Disclaimer: All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.

Warnings: Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), some moderate Dumbledore bashing (he's more manipulative than evil but mostly just stubborn), and who knows what else.

AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.

Chapter 21: Passing Time

As planned, Satoshi would spend the eight months between his promotion and the day his termites graduated busier than ever. The first three months of that time would be spent within the walls of Konoha as Gaichuu was assigned to stand guard over the Sandaime Hokage's office from noon to six in the evening while he personally was assigned to patrol the walls from midnight until six in the morning, five days a week. For the most part both assignments were rather boring (except when there was trouble – which was rare) and undemanding which meant taking both assignments wasn't too taxing for the sixteen year old.

The six hours he had off in the morning were then dedicated to the children while the six hours in the evening were spent sleeping. He got in most of his physical training alongside the children, Ko, and whichever of his teammates or friends stopped by to hang out with him. After that, he'd escort those children attending the academy to class before heading home with Shin, Haku, and Kimimaro to help prepare them for the entrance exams they were expected to take that summer.

Kanpou would usually stop by about that time to work with Shin on his physical therapy while Satoshi taught Haku and Kimimaro the academy basics (Konoha's history, math, reading, writing, taijutsu stances and katas, and the proper way to clean, handle, and throw the various weapons); all the things that Shin already knew. Once the two younger boys started on their written assignments for the day and after Shin was done with his therapy, Satoshi would then help Shin with his academic lessons (which were currently at Chuunin level) before all three boys would help him make lunch.

While he stood hidden behind a camouflage jutsu inside of the Hokage's office monitoring the visitors that came and went; Satoshi would have three shadow clones working on chakra control exercises, working on converting more spells into jutsu, or familiarizing himself with the data that Konoha had on the other elemental countries. The moment the children were let out of the academy, all of them would join Satoshi's clones on Training Ground Sixteen where he'd work with them extensively on chakra control exercises (regardless of what level they were at), the three basic ninjutsu that the academy taught (the Bunshin no Jutsu, the Kawarimi no Jutsu, and the Henge no Jutsu), physical conditioning exercises, and the rather generic taijutsu form that the academy taught.

Some of the older orphans that had been through training with Root had complained about the mind numbing chakra control exercises a few times in the beginning. That ended the moment Satoshi had led them to one of the playground sandboxes and demonstrated his ability to build a five foot tall, highly detailed sand castle (based on Hogwarts' architecture and completely furnished) using thousands of chakra strings in less than ten minutes.

He then told the complainers that if they could demonstrate equal control over their own chakra he'd stop drilling them in chakra control exercises. Needless to say they couldn't and not a single one of the children that trained with Satoshi in the afternoons ever again complained about the rather boring and repetitive chakra control exercises that Satoshi had them do for an hour every day.

At six, the clones would dispel and Satoshi would join the children for supper before heading home to sleep until it was time for him to patrol the walls. Once he arrived on the wall, he'd create another six clones (each one from a different element – so he didn't grow too dependent on the Mushi Bunshin or the Kage Bunshin) that he would spread out along the section of the wall he was to patrol along with several thousand Kikaichu. He would then sit in one of the lookout towers and scanned the horizon with a pair of binoculars. Twice during his shift, when he grew bored standing around doing nothing, he'd drop down to run five laps around the entire village while sticking himself to the outside of the wall which would allow him to scan the forest floor directly outside of the village, work on his chakra control, and stay in shape since he was not as physically active as he had been in the past.

His days off during that time were usually spent training and sparring with various shinobi during the afternoon when he normally would have been guarding the Hokage. Those training sessions were rather brutal as Satoshi pushed himself against opponents that were far stronger or more experienced than he was or if they were about the same level as him, he'd face off against multiple opponents. The training was designed to help him improve his strength, stamina, and speed as well as give him a wider range of experience by going up against individuals whose fighting styles and strengths were different than those he was used to facing in battle.

That list included Kurenai, Anko (only rarely), Ebisu (an elite Jounin that was earmarked to train the Hokage's grandson once the boy turned seven), Aoba (his former sensei), Gekkou Hayate (Yuugao's boyfriend), and Shiranui Genma (his father's old friend and teammate) in addition to his usual sparring partners and teammates. The hours he normally spent on the wall were spent in training of a different sort as Anko followed through with her promise to teach him how to please a woman in bed.

At the end of those first three months, Satoshi's schedule changed as he was taken off guard duty (as both himself and Gaichuu) and given a series of missions that would take him to each of the nine countries that bordered Fire Country as well as a few that didn't. The only countries he didn't visit during that time were the other four Great Shinobi countries (Kaze, Kaminari, Tsuchi, and Mizu).

Each mission would last from four to ten days depending on how far it was from Konoha; after which he'd be given between one and three days off before being sent out on another mission. The only exception was if he or his teammates had been seriously injured during the previous mission (which they usually weren't, though they frequently came back with cuts, scraps, and bruises). The point of those missions was to allow Satoshi to familiarize himself with those countries that he'd never visited before so he'd know what to expect should he ever need to take his Genin through one of those countries on a mission.

