The events of the previous night were still consuming the thoughts of not only those involved, but the Third Hokage as well. He had tossed and turned all night deliberating over the team assignments that were scheduled for today. Over a month ago with this particular list of graduates he would have had little difficulty assigning them, however something had changed greatly in a month.
It seemed strange however one particular person had him stumped, Hinata Hyuuga. Jinchuriki of the 9 tailed Vixen also known as Queen of the Bijuu and the Kyuubi's mate. With recent events he was put in a difficult position. The girl's grades had risen and it seemed she had tied for female rookie of the year with Sakura. He could easily choose either for Team 7 with Sasuke as the rookie male of the year and Naruto rounding off the group as even with his improvement he still ranked at the bottom of his class. The problem Sarutobi faced was that Kurenai was expecting a primarily tracking based team, which Hinata would excel in, however on the other hand based on Iruka's reports the girl had been spending a lot of time with Naruto and surprisingly Sasuke. It seemed the three had already bonded to some degree and considering they were already one of the scenarios he had in mind it would be so simple to choose them as a genin squad.
He drummed his fingers as he studied the list again intently trying to focus on the entirety of the team assignments.
"Teams 1-6 are decided as is Team 10. With Team 9 still active that leaves only Team 7 and 8 left" he said frowning as he once again found himself back to square one.
"Now it comes down to a simple choice...where does Hinata and Sakura go ?" he wondered aloud as he leaned back in his chair as he closed his eyes.
He took a deep breath as the multiple facets of this decision weighed on his mind.
'If I assign Hinata to team 7 it would likely be a better fit for her and the rest of her squad, however putting two Jinchurikis on the same team could be foolhardy or beneficial for the long term.' he thought.
'On the other hand if I assign Hinata to Team 8 it would satisfy Kurenai as she is the girl's guardian at the moment, however the only problem with the Jinchuriki being separated is I would be obligated to inform more individuals of Hinata's status as a Jinchuriki...and I don't even believe the girl knows it at the moment. The more that know of her condition...the greater chance there is of this becoming public and the greater chance of her being ostracized like Naruto is' he thought as his brows furrowed.
'Now on to Sakura...from what I know she is brilliant, but her desire to dote on Sasuke and berate Naruto could cause the entire team to become compromised. Theres a chance her teammates would grow to resent her and her fawning over Sasuke could jeopardize their entire squad on an assignment. Naruto,Sakura, and Sasuke have so many parallels to my old team...there is that potential there, but again should I risk the unity of a squad on a hopeful gambit that they may become the second generation of Sannin?' he thought shaking his head.
Sarutobi exhaled deeply before closing his eyes for a long moment.
As he opened his eyes he brought pen to paper as he made his final decision and hoped it was the right one.
-Academy-
The Graduated Genin sat in anticipation as they awaited for Iruka to arrive in the classroom and announce their teams.
Most of those gathered were buzzing about a series of rumors surrounding Mizuki from the night before. Though fortunately all there was to discuss was simply rumor as any real details were classified as well as those who were involved.
As the class waited eagerly, many of the fangirls could be heard gushing over the chance of being on the same team as Sasuke.
Hinata prodded her fingers together as she felt her heart racing.
'I really hope I end up on Naruto-kun's team' she thought before she smiled shyly at the blonde.
Naruto returned the smile with a thumbs up.
"Oi I can't believe this day is finally here ! I'm excited how bout you Hinata-chan ? Sasuke ?" he said looking between the two.
Sasuke just grunted an affirmative while Hinata nodded before speaking.
"Hai h-hopefully I can make m-my team and c-clan proud" she stuttered before adverting her eyes as she wondered if the later was even possible.
"I have no doubt about that Hinata-chan " he said enthusiastically.
"You and me will be the best believe it!" he yelled to which a few people turned to stare at him.
Hinata just looked at the ground blushing furiously at the blonde's antics.
Sasuke just rolled his eyes.
"You know Naruto at times a big aspect of being a ninja is learning how to be quiet ...how bout practicing that a bit ?" he suggested as looked over at the hyperactive blonde.
"What was that Teme ?" cried Naruto as he grabbed the boy by the collar and cocked back his fist.
Before either of them could begin their typical brawl they felt two tiny hands on their chest pushing them apart. They both looked down to see the shy heiress, before anything further could be said the door to the room opened up as Iruka strode in albeit a bit slower today with a faint smile on his lips.
