Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masaishi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.

Chapter 8: Meet Your Sensei!

Inside the Hokage Tower, Leaf Village

In the giant building close to the Hokage Monument, a large gathering of jounins and other associates of the Leaf Village took place in the Hokage's office. The current Hokage Tsunade still looked like the same due to her abilities to contain her youthful appearance. But in the last few years, the old woman's health had become troubled somehow. But she was not giving up her duties yet. The people would need her, as she needed them.

As every chuunins and jounins had been gathered, Tsunade started this meeting with her assistant Shizune speaking up.

"Attention brothers and sisters of the Leaf! Lady Tsunade has arranged this meeting for the sole purpose of discussing upcoming events, including the Chuunin Exams" Shizune declared and the crowd began whispering to each other. "Once again, for the first time in many years, this year's Chuunin Exams will be held here in the Leaf Village! However even tough we are all confident, we are all still wary about arranging an event like this!" Shizune continued explaining.

"Lady Hokage! What do you have to say about this?" a jounin asked the old, but young-looking lady.

"As much as I'm delighted about the event, we must not let our guard down! The previous time the Leaf was hosting the Exams many years ago resulted in chaos. And by that I mean the loss of ninjas with bright futures ahead of them, as well as our dear Third Hokage: Hiruzen Saurtobi" Tsunade stated bitterly at the mentioning of her deceased teacher. Every shinobi in the room felt the same pain and sadness as their leader did.

"Lady Hokage! I suggest we keep a better watch for anything suspicious: both inside and outside the village! We can't let the same mistakes be repeated! During that time, we where all caught off guard by the Sand Village's hidden alliance with Orochimaru! Speaking of which, nobody has seen him for many years!" another jounin spoke up.

"Yeah, even our top secret spies who are dispatched throughout the world have not even found any traces of him. I don't mean to jump into conclusions Lady Hokage, but I think Orochimaru doesn't even walk amongst us anymore! Obviously, he has died" an ANBU spy stated while bowing his head in respect towards Tsunade.

The old woman closed her eyes and sat on her chair in silence. She admitted that she had always wondered about the whereabouts of her old teammate and fellow Sannin. Ever since their brief alliance during the Fourth Shinobi World War, her reunion with Orochimaru was like a sting in her heart. She was still furious and angry towards him, especially for what happened with their teammate Jirayia. On another note, she also wanted to believe Orochimaru had passed away of old age, but she knew it was impossible, considering the white-skinned man's twisted personality. But could he ever forgive him for all his past wrongdoings? Tsunade had not done that, nor did she wish that it would ever happen.

"I don't know what the correct answer is, ANBU. But I will still believe in that Orochimaru is dead. For now. That being said, I have more pressing matters to focus on than drifting back to the past" she answered silently.

"Lady Tsunade. Is there something troubling you? We would all be glad to hear them from your heart" Shizune asked with concern in her voice. Tsunade sighed before answering.

"It's just..….I'm beginning to grow old, Shizune. Perhaps it's time I finally laid down the mantle of Hokage to someone else" the old woman answered while eyeing down at the table.

"W-wait Lady Hokage, now it's not the time for you to step down! The Chuunin Exams will soon be upon us and…." before the jounin could protest the suggestion, he was interrupted by Tsunade.

"I know that! However, what the rest of you don't know is that I've already prepared my successor. And I believe he is the man most suitable for the job!" Tsunade declared. Every attendant in the hall became surprised, yet they soon realized who she was talking about. "And we all know who that is! This is a guy who has been a beacon of hope and freedom for years. In this new generation, I feel that we need him, as he need us. And now, I think he is most certainly ready" the Hokage continued explaining her admiration for her succsessor.

"True. We are talking about a hero who spent his life building up his reputation, from a troublemaker to a wise leader!" Shizune stated with pride.

"You are right Shizune! He also showed me the light in our people's greatest crisis. Then I want you all to proudly accept my successor: Naruto Uzumaki as the Sixth Hokage!" Tsunade declared and out of nowhere, Naruto appeared in beside the old woman. He was giving the attendants his cheeky smile as usual.

"Hello there! How you're doing?" Naruto asked cheerfully, much to the amusement of the jounins. But Naruto soon directed his attention towards Tsunade. "Listen, grandma. If you wanna step down now, I'll be more than happy to take over the reigns. I don't wanna have you..." the blonde-haired man was interrupted by the Hokage.

"At ease, Naruto. I won't step down just yet! But should the time come when my life is needed most and I may not make it out alive, then I will entrust the future of the Leaf Village to Naruto! Your life is yours to throw away. That is my final decision!" Tsunade stated while smiling at Naruto.