The various children he'd been working with since he'd returned to Konoha in June were less than happy that he was gone so often. They weren't quite certain what to make of the various replacement instructors that Satoshi had lined up for them either. Gai tortured them with physical training that was designed to increase their stamina and speed as well as helped them with the basic academy taijutsu forms. Tenzou worked with those that had Kekkei Genkai that involved elemental manipulation (specifically Haku's Ice Release and Sai's Ink Release).

Ko worked extensively on chakra control exercises in Satoshi's absence and helped Gai with the physical training and conditioning. Kanpou taught basic first aide to all of the children and offered to help Kimimaro with his Shikotsumyaku; teaching the young boy basic biology and human anatomy to help him better understand his body so he could use his bloodline limit more effectively. Izumo and Kotetsu rounded out the group and made certain that the children learned teamwork and took the time to have fun.

On the days that Satoshi was in town, he'd usually just hang out with the kids or his friends; giving them and himself a day or two of rest so he could catch up with them and just relax after his rather demanding missions. His teammates (both AnBu and regular) were often cross with him for taking the back to back missions but not overly so since which team he went out with changed with each mission so that the only teammate that was actually doing the same number of missions as Satoshi was Kakashi (a fact that Dora complained about each time she saw Satoshi).

Kakashi didn't mind (aside from not seeing much of his girlfriend during that time) because he was setting aside the money he was making on those missions to buy a ring for Dora; the older shinobi planned to propose sometime that summer. The number and level of missions that their two teams were being given meant that he'd soon have enough for the engagement ring he had picked out and a down payment on a small house when combined with what he'd saved up over the years (something that would have taken close to two years longer if they'd stuck to their former mission schedule of one or two missions per month).

The marathon of missions came to an end during the first week of June as planned in order to allow Satoshi a couple of weeks to rest before the Genin Exams. Satoshi spent those two weeks preparing the children for their upcoming tests; making certain that none of them had any problems with any of the material he knew they'd be expected to know and that the skills they would be tested on were up to snuff.

If not for the seven years of chakra control training that Satoshi had put Naruto through, the young Jinchuuriki would have had a hard time with the three basic ninjutsu that were taught at the academy; especially the Bunshin no Jutsu which tended to fail if you put too much chakra into it while trying to limit the number of clones you create. As it was, Satoshi had worked with Naruto on his control over the years even more so than he had the other children simply because Naruto's chakra reserves were ten times larger than the rest of his peers because of his Uzumaki heritage and the Kyuubi.

Friday, June thirteenth saw Satoshi, Shibi, Ko, Shin, Haku, and Kimimaro (and dozens of other parents) standing beneath a large tree directly across from the academy as they waited to congratulate those children that passed the exam. While he waited for the new Genin to be released, Satoshi couldn't help but smile wistfully as he remembered that long ago day when he'd been on the other side of the waiting; eagerly anticipating making his parents and grandfather proud of him for earning his hitai-ate. A warm hand fell on his shoulder, startling the almost seventeen year old out of his memories and he looked up to find his father wearing the same wistful expression on his face.

"You know, I almost find it hard to believe that it's been twelve years since the day I was standing here with your okaasan and ojiisan waiting to see if you passed your first attempt at the Genin Exam; not that any of us ever doubted that you would."

"I can't believe it's only been twelve years when it seems like a hundred lifetimes ago," Satoshi murmured in reply as he leaned against his father for a brief moment. "I still remember how nervous and excited I'd been that day and how much of a pleasant shock it had been that I passed."

"I'll never forget the way you exploded out of the academy doors like a firecracker; a huge grin on your face as you clutched your new hitai-ate in your fist while you stood at the top of the stairs and searched for us in the crowd. You'd always been fast but that day I swear you practically flew across the ground the moment you caught sight of us waiting for you right beneath this very tree."

"How old were you when you earned your hitai-ate, aniki?" Shin asked curiously as he listened into the conversation from where he'd been sitting on the ground and leaning against the trunk of the tree.

"Not quite five," Satoshi replied as he glanced down at the fourteen year old. "I remember Kusaha-sensei ribbing Yutaka-sensei about passing the youngest student ever after he had handed me my hitai-ate. The funniest thing is that he brought up Kakashi-nii at the same time because Kakashi had been five, almost six, when he graduated. I didn't hear all of Yutaka-sensei's reply but I do remember her saying that I'd earned it."

"I thought you had to be at least ten to graduate?" Haku interjected with a slight frown.

"Normally, yes, you have to be at least ten; however, during a time of war, the Hokage will often allow promising students to take the test early," Shibi explained. "The third Great Shinobi War hadn't yet ended when Satoshi was given permission to take the test though it did end just a few months afterwards. The age a student was allowed to graduate wasn't changed until several years later though; when the number of shinobi in the village finally matched the pre-wartime figures."

Before they could continue the discussion, the doors of the academy exploded outwards with enough force that they cracked the plaster on the wall to either side of the double doors when they impacted. Shibi blinked as he felt a wave of déjà vu before he laughed and cast a sideways glance down at Satoshi. Knowing exactly what his father was thinking, Satoshi shook his head as a light flush colored his cheeks while his eyes remained glued on the small blond that had been the force behind the exploding doors and the small group of children standing behind him.

