Quick question to anyone… is it jonin? Or jounin? Google auto correct likes jounin. Anyways, next week I'm at a few different conventions for work starting Friday through the weekend, so if I can pull off a chapter before then, it'll be up on Thursday, if not, sometime the next week.

Studying was hard for Naruto. It wasn't something his brain was naturally hardwired to do. But damn it all if he wouldn't give it his best. He and his clones spent hours pouring over the textbooks, determined to catch up to his classmates. Still, some of the information felt like water slipping through his fingers. It was a nagging feeling of I know this answer, but it's on the tip of my tongue.

He closed the book and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. It had been an uneventful morning all things considered, and he was starting to feel the strain of sitting still for too long.

"Maybe I need a break," he muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. "A little fresh air or something."

That's when it hit him. There was something else he needed to do today. He had woken up very excited to go, but with his one track mind, he had quickly forgotten as he did some early morning reading. With graduation coming up, the academy was making sure all students were getting their ninja registration in order. Groaning, Naruto stood up, stretched his limbs, and made his way out the door.

Getting his picture taken couldn't be that hard, right?

Konoha Ninja Registration Office

Naruto walked to the photo area, fully expecting some sort of mishap. A sneeze, a blink, a distraction, or maybe all of the above. Yet when he sat down and smiled, the photographer simply snapped the picture.

"Alright, you're done," the photographer said flatly.

Naruto blinked. "Wait… that's it?"

The photographer nodded, not even looking up from his equipment, "Yup, on your way out there should be a printed registration with a photo, make sure to take that to the Hokage."

Naruto scratched his head as he stood up. "Huh. That was... easy."

For once, something went smoothly.

… Or so he thought.

Hokage Office

"Jiji! Get ready to fight!"

Surprisingly it wasn't Naruto that uttered those words. A small child burst through the doors of the Hokage's office as the blonde was handing in his papers. The bright blue scarf around his neck stood out sharply against his yellow shirt.

The Third Hokage looked up calmly from his desk as if this was a regular occurrence, "Hello, Konohamaru-kun."

The boy whipped off his scarf with dramatic flair. "Today's the day I defeat you and claim the title of Hokage!" Konohamaru declared boldly, puffing up his chest before hurling a few shurikens toward the old man.

…or at least attempted to before tripping over his own feet and faceplanting onto the floor.

The room collectively sweatdropped. 'Well that was… something.'

Naruto blinked, glancing from the fallen kid to the Hokage, and back again. He tried to stifle a laugh but failed miserably, snickering under his breath. "Heh, nice try, kid."

Konohamaru quickly pushed himself up, glaring at Naruto. "What's so funny, huh?!"

Naruto crossed his arms and grinned. "If you're gonna be Hokage, tripping over your own feet isn't exactly the best way to start."

The child's face turned red with frustration. "You wouldn't understand! It's all part of my strategy! Jiji's just impossible to beat. He never takes me seriously!" He turned back to the current Kage. "But I'll show you one day!"

The Hokage chuckled softly. "Being Hokage isn't just about strength, Konohamaru-kun. It takes wisdom and patience as well."

Naruto leaned against the wall, crossing his arms with a smug grin. "You also have to be able to outsmart your opponents using their weaknesses," he added, his blue eyes gleaming mischievously.

Konohamaru shot him a skeptical look, crossing his arms in defiance. "You say that as if you could trick Jiji! I bet you couldn't!"

Naruto's grin turned mischievous as he waved his hand nonchalantly. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeves."

The kid eyed the older child in wonder, "Like what?"

The Hokage's face paled slightly. "Naruto, wait—"

But it was already too late. Naruto's hands had moved, fingers flying into familiar hand signs as a mischievous smirk crept across his face, ready to unleash his infamous jutsu.

And so, with a puff of smoke and a scandalous transformation, the mighty God of Shinobi was once again brought down by Naruto's jutsu, much to Konohamaru's astonished delight. The old man sighed in resignation as his office erupted into chaos, knowing all too well that his ANBU were also holding in their laughter as he looked towards the couch and the plant next to it.

