The morning after the graduation ceremony, sunlight streamed through the windows of the Hokage Tower, casting long golden rectangles across the polished wooden floor of Minato's office.
"Hokage-sama," Shisui announced with a respectful bow as he entered the chamber. The young Uchiha had arrived promptly after receiving Minato's summons, still dressed in his ANBU uniform with his mask secured at his hip.
Minato rose from behind his desk, a warm smile softening his features as he greeted one of his most trusted operatives. "Thank you for coming so quickly, Shisui. I've called you here because I have an important assignment I'd like to entrust to you."
Shisui stood at attention, his posture betraying nothing of his curiosity.
"I want you to temporarily leave the ANBU," Minato continued, "and serve as a jōnin instructor for this year's graduates from the Ninja Academy."
Shisui's usually composed expression gave way to visible surprise. "A jōnin instructor?" he repeated, clearly caught off guard by the request. After a moment to collect his thoughts, he added hesitantly, "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, there are many more experienced jōnin in the village who would be better suited for this role. I fear I might not provide proper guidance to young genin."
Minato shook his head, undeterred by Shisui's modesty. "You helped train Itachi, and he's now one of the ANBU's most valuable assets."
"I merely offered him occasional advice," Shisui countered, downplaying his contribution. "With Itachi's exceptional talent, he would have excelled regardless of my involvement."
Minato couldn't help but smile at Shisui's humility. It was true that Itachi Uchiha possessed rare genius, even by the prestigious clan's standards. Few could take credit for his meteoric rise through Konoha's ranks.
"While you may lack experience formally mentoring children," Minato acknowledged, his tone growing more serious, "you possess qualities that make you uniquely qualified for this particular assignment." The Fourth Hokage reached for a small stack of documents on his desk. "Here's the information on the three genin who will be under your supervision."
Shisui accepted the papers with a slight bow and began reviewing them one by one. As his eyes fell upon the first two names—Namikaze Naruto and Namikaze Chiharu—his composure momentarily faltered, his surprise evident.
When he turned to the third document and saw the name "Shin," his eyes narrowed perceptibly. As a former ANBU squad captain, Shisui had personally investigated this young ninja's background. He recalled that Shin had been under Danzō's tutelage since early childhood and had graduated from the Academy two years prior.
"I imagine you're wondering about the unusual team composition," Minato said, noting Shisui's reaction.
"The thought had crossed my mind, Hokage-sama," Shisui admitted carefully.
"Since I've chosen to entrust these three genin to your care, there are certain matters you need to be aware of," Minato said, moving to stand by the window that overlooked the village. "As you've likely deduced, Shin has been placed on this team as an observer—some might say a spy. This arrangement was insisted upon by the village elders, and I found myself unable to refuse their collective demand."
Shisui's mind worked quickly, processing the complex political dynamics at play. The village's senior leadership would not take such measures without significant cause.
"The reason for their insistence," Minato continued, his voice dropping slightly, "is that the Nine-Tails is sealed within Naruto's body."
"The Nine-Tailed Fox?!" Shisui's eyes widened, genuine shock evident in his usually composed features.
The revelation transformed Shisui's understanding of the assignment entirely. Suddenly, the unusual team composition, the elders' involvement, and Minato's insistence on Shisui specifically as the instructor all made perfect sense. This wasn't merely about training young ninja—it was about protecting Konoha's jinchūriki while ensuring proper oversight.
Meanwhile, at the Ninja Academy, excitement filled the air as students gathered to learn their final examination results and team assignments.
Though the graduation qualifications had been determined during yesterday's testing, today marked the official announcement of rankings and the distribution of forehead protectors—the symbol that would identify them as Konoha shinobi.
Naruto and Chiharu had waited up for Minato the previous night, hoping he might share advance information about the class rankings, but the Hokage had maintained proper protocol by keeping the results confidential until the official posting.
In the corridor outside the graduating classroom, a crowd of students huddled around the bulletin board where the examination results were displayed.
"Sasuke and Chiharu are definitely ranked first," someone stated with absolute certainty. No one contested this assessment; during yesterday's testing, both Uchiha Sasuke and Namikaze Chiharu had achieved perfect scores. Their excellence surprised no one.
Sasuke himself, confident in his performance, remained in the classroom rather than jostling with others to view the rankings he already knew.