He knew the instant that their group had been located by the children; Shino's jacketed arm jabbed out over Naruto's shoulder while Hinata whispered something in his ear just before they burst back into motion and jumped down the stairs to hit the ground running as they fixated on their small group. Two seconds later, Satoshi was surrounded by a mess of squirming bodies as the children tackled him first; their loud voices drowning each other out as they all crowed their triumph and thanked Satoshi for his training in turns while each of them tried to show him their newly won hitai-ate.

Satoshi just laughed quietly and congratulated each of them, passing out discreet back slaps as those who had others waiting to congratulate them reluctantly peeled off to share their joy over passing the exam. Soon the only ones left clinging to Satoshi were Naruto, Shino, Torune, and Hinata (Sai had slipped away to celebrate with Shin). Hinata pressed a kiss to Satoshi's cheek before she pulled away to present herself to Ko; a beaming smile still plastered on her face.

"Shall we head to the Hokage's office to fill out your shinobi registration cards before we go home to celebrate?" Shibi asked as he joined the three still huddled around Satoshi, a warm smile tugging at his lips as he ruffled the hair of the three children.

There was a chorus of agreements as the large group began moving away from the academy (a number of the other Root orphans falling into step with them). An hour later, those that had just earned their hitai-ate were gaping and grinning in shock and surprise as they discovered the party that had been arranged on their behalf. As he had promised almost a year earlier, Shibi had spared no expense for the celebration.

Like the evening Satoshi had been promoted, the party lasted well into the night as four of the nine orphans that the Aburame Clan had taken in after the Root fiasco plus Naruto, Shino, and Torune all celebrated earning their hitai-ate. Shin felt a little left out, the only one of the Root orphans age ten or older that trained with Satoshi that had not graduated (even out of those that had become wards of the other clans) but he put on a brave front for Sai's sake. Satoshi had spent some time reassuring the fourteen year old that he'd have his shot the next year and reminded him that he wouldn't be alone as Haku and Kimimaro would be there with him.

The newly minted Genin were practically bouncing off the walls all weekend long and their excitement was infectious as the adults smiled knowingly and sent them outside to burn off their excess energy. Conversations revolved solely around whom they would be partnered with for teammates and which Jounin sensei they'd be assigned. It was a full day after their graduation exam before the four new Genin living with the Aburame's head family remembered that Satoshi had been promoted to Jounin almost a year earlier.

The four of them hounded him endlessly for the rest of the weekend, demanding to know if he was going to take a Genin team. Satoshi would just grin and shrug his shoulder; none of the children aware that he'd asked to take a specific team since he didn't want any of them to be disappointed or think that meant he didn't want to have anything to do with the rest of them anymore. He did say that no matter what team any of them ended up on that he would still be available to train with all of them from time to time. That promise would go a long way towards soothing away the disappointment a number of them would feel when (if) he was assigned the team he had requested.

Monday morning, after their usual morning workout, Satoshi bid good day to the children and slipped off to the Jounin Lounge where those Jounin that were taking teams this year would gather to watch the reactions of the Genin as the team assignments were handed out. Satoshi received more than a little ribbing when he arrived; he was both the youngest and shortest Jounin present and the others teasingly asked him if he shouldn't be waiting with the rest of the Genin for his team assignment.

He repaid them with specialized pranks that Fred and George had created at his request; miniaturized versions of their various bombs that lasted for half an hour and something they'd named a Lip Trap – made from strips of flesh colored leather that once activated would seek out their target's mouth and seal it shut for half an hour. Those who had not been hit with the pranks roared with laughter at those who had been; most everyone knew you never picked on Satoshi's lack of height unless you were brave or stupid enough to risk being publicly embarrassed in turn.

Things settled down after that as Umino Iruka, the Chuunin that had taught the current batch of graduates alongside Funeno Daikoku, entered the classroom where the newly made Genin were waiting. Satoshi knew both Chuunin instructors in passing, Daikoku had taught the lower levels during Satoshi's year at the academy and Iruka had been a member of one of the teams that Satoshi had been assigned to as a substitute a couple of times (back after Team Twelve had been disbanded and before Team Kakashi had been created).

Satoshi actually liked Iruka as the older man (he was three years older than Satoshi) had been one of the few individuals that had treated Naruto fairly before he'd sealed away the knowledge of Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki; whereas most of the other instructors had not. In fact, when the older instructors had attempted to sabotage Naruto's education shortly after he first started, more than a few of them had been on the receiving end of Satoshi's ire; a scorpion delivering a pair of his Konkurito Bunshin (since he'd been attending Hogwarts at the time) to administer the lesson Akai Chishio no Habanero style.

Few instructors needed a second reminder to treat Naruto fairly after the clones had finished and a number of the older Chuunin Instructors still walked softly around Satoshi after that – though few of them actually remembered why beyond the fact that he'd put them in their place.

