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Chapter 3: New Generation

As is the generation of leaves, so is that of humanity.
The wind scatters the leaves on the ground, but the live timber
Burgeons with leaves again in the season of spring returning.
So one generation of men will grow while another dies.
~Homer, Iliad

Minato sat in a large chair that was situated behind his oaken desk, staring down at the list of graduated Academy students with serious cerulean eyes. Three pictures hung on the wall to his right, each frame holding the face of the First, Second, and Third Hokage. The office shelves were packed full of small and large scrolls, the wall behind his desk made almost entirely of glass, giving the man a magnificent view of the entire village. Minato sighed, and picked up the list with fingers calloused from years of handling kunai and other weapons, studying it carefully.

The choosing of the three-man teams was the most important part of a ninja's development, because it decided which two people they would fight with, train with, and spend a majority of their genin – most teams remained together through the chuunin years, some even remaining together after becoming jounin – years with. The choosing of the sensei was equally important, but not as crucial as deciding the three genin members of the squad.

Minato remembered his own squad, and smiled slightly as he remembered all those happy memories at the training field, all those days spent meditating by the river while their sensei peeped at women through the bushes.

Jiraiya-sensei's rather…eccentric teaching methods were mind-boggling and even mentally scarring at times, but proved to be more valuable than any innocence lost in the process. And there was plenty of innocence lost…Minato remembered the numerous hot springs Jiraiya-sensei had ordered them to sneak into. The man had claimed that the point was to improve their stealth, but at the same time he was attaching cameras to their headbands. When that action was voiced against, Jiraiya-sensei said that the cameras were to make sure that they actually made their way into the women's bath undetected, instead of just going inside the entrance hall and staying there for a few minutes before coming out once more.

Minato's wistful thoughts were interrupted by a brisk knock on the door to his office, and he shook his head to clear it, placing the paper down and calling out.

"Come in!"

The door opened, and a young woman with dark brown hair and lively green eyes poked her head in the room. In her hands was a wooden clipboard, and a kind smile was on her face as she slipped into the office, limping slightly with the large cast on her right leg. She was dressed in her civilian clothing – her injury temporarily prevented her from participating in any missions – and her curly hair was pulled into a loose ponytail.

Hoshiko was a jounin, but she specialized in human psychology, and was often called in to help the interrogators understand the victim more thoroughly. She was a kind woman, but she could take people by surprise in the way that she bluntly expressed her opinion, often scolding the person subtly and sometimes even expressing her outright disgust. Minato felt a bit intimidated by her at times, even though she was younger and much less experienced than he was.

Minato smiled, and picked up the list once more. "Ah, Hoshiko…just the person I wanted to see. I was actually just looking through the list of graduates…"

Hoshiko laughed, and sat herself next to the Hokage, pulling out her clipboard. "That's a nice coincidence, Lord Hokage. Let's get started, shall we?"

Minato laughed, and the two began their selections of the individual teams. Two boys and a girl. Minato would suggest a team based on their academic prowess, and Hoshiko would consult the notes on each student that had been taken throughout their four years at the Academy, and she would make changes based on the personalities of each individual.

The process continued for a while, and Minato's chest swelled as he selected Team Six, which would include his daughter, Kazuki. It was a pity that she couldn't be with Naruto or Sasuke, but Hoshiko assured him that time away from her brother and brother-like figure would encourage her to come into her own style, it would encourage mental growth and maturity.

"She needs to learn how to work with others and know when to give up the spotlight; being treated as a prodigy has given her a bit too much confidence." Hoshiko briskly stated, and Minato sighed as Hoshiko wrote down the names of his daughter's teammates. Minato memorized their names, and made himself a mental note to look them up and make sure they were suitable.

The next team made Minato smile, and he spoke quickly and quietly. "I think that Naruto Namikaze and Sasuke Uchiha should be on Team Seven."

"But…aren't they best friends?"