As everyone settled into their seats he approached the front of the room before speaking in a clear loud voice.
"Everyone I can't begin to describe how proud of you I am today! You've all have come so very far and while this is a milestone for you all it is just the beginning. Their will be countless trials and tribulations you will face as Ninja as well as difficult decisions, I just hope you all look back and reflect on the lessons you've learned here to guide forward into the future." he said as his eyes looked across the entire room at each of the many faces. His eyes lingered for a moment on Naruto before he found his voice once again.
"With no further ado, I would first like to announce the Female Rookie or should I say Rookies of the year. Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuuga ...both of these ladies have tied in regards to their final scores and I'm very proud of both of you." he said as he clapped his hands in which many of the class followed suit.
Many in the classroom seemed a bit taken back not by Sakura's final grade, but by the fact that the shy Heiress had matched her grade wise.
Naruto cheered loudly as he leaned over and squeezed the already embarrassed Hinta.
"Wooh way to go Hinata-chan your the best" he exclaimed to which the red faced Hinata fought her hardest to keep from fainting from his touch and words.
Sasuke smirked as he said nothing but simply inclined his head towards Hinata acknowledging her success.
Iruka smiled as he let the noise in the class die down before speaking again.
"As for our Male rookie of the year we have Sasuke Uchiha who I have no doubt will apply himself with nothing less than 100% going forward. I'm very proud of you as well Sasuke" he said sincerely as he looked at the raven haired boy.
Sasuke said nothing but groaned at the sound of the squealing fangirls.
Naruto pouted as he looked away and began muttering to himself.
"That should be me and not Sasuke-teme" he said as he poked his fingers together almost in a Hinata fashion.
Hinata couldn't help but giggle as Sasuke smirked.
"Well waiting till the last month to apply yourself doesn't leave you with much room to catch me" he said as he crossed his arms.
Naruto said nothing for a moment before he flashed a grin.
"Well I'll just have to get better than you now that we're full fledged Ninja " he said
"You can try" taunted Sasuke as he and the blonde began a starring contest.
"Ano...Iruka-Sensei is waiting for us to be quiet" whispered Hinata to the two boys who looked down to see an irritated Iruka.
"As I was saying ...now we will begin Team assignments. I will tell you who is in your team as well as your Jonin Sensei." he informed the class before he cleared his throat and after a moment began calling the first of the teams that were assigned.
One by one teams 1-6 were called leaving the remaining 9 genin anxious as the next announcement could very well effect them.
'Please let me be with Sasuke-kun' thought Ino and Sakura at the same time as they glared at one another.
Naruto felt his stomach tighten as he looked over at Hinata who also seemed was the first time he was truly afraid that of how he would cope if she wasn't his teammate. He took a deep breath as he looked over at Sasuke he by comparison seemed calm. In reality however Sasuke was just as nervous, the thought of being stuck with an idiotic fangirl terrified him.
Iruka looked down to the next team and his eyes widened, it was clear he had expected something else.
"Team 7 will consist of...
"Hinata Hyuuga" Hinata's heart began racing as she awaited the next name to be announced.
"Sasuke Uchiha." Both Ino and Sakura cursed mentally as they glared daggers at Hinata.
"and Kiba Inuzuka" he said to which both Naruto and Hinata's hearts fell. All their hopes of working together had been dashed.
However only a moment passed before Iruka coughed and tried to hide a blush.
"Oh I'm so sorry I skipped down to Team 8, forgive me I didn't have much sleep last night" he commented to which Naruto practically burst out of his seat as the bloody tension was killing him.
"The final member of team 7 is..." before he could finish speaking the door opened up as Shikamaru walked in yawning.
Naruto cried as he face planted the desk in front of him.
"Sorry would have set my alarm for earlier, but it was too troublesome" he murmured as he offered no further explanation as he found a seat before laying his head down.
Iruka's eyes twitched.
"Shikamaru Nara how do you know you haven't already been assigned ?" Iruka yelled obviously irritated at the unmotivated boy.
"Eh that's simple Sensei...it's not like it's any mystery of who I'll be working with. The Nara,Akimichi and Yamanka clans go way back and I'm pretty sure they've already arranged to have us together. " he said before he closed his eyes.
Iruka groaned shaking his head as he looked back down at his paper.