"Teach me that jutsu!" Konohamaru demanded, eyes wide with admiration.

Naruto was about to excitedly share the details, when a line from one of the books he was reading called out to him, 'A secret shared is a secret lost.'

He hesitated, his grin widening as he remembered the advice from his book. Instead, he gave Konohamaru a playful wink. "I'll tell you what, kid. You learn the basics of being a ninja first, and then maybe I'll think about sharing some of my secrets."

Konohamaru's face fell in disappointment, but he quickly rallied with determination. "Fine! I'll work hard and become the best ninja ever! Just you wait, Boss!"

Naruto gave a thumbs up and turned to leave, feeling a sense of accomplishment. He smiled. 'Boss? I could get used to that.'

Konohamaru stared at the blonde in amazement, 'He's so cool!'

Little to the knowledge of everyone inside, a bearded jonin stood outside on the beams of the tower with a grin as he listened to the entire interaction from his perch. He had made his decision. Changes were afoot.

Graduation

The graduation room buzzed with excitement and nervousness as they filled into the classroom for the last time. Students shuffled into their seats, their faces a mix of anticipation and anxiety. Iruka-sensei sat at the front of the room, organizing some papers before announcing the graduation to the class.

Naruto slouched in his chair, trying to look nonchalant, but his eyes darted around, catching glimpses of his fellow classmates. Choji and Shikamaru were sitting together, eating chips and sleeping respectively. Ino and Sakura were practically fawning over Sasuke Uchiha as usual. Sasuke, in turn, seemed disinterested, his attention focused elsewhere. Kiba and Akamaru were in the corner, engaged in a playful game of fetch.

Hinata Hyuga sat quietly a few rows away from the Uchiha, her fingers nervously twisting the edge of her jacket. She seemed to be observing everything with a gentle curiosity. Beside her, Shino Aburame was seated in his usual stoic manner. Other students were scattered about chatting with their friends.

Iruka-sensei finally stood, clearing his throat to grab the attention of the students. He scanned the room looking at every child briefly, "Congratulations to everyone here! You have earned the right to be assigned to a Genin group."

"Without further ado, here are your teams:"

Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Choji Akimichi.

Team 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame.

Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Naruto Uzumaki.

He looked around the room once more, "You've all worked incredibly hard to be here today. I've seen many of you grow from little kids to the ninjas you are now." His voice cracked as he continued pridefully, "The path ahead will be filled with challenges, harder than any you've faced before. Make sure to forge unbreakable bonds with your teammates and grow stronger together. Being a ninja isn't just about being the strongest. It's about being smart and resourceful. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, meaning it's all about teamwork. Make sure to support each other and I know you will be successful." He looked out fondly at everyone before focusing on Naruto, "Congratulations once again, and good luck. The Will of Fire burns strongly in all of you."

Iruka started walking towards the door, "Your Jonin senseis will be here after lunch to pick you up. Please be good to them."

Once Iruka was out, the room was abuzz. Sakura was especially unable to contain her joy, "Ha Ino! Looks like I'm ahead already!"

"Oh, please!" Ino snapped, her voice dripping with annoyance. "Enjoy it while you can, Forehead! It's not like Sasuke's going to notice you anyway."

Sakura turned to Sasuke who in fact had his head turned away from the two of them. She sighed.

Naruto made his way up towards the pair of boys sitting above him. "So Shikamaru, I guess it's us then?"

Shikamaru stretched, "Yea it seems so," he said lazily as he turned to look at Choji, "Sorry we didn't end up on the same team. I would've figured Ino was right that they would want to make Ino-Shika-Cho again, but it looks like they had different plans."

Choji shook his head nonchalantly as he munched on his chips, "It's nothing to apologize for Shika! It's not like you control the teams! I'm sure we'll all get on just fine."

Shikamaru stared at the arguing kunoichis and groaned, "Sure we will."

