Enter Anko Mitarashi

In the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention was on the most recent batch of genin teams. With Naruto's unexpected passing, there were enough genin graduates, eliminating the need to assign an older genin to a team.

Regret weighed heavily on his heart as he reviewed the graduates' lackluster abilities. Despite his reputation as a world-renowned teacher, he couldn't help but feel responsible for the decline in standards at the academy after the Third War. His vision of a more inclusive shinobi program came with the compromise of lowering graduation standards, leading to larger classes, fewer teachers, and a steady decline in the quality of shinobi each year.

Many graduates would join the Genin Corps to improve their skills. This would allow them to either join a new team with a Jonin sensei or replace a member of an existing team. He focused on the teams he believed would pass the secondary Genin test.

Team 8 consisted of students Kiba Inuzuka, Aburame Shino, and Hinata Hyuga, led by their sensei Kurenai Yuhi. Kurenai's expertise in Genjutsu would likely not be passed down due to the clan background of her students. She was specifically chosen to lead this group in forming an advanced tracking squad, as this was her first team, and she was very eager to do so. Kurenai had recently attained the rank of Jonin after serving for three years in Anbu. She was frequently assigned to hunter squads to locate missing ninjas. As the Village's top Genjutsu user, her abilities were crucial in apprehending high-level targets. Since the third war, the Village lacked official hunter-nin squads, most of which were wiped out. With Kurenai's experience and her students' clan techniques, Hiruzen aimed to bring back the hunter-nin squads in an official capacity within the Village.

His son, Asuma, would be the sensei of Team 10, where he would teach the next generation of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans. This team would be the 14th iteration of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, a long-standing tradition among the three clans allowing them to fully utilize their clan techniques. The young team members have big shoes to fill, as their fathers were part of the most successful iteration of the formation.

He wished he had more insight into how Asuma would teach them. Hiruzen has always had a strained relationship with his son. It was a natural consequence of him spending most of his life as Hokage and having little time to be a father. Their strained relationship led to Asuma leaving the Village and joining the shinobi guardians. The experience made Asuma an excellent shinobi, but Hiruzen still regrets letting him go. Maybe if he didn't, they would have a better relationship now. Asuma has long since forgiven him for being absent in his life, but there was still a distance between them that Hiruzen wished he could fix before it was too late. Yet another reason he hated having to retake the hat. Hiruzen cleared his thoughts of his past mistakes and looked toward the last notable team assignment.

Team 7 was more of a title than a team assignment. Hiruzen was on the original team with the Second Hokage as his teacher. Since his sensei's death, he had put the team number out of rotation to preserve the memory of his old sensei and team. However, when he began to teach his greatest students, he knew they would honor the title.

He hadn't long been Hokage when he started to train the Sannin. A feat that would be impossible now. At that time, Konoha was much smaller and didn't require endless bureaucracy to keep it running. If only he knew that he was overseeing the growth and development of three of the greatest shinobi ever to grace this world.

Their accomplishments in the Second Great War earned them the title of Sannin after their draw with Hanzo the Salamander. Sadly, that was the last time they would fight together. The loss of her fiancé and brother pushed Tsunade into a dark place, causing her to lose hope in life and fall into her worst vices. His once-favorite student, Orochimaru, betrayed the Leaf and committed heinous crimes before leaving. Jiraiya, his only remaining loyal student, still blamed himself for not being able to save his teammates from the darkness they fell into. After that, it was hard to imagine that another team would take the title of Team 7, but there was.

The next team to hold the title was led by Minato Namikaze, who would later become the Fourth Hokage. His students included Kakashi, one of the most accomplished young shinobi in the village's history, along with the black sheep of the Uchiha, Obito, and Rin Nohara. The team was formed during the middle of the Third War when Rin and Obito were Genin, and Kakashi was a semi-experienced Chunin. This new Team 7, with their unique skills and potential, held the promise of a bright future.

After quickly achieving the ranks of Chunin for Obito and Rin and Jonin for Kakashi, their potential was tragically cut short by the cost of war. Both Rin and Obito died within a few months of each other, causing Hiruzen much grief. This loss, alongside other factors, led him to end the war early, as he couldn't bear to witness more young and promising shinobi dying in pointless conflicts. As a result of this decision, he retired and handed his position of Hokage to Minato.

