Yep, you read that name and pairing correctly…. Someone really needs to take away my 'idea' notebook. Because every single time I think I've cleared my brain and I can pour all my resources into my main story, you see what happens? Ya see? Oy. Anyhow, welcome to my secondary main story…I guess. I'm a sucker for rare pairs in Naruto, and Naruino is easily the number one on that list. I'll probably be rotating updates to this one and Shadows Apprentice, that way I don't get too burnt out on either one of them. If anything, having a second main story might just be what I need to keep random one-shot ideas at bay. We shall see.

Chapter 1: The Selections

-Meeting hall, Hokage's tower-

This time of year, more so than most other times, was always one that many jounin in the village looked forward to if they didn't already have a group of genin under their wing. The team selection ceremony was when the most recent graduating class of genin were placed into a pool of potential choices and then, once the Hokage and the council determined which available jounin were due for teaching a new team, they were gathered to make their choices for who they wanted. The Leaf had a certain way of forming their squads that had worked out well for them after a few bumpy initial attempts. Each team would be given a genin who showed potential in one of three key categories. The genin were tested thoroughly in their academy years for how well they performed in tracking, combat, and capture techniques. And from there, they were assigned to the respective pool that fit them best. From there, the jounin in line to be sensei's chose one of each from those categories so that every squad had one of those essential categories covered in some way. There would inevitably be some overlap, sure, but that was to be expected. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third and acting Hokage, took his seat as he stared across the table at the three jounin that were selected for this round. The flickering candlelight from the lanterns in the corners of the room cast a shadow over part of his face, only adding to the powerful image that he as one of the great leaders of the shinobi world portrayed, even in his older age now.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming. I'm sure you've already put this together on your own, but for the sake of clarity, I shall elaborate regardless. You three, Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma Sarutobi have been chosen as the next batch of teachers for a squad of genin. We've taken care to put the candidates together in as cohesive a list as possible. We have also selected the order in which you shall chose each of your students," he said. He went in order from right to left. "Kakashi, you shall choose first. Then Kurenai, then Asuma." Asuma didn't appear to appreciate being last, but Hiruzen had no control over it. Because they were related, the elder had suggested and he had agreed that they be the ones to determine the order by random draw. It was only fair, so nobody could say that he favored one jounin over the other. He wouldn't have played favorites regardless, but whatever made the council feel better about the integrity of their process, he would deal with it. "Kakashi, please step forward." Kakashi, tilting his head respectively before stepping towards the table where a unfolded student roster was displayed before him. "You understand your directive, yes?"

"I do, Lord Hokage," he said.

"Very well. Select your first genin candidate from the combat specialty, if you please," he said. Kakashi looked down at the paper, studying the three names marked under the category. Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Choji Akamichi had been marked as combat specialists by virtue of their lower scores in both capture and tracking jutsu. He recognized all too well as to why that was. The Akamichi clan was well known for their specialty form of taijutsu, the sharingan made the Uchiha clan much the same sort of threat, perhaps even more so. And Naruto…. well given what he'd seen firsthand from the boy's parents, he no doubt had a lot of the same sort of potential. However, this left him with a bit of a dilemma. He could rule out Choji easy enough. He had a great deal of respect for his clan and his father, but he didn't believe that he was the correct teacher to try and pull that sort of performance out of him. It was the next choice that was the hard part. Sasuke, being the child of two of the Uchiha clan leaders who were killed in the massacre that wiped out the clan's high council, had already been through a lot. His brother Itachi was the only family he had left and following the massacres he'd been withdrawn from the boy, more so than before. That likely left Sasuke with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and he could also be of some help with his sharingan.

On the other hand, the other option was the only child of his sensei, a man who had taught Kakashi a great deal and had been taken from the shinobi world far too soon. Ever since he passed, Kakashi had wondered if he had been there to do something, even something small, would it have come to a point where he had to give his life? He didn't know. But now, here was a chance to maybe do right by someone from his old team for the first time in a long time. He couldn't save his sensei, he couldn't save Obito, he couldn't even save Rin. And, after a long minute of contemplation, though it felt a lot longer in his mind, he looked up and met Hiruzen's eyes. "Lord Hokage, I hereby select Naruto Uzumaki as my combat recruit," he said. Asuma's eyes widened.

"Kakashi, are you sure? That boy's test scores, even in combat are low as can be. You sure you want to set your base for your team that low?" he asked.

"He has a point, Kakashi. I mean, I know you like to take risks at times, but this seems like a suckers bet, even for you," Kurenai said

.