"Yes, but I'm thinking from a academic perspective. Sasuke is well above average ninja skill wise, while Naruto is…not. Having Sasuke on the same team would encourage their developments as teammates and equals…not just as friends. Sasuke needs to learn how to fight with people weaker than him and Naruto needs a rival, but not a rival that will promote resentment or bitterness. Sasuke is modest enough to lead by example, and not make a huge deal out of being better than his best friend. Naruto is outgoing and brave enough to teach Sasuke to take more initiative in terms of dealing with people and branching out."

Hoshiko glanced at her notes, and raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Wow…Hokage-sama…that's incredible. So the two male members of Team Seven will be Naruto Namikaze…and Sasuke Uchiha." The woman wrote down the names under the bold number seven, and glanced through her lists of available graduating kunoichi.

"Hm…since Naruto's weakness is intelligence and ability to think things through, I think that we should group him up with a girl who will expose him to those elements."

Minato frowned slightly, and flipped through a few files. "Well…Hinata Hyuuga is one of the best girls in her class, maybe–"

"Not Hinata. She's smart, sure, but her personality and abilities don't mesh very well with the other two."

"How about…Sakura Haruno? Top academic scores in her year, and has been shown to have incredibly chakra control for someone of her age." Minato plucked out a file that had the graduate's information on it, and glanced at the small picture – a smiling twelve-year-old with soft pink hair and eyes the color of sea-foam – clipped onto the upper right corner of the first page.

Hoshiko flipped through her notes, glancing at the picture of the girl as well, tapping her writing utensil against her chin in thought.

"Hmm…I see your point. Sakura's notes tell me that she's skilled, but often lets her emotions get in the way of her judgment. Similar to Naruto in that respect. She isn't very competitive, which would definitely help ease any tension created by the boys' new status as genin. Sakura has a childhood friend and rival named Ino Yamanaka, and they have been fighting for the affection of Kenji Hyuuga," Minato recognized that name as one of the boy's on Kazuki's team, and smiled slightly as Hoshiko continued "ever since their entrance into the Academy. Having Sakura away from Ino and her crush may prove beneficial, and will help Sakura improve her physical fighting skills."

Minato nodded. "I agree."

"So it's decided. Sakura Haruno, Naruto Namikaze, and Sasuke Uchiha will make up Team Seven."

Minato watched with pride as Hoshiko wrote down the three names, and a small smile crossed his lips as another thought came to him.

Hoshiko set down her pencil, and looked up at Minato. "Now…who do you think would make a good sensei for them?"

Minato's smile grew, and his eyes were bright as he glanced out the window.

"Kakashi Hatake."

Sakura Haruno knew that today was the day that she would profess her love for Kenji. It was all that mattered, really. Becoming a genin was secondary; in fact, he was the reason she spent so much time studying for tests. She wanted him to notice her, she wanted him to see that she was smart, someone to be taken seriously. When her name was proclaimed as the student with the highest test scores…she wanted him to turn with those pearly eyes and smile that gentle smile that had won her heart on that first day at the Academy.

Sakura had been eight years old when she had learned of his existence. It was an outdoor training day, and she had fallen down while trying frantically to throw a kunai. They had been split into three separate groups that day, and she wasn't well acquainted with anyone in her group. Ino hadn't been around to fight off those laughing at her, and Sakura had been left to cry over her scraped knee as the boys mocked and the girls sniggered to themselves. Then, the sound of footsteps coming closer had reached her ears, and she felt someone kneeling beside her.

Sakura had looked up to see a dark haired boy, his pale pupil-less eyes calm and kind as he reached for some bandages that he had in his pocket. His expression was cool and composed – always being calm and collected was a trait that was taught and encouraged in the Hyuuga clan – but a small smile quirked his lips as he tucked a small strand of his shoulder-length hair behind his ear. When the dumbstruck Sakura didn't utter a sound, the boy spoke quietly, his eyes focused on his work.

"You know, I've fallen down plenty of times…and I know that everyone here has too."

Sakura had been awed at the way he spoke. His way of speaking was so mature, so different from the usual chattering and often scrambled speech of her other male classmates. She supposed that a clan as prestigious and ancient as the Hyuuga were bound to train their children well in the art of proper and formal language.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. Don't worry…you'll get better. I'm Kenji, and you're…Sakura, right? I should've guessed…your hair says it all."