Minato was never able to name a Team 7 before his death. Since Hiruzen took over the position, he hasn't felt it right to assign the title. He told himself that it was just because he hadn't encountered any promising teams, but he was also scared that the title of Team 7 was somehow cursed. However, that changed as he looked over the three student files before him.

Sakura Haruno, the top kunoichi, set historical records with her academic grades at the academy. However, her practical grades left something to be desired. Coming from a civilian family, it was doubtful that she had received additional training or guidance in ninjutsu.

Naruto Uzumaki was ranked last in the class and didn't even pass the official exam. Despite this, the boy's immense potential was evident as he managed to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu and defeat a Chunin to graduate. This and his status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki filled Hiruzen with hopes for the boy's future.

Sasuke Uchiha, the last of his clan, was a source of guilt for Hiruzen every time he interacted with the boy. Sasuke had to undergo regular psychological evaluations to ensure his mental well-being. Initially, they used a Yamanaka therapist due to their clan's unique techniques being helpful in therapy. However, Sasuke reacted poorly to mind techniques and refused to continue with that therapist. He only agreed to return when assured that no mind techniques would be used on him. The latest report indicated that Sasuke was not loyal to the Village and lacked close relationships with anyone there; his sole focus was avenging his clan.

Hiruzen felt a wave of nostalgia as he considered putting together this new team, ignoring the warning bells in his mind. In just a few minutes, he had gathered Kakashi and formed Team 7. However, as the nostalgic feeling faded, Hiruzen examined the team from a more detached, objective standpoint.

The decision to create a new Team 7 was not solely based on nostalgia. The Village had been without a promising young genin team for a significant amount of time. Konoha's strength had always relied on its most formidable shinobi. While each team member faced their own challenges, there was potential, especially if they had a sensei who could guide and help them mature into exceptional shinobi. Unfortunately, Hiruzen had reservations about whether Kakashi Hatake could fulfill that role.

Even though he had no doubts about Kakashi's ninja abilities, he was skeptical about Kakashi's teaching skills, especially when it came to training new Genin. By the time he was eight years old, Kakashi had surpassed everyone his age, and Minato, who was his sensei, admitted to Hiruzen that he only provided guidance to Kakashi. Most of Kakashi's development was due to his natural talent and strong work ethic.

Kakashi was never traditionally taught or motivated. Early in his life, most of his ambition stemmed from trying to erase his father's "shame." After leaving Anbu, Kakashi adopted the lazy persona he has today. He believed it was to honor the late Obito, but it felt more like an excuse to emotionally distance himself from those around him.

Hiruzen sat and pondered his options, fully aware of the potential risks. He wanted this team to carry on the legacy of Team 7. However, he also knew that allowing subpar training from Kakashi could lead to their deaths on a misranked mission or the team breaking apart due to chemistry issues. This thought filled him with deep concern.

Getting a new Jonin sensei would not be an option. Kakashi was the only one who could train Sasuke when he unlocked his Sharingan, and he had promised Kakashi that he would be the one to train Naruto when he became a Genin.

The next option would be to assign a personal trainer to each student outside of Team 7. However, that wouldn't be ideal, as it could create unnecessary divisions in the team and disrupt any potential chemistry within the group. The only other option Hiruzen could think of was for another ninja to teach alongside Kakashi, helping him get the hang of teaching Genin.

As Hiruzen considered potential candidates for the role, he heard a familiar knock on his office door, and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Come on in," he said loudly enough for the person behind the door to hear.

"Hey, what's up, old man?" Anko Mitarashi stepped in. She had one hand in her tan trench coat and a partially eaten dango stick in the other. Hiruzen was not supposed to give preferential treatment to ninjas, but since retaking the position of Hokage, he allowed himself the luxury of not caring about concepts like favoritism.

Anko returned from Orochimaru as a broken mess. Many in the village viewed her as a traitor and wanted her ninja status revoked. Hiruzen was often criticized for his sentimentality. However, when he looked at Anko, he didn't see a rogue ninja who left with the Leaf's biggest traitor; he only saw a scared girl manipulated and discarded by his pupil. Hiruzen stood firm and ordered that no punishment be given to Anko and that her status as a ninja would remain safe.

