Chapter 4: Team 6
The morning sun shone through the Academy windows as Izuna stepped into the classroom. His eyes immediately found Naruto, proudly showing off his shiny forehead protector — a stark contrast from the downcast boy from the previous day.
Some students whispered, doubting Naruto's story. How could someone who failed the exam become a genin so quickly? But Naruto didn't care. He eagerly told everyone how he defeated a traitor and earned his headband.
"So the headband is real? You're really a genin?" — Shikamaru asked, yawning.
"Yeah, it all happened so fast! I found out Mizuki was a traitor, saved the scroll, beat him up, and Iruka-sensei gave me the headband!" — Naruto replied with a huge grin.
"So troublesome..." — Shikamaru muttered, crossing his arms. — "But seriously, how did you manage that... being you?"
Naruto just laughed, not mentioning how he had been tricked into stealing the scroll in the first place. No one needed to know about his missteps.
Izuna let out a relieved sigh, a faint smile passing over his face before quickly hiding it as he walked to his seat at the back of the room. On the way, he exchanged glances with Sasuke, who was trying — unsuccessfully — to escape Sakura's endless chatter. Izuna gave a quick nod, just a small gesture. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, then went back to ignoring Sakura.
Iruka entered the room energetically, holding a clipboard.
"Good morning, class! Today is an important day. As you know, you'll be divided into three-man teams, each with a jōnin leader!" — he announced as the students shifted excitedly.
As Izuna expected, the teams were called out one by one:
Team 7: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, with Kakashi.
Team 8: Kiba, Hinata, and Shino, with Kurenai.
Team 10: Shikamaru, Chōji, and Ino, with Asuma.
Each team was announced one after the other, and as names were called, new groups formed while the others waited tensely. Izuna remained in the corner, eyes closed, silent, just listening.
After the main teams were announced, Iruka looked at Izuna.
"Izuna, you'll be placed in a special team with two genin from another class who didn't have teammates. Your sensei should be here soon to pick you up."
Whispers spread across the room. A special team? With unknown genin?
As usual, Naruto couldn't hold back:
"Hey, Iruka-sensei! Why can't Izuna be with us? Team 7 could have four members!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, but even he looked a little curious, maybe willing to accept it.
Sakura straightened her posture and smiled, trying to look casual, agreeing with Naruto.
"Yeah, even if he's not as cool as Sasuke, he's still really handsome..."
Imagine the two Uchihas on the same team... Ahhh! That would be a dream! — Sakura thought, her inner self appearing with hearts in her eyes and blushing cheeks. The two Uchihas training with me every day... I could even... Kyaa...
Before her daydream could go too far, Ino stood up firmly, crossing her arms and shooting a defiant look:
"As if Team 7 needs another member! If anyone gets Izuna, it should be Team 10. We deserve someone strong and good-looking too! Just look at my team — a glutton and a slacker."
Shikamaru let out a long sigh:
"So troublesome..."
Iruka shook his head, trying to maintain seriousness amid the chaos:
"Teams are formed based on balance, Ino. Team 7 and Team 10 are already complete."
Izuna stayed quiet, completely detached from what was happening, his mind racing. Who will be my sensei? And these other genin? Could it be someone from the anime, like Sai?
Iruka finished his announcements and soon left the room, leaving the students chatting while they waited for their sensei. Izuna stayed deep in thought, trying to guess who his teammates would be.
The classroom door slowly opened, and a woman walked in, immediately calming the class.
The person who entered caught the students' attention at once. She wore black clothes with purple details and carried a katana on her back. Her purple hair was loose over her shoulders and down her jōnin vest.
Izuna recognized her instantly. It's her?
Yūgao Uzuki, he thought, feeling a mix of relief and slight caution.
In the anime, she had been forgotten by the author, but had great potential to be developed. A shame the creator didn't make use of it.
At that moment, she was a skilled swordswoman and likely still an ANBU member, as well as a master in kenjutsu and stealth.
If she was his sensei, he'd be satisfied. At least she wouldn't be useless.
Yūgao, unaware of Izuna's thoughts, scanned the class and locked eyes with him, as if she already knew who he was.
"You must be Izuna Uchiha," — she said, her voice calm but firm.
"That's me," — Izuna replied, standing up slowly.
The other students buzzed with conversation. Ino murmured to Chōji, "Wow! She's so pretty!"
Shikamaru yawned, saying nothing.
Kiba crossed his arms: "Hmph, I bet our sensei will be way better."
Yūgao ignored the comments.
"Come with me. Your teammates are already waiting. From today on, you'll be in Team 6."
Izuna nodded, satisfied, and followed her silently. As he left, he felt the eyes of the classroom on his back — especially Sasuke's gaze.
---
[Outside the Ninja Academy]
Izuna walked beside Yūgao through the streets of Konoha. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but he occasionally glanced at her, looking for any expression, but found nothing...
They soon arrived at Training Ground 6, a grassy field surrounded by tall trees. Two figures were waiting in the center, standing side by side, as if they already knew each other well.
Yūgao gestured with her head.
"There are your teammates."
One was a tall, physically strong boy with a calm expression and short brown hair. He wore a sleeveless black shirt, showing off well-defined muscles. From his rugged appearance, he probably had an earth affinity and excelled in close combat — the typical team powerhouse.
Next to him was a girl with teal-blue hair and intense amber eyes. She wore a black crop top, a short skirt over tight shorts, and held a posture that mixed confidence with a touch of charm and innocence.
Yūgao approached them and spoke firmly:
"You are Team 6, but you don't know each other yet. Except for you two," — she said, looking at the boy and girl. — "I want each of you to introduce yourselves. Name, age, elemental affinity if you know it, and your strengths."
