Itsu was right about them being cursed, or perhaps just unlucky, as they were in fact not chosen for the same team. Shino was called out with Kiba and Hinata Hyuga. Hinata was a quiet girl, so he hoped that Shino got along well with her. He was less certain about Kiba, who was a bit of a braggart and like to lord his capable taijutsu over everyone, which was a bit of a sensitive spot for Itsu.

Itsu was chosen for a genin team as well. He was placed with two other civilian-born genin on team four. He was partnered with a boy named Akihiko, who was a brown-haired boy with a slightly stockier build, and a girl named Chiyo, with light brown hair and a slightly round face. Itsu realized that they all had some shade of brown hair, and wondered if that was just luck.

They all politely introduced themselves once they got to their classroom to wait for their jonin, but like the majority of their classmates were clearly a bit uncomfortable around Itsu. He presumed it was because of his friendship with Shino, but it was strange that it had started this year specifically. He presumed that a rumor about the Aburames had made a round sometime at the start of the year.

Itsu didn't take it too personally but was rather irritated at the implication that they'd potentially dislike him for his choice in an excellent friend, but as nobody had explicitly said anything about why they were suddenly uncomfortable, he was left in mild irritation. At least Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji didn't seem to care, especially as Naruto seemed to have joined them around the time of the suspected rumor. Itsu was glad that he had a friend willing to defy social norms.

Speaking of Naruto, Itsu had quite a surprise when Naruto showed up the next day with a forehead protector, apparently having figured out a successful clone technique the night of the exam leading to Iruka allowing him to pass. He didn't let on any more than that, though.

Still, there was that hidden tension between Itsu and his group. He wouldn't let it stop him from working together with them, but he was worried that they'd not do the same.

Their instructor came in a few minutes later. She was a middle-aged, smoky blond, and tall woman with a stern face and standard jonin uniform. Despite her stern face, she gave a light, kind smile upon walking into the room.

"Hello, so, you are the lot assigned to me. I'm Ena, your potential jonin instructor."

The group introduced themselves, but Akihiko finished his introduction with a question, clearly unaware of the introduction test.

"Potential jonin instructor?" he asked, Chiyo tilting her head alongside him.

"That's correct," Ena responded, "There is a test process for the genin teams. Jonin are valuable, after all, and it is quite a drain on resources for every team to be accepted."

"What's this test then?" Itsu questioned.

She smiled, "You'll find that out tomorrow. This is more of an introduction than anything else. We will meet at training ground fourteen at noon tomorrow. Make sure to prepare yourself properly."

She turned and walked out of the classroom, leaving the team to glance between themselves. It was a strange silence, but eventually, the group broke away muttering farewells at each other, as Itsu was the only one who was aware of the test's existence.

They regrouped the next day at the training ground, a simple clearing in the middle of the forest. Itsu and Shino had spent their afternoon theorizing about the test, not coming to any particular conclusions. Itsu felt about as prepared as he could be thanks to the theorizing, equipped with plenty of senbon and mentally confident. Ena was waiting for them, leaning up against a tree.

"Hmm, prompt. A good start," she pushed herself off the tree, "The test is simple."

She pulled two bells from a pouch.

"The goal of this test is to get these two bells from me. The people who get these bells will pass, and the others will leave."

For all his theorizing, Itsu was shocked. Judging by the expressions on the other's faces, so were they.

"Only two of us will pass? But aren't genin always in teams of three?" questioned Chiyo.

"That is usually correct. However, there has been an initiative lately to see if it is more effective to train two genin than to split the time on three. By obtaining these bells, you prove your ability as worthy genin, and whoever is left behind, is left behind. I will be in a clearing to the west of here. The test will begin when you reach me."

She vanished in a blur of speed that Itsu couldn't track whatsoever, in the direction of the clearing she mentioned. Yeah, that was ridiculous. She was far too fast to be able to defeat head-on, they'd need to plan it out.

They all stood there for a second, glancing around. Itsu didn't miss the subtle nods between his teammates from the peripheral of his vision, but hoped they didn't mean what he think they mean.

