A wooden pavilion nestled among green trees and breeze rustled the leaves. The sweet scent of a nearby sweets shop drifted over, a place Mamoru dropped by now and then.
Inside, three figures sat side by side on the long bench.
Hinata in the middle, hands nervously on her knees. Mamoru and Shino flanked her. Across from them, Kurenai leaned against a pillar.
"First, let's introduce ourselves, dreams, likes, dislikes. It'll help me know you faster." Kurenai folded her arms, gaze warm.
She went first. "I'm Yuhi Kurenai. I like sake and spicy octopus, I hate cake. Your turn.
Mamoru tilted his head. "That's it? What about your dream? Your age?
Kurenai said, exasperated, "It's rude to ask a woman her age."
Mamoru spread his hands innocently, eyes glinting. "If you don't tell me, how do I know whether to call you big sis or auntie?"
"Big sis... auntie..." Kurenai blinked, then caught on.
Putting on a stern face, she huffed, "It's sensei, not auntie."
Mamoru looked away. "Boring."
Kurenai inhaled, temples throbbing. She decided to put the lax rookie in his place. "I've heard your academy record, but this isn't school. You're not a student anymore, you're my subordinate. You follow my orders.
He nodded agreeably, then grinned. "Sure thing, Kurenai-sensei. Even when angry, you're gorgeous, honey."
"..."
Kurenai pressed her brow, sighing inwardly, 'First Genin team and already a problem child.'
"Forget it."
She decided not to dwell on the topic, turning her gaze to Hinata and softening her tone. "Let's start with the girls."
Hinata, seated in the middle, rose at once, twisting her hands nervously at her chest, her voice thin and unmistakably shy. "My name is Hyuga Hinata. I like… I like…"
Her cheeks flushed crimson and her words faded to a whisper.
Mamoru couldn't help glancing sideways and Hinata's wandering eyes met his mid-air. Her shoulders gave a startled tremble and she immediately ducked her head, wishing she could vanish inside her collar.
Her voice had been so faint that no one caught what came next.
"That's it?" Mamoru blinked, leaning forward slightly.
Hinata gave the tiniest nod, hardly daring to lift her gaze.
Seeing this, Kurenai didn't have the heart to press the team's only girl. "Alright, Hinata, sit down. Next."
Mamoru draped one arm over the back of his chair and with the other hand motioned Shino forward.
Shino adjusted his shades and stood calmly. "My name is Aburame Shino. I like vegetable salad and winter melon, I dislike strongly flavored food. My hobby is insect observation."
He sat back in silence.
Mamoru filed the introduction away: plain, like the boy himself—easy to overlook, yet probably dependable.
Mamoru rose and announced brightly, "My turn. I'm Uchiha Mamoru."
At the part about likes, he rubbed his chin and laughed. "What do I like? No idea. Hahaha…"
The laughter hadn't died before his tone snapped, a near-mad grin curling his lips. "I hate being restrained, hate anything that doesn't go my way. As for dreams…"
He drew the word out, then finished crisply, "To have anything I want."
His answer caught Kurenai off guard. His dream wasn't to restore the Uchiha clan?
She could be forgiven for thinking so. In this ninja world, bloodline clans place clan honor above life itself, especially a clan blessed with the Kekkei Genkai of the Sharingan. By all logic, the last Uchiha should cling to tradition and to his clan.
Kurenai set her puzzlement aside, gave Mamoru a long look, and nodded. "Understood. I've a fair grasp of you three now."
Her gaze swept their faces. "Tomorrow morning at Training Ground Five, there'll be a final examination."
"Eh…"
"What?"
Only Mamoru stayed unruffled, while Hinata and Shino exclaimed in unison.
Shino pushed up his shades. "What do you mean by 'final examination'?"
Kurenai explained, her voice clear in the quiet pavilion, "The last qualifying test before you're officially made Genin."
Shino pressed, brows knitting behind his lenses, "Then what was the graduation exam at the academy for?"
Kurenai shook her head, strands of hair swaying. "That was only a first screening to pick students with Genin potential."
Hinata murmured, "How could it be…"
Kurenai said grimly, "Of twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be recognized as Genin. The other eighteen return to school. In short, the elimination rate exceeds sixty-six percent."
At her words, Hinata's face paled, her slim fingers trembling. Even the ever-stoic Shino's lips twitched behind his shades. Only Mamoru's expression stayed flat, as though the test had nothing to do with him.
Kurenai handed over three sheets and said, "In any case, I'll judge you tomorrow at Training Ground Five. Don't be late. Details are written here, read them and prepare. Any mistakes are on you."
The three accepted the papers.
"That's all. Dismissed."
With a Body Flicker Jutsu, Kurenai vanished from the pavilion, leaving the youngsters behind.
Mamoru skimmed the sheet, crumpled it, and flicked it into a bin outside.
He muttered, clearly indifferent to pass or fail, "Tiresome farce."
Shino adjusted his shades. "Shouldn't we discuss how to handle tomorrow?"
Mamoru stood and stretched lazily. "No rush. Tomorrow's business can wait till tomorrow."
Shino was silent a moment, lenses glinting. He said quietly, the twitch of his fingers betraying tension, "Fail and we go back to school."
Mamoru said, brushing wind-tousled hair aside, "The exam's only to confirm we're Genin material. They'll keep it within our limits, it won't be absurd."
Shino lapsed into thought, apparently conceding the point.
"Mamoru-kun…" Hinata fretted.
He flashed an easy smile. "Relax. With me around, this test is a breeze."
As the words left him, he murmured, "Time's about up."
He formed a quick seal. With a soft pop and a puff of smoke, his form vanished.
"A… Shadow Clone?"
Shino and Hinata cried together, staring in shock.
Somewhere on a rooftop, the real Mamoru lay back, savoring a lazy afternoon.
A breeze rustled distant leaves and birds chirped.
Suddenly he sensed something. His eyes opened a slit, a faint smile touched his lips, then he closed them again.
Everything going just as expected.
At dusk, the last sliver of orange light slipped behind the distant hills, dyeing the clouds in shifting layers of violet-gray.
"Why are you only getting back now?"
The moment Mamoru pushed open the door, he saw Sasuke leaning against the entryway, arms folded, face dark with displeasure. The boy's brows were knit, fingers drumming against his sleeve, every tap announcing how long he'd been waiting.
"Sorry, I was off saving the planet." Mamoru bent to pull off his shoes, spinning the flimsiest excuse in history, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"You think that's funny?" Irritation crackled in Sasuke's voice, his frown deepening.
"Kinda."
Mamoru straightened, deftly changing the subject, "So, did your Jōnin instructor say anything?"
Sasuke saw straight through him, clicked his tongue in annoyance, and turned toward the living-room. "We were all conned. Before we're real Genin, we've got to pass one last trial."
"Ha! Same as us."
Mamoru followed him through the lounge and ducked into the kitchen. The aroma of dinner hit him and he reached for a plate without thinking.
"Hands off! Out!" Sasuke's eyes flashed, his voice dropping.
The reaction was born of an old scar. Last time Mamoru had "helped," he'd wolfed down food in a panic, upended the entire main dish, and condemned them to soy-sauce rice for the night. From that day on, the kitchen became an absolute no-go zone whenever Sasuke cooked.
"Fine."
Mamoru withdrew his hand, ambled out, and folded himself cross-legged at the table, drumming a tuneless rhythm with his fingers.