"I will gladly do that, Granny. But right now, we better focus on the Chuunin Exams. Remember, I will be assisting you with the organizing of the event along with Shizune!" Naruto stated while giving his thumb to Tsunade. The old lady smirked at her protégé.

"Well said, Naruto. I couldn't agree more" Tsunade replied. "Now head back to the office for now. I'll be there shortly!" she told him, to which Naruto happily obliged and left the hall.

Now it was time for the second phase of this meeting. It was namely to name out the jounins for the new teams. Of course it was a very excited event for most of the adults, considering that they were entering into a new chapter of being a shinobi. Naruto of course was watching the event from the sidelines. Tsunade was reading up their names for each team.

"For Team 8, I would like their leader to be: Menma Umino. Will you please step forward?" Tsunade suddenly said.

A young man in a jounin outfit appeared before the Hokage. He was a lightly brown-skinned man with lightly brown hair. His hair had been tied into a ponytail and its shape was different than that of his father. He was also noticeable for a small scar running across his nose, although it was not as big as his father's. This man was Menma Umino, son of Iruka.

"Yes, my lady! At your service!" he said while bowing his head in respect.

"You are now entrusted with guiding these young students. Take a look at them!" Tsunade stated.

Menma stared towards the different pictures belonging to his students. He was very curious and uncertain at first, but his face was soon formed into a cheerful smile. He chuckled at their faces.

"Well what do you know? Looks like I get to be in charge of Miss Troublemaker in class!" Menma remarked while eyeing the young pinkette. He also studied Shunsuke and Takeda and thought about them as well. "So that's Shunsuke Uchiha? Interesting! He doesn't have the same resemblance as his twin brother, or his father to be more exact. And about Takeda Inuzuka, I can't say I have much knowledge about him" he further explained to the Hokage.

"I'm glad you're up to the challenge, Mamuro!" Tsunade complimented him.

"Eh…I am just trying to…you know…doing my job! It's in my blood, just like what pa said!" Menma replied, although with uncertainty in his voice.

After given enough information, it was team for the next jounin.

"The leader of Team 9 will be: Kazue Shimizu! Will you please step forward?" Tsunade asked out loud.

A young adult kunoichi approached before the Hokage. She had long white hair and her skin was pale white. However, she was not sick or anything. The kunoichi was dressed in white and blue clothes. Unlike most jounins, she didn't necessarily wear a shinobi vest. Rather, she wore a blue and white jacket resembling a winter jacket. She approached the Hokage and nodded her head in silence.

"I am ready, Lady Tsunade!" she said with her calm and gentle voice.

"Glad to hear it, Kazue! Now you want to take a look at your students. They have different abilities but they are still fit enough to become shinobis" Tsunade remarked with a chuckle.

The young woman smiled in return and studied the pictures of her students for a brief time. She was silent while doing it, but eventually she spoke with a warm voice.

"I will gladly take these children in as my students!" Kazue said and she returned to her seat.

Now it was time for the next jounin and this was a special one. Tsunade read up the papers.

"And now for Team 10, I hereby declare their leader to be: Ayumu Sarutobi! Will you please step forward?" she called out the name.

A young man with spiky black hair approached Tsunade's table. She was noted for his light skin, but his eye pupils were completely red. He was also smoking, although not in front of the Hokage. Yet despite this man's unusual appearance, he was a cheerful and open-minded fellow. Truth is he was actually a grandson of the late Third Hokage. As he stood by Tsunade's table, his previously serious face was formed into a smile.

"I'm right here, Lady Hokage! Now who's my students?" he asked while eyeing the old lady. Tsunade chuckled.

"I have to say Ayumu, you remind me of your father. Well except for your face, but here's your students" she stated while complimenting the young man's appearance. Ayumu smirked in return while studying his students.

"Tch, so I also get to stick with both a Nara and an Akimichi? I'm not surprised at all! I take much after my pop!" he exclaimed cheerfully while studying both Shikaien and Chouta. But he fixed a cautious look on his face when he studied Inojin's picture. "And about…him, well…he does have a handsome face to be honest, but he also seems to have inherited his father's seriousness. I think the Yamanakas have produced one hell of a kid" he thought about Itachi.

Then it was all settled. These three jounins would become the teachers of these different genins, who would in time grow up and mature into fine shinobis or kunoichis. Tsunade was actually pleased with naming these jounins for those teams. She had both direct and indirect reasons for doing so. But she would have to speak with each of them individually. They would be given direct information about these students. In fact, Naruto wanted to personally speak with each of these jounins, considering the fact that he was their future Hokage. But that would be later.