"Alright, we should probably scout out ahead— oh."

The pair broke out into a westward sprint as Itsu began to speak, intent on getting to their instructor first. Itsu broke out into a sprint behind them, but the few seconds of head-start gave significant distance. By the time Itsu arrived at the next clearing, the pair had already engaged the jonin.

Ena was almost toying with them. The pair of attacks from the two were at best blocked, if not entirely avoided, and even worse for their chances was that it was obvious to Itsu that she was operating only on the bare minimum speed to avoid each hit. Clones were casually ignored and every swipe towards the bells she had tied to her waist fell short.

Perhaps a bit of sneaking would work where direct assault failed? He hid behind a tree, activating his void sight. He didn't want to show off his powers, but it isn't like she could see his eyes through the trees. He waited patiently until she was engaging the two with her back turned to Itsu, before he exerted his chakra to muffle his steps as much as he could and broke out into an almost silent run.

He reached the halfway point before his plan failed. He wasn't sure if it was his teammate's eyes flicking towards him or the jonin's skill, but Eva quickly turned and sped towards him, grabbing his hasty punch and throwing him at Akihiko. They collided heavily, and the pair tumbled to the ground.

"Get off me!" Akihiko growled, pushing Itsu off him and getting up.

Itsu got up as well. Stealth didn't seem to be an option, especially not now that she knew to watch out for him. That only left one option.

"Hey, we can't just keep going in like this. We need to work together, I think. Come up with a—"

Akihiko glared at him and rushed back in to fight with Chiyo. Itsu couldn't do anything but groan and unconsciously pinch the bridge of his nose as an anger-induced headache threaten to break out. Whatever, he'd do something at least.

He couldn't match her in taijutsu, not a chance, even with two others. He knew it wasn't something he excelled in, so he wasn't going to bother. Pulling out a senbon, he decided to play assistance to them, and maybe he could slip in and grab a bell if he made a decent distraction.

He began tossing senbon, aiming for legs and hands in hopes of somehow incapacitating her. They were not enough to damage her, but they seemed to be enough to up her ante. Ena had begun to move faster and had pulled out a kunai, either deflecting his senbon with her kunai or dodging around them. She also began to land more blows on the two engaging her, her faster speed too difficult to effectively dodge or block.

"Is that all you've got?" Ena said, half-mocking and half-disappointed.

Itsu's teammates got more aggressive with every hit taken, and every time they got more aggressive they left themselves open for more hits. It wasn't a sustainable offense, Itsu realized. He had to do something before they were taken out and he'd be the target. Then, an idea came to him.

He drew two senbon, tossing one as a concealment to hide the second in his sleeve. He ran after the projectile, which was casually batted away as he was eyed with interest. His teammates took his approach to mean their place on the team was potentially under attack and began an all-out attack to get to the bells before he had the chance.

This managed to get Ena's focus off of him, which was perfect. Itsu jumped into the air in a flying kick, headed straight towards Ena. This was a cover, however, for him to slide his senbon from his sleeve and flick it at the ribbon attaching one of the bells with the intent to hook it.

He did not abort his kick, knowing that if he revealed it to be a feint the trick would be blatant. Just as his senbon nearly connected, Ena's eyebrow raised, and again she blurred into motion faster than he could perceive. The next thing he knew, he was being grabbed and tossed again.

As he landed, he looked around. His teammates were laying next to him, both thrown to the ground beside him. Ena was standing a few meters away from him, casually flicking his senbon into the ground.

"Good trick, kid, but not enough. Besides, even if it did cut, I'd hear the bell hit the ground."

That was a fair point, but he had to try something.

Itsu's team all stood up on shaky legs, prepared for action again.

"Alright," Itsu muttered to his teammates, "You've got to have realized now that we can't beat her directly. We can worry about the bells later, we need to— GACK!"

Itsu was entirely unprepared for the roundhouse kick to his stomach from Akihiko.

