance'." I am Koga Akiyama. My likes are collecting rare things, like cards, stamps, and coins, And i also enjoy fishing. My favorite is hotpot, my dislikes are people without class" he would look at naruto. "Though i agree quite firmly with Naruto on arrogant people, My goal in life is to become a shinobi strong enough to rival the sanin, and set the Akiyama name in history."
"Quite the ambitious goal you have, Koga. " Hikaru replied thoughtfully before turning to Hinata. "Looks like you're the only one who hasn't introduced themselves"

Hinata gave a small 'eep' Before taking a moment to compose herself "... My name is Hinata Hyuuga, M-my likes are gardening, s-sweets and…W-well" she gave Naruto a meaningful look. "I-i mean, uh… never mind! My dislikes are shellfish… As food, I mean" she said piping down "M-My goal is…" she looked at naruto once more as she gave a small smile, "My goal is… I suppose… To show my worth to someone, Someone very important to me"
"Uh? Hinata? Why're you staring at me?" Asked Naruto, As the girl blushed bright red Her face now looked like a ripe tomato as she turned away to scream internally.

Hikaru and Koga gave each other a short look, Noting immediately, two things
1. The rich girl from the powerful clan had feelings for what basically amounted to the village fool.
And 2. That the town fool was immensely dense
They would keep it to themselves for the time being. Of course, Not want to embarrass the timid Hyuga heiress.

"Before we get too off track, I would like to inform the three of you, That rather than training, Or doing any missions today, I will be assessing your combat prowess. As well as testing your ability to work as a team"
The three turned their attention to him
"But sensei" Spoke Koga. "We just graduated, and i'm sure we're all eager to start on our first mission. Can't you get a feel for these things as we go?" he asked calmly.
"Oh, I could, " Hikaru replied, as he stood and began stretching "But this quickens to process significantly" He continued, as the other three, seeing this couldn't be avoided, began to stand up.

"Now, unlike with other jounin you'd get, I won't even consider sending you back to the academy, But i still want you three to fight as though your life and career depends on it" He said, The three nod in response some more confident than others. Before Hikaru disappeared. As if into thin air "Training begins now" his voice would come, seemingly from every direction.

The three would look at eachother. Quietly Before Koga spoke up "Alright, here's the plan." he said pulling out some signal flares . "Each of us should take one of these, And split up, Then once one of us manages to find-" he was cut off
"Hey!" Naruto shouted "Who died and made you the leader?"
Koga glared at naruto "Well, i'm obviously the best for the position"
"Haah?"
Koga sighed at Naruto's indignation " Listen, No offense to Hinata, But she can barely form a sentence without stuttering. And you? You're at the bottom of the class! There's no way you could come up with a functional plan"
Naruto growled in frustration "Oh yeah?!"
Koga smirked cockily "If you have something better I'm glad to hear it"
Naruto took a moment to think. Before coming up with an idea.

"Shadow clone Jutsu!" he shouted, as he made the hand sign. Three clones popped up beside him. Hinata lit up at the sight

'H-he did it!' She cheered internally. as a pair of clones proceeded to use transformation, turning themselves into copies of Koga and Hinata.
"there! " Naruto shouted proudly "now we can send these three ahead while we stay behind for an ambush!"
Koga didn't want to admit it… But it wasn't a bad plan. "Fine. We'll go with that" He said, almost bitterly. as Hinata smiled
"N-Naruto… It really is a- Erm, A good plan"
"Hehehe, Of course! I'm the one that came up with it!"

Meanwhile, From the trees above, Hikaru looked down "A total newbie and already he has that kinda technique downpat? he 's not even tired .' he wrote that in his note "he may not be very booksmart, But that kind of cleverness is valuable in a ninja" he would continue writing, Before jumping off to set up his own strategy. _

It was about thirty minutes before Team six had managed to find their sensei, he was sitting on the ground, Quietly reading a manual for some technique or another.
The clones went around, So they could meet him from the front, Leaving the treeline, while the rest of team six stayed hidden behind their teacher. A pincer formation.