Kenji had smiled at her blush of embarrassment, and finished bandaging her knee carefully and gently. The other kids were silent, and some of the girls were scowling at Sakura as the boy stood, holding out a hand to help the pink-haired girl up.

It was in that moment that Sakura realized that she had found the love of her life.

As the years had gone by, Kenji had become sterner, and less open as he had been as he was back then. He no longer smiled as much, and his eyes were more worn. Sakura often wondered what had occurred to make him this way, but if anything, it increased his appealing aura of mystery.

Being outside of the Hyuuga clan, Sakura could never know what had happened, and probably never would. The relationships within his clan had always been stern; they had always been based on the traditions of the past. He was a member of the Main Branch, and as such, he was being pushed into being someone else. No longer free to be himself, slowly being molded into the stern, composed, and unyielding ninja his clan expected of its offspring.

Sakura slowly brushed her hair, staring into the mirror at her appearance. It was the same, except for the new shiny headband that was tied back in a fashion similar to a headband. Her painstakingly straightened pink hair hung around her shoulder blades, and she arched her back to make sure her outfit – a red dress that cut off at her knees, cutting on both sides to allow mobility, with a white circle stitched onto the front dress flap – hung right at the hips.

Her mother called from downstairs, and Sakura scowled slightly as her inspection of her appearance was interrupted.

"Sakura, hurry up! You'll miss breakfast if you dawdle any more!"

"Okay, I'm almost done."

Sakura heard her mother sigh before moving back to the kitchen, and the girl flashed a cute smile at the mirror, staring at her face to make sure that her expression would be perfect for Kenji.

Her young and childish mind did not even think about the possibility of him not returning her feelings…that route hadn't even begun to reveal itself in her mind. She loved him, and would still show her affection even if he disapproved of her feelings that were such a distraction as a ninja.

Sakura smiled once more at her reflection, and grabbed her bag that was resting beside her bed before running down the stairs into the dining room, where her smiling mother was waiting with a plate of breakfast.

The classroom of students quieted immediately when Iruka and the Hokage entered the room. Naruto waved frantically at the Hokage, who gave him a small wave in return, and Sasuke straightened in his place at the end of the table, smiling at the red-haired girl beside him who had her headband tied around her forehead just like he and Naruto.

Kazuki smiled back at Sasuke, and the innocence behind that smile struck a chord of sadness in Sasuke's heart. It was so easy to forget how old she was, but now, as he looked at her, Sasuke realized that she was only ten years old. Ten years of life…and now she was expected to perform the duties of a ninja. Sure, the duties of a genin were hardly life-threatening, but they were still expected to handle weapons and put themselves in harms way if necessary.

The boy's attention was diverted back to the front of the room as Iruka cleared his throat, smiling widely at the class.

"Good morning, and before we begin I'd like to congratulate all of you on making it this far. I'd like to say that life will be easy now that you've reached this stage, but you know as well as I know that many challenges are waiting for all of you."

The Hokage stepped forward, and his warm presence made everyone relax. His fatherly cerulean eyes drifted to rest on each individual in the room before speaking.

"Everyone in this room now has a new path set out for themselves, no matter how close you remain with your friends and teammates. No path will be quite the same; no path will be quite as untraveled as the path you are destined to take. No matter how many people you speak to about their experiences as a genin, chuunin, and jounin, your path will always differ greatly from theirs. But this is a good thing. Your life is what you choose to make of it, and the choices you make affect every aspect of your path. Simple decisions can have huge consequences. But now, as genin, you are delving into a new world in which your parents and mentors have less influence on your actions, less influence on who you're going to be. From now on…the way your future goes is in your hands."

The room was deathly still as the children glanced around at each other, their eyes nervous as the Hokage's words sunk in. Sasuke glanced over at his best friend, who was sitting on his other side. Naruto's face was carefree as usual, his cerulean eyes staring at his father, a huge grin on his face.

