Chương 25: Team Kurenai (1)
The first day after the graduation exam was a break period for academy students.
Following that was the registration day, upon which the graduates would be officially registered as a proud Genin-ranked shinobi of Konohagakure.
"You punk! From now on, you're considered an adult!"
Tsume had a wide grin on her face. Seeing her son wearing that forehead protector made her motherly pride soar up to the moon. Although, a part of her was saddened by the fact that her precious little boy had finally started to flap his wings and leave the nest.
It was all part of growing up. As his mother, she would support him to the bitter end.
"It suits me, right? Just watch! With my talent, I'll become the best ninja in the village! Maybe I'll become the Hokage if I feel like it!"
"You moron! You think becoming Hokage is that easy, huh?!"
Her light-speed fist quickly found its way to Kiba's head, as usual.
"You'll most likely get placed in a team after tomorrow's graduation ceremony. Remember to behave, Kiba," Hana added.
"I know, I know! Why're you guys still treat me like a kid!"
"Because you're still one, moron!" Tsume retorted.
Hikari watched the excitement by the sidelines, amused by the family's interactions.
The path of cultivation was treacherous, and today's friends could end up as tomorrow's enemies. Even blood relatives could kill each other out of greed and jealousy. Seeing people congratulating each other's achievements like this was heartwarming.
"Now that you're officially a shinobi, what will you do?" Hikari asked.
"Just like Mom and sis, I'll be given missions to complete. Each time we completed a mission, we'll get a portion of the bounty paid by the clients. The rest goes to the village."
"Hmm..."
She shot a judgmental stare at Tsume. The latter scoffed.
"Don't group me with the average shinobi like this kid. Since I'm a special Jonin, I only go for missions that require my specialty. Kiba's rank is a general-purpose ninja, so he'll be busier. You'll get worked up to the bone, kid!"
Ugh... really?
Kiba had the urge to ditch out...
"And don't you dream of escaping your responsibility, 'cause I and Kuromaru will track you down if that ever happens. Oh, you better believe it, kiddo!"
"A-ay..."
Change of plan, no ditching! He didn't want to forfeit his life just yet!
"So that's that. I can't fool around with you anymore. Don't miss me!" He grinned at Hikari.
"Sure, sure, enjoy your time."
What the heck, she was too indifferent about it… Kiba felt a bit disgruntled inside.
The next day, right after the graduation ceremony, those who had passed the exam was called into the classroom. Kiba took his favorite seat at the very back of the rows.
Taking a quick sweep over the class, he finally felt relieved when he saw Naruto.
The yellow-haired boy was wearing a forehead protector, that meant he really had passed. It seemed that teacher Iruka had worked his magic.
Only... his seating position was a trainwreck. On his left was the other antisocial kid, Uchiha Sasuke, while on his right, seemingly pushing her way to the seat between Naruto and Sasuke, was a pink-haired girl in a red dress. If he remembered correctly... she was called Haruno Sakura.
Ah, the girl got through. Now Naruto looked pissed for some reason. He was crouching right in front of Sasuke's face, and then the kid on the next seat accidentally pushed him, and then-
...Uh...
UH.
Did they just kiss? Naruto and Sasuke... kissed?
"Bwuahahah!"
Kiba abruptly fell on his chair, unable to contain his laughter. The rest of the class followed suit, while the people around the crime scene was left aghast.
Sakura, in particular, had a murderous aura as her face turned black. She then proceeded to pummel Naruto to oblivion.
"Hey! What happened here? Get back to your seat!"
The chaos finally settled down when Iruka showed up.
Just as Hana had predicted, Iruka informed the class about shinobi teams. Each team would consist of three Genin, and they would be led by a Jonin. The Jonin would serve the dual purpose of both commander and mentor, providing the Genin with hands-on experience for their future as a shinobi.
"Quiet! Your teachers here have given our best to balance the team's strength according to each member, so I won't accept any complaint! I'll begin calling your name so make sure that you listen properly!"
There were twenty-seven graduates in that year, so there should be nine teams in the making. As Iruka called out the name one by one, Kiba started to get worried since his name still hadn't been called yet.