"Well, if your right it just means you get to tell me I told you so later. I know how much you like doing that, Kurenai," he said with a smile. She rolled her eyes and was motioned forward by Hiruzen to select her own initial recruit. She took a lot less time than Kakashi had, taking Sasuke. That left Asuma to have Choji, not that he minded all that much. Sure, it wouldn't been his first choice in students, but he wouldn't complain or gripe about it. It was just the nature of the way this process was conducted. If you got the last spot in line and didn't get your first or even second choice, oh well. A true shinobi instructor made the most of what he got and brought out the best of the genin under him and if he had his way, he would do just that.

The next selection was the tracking category, and Kakashi struggled much less with this one. For this, he went with Kiba Inuzuka. The Inuzuka clan were some of the best pure hunter ninjas that were available to the village, and their hounds were prized for being part of that. Really, that worked to Kakashi's advantage. He had some experience already in training ninja hounds after all, so Kiba would have plenty of opportunity to spar with someone who could at least somewhat match the techniques he was used to. Kakashi didn't consider himself an expert, but every little bit helped build a more cohesive team. Following this selection, Kurenai selected Hinata Hyuga, the oldest daughter of the current head of that family and, of course, the heir to the role. The byakugan was considered the rival jutsu of the Uchiha's bloodline technique of the sharingan, and there was a long-standing feud between the two families over the matter, or at the very least there used to be. It was a risk to have Sasuke and her on the same team in that case, but if they could combine their unique traits and become a good team, then that would be worth whatever struggles might come along with the choice. After Asuma took Shino Aburame officially as his tracker, Hiruzen nodded and indicated the final category, which was capture.

This set of recruits was a bit different, in that even though their highest scores were in the capture category, their other scores were also on the higher end of the spectrum. Ino Yamanaka was Kakashi's choice from this group. Like the Akamichi's, her family was well known for their mastery of a certain form of jutsu, though this one was a ninjutsu rather than taijutsu. Her ability to weaponize her very soul with her transfer abilities, and more advanced applications she could eventually master in that same vein made her an appealing choice. After all, you could hardly run away from an enemy that could take over your mind, right? As the last two times, Kurenai stepped forward and chose Shikamaru Nara. Considered to be the most brilliant and yet at the same time most lazy candidate to come out of the academy in recent memories, he rounded out the next generation of the great clans that was featured in this crop of recruits with his Shadow Possession Jutsu that his clan had perfected over the years. Shikamaru's test scores, when he could be bothered to even try and perform in the tests, were incredibly high for someone his age. He showed a high situational intellect, and if he could ever get some sort of motivation to do more than the basics to get by in practical exercises, he could develop into an excellent leader. And rounding out the list, Asuma took the final student on the list, Sakura Haruno. Sakura was also a bright student, someone who showed some skill in not only the earth style techniques she liked to use, but also medical ninjutsu and some minor aptitude in genjutsu, though these other talents were more unrefined than the first. But that could be worked on. Asuma thought she rounded out the team nicely. With the teams settled, Hiruzen folded the roster up and stuck it into his cloaks pocket.

"We now have our three teams. Team Seven under Kakashi Hatake consisting of Naruto Uzumaki, Kiba Inuzuka, and Ino Yamanaka. Team Eight under Kurenai Yuhi consisting of Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuga, and Shikamaru Nara. And lastly, Team Ten under Asuma Sarutobi consisting of Choji Akamichi, Shino Aburame, and Sakura Haruno. I hope that you will do you upmost to guide these genin into the future with all the dedication and courage that I have come to expect from the jounin of our village." The three nodded and Hiruzen stood, leaving them to their thoughts as they too lingered for only a few moments longer before heading out themselves. Word would be sent out to the genin to gather up at the predetermined locations, so their part was done for the time being. Kakashi wasn't entirely sure what the future might hold for him, but he was going to do his damndest to make it as bright as possible. Be a nice change of pace from constantly messing things up.

-The next morning-

Naruto couldn't believe his luck! If it wasn't for it being some of the worst ever, he wouldn't have any at all, would he? He'd set his alarm clock for bright and early but, in typical fashion, he hadn't pressed the button down all the way, being half asleep like he was and as a result he overslept to where he was fifteen minutes late for the meetup with his new team. Not a great way to endear himself to the people who would have to watch his back for the next few years. But he'd have to just try his best to make up for it. After all, if he wanted to eventually become Hokage someday, he couldn't let anything get in is way. Hopping along the rooftops, he made it to the assigned location, a fenced in area above one of the many warehouses in the area, in a new record time for him so hey that was something. As expected, he found his two teammates pacing around in frustration. Or rather, on closer look only Ino was. Kiba and his little dog Akamaru were just relaxing on the stairs, watching her with bored expressions. When he noticed Naruto standing there, he smirked.

"Late as always, eh Naruto? You may have swapped those goggles of yours for a headband, but some things just never change, do they?" he said. Naruto rolled his eyes a bit, hopping down and giving Kiba a quick high five. Things in the academy weren't always the best for him, but he'd managed to gather a small cluster of what he'd call friends, Kiba included. Sure, he got on his nerves at times, but who had friends that didn't do that from time to time?"

