Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishamoto. Any original characters you see within are, unless stated otherwise, owned by me.

Some characters have been changed. Mostly these are background characters, giving them more depth.

"talking"

'thinking'

"Jutsu"

"demon"

"Inner Sakura talking"

'demon thinking'

-0-0-0-

Twelve years ago, a terrible sacrifice was made. A newborn infant was chosen to be the container for the mightiest of the Bijuu, the Kyuubi no Youko. The squalling, blond, blue-eyed infant was cursed with telltale whisker marks on his cheeks, and a naturally mischievous attitude that led to many an interesting time within Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village. Shunned by the villagers, he chose to pull numerous pranks to gain attention of any sort he could muster. He fought for recognition, and to achieve it, he set himself a goal: to be Hokage. A journey that shall soon begin.

Five years ago, a terrible tragedy befell the village. One of its founding Clans, the Uchiha, was betrayed by one of their own and slaughtered save for one eight year old boy. This event sent the young survivor down the dark, lonely path of an avenger. Isolating himself from any potential friends, the young Uchiha carried on vigilantly, a loner with only one goal: to kill his older brother. A quest for vengeance that shall change his life forever.

Both of these events, tied together by hidden motives, have caused many unexpected changes within the world, and only time will tell how far their effects reach. Lives will be irrevocably altered, and the course of history itself has been changed. A critical point in destiny is coming, and upon it the linchpin of fate will turn.

"I see, so you are resolute in your decision?" Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, asked the shinobi standing before him.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the shinobi's reply was short, clipped and precise, "I feel that it is time to take my leave of ANBU and rejoin normal shinobi ranks. ANBU missions are beginning to wear on me."

"You do realize that as a Jounin, you will be asked to take on missions every bit as strenuous as those you took as an ANBU," Sarutobi remarked.

"That may be, Hokage-sama, but at least I won't have to wear the mask anymore." The shinobi had always hated hiding behind a mask. While he did not mind sneaking about as a true shinobi did, he hated not being up front about his identity. He was, in fact, well known for being poor at deception, at least about his identity.

"Hmmm, yes, that is true," the Sandaime muttered as he took a long drag from his pipe. "I believe you could be quite useful as an ANBU still, so I am putting you on ANBU reserve status. You will only be required to don the mask again when it is absolutely necessary. You will still carry the authority of an ANBU captain amongst normal shinobi and outrank most ANBU, but the other ANBU captains will still outrank you officially."

"That is fine with me, Hokage-sama. I doubt it'll be much of an issue anyway."

Sarutobi nodded in agreement. A handful of other shinobi, Hatake Kakashi included, held such positions, though Kakashi as one of the more powerful and experienced shinobi in the village still held authority equal to an on-duty ANBU captain. In fact only the major Clan Heads, the Council members, and the Hokage himself truly outranked the cycloptic Jounin. Shuffling through a folder, he pulled out some files. "There is, however, another matter. Your withdrawal from ANBU is fortuitous."

The Jounin standing before the Sandaime frowned. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this. The Sandaime could be a right meddlesome old man at times.

"As you know, this is the time of the year when those who pass the Academy exams graduate, and become Genin. I would like for you to take a team under your wing, and train them."

The shinobi froze. Him, take on a Genin team? No, he'd be the worst choice to lead a Genin team. He'd only been an ANBU platoon leader because he'd had strong, experienced shinobi working with him, like Tenzo, Yuugao, and Shorin, all highly advanced shinobi and among the strongest in the village. Leaving Tenzo in charge of the platoon was a good decision. He could lead the squad even better than he himself had and find a good replacement.

"Hokage-sama, surely you jest." The shinobi obviously DID NOT want to lead a Genin team. It brought up bad memories.

"I am sorry, but you have skills that are in need of being passed on," Sarutobi replied sternly, "furthermore, you will be placed in charge of a team that is in dire need of the kind of direction you can provide. I had intended to give them to Kakashi, but they are in need of more attention than he would likely give. Of course, there is the matter of them passing his bell test at all in the first place."

The shinobi frowned. If that was the case, then he was a good choice to teach them, even if he didn't want to. And if he recalled correctly, wasn't the last survivor of that clan set to graduate this time?

The former ANBU sighed. "Very well, Hokage-sama. Who are my subordinates?"

The Sandaime Hokage smiled as he placed the three files in front of the ex-ANBU. "Here are the Genin to be under your care."

After a glance at the three files, two stick out in his mind. "Hokage-sama, you wish for me to watch over him?"

"You are one of the only two shinobi who could accurately prepare him for the challenge he wishes to undertake. And you would treat all three fairly."

With a sigh, the shinobi looks over the files again. "hmmm it says here that Haruno Sakura is a Genjutsu type? Then why wasn't she put with Kurenai-san?"

"Kurenai specifically requested being allowed to become Hyuuga Hinata's Jounin instructor, it is why she took the Jounin exam at all at this time. You know she was full Jounin level almost four years ago."

"Hai, she kept out of the Jounin ranks to avoid having a team when the girl reached Genin status. I remember her talking about that now at the celebration of her ascension in rank. Hmmm chakra levels are rather poor but it states that her control is the best in her class. A direct opposite of the boys on the team. Both have exceptional chakra levels for Genin, especially Uzumaki Naruto. He's also rather skilled at evading pursuers and infiltration, but could be better. Especially if that bright orange monstrosity can be disposed of."

The Sandaime gave a rusty chuckle at that. Convincing Naruto to get rid of his orange jumpsuit was like convincing a river to change its course or a forest fire to stop spreading. Basically, it just wasn't going to happen without a lot of effort.