Silence fell over the Jounin as they all gathered around the security monitor once they heard Iruka congratulate the children before he gave them a lecture on how important it was for them to carry themselves with the dignity befitting a Shinobi of the Leaf; a lecture all shinobi had heard various versions of on the day they graduated. Not long after that, Iruka began calling out the team assignments and Satoshi leaned forward intently, praying to his ancestors that the Hokage had allowed him to take his original trio of little termites. He was also interested to find out which individuals the other children he'd taught over the past year were teamed with and which Jounin would be assigned to them.

The new Team One was made up of Aburame Torune, Yamanaka Fuu, and an unfamiliar kunoichi whose name Satoshi didn't catch with Mokume Kunugi as their Jounin sensei. Team Two consisted of Sai, Shiho (a young kunoichi that was one of the nine orphans that the Aburame had taken in), and Sukima (a fourteen year old civilian who vaguely reminded Satoshi of Toshiro – his old Inuzuka teammate) who were assigned to a Jounin named Taniguchi Ranka and Team Three was made up of three civilians who were assigned to a Jounin whose name Satoshi didn't recognize.

"Team Four is Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto," Iruka announced next and Satoshi stilled as he waited for the Chuunin to say who their instructor would be; hoping that those three being assigned his old team number meant that the Hokage approved his request. "Your Jounin instructor is Aburame Satoshi…"

Naruto let loose a loud whoop as he jumped up out of his seat and punched the air while Hinata squealed happily and hugged Naruto around the waist from her seat between the two boys and Shino practically vibrated with excitement. Satoshi chuckled softly at his termites' antics before he let out a soft whoop of his own when he realized that they were now officially his Termites; drawing forth several chuckles from those Jounin that knew how close he was to a number of this year's Genin and his assigned trio especially.

"Yes, yes; you're excited and happy, Naruto; now sit down and shut up so that I can finish announcing the rest of the teams," Iruka dryly ordered, a fond (if exasperated) smile playing around the Chuunin's lips.

Satoshi settled back, a smile gracing his own lips, as he waited to hear which teams the rest of the children had been assigned to. Each time one of the Root orphans that he'd taught for the past year were given their team assignment, he'd pass their assigned Jounin a scroll with the orphan's name on it detailing everything he'd worked with them on over the past year along with a request to allow the children to continue meeting occasionally to train together with the rest and an invitation for the Jounin and the other members of the new teams to join them as well.

Most of the newly assigned instructors were surprised by the rather detailed reports they were handed and by the invitation to join the training sessions since most Jounin preferred keeping their team's training secret (to give their students an edge for when they eventually entered the Chuunin Exams). Satoshi had a vested interest in many of the Root orphans though; mostly because they'd spent time with him training or they were close to those orphans that were taken in by the Aburame Clan. That was especially true of Torune and Sai since he'd been responsible for most of their training over the past year.

When the final team had been announced, Satoshi slipped out of the room and sent a small scorpion to deliver a note to Iruka to let him know that he was collecting his team early in order to take them to lunch (instead of picking them up after lunch with the rest of the Jounin). That also gave him time to congratulate the other children on their team assignments and reassure the others that he wouldn't forget about them just because he had officially become Shino, Hinata, and Naruto's sensei.

He was immensely proud of his termites when they greeted him with far more reserve than normal and he felt his heart swell when they called him sensei for the first time. He gave them a cursory inspection before he grinned and opened his arms wide, giving them permission to glomp him; not minding the slightly childish behavior as they'd already shown that they could conduct themselves professionally.

"Shall we celebrate with a bowl of ramen?" Satoshi asked after the other children had wandered back to their teammates so they could get to know them as suggested by Iruka (Sai rather reluctantly as he'd kind of hoped that Satoshi would be his sensei).

"Yosh!" Naruto cried promptly with enthusiasm.

"Come on then, it'll be my treat," Satoshi stated as he headed off the academy grounds.

"Did you know that you were going to be our sensei, niisan?" Shino asked as they ducked inside the ramen stand ten minutes later.

"Did I know for certain? No, there was no guarantee that I would be assigned as your sensei or that all three of you would even be on the same team," Satoshi replied as they seated themselves at the counter. "Did I want to be assigned to your team? Yes, but said nothing sooner because I didn't want you to get your hopes up and be disappointed if I wasn't. Nor did I want the others to think I liked the three of you more than I liked them. I have wanted to be your Jounin sensei since my first year at Hogwarts though and worked hard towards that end for the last five years. I will not, however, stop training with the other children just because the four of us are a team now; that would not be fair to them."

"What are we going to do first?" Naruto demanded eagerly as he bounced in his seat beside Satoshi.

"We're going to order lunch."

"Niisan!"

"Patience, Ruto-kun; there is plenty of time to discuss what is expected of you after we eat."

The four of them then spent an enjoyable hour eating a couple of bowls of ramen each (with Naruto scarfing down five) while Satoshi listened to the three Genin chatting amiably. Unbeknownst to the new Team Four, they were currently being spied upon by a group of adults from the Hokage's office. While the Jounin and Genin had gathered to get their team assignments, some of the most powerful shinobi in the village gathered in Sarutobi's office so they could observe the reactions of both groups.

