The morning silence broke as birds chirped and rays of sunlight lit up the streets of Konoha; along the streets merchants were opening stalls.
Kudo walked the streets in his new outfit. He wore a sleeveless black half coat that stopped at his lower abdomen, with two pockets holding scrolls. Underneath, he had a chainmail shirt, grey cargo pants, a back pouch, and a leg pouch. His headband was tied on his forehead.
He had a bouncy walk and a wide smile as he headed to the academy; he was excited about finally becoming a shinobi and was looking forward to adventures outside the village.
At 8 am, Iruka walked into the 6th-year elite class, and all students fell silent. Naruto stopped feeling down about the kiss with Sasuke and focused on Iruka.
"Congratulations on becoming shinobi, and I hope each and every one of you will do your best to protect our village. The village uses a 3-man team. Genins are led by a chunin or jonin. Your sensei is the leader. Follow orders, or you could get yourself or teammates killed on a mission. Team 1: Hatake Manemi, Koroyoshi Date, Chiba Yono. Team 2: Chikakiyo Hushiba, Amano Sukeyo, Isshiki Kunisada. Team 3… Team 5: Tanehiko Kudo, Sarutobi AI, Yorisuke Enya…Team 7; Uchiha Sasuke…Team 8: Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Shino Aburame…Team 10: Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Choji." Iruka eventually finished assigning teams despite interruptions.
"Jonin sensei assignments are as follows, Team 1… Team 5, your jonin sensei is Shimura Takao… for Team 7 is Hatake Kakashi, Team 8 is Kurenai Yuhi…Team 10 is Sarutobi Asuma. Now your jonin sensei will come and collect you, just follow them. Good luck." Iruka's slumped shoulders puffed up as if a heavy load had just been taken off him. The students immediately organized themselves into their friend groups as they chatted, waiting for their instructors. "Kudo, what do you think your instructor will be like?" "Mmhm, I don't know, but they will be strong, I mean, we are an elite class Afterall." Kudo, absentmindedly answered, he hoped for a jonin sensei that would elevate his effort and not bring him down.
In the Hokage building, Hiruzen stood, his gaze cast over the village, smoking his pipe when suddenly someone barged in, "Haaa." He let out a tired sigh and turned to the person.
"Why him?" Danzo barked. "Anyone but him." He said, gnashing his teeth as he swung his hand fiercely. "It's part of a bigger picture, Danzo. We need to elevate the strength of the village, and that is why even the Uchiha have now become jonin-sensei. The Uchiha are exceptionally skilled, and our reserves of civilian shinobi can use such a boost. However, collective might without a sharp weapon, an overwhelming might to direct it, is just politics weakening the village from within. I have placed a capable jonin sensei to direct this batch of students into the next pillars of the village.I have deemed Shimura Takao to be one such person, capable of grooming the next pillars of Konoha. Just because he doesn't do your bidding, it does not mean he is incapable. He, alongside other like Kakashi and Guy, is every capable shinobi." Hiruzen said, looking deeply at Danzo. Hiruzen truly felt like a fool, he didn't know whether it was because he was about to die or retire but with the Uchiha cooperating he was serious about stamping out all inner conflict and brining a sense of balance to the village.
Danzo trembled with rage. He had his fair share of failure, but the greatest was letting that boy, Shimura Takao, be led by the failing philosophy of the 3rd Hokage. Takao was gifted, but it was a shame he was not under his control like the clan. Although Danzo was no longer clan head, he still had absolute authority over the Shimura clan, everyone except Takao. "You will regret this, Hiruzen." Danzo stomped and stormed off.
Shimura Takao was one of the few under Hiruzen who had dedicated themselves to the village instead of the self-interest of their clans. Two words fit Shimura Takao: exceptionally deadly. A man shaped by war and endless pursuit. It had taken a lot of convincing and favors on Hiruzen's end, but he felt satisfied knowing that the Sarutobi clan might usher in another Kage shinobi under Takao's hands.
At the academy;
The atmosphere in the class became tense as a man stepped through, wearing the Konoha jonin vest. The jonin vest was different from the chunin vest, which was bulky and was made for chunin to have resources that were useless in jonin rank fights. Jonin fights were faster and relied more on individual capability than chunin-level fights. The man had brown hair, was 6.1 feet tall, and had tension about him, a hardness about him that demanded attention.
"Squad 5, follow me."
He started walking out. Kudo, Ai, and Enya exchanged gazes with their classmates, bid farewell, and rushed after their sensei. The followed him through the streets of Konoha and into one of the training grounds. Training grounds with numbers 1-30 are wide area, team training grounds, with those numbered 30-100 being individual training grounds.
They stopped at training ground 27, then the man turned to the kids.
"My name is Shimura Takao, of the Shimura clan, and I will be your jonin-sensei. I am a jonin of the village. I have been in active service for 19 years, and I am 26 years old. I like watching plays and catching fish. I dislike dishonest people and those who threaten the Leaf Village. As for my dream, it is to keep the village safe. Now introduce yourselves." Takao said, taking a seat on the ground, the students followed suit.
"I am Sarutobi Ai, a kunoichi. I like shopping, training, and dislike those who disrespect my effort. I want to be the 2nd Kage-level shinobi of my clan." Ai said, giving Kudo a glare, which he ignored.
"I am Yorisuke Enya, a Yamanaka clan member. I like eating food; I dislike flowers. I hope to be a great sensor and enter the intelligence unit." Enya said, his gaze lost in his thoughts.
"I am Tanehiko Kudo, civilian. I like reading and dislike those who hurt others. I will be a shinobi greater than Lord Second." Kudo said his words, making the atmosphere tense. It was the first time he had said to someone other than his mom and Naruto.
Takao gave him a serious look, trying to conclude whether it was mischief or seriousness. To any child, it sounded like a noble aspiration, but to those in the know, Lord Second was a plaque. The good and bad kind, especially for some people, exhibit A, the Uchiha.
Takao filed it under need to observe and stood up, "Now it's time for your graduation test. I want to evaluate if you have solid fundamentals and where you are lacking. I will train you if I approve of you, or you will be sent back into the academy to be re-educated. So, take this seriously.Your objective is to take these 2 bells from me, and you win. You have 5 hours and I will give you 10 minutes to strategize then we begin." Takao said, vanishing from sight.
Kudo, Ai, and Enya stood surprised but quickly focused on each other. "Well, let's get to it." Kudo sighed.