Sasuke would never admit this, but he felt so incredibly scared for what lay ahead. Yes, being a ninja was what he wanted, but the thought of actually taking that first step was rather daunting to him. And this could possibly be the last time that he and Naruto stood together as just friends, not separated by different mission times and being under different teachers.

The thought made Sasuke sad, but of course he was too proud to show it openly.

Naruto was his best friend, and Sasuke knew that no matter how much time passed, no matter how many battles he fought, no matter how many people he met…that fact would never change.

Naruto chose that moment to glance over at him, and the blonde beamed at him. Sasuke smiled back, and the two looked back to the front as the Hokage waved to them all, and disappeared in a flash of yellow. Naruto grinned smugly at the awed looks coming from the other children, leaning back in his chair, adjusting his shiny headband slightly on his forehead.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Iruka cleared his throat. "Alright, now we're going to separate all of you into groups of three. These will be your genin squads, and after I finish naming a squad I'll send the team of three to where they'll be meeting their sensei. Okay, Team One will consist of…"

The next ten minutes was spent naming off members of the first five teams, and each time a team was announced Iruka sent them to a different part of the village. Team Two was sent outside by the swing set, while Team Five was sent to the gutter behind the ramen shop. The others were sent to places in the Academy, and Sasuke sighed as Iruka glanced down at his list.

"Team Six will include: Kenji Hyuuga," Every single girl in the room – excepting Kazuki, Hinata, and one other girl with dark purple hair and slanted gray eyes – sat up straighter in their chair at the sound of the boy's name, their eyes flashing dangerously as Iruka continued. "Ryuu Nagataka, and Kazuki Namikaze."

Naruto leapt up and yelled in excitement, slapping huge high fives with Kazuki as she stood to meet up with her two teammates by the door. Kenji nodded politely when she approached, and Ryuu grinned broadly at her, his mischievous brown eyes sparkling.

Sasuke cringed at the low hum of fury that came from all of the girls as they glared daggers at Kazuki. The red-haired girl paled, and was the first of her team to rush out the door as soon as Iruka told them where to meet their sensei.

Iruka called the hissing and yelling group of girls to order, and went on. "Team Seven will consist of: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno," Sasuke stole a glance at his best friend, praying, hoping, and pleading to every single god and otherworldly being of power that he and his best friend would be placed on the same team. "and Naruto Namikaze."

Naruto leapt into the air again, yelling in triumph as Sasuke smiled widely in relief, getting to his feet and following his friend down the stairs to the place beside Iruka's podium. Sasuke glanced back to see Sakura trailing behind, her head hung in disappointment as she came up to stand beside Naruto. Sasuke tried to smile at her, but she was too busy glaring at the list in Iruka's hands to notice. Sasuke shrugged, and turned to punch fists with Naruto. Sakura had never taken much interest in him; every boy in their class was non-existent except for that Kenji kid.

Iruka flipped through a few papers, and smiled at them before speaking. "Your sensei will meet you three in classroom four, which is a few doors down from this room."

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei." Sasuke smiled at the man, and Iruka nodded before letting all of them leave. Sasuke stuck his hands in his pockets, and the three of them walked side by side down the hall to the classroom with a large number four written on the door. Sasuke entered first, and Naruto followed him, holding open the door for Sakura, only to find that she was still standing in the middle of the hallway, muttering to herself. Naruto sighed, and called out.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hold this door open forever, you know!"

Sasuke heaved a weary sigh as Sakura glared at the blonde, stomping into the room and plopping down on a chair farthest away from the two boys. There was a tense silence as both Naruto and Sasuke waited for Sakura to say something, but she remained stubbornly silent. Sasuke smirked slightly.

"You know, unless you can magically go to the Hokage and change his mind, you're stuck with us for a while. So you should at least try and get along…"

"Yeah, Sasuke's right! We're not that bad!"

"Bad enough." Sakura snapped, and Sasuke grimaced as Naruto blushed furiously.

"Hey, we're just trying to help!"