The initial period was difficult. When she first returned, Anko was angry and confused. She would frequently visit his office after clashing with other ninjas in the village or to address teammates' complaints on missions.

He even made her angry when he denied her entry into the interrogation and torture unit. He knew why she wanted to join the special Jonin and Jonin. Special Jonin and Jonin promotions were decided by the shinobi council, which included elite Jonin, clan heads, advisors, and the Hokage. Twice a year, during these meetings, they would vote on promoting chunin to special Jonin and nominate special Jonin for the next Jonin exams.

The only types of promotions that weren't voted on were promotions given by the heads of specific departments in Konoha. One of these departments was the Torture and Interrogation Unit. Anko was furious with him. She yelled at the top of her lungs in his office and called him every name in the book. Before he could explain himself, Anko barged out of his office and didn't speak to him again for months.

Hiruzen was confident that he had made the right decision. He believed that Anko, who was emotionally unstable, would only worsen after taking a position in T&I. Fortunately, a few years later, she was able to come to terms with her lack of memories and trauma. The conflicts and reports ceased, and she even received a promotion to Special Jonin. However, for the past few years, she has been stonewalled from any further promotion.

During each council election cycle, the same issue would arise for her; they would bring up her past altercations and reports from years ago to deny her promotion and ask her to continue demonstrating good behavior and improving her skills. Nonetheless, Anko has taken it in stride in the past few years. Hiruzen knew being recognized by the Village was crucial to her, but he was glad to see herself in a much better place. Over the years, he began to see Anko as the daughter he had never had.

Anko would often drop by to chat or have tea, giving Hiruzen a welcome break from his Hokage duties.

"What do you need, Anko?" he asked, looking up from his papers.

Anko leaned back in her chair dramatically and placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh, you wound me. Can't your favorite ninja come visit you to catch up?"

Hiruzen stayed silent and simply stared at Anko.

"Okay, you got me. I spent too much of the Ryo from my last mission, and now I don't have enough for rent next week." Anko put her head in her arms on the desk in exasperation. "Could you please assign me to a team about to go out on a mission? I checked the mission desk, and the solo missions don't pay enough or take too long."

Hiruzen sighed in exasperation. It was not unexpected to see Anko barging into his office, pleading for missions to pay off her debts.

"Anko, you're a grown woman now. I can't keep giving you special treatment and interrupting mission assignments. You just did a B-rank last week. How did you already spend all of it?".

Anko rubbed the back of her head, reminiscent of a certain blond.

"Well, you see, I was at the bar, and Gemma bet me that I couldn't make the leaf symbol with senbon while drunk. I told him I could, so we bet on it, but it turns out he was right. I accidentally dropped one of the senbon, and it broke a bottle of expensive whiskey, so I had to pay for the bottle and Gemma."

Hiruzen shook his head as his hand reached for the desk piled with the upcoming missing assignment, and then he froze. A brilliant thought came into his mind, and he was reminded why he had titles such as Professor and The God of Shinobi.

"Anko, how would you like a more permanent source of income within the village?"

"What do you mean?"

Hiruzen three case files across the desk.

"How would you like to be the co-sensei of Team 7?"

Anko stalked through the village streets, the dango stick between her teeth. Teaching brats. With Hatake, of all people. The Hokage's offer replayed in her mind—weekly pay thicker than a mission scroll, unrestricted access to the Jonin archives, a guaranteed promotion if she could mold two of those snot-nosed genin into chunin. The old fox knew exactly which levers to pull.

She scoffed. "Should've asked for hazard pay," she muttered, eyeing a trio of academy kids darting past with kunai clutched in clumsy fists.

Anko's mind was at ease when it came to the Genin. She understood that, no matter how unique they might be, they were still just children, lacking the experience of the shinobi world. Her main source of intrigue was Kakashi. She had only crossed paths with him a few times, their conversations fleeting and superficial.

From what she heard from Kurenai, who was admittedly biased since she disliked the man, he was a lazy pervert who walked around like he didn't need to be professional like everyone else. Though that didn't bother Anko, she wasn't the picture-perfect definition of professionalism regarding shinobi.