Ino, fed up with the argument, shifted her gaze to the group seated above her and noticed her team talking together. With a huff, she walked up to join them. "Hey, how about we all go grab lunch together?" she suggested.

Naruto looked at her incredulously as he pointed at himself, Shikamaru, and Ino, "Us?"

Ino rolled her eyes, "Yes Naruto, we're going to be on a team together, we might as well get to know each other."

Naruto thought for just a second before replying, "I'm down in that case!"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Sure," he turned towards Choji, "You want to come with us too? Your team seems… gone."

The foursome glanced back to where Ino had just been arguing with Sakura to see Sasuke was no longer in the room and the pink haired girl was frantically whipping her head trying to find him.

Choji sweatdropped, "I guess so! Thanks!"

Outside

"So, does anyone have a clue why the three of us got paired up?" Ino asked, folding her arms as she looked between Choji, Shikamaru and Naruto as they all sat on the swings in the playground. "No offense Naruto."

Naruto replied as he munched on his onigiri, "None taken, it's probably just a coincidence... or maybe some sort of strategic redistribution."

Ino blinked in confusion. "Strategic what now?"

The three newly appointed genin stared at Naruto while he didn't seem like he had a care in the world. Choji finally broke the silence, voicing what was on everyone's mind. "Naruto, where did you learn that?"

Naruto looked up, "What do you mean?"

"Strategic redistribution?" Ino repeated slowly, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever heard you say either of those words before, let alone together."

The blonde shrugged, "I've been in the library reading since we graduated. I guess I picked up a few words."

Ino's jaw dropped slightly, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Wait, you? Reading? In the library?"

Naruto smirked, "What, you didn't think I could read?"

Shikamaru, who had been lounging lazily on his swing, raised an eyebrow. "Troublesome… I just didn't think you'd ever sit still long enough for it."

Choji nodded, still munching on his chips. "Yeah, I figured you'd spend more time running around than cracking open books."

Ino replied a little more straightforward than the boys, "I haven't seen you pick up a book our entire academic career."

Naruto's eye twitched more with every jab. "I can read…" he grumbled.

The three shared a laugh at the blonde's expense and eventually Naruto joined in as well.

Shikamaru mused aloud going back to their previous discussion, "When you break it down, Naruto and Choji are actually quite similar." He gestured towards the two boys. "In a team setup, both of you would likely be the heavy hitters, the tanks."

He tilted his head left and right, as if his thoughts were bouncing around inside his mind, "I guess Choji is a better fit personality wise with Team 7 and Naruto with us. Sasuke and Naruto would butt heads much more than with Choji."

Ino considered the spiky hair boy's words. His words rang true to both statements. If she had to give one compliment to her fellow blond it would be his stamina. He seemed to be able to take hits like nothing when they had practice spars.

It wasn't like she particularly disliked the team placements, it was just unexpected. Naruto, all things considered, seemed like a pretty fun guy in her opinion. When she wasn't a target of his pranks, she found them quite funny. Sure he might be a little dumb, but if what he said about the past week was any indication, some of that could be fixed. Shikamaru on the other hand was the smartest in the class if only he had the motivation to actually try. His clan's laziness was known throughout the lands. In contrast, Ino considered herself a happy medium between the two. Her spot, she decided, would be the glue that held this team together.

Glancing at her teammates, she let out a dramatic sigh. "So, they've paired me with the loudest and the laziest of the bunch," she said, her tone both exasperated and playful. Then, with a bright grin, she added, "But mark my words, we're going to be the best team ever!"

"Hell yea! - WAIT, who are you calling loud?"

Back Inside

The genin slowly filed out, a group at a time as their jonin-senseis picked them up. A few jonins snickered as they glanced at Team 7 eyeing each of them, knowing the team would likely be waiting a while for their teacher.

"Team 10, you're with me!"