Quite a few of those gathered had specifically been interested to see the reactions of Satoshi and his assigned Genin once they learned they'd been assigned to the same team. Those individuals included the Sandaime, Torifu, Hamaki, Inoichi, Shikaku, Homura, Haruto, Shibi, and Satoshi's AnBu teammates (Kakashi, Tenzou, and Yuugao).

"Do you really think he'll be able to handle those three out in the field?" Homura inquired as he frowned down at the crystal ball where the new Team Four was displayed.

"He may allow them far more liberties than Kushina-chan ever allowed Satoshi and his teammates when in public but make no mistake, those three will obey his every word while on a mission," Shibi assured the man.

"One of the things that Satoshi stressed to all of the children he worked with over the past year was to respect their Jounin sensei; to give their sensei their complete attention when he or she speaks, to obey their sensei's orders while on a mission but not blindly follow those instructions that would get them killed, and to conduct themselves professionally while with their team unless they had permission to do otherwise," Kakashi lazily added as he smiled at the newly made team of four depicted in the viewing crystal.

"He also told them that they shouldn't blindly trust their sensei but to trust them until they say or do something to give them reason to not trust them; to always use their head and follow their instincts. He told them that while he would like to believe that all of Konoha's shinobi were loyal to the village and the Hokage, that wasn't always the case; that there were those people that got lost and believed they found something better or found an easier way to get the power they desired and that led them to betraying their comrades and the village. He also said that even Jounin could make rookie mistakes that could get them or their teammates killed."

"Satoshi-kun has experienced much in his young life," Torifu stated with a nod. "He's seen both the good and the bad sides of a shinobi's life and he's grown stronger with each added experience."

"They've been a team for seven years now and their assignment to Team Four today only a formality," Haruto declared with a sigh. "After Satoshi declared his desire to take those particular children last year, I began taking the time to observe my oldest granddaughter a little more closely. Those three children are thicker than thieves and they never once skipped out on any of the training Satoshi and young Ko assigned to them; no matter how boring or how difficult said training was. Hiashi would have unintentionally shattered Hinata-chan in his grief after his wife and brother died if she hadn't had the support of those three boys to give her strength. My son would have hated himself had that happened and while he may not show it; he is proud of Hinata for graduating two years earlier than expected."

"Did you note the disappointment the other Root orphans displayed when Team Four was announced?" Hamaki asked as he scratched at his chin.

"Quite a few of them look up to and respect Satoshi," Shikaku offered with a frown. "Including a number of those that were taken into the other clans. They were drawn to him from the moment that he arrived home last summer when he unhesitatingly accepted each and every one of them. His saving Shin's life when even the medics had given up on the teen, earned their undying loyalty as did his willingness to listen to their problems and help them find their place when they'd all been so lost after we'd brought them back up to the surface. He showed them that they could belong and that they were worth something in his eyes."

"All of the Root orphans that interacted with Satoshi this past year passed their most recent assessments with flying colors whereas their previous assessments had been questionable as they'd been having difficulty fitting in," Inoichi interjected next. "It's almost a shame that he wished to take a Genin team because I think he could have done wonders working with all of the children by taking a job as an instructor at the academy. He inspires without intimidating and at the same time he doesn't take any crap from anyone."

"My son would have grown too bored being bound to teaching from behind a desk," Shibi dryly pointed out. "He'd have been causing trouble within months and dishing out headaches right and left. Don't get me wrong, he would have loved teaching the children; it just wouldn't have been challenging enough to hold his attention for long and he's always been happiest when he was in constant motion."

The others laughed over the truth in that statement as they turned their attention back to the young man in question as he paid for his team's meal and led them off towards one of the training grounds. The Hokage then switched the focus of his viewing sphere in order to observe some of the other teams as their Jounin sensei finally collected them from the academy.

Meanwhile, Satoshi led his new team to Training Ground Sixteen (which he'd claimed for his team the moment he'd learned it was free) where they quickly found seats beneath the cool shade of the trees. He took a few minutes to study their smiling faces as he mentally prepared to crush their happiness by informing them that there was still one final test that they would have to pass in order to retain their hitai-ate. He had no doubt that they would pass the test but he knew they would be hurt that he hadn't warned them about the final test ahead of time.

It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to warn them – it just would have made his test useless to have been the one to warn them ahead of time.

"I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news for you," Satoshi began, immediately garnering the attention of the three ten year olds (or rather almost ten year olds; Hinata and Naruto were still technically nine). "While you may have passed the academy's Genin Exam there is still one final test you must pass in order to keep your hitai-ate. If you fail the test, you will have to give up your hitai-ate and return to the academy for another year."

"But… but… no one ever said anything about another test!" Naruto spluttered indignantly.

"Why would they give us our headbands and assign us to teams if we haven't taken the final test?" Hinata asked in confusion as she glanced to the boys seated on either side of her before turning her eyes back to Satoshi.

