New Genin and the Special Operations Squad

Half of a Tree-Felling Talisman had been curled into his palm by fine roots. Wet mud clung to the back of the paper, and chakra from sealing chains still lingered along the edges of the formula.

Chiba did not pursue them into the underground waterway. He only had the roots probe more than thirty meters in from the entrance, noting the direction in which the two Root shinobi had retreated.

"You pinned their shoes but not their feet. You were awfully polite today."

Asuma emerged from behind a tree. Flying Swallow remained sheathed, while his left hand carried a message tube the Anbu had just sent out.

"Iruka said to leave them alive."

"They got away, so you certainly left plenty alive."

"You were late."

"The old man called me into a meeting. I came straight here after they finished checking Mizuki's duty records."

Asuma took the Tree-Felling Talisman and turned it over for a couple of glances. The corners soon curled up in his hand.

"The same formula as the one on Iron Claw's badge?"

"This one is newer. Its coordinates point only to Naruto."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Hand it over to the Hokage, then question Danzo."

"You can skip the second part. He'll only say the Root talismans were lost long ago."

Chiba pulled the Metal Wood spear from the ground. Several strands of black fabric thread were mixed into the mud carried up by its tip—the same material used in Root armor.

"Were these lost too?"

"They could say Mizuki found them and sewed them onto his clothes. They'll always find an excuse."

Asuma packed the threads and talisman into an evidence bag, then glanced in the direction Mizuki had been dragged away.

"Let's go back first. You still have to collect your forehead protector tomorrow."

"How will Mizuki be sentenced?"

"The Interrogation Division has taken over. He stole the Scroll of Seals, attacked a fellow shinobi, and colluded with unidentified ninja. He won't be getting out anytime soon."

"Root doesn't count as unidentified."

"We need evidence to put that in the report. That half-sheet in your hand can prove, at most, that they were here."

Chiba put away his spear. As the roots withdrew from the woods, they erased several bloodstains Naruto had left behind along the way.

"Then keep looking."

"Become a genin first. Mission clearance is more useful than a student's permission to leave campus. At least Iruka won't chase you down every time to make you write a boundary violation report."

The next morning, the graduates gathered again at the Ninja Academy. The admission slips on their desks had been replaced with ninja registration forms.

Bandages were wrapped around Iruka's shoulder and back. When he raised his hand to write, he could move only one side of his body. The chalk fell twice, and Naruto snatched it up before anyone else could.

"Sensei, want me to write for you?"

"Finish your own registration form first."

"I beat Mizuki last night. Can I write taijutsu as my specialty in this box?"

"Hundreds of people kicking him at once didn't have much to do with your taijutsu."

"My shadow clones are me too. How does that not count?"

"Then write that your specialty is having lots of people."

Laughter spread through the classroom. Naruto pulled the registration form against his chest, but in the end, he still wrote down Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed open the door, the chatter gradually faded. Several chunin responsible for registration followed behind him and placed forehead protectors onto the podium one by one.

"The Scroll of Seals stolen last night has been recovered, and Mizuki has been sent to the Interrogation Division. Everyone involved in this matter will continue to be investigated."

Hiruzen's gaze passed over several rows of seats before settling on the old forehead protector on Naruto's brow.

"Uzumaki Naruto has passed the supplementary examination and earned genin qualification. Iruka's forehead protector must be returned. The academy will give you a new one."

Naruto covered his forehead.

"Can't I keep this one?"

"That's mine," Iruka said, holding out his hand.

"You already gave it to me. How can you ask for it back?"

"The situation was urgent last night, and the size doesn't fit you either."

"It fits me perfectly."

Naruto shuffled half a step back. The ties had snagged in his hair, and he tugged twice without managing to undo them.

Iruka watched for a moment, then turned and picked up a new forehead protector from the podium, tying it around his own brow.

"The old one is yours. Don't lose it."

"I definitely won't."