"Next, seventh team..."
He perked his ears, thinking that this time, he would definitely get called!
"Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and... Sasuke Uchiha."
Aw, drat. Not him, but that idiot Naruto...
Then again, it was such a mess. A broody emo, a meh chick, and a moron… could they even work together as a team?
'I changed my mind. Good thing that I didn't get stuck in that dysfunctional mess of a team...'
"Eighth team. Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba."
"Finally!"
Not to mention, it was with Shino and Hinata of all people. He was already familiar with the two of them, so their teamwork should be miles better than Naruto's team right from the get-go!
He glanced at the two. Hinata gave him a shy smile while Shino just nodded slightly.
"Alright, buckle up. This afternoon we'll introduce you to your Jonin mentors. Go take a break until then."
After Iruka left the class, Kiba motioned for his teammates to follow him outside.
"Haha, I'm sure glad that I'm paired with you guys! Let's get along!"
"L-Likewise... p-please take care of me..."
"...Please do."
Shino was one of the quieter types. People might saw him as weird, but Kiba... actually also thought of him as weird, but he was already numb to it after all these years.
The Aburame clan was also a clan of animal users, but they utilize insects. Like the Inuzuka, they were experts in tracking missions.
Hinata more or less got along well enough with Kiba, but Shino's emotionless face, hidden behind his coat and sunglasses, didn't leave her with a good first impression. She unconsciously moved closer to Kiba instead.
"No need to be afraid of him, Hinata. His jutsu is icky, but he's a good guy! ...Maybe."
"Don't spout nonsense," Shino harrumphed. "I've always been a good guy."
"What good guy? You refused to lend me money last week!"
"Because, you never return them."
"I-I'm trying, alright?! It's not my fault that my mom is so stingy!"
"You should not borrow stuff if you can't return them."
Hinata just kept moving her gaze between the two as she listened to their banter. She was worried that they would end up fighting, but as they continued, it somewhat felt... comfortable?
"Ufufu..."
Kiba and Shino immediately stopped when they noticed that Hinata was giggling at their antics.
"...Let's continue this later. Break time's almost over."
"Hmm."
Right at that moment, the sound of a bell rang throughout the academy ground, signaling the students to get back inside.
---
There was no particular rule for the Jonin when they picked up their Genin team. Some did it formally with proper speeches and introduction, while the others just called the name and told the Genin to follow them.
Kiba's team's Jonin was the latter.
The boy gave the classroom one last look. Only three teams were left, and Naruto's team was among them. He wondered which Jonin would have the bad luck of handling that troublemaker.
"Welp, not my problem."
Their commander was a kunoichi. She was wearing a red mesh armor with white patterned robe underneath that resembled bandages. As expected of a proper shinobi of Konoha, she was proudly wearing her forehead protector.
By Kiba's standard, she was considered really attractive, which made him quite happy with the arrangement.
She brought them over to a patch of woods within the village.
"My name is Yuuhi Kurenai. Starting from today, I'll be your mentor as well as your commander. I already have your info right here, but let's start by introducing yourselves so that your teammates can have a better grasp of your skills."
"I'll go first," Kiba got up from his seat. "The name's Inuzuka Kiba. I'm proficient in handling ninja dogs, as well as hand-to-hand combat. For jutsu, aside from the basic ones taught in the academy, I can use my clan's jutsu as well."
Woof!
A white-furred pup popped out of Kiba's chest. Hinata's eyes twinkled for a moment when she saw that.
"And this is my partner, Akamaru! Together, we're invincible!"
"I'll go next," Shino stood up. "I'm from Aburame clan. We specialize in handling insects. My primary insect of choice is the -Parasitic Destruction Insects- 'Kikaichu'. I like to grow insects. My dream is to find a rare insect that nobody had ever seen. Favorite insect is the Phosphorus Dest-"
"Err... we don't... need to know that," Kiba abruptly stopped Shino from getting to the grittier detail.
This Shino... he was usually a man of few words, but when he started talking about insects, he immediately turned into a blabbermouth.