"The academy's test is designed to see which individuals have the potential to become Genin while the final test weeds out those who don't have what it takes to become a shinobi. No one speaks of the final test because they don't wish to scare away any potential Genin; since more than half of those who take the final test, fail. The actual test that you are given also depends entirely on the Jounin in charge of your team."

"What kind of test are you going to have us take, niisan?" Shino inquired after sharing a long look with his best friends, honorary siblings, and now potential teammates.

"Over the last two weeks, I'd been given a hundred different suggestions on which test would be the best one; each subsequent suggestion harder than the one before," Satoshi dramatically declared as he leaned back to stare up at the canopy of leaves above him and sighed. "In the end, I decided that I had to pick one that was difficult enough to challenge the three of you but not so difficult that I was setting you up to fail. It was no easy task, I'll tell you that. I have faith in you though."

"What do we have to do?" Naruto asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"I'm going to give you a half an hour to go home, pack your equipment, and let everyone know you're taking your test before meeting back here in order to start," Satoshi replied softly. "If you aren't back in thirty minutes you'll fail before you even get a chance to take the test. I'll explain the rest of the test and the rules once it's time to start." When the three Genin just stared at Satoshi in disbelief, he arched an eyebrow and purposefully pulled his sleeve back to check the time on his watch before drawling, "Twenty-nine minutes and thirty-eight seconds left…"

All three of the kids squeaked and scrambled to their feet before dashing off in the direction of home; the three of them agreeing to meet back up halfway between home and the training grounds in twenty minutes first so that they would either fail together or take the test together. Satoshi laughed softly as he watched them disappear in the distance before he climbed to his feet and created four Kage Bunshin. He then pulled a bulging canvas bag out of his jacket pocket and passed it to one of the clones before he sent them on ahead to prepare the stretch of forest inside Training Ground Forty-Four that he planned to use for his test.

He hadn't lied when he'd told the trio that it had been difficult to come up with a test that would challenge them and their teamwork based upon the many suggestions the older Jounin had given him over the past two weeks. He knew that the three of them got along really well under normal circumstances, so he'd needed to find a way to remove them from their comfort zones in order to see how well they'd work together under pressure. He hated the need to test them in such a way but he understood why it was necessary.

When they showed up with five minutes to spare only slightly out of breath and filled with determination, Satoshi smiled at them from behind his jacket collar and softly stated, "A shinobi is ready to leave at a moment's notice; he (or she) does not waste time fretting or complaining about not having enough time to prepare because a shinobi is always prepared. Congratulations; you just passed the first part of your final exam."

Satoshi let them bask in their success for a full minute before he created another two clones and whisked the three Genin away to the Forest of Death. They landed in the center of a small clearing that his clones had warded against the deadlier denizens of the Forest (he wasn't about to let them be seriously injured or killed after all) and his two clones quickly disappeared into the forest to join his other four clones.

"Now comes the hard part," Satoshi declared ominously after allowing the three Genin a moment to take in their surroundings (which none of them recognized as Satoshi had brought them into one of the lesser known sections of the forest so as not to make it too easy for his termites since Naruto and Shino had both been in the forest before). "Hidden within a two mile radius of this clearing are three treasures; one treasure for each of you to find. You will have exactly sixteen hours in which to find your treasure or you fail. If you find the wrong treasure you will fail. If you step outside of the four miles of forest that I set aside for this test you will fail. And if you die, you will fail."

All three Genin looked positively stricken but at the same time utterly determined; Satoshi had, after all, told them that he believed they could pass this test even if he was trying to scare them with all of the ways they would fail. Satoshi nodded solemnly when they refused to let their alarm get the better of them before he continued, "A good shinobi will put aside his (or her) worries when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds and never gives up. You've all just passed yet another small portion of your test. There are four more parts of this test that you must pass before you are finished though. I will now give you a chance to ask me one question each before I start your test."

Instead of just blurting out the first question that popped into their mind (as he'd half expected them to) the three of them huddled together and held a hurried whispered discussion about what they should ask. Satoshi felt another wave of pride in his little termites as they demonstrated a very important aspect of being part of a team; the ability to work together to come up with a plan instead of choosing to go their own way. It didn't take them long to finish talking amongst themselves and Satoshi found himself curious to what each of them would ask.

"Where exactly is this stretch of forest we are in located?" Shino inquired first after shooting one last glance towards the other two.

"Inside Training Ground Forty-Four, or as most shinobi know it; the Forest of Death," Satoshi answered to let them know just how dangerous the forest around them was and he watched as both Naruto and Shino frowned while Hinata paled.

"Is the boundary line of the section of the forest that we are supposed to stay inside marked in any way?" Hinata asked next, her voice more than a little shaky as she'd never been inside of this particular forest before but had long heard how dangerous it was from her family.

"Yes."

The trio held another short discussion after hearing those two answers before Naruto asked his question, "Are the treasures protected in anyway in addition to being hidden?"

"Yes," Satoshi replied before he jumped up into the branches of the nearest tree. "Information gathering is an important skill when it comes to missions since a lack of information or misinformation could get even the best of shinobi killed. Communication between team members is also very important when on a mission. There are now only two more aspects of your test that you still need to pass." Here Satoshi paused and checked the time before he announced the start of the final test. "It's now exactly three o'clock in the afternoon and you will have until six o'clock tomorrow morning to successfully locate and acquire your individual treasures. Good luck; I will be watching you."