"Uchiha Sasuke will be relatively easy to teach. He wants power to defeat his brother, but he can quickly learn that sheer power isn't enough, that it takes skill and ingenuity to win. And I can teach him how Itachi thinks, and fights."

Ruffling through the files again, the shinobi frowned. "Uzumaki Naruto's almost complete lack of chakra control will take a lot of work to overcome. With his chakra reserves being as large as they are, learning control will be difficult. However, it is doable."

"Then you will agree to this team?" Sarutobi asked. The Jounin thought for a few moments, then sighed.

"Hai, Hokage-sama, I will take this team. I'm not fond of the idea, but I'll do my duty to Konoha."

"Very well," Sarutobi said as he made the final adjustments to the records, "come tomorrow, you, Kenshin Jiyumaru, will be the Jounin instructor for Team 7, consisting of Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

Uzumaki Naruto, container of the Kyuubi no Youko and Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja, was having a bad day. First, he gets ignored by the lovely Sakura-chan, who wanted to sit next to that prick Uchiha Sasuke. Ha! What was so great about the broody asshole? Then some idiot had bumped into him when he was glaring at the asshole and they had inadvertently kissed. Yuck! It was the most disgusting moment of Naruto's young life. And shortly thereafter, he got the WORST beating of his entire life at the hands of almost every single girl in the graduating class. Well, except for that weird girl, Hinata.

Then he ended up on a team with Sakura-chan, but he was also stuck with Sasuke. He'd tried to get closer to Sakura by tying Sasuke up and using Henge to take his appearance and talk to her, but she STILL talked down to him. Then his stupid stomach started hurting. Like it was his fault his milk expired. The stupid grocers always sold him the oldest milk ready to expire.

Now they were waiting for their Jounin sensei, along with the rest of the other Genin. The problem was, they were being separated into nine teams of three, and there were only eight Jounin present. Naruto would admit, to himself at least, that he wasn't the smartest person, but he knew that eight didn't divide into twenty-seven evenly. One of the Jounin was late. And he had a sinking feeling that it was his sensei that was late.

Iruka sighed and glanced at the Jounin present. This year some of the most notable Jounin in the village were taking on students, including Sarutobi Asuma, the Sandaime Hokage's son, and Yuuhi Kurenai, Konoha's Genjutsu specialist. Even though Iruka was the same age as Kurenai, she graduated from the Academy a full three years before he had. She would be forming a recon and tracking team with her students. Asuma was forming the newest generation of Ino-Shika-Chou teammates. The team he was the most worried about was Naruto's team. This would be the first Genin team that Kenshin Jiyumaru ever took, and he was fresh out of ANBU. He wasn't sure how open the man would be with the three Genin under his care.

With a sigh, Iruka began calling out the teams and introducing the Genin to their Jounin instructor. Slowly moving down the least, he finally reached Team 7.

"Now, Team 7. Unfortunately, it seems that your sensei is not here just yet."

"Pardon me, Iruka-sensei," interrupted Kurenai politely before Iruka could say anything else, "Jiyumaru-san asked for one of us to take his Genin for the day. He was called away on clan business late yesterday evening and asked who would take our teams to which training ground. Mine was the closest to his return trip so I will be taking them with me."

Iruka frowned. It wasn't unheard of, but it was very unusual. "Very well. Team 7, you will go with Yuuhi Kurenai, who is in charge of Team 8. Both teams, step forward."

The six Genin stepped down to the front of the class as Kurenai studied the three under her care. It seemed that Hinata was as quiet as the records showed, but she couldn't help but notice the glancing at, and subsequent blushes, she gave to the blond fox container of Team 7. She obviously liked the boy, but was too shy to say anything. Kurenai smiled as she remembered a question Jiyumaru had asked her the night before, on helping him train his team, specifically Sakura. Perhaps she could make a deal with him if both teams passed their final tests.

With a friendly smile, she greets the six Genin. "Hello, I'm Yuuhi Kurenai. You three are Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, and Hyuuga Hinata, correct?"

The three Genin in question nodded in acknowledgment at their sensei's question before she turned her attention to Team 7. "And you three are Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke, correct?"

"um, Kurenai-sensei, what sort of business was our sensei called away on?" Kurenai studied the pink-haired kunoichi for a moment before answering.

"It's business with his clan. You'll have to ask him when he shows up. Now, follow me to Training Ground 8." With that, Kurenai stepped out of the classroom with the six Genin in tow.

Training Ground 8 consisted mostly of dense woodland. While not as large as the infamous Training Ground 44, the Forest of Death, it was still thickly covered with trees. It was the perfect training ground for a recon/tracking team.

Kurenai arrived with Teams 7 and 8, pondering how to proceed. While no one was as big an advocate of teamwork as Hatake Kakashi was, she was going to test her team to see how well they worked together, and she could only assume that Jiyumaru intended to do the same.

She'd heard rumors among her female friends in ANBU, specifically Yuugao who had been in Jiyumaru's platoon, that he was the strictest, harshest ANBU captain of them all, but she didn't really believe it. From her experience he was polite, courteous, and even-tempered, not the sociopath Yuugao portrayed him as. As the Genin gathered around her, sitting in the grass in front of her in a loose semi-circle, Kurenai thought over how to proceed with this.

"Okay, the first thing we need to do is some introductions," Kurenai stated, "nothing fancy, just your names, likes, dislikes, and your dreams and hobbies."

Looking over the Genin, she sighed. It looked like she would have to go first, a fact that was cemented by the Haruno girl's suggestion.