"How about you shut up for once in your life?" Sakura snarled, flipping her long pink hair out her eyes as she turned to glare viciously at the blonde. The Uchiha rolled his eyes, and leaned back to close his eyes, tuning out Naruto's mumblings and Sakura's huffs of annoyance.

Sasuke hoped that their sensei would come soon.

Kakashi Hatake made his way down the hallway of the Academy, his one eye – the other covered by his Konohagakure metal headband – flickering around in search for classroom number four. His hands were in his pockets, his footsteps slow and seemingly carefree as he walked.

The jounin was receiving a new genin squad today. The Hokage had personally requested that Kakashi mentor the team, and Kakashi felt obligated to do so, even though he hadn't really been keen on taking on another team. The only member of this particular team he knew anything about was the Hokage's son, Naruto.

Kakashi had been invited over for dinner once when Naruto was younger, and Kakashi remembered staring across the table at a chatty and excitable three-year-old with hair and eyes strikingly similar to his father. The boy had been fascinated with him, but was more interested in telling Kakashi all about his baby sister, who was just beginning to learn how to walk. After dinner, Kakashi sat with Minato in the living room talking about missions and how Kakashi was managing after a recent injury to his left shoulder, Kushina humming and washing dishes in the kitchen.

"It's nothing I can't handle…I just have to rest my shoulder for a week or so."

"I see, that's good. Sometimes the nurses can be a bit…overbearing."

Seventeen-year-old Kakashi laughed quietly, and both men turned at the sight of a spiky blonde head peeping from around the corner. Minato smiled, and turned towards his son.

"You, little guy, are supposed to be asleep."

Naruto grinned mischievously, and before his father could say another word, ran out with a small bundle in his arms. The infant in the bundle was just waking up, and Naruto handed the bundle to Kakashi.

Kakashi stared at the boy, and his trusting cerulean eyes as he handed over his precious little sister. There was no wariness to his smile, no fear that Kakashi would drop or accidentally not support her head.

Naruto was offering something precious. Kakashi swallowed hard as a flash of Obito's face appeared before his eyes. The jounin carefully reached out, and Naruto set the girl in his arms.

Kakashi had never been much of a baby person – children in general were much too loud and excitable for him to handle – and his arms were awkward as they came around the girl's head and legs to support her in the crook of his elbow. The baby pursed her lips in confusion, not familiar with this new stranger's lack of experience in holding her, and opened her violet-blue eyes to stare at the jounin above her.

Kakashi smiled at her under his mask as she cooed adorably, and Minato chuckled. "Well that's a surprise…"

"What?" Kakashi asked as Naruto was herded back into his room by his mother. Minato smiled, and answered.

"Naruto has never offered Kazuki to anyone but Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha. He must really like you, Kakashi. And what's more…Kazuki usually cries when put in a stranger's arms. And yet, look at her."

Kakashi looked down to see the little girl reaching upwards towards his face with her tiny, petite little fingers, her eyes focused and curious as her hands touched his jaw. There was no hesitation in her movements, only a deep confusion and a need to understand this strange new figure before her.

It had been nearly nine years ago, but the innocence that had been within the Namikaze children had ingrained itself in his memory, the trust that lay behind those cerulean eyes and the intense curiosity found within those violet-blue ones never left his mind.

The jounin sighed as he reached the door, so lost within his thoughts that he didn't think to wonder why the door was part of the way open. His hand reached around the edge, and he slowly slid the door open, stepping inside as he did so.

Poof!

Kakashi felt a firm surface collide with his head, and saw and smelled the chalky substance that floated from the eraser as it fell from his hair to the floor. There was complete silence for a split second, and then an orange clad figure standing by the nearest desk crowed jubilantly.

"Ha! That's what you get for making us wait!"

That voice was vaguely familiar, and Kakashi looked over to see the beaming face of Naruto Namikaze. He was different from the thin little three-year-old that had placed an infant into his arms, but those bright cerulean eyes were the exact same.

There was another boy who Kakashi had often seen playing with Naruto. The boy looked him up and down with dark, intense eyes. He had pale skin and black hair that spiked up in the back, and wore a dark blue shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol stitched on the back and cream colored shorts.