Team 10's sensei strode in with a relaxed but commanding presence. He was a tall man, with brown eyes, olive skin, short black spiky hair, and a beard. He wore a green jonin vest over his black shirt, and a forehead protector was wrapped around his head, resting above his eyes. A cigarette dangled from his lips.

The newly formed trio stood up and followed him out. Naruto looked curiously at the man walking before him, something was similar about him, but he couldn't figure out what.

As they approached a training field about twenty minutes later, Asuma came to a stop, turning to face his new team. The trio had remained relatively quiet during their walk, which came as a surprise to the leader..

"Well, it's time for introductions and all that," Asuma began, a casual tone in his voice. "I'll go first. My name is Asuma Sarutobi, but you can just call me Asuma-sensei. I like a good smoke, relaxing with friends, and a nice meal. I dislike unnecessary conflict and uncool moments. My dream is to one day settle down with a kid of my own."

Naruto blinked, "Sarutobi like Hokage-jiji?"

Asuma grinned, "Very perceptive Naruto. Yes, the Hokage is my old man. Though the two aren't alike if I'm being honest."

He pointed at Naruto, "let's start with you."

Naruto stepped up, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I love ramen, training, and proving everyone wrong. I'm not too fond of people who think they're better than others or being left out. My dream is to become the Hokage, so everyone will acknowledge my strength and believe in me!"

Ino followed, adjusting her hair and standing tall. "I'm Ino Yamanaka. I enjoy finding and arranging flowers, spending time with my friends, and keeping up with trends. I dislike people who are disrespectful or won't respect boundaries. My dream is to become a top-notch kunoichi and make my family proud."

Shikamaru sighed, glancing up from his relaxed position. "I'm Shikamaru Nara. I like naps, strategy games, and peaceful days. I don't like being pushed into work or people who waste my time. My dream is to lead a life of ease. A middle of the road ninja sounds perfect."

Asuma shook his head with a grin. Two loudmouths, and a lazy ass. This would be an entertaining team. "It's nice to meet all of you. I promise under my tutelage, I will try my best to make you all the best versions of yourself. Even you, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru scoffed.

"That is… if you pass my test." Two bells rang as let them hand off of his palm.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, "There's only two bells for the three of us."

"Great observation," Asuma said, "That's because only two of you will pass!"

"WHAT!?" Two distinctively blonde voices shouted.

"This is happening throughout all of your graduating class right now." Asuma shrugged matter of factly, "Likely at least two thirds of you will fail today and go back to the Academy. If you think about it, I'm being nice by passing two of you."

He glanced at the three genin, trying to gauge their reactions. Ino and Naruto were easy to read, fright shown bright as day on their faces. Shikamaru, on the other hand, appeared lost in thought, his expression contemplative.

"So which two are you picking?" Naruto inquired.

"That's all up to you three." Asuma informed them, "I'll leave for an hour and the pair that ends up taking the bells in a mock battle will pass. Good luck."

With a poof, he disappeared.

"What the hell was that!?" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his arms up. "Only two of us pass?! This is so unfair!"

Ino's brow furrowed in frustration as well, "There's no way we're going back to the Academy, right? We just graduated! This is crazy!"

Shikamaru sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Troublesome... but complaining isn't going to get us anywhere. We need a plan and work as a team."

"Team?" Ino repeated, looking confused. "But only two of us can pass. How's that fair?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Fair or not, if we don't work together, none of us stand a chance alone. If we can catch him somehow, we can blackmail our way into being a team."

Naruto scratched his head. "So what's the plan then?"

Shikamaru took a deep breath, assessing the situation. "I know what Ino can do pretty well, Naruto, what are you good at?"

Naruto grinned widely, "I'm good at everything!" he boasted. "But if you really wanna know, I can make clones… A lot of clones."

Ino scoffed, "What good are clones going to be here, Naruto? We're up against a Jonin."

Naruto's grin only widened. "You'll see!" With a quick hand sign, he summoned a kage bunshin and had it walk over to Ino and poke her arm.

"Surprised?" Naruto asked with a smug look on his face.