"P-please Iruka-sensei for the love of Kami tell us who is the final member of Team 7" said Naruto as he looked at Iruka with anime tears in his eyes.
Hinata was so red in the face she looked like she could pass out with the slightest provocation, the suspense was killing her. She activated her byakugan as she stared at the door to see if there would be any further interruptions.
Iruka smiled as he looked at the blonde knuckle-headed ninja.
"The final member of team 7 is Naruto Uzumaki" declared Iruka.
"WOohoo" cried Naruto as he turned and squeezed the Hyuuga Heiress next to him. He couldn't be any happier and nor could Hinata at the moment as she barely managed to avoid fainting.
"Well Dobe you better keep getting better so you don't hold me and Hinata back" said Sasuke before offered the blonde a grin.
Naruto huffed as he pulled away from Hinata and looked at Sasuke. "Oh count on it Teme! I'll kick your ass" he countered.
Hinata who was still in bliss looked at Naruto with her Byakugan still on and inadvertently saw more then she had intended as she fainted dead away her cheeks a bright crimson and a cute smile on her face.
Before she could fall out of her seat both Naruto and Sasuke caught her.
"Oi Sasuke any idea why Hinata keeps getting sick like this ?" asked Naruto.
Sasuke looked at Naruto incredulously 'Is he really that stupid?...wait of course he is' he thought to himself before shaking his head.
"Not a damn clue, though if I had to guess Hinata here got a good peek of you with her Byakugan on" he said smirking as the blonde's eyes widened before he blushed a red that would rival Hinatas.
Iruka had tried calling the trio multiple times...now he required desperate measures...The big head Jutsu.
"SHUT UP and Let me finish" he yelled to which Naruto and Sasuke snapped to attention.
"As I was saying your Sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." he stated.
Sakura and Ino sat in a deep depression as they glared in the direction of Naruto and more specifically Hinata. Neither were pleased to lose out to the Heiress in regards to not being on Sasuke's team.
Iruka cleared his throat.
"Let's continue...Team 8 will consist of Shino Aburame,Sakura Haruno, and Kiba Inuzuka. Your Jonin Sensei will be Kurenei Yuhi." he said
"Finally Team 10 will be comprised of Choji Akimichi,Shikamaru Nara, and Ino Yamanaka" he stated.
"Where the hell is he ?" screamed Naruto as he stood up and began pacing back and forth across the now nearly empty classroom.
It had been three hours since the rest of the genin squads had left with their respective Jonin, leaving only Team 7 waiting for their overdue Senseis.
Hinata blushed as she simply prodded her fingers together nervously. She was still happy as can be by the fact she was on a team she trusted...and more importantly on a team with her crush.
Sasuke though he wouldn't admit it was nearly as frustrated as Naruto.
"Naruto chill he'lll be here eventually...I hope" he whispered the last part to himself as he crossed his arms.
Naruto huffed but a grin spread across his face as he walked to the chalkboard.
"Oi Sasuke help me.." he insisted as he grabbed an eraser.
"With what exactly ?" Sasuke asked as he arched a brow.
"With a little payback so our Sensei will learn to be on time from now on" he said as he giggled mischievously to himself.
Sasuke grunted as he stood up and walked to the front of the room where Naruto was.
"Here let me help you so you don't screw it up" he said smirking at the blonde as he took the eraser from his hand.
"Oi I'll have you know I'm an expert when it comes to these type of things Teme" cried Naruto as he glared at the raven haired Ninja next to him.
"Yeh and you also excel at being an idiot so let's make sure we do this right" he said as he began walking to the door with Naruto beside him.
Hinata giggled at her teammates antics but spoke up shyly as she hoped to make a good impression today with their sensei.
"Um ...N-naruto-kun...Sasuke-kun m-maybe our sensei has a good reason for being late...this c-could be our chance to m-make a good impression i-if we're patient" she said as she fidgeted slightly as both of the boys looked at her.
Naruto pouted as he looked at the heriess.
"But Hinata that sounds boring and it's obvious our sensei doesn't care about our first impression of him" he whined.
Hinata just giggled as Sasuke shook his head.
"I can't believe I actually considered doing that...thanks Hinata it seems that being around the Naruto makes you progressively less intelligent" he said before smirking as he clobbered Naruto upside the head with the eraser sending chalk flying all over the blonde.