"Attacking from the front?" asked the sensei to the clones "bold move, But very foolish" He refused to get up, just sitting tranquilly.
"I told you it was a bad idea!" 'Koga' said condescendingly, as The copy Hinata tried to look sullen and unsure.
"Whatever! I'm going for it!" The fake naruto roared, as he charged, The two copies following behind.
As they did, Hikaru jumped from his sitting position, High enough to hit all three clones with shuriken, Causing them to transform back into Naruto before being dispelled.

However, the three real genin charged from behind, Jumping after him, Naruto, ever the pig head was the first to try and attack, with a wide sweeping kick, Which Hikaru blocked with his left arm Before turning his body midair to return the favor, Causing the real naruto to fly back into Koga, Leading them both to smack into a tree,
Seeing Naruto get hurt distracted Hinata enough for her strike to miss, and as a result, she caught a knee to the gut Making her fall to the ground. As Hikaru made his own landing some space away.
"A pincer attack, Very clever. I can only imagine the class clown was spearheading this operation?"

Koga and Naruto got up, And when Hinata finished dry heaving, She got into a stance as well "how could ya tell?"
Hikaru chuckled "well. Hinata and Koga certainly don't outsmart Established genin, Chunin, And even the occasional Jounin on the regular. " He pointed out, Making Naruto smirk And Koga frown.

'How could this moron earn his praise when I haven't' Thought the clanless boy.' i finished higher than him!'

"But, There were a few fatal errors." Hikaru pointed out. "Firstly, You failed to check to make sure you weren't being spied on, This is especially glaring since you had a potent scout assigned to your squad."
Hinata frowned and looked at her feet in shame "s-sorry. I didn't think…"
"No worries, This is a learning experience. Not to mention, Even experienced Hyuga occasionally make the very same mistake. " Hikaru said Gently. "Next, you're nowhere near as familiar with this area as I am. Even if you had the element of surprise, I could easily worm my way out, since I practically live here. And then counter-attack with an ambush of my own" he continued turning to the boys.

Koga snarled… Neither he nor Naruto had taken that into account.
If he had, He could have made sure Naruto knew his place. In their team's pecking order.
"And finally, You never took into account the idea that I could work this into my own plan!" He said, As his body turned to mud, Making the trio of genin panic, Suddenly a hand reached up from below Hinata and pulled her underground until just her head was left uncovered. Her taijutsu if left unchecked would be an issue. Afterall.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted, Rushing in to help. But before he could make it to her, Hikaru cropped up from the ground again, This time fully "Konoha Secret technique!: One thousand years of death!" shouted the jounin as he gave naruto a nasty surprise to his blindspot, Using chakra to propel him over the treeline. Koga gasped, With Hinata disabled and naruto no longer present. He was left to fend for himself.

His only option was to run. It was just a training exercise, after all. And so he took off. Leading to Hikaru pursuing at a rapid pace. "Running away? While your allies are in peril? What a low, Cowardly thing to do!" Hikaru glared at the boy "I said I wouldn't be sending anyone back, But for the way you're behaving I might make an exception!"
Koga took a deep breath Shaking his head, as he paused, and turned around to face his new mentor
"Fine!" He said as Hikaru charged forward, He threw a set of three Kunai, Only for them to strike a log rather than his sensei. He looked around for a moment, before remembering… Quickly he jumped up as a hand reached to grab him, using chakra to propel himself into the air. Seeing his sensei pull himself out of the ground filled Koga with relief, only for something to grab him from behind.
"H-Hikaru sensei?"
"Did you assume I'd only set up one mud clone?" Hikaru, if it was really Hikaru, Asked as he shifted his weight, shifting them so they were upside down
"Taijutsu advanced art: Izuna drop!" At those words, he began to plummet, His student in tow.
'Crap, I gotta think of something, quick!' Koga closed his eyes, before remembering, Even under the immense pressure he was feeling, He could use substitution.

