Hiruzen's POV (Hokage Manor - Hidden Leaf Village)
An old legend of a man sat at his desk, pondering over a pile of important looking paperwork. This old man was the current Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. He ran the entire village with utmost loyalty, was responsible for the safety and growth of his home, and was often considered the second God of Shinobi.
The office around him was covered with paintings and statues of accomplishments and legends of the past. A large oval desk was emblematic with the insignia of the Leaf. The desk itself was covered in stacks of paperwork, showing just how much work was done within this office. A room was dedicated to the leaders of this village and the legends, present and past.
In truth, the old man sat at the table, knew he should already be among those on the wall, but he needed longer and so serve he would. His sensei's older brother had created his home and forged the system it had thrived off; his sensei had taken over after and refined it to ensure it would work even more efficiently. Then it was his first run, a bloody run full of desperate days and nights, but he had done it as asked and kept his home safe and strong. The old man had even hand-selected his replacement, a replacement that died in his youth… leaving him to once again take the mantle, the first Hokage to serve twice.
Hiruzen was the current and third Hokage, the current and only prospect for their village leader. A man decorated for his service, wisdom, and power. One nearly as decorated as his own infamous sensei…
However, these days, Hiruzen barely felt like any of those things. He was still heralded as the strongest, but in truth, Hiruzen doubted the claim these days. They called him wise and knowing beyond his years. But nowadays, all Hiruzen saw from the past were the ugly mistakes that haunted him to this very day. And the future he feared may very well be more of the same.
All the same, Hiruzen had been severed for literal decades now. The Hidden Leaf Village was one of the Five Great Villages of the Elemental Nations, often rumored to be the strongest of the five in fact. A little factoid Hiurzen often took comfort in. Rightfully so, for it was due in no small part to Hiruzen's efforts. Through years of his life, and every ounce of will power and wisdom within him had Hiruzen kept the Leaf safe and growing these past few years.
The other four Great Villages however were not to be overlooked or forgotten. The five of them had been the major players of the Elemental Nations for decades now, all due to the quality of shinobi they produce. But that laid the problem; all nations would eventually create a military, and because of this, all countries would seek to have the strongest military, for being weaker made one less safe or grand. This would breed more and more tension, which of course led to bloodshed. This turbulent cycle leads to constant war and bloodshed. One that even now the four threatened the Leaf with.
Though Hiruzen could not degrade them for it. They all sought the same thing in truth and would commit all manner of sins to achieve it. It was unfortunate they couldn't be united by their similarities and instead warred based on differences. But he had learned long ago that was simply how the world worked. Those wars…
The wars had changed Hiruzen; he had grown to fear those harsh, relentless days of the past. The pressure it placed upon his shoulders, the death it always soaked him in. Hurzen simply could not stand to watch another generation of the latest and greatest ground up for another pointless bloodfest.
So he had made a desperate ploy; the constant struggle between the villages was often held on the information level. And Hiruzen had a crucial secret. For each of them, he held a fact they could not dare allow to see the light of day, his own student had found it all. Deep secrets which Hiruzen threatened each of them with. The risk was massive; they could've decided to destroy him for the blatant blackmail, but it had worked…
Each of them had bowed to the threat in time, The Sand first, of course, as their neighbors and often distant allies they had little to gain from fighting the Leaf in the first place. The Mist next, as they apparently had some unknown but intense internal problem, and the Stone and Cloud last, his true bitter enemies, he supposed. Nearly each of the Great Ninja Wars had contained bloodshed between the three. The last one had had been the worst for relations between the two and the Leaf. For it had left the Cloud humiliated, and the Stone seemingly crippled. But even they had seen his gambit as a credible threat, for both soon agreed as well. Now for the last decade, all five villages had been held to an official truce… Hiruzen had initially thought this his most significant accomplishment… that this would surely lead to the end of the bloody days of the past.
But time had passed since then, and so much subtle background work from each village had made things unstable. The truce had been forced in hopes of improving relations between villages. Hiruzen had been certain time spent without battle would surely lead to hostilities fade. But in truth, he hadn't achieved much more than pausing things. And soon, Hiruzen was sure they'd boil over again.