Naruto turned to glare at Sasuke with an evil glint in his eye.
"Oh it's on now Teme" he cried as he lunged forward grabbing the eraser from Sasuke's hand before proceeding to smack the Uchiha with it.
Poor Hinata could only watch helplessly as the pair began their chalk war. Without turning her Byakugan on all she could see was flying chalk everywhere. A few moments later the door to the room flew open as a man presumably their Sensei stepped into the room.
The man was tall and mysterious as most of his face was obscured save his right eye. A mask covered his mouth and most of his face and his headband was pulled down covering his left eye from view. Other than his obscured visage his only other very defining feature from a glance was his his silvery grey hair. His attire consisted of a simple Jonin outfit. From his one visible eye he seemed rather bored as he looked over the three noticing Naruto and Sasuke who were still oblivious to his presence.
Hinata looked on warily as the boys who were still occupied...
"Ano N-naruto-kun...Sasuke-kun" she squeaked.
The two stopped as it finally registered someone else had come into the room.
Sasuke looked utterly horrified and embarrassed while Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
The cyclops ninja looked at the trio a moment before speaking.
"My first impression of you...is that your all idiots...I'll see you at the top of the tower in 15 minutes for introductions" he said before he formed a handseal and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Hinata bowed her head as she trembled slightly she already felt like a failure, what would she do if her clan heard of how her first meeting with her sensei had gone. She blinked back tears as she studied the desk in front of her.
Sasuke grunted while Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"Oi that Cyclops is going to get a beating when I get up there...who does he think he is keeping us waiting like that?" he screamed.
After a moment he relaxed slightly as he looked over at Sasuke for a moment before speaking.
"Sorry about that Teme." he said after a moment.
Sasuke just grunted as he put his hands into his pockets.
"No it's fine its not everyday I get the chance to make an ass out of myself in front of our new Sensei" he replied sarcastically.
Naruto just ignored him for the moment as he walked over and looked at Hinata closely noticing that she had been crying only moments before.
Her head was still bowed as she studied the ground.
Naruto acting rather than thinking grabbed her chin gently and raised it till she was looking into his eyes.
"Hey Hinata-chan I'm sorry If me and Sasuke made you cry because we acted like Bakas in front of our new Sensei" he said his eyes took a serious edge as it pained him to her like this.
Hinata's pale lavender eyes softened as a smile and blush crept up on her face.
"It's ok N-naruto-kun we're in this together now" she said before laughing softly.
Naruto felt a weird sensation in his stomach.
'What is it I'm beginning to feel when I'm around Hinata. I can't explain this sensation.' he mused to himself.
"Why did I have to end up with a blockhead as a host ?...if I can't get out of here...next time I'm going to petition to have a Host that has some sense...seriously what kind of Ninja thinks Orange is a good idea" The fox groaned to himself as he pawed at the barred cage to no avail.
Naruto's eyebrow twitched. 'Dammit fluffy you haven't said anything in months and now of all times you choose to have your monologue ? Save it I'm trying to concentrate here' he shouted at the fox.
'I'm surprised you even know what a monologue is kit..now get back out there...the paled eyed one is growing concerned.' he said before he shut his eyes and laid back down.
"N-Naruto-kun are you ok ?" Hinata asked again concerned.
"Uh oh his brain finally gave up the good fight" commented Sasuke who crossed his arms.
Naruto shook his head.
"Oh sorry bout that...blanked out there" he lied before laughing nervously.
Hinata sighed but smiled and Sasuke just grunted.
"Come on then Idiot..before we're late" he said.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Yosh let's go " he yelled as he grabbed Hinata's hand and Sasuke's arm before making a mad dash out of the room and up the stairs.
A few minutes later the entirety of Team 7 found themselves seated together. The trio sat beside one another with Naruto in the middle and Hinata to his left and Sasuke to his right with Kakashi sitting lazily in front of them.
Kakashi looked at the trio before speaking "Before we discuss anything further I would like to take a moment for you us to get to know one another better, please introduce yourself, name some of your likes and dislikes and any dreams you may have for the future."he said.
"Ano...Sensei can you show us how it's done ?" asked Hinata timidly.
Kakashi nodded before speaking. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have many likes and dislikes...as far as dreams...well I haven't really given it much thought." he admitted before offering an eye smile.
Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously pointed a finger accusingly at the man "You didn't tell us anything we didn't already know" they yelled.
Kakashi blinked "Hmm I suppose your right" he said shrugging earning glares from both Naruto and Sasuke.
After a moment of silence Kakashi cleared his throat.
"Alright then Blondie how bout you go next" he said as he looked over at Naruto.
Naruto's nodded vigorously as he looked excited to speak.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki ! I like Ramen,Hinata-chan,training, pulling pranks...and " he looked over at Sasuke for a moment before continuing.
"Hanging out with Sasuke is pretty cool too" he said almost reluctantly before pausing a moment as he thought about his dislikes.
"I hate bastards that look down others or who think their better then someone else because there in some big shot clan, I also hate the time it takes to make instant ramen, the only other thing I can't stand is people who judge someone before getting to know them" he exclaimed.
It took him no time to express his ambitions. "My dream is to become the greatest Hokage there's ever been, so people will finally acknowledge me and I can prove who I am by protecting this village with my life." he stated before throwing his fist in the air.
Sasuke just shook his head and smirked however Hinata looked at the blonde with a blush on her cheeks.
'I believe in you Naruto-kun' she thought to herself as she allowed a small smile to spread across her lips.
"Thank you Naruto ...Alright your up next" said Kakashi as he looked over at Sasuke.
Sasuke's eye twitched as he cleared his throat.
"My Name is Sasuke Uchiha" he started
He thought over the rest of his answers and a month prior he knew how he would answer...however things had changed since then for him. It took him a moment to find the right words.
"I don't have many likes...though I do enjoy training and spending time with Naruto and Hinata" he admitted.
"I dislike quite a few things, but to keep it short
-10 minutes Later-
"and fangirls who chase me around without knowing anything about me" he said finally finishing leaving the three around him wide eyed.
'That's keeping it short ?' they all thought.
"I don't have any dreams,but rather ambitions... I don't know how yet, but I plan to rebuild the Uchiha Clan and beyond that I plan to kill a certain man" he said his voice taking an edge at the end.
Hinata and Naruto both looked at the both a bit taken of guard but said nothing.
"Alright moving on...that just leaves you missy" stated Kakashi with an eye smile.
Hinata blushed as everyone looked at her to speak.
"M-my name is H-hinata H-hyuuga" she said cursing herself mentally for stuttering so badly.
"Ano..I l-like flower p-pressing,dancing, and painting. I also like spending time with N-naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun" she said blushing as she looked over at her crush.
Naruto blinked as he realized he really didn't know much about Hinata's interests beforehand or her family. He felt a bit guilty for not asking, but was glad to have this chance to learn more about the Hyuuga Heiress.
"Ano...I don't r-really hate a-anything...though I don't like when p-people look down on others for things that aren't their fault or seeing people t-treated unkindly." she said softly.
"M-my dream... is to s-show my clan I'm not just a failure...one day I want to be recognized as a strong kunoichi of the leaf. I want to become a strong Heiress for m-my clan so I can help my p-people...and I want to help make someone I c-care about recognize me ...and I hope one day I can help that person reach their dream" she said timidly as she looked away bashfully as her face was stained a deep red.
Everyone looked at the timid Heiress thoughtfully save Naruto who was trying to absorb everything she'd said and had a blank expression at the moment.
'Hmmm I wonder if Hinata-chan has had problems with her family...and I wonder who this person she mentioned is' he thought as he scratched the back of his head.
Within his mindscape the Giant Kyuubi rolled both of his eyes. 'Idiot' it thought though it ultimately decided to remain silent.
Alright now that we have that we have gotten that out of the way, we need to discuss the final test before we're officially a team" he stated earning shocked expressions from the genin.
"Wait what test ? we already graduated" cried Naruto as he stood up.
Kakashi nodded before speaking again.
'Yes you may have passed the Genin test, however this final test is a live exam to see if you are truly cut out to be Ninja. Of the teams that were assigned today only a third of these teams will go on to be official teams, the rest will be dropped from the program or sent back to the academy. It may seem unfair however there will be situations on missions where complications arise and you are forced to adjust. I will leave you with this to think on. I'll will see you tomorrow at 7, don't eat breakfast tomorrow or you may throw up" he advised as he stood and pulled out a small book before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
Of the three shocked Genin, Naruto was the first to find his voice.
"Well this sucks!" he shouted.