Satoshi vanished in a swirl of bugs and reappeared in the treetops above the clearing inside of a small barrier where two of his clones waited. The barrier was to hide him from Hinata's eyes and Shino's bugs so he could observe their efforts at completing the test without their knowledge. Once they left the clearing, he and his clones would use his animagus form to follow them as they traveled through the forest (each one of them following a specific individual if the trio split up). When it appeared that the trio was in no hurry to rush off through the trees, Satoshi settled down and pulled out an Extendable Ear (another handy Weasley product) and disillusioned the fleshy tube before dropping the end of it down through the trees so he could listen in on his Genin.

"Do you think we should split up to hunt for the treasures while it's still light out?" Shino asked logically.

"I think that would be a bad idea; if we find the wrong treasure we'll fail," Hinata countered with more than a little fear over the idea of being alone in the forest

"How are we supposed to find all three treasures quickly, then?" Naruto half demanded with a trace of frustration.

"What do you think the point of this test is actually supposed to be? Logically, it can't just be about surviving a night out in the forest and it can't just be some sort of scavenger hunt because both of those sound far too easy," Shino prompted after another minute.

"What about the parts of the test Toshi-nii said we already passed? What do they all have in common?" Hinata added as her fear receded just a bit as she focused on her teammates instead of on her current location.

"All of them, so far, are things that a good shinobi knows or does; being prepared, facing your doubts and fears, seeking information, and communication. So, one of the parts we still need to pass will be something that a good shinobi will see as important while the last one has to be finding the treasures," Naruto slowly answered, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"What if finding the treasure represents completing a mission? That would be something that a shinobi is required to do, ne?" Shino mused thoughtfully. "If we treat this test as a mission instead of a silly test, then it stands to reason that all portions of the test are designed to see if we have what it take to perform a real mission without actually putting us in any real risk."

"What about the part about us being in the Forest of Death; there are all kinds of terrible things that live in here."

"Shino and I have been in the Forest hundreds of times with ojisan and oniisan. Not all of the creatures that live here are dangerous and I bet anything that Toshi-nii would have seen to it that we are protected from the worst of the creatures; why else would he tell us to stay within two miles of this clearing? The boundary will most likely be marked with a barrier of some kind to protect us, dattebayo."

"Just like the barrier that protected our first training ground back when the villagers used to give Naruto dirty looks all the time. Let me send out my swarm to start hunting for the treasures or rather the traps around the treasures while we set up camp, since chances are we'll be here all night. Did either one of you pack any food aside from protein bars?"

"No, but I did pack the survival kit that Toshi-nii gave us all last year on our birthdays," Naruto replied with a small grimace over the thought of being forced to eat the protein bars. "Hinata, can you use your Byakugan and search the immediate surroundings while Shino and I use a spare blanket to make a tent and put up traps around the clearing?"

"Alright."

The next ten hours passed fairly quickly for Satoshi as he watched his little termites in action. He was especially pleased with the way that they continued to seamlessly work together and noted that while Naruto was the unofficial leader of the group, he willingly listened to the input and suggestions of the other two. He also liked the way that the two boys helped Hinata get over her nervousness of being in the dangerous forest and at the same time didn't treat her as if she was too weak and needed to be cosseted.

They truly considered themselves to be equals and that made all the difference in their teamwork and in their ability to complete the test both before their time was up and without breaking any of the rules. When they trudged into their makeshift camp just a few minutes after one o'clock in the morning with the final treasure in hand, it was to find Satoshi sitting in front of a campfire slowly roasting half a dozen trout.

"Hinata, why don't you clean and cut up those wild carrots, onions, and mushrooms that you collected; they will go nicely with the brook trout I caught earlier. Naruto, why don't you bring that rabbit over here and I'll teach you how to skin and gut it before showing you how to make a spit to roast it on. Shino, please keep an eye on the fish so they don't burn while I'm helping Naruto."

"Ano… what about the test…?" Hinata asked even as she followed the implied order.

"You each have your assigned treasure, ne?"

"Hai."

"Then you've nothing to worry about. We'll discuss the test after you have a little something more substantial than emergency ration bars in your stomachs."

As they each set about their assigned chore, Satoshi praised them for their teamwork and forethought. He also let them know that he was proud of them for not complaining about him not warning them that they'd have to survive for so long on their own in the forest. And how they each shared the task of gathering food for their meal; Hinata hunting out the edible plants, Naruto setting up the snare that caught the rabbit, and Shino using his swarm to find and drive the rabbit into the snare instead of waiting on chance to catch them their supper.

Not a single one of the kids complained about the rather unsophisticated meal; the fare seasoned with hunger after the difficult task of finding and retrieving the three scrolls that contained their treasure (the traps Satoshi had rigged had been complicated enough to make them work for their treasures but easy enough for them to get passed them if they used their heads and worked together). The moment the last morsels passed through their lips, the three Genin turned to Satoshi for answers.