"Shut up, already! If I'm going to be on a team, it's not going to be with the guy who's friends with the demon boy! Come on, Chiyo!" Akihiko called, rushing back into the fight with Chiyo right behind him, Ena watching on impassively.

Itsu was forced to his knees as the impact to his stomach forced him to retch. Bit of half-digested bugs stained the dirt and grass, and Itsu fumed between heaves. These absolute bastards were inconceivable. They were confronted with a superior foe and just kept throwing themselves at her. Even Naruto was able to come up with some strange plan when presented with a scenario where he couldn't just power through it. These fools were absolutely incompetent.

He took a minute to recover from the kick, absolutely livid. Itsu had been trying to ignore it since the start, but it was too infuriating to ignore anymore. His teammates were willing to sell him out for a shot as a genin team. Sure, it was whoever devised the two-man program's fault, to some extent, but ultimately these people were the ones that betrayed him at every turn. He didn't even know who the "demon boy" was.

Itsu didn't see red. He wasn't blinded by rage. Instead, his mind reached one conclusion. That was: Fuck it. No point in being subtle anymore.

Itsu stood up as Ena slammed a fist into Chiyo, knocking her into Akihiko and sending them tumbling to the ground again. Itsu reached out with one hand, feeling the void coil within him, as he stretched out the other in a grabbing motion.

Instantly, he blinked to the side of Ena right as his hand closed, and curled around the bells. The moment he felt the cold metal in his hands, he blinked again, the bells evaporating into nothingness with reappeared near his two teammates, bells unattached to their ribbons that had not been blinked along.

"You want these damn bells so much?! Then take them!" He half-growled, half-yelled, tossing the two bells violently at his teammates.

The two were confused for a moment but chose to ignore how he had gotten the bells in exchange for rapidly scrambling to pick them up. Itsu took many deep breaths, attempting to calm his violently raging temper. Having slightly calmed down, he looked towards his instructor. Or, he supposed, the jonin who would have been his instructor.

Ena was looking at him, eyebrows actually raised in surprise for a moment. Her features quickly settled back into her stern expression.

"The point of this test was never to obtain the bells. You were deceived," she stated absolutely, causing the team to stare at her in utter confusion. "Genin are passed as a team, and a team is always three genin. If one is lost, another takes their place. The point of this test was to demonstrate teamwork.

"Konoha ninja are effective because of their teamwork. We don't have the same intense mandated training, the same grueling methods as many other villages, as they are unneeded. Giving our ninja a stable life allows for deeper connections to form between them and others, allowing for dangerous levels of cohesion.

"You were never supposed to get the bells. You were supposed to work together."

Nobody knew quite how to respond to that, simply standing in silence.

"You have failed and will be members of the genin corps. I hope today's lesson is imparted more deeply to you. Sato, follow me."

Ena sharply turned and marched away. Itsu shook himself from his stupor and rapidly began to walk after her. He spared a last glance at his teammates. They were staring, hollowly, at the bells in their palms. Itsu couldn't bring himself to care.

Traitor scum.

Itsu had a strange feeling of nostalgia as he followed Ena into the Hokage's mansion. It had only been a couple of years since he last had found himself here, explaining his mark and getting assigned to live with the Aburame. Frankly, it was one of the best decisions ever made by their government, Itsu believed..

This trip was as daunting as the last had started, though. His team had failed, and supposedly him along with them, yet it was clear that something else was happening. Why had Ena demanded he follow her to the Hokage's office? Itsu hoped it meant something other than assignment to the genin corps, but he wasn't that idealistic.

"Ah, Ena, you're here earlier than expected," The Third Hokage welcomed them into his office. "Would you like some tea? I presume you're here to report if your team has passed?" At that, Hiruzen looked at Itsu curiously.

"I would appreciate some, sir. Unfortunately, my team has failed, but that is not why I rushed over here."

"Oh? What is it then?"

"During the test, Itsu Sato displayed the ability to instantaneously transport himself from one location to another."

It was the first time Itsu had ever seen the Hokage make a face other than curiosity or a kind smile. Not that he had much experience, he supposed.