She had asked Gemma about him when conversing about his old Anbu days since it was an open secret that Kakashi was an Anbu captain. Gemma said he was no-nonsense and focused entirely on the mission. Still, what surprised Anko was that Kakashi had a zero percent fatality rate on missions he led while in Anbu. Anybody who served under him had nothing but respect for him. This was in stark contrast to his current persona, which Anko found puzzling. She couldn't help but wonder what had changed and why.

But Anko was determined. The next day, she had to meet with him and the Hokage before they met the Genin. She was ready to unravel the mystery of Kakashi.

Anko's foot tapped an erratic rhythm against the floor, her patience evaporating like mist under a desert sun. The clock's ticking mocked her. Three hours late. Even for Hatake, this was absurd.

Now here she was, sitting in a chair in the corner of the Hokage's office, arms crossed, brows furrowed, like a kid waiting for a doctor's appointment they really didn't want to go to.

Anko let out a breath of frustration,

Hiruzen didn't bother looking up from his paperwork as she growled, "How long is this asshole going to take?"

"Fourth time in twenty minutes," he remarked, flipping a page. The door creaked open.

Before Anko could respond, the office door opened, and a masked face peeked inside.

"Yo. Sorry, am I late?" Kakashi's single visible eye curved in a smile that made Anko's fingers twitch toward her senbon pouch.

Anko was speechless at the sheer audacity to ask such a question.

Hiruzen's chuckle was drier than Sunagakure's winds. "Come in, Kakashi."

Hiruzen said as he leveled Kakashi with a smile. He then looked over and motioned with his head for Anko to introduce herself to her new partner. Anko, casting away her annoyance and dredging up the tiny wisps of professionalism in her soul, stood and held her hand toward Kakashi.

"Special Jonin Anko Mitarashi. The honor's mine."

Kakashi eyed her palm like it might bite. "We've met. You poisoned my dango at the Harvest Festival."

"That was a prank!" Her professional facade shattered. "And you deserved it for cheating at shogi with Genma!"

Hiruzen cleared his throat, getting thier attention "Please both of you take a seat, we have much to discuss"

As they sat, Anko noted how Kakashi's slouch was too perfect—a manufactured carelessness. This man remembers every slight, she realized. He just chooses not to care.

Before Anko could continue to vent her annoyance, Hiruzen coughed.

When they both looked over, he gestured toward the two seats in front of his desk.

"Go ahead and take a seat. We have much to discuss."

Anko crossed her arms and took her seat while Kakashi sat down in a relaxed pose, both hands in his vest pockets.

Kakashi was the first to speak.

"I didn't think I would be assigned any missions until after I gave the genin the test."

Hiruzen was confused about Kakashi's lack of knowledge of the current meeting.

"Oh, did you not get the letter delivered yesterday? I assigned Anbu to deliver it personally."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I was going to read it when I got home, but you know how ninken are once they get a hold of something they think they own."

Anko and Hiruzen sat there, shocked that Kakashi would use the "my dog ate it" excuse for a letter from the Hokage.

Hiruzen sighed

"Well, if you read the letter, you would have known that I am assigning Anko as an additional teacher with you for Team 7."

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise.

"That's quite unusual for a squad to be given two capable ninjas to train them. Is there something special about this team?"

"You haven't even looked to see what students you will be assigned yet, have you, Kakashi?" Hiruzen question

Kakashi gave an eye smile

"Nope"

Hiruzen shook his head, and Anko rolled her eyes

Hiruzen then performed discrete hand signals, and the Anbu present in the office left. He reached under his desk and began to channel chakra into a hidden seal. Black lines stretched across the room, covering the walls and the doors. The window then darkened, and the natural light from outside vanished, leaving the only light in the room being an overhead fixture on the ceiling.

Anko was surprised by the precautions the Hokage just took. They were just talking about a bunch of Genin. She then adjusted her posture and began to focus. This would be a much more severe meeting than she initially thought.

Hiruzen then took his hat, revealing his gray hair, and ran a hand through it. He then began to speak.

"Kakashi, as you know, the assignment of Team 7 means a great deal to me, but sentimentality is not the only reason I wish to give this team special treatment. The Village after the Nine-Tails attack and the Uchiha massacre has never been weaker since its creation."

Both Kakashi and Anko looked surprised at his statement. They both knew the leaf wasn't near the peak of its powers, but hearing the Hokage describe it so grimly was alarming.

