Genin

In the ever-changing world of ninjas, filled with elites proficient in all manner of ninjutsu, an individual's strength often appears somewhat thin. Thus, every major ninja village implements a squad system.

The squad system dictates that ninja teams consist of four members: one lead instructor who is a jonin or higher, and three other members serving as chunin or genin.

Each squad's lead instructor visits the Hokage Building to select missions suitable for their team's strength, which are then assigned to the squad members to complete.

Today was the first day for Kamizuki, who had just turned seven, to officially become a genin. He woke up at the crack of dawn. Wait... he seems to wake up at the crack of dawn every day anyway, but whatever, that's how it is.

Having risen so early, he was exceptionally excited today, though his morning training was performed in a state of distraction.

This was because his mind was constantly daydreaming about what kind of team he would be joining.

In his continuous fantasies, he imagined everything from a seemingly arrogant and cold empress who was actually fiery within, to a gentle and considerate older sister figure who knew how to take care of others, to a cute-looking little girl who loved to play pranks, and so on...

In this state, Kamizuki finished his morning training, returned to his room to change, and hung his ninja tool pouch in a convenient spot. After a moment of thought, he looked at the forehead protector engraved with the Konoha symbol resting on his desk, then strapped it onto his right arm before heading out to grab breakfast and make his way to the assembly point.

Kamizuki set out with his forehead protector on, eating hot pot and singing a song, when suddenly he was robbed by bandits! Uh... sorry, Kamizuki walked onto the wrong set.

Regardless, Kamizuki arrived at their squad's assembly point: Training Ground 78 in Konoha.

As soon as Kamizuki entered the training ground, he saw two children slightly older than him standing on the field, looking to be about ten years old—a boy and a girl—chatting about something.

Kamizuki walked up to them, and only then did they notice his arrival. They looked at Kamizuki with strange expressions, clearly surprised by how young he was.

The three of them just stood there, looking at each other for a full minute.

Because Sugita Tsubaki had given him a brief introduction to the squad's information yesterday, Kamizuki knew that this team had always been at full capacity until one member fell seriously ill, leaving a vacancy that the newly graduated Kamizuki was sent to fill.

Seeing the two of them still staring at him as if he were a monster baby, Kamizuki couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.

Unable to bear the scalp-tingling sensation of their gazes any longer, he was the first to speak: "Greetings, seniors. This Humble One is Hyuga Kamizuki, seven years old, just out of the ninja academy. I look forward to your guidance."

The two ten-year-olds, hearing someone address them as "seniors" so respectfully for the first time, felt a surge of pride and deliberately put on the airs of experienced veterans.

Watching these two act this way, Kamizuki really wanted to laugh, but he suppressed the urge.

Seeing that Kamizuki had introduced himself, the boy spoke up: "My name is Kato Taichi, ten years old."

Kamizuki would later learn that Kato Taichi's cousin was none other than Lady Tsunade's old flame, Kato Dan.

Seeing that the boys had introduced themselves, the girl didn't want to be outdone and said, "I'm Sakura Mangetsu, eleven years old."

Later, after Kamizuki got to know her, he learned that Sakura Mangetsu also came from an ancient Konoha family, but because their lineage had never been very prosperous, it remained a small clan.

After their brief introductions, Kamizuki realized that these two were actually a perfect match!

You want to know why? Fine, I'll tell you...

Ten-year-old Kato Taichi looked very sunny, but his personality and mannerisms were like those of a "pseudo-girl."

Sakura Mangetsu was the exact opposite; she looked very sweet on the outside, but once you got to know her, you would discover that beneath that sweetness was a genuine tomboy.

Just as Kamizuki was daydreaming about the probability of Kato Taichi and Sakura Mangetsu ending up together, their long-awaited lead instructor finally arrived, fashionably late.

The man had his hair wrapped in a blue cloth, a piece of unknown grass dangling from his mouth, and he wore a standard Konoha jonin combat uniform with a tactical vest over it.

Seeing this man appear, a name immediately popped into Kamizuki's mind: "Genma Shiranui."

The man walked up to the three of them, briefly asked Sakura Mangetsu and Kato Taichi a few questions about Kamizuki, and then addressed him directly: "Genma Shiranui, Konoha special jonin, your lead instructor."

When Kamizuki heard the name confirmed, he recalled that in the anime, Genma Shiranui seemed to be nothing more than a background character who only served as a proctor during a chunin exam.

Later, after some research, he realized that not every background character was a weakling.

Here are the details Kamizuki learned:

Genma Shiranui, male, 29 years old, born July 17 (Cancer), Konoha special jonin, former member of the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's guard squad. He often kept a senbon in his mouth (which Kamizuki hadn't recognized as a senbon at the time), as it was one of his weapons.

During his time as a genin, his teammates were the current "Blue Beast of Konoha," Might Guy, and Ebisu.

Kamizuki's first day of genin life was spent getting to know his teammates, and because Genma Shiranui wanted a preliminary assessment of Kamizuki's strength, he had Kamizuki spar with Kato Taichi and Sakura Mangetsu.