"My name is Yuuhi Kurenai. My likes are shochu and salted octopus, and I dislike liars and fools. My dreams… to help my students be the best that they can be and to someday have a family with a good man. My hobbies include writing a teaching scroll for beginning Genjutsu users."

With a look at the Genin as they digested this information, Kurenai gave Shino a look that said 'you next'.

Shino's voice, Kurenai immediately found out, was as quiet yet forceful as the rest of his clan's. "My name…is Aburame Shino. I like working with my allies, the kikaichu, and utilizing them efficiently. I dislike those who kill insects without good reason. My dream is to master all of my clan's jutsu and invent new ones with the help of my allies. My hobby is cataloguing every insect that I come across, and I hope to someday locate one not catalogued by my clan."

Sakura blinked, confused. "Allies? You mean your teammates and fellow shinobi?"

"He means the kikaichu, with which his family have a pact with," Kurenai explained for the confused kunoichi, "the Aburame form a pact with the kikaichu, a type of chakra-eating beetle, upon birth. They share their bodies with them and, in turn, the kikai do their bidding."

Upon seeing Shino's questioning gaze, or rather feeling it since his face was largely hidden thanks to his sunglasses and high coat collar, she continued. "I've worked with numerous members of Shino's clan, and they are formidable shinobi to work with."

"Share their…" Sakura shrieked, scooting away from Shino, "you mean you have bugs living inside your body?"

"Huh, what?" Naruto blinked as he digested that information, "hey, yeah, that's pretty cool, Shino! You must have some really awesome jutsu!"

Kurenai controlled a smile, supposing that to Naruto's point of view having a bunch of insects in your body was a lot more desirable than having a demon, as she motioned for Kiba to go next. "feh. My name's Inuzuka Kiba. My likes are training with Akamaru and taking him for walks. My dislikes are fleas and people who think they're cool when they're really not. My dream is to help Akamaru reach his full potential, and reach mine with him! As for hobbies…. Well, I guess taking Akamaru for walks qualifies, right?"

"I suppose so," Kurenai said, giving the Inuzuka a soft smile. She greatly respected the Inuzuka, and their bond with their nin-ken. They would provide the example of teamwork to the others that would be needed to pass the teamwork portion of their test.

Akamaru yipped in agreement from his spot on top of Kiba's head. The small white pup was wagging its tail as it looked among its future partners, and possibly friends. And hopefully they'd help calm his master down. Or at least control his mouth, some.

"And now you," Kurenai said, nodding to the girl of Team 7.

Sakura gave a somewhat shy smile as she began. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like is…" Sakura blushed and continued. "The person I like is…" Here, her blush deepened. "ummm should I say my dream for the future?" Kurenai sighed as Sakura gave a blushing glance to the Uchiha survivor. She pitied Jiyumaru, since he would be looking over a fangirl. She winced as Sakura gave a short squeal before finishing. "The thing I dislike…is Naruto."

Kurenai had to smother a smile at the over exaggerated crestfallen look on Naruto's face. It was just so comical! Though she did feel for the boy, since it was obvious he had a childish crush on the pink-haired kunoichi. With a small smile at the blond shinobi's antics, she nodded to him to go next.

Naruto cheers as he practically bounces about in his sitting position. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like cup ramen, but I really like the Ichiraku ramen Iruka-sensei sometimes buys me! What I dislike is waiting for the 3 minutes it takes to cook instant ramen!"

'He really has ramen on the brain,' Kurenai, Sakura, and Kiba thought, sweatdropping slightly.

'm.maybe I could get N-naruto-kun to notice me if I m-made him some ramen,' Hinata thought to herself, blushing and poking her index fingers together.

"My dream…" Naruto's face took on a determined look, a fierce burning determination that surprised Kurenai, and drew Shino and Sasuke's full attention. "my dream is to surpass all of the previous Hokage! And then have all of the people in this village acknowledge my existence and gain their respect!"

Kurenai was surprised by the vehemence in Naruto's voice. 'He's had a rough life, no thanks to the Kyuubi, and he still wants to be the Hokage. Quite a kid, this Uzumaki Naruto.'

'Naruto-kun…you're amazing!'

"feh, like a loser like you could ever become Hokage!" Kiba jeered.

"What was that, dog breath?!"

"You heard me!"

"Enough, both of you," Kurenai ordered sternly, turning her attention to the Hyuuga heiress, "it's your turn."

Hinata let out a soft 'eep', blushing as everyone's attention turned to her. "M-my name is H-hyuuga Hinata. I-I like m-making healing cr-creams and gardening. I-I like to cook sometimes, too." Though she left it unsaid, like Sakura, she gave Naruto a blushing glance, her index fingers once again poking together.

'She… REALLY likes the Uzumaki boy?' This took Kurenai by surprise. She could tell Hinata liked Naruto just by seeing them together, but that she liked him THAT much? It was a surprise. But considering that the girl looked to be lacking in self-confidence and the boy had it in abundance, it was also obvious as to why she liked him that much.

Hinata's affections were also noticed by Sakura. 'She likes Naruto? Yeesh, she has some pretty poor taste then. What a pair they'd make, a quiet, withdrawn dark-haired girl and a blond, obnoxious loudmouth. They'd be the perfect odd couple, that's for sure!'

'She's a little weird,' Naruto thought, 'but she does seem friendly. I wonder if she's sick, though? Her face is really red.'

"M-my dream is to be a good leader for m-my clan, and h-hopefully one d-day," Hinata said softly, continuing on in her mind, 'and m-maybe tell Naruto-kun how I feel.'

"I also enjoy pr-pressing flowers."

"Hey, that's pretty cool!" Naruto exclaimed, "I think I've seen some pressed flowers before and they looked really neat."