Naruto wiped the metal plate twice. As he sat down, he happened to spot a dark bronze-colored wood chip stuck to Chiba's cuff.

Their gazes met. Naruto grinned first, forming the shape of a long spear beneath the desk with his fingers.

"That piece of wood in the forest last night—I didn't touch it."

"Mm."

"You know which one I mean?"

"There's a lot of wood in the forest."

"But I haven't even said which forest."

Chiba did not respond further. He raised a hand to catch the forehead protector Iruka tossed him, only nodding when Naruto seemed ready to keep asking.

Naruto scratched at his ties and finally swallowed his questions, though his smile remained until the entire class photo was over.

Once the forehead protectors had been handed out, Iruka pinned the new team assignment list to the blackboard. Chairs immediately scraped forward across the classroom.

"Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura Haruno. Your jonin instructor will be Kakashi Hatake."

"I'm on the same team as Sasuke?" Naruto shot to his feet, slapping his desk.

"If you don't want to be, I can request a replacement," Sasuke said.

"Who said I don't? I'm worried you'll hold me back."

"Sit down first. Jonin Kakashi will handle the issues between you two," Iruka said, raising his chalk.

Team 8 and Team 10 were announced in succession. When Shikamaru saw that he had been grouped with Choji and Ino, he dropped his forehead onto the desk and did not raise it again.

"My mom must have pulled strings ahead of time."

Ino looked over the assignment list once.

"Where's Chiba's name?"

The classroom fell silent again. The list had reached its final group, yet Chiba's name still had not appeared on the blackboard.

The chunin handling registration lowered his head and flipped through the documents.

"His examination eligibility wasn't canceled, was it? He left the dormitory last night."

"I approved his assistance with the patrol," Iruka said.

"But a genin unit needs at least three people. He has no teammates. How will he be assigned?"

Footsteps sounded outside the hallway. Asuma pushed open the door and placed an appointment letter bearing the Hokage's seal onto the podium.

"A separate assignment."

Iruka unfolded the appointment letter. He looked at Asuma first before writing the final line on the blackboard.

"Special Operations Squad. Member: Senju Chiba. Jonin instructor: Sarutobi Asuma. Directly under the Hokage's Office."

Naruto leaned half his body over his desk.

"A single person can count as a squad?"

"It can," Asuma said.

"Then doesn't that mean he gets a jonin teacher all to himself?"

"Do you want to switch with him?"

Naruto looked back at Sasuke, then toward Flying Swallow at Asuma's waist.

"Can you take two people?"

"No."

"That's way too unfair."

The registration chunin picked up the appointment letter.

"The Hokage approved this because the bloodline and combat style of a Senju descendant require specialized training. The Special Operations Squad will not be part of a standard three-person team structure."

Sasuke tapped the edge of his desk twice with his fingers.

"Separate training also means separate evaluation, doesn't it?"

"No one will share the blame if he fails a mission. If he's injured in battle, there won't be teammates buying time for him. If all you see is one jonin, then yes, it does seem pretty easy."

After saying that, Asuma tossed Chiba a special pass. Its black cover bore only Konoha's symbol, with no squad number.

An independent training ground, a dedicated jonin, direct oversight by the Hokage's Office—the resources he could draw on far exceeded those of an ordinary genin team.

The price was laid out plainly as well.

Every mission record would be sent to Hiruzen first. What he learned, whom he met, how long he left Konoha for—someone would be watching it all.

Chiba slipped the pass into his ninja tool pouch.

"Who chooses the missions?"

"At first, the Hokage's Office and I will decide."

"Will training at the clan grounds still follow the old rules?"

"I'll only enter places you permit."

"When will this squad be disbanded?"

"When you can lead a team, or when there's nothing left I can teach you."

Asuma walked to the door, then took a black mission token without a rank marking from his pocket and tucked it into Chiba's hand.

"Six tomorrow morning. Don't wear student clothes."