Chapter 332: The New Jonin Sensei
Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 332: The New Jonin Sensei
"Huff… huff…" Koga exited the door that led to the rooftop, completely out of breath. "I made it… I mad—"
"Move!" Asuka pushed him out of the way and ran ahead.
Himawari came next and jumped over him. "What are you doing on the ground? This is not the time to rest," she scolded him as she moved away.
"Damn it!" Koga stood up and continued.
Naruto was watching them with amusement while being comfortably seated on the other side of the roof.
"You're late," he told the first arrival.
Asuka Uchiha reminded him more of Sasuke than she did of her actual father.
Unlike Itachi, who knew how to remain in control of his emotions, this girl was quick to show hers.
The moment he spoke, the anger in her eyes was evident.
"Sensei… I came as fast as possible," she responded, trying to remain calm.
"Yeah!" Himawari came next to complain. "We had to climb five floors to get here! There's no way a minute was enough!"
"Ye… yes… what they said…" Koga was too exhausted to present a valid argument. The puppy on his head looked down at him with concern.
Naruto glanced at them. "I never said you had to take the stairs. Jumping out the window and climbing the wall should have been faster."
The tree climbing exercise was now part of the academy curriculum, and these three were some of the best students in recent years, so they should have been able to do this much. They just didn't think about it in the heat of the moment and opted for the most logical route.
"Ah…" Koga opened his mouth.
"Now that you mention it…" Asuka muttered.
"Dad, why did you make us wait for so long? What were you doing? And how come you didn't tell me you were going to be our Sensei?" Himawari decided to ignore her failure and instead complained.
'I wonder where she got that from?' Naruto asked himself. Hinata was never like that, and neither was he. She could only have learned that attitude from her aunt Hanabi.
"You can call me Dad at home, but while I'm acting as your instructor, you will refer to me as Sensei or Sir. Is that clear, Himawari?"
The girl could tell that her father was speaking seriously and knew better than to retort right now. "Yes, D-… I mean, Sir."
"Now, I'm going to ignore your first failure. But don't get used to it. It won't happen again."
The three genin nodded.
"Good. Now take a seat, and let's jump to introductions." Naruto pointed at the bench in front of him.
"Do we have to introduce ourselves?" Himawari asked. "We already know each other."
"It's part of the process...saying your name, likes, dislikes, and life goals. You may have known each other as students, but now you're a team, and things are going to be different," Naruto explained.
Koga was quick to raise his hand. "I'll go first, Sensei!"
"You recover fast, huh?" A moment ago he seemed to be dying, and now he had returned to his cheerful persona. "Go ahead, then."
The boy smiled. "My name is Koga Inuzuka, and this one," he pointed at the puppy on his head, " is Kuromaru, but you can call him Kuro. I love animals, and I hate anyone who mistreats animals." He said that with a frown. "My goal in life is to become an awesome ninja and lead my clan in the future."
Naruto nodded. This boy was the son of Kiba, and he could see a lot of his father in him. The current leader of the clan was actually his aunt, but since she had no children of her own, it was likely the young man in front of him would one day become the clan leader.
"Next one." Naruto pointed at the Uchiha girl.
"My name is Asuka Uchiha. I like my parents, and I hate everyone in this village who dares to speak badly of my father." She almost spat the words.
Naruto could sympathize with her position. Even after all these years, the villagers had not warmed up to the idea of Itachi being back in Konoha after being one of the most dangerous criminals out there. Also, the name of the Uchiha Clan had been tainted by the actions of past members. And Sasuke defecting from the village to join Orochimaru and killing Sakura in the process didn't do much to help.
Asuka continued. "My goal is to show the world that the Uchiha Clan is still strong and we are worthy of respect. I will clean the name of my clan and make it reach new heights." She said this with pride as the symbol of the Uchiha was displayed on her back.
'Well, at least her goal isn't to murder every civilian who spoke badly of her father.' Naruto could have imagined Sasuke saying something like that.
His daughter went next. "My name is Himawari Uzumaki. I love spending time with my little brother and training. I dislike people who are lazy and liars. I wish to become a kunoichi as amazing as my mother and lead the Hyuga clan."
Naruto listened to the kids' words. These three could potentially become the leaders of their respective clans one day and the most influential people in the entire village.
This is why he had chosen to train them personally. He didn't want them to end up with someone like Kakashi, who would only try to teach them basic techniques and teamwork before leaving them to figure out the rest on their own.
"What now, Sensei?" Koga asked him.
"Now you go home and rest. Tomorrow, I want you present at the third training ground at dawn. That's where you will need to pass the real test that will determine if you're fit to become genin." Naruto explained before disappearing in a flash of light.
"Wait… what is that supposed to mean?" Koga asked.
"Aren't we genin already?" Asuka gave her headband a glance.
"What is he planning?" Himawari muttered. "I'd better ask Mom about this."