However, Hiruzen felt some level of comfort as his second gambit during this treaty was soon to be tested. With the threat of warfare for the first time in Hiruzen's life, not a threat, he had deemed it appropriate to change the Academy…
The curriculum was longer now, more theory—and intelligence-based than before. They were trained for longer but at a much slower pace. In fact, while most students began the Academy at ten or eleven, they now stayed until they were seventeen or eighteen. Hiruzen had hoped that taking a safe and long-term approach to training would keep his newest crop of Genin safe and sound.
In truth, it was only now that Hiruzen saw the kinks of his plan. The Genin were older and more experienced than ever, but that experience was sheltered, and they often showed their lack of real-world experience. The fear this ploy of his had failed as well occurred to him, but only time would show.
The ploy in question was tied to Hiruzen's latest task in an ever-growing list. The Genin were set to graduate soon and be put into three-man teams led by a Jounin for active duty. They would go through training and the approval of their sensei, of course. But assuming they passed the Academy's final test, Hiruzen was now preparing them for team selection.
Spread out among him were files labeled with a picture containing the Genin. There were twenty-four candidates this year; nine were certain to fail, usually those without a clan or much support; of the remaining fifteen, twelve were certain locks, various clan heirs, and impressive young men and women. But the remaining three were questionable;
Rock Lee was a unique case, one Hiruzen in all his time hadn't encountered in years. The young man was a talented and dedicated potential shinobi; he had physical conditioning that put most Chunin to shame and was arguably the most skilled hand-to-hand combatant out of his class, yet… Rock Lee was hampered in a truly crippling way. The young man's body had developed a mutation that caused his chakra nodes to be small and undeveloped; this made the man incapable of using almost all Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Jutsu theory and practice were considered core guidelines in the Academy, so Rock Lee was dead last in the rankings. However, his Taijutsu was at a level unheard of for someone so inexperienced, and his spar records made a case for him steadily improving; recently, the young man had bested most of his practice foes. And his pure theory work was on par with his peers. But with his disability, it was almost a certainty he would technically fail.
Choji Akimichi was a different and much more internal problem. The Akimichi was skilled in both theory and most jutsu practice, tested average, and had the support of his whole clan at his call. However, Hiruzen detected a lack of confidence in the man; Choji doubted his strength and intelligence and, by doing so, was crippled in both. Hiruzen suspected Choji could shine among his peers if he was motivated. But with his current attitude, there was simply no way.
Naruto Uzumaki was the final one and a problem in itself. For he was no normal young man but one of two vessels for the most significant "weapon," the Leaf had… the Kyuubi. A large, strange fox-like being was one of nine other strange beings that used to roam the Elemental Nations. Until they had been captured by Hashirama Senju. The man used the creatures as for all of the biggest players of the Elemental Nations.
Naruto was the latest of vessels and, as such, was considered a valuable resource for the Leaf. The boy due to his unique status had several problems ailing him. Jinchuriki were known for their poor chakra control, which likely affected his jutsu practice; in fact, Hiruzen knew the blonde could not achieve one of the three jutsu to pass the final test, the Clone Jutsu. Naruto needed to pass but wouldn't without that jutsu…
This is why Hiruzen made one last change to the Academy during this truce. The Remedial Exam was one of his own design, one that would allow those cropped out of the Genin of this class another chance. One to ensure Naruto, in particular, made it through. Hiruzen would have Mizuki hold it; the man had trained them for years, and surely they'd manage to pass a practical course…
With that decision made, Hiruzen began to sort the files into piles. Starting by removing the nine who knew wouldn't make it and, from there, assembling them into piles of three.
Genin Squads were important. This group would foster their growth and shape the shinobi they'd become. The groups also needed to be balanced or specialized, usually a mix of the two. For this crop, Hiruzen wanted a mix of both, so he began to sort them.
Each team would need either a heavy hitter or a natural leader. They would need not only strength but also the ability to track, capture, interrogate, protect, and effectively perform espionage. The teams would need to vary in ability and personality. It was no simple matter…
It didn't take Hiruzen long from there. He was sure these teams would be considered a bit off-kilter, but Hiruzen just knew these groups would ensure the best for all their members. These Genin were different from their predecessors, so the teams should be as well…
Hiruzen sighed as they tossed Naruto's file onto another two, covering who they were. "It's time to see the newest flames of the Will of Fire…"