"That is... correct?" The Hiruzen asked, confused, "I believe his capabilities were in your file on him."

Ena pulled a small pile of folded sheets of paper from her uniform, quickly flipping through them.

"They are not," she said, handing the files to the Hokage, who scanned them himself.

"How strange. It is classified as an A-rank secret and you more than have the clearance for that, perhaps some of the paperwork got scrambled? Regardless, young Sato here has what appears to be a new bloodline limit, displaying the ability to teleport and see through walls. Unfortunately, it does not seem to matter too much in the long run, as you said that team four did not pass?"

Ena quickly switched topics, "Ah, that is correct. That is the other thing I came to speak to you about, though I would have otherwise waited till the intended meeting time. I can delay till then if you wish."

"Ah, you can give the full explanation then. I wouldn't mind a quick summary now, however," he smiled, distributing tea to the two.

"Very well. In summary: The other two members of the team did not pass the bell test. Not only did they not work together, the two of them willingly excluded Sato due to—," Ena cut off and flashed some hand signs faster than Itsu could pick up, causing Hiruzen's face to gain a slight frown.

"However," Ena continued, "Sato displayed both a willingness to team up regardless and exceptional strategy. More noticeably, he managed to actually obtain the bells on his own due to my lack of knowledge as to his bloodline, before tossing them to his teammates."

He wouldn't have framed his fit of rage in quite that positive of light, Itsu thought as he sipped his tea. It was quite good tea, actually, and was excellent for soothing his nerves.

"Therefore, due to his capabilities in utilizing senbon, scouting, strategy, stealth, attempted teamwork, and bloodline abilities, I would like to recommend Itsu Sato to at the very least be selected as the foremost replacement should a team suffer a casualty. He would be wasted in the academy."

That was probably the best compliment Itsu had ever received, and it was from a jonin, no less.

"I see, I see," Hiruzen considered, stroking his beard, "Itsu, might I ask, do you have any particular skills you seek to develop in the future over others?"

That wasn't what Itsu had expected, admittedly. But, well, Shino and he didn't spend their training sessions silently, coming up with various strategies, new training methods, and how best to use their specialties in the future.

"Well, yes. I've been getting very good with senbon, and was thinking of getting into making poisons to go with them. Otherwise, I've mainly been focused on stealth," Itsu paused, reminded of a third thing he had been ruminating on, "I've also been considering learning how to use a sword. I believe it would help a lot in making up for my deficit in taijutsu."

"Poison, perhaps," the Hokage mumbled, evidently not too worried about showing off his inner monologue, "No, she would tear through a genin. But stealth and kenjutsu..." he trailed off.

"Err, sir?" Ena asked after his silence persisted.

Hiruzen finally nodded, seemingly finding the answer he sought.

"A jonin of ours recently suffered an injury and has been rather irritable about being forced on leave for a time. She isn't one for training a team, but I believe she will be amiable for at least a short-term one-to-one training. If not, I'm sure I can prepare an alternative option."

Considering he had mumbled about someone tearing through a genin, he wasn't all that sure he wanted an alternative option.

"I will ensure that any relevant information will be delivered to you by tomorrow. Oh, and would you be willing to sate an old man's curiosity?"

"Uhh, sure?" Itsu replied to the strange lead-in to a question.

"I understand that you've been spending most of your time outside class with Shino Aburame and Naruto Uzumaki. I find myself curious what you think of the two."

It was certainly a strange request. How did he think of the two? He would have thought it strange that he knew of his habits, but, well, ninja village.

"Well," Itsu pondered, "Shino is great. We spend a lot of time training, but outside of that, we're really good friends. I know he has my back, and I've got his. He could be a bit more outgoing, though. I'm not the most talkative, but I think he only really ever talks to me, and to some extent Naruto, now.

"Naruto I don't know that well. He doesn't talk about himself much. I guess he's a bit too loud and thick-headed, but that doesn't mean he's bad to be around. He's a nice, optimistic guy, and I think we'll be good friends."