Chiharu accompanied her brother Naruto to check the results board. As they approached, many eyes turned toward the girl with her gentle smile and graceful bearing. With her exceptional academic record and striking appearance, Chiharu had become something of an idol among her peers at the Academy.
Her popularity rivaled even Sasuke's. Some students considered her even more deserving of the "genius" title, given that she was three years younger than her classmates, including Sasuke himself.
Unlike the aloof Uchiha prodigy, Chiharu was approachable and sociable, having formed many friendships during her accelerated time at the Academy.
"Brother, you ranked ninth," Chiharu said with an encouraging smile as they found Naruto's name on the list. "That's a commendable result."
Her subtle emphasis suggested that had Naruto applied himself more diligently to the theoretical portions of the curriculum, he might have secured a position among the top five graduates.
"Hmm," Naruto nodded, his expression a mixture of satisfaction and competitive frustration. Though he'd known his results wouldn't match Sasuke's, seeing the actual rankings still stung his pride slightly.
Yet discouragement wasn't in Naruto's nature. He quickly rallied, reminding himself that Academy rankings were merely the starting point of their ninja careers.
"This is just the beginning," he declared with characteristic determination. "Once we start taking real missions, I'll definitely surpass you, Sasuke!" He directed this challenge toward the classroom where the Uchiha prodigy sat, though Sasuke was too far away to hear.
The graduation ceremony at the Ninja Academy was deliberately understated. The transition from student to genin marked not only an achievement but also the end of these children's carefree days. Becoming a ninja meant embracing a profession intimately acquainted with combat and mortality. Even in this relatively peaceful era without open warfare, shinobi regularly sacrificed their lives on classified missions that the general public would never learn about.
Minato began the ceremony with a solemn address, emphasizing both the honor and responsibility that came with wearing Konoha's emblem. Afterward, he personally presented each graduate with their forehead protector and diploma.
When Naruto's turn came, Minato smiled warmly as he handed over the symbols of ninja status. "Congratulations."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied with a formal nod, though the excitement dancing in his eyes betrayed his professional demeanor.
In this public setting, they maintained the appropriate relationship between village leader and subordinate, without any indication of their family bond.
Returning to his seat, Naruto immediately threaded the forehead protector through his blond spikes and secured it firmly. Seated beside him, Chiharu considered her options before deciding to wear her forehead protector around her waist like a belt.
After all graduates had received their emblems, Iruka-sensei stepped forward to announce the team assignments—the three-person cells that would form the foundation of these young ninjas' careers.
"Team Seven," Iruka began, consulting his clipboard, "will consist of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Sai."
The announcement triggered an immediate reaction from the pink-haired kunoichi seated beside Sasuke. Sakura could barely contain her joy, nearly leaping from her chair in excitement. Around the classroom, other female students cast envious glances in her direction, having hoped for the coveted position on Sasuke's team.
The third member of Team Seven, a pale boy named Sai, was also quite popular among the female students. His quiet demeanor and artistic talents had earned him a reputation second only to Sasuke's among the girls in their class.
"Forehead Girl, why are you acting so smug?" a sharp voice called out from behind Sakura. "Try not to hold Sasuke-kun back with your mediocre skills."
Sakura's celebratory mood instantly soured. She whipped around, green eyes flashing with irritation as she confronted her longtime rival. "Watch yourself, Ino-pig. I graduated with the second-highest scores in the class. If anyone should worry about embarrassing their teammates, it's you!"
"Second-highest? Don't make me laugh!" Ino retorted, tossing her long blonde ponytail. "As if your book smarts will help in actual combat!"
The two kunoichi glared at each other, neither willing to concede the argument.
Iruka cleared his throat loudly, restoring order before continuing with the assignments.
"Team Eight will consist of Hyūga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino."
Upon hearing her team placement, Hinata cast a shy glance toward Naruto by the window, a faint blush coloring her pale cheeks before she quickly looked down at her hands.
"Team Ten will include Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chōji."
This grouping surprised no one. As the children of the legendary Ino-Shika-Chō formation, these three had been groomed since birth to continue their parents' successful team dynamic.
"And finally," Iruka announced, looking toward the window where the Hokage's children sat, "the last team will consist of Namikaze Chiharu and Namikaze Naruto."