Shikamaru straightened up slightly, his lazy expression giving way to mild interest. "That's... not a regular clone. When did you learn that?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, the quote from his book earlier still ringing in his ears. "Eh, I picked it up recently. It's pretty useful, huh?"

Ino blinked in disbelief, still processing what she'd just seen. "You can make real clones? That's kinda cool, Naruto!"

Shikamaru rubbed his chin, eyes narrowing in thought as he processed Naruto's newfound ability. "That changes things... a lot. How many can you make?"

"How many do you want?"

He took a moment to gather his thoughts, the gears turning in his mind. He let out a deep sigh and glanced between Ino and Naruto. "Alright, here's what we'll do. Naruto, you'll use your Kage Bunshin to rush Asuma head on, you need to cause as much chaos as you can. Make it look like you're going wild."

Naruto crossed his arms, nodding along enthusiastically. "Got it!"

Shikamaru continued, "While he's distracted, Ino and I will sneak around. I'll use my Kagemane no Jutsu to freeze him once you push him towards some shade. Once I've got him, Ino, you threaten him to give us the bells, but make sure to have your Shintenshin ready to take over if he refuses. We'll just approve ourselves if that's what it takes. Simple enough?"

Ino looked thoughtful, then nodded. "I can do that."

Naruto flashed a thumbs-up. "Leave it to me!"

Shikamaru sighed again. "Let's hope this works... Alright, let's move to somewhere we can make this plan work."

One Hour Later

The three genin found a grove of trees near the edge of the training ground and laid there, waiting with anticipation for their sensei's return.

With a puff of smoke, Asuma casually appeared in the middle of the training ground. He glanced around. "Well then," he said with a grin, "Have we made a decision?"

The three genin exchanged quick glances, and Shikamaru gave a silent nod to Naruto. With a burst of energy, he sprang into action. Naruto summoned a horde of Shadow Clones, all charging at their sensei.

'Hm, working together already. Impressive. Let's see where this goes.' Asuma smiled, this was going to be more fun than he thought. The clones rushed towards Asuma, randomly jumping in front of each other, trying to cause as much confusion as possible. Asuma in turn gracefully jumped back as he assessed the amount of clones. '25… 26… 27!'

Asuma's grin widened, and he began to methodically dismantle the clones once he knew how many were in front of him. As the clones were removed, puffs of smoke were left in their place. He bellowed, "Naruto! This isn't going to work and I'm disappointed you even tried!"

Meanwhile, Shikamaru and Ino moved stealthily through the trees in opposite directions, using the clones as a distraction. They were going to surround him. They each respectively found their perch as their trap was being set.

As much as Asuma was a great ninja, 27 kids running at him was still a hazard all things considered. His brow blocked his sweat as he continued to destroy clone after clone. Naruto, seeing the distraction was working, decided to ramp up his efforts. He created dozens more clones and charged straight at Asuma, including his real body.

Asuma narrowed his eyes as he saw the blondes charging towards him. He deftly sidestepped a few, while destroying even more of them. Naruto lunged towards Asuma's belt, the bells were in his grasp. He was about to win it for the team! … Until Asuma grabbed him and used Naruto's momentum to throw him straight into the bush Shikamaru was hiding out in.

Shikamaru groaned in frustration from under the blonde. "Naruto, you were supposed to be a distraction, not take it all for yourself!"

Ino, watching from her perch, muttered under her breath, "Great. There goes that plan." Her eyes narrowed as Asuma calmly turned towards her position, clearly aware of where they were all hiding.

"Nice try with that, but it won't be that easy!" He said into the trees.

Realizing she was in danger, Ino quickly kawarimi with a log nearby to disappear into the forest. She watched curiously from her new hiding spot at the two boys on her team whispering to each other.

With their original plan in shambles, Shikamaru quickly shifted gears. There had to be another way. As he played the battle back in his mind his eyes widened. He quickly tapped Naruto, muttering a new plan at him. Naruto nodded and created even more Kage Bunshin in response and got ready to continue his relentless attack.