Hiruzen smiled contently, "I'm glad that you are forming close bonds with those around you. It takes a burden off of this old soul. Now, I'm afraid I must get back to work. I'll see you later, Ena."

The two recognized the dismissal and finished their tea. With twin bows and farewells to the Hokage, they departed.

At the gates of the Hokage manor, Ena spoke to Itsu.

"Itsu. It is a shame I was unable to teach you myself, but I do hope you do well with a teacher of your own," Ena's stern face shifted to something almost a kind smile, for just a moment. "Perhaps I will see you as a jonin yourself, before the time I retire."

Ena blurred away, faster than Itsu could respond. Yes, it was a shame. Itsu could tell that she would have been a lovely teacher. Perhaps he'd see her around.

Shino and Itsu ate breakfast with each other again, as had become a common occurrence in these tumultuous times. Itsu had intended to talk to Shino about his test the previous day, but Shino hadn't come back till rather late. More than that, when he had returned, Shino had refused to say anything other than "passed" and "tired" before passing out on the sofa.

"So, the bastard kicked me in the stomach, and I was retching, right? Long story short, I get pissed and blink in to grab the bells, get told we failed, and dragged to the Hokage's office. Apparently, there was a paperwork error, and Ena hadn't gotten the info on my m- bloodline and so she dragged me there to report me. She tells the Hokage that we failed the exam, but that I would be 'wasted in the academy,' and the Hokage says that he'd get me a short-term one-on-one teacher, and I'd have the information on that by this morning. Not sure when or how, though."

"A one-on-one trainer? Interesting. I'm glad, though, it seems that having a team with those two was never in the cards, and this is a much better outcome than you being sent to the corps."

"Yeah, it's a wonder how they even got that far. Honestly, you'd think they'd check and see if there's any grudges between teammates before grouping them together. Seems like a bit of an oversight."

"Perhaps, or they believed it to be an opportunity to break through grudges and form deeper bonds. They did put Naruto with Sasuke and Sakura, after all."

"Huh, yea, they did, didn't they? Wonder how that went."

"Not sure. We'll have to look for them and ask, I suppose. Admittedly, I'm still not sure how Naruto passed despite failing the exam."

"He was evasive about that, wasn't he?" Istu pondered, "Eh, well, not our problem."

Shino continued, "Regardless, your notice should be coming soon. Why? Because dad's mail typically arrives at the same time, I've noticed, and that's usually a quarter of an hour or so from now."

That did seem about right, Itsu remembered, the couriers he usually saw arrive while eating long breakfasts with Shino did tend to have a usual timing to them.

Twenty minutes came and passed, and the usual courier did not arrive.

"How strange," Shino wondered, "They usually arrive by—"

Shino was interrupted by someone walking through the door. It was not one of the usual genin couriers. Instead, it was a woman with long purple hair, dark eyes, and dark red lipstick in a modified jonin uniform. This was not all that unusual, as many times Itsu had witnessed a chunin or jonin act as a courier for supposedly sensitive information.

What was unusual, however, was the woman herself. Most couriers didn't come with a sword strapped to their backs, nor a bright red ANBU tattoo proudly displayed on their exposed shoulders in a modified uniform. Her eyes glided over the boys.

"You're Shino, yes?" At Shino's nod, she continued, " I have your father's documents, would you be able to deliver them for me?"

"I would," Shino responded.

"Excellent!" She smiled, handing over the documents, eyes slipping to Itsu. "That makes you Itsu Sato, yes?"

"I am, and you are?"

"Your tutor for the next couple weeks or so. Name's Yugao, nice to meet you," she kindly smiled at him.

Itsu blinked, a little surprised. This was his teacher? He felt his eyes slide to her sword, and her ANBU tattoo next. She was likely skilled with a blade, and a very capable fighter if the ANBU tattoo meant anything. Itsu was expecting a normal jonin, as skilled as the lot were, not one of the elites. Well, isn't that promising?

"Well, come on then," she motioned, "We have to get started. Don't want those other groups of yours getting ahead of you, do you?"