And that's just what he did: Replacing himself with heavy stone just at the moment of impact. When the dust cleared, half of 'Hikaru's' body was half solid mud molded into the dirt, As the Hikaru that had used headhunter jutsu stood, impressed.

"You may be quick to panic, But that was a decent performance under pressure. We can hone that into a useful skill. " Hikaru said, as Koga gave a smirk, happy to have something about him appreciated" Still, For abandoning your teammate, That'll dock more than just a few points off your evaluation."

Koga took a breath, "Where'd you learn that taijutsu anyway?" he asked, with a glare "I never saw that at the academy"
Hikaru chuckled a bit "when you've made as many friends as i have, You tend to pick up useful things, that was a personal downgrade of one of our village's greatest taijutsu specialist's best techniques."
Koga gulped as he looked at the damage done, There was damage a solid two meters in each direction.
"If that was the downgrade I'd hate to see the real thing" He shuddered,
"Trust me, if I could do that technique, I wouldn't use it on a green genin. It's a risky move, to be certain," Hikaru said, stretching " my version is nowhere near as powerful, but at least I'm still fighting fit." Hikaru said as he got into his stance.

Koga got into a stance of his own, taking some deep breaths to calm himself down, Before taking the offensive. Throwing punches and kicks, as quickly and as powerfully as he knew how, But he couldn't get more than a glancing blow on his instructor. And it wasn't long before his assault was ended by a firm palm strike to the ribs, knocking him back into the tree, and him unconscious.

Hikaru sighed. Taking a moment to assess the boy's performance as he tied the kid up.

"Taijutsu is a C+, He has a solid foundation.
Stamina is a C, he lasted about as long as i expected him to in a direct flight. He would finish his knot as he continued grading, Now writing things down
"Thus far he has displayed one of the basic ninjutsu in the form of substitution, And according to the instructors at the academy, he was proficient in the other two as well… I'll give him a C there. His teamwork, Would be an F, And his tactical ability a D, The plan he proposed would have separated him and his companions, Making it easier for me to pick them off one by one…but a bad plan is better than no plan" he would continue making notes, Before pulling the page out of his notebook and posting it on the boy's head with a piece of tape. He lifted the boy and took them to their meeting spot. Allowing his clones to handle the other two, for the time being.

Elsewhere, Hinata was still trying to wiggle her way out of the dirt, When Naruto, Rubbing his rear end came by "Damn that guy…" he grumbled under his breath, Before seeing Hinata "ah! There you are! Here I was worried I'd get lost or somethin'"
Hinata smiled "N-Naruto!" She called out surprised, as Naruto got a Kunai and started scraping at the dirt
"C'mon Hinata! Let's get you outta there!"
She blushed and smiled, waiting until the object of her admiration got her loose enough to where she could move and help get herself out.

It didn't take too long for the girl to get out from the ground once naruto got one of her arms free She and naruto sat together, a bit out of breath from all the digging.
"Alright! Now we just gotta kick Ikigomi-sensei's ass"
Hinata flinched a bit at the profanity, but nodded "y-yes! We need to f-find Koga first though, We're supposed to work as a team?"
"Yeah but… Where'd he go?" asked Naruto As Hinata frowned
"He… Ran away…"
"What? Grrr, That asshole! I thought we were s'posed to be a team!?" He asked rhetorically.
Hinata was never comfortable judging others when she considered herself so weak, but it was pretty low of the boy to run away… She decided to change the subject to avoid dwelling too much on it.

"So u-um! Who is your… W-well?" ah, She wound up getting more flustered.
Naruto made a loud 'blugh' sound
"It hurt like hell, But I think I'm feelin' better now"
"T-that's good, at least!' Hinata said cheerfully, still a bit embarrassed at seeing her crush's blind spot abused so readily.
"Anyway, Koga's probably got his ass kicked already! Let's just keep an out for each other, Kay?" asked naruto as Hinata thought on his words

She nodded her head "yeah!"
And so, the two began searching for their teacher. With Hinata's byakugan inactive, she failed to notice a small smirk on Naruto's face.