The girl was standing next to Naruto, and from her embarrassed and slightly guilty blush Kakashi had a feeling that she had helped orchestrate the eraser falling scenario. She was slender and porcelain-skinned, with large green eyes and soft pink hair that fell down her upper back. Her red outfit split down the sides to go to just below her knees, and she sported green skin-tight shorts beneath the dress-like outfit that cut off at mid-thigh.

Kakashi sighed, and shook his head to get all of the chalk out. "Well, if I was going on first impressions alone…I'd say that I hate you all."

The three genin slumped in disappointment, and Kakashi motioned for them to follow as he turned to exit the room. He heard the girl muttering under her breath, and with his incredible senses, Kakashi could hear exactly what she said.

"Stupid sensei…gets all huffy about some chalk…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at that, and whispered. "How would you feel if someone put chalk in your hair?"

Naruto shrugged. "She'd have a fit, of course. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out!"

"Shut up, idiot!" Sakura hissed, and Naruto frowned.

"Hey, I was just saying–."

The Uchiha boy sighed in defeat, and Kakashi turned his gaze back forward before the genin could catch him studying them.

The way that these three were going, they'd never manage to pass his test to determine if they should go on to become genin or not.

Kakashi supposed that he shouldn't be surprised; he hadn't passed anyone for the last five years…why should that pattern change now?

Naruto situated himself on the roof steps, and beamed at the world in general as he happily touched his ninja headband. Sasuke was beside him, and Sakura was on Sasuke's other side. The pink haired girl had her chin in her hands, and she was looking up at the jounin seated on the railing across from the three of them.

Their sensei was a tall, lean man with spiky silver hair and the customary jounin attire. The lower half of his face was covered with a mask, and his headband slanted downward to cover his left eye from view.

The man spoke in a low, seemingly lazy voice that was almost bored. "Alright, before we do anything, let's introduce ourselves. Just say some stuff about yourself…you know…hobbies, dislikes and likes, goals for the future, that sort of thing."

Naruto sat up straighter, and pumped a fist into the air. "I'll go first! I'm Naruto Namikaze! I like all flavors of ramen, but only the ramen my mom makes cuz that stuff is awesome! The thing I dislike is waiting for the ramen to cook, and then my dad takes his sweet time in pouring the ramen into my bowl, because he likes to wind me up. My hobbies are eating ramen and pulling pranks. My goal for the future is to become the Hokage! And that's…uh…pretty much it."

The jounin was staring at him blankly, and after a moment turned to Sasuke. "Okay, your turn."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. My hobbies are…um…training with my brother and taking walks. I like omusubi with okaka and tomatoes. I don't like sweet things, or people hurting my friends. My goals are to…join the Uchiha Police Force like my father and older brother."

The man nodded, and Sakura looked up at the sound of the jounin addressing her. "Now our young lady."

"My name's Sakura Haruno. I like Kenji Hyuuga, and everything that relates somehow to that person. I dislike anyone who doesn't like Kenji-kun and anyone who also likes Kenji-kun in that way. My goal for–"

The silver haired man held up a hand. "I think we get the gist of what you're saying, thanks. Anyway, now we–"

"Sensei, what about you?" Sasuke asked politely, and the man sighed.

"Me? My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes and dislikes are none of your business. My dreams and hopes for the future are also, as I said before, none of your business. And I have plenty of hobbies."

The three genin glanced at each other, and Sakura groaned. "He said a lot, but all we learned was his name."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Naruto was still trying to figure out what exactly Kakashi's information meant. Sakura looked up again, and her green eyes were focused.

"So now what?"

Kakashi smiled, and began to explain the instructions for tomorrow's test.

Was there really a point in testing them? Kakashi knew that this team was no different from the past teams he had tested…none of them were able to understand the aspect of being a ninja that was so incredibly crucial in Kakashi's eyes.

Kakashi knew that this team would probably fail, just like the rest of them, but he couldn't help but feel the same small kernel of hope he felt with every team he tested. He hoped that this team, Team Seven, would prove him wrong.