Hinata let out an 'eep' as her face glowed crimson and she turned her head away from Naruto, too shy to meet his gaze, her heart pounding from him taking notice of her. And that he said he thought her hobby was cool!

"Very good, Hinata," Kurenai said encouragingly, giving the shy girl a smile, "you can train up to be our field medic As a recon and tracking team, we'll need one."

Hinata simply nodded at her sensei's words. If Kurenai-sensei approved of her training to be a medic-nin, there wasn't anything her father could do about it!

Kurenai mentally sighed. She had a long way to go to bolster Hinata's confidence, it seemed. The poor girl was just so withdrawn. She seemed to perk up a little around Naruto, possibly to try and gain the boy's attention, though said attention made her blush and withdraw. Perhaps she could talk to Jiyumaru. He'd asked her for advice on how to train Sakura in Genjutsu, maybe some training as a favor…letting those thoughts go for a moment, she turned her attention to the last of the Genin.

"And finally, the Number One Rookie."

Sasuke scowled as he introduced himself. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are plenty of things I don't like, and I don't really like anything. I wouldn't use the term "dream", but I do have an ambition, and that's to restore my clan and… to kill a certain man."

'oh man, he'd better not mean me!' Naruto thought worriedly.

'ch, thinks he's so cool and all that, just because he's the Number One Rookie and the last of his clan,' Kiba mentally sneered.

'Wow, Sasuke-kun's so COOL!' Sakura mentally cheered with a faint blush, Inner Sakura cheering with her, holding up banner's stating how cool she thought Sasuke was.

'I..I hope he doesn't mean Naruto-kun,' Hinata thought, a bit worried for her crush.

'It's to be expected,' Kurenai thought sadly, 'Itachi did slaughter their entire clan. I hope Jiyumaru can handle training an avenger.'

"Now that the introductions are done with, we can move on to the next phase," Kurenai said with a slight smirk, "today, you will be tested for your Genin status."

"What?! But we're already Genin!" Naruto protested.

"Not entirely," Kurenai replied, "today you will be having one final examination to determine if you are worthy to be Genin."

"Then what the hell were all those tests for in the Academy?!" Kiba demanded, the others obviously wanting to know as well. Akamaru barked to voice his opinion.

"Simply put, it was to test if you might have the skills necessary to be Genin," a new voice stated. The six Genin, one ninken, and Kurenai all turned their heads to see the speaker.

The speaker was a male Konoha shinobi, about nine centimeters taller than Kurenai. He was leanly built and wore the standard Konoha shinobi uniform, only his was a lighter blue compared to the darker navy blue worn by most of the other Jounin and Chuunin. He wore dark green gloves with semi-flexible metal plates on the back of the hands. He had brown hair swept up by his hitai-ate, with two silver bangs framing the spiral leaf symbol of Konoha. Piercing pale green eyes gazed upon the seven (plus Akamaru and however many bugs are inside Shino) evenly, his faced betraying no emotion. Strapped to his back wasn't the standard ANBU ninja-tou, but a full katana.

Kurenai smiled. "Ah, Jiyumaru-san, it seems that you're early. How long were you listening? Team 7, this is your sensei, Kenshin Jiyumaru."

"I caught the full introductions, Kurenai-san," the man, now identified as Team 7's sensei, Kenshin Jiyumaru, bowed politely, "I left early to make time, though the Clan Elders really had nothing to say, other than to question my change of status from ANBU captain to Jounin sensei."

That piece of information caught in the ears of the six Genin. This man was just recently an ANBU captain? That meant he was quite powerful, indeed. Sasuke smirked. If he was that strong, then perhaps he would be able to help him grow strong enough to defeat that man.

Kurenai nodded. "I see. So, what do you think of them?"

"A bit too early to tell," Jiyumaru remarked, "but they seem promising. All six of them have great potential, just waiting to be unlocked."

"Yeah right, like Naruto has any skill whatsoever," Sakura scoffed.

Jiyumaru smirked. Upon seeing it, Kurenai knew that the Haruno girl was about to be taught a small lesson.

"Is that so? Well then. Naruto, would you please show your fellow Genin your newest jutsu, to the best of your ability?"

Naruto blinked and looked around the small clearing. "um, sensei, are you sure there's enough room?"

"Yes, now show your teammate the jutsu that enabled you to get this far," Jiyumaru ordered.

"Yes sir!" Naruto grinned, face taking on a determined look as his hands move into the hand seal before he let out a yell. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

At first, the Genin and Kurenai are sure that their eyes are playing tricks on them, because Naruto seemed to be blurring before their very eyes. Hinata's eyes widened as a blush spread across her cheeks at the sight of so many copies of the object of her affections being formed.

"phht, big deal, so he finally got Bunshin no jutsu down," Kiba scoffed, "they're just illusions."

"oh yeah, dog breath?" Naruto smirked, two of the clones smacking the Inuzuka over the head,

'Those clones, that's what he used on me earlier,' Sasuke noted, 'but when did the dobe learn such a jutsu, and how?'

'No way, Naruto used solid clones?' Sakura thought in shock, 'how did the dead last learn such a jutsu?'

'Naruto-kun, you're just amazing!' Hinata thought, her blush dimming slightly as she regained control of herself.

Jiyumaru whistled softly. "Now that's a lot of Kage Bunshin. I doubt I could make that many clones, much less functional ones. You got potential, kiddo."

Naruto beamed under the praise, a faint blush covering his cheeks.