Hiruzen continued

"We may have the advantage of numbers, and the economy has never been better, but in the past, we remained the strongest of the hidden villages due to the strength of our shinobi. In the last war, we lost some legends and many with great potential,"

Kakashi looked down at that, remembering how much loss the third war had caused him.

"And with my wayward students no longer in the village, the death of the fourth, and Itachi's defection, The Leaf wouldn't survive if another war broke out."

"In the Village currently, there are only four shinobi that I would consider S rank. That would be me, Danzo, Gai, and you, Kakashi, but that is me talking about you from your Anbu days. I know since then, you have let your skills deteriorate. I would also consider my student Jiraiya in that category. Still, in the case of a sudden attack on the Village, he wouldn't be able to get here in time to prevent great damage."

Kakashi looked down in shame. He knew he wasn't as skilled as just a few years ago, but it hurt worse when it came from a man you respected.

Hiruzen noticed the sadness in Kakashi's body language and continued his explanation.

" And when we look at the last five years of fresh Genin, only one genius has any potential of reaching such a level. Neji Hyuga, but Gai tells me his darkness and pride hold him back even then. If we don't produce any ninja of note within the next several years, the other villages will see it as a sign of us losing strength. They then may take it as an opportunity to strike."

Hiruzen closed his eyes, considering if he should say the following words.

"I won't live forever, and I fear the leaf will fall with me once I die."

Kakashi and Anko had somber expressions, understanding where the Hokage would go next.

"With this team, I want to create ninjas to lead the leaf into the next era. Naruto is a great young man who can become a great leader if he matures, not to mention his status as the Nine Tails container. This path is the only way Sasuke will remain loyal to the Village. His only desire is to gain strength for his revenge. He doesn't care how he gets it, meaning he could be easily tempted to leave the Village at the promise of power, so it would be good for us to be the ones to give it to him. And Sakura, despite lacking the physical skills of a ninja in the academy, had similar academic scores to your sensei Kakashi."

That last statement shocked Kakashi since he knew how much of a genius his teacher was even in his youth.

Anko began to feel anxious as she analyzed the Hokage's implication when describing the purpose of her new task. Was the third really expecting her to teach the next fuckin Sanin?! Anko was confident in her abilities but had never taught Genin before and would not know where to start.

"Hokage, sir," Anko said, clearly anxious.

"I understand the situation and what you wish Kakashi and I to do. But are you sure that I'm the right person for the job? Surely, there are better people qualified to teach this team than me. I mean, I have never even taught anyone before."

Hiruzen gave Anko a pensive look

"Anko, I know you still go to the orphanage at least once a week."

Anko flinched at the call-out.

"I get letters of gratitude from the head of the orphanage. Despite your visits only being weekly, she says the kids learn a lot from you."

Kakashi was surprised and looked at Anko out of the corner of his eye.

He noticed she had a slight blush on her cheeks from embarrassment

"But that stuff is easy. Teaching kids how to write their names and basic math is different from teaching ninja teens fresh out of the academy." Anko tried to reason, still unsure if she was capable of such a task

Hiruzen sighed

"Well, that's okay. I probably should have told you more about it yesterday before you accepted."

He then covered his mouth with his hand to hide a slight smirk

"But to guess that the great Anko Mitarashi would be scared to teach genin, who would have thought."

Hirzun faked a thoughtful look.

Anko felt anger rise inside her.

"Hey, I didn't say I was scared of them, just that I wouldn't know how to teach them," Anko retorted

"Oh, so you're saying you couldn't teach them. That is a surprise. I thought maybe they could learn a lot from great ninja like you. As you often claim'' Hiruzen said before smoking from his pipe

Anko narrowed her eyes and gave the Hokage a look

"Are you saying I can't teach them, old man?"

Hiruzen shrugged

"You said it yourself but wouldn't know how to teach them. Don't worry, though. I'm sure Ebisu wouldn't mind a few extra students under his belt."

"EBISU!" Anko shouted in disbelief.

She then yanked the case file off of the desk.

"There is no way that a four-eyed bastard will be able to train those brats to the level you want."