She looked at Izuna first.
"You go."
Izuna stepped forward as the outsider, maintaining a neutral expression.
"My name is Izuna Uchiha, I'm twelve years old. My affinity is with fire. I'm good at genjutsu and shurikenjutsu, and I think I have good chakra control."
He wasn't sure if fire was his only affinity, but he was confident it was his strongest, so that's what he said.
Yūgao nodded, as if she expected it. She pointed to the boy.
"You."
The boy stepped forward, smiling slightly — a contrast to his serious look.
"I'm Ren Tanaka, also twelve. My affinity is earth. I'm good at taijutsu and like to train with my older brother."
He looked at Izuna — not with challenge, but with friendly curiosity, as if he wanted to learn more about him.
Yūgao then looked to the girl, the last one.
"Now you."
The girl adjusted her hair, quickly glancing at Izuna before speaking.
"My name is Enma Yuki, twelve years old. My affinity is water. I'm learning about poisons from my mother and know the basics of medical ninjutsu to treat minor injuries."
(A/N: This is a different Yuki from the one in Kirigakure.)
Yūgao nodded and crossed her arms.
"Alright. Before we train chakra control, I want to see what you're capable of. Each of you will show me a jutsu. It doesn't have to be advanced — I just want to see your style."
She pointed to a large tree stump in the field, marked with old cuts and gouges.
"Use that stump as your target. Ren, you go first."
Ren stepped forward, not as excited as before. He calmly formed hand seals and placed one hand on the ground.
"Doton: Doryūheki."
The ground in front of him trembled gently before raising a solid wall of earth between him and the stump. The barrier rose slowly but firmly, with natural cracks, yet still looked tough. It wasn't very tall — just over his height — but it looked thick and reliable.
Ren looked at the wall and then smiled slightly, scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah... I'm not great with offensive ninjutsu. I'm better at defense, creating barriers."
Yūgao watched closely, analyzing the structure. The solidity was there — rough but dependable.
"Very good, you did well." She smiled, then turned to Enma.
"Your turn."
Enma stepped forward, pulling a small vial from a storage scroll inside her clothes and opened the lid. With a focused gaze, she quickly formed hand seals, then poured out the poison from the vial and blew a fine mist toward the stump.
"Suiton: Dokugiri!" — she said firmly.
The bluish mist enveloped the stump, and the wood soon darkened with corroded spots. It was a subtle but dangerous poison. Luckily, it was a weak jutsu, and Yūgao dispelled the mist with a small wind technique.
Enma kept her posture, but her eyes sought the sensei's approval.
"Interesting," — Yūgao said with a slight smile. — "You mixed poison into the mist. Good idea."
Finally, she looked at Izuna.
"Izuna, your turn."
Izuna nodded, but hesitated for a moment. Which ninjutsu should he show? Maybe the basic fireball technique?
He chose a jutsu he had been practicing for a while and finally decided, stepping back a few paces.
Without a word, he pulled out four shurikens and balanced them between his fingers with precision. His eyes were calm, but a faint smile appeared.
If I remember correctly, Itachi used this jutsu once. Since I remembered it, I've tried it a few times this past month, and now seems like a good time to show it.
With a smooth movement, he launched the four shurikens in a wide arc, as if they were going to miss the target. At the same moment, he formed three hand seals with near-instinctive precision.
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu."
A fireball burst from his mouth, fast and dense, catching up to the shurikens mid-flight, which were already curving toward the target. The shurikens were engulfed by the flames, turning into small, flaming meteors spinning through the air.
Boom!
A single sound echoed through the training field before the stump exploded in flames, quickly turning to ashes.
Ren and Enma widened their eyes, surprised by the perfect execution.
Yūgao watched in silence, then responded with a satisfied smile.
"As expected."
"Good control. All three of you have a lot of potential, but you need practice. I can teach a few things, but ninjutsu isn't my strong suit."
"But I can teach you better chakra control to avoid wasting energy, along with hand-to-hand or sword combat. The rest is up to you."
The three were pleased. Each had their own style, so improving their basics and combat experience was more than enough.
Izuna nodded, sharing Yūgao's thoughts. Even though his teammates hadn't appeared in the anime, both seemed to have a lot of potential.
Ren, with his earth style, might be limited for now, at least without offensive jutsu, but his physique showed he was skilled in taijutsu. For the beginning of the "anime," he already showed promise.
Enma was more special. Water style, poison skills, and medical ninjutsu — she would be a good support and backup. With the right jutsus, Team 6 could become very powerful in the future.
If she were put against Sakura or Ino in the Chūnin Exams, she'd likely win.
Izuna shook his head, leaving his thoughts, and turned his attention back to Yūgao, who was speaking.
She pointed to a tall tree next to the field.
"Now, I want to see your chakra control. Can you climb trees without using your hands?"
Her eyes fell on Izuna.
"I can." He replied.
He didn't want to show off, but he knew lying would be worse. If Yūgao had been the one observing him over the past month, she already knew his abilities.
Ren scratched the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed.
"I'm almost able to climb trees, but I still fall sometimes."
Enma gave a small smile, looking at Izuna.
"As expected of an Uchiha. I... well... I only started training that recently, so I'm not very good at it yet."
Yūgao smiled approvingly.
"That's fine. This will be your top priority. Izuna, since you've already mastered it, I want you to help one of them while I train the other. Real training starts tomorrow at sunrise. Understood?"
"Yes, Yūgao-sensei!" — the three replied together.
She looked at them for a moment, then gave a small smile.
"Welcome to Team 6. For now, take some time to talk and get to know each other. Cooperation is everything in a team."
With that, she disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the three alone.