"Er, Jiyumaru-sensei, just what are these, and how did a baka like Naruto learn it?" Sakura asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Jiyumaru pondered the question for a moment before deciding to answer. "These are Kage Bunshin, a much more advanced version of the simple Bunshin technique. In fact, it's a Jounin level Kinjutsu, a B-ranked Forbidden Technique. These clones are solid, capable of taking and dealing damage. They're quite useful if you have the chakra reserves to use them, as they can also use whatever jutsu the user can, provided they themselves have the chakra for it. I use them to practice my taijutsu and kenjutsu in my spare time, like most other Jounin who can perform the technique. As for how he learned it, that's for him to tell."

Naruto looked uncomfortable at the idea of telling how he learned Kage Bunshin, considering he DID break a few laws, and he'd risk letting slip about the bastard fox as well.

"Well Jiyumaru-san," Kurenai spoke up, "since you arrived in time, and heard everyone's introductions, you may as well give your own."

Jiyumaru chuckled. "Sure, why not. My name is Kenshin Jiyumaru. I like oranges, the few friends I have, forging my own weapons, and reading. Especially reading. I dislike those who would willingly slay their own family without cause, those who disrespect others for no reason, and traitors. Well, I don't really have a dream at the moment. I've pretty much accomplished most of what I want in life, though if you three pass my test my new dream will be to train you to be the best you can be. I do have a goal at the moment and that's to bring about the death of an old teammate of mine who is now a missing-nin. Whether I kill him personally or help the one who does gain the ability needed to do it, as long as I'm involved in some way I'll be content. Hobbies… well, I do like fishing, and sometimes I stargaze."

'He seems almost…normal,' Sakura noted to herself, 'maybe the test won't be so hard after all, even though he's a former ANBU captain. They're supposed to be quirky.'

'So, he hates people like him,' Sasuke noted to himself, 'he'll definitely help me train to defeat that man.'

'Is this guy for real?' Naruto thought, 'huh, so he has someone he wants to see dead too. Ah well, he can't be that bad. He said he'll help us reach the top, and that's right where I'm going! Yeah, definitely!'

Jiyumaru clapped his hands together, a gleam in his eyes as he smirked at the six Genin. Even Shino shivered at the slightly sadistic look in his eyes. "Alright now, as Kurenai-san has said, you have a test to see if you're fully ready to become Genin. Now, since each Jounin has a different test, I must ask my students to follow me to Training Ground 3 where I will administer the torture, I mean test."

Whistling cheerily, Jiyumaru hopped away, leaving Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto to glance amongst themselves, Naruto and Sakura nervously and Sasuke just giving his teammates an annoyed glance, as if daring them to hold him back. As they turned back in the direction their sensei had gone, they blinked as they realized that he'd left them behind, and they had no idea where to go.

"Um, Kurenai-sensei, could you possibly tell us where Training Ground 7 is?" Sakura asked politely.

-at Training Ground 7-

Upon arriving at Training Ground 7, the three Genin found their sensei talking to a silver-haired Jounin wearing his hitai-ate over his left eye.

"Ah, so you're here. Took you long enough."

"What?! You just left us there in the dust!" Naruto yelled, "what kind of sensei just leaves his students behind to fend for themselves?!"

"I knew Kurenai-san would tell you where to find the training ground," Jiyumaru replied blandly.

"What?! So you just foist responsibility of us on another Jounin?!" Naruto demanded hotly.

"Now now, calm down kid," Jiyumaru said, trying to calm his would-be student down, "I won't be 'foisting' responsibility of you off on others, at least not without a good reason. I will, should you pass this test, be asking other Jounin to take time to train you in areas that they are better than me at. I was thinking of asking Kurenai-san to teach Sakura-san Genjutsu, since her Academy records indicate that Sakura-san would be talented in that area and Kurenai-san is a Genjutsu Mistress, one of the best in in the world in fact. Hatake Kakashi, here, will be taking Sasuke-san on for individual training on occasion at a later date once certain circumstances are met."

Kakashi raised a hand in greeting at the three Genin. "Yo."

Sasuke let out a snort. "So you will be having others pick up your responsibilities."

Jiyumaru gave Sasuke a stern look. "My duty as your sensei is to make sure you have the best training you can possibly receive. Yuuhi Kurenai is the best Genjutsu user active in the village, and Sakura-san would be a perfect student for her. The only reasons she didn't end up under Kurenai-san's command was because she personally requested that Hyuuga Hinata be put under her care, and because as the top kunoichi in the graduating class she had to be placed on this team. And since Uzumaki-san placed last in ranking, that solidified your team structure."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Naruto demanded.

Jiyumaru sighed. "It has been a tradition for many years, long before I became a shinobi, that the Rookie of the Year and one of the other top students to be placed on the same team as the one who had the lowest scores. Even the Densetsu no Sannin were no exception. But the three of them show that, with a good sensei and a lot of hard work, that even the worst in a class can become great."

Jiyumaru let the three Genin-hopefuls absorb that information for a few moments before continuing. "And should you pass this test, you will be worked hard. My ANBU squad always referred to me as a hard taskmaster, setting nearly impossible standards for them to reach and then driving them to reach them. And I will do the same to you. You may very well hate me before you reach Chuunin, and will likely be working together to plot my demise before the first week is out. Everything you've been through up to now will seem like a relaxing vacation compared to the training you will undergo while under my care. But it will pay off. To quote a fellow Jounin, 'hard work pays off far more than mere genius'."

"um, sensei, is such a thing true?" Sakura asked, seeing Sasuke's disbelieving scowl.