With a newfound determination, Anko declared, her voice filled with conviction, "I'll take them under my wing. I'll make them into the best ninjas you've ever seen" She then yanked the doors to the office and stomped toward the academy

Hiruzen then leaned back into his chair and put both arms behind his head

"It's too easy he said as his pipe dangled out of his mouth."

Kakashi sighed as he got up from his seat.

"You know you could give me a warning next time you spring something like this on me."

"I did, but your dogs ate it, remember."

Kakashi gave a light chuckle and then said

"I guess this means I can't fail them then"?

Hiruzen nodded,

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to take it easy on them; make them take the test as often as you have to before they get it."

Kakashi bowed lightly

"Have a great day, Hokage, sir."

He then began to make his leave for the academy.

Naruto harrumphed as he looked at the clock to see that his new teachers were two hours late. There were only so many times that Naruto could try to talk to Sakura, only for her to yell at him to sit down and for her to go back and keep staring at that bastard Sasuke. Naruto still wondered what all the girls saw in him; he dared not get close again for further analysis to avoid repeating what had happened earlier. Naruto cringed at the thought, hoping his new teachers could teach him a new cool jutsu to forget about kissing the bastard.

Naruto looked at the clock again and narrowed his eyes. He then got out of his seat and began walking toward the board at the front of the classroom.

"What are you doing, Naruto?"

Sakura said, annoyed that Naruto was interrupting her favorite pastime of Sasuke watching.

Naruto grabbed a chalk eraser and began dragging a chair toward the door.

"I'm about to teach our new sensei a lesson for being late"

Sasuke stirred out of his apparent trance and spoke for the first time since Team 7 was left alone.

"Their Jonin, you idiot, they won't fall for a prank like that."

"We'll see," Naruto said as he placed the eraser on the door, finishing the setup for his prank.

Not too long after, the door opened, and the eraser fell on top of the head of Naruto's target.

A woman with purple hair tied up in a spiky ponytail stood in the doorway. She wore a fitted mesh body suit covering her from her neck down to her thighs. Over that, she wore a tan trench coat with a purple in-seam and a pocket on each side, a dark orange mini-skirt, a dark blue belt, and pale gray shin guards.

All the Genin had the decency to blush lightly at the provocative outfit their presumed new sensei wore.

Anko heard nothing but static as she looked down at the chalk eraser on the ground. She then realized she probably had flakes of it in her hair. While Anko will admit she didn't take good care of her hair like she probably should, she prefers chalk-free. Anko shook her head, cleared her thoughts, and accepted the grim reality of what happened.

She had no words; a group of fresh academy brats pranked her Anko Mitarashi, apprentice of a Sanin and one of the best infiltration specialists in Konoha.

Tears almost fell as Anko felt her pride shatter and lost hope in looking fabulous and badass in front of her new students. Anko heard a laugh coming from the one in the orange jumpsuit next.

"Got you, good sensei," Naruto said, laughing. He was happy that his prank was a success.

Depression gave way to anger, and the next thing she knew, she took action. She was across the room at a speed that none of the Genin could see, and the next thing they saw was Naruto pinned to the wall with senbon and the chalk eraser stuffed into his mouth.

Naruto spat out the eraser and began to spit out the chalk in his mouth before yelling,

"Hey, what's the big idea, you pervert?" Naruto yelled, still spitting out the chalk flakes in his mouth.

A tick mark formed on Anko's head as she yelled back

"Who are you calling a pervert, you brat."

"You, because only a pervert would show up to a school naked. "

Naruto tensed up as a senbon launched toward him and landed beside his head.

"First off, I'm not a pervert. Secondly, I'm not naked. This is a heavily reinforced tatical mesh. And finally, I think you should be the last person criticizing anyone's fashion choices. "

Naruto stopped and momentarily thought about Anko's last statement before he realized she had insulted his jumpsuit.

"Hey, I'll have you know that this beauty is probably the most stylish piece of clothing you'll see in Konoha."

Everyone in the room stared blankly at Naruto.

Anko massaged her temples. "I'm done. Roof. Introductions. Now." With a puff of purple smoke, she vanished.

"Naruto, you idiot, you made us look bad to our new sensei."

Sakura admonished

"Well, how was I supposed to know one of our teachers was a crazy pervert."