"Yeah well, this time really was just bad luck on my part. I honestly tried to get here on time," he sighed heavily. Kiba clapped him on the back, a little to hard, making him grunt.

"Don't sweat it, man. Hell, you still managed to beat our sensei here, so that counts for something." Ino folded her arms over her chest and scowled a bit.

"Yeah I noticed that too and I don't like it one little bit. Honestly, if you can be this late and still beat him, I'm worried about what were going to have to deal with from him," she muttered. She wasn't sold on this team in the first place, but she'd been depending on their jounin instructor being a bright spot. She didn't dislike Kiba or Naruto per se, but back in the academy they were amongst the group of students that liked slacking off whenever they got too bored. And sure, kids will be kids, but these two had almost made it an art form. She didn't anticipate that they'd changed all that much in their brief time since graduation. Hell, Naruto hadn't even actually graduated in the traditional sense. He'd gotten a field promotion from Iruka-sensei for something he'd done, nobody knew the details as to what. Or if they did know they weren't saying. Sure, that may count in terms of the rules, but Ino would have to see more before she decided one way or another about him. She was broken from her thoughts by a poof of smoke, in which stood, she supposed, their teacher.

"Hey there. Apologies for being late, I ran into this little old lady who needed help with her groceries," he said, rubbing the back of his head. The genin all exchanged a quick look, clearly none of them buying it, and he quickly changed the subject. "So, without getting into some long-winded speech, my name is Kakashi Hatake. You three have been assigned to me as squad seven under the traditional three-man structure. Tomorrow, we'll be doing one final test before we can begin to undertake missions. But we can get more into that then. For now, how about you all tell me a bit more about yourselves? I already know your names, but how about your goals, your dreams whatever you'd like to call them. Your likes, your dislikes, really anything you feel comfortable sharing." he looked at Ino first and, after hesitating a moment, smiled a bit nervously. She explained a little bit about her family and that her main goal was to eventually become the leader of the intelligence gathering corps just like her father and a lot of other Yamanaka clan members ended up being. She liked tending to her flower shop with her mother, and her only dislike she pointed out was Sakura, which made Kiba, and Naruto exchange an 'oh brother' look.

Kiba's answers were somewhat like Ino's in that he wanted to make his family and clan proud, but he added that he wanted the Inuzuka's to one day be considered amongst the very tip top of the clan structure. Kakashi admired that in a way. He certainly had his work cut out for him though, with both the Hyuga and Uchiha clans to compete with, and then there were the other middle of the pack families like the Yamanaka's ironically. Kiba listed his likes as mostly stuff involving his dog such as walking him, training with him etc. And though he said he didn't really dislike anything particular person like Ino, he hated people who had an unearned sense of superiority. That answer didn't surprise Naruto in the least. Kiba had butted heads with Sasuke in the academy, chafing under the boys' constant high marks and the kunoichi in their class falling all over themselves to try and impress him.

"That just leaves you," Kakashi said, not betraying the curiosity he felt in his tone. Naruto smirked widely, tucking his arms behind his head.

"I like instant ramen in a cup, but I really, really like the ramen from the Ichiraku Ramen stand in the village. I hate the few minutes you have to sit around and wait for the ramen to cool off after you pour in the water though. I mean, it's just more time wasted when I could've already been done with the cup five times over. And my dream? That's an easy one. To be the greatest Hokage this village has ever seen. Then everyone in the village who's treated me like dirt will have to look up to me and respect me. And everyone who's ever doubted me will know how bad of a move that was," he said excitedly. Kakashi smiled. This was no doubt his sensei's child. That smile, that determination…it was uncanny. Make the hair a bit longer, he'd be the full spitting image of him.

"Well now. Seems I've got some students with ambition if nothing else. That's good. I can work with that. As I said, you have one final task before you before I will allow you to undertake missions as shinobi of The Leaf. Head on home, back some essentials like water and something to snack on- that WON'T need boiling water, Naruto," he warned, making the boy flush in embarrassment. "Report to training zone five and be prepared to work hard. You may have been granted your headbands, but that's only one small baby step on the road of a ninja. Dismissed!" As his students leapt up and went in all different directions, he let a cautiously optimistic smile spread over his face again. This was bound to get interesting.

Indeed, it is, Kakashi! Now, I can't take credit for coming up with this team selection process. My friend Beav over on twitter helped a lot with that. Speaking of, if you want live updates to how my writing is going or just wanna connect to geek out over stuff, my twitter is ElisaBwing.

As I said in my intro, this will be the secondary main story I work on, alternating updates between this and Shadow's Apprentice. I hope to give you my best efforts for both, and If y'all could show your support through follows, faves and reviews I'll owe you big time.

Till next time, fellow readers,

-Elise