Jiyumaru nodded. "Even the greatest of shinobi, from each of the four Hokage, to the three Sannin, to many other great shinobi not only within Konoha but the other villages as well, have all worked hard to become as great and as feared or respected as they are. Though many were born with natural genius, they worked hard to supplement that genius. That is what made them truly great. The ability to recognize their own limitations, and to strive to become better. You never truly stop growing stronger, even in old age. Its just that by the time you become old, where you body is not as strong as it once was like Hokage-sama's, you have so much experience and battle tactics that you can easily make up for your physical weakness. And even so, I still wouldn't wish to be in even a purely physical fight with the likes of Hokage-sama."

"phht, why is that old man considered so strong, anyway?" Naruto demanded, mentally adding, 'after all, I can take him out with my Orioke no jutsu.'

Naruto felt a light tap on his head. He whirled around to glare at the person only to come face to face with the silver-haired Jounin, Kakashi, his lone visible eye 'crinkled in amusement, forming an upside down "U". "You just doubted Hokage-sama, didn't you?"

Naruto gaped at the odd Jounin while Jiyumaru chuckled. "The Sandaime Hokage wasn't the most feared shinobi in the world in his day for nothing, and the power he still possesses enabled Konoha to stand free of direct attack even after the devastation wrought on the village by the Kyuubi no Youko twelve years ago."

Jiyumaru gave a slight frown as he noticed Naruto wince at the mention of the great foxes attack. 'I know he's not the Kyuubi, but….is he feeling guilt over what the fox did? This may bear looking into.'

"And it is his power that kept Konoha free from attack when Uchiha Itachi killed all of his clan, save for his younger brother."

Both Naruto and Sakura turned to look at the scowling Sasuke in surprise.

'He aims to kill his own brother?' Naruto wondered.

'No wonder…Sasuke-kun said I was annoying,' Sakura thought, 'he..he doesn't have any parents either….an orphan, just like Naruto.'

"So, do not doubt someone like Hokage-sama, just because they don't seem like much," Jiyumaru finished, "appearances can be deceiving, so you must look underneath the underneath. After all, several of the greatest shinobi in the world don't look or act like much."

Kakashi gave another 'eye smile'. "This is true. I can name several shinobi who you wouldn't want to mess with, but look really…odd."

Jiyumaru chuckled, knowing the cycloptic Jounin was thinking of Maito Gai. The eccentric taijutsu specialist was one of the oddest shinobi in the world, yet there was no denying his abilities. There were others who were eccentric as well in their own way, but were still incredibly powerful shinobi. And some ended up becoming eccentric to deal with the stress of missions. Jiyumaru just hoped that he had avoided such a fate by stepping out of ANBU.

"Now, it is time for your test," Jiyumaru told the three Genin.

"What kind of test is it?" Naruto asked excitedly, "a fight? Rescue someone? Recover some stolen village artifact?"

Jiyumaru laughed while Kakashi chuckled. My what an imagination the boy had!

"Nope, sorry, stuff like that is usually a B-ranked mission, though you will be fighting."

"Who will we be fighting, sensei?" Sakura asked.

Jiyumaru grinned. "Me."

"What?!" Jiyumaru's statement was met by a shout from the three surprised Genin. Well, Sakura and Naruto, at least. Sasuke just scowled.

"But sensei, you're a Jounin and we're only Genin, new Genin!" Sakura protested.

"Yeah, how the hell is that fair?!" Naruto demanded.

"Because I'll be holding back," Jiyumaru replied as he reached into a pocket of his vest and pulled out two small silver bells. "The object of this test is to get these two bells. Get one, and you pass. Don't get one, and you'll be sent back to the Academy."

"But there's only two bells," Sakura pointed out.

"That's right," Jiyumaru replied, "it means that no matter what, one of you will be going back to the Academy."

"What?! How the hell is that fair? We worked hard to get this far!" Naruto was outraged. After all he'd been through to finally graduate, and now this guy said there was a one in three chance at best that he'd fail? No way in hell!

"You may have worked hard, but so have others," Jiyumaru replied sternly, "to tell the truth, I have my doubts about how effective this team can be, if it can even be called that."

Jiyumaru replaced the bells inside his vest. "Now, I will be conducting your exam tomorrow, since I'm unprepared to properly administer it. Honestly expected those blowhards in the Clan to keep me all day, sorry about that. Go home and rest. Don't do any training, either you're ready or you're not at this point, and you shouldn't overexert your body because you'll need all your strength tomorrow."

The three Genin looked shocked at Jiyumaru's statement while Kakashi just "smiled". Jiyumaru looked from one Genin to the next, gauging their reactions.

"Now, go home and get a good night's sleep. Go to bed early even. Be here at 8am sharp tomorrow morning and you will face your final test to become a full-fledged Konoha shinobi. Eat a good, solid meal tonight. That means more than just ramen for you, Uzumaki. That was actually in your file, how much you eat the stuff. But, don't eat any breakfast. You'll just throw up."

With those final words, Jiyumaru motioned for the Genin to leave, which they do in a variety of moods. Naruto was psyched for the test, and loudly proclaimed that he would ace it. Sakura seemed worried about her chances, obviously believing it would be a physical test, and she had been among the worst in the class in the physical aspects of being a shinobi, though she wasn't terrible either. She just needed training. Sasuke seemed impassive.

Once the three Genin had left, Jiyumaru turned to Kakashi. "So, did I do it right, Kakashi-senpai?"

Kakashi shrugged. "You gave all the right warnings, though you did hint at them being a team. Giving them a chance, Jiyumaru?"

Jiyumaru nodded. "They can be good with the right motivation. A solid, dependable team with multiple uses. It'll take some work to knock off their rough edges, but if they shape up right, they could even be ready for the next Chuunin Exam."