Sakura rolled her eyes and looked away from Naruto,

"Anyway, Sasuke, why don't we head to the roof?"

To Sakura's surprise, Sasuke was already halfway out the door when she looked up.

"Wait up, Sasuke!"

Sakura quickly got up to chase after him

When both his teammates left the room, Naruto yelled after them

"Hey, Sakura, can you help me down?"

No response came as he was left alone.

Naruto's face fell, and he began to wiggle himself free from the wall.

As the Genin arrived on the roof, they saw Anko sitting on the railing, clearly annoyed. Beside her was a man, taller and with a mask and headband covering three-quarters of his face. He looked up from his book and motioned for them to sit down in front of him. Once they all sat, he closed his book and began to speak.

"Okay, first off, you guys should introduce yourselves."

"What should we say, " Sakura asked

"Well, stuff like your hobbies, future dreams, and stuff like that."

"That's way too general," Anko cut in

"So what do you suggest," Kakashi said as he eye smiled in her direction

Anko put four fingers up

"Tell us Four things: Your name, Why you want to be a ninja, What type of ninja you want to be, and where you want to be in ten years."

Anko mentally patted herself on the back. Last night, she skimmed through a few books on how to teach Genin, and the loose understanding she got was that focused questions were the best way to learn about motivations and passions in the ninja profession.

"Hey, could you guys tell us about yourselves first?" Naruto asked

"Sure, My name is Kakashi Hatake. I became a ninja for many reasons. I specialize in many areas, and in ten years, I don't know where I want to be."

Everyone blanched at the evasive introduction.

Anko coughed lightly and began hers.

"My name is Anko Mitarashi; I wanted to be a ninja to prove that an orphan could become a great ninja despite their birth. I specialize in infiltration and combat, and my skills consist of trap-making, poisons, ninjutsu, and so on. In ten years, I hope to be an elite jonin of Konoha and wish to take down those who have betrayed the leaf."

Naruto smiled brightly at hearing his teacher's introduction and began his.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki; I want to be a ninja so everyone will acknowledge and respect me. I want to be the most badass ninja, with jutsu to bring down mountains in ten years."

Naruto gave a slight dramatic pause.

"I will become the Hokage; just you watch."

Sasuke grunted in displeasure.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the very repeated and known dream of one Naruto Uzumaki.

Anko laughed lightly and smiled at Naruto.

"Well, kid, when you become Hokage, just make sure I get a lot of vacation time."

Naruto was slightly shocked at her response to his dream, but he immediately smiled, gave her a big thumbs-up, and yelled.

"Yeah, you will, but don't think I would let you slack off just because you were my sensei."

Anko then gestured to Sakura to start her introduction

Sakura straightened out her dress and spoke

"My name is Sakura Haruno."

Sakura paused, thinking of the reason she wanted to be a ninja. In truth, it was because Ino inspired her so much. She followed her to the academy so she wouldn't be left behind. Still, since the dissolution of their friendship, her reason switched to wanting to be close to Sasuke. Realizing that saying either of those reasons would not send a good first impression to her teachers, Sakura gave a generic answer.

"I want to be a ninja to make my family proud; I'm not quite sure what type of ninja I want to be in ten years."

She looked over to Sasuke and blushed.

"I want to have a successful career as a ninja, get married, and have kids."

All eyes turned to Sasuke as they waited for him to begin his introduction

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I want to be a ninja to honor my clan. I wish to be elite in many skills, but I want to be unmatched in combat. And within ten years, it is my hope, no a certainty, that I will have killed a particular man."

There was a brief moment of silence before Kakashi spoke

"Well, now that we know each other. You guys will show up to training ground three at 7:00 am tomorrow for your genin test."

"Wait, I thought we were already genin; we passed the academy and everything," Sakura exclaimed

Anko shook her head

"No, you guys just graduated from the academy. You don't become official Genin until you pass our test."

"Hey, that's not fair; we spent years learning just not to pass," Naruto yelled, his two teammates supporting his statement.

"Life is not fair, kid; we do this because most Genin out of the academy aren't ready to be ninjas. If you fail, you can return to the academy or join the Genin Corps."

"What is the Genin Corps," Sakura asked.