"First of all, congratulations, Team Four; you passed your final exam," Satoshi announced with a grin as they gave relieved sighs before high-fiving one another. "I knew you would be able to get through my test even if it was rather more difficult than the tests most of your fellow Genin will have faced yesterday or will yet face today. You had an advantage over the majority of the other teams though; can you tell me what you think that advantage was?"

"We've been training since we were three?" Naruto offered uncertainly.

"Other children have trained just as long and they could have easily failed this same test."

"Is it because you know us really well and knew what we were capable of doing?" Hinata asked after thinking about the question a bit longer.

"That is a small part of it though you aren't the only three children I know well."

"Naruto, Hinata, and I all know each other and all three of us get along really well so we didn't have any problem working together while most of the other teams have at least one person who is a stranger or who they might not get along with," Shino stated with certainty.

"Exactly," Satoshi stated simply as he leaned forward to meet each of their gazes over the top of his glasses. "You already had what we were testing for; teamwork. While we shinobi will occasionally work alone, most of the time we work in groups of three or four to complete the various missions we are assigned. If a team can't even function as a team, then chances are they won't survive when a mission falls apart. I've got two stories I want to tell you about two different teams where teamwork made all the difference in the world. The first team, like you, was designated as Team Four…"

Satoshi went on to tell them about the time he, Izumo, and Kotetsu faced incredible odds during the second task of their first Chuunin Exam (leaving out the fact that they were taking the Exam and that their opponent was a Jinchuuriki) and how he'd have died if they hadn't worked together to complete that 'mission' after he'd saved Izumo's life by risking his own. He then went on to speak of Team Twelve and the fateful mission that nearly killed them because of a poor decision and a lack of teamwork and how Team Twelve was disbanded because two members were permanently injured.

Both stories were far darker than Satoshi's usual stories and it really impressed upon the trio that being a shinobi was not a game and that just because they were still children didn't mean that the enemy would take it easy on them.

He then went on to tell them flat out that it would be at least a year, if not two, before he even considered allowing them to step outside of the village on a mission that could potentially turn deadly; much as Kushina had kept Team Four in the village until Satoshi turned six. He also gave them the same warning about the D Ranked missions that Kushina had given him and his teammates. Satoshi had half expected at least Naruto to complain about that but was pleased when the blonde stubbornly set his jaw and nodded in understanding along with the other two to show he understood that complaints wouldn't be tolerated.

It was at that point that he told them to go ahead and open their scrolls. Inside, they each found two personalized gifts; one from Satoshi and one from someone close to them. Shino received a pair of scrolls containing two of the Aburame clan techniques from their father and a book on tracking containing both chakra based techniques and ways to identify physical evidence from Satoshi. Hinata also received two scrolls containing clan techniques from Ko and a third scroll containing several recipes and instructions for several easy to make healing potions and ointments (both magical and mundane) from Satoshi. Naruto, on the other hand, received a book from Jiraiya (his first published novel called Dokonjou Ninden) and a pair of scrolls containing the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and a stronger taijutsu style from Satoshi.

Once they'd inspected their 'treasures' Satoshi told them to go ahead and get some rest while he watched over the camp. He also let them know that they had a busy week ahead of them because he planned to introduce them to their new training routine now that he was no longer bound by his promise to teach them only the basics. The soon to be seventeen year old happily settled back to keep an eye over his little termites as they slept; he felt nothing but satisfaction at having achieved half of his dream. The other half of his dream a little more long term in nature as he wanted to see his termites surpass him in the end.

The anticipation of being able to help his new Genin team grow into the outstanding shinobi he knew they could be filled him completely and he wondered again what Kushina, Minato, his mother, and his grandfather would think and if they would be happy with the way things had turned out.

Translations: Japanese to English

Akai Chishio no Habanero – Red Hot-Blooded Habanero
Ano – um/uh
Dokonjou Ninden – The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi/Tales of a Gutsy Ninja
Hai – yes
Kaminari no Kuni – Lightning Country
Kaze no Kuni – Wind Country
Mizu no Kuni – Water Country
Tsuchi no Kuni – Earth Country

Joke Products:

Extendable Ears – eavesdropping device (canon product)
Lip Traps – strips of flesh colored leather that seek out and seal the mouth
Assorted mini bombs – same as their larger counterparts but less potent (meaning their effects don't last as long)

Department Heads:

AnBu Commander: Akimichi Torifu (Kasai)
Jounin Shinobi Commander: Mimura Hamaki
Chief Strategist: Nara Shikaku
Head of Intelligence Division: Mitokado Homura (Sarutobi's teammate)
Head of Torture & Interrogation: Yamanaka Inoichi
Head of Village Security: Hyuuga Haruto (Hinata's grandfather)

AN: Yep, I'm late again. Although, this time, it was because I got caught up in the update/upgrade they were doing to change the document manager update/format box or whatever they call it. Not sure if I like the new box or not. I was happy with the old one. Anywho, this chapter does not count towards today's update; so instead of just one story today, I will be updating three since I couldn't update yesterday. ~ Jenn