"You think they can do that well?" Kakashi asked in surprise. Jiyumaru never gave compliments like that needlessly.

"Senpai, I believe every shinobi has great potential. It's the path we take to unlock it determines how much we can unlock. The Uchiha's path as an avenger will end up destroying him, and could even severely harm Konoha. I intend to bring him down off his high horse as quickly as possible. Haruno needs to forget her obsession with the Uchiha, which should happen once he's knocked off his high horse. Though if that doesn't work I'll go the route of suggesting he might notice her if she was stronger. Since one of his goals is to revive his clan he'd want his children to have a strong mother."

"A bit underhanded, don't you think?" Kakashi asked dryly as he pulled his familiar orange book out of a vest pocket. Jiyumaru gave his elder an annoyed look at the sight of the book. "What about Uzumaki? He's a total mess, according to his records."

Jiyumaru was silent for a moment, then he began to speak. "The best thing he has going for him right now is his drive to succeed. I can work with that. His chakra capacity is incredible as well. He created hundreds of Kage Bunshin without accessing its chakra and he didn't seem the least bit tired."

Kakashi perked up at that. "Hundreds, you say? You're thinking of teaching him the training method, aren't you?"

Jiyumaru shook his head. "I need to ground him some first. Give him something else to work on. He really only knows Kage Bunshin, Henge, and that Orioke no jutsu he developed."

"Yes, that, I'm not surprised the Hokage tried to make it a forbidden jutsu," Kakashi said dryly as he flipped a page, giving a perverted giggle as he read on.

"Besides those, though, his skills are pathetic. His taijutsu is passable, if only because he has the stamina to come back from a beating quickly. Against a decent shinobi though he'd be in trouble, but he'll make an excellent sparring partner for Uchiha once he learns a bit."

Jiyumaru chuckled. "Besides, you know what I think of taking shortcuts to the extreme."

"Yes, of course," Kakashi answered, only half-listening now. He was getting to the really good part now.

"You don't mind helping me train Uchiha, do you Kakashi-senpai?" Jiyumaru asked, a small tic forming over one eye, though it couldn't be seen due to his hitai-ate.

"Hmmm no, no, don't mind at all," Kakashi replied distractedly. Jiyumaru gave a disgusted sigh.

"I'll leave you to your porn, senpai." With that Jiyumaru disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

During that evening, the Jounin sensei of Team 7 was meeting with the other two new Jounin senseis, Yuuhi Kurenai of Team 8 who his team had already met, and Sarutobi Asuma of Team 10. Asuma was one of the few other wielders of wind nature chakra residing within Konoha, like Jiyumaru himself, a talent that made him one of the best in Konoha at close range combat with his trench knives. The three Jounin were gathered in a small café, Kurenai and Asuma drinking sake while Jiyumaru drank fruit juice, as even the smallest drop of alcohol turned him into someone he didn't like.

"So, how badly did the old man screw us all over in our teams?" Jiyumaru asked dryly, causing Asuma to give a short snort of laughter.

"Well, my team seems to be pretty well balanced," Kurenai admitted, "Hyuuga Hinata is painfully shy, but I know I can break her out of her shell. I know there's an exceptional kunoichi, perhaps the best in her generation, just lurking underneath her shy exterior. Inuzuka Kiba is loud, brash, and arrogant, but he's also pretty focused when it comes to getting stronger and protecting his 'pack', which consists of his team. And Aburame Shino is quiet, so much so you almost forget he is there as much as you would Hinata, and you can quickly forget she's around because she just doesn't put herself forward."

"The Aburame are always pretty composed," Jiyumaru agreed, "Shibi's a bit more outspoken than most, but he's also the clan representative to the rest of Konoha and their spokesman on the Village Council. What about you Asuma?"

"Well, I'll admit I didn't get the best Genin that graduated this year," Asuma began, "but I don't think they're hopeless. With a little work, they could surpass their fathers."

"The Ino-Shika-Chou combination is powerful," Jiyumaru admitted, "but how would they fare by themselves?"

Asuma's expression soured. "Rather poorly, I'll admit. I can't even decide which one is best off. Chouji'd rather eat, Shikamaru would rather watch clouds, and Ino would rather obsess about the Uchiha boy."

"At least you don't have him," Jiyumaru groused, "I have him, a girl hopelessly infatuated with him, and Uzumaki Naruto who is hopelessly infatuated with the Uchiha fangirl."

Asuma winced in sympathy. "At least tell me they're competent."

"Not entirely sure yet," Jiyumaru admitted, "I wanted to use Kakashi-senpai's bell test on them, so I won't know until tomorrow."

Asuma stared at Jiyumaru for a bit then chuckled. "Gonna put them through the ringer, eh?"

Jiyumaru nodded. "oh yeah. Anyway, I take it your teams passed?"

Asuma nodded. "Ino may be self-centered, but she apparently is serious about being a shinobi. That or the thought of Sakura staying a shinobi and being with the Uchiha boy drove her to boss her teammates into helping her. They managed to complete the tactical test I gave them, and rather well I might add. They're definitely a team that has to use their jutsu strategically, but like their father's showed they can have near-perfect synergy."

Kurenai nodded in agreement. "The recon test I gave my team was challenging for them, but they passed with flying colors. Both Kiba and Hinata have excellent tracking abilities, and Shino is quite gifted. I suspect he held himself back in the Academy."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Jiyumaru admitted, "the Aburame are secretive, but they are highly effective shinobi. They don't use most normal jutsu, relying almost entirely on their clan jutsu instead, but then they've designed jutsu to replace normal jutsu. Though having bugs inside their bodies is kinda creepy."