"Well, it's mainly made up of older Genin and those who wish to fill slots left on incomplete teams. They do the bulk of the D ranks around Konoha. To be blunt, it's full of those who weren't good enough to be real ninjas." Anko said coldly

"Well, there's no way I'm going there," said Naruto

"Well then, don't fail the test. Then you won't have to; by the way, don't eat breakfast. If you do, you'll throw it all up. See you guys tomorrow."

Kakashi body flickered away from the roof.

Anko performed a mock salute. "Well, good luck, brats. You are going to need it to survive the test." Anko then performed the same hand sign and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke

Anko and Kakashi watched from a nearby rooftop as the Genin went their separate ways.

"There is no way they will be stupid enough not to eat breakfast."

Kakashi eye smiled

"You would be surprised; plenty of people just blindly follow authority figures, even if said authority figure is a strange masked man whom they met only minutes before."

Anko shook her head. If the kids fell for such a blatant lie, they would need to be taught more than she initially thought.

Anko suddenly realized she had no idea what the test was going to go over

"Oh yeah, so how are we going to test them? Is there anything I need for tomorrow?"

Kakashi turned to her and replied

"No, you don't; the test is a team seven staple. I assume you heard of the bell test."

Anko thought for a moment. She had vague memories of her sensei telling her briefly about it in the few moments he talked about his past.

"It has something to do with teamwork, right?"

"Yeah, the goal is to grab a set of bells, but I muddy the waters by saying that only two of them can pass, and the other one is sent back to the academy. The goal is to see if they would sacrifice for their teammates."

Anko pondered the goal of the test; it sounded like a nonsensical way to test a genin team.

"I know teamwork is important, but shouldn't we focus more on their actual skills and potential? I mean, we have to pass them anyway."

Anko knew teamwork was vital for Leaf Ninja. Still, in her experience on missions, as long as the team could communicate with each other professionally and have abilities to complement each other, then the team was perfectly functional. However, in her career, she had never been part of a team for multiple missions. She primarily went on solo missions and only did team missions when her skills were needed. She also never had a genin team since she was taken out of the academy early to become Orochimaru's apprentice. So, this would be her first long-term team in her life.

"Those skills can be taught, but being willing to sacrifice to save your teammates is a quality that makes a good shinobi. A shinobi with no loyalty is not a shinobi; they are a weapon." Kakashi said

Anko nodded. She valued loyalty above all else and saw nothing wrong with instilling the same values in their students.

"Okay, I got it, so what's my role in all of this," Anko asked

"I thought you could be more of an observational role while I conduct the test."

"Wait, do you mean just watch them and evaluate, aren't you going to be the one actually fighting them?"

"Yeah, but when I do this test, I read and pretend to look disinterested; it destroys their egos and makes them angry."

Anko chuckled

"So you saying you might miss something while you bully them."

"Exactly"

"Well," Anko said as she got up from her sitting position

"I'll go ahead and head home. By the way, do you have a schedule laid out for the training after tomorrow?"

Kakashi's eye closed, and he gave a smile, which, in Anko's opinion, must look creepy under the mask, but he pulled it off well

"Nope, I didn't even plan on passing a team before this morning."

Anko shook her head and sighed.

"I'll come up with something tonight. If we want to make those brats into real ninjas, then we can't slack off. I'll see you later, Kakashi."

She waved and started to jump across buildings to her apartment

Kakashi looked after her disappearing figure and thought about his new co-teacher

Despite Kakashi's lazy reputation since he left Anbu, he was still observant. As one of the best and most senior Jonins in Konoha, he had a vote on who would be nominated for the Jonin test. Despite never attending these meetings and never voting, he viewed the potential candidates, or at least the ones that interested him. Anko had been in the pool for several years, and he was slightly surprised every time she wasn't nominated. She had a near-perfect mission success rate from his memory. She was among the top in infiltration and assassination missions.

Yeah, it was obvious that she wasn't being promoted because Orochimaru was her teacher. However, he didn't think that most people still held that against her. However, besides his knowledge of her mission record and brief interactions with her, he didn't know the woman until today. His first impression of her was that he respected her. While high energy, she was intelligent and began to analyze the students' answers intently throughout their introduction. Although, it seems he probably won't need to teach just the genin value of a team.

Tomorrow will be interesting, thought Kakashi as he closed his book and began toward his apartment.