Next day, Ninja Academy

Nashiko was very excited to know who was going to be her sensei. Yesterday, she had told her parents about her new teammates. Their reactions were pleasant of course. Naruto found it amusing that her won daughter was paired with one of his rival's sons. He also knew a little bit about Takeda, who was a son from the girl who had a crush on him in the past. Sakura was also pleased about Nashiko's new teammates, although she was a little bit sceptical towards Shunsuke, who was Inojin's twin brother. However, her carefree husband urged her not to be so suspicious over someone related to her blonde-haired rival. When Jiro got word of her sister's teammates, he gave his support to her as usual.

"So my little princess is paired up with these two fellows eh? Show them what you're made of, Nashiko!" Naruto encouraged his daughter yesterday.

"Just try to be careful on your upcoming missions! And be on your guard when dealing with enemies!" Sakura had warned her daughter yesterday.

Shunsuke was also looking forward in meeting his sensei. When he had told his mom about his team, she became furious. Ino had encouraged him to train in order to surpass Nashiko as a shinobi, considering the fact that she was the daughter of her fiercest rival. But when Ino became aware of Inojin's teammate, she was surprised and amused at the same time. The hard-working but beautiful florist knew that one of her sons had to become partnered up with a Nara and an Akimichi. She was happy for Inojin. Although Sasuke didn't get to know which teammates his sons were partnered with, Shunsuke had sent him a letter where he explained all of this. Inojin on the other hand, refused to send any letters to his father.

"Shunsuke, you need to train in order to surpass Nashiko! I won't let you become less powerful than Billboard brow's daughter!" Ino urged her youngest twin son yesterday.

"Be nice to your new teammates, Inojin! In time you will come to see them as valuable friends, just as I saw mine!" Ino told her oldest twin son yesterday.

Takeda was sitting on his seat in silence. He was in deep thought. Yesterday when he had explained to his parents about the team he was on, they were surprised. Hinata was happy for him, given the fact that he was on the same team as Nashiko, the daughter of her former crush. She had also expressed her support for Minami's team, especially since she was partnered with the son of her former teammate: Shino Aburame. While Takeda's mother was supportive towards her children, his father had expressed his misgivings. Kiba was displeased about his son being paired up with the spawns of Naruto and Sasuke.

"Don't tell me you got paired up with the daughter of that stupid loudmouth and the son of that stupid emo!" Kiba had said to his son yesterday.

It was even worse once he knew about Minami's teammates.

"Saburou, who the hell's that!? Is he the mongrel child of Shino or something?" Kiba had asked Takeda's twin sister yesterday, much to his wife's outrage.

As the trio began thinking about their parent's reactions to their teams, Nashiko was excited in meeting their sensei.

"Hey boys, how about we give our sensei one heck of a surprise, like pouring a bucket of cold water all over him?" Nashiko expressed her ideas. Shunsuke was outraged at this, while Takeda sighed in a bored manner.

"Tch, suit yourself!" Takeda said with strong unenthusiasm.

"No Nashiko! Such behaviour is totally disrespectful" Shunsuke voiced his opposition.

"C'mon Shunsuke, I assure you that my tricks are never meant to be disrespectful towards anyone! It's all about humour, you know" Nashiko answered her black-haired friend, who was surprisingly intruigied with hearing this.

"Really Nashiko? Well that's just lame in my opinion" Takeda remarked, causing the pink-haired girl to glare at him.

"Wow, you sure have a "nice" attitude, Takeda! Don't you even know what the word "fun" means?" Nashiko asked him.

"Not really" Takeda bluntly answered while Arata barked in agreement.

"By the way Takeda, when was the last time you and that fur ball of yours took a shower? I mean, you both smell like tuna paste!" Nashiko exclaimed while holding her nose.

"Don't take that tone with me, drama queen! Arata and I take great pride in ourselves, unlike you who are just as naïve and clueless to know anything in the shinobi world!" Takeda retorted back while Arata barked against her.

"Huh, at least I'm way more open towards people than you are, fleabag!" Nashiko insulted him.

"Stop this bickering, you two! Spare your aggression for our enemies!" Shunsuke reasoned with his teammates. With a few minutes of thinking, Takeda and Nashiko reluctantly agreed stopped.

"Hi! Are you kids from Team 8, if I'm not mistaking?" a young voice called to the three genins.

They all turned around to look at a young man entering the classroom. He wore a jounin vest and had his light brown hair tied into a ponytail. For some reason, this young man reminded him of someone.

"Ummm….who…are….you?" Nashiko asked confused. The young man chuckled in amusement.