The clones launched themselves at the jonin once again with reckless abandon. Asuma readied himself for another barrage as the clones jumped at him until suddenly they stopped. 'Wait, they're destroying themselves?'

The clones were poofing away just as they got close, leaving behind a cloud of smoke. Shikamaru's eyes locked on the smoke as it billowed around the jonin. His fingers moved swiftly through hand signs, "Kagemane no Jutsu!"

As the smoke thickened with each clone, Shikamaru's shadow stretched out like a creeping tendril, merging seamlessly with the growing darkness cast by the dissipating clones.

In a flash of realization, Asuma's eyes widened as he tried to step away, but it was too late. his movements became sluggish, his own shadow restrained by Shikamaru's technique.

"Shadow possession, complete!" Shikamaru said with a grin.

Ino sprang into action. With her hands prepared, she stepped out of her hiding spot, ready to use her Shintenshin no Jutsu. "Give up now Asuma-sensei!"

Asuma laughed heartily. "You guys are something else. Using the smoke from Naruto's ridiculous number of clones to set up an ambush with Shikamaru's Kagemane and Ino's Shintenshin—ingenious. I don't think any other team could have pulled that off."

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked.

"Well, for one… you never actually hit me!" With that, Asuma disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving all the genins on edge.

"You're not the only one with Kage Bunshin, kid," Asuma said as he revealed himself from his place in the trees. "Though you might be the only one who could make that egregious amount."

He observed the faces in front of him as he laughed once more. "Man, you guys are great. You all pass!"

The three of them blinked, trying to decipher his words. Ino spoke up first. "What do you mean by that? I thought only two of us could pass!"

Asuma waved her off. "That was only to see if you'd turn on each other. I half expected that Pineapple Head over there would have given up and left me with you blondes. That was clever, changing tactics the way you did there, even if the idea was still the same. Good thinking, Shikamaru."

The shadow user gave a grin and a nod in response as Asuma continued. "Meet me back here tomorrow at 9 a.m. sharp! We are officially Team 10!"

"Yatta! We did it!" Naruto shouted.

Shikamaru leaned back and sighed. "Well, that was more work than I expected. But I guess it all worked out in the end. Just don't expect me to get up too early tomorrow, okay?"

Asuma sweat-dropped. This was his takeaway from all this?

Ino, still buzzing with excitement, clapped her hands together. "I can't believe we actually did it! This is going to be amazing! I mean, we're a real team!"

Shikamaru shot her a lazy smile. "Yeah, well, don't get too excited. This just means we have more work ahead of us…"

Naruto grinned widely and pumped his fist. "Don't worry, Shikamaru! We'll show them what Team 10 can do!"

Asuma chuckled and started walking away. "Glad to see you're all so enthusiastic. See you tomorrow!"

As the team started to disperse, Ino turned to Naruto and Shikamaru with a grin. "So, how about we go celebrate? I know a great place for some dango."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Dango sounds awesome! Count me in!"

Shikamaru shrugged, a hint of a smile still on his face. "Why not? I guess a bit of celebration won't hurt."

And with that, the new Team 10 headed off to celebrate their first victory together, ready to face the challenges that awaited them as a newly formed team.

Asuma watched from a distance as he saw his three new students walk off into the sunset back towards Konoha proper. He watched as Shikamaru groaned and laughed at Naruto and Ino's antics. He smiled. This was going to be fun.

That's it for chapter 3! You know, this is the farthest I've ever gotten in crafting this story so I'm pretty proud of myself for that. This one was a BLAST to write, that smoke idea has been in my brain for a few years at this point. I hope you all found it as cool as I did. I also hope that it was unique… On another note, if you made it here, I'm in search of someone to bounce ideas with and to talk through the script! I'm doggy doo doo at writing fight scenes; this chapter actually took so long because I was struggling. Please shoot me a dm if you're interested! Until next time!