Kurenai shivered, nodding in agreement while Asuma chuckled. The older Jounin was quite familiar with the Shino boy's father, Shibi, having teamed with him on several missions. He once mentioned that Shino was the best their clan had produced in a generation, and would one day surpass them all. And any praise from an Aburame was incredible, but praise like that? The boy had to be good to warrant such praise, even from his own father.

"So, you're following Kakashi's lead on the test?" Asuma asked Jiyumaru.

"Pretty much," Jiyumaru replied, "since the purpose of the test is to judge teamwork, I could have given it today, but I wanted to see what the full extremes looked like, so I'm holding it tomorrow morning. At least I won't make them wait hours on end like Kakashi-sempai would have."

"So, you think they'll pass your test?" Asuma asked.

"Not a chance," Jiyumaru shot back, "but because of Council orders I have to pass the team because the Uchiha is on it. Though it was a near thing, since Uzumaki is on the team as well."

"They don't want him growing strong, do they?" Asuma asked, continuing at Jiyumaru's nod, "the fools. Can't they see he's nothing more than it's prison, and not it? I mean, if he was, how wise is it to piss it off by treating the boy poorly?"

"It's like sensei always told me," Jiyumaru began, "people are stupid. They'll believe anything they want to if they fear it to be true or want it to be true. In this case, they fear that he is it."

"Did he have any other grand words of wisdom like that?" Kurenai asked. That saying was a prime example of why Genjutsu was so effective, even if could also be easily dispelled by a skilled shinobi and usually only subdued the target.

"Just to always watch yourself in Grass Country," Jiyumaru admitted, "there's snakes everywhere and there's nothing so uncomfortable as getting ready to use the bathroom only to have a snake bite you in the ass."

"Was he speaking from experience?" Kurenai asked with a soft giggle.

"Dunno," Jiyumaru shrugged, "anyway, I'm looking forward to the test. There's just something about those three… I think if I can get Haruno and Uzumaki to take this seriously and with a level head, and get Uchiha to open up, they could be a truly formidable force."

"Exactly what kind of team are you planning on building?" Asuma asked, "I've got the new Ino-Shika-Chou trio, though I just don't know what to do with them. I mean, one's a slacker, one's a glutton, and the last is a loudmouthed little shrew. And Kurenai's got a recon and spy team. So, how're you gonna work your team?"

Jiyumaru is silent as he thought things through. Truthfully, because of the way his team had been designed, there wasn't really anything he could do with them other than train them to be an all-around team. The Uchiha could fit anywhere once he activated his Sharingan, and the Haruno girl could easily learn Genjutsu to confuse opponents. And Uzumaki… He began to grin.

"I think… I could train them to become an assault team," Jiyumaru said with a proud grin, "it'll take work, but it's doable."

Asuma stared at Jiyumaru, his cigarette falling out of his mouth. "Are you crazy?! There hasn't been a full-fledged assault team since…"

"Since the Sannin," Jiyumaru finished, "I know it's been tried several times before, with each team falling short by member's dying before they reached their potential, but these three are our best chance to make one this generation. Uzumaki isn't bound by clan traditions or a lack of ability to mold chakra like Gai's protégé, and Uchiha Sasuke is, well, an Uchiha. If he should develop a sufficiently large chakra reserve, and he's bound to once he activates his Sharingan so he can utilize the jutsu it copies, then he'd be perfect to learning and analyzing enemy jutsu and passing them onto his team. The main problem there is he's not a team player."

"The Uchiha rarely were," Asuma reminded the younger Jounin, "you should know that."

Jiyumaru gave a curt nod. "In any event, I see the potential in them. With Uzumaki's chakra reserves and overall lack of training, his control is rather pitiful, but that is remedied easily. The hardest task of all may be in training him to discipline himself."

"Don't you enjoy challenges like that?" Asuma asked with a smirk. Jiyumaru was well known for training discipline into new recruits in ANBU, as his squad was a transitional squad between normal shinobi duties and ANBU duties, a task he had taken up from Kakashi before the Jounin had left ANBU himself.

Jiyumaru smirked in return. "Trust me when I say those kids are gonna see Hell. They'll wish they had Maito Gai training them before the week is out. At least the training he gives his protégé is lighter."

With that, Jiyumaru left a shuddering Asuma and Kurenai behind to finish their meal, pondering the kind of training Jiyumaru was planning on giving his Genin if they would be envious of Gai's team.

That night, three new Genin rested, awaiting the trials of the next day. One sat alone in an apartment, slurping up a bowl of cup ramen and eating some fruits and vegetables given to him by his old Academy instructor. One sat alone, in a mostly-abandoned section of Konoha, with no company, and no visitors as he ate in silence. And the third sat with her father and mother, enjoying a normal family dinner. Tomorrow, they would test to become Genin. Tomorrow, they would meet their destiny.

And along with those three Genin, one Jounin ate alone, chuckling every so often. Those three kids were in for the toughest test they had faced yet. But if they were up to it, if they were worthy, if they showed that they had the guts, and the will to succeed, then perhaps they would one day become…legends.

-0-0-0-

Kenshin Jiyumaru is a joint creation between myself and UmbreonMessiah, and first appears in his story Dragonheart (though he was modified to fit in the Dragonheart Naruto-verse better). His abilities and parts of his origin were changed and lessened there, but here they will be in (most of) their original planned glory. Had to toss some idea's out since they weren't suitable… for this incarnation of Jiyumaru.

You can find UmbreonMessiah's own work, and a different version of Jiyumaru, in his story Dragonheart, StoryID 326315