"Hah! I thought you'd never ask! You see, I'm your sensei! But let's get to the know the names later, right?" he asked the three students and they were confused with what he was trying to say. "Let me put it in another way. Since it's a lovely day outside, why don't we sit outside? Don't you get tired of sitting here while listening to my pa speak all day?" he then came up with his suggestion.

"Did he say pa? What does he mean by that? And where have I've seen this cheerful face before?" each of the three genins asked to themselves.

Outside the Academy, in a park

The young man had taken Team 8 to a park outside the Academy. It was now time to get to know each other. Nashiko and her teammates were just as curious to know about this man as he was curious to know about them.

"Well I think I will begin introducing myself! The name's Menma, Menma Umino!" he introduced himself, much to the surprise and shock of the three kids.

"Wait! Are you related to an old geezer named Iruka?" Nashiko asked widened.

"Why, of course. You see, he's my dad! I bet you kids didn't realize he had son, huh?" Menma asked, but the three kids stared at him widened.

"Wow! I never knew Iruka was a father!" Shunsuke thought. "But then again, he's a veteran shinobi of the village, so it's not really a surprise" the young Uchiha added to his thoughts.

"You gotta be kidding me! That old coot Iruka had a son? That's freaking nuts!" Nashiko thought.

"So I get to be stuck with the son of my Academy-instructor? What kind of madness is this?" Takeda asked in his head. Menma laughed while scratching his neck.

"Okay! How about I tell you kiddos a little bit about myself? As I've already told you my name's Menma and my hobbies are taking walks and exploring new fancy places! Truth is I'm a traveller!" he sarcastically remarked while chuckling to himself. "Now how about you kids tell me about yourselves?" Menma added with a suggestion towards his new students.

Well….my name is Nashiko Uzumaki. I'm twelve years old and my hobbies are: pulling pranks, trying out new shampoos and eating delicious ramen!" Nashiko exclaimed with pride. Menma chuckled at her explanation.

"How charming. Now, what is your goal then, Nashiko?" the young man asked.

"My goal is…..uhhhh…..to become a strong kunoichi like my mom and surpass my parents as a ninja!" Nashiko said with confidence. Shunsuke timidly smiled at her, while Takeda sighed in annoyance.

"My name is Shunsuke Uchiha! I'm twelve years old and my hobbies are: cultivating flowers and studying the nature" Shunsuke explained while trying to be open with his teacher as possible.

"Ah, interesting. Do you have any goals, Shunsuke?" Menma asked him.

"Well…truth is…I don't have any large ambitions. But I…would like one day….to become strong….so I can defeat my brother in a duel!" Shunsuke explained his goal. This was only the one of many achievements he wanted. But for now, becoming strong like his twin brother was something Shunsuke desired most.

"My name's Takeda Inuzuka and this is my dog Arata. I'm twelve years old. I don't have much of a social life besides hanging with Arata and my hobby is taking walks with him.

"Okay! Do you have any goals Takeda?" Menma asked him.

"I wouldn't necessarily say goals, but more like desires. And one of my desires includes proving those arrogant pricks from my mother's side that a half-breed like me can achieve something great. Even though I lack sociable abilities, I'm still fitted to become a ninja!" Takeda explained while facing the ground.

While listening to the words of his students, Menma could feel a new power rising inside him. It was perhaps the power to embrace something new, like become a student to new aspiring ninjas. After all he was once a young genin himself. Menma began wondering how his colleagues were doing with their new students.

With Team 9, Kazue had taken great interest in Ochinko's paintings. She had also expressed her gentle personality that even surprised the usually brash Minami. In her opinion, Kazue was the complete opposite of what he was. Saburou also appreciated his new sensei, although he was curious about her own abilities. Ochinko was already beginning to like Kazue, even though they met just a few minutes ago.

Team 10 had been surprised by their sensei's cheerful persona, despite his somewhat serious appearance. Chouta was already beginning to like him, as Ayumu had openly refrained from calling her fat. He was only calling her a big girl, which made the young girl blush in embarrassment. Shikaien was also taking a liking to Ayumu, especially when it came to their somewhat similar personalities. However, Inojin had still problems getting used to new people, but he managed to at least communicate with his new sensei. In turn, Ayumu took a great interest in the half-Uchiha/half-Yamanaka.

This was the beginning of the next generation's journey into the great shinobi world. The three jounins themselves also knew they had to be prepared for any difficulties lying ahead of them. And they would face them, no matter what.

To be continued...

Author's note: That was chapter 8! Hope you enjoyed meeting their jounins. These are all non-canon so don't freak out or something.