"U-um... I'm... I'm Hyu... Hyuuga Hinata... I-I can use Byakugan to see around f-fifty meters away... I c-can also use Gentle Fist, although I'm not that good with it..."
Kurenai nodded. Fifty meters... that was nothing to scoff at. Not to mention, she could see through obstacles as well. As expected of Byakugan, one of the Three Great Dojutsu.
She smiled. Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hyuuga… it was quite an interesting team!
"First, congratulations on passing the graduation exam. It must be easy for you guys, huh?"
"Well... actually, maybe it is!" Kiba grinned while scratching his nose.
"Fufufu… having confidence is commendable, but you shouldn't rejoice just yet. You're still technically not a Genin just yet."
""Eh?""
Kiba and Hinata exclaimed in surprise, while Shino just raised an eyebrow.
"B-but... we had r-registered our name..."
"Just because you can put your name there doesn't mean that the village can't erase it again, now can we?"
Ah! That made sense!
The three were alerted by the sudden revelation.
Does it mean that they weren't in the clear just yet?
Kurenai grinned.
"Don't be so tense. It works like this. After you're grouped up in a team, the Jonin in charge will give you one final test, just a small exercise to ensure that you're ready to take the mantle of a shinobi. Remember, from now on, we're not doing mock training. We're performing official tasks handed down in the name of Konohagakure. If you do them poorly, it'll be a stain in our village's name. That's why, if I feel that anyone of you are not up to par, I'll not hesitate to annul their graduation and send you back to the academy. Any question?"
Kiba and Hinata exchanged nervous glances before shaking their head.
"Good. Now, about that final test. The test is...!"
Her words trailed off at the end as the kids waited with bated breath. Even the stoic Shino was affected by the pressure.
What would the test be? Ninjutsu? Taijutsu? Genjutsu? What if they were told to fight the mentor? She was a Jonin! Would that even be a fair fight?
"...Not telling~"
"...Eh?"
"..."
"Whaaaat?!?"
The kids fell on their faces, the sudden loss of tension made them weak on the knees.
Kurenai had a mischievous look on her face. Heheheh, she would never get bored of teasing these adorable greenhorns!
"How about this, let's wrap it up for the day, and we'll continue tomorrow. The other mentors also give their charge a full day to prepare for their tests. Let's meet up in the southern forest around seven in the morning. Do you have any questions?"
"Teacher," Shino raised his hand. "What do we need to prepare?"
"If I tell you, it won't be a test, right? But I guess it's fine," she shrugged. "You can bring anything. Shuriken, smoke bombs, scrolls, if you think you're going to need it, then just bring it. Consider this a practice. When you're doing mission, you can't tell for sure how things will unfold. To be able to prepare for the unknown is the trait of a good ninja. Remember it well."
In short, she was telling them to use this grace period to do their homework and gather necessary information for the test.
"Now, enjoy your day off."
With a single hand seal, she flickered away in an instant.
"That's the Body Flicker Technique! So cool!" Kiba exclaimed.
"She's a Jonin. It's expected," Shino calmly said. However, deep down he was also excited after seeing that display of skill.
"U-um... so... what should we do... for today...?"
Since Kurenai had given them a hint, it would be best to use the remaining time to prepare.
"Let's go back home first, then ask our senior clan members about their test when joining a team! We'll regroup at Ichiraku Ramen at noon and discuss the intel. After that, we'll buy the tools we need for tomorrow. That good?"
"I agree," Shino nodded.
"Um..."
"Yes, Hinata?"
"Why... Ichiraku Ramen...?"
Kiba fidgeted his fingers.
"Ah, I think we can have lunch there along the way. I'm... hungry..."
""...""
That would be the very first thing that caused Hinata and Shino to start questioning Kiba's decision-making skill...
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
RanixAurus
RanixAurus By the way, I'll have 30 kids graduated, not 27. The last team would be shoehorned later as a special exception. But that's for later.
No MC for a while, but since Akamaru is with Kiba, technically it's still a story with cultivator, just one that's very good with hiding~
Let me know whether I managed to portray the canon characters properly or not. Research can only bring me so far >_<
-In Holiday Author
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