The Fateful Uchiha

Iruka was curious to see which one of his former students would become Chunin. It hadn’t even been a year since they graduated from the Academy. From what he’d heard, they had all progressed and matured a lot.  Well, some less than others… Iruka believed that one or two young Genins would get promoted at the end of the exam.

“Who are you betting on?” Anko asked him with a mischievous smile.

A bunch of Jonins were sitting with them, chatting away. They were in a restaurant. The place was lively. It was Iruka’s first time in the restaurant. It was Yugao who dragged him along. He wasn’t close with many of the people present, so he felt a bit lost in the loud crowd. Anko and Yugao were among the few faces he was familiar with. 

“Hmm… Neji Hyuga…” Iruka said.

“You’re not taking a lot of risk on that one. He graduated more than a year ago, and he’s the Hyuga prodigy. Come on, pick someone more interesting.”

Yugao gently nudged Anko with her elbow.

“We get it. And you? Who is your pick?”

“Shikaku’s kid and the shady kid in Gai’s team… The one with the drawings.”

“Shikamaru Nara, and Sai?” Iruka said.

“Shikamaru is in the team with the smart civilian girl and the kid with the Hyoton,” Yugao pointed out. The girl, Shiho, is nothing special, but I've heard that Shikamaru and the other boy have potential.  A lot of people bet on the kid with the Hyoton.”

It was common for some jonins to bet and exchange their predictions whenever there was a Chunin exam. Iruka felt like an outsider. He was only a Chunin, a teacher at the Academy. If it hadn’t been for Yugao, he would have never entered the restaurant. But now that he was there, he was curious to learn more. 

“You know who bet on what genins?” He asked.

“A little. Kotetsu and Izumo bet on one of Jun’s kids, Tenten. Shiba-sensei is rooting for Inaho, their temporary teammate. She’s from the police force, so it’s normal. Most of the Aburame are betting on Shino Aburame. No surprises there too… He’s the heir of the clan.”

“Most Hyugas root for Hinata.” Anko added. “I’ve heard of some jonins betting on Ino as well.”

“Ino Yamanaka?!”

Iruka remembered her as a capricious and bossy kid. The heiress of the Yamanaka clan was gifted, but had zero motivation, or at least not in the right direction. But Yugao just laughed.

“You haven't seen her recently. Kurenai asked me to give her some Kenjutsu lessons, and… she’s a handful. She would surprise many during this exam.”

Iruka blinked her eyes. He had trouble imagining that. Anko let out a mocking sniff at his stunned expression.

“Kurenai team isn’t to be underestimated. They were real wimps when she got them, but... They changed a lot.”

“I want to believe it for Yakumo Kurama. She was always incredibly determined. But her weakness is Taijutsu. Her health remained too fragile. And Hinata... She lacked confidence in herself…” Iruka explained.

“Oh, she's still lacking it. But her teammates have enough ferocity for three!” Anko replied.

Iruka digested the news in silence. Teams made up of three kunoichis were extremely rare, and generally not much was expected of them in terms of combat ability. It was rare for a team of three kunoichi to specialize in combat rather than support. But who knows, maybe Team Kurenai would surprise them…

“I hope to see some good Kenjutsu users in the finals,” Yugao said. “It is becoming increasingly rare to see one these days. Everyone wants to use Ninjutsu.”

“The kid from Gai’s team uses Kenjutsu!” Anko pointed out.

“Sai? Yes, but he prefers his jutsu with drawings. And he also knows medical Ninjutsu. He doesn't need to rely a lot on Kenjutsu to shine. He’s versatile.” 

“Maybe so, but he’s a student of Gai. He’s bound to know how to fight in melee. You’ll see your Kenjutsu in the finals.” Anko added. 

Another Jounin leaned over, joining the conversation with interest.

“You are talking about Gai’s little monsters?”

Iruka took a few seconds to recognize the guy in question. It was Genma.

“Genma! Yeah, they have potential, don't you think?” Anko said.

“For sure! Lee is exactly like Gai at the same age. He only uses Taijutsu. He has the potential to become a great fighter. It may be too soon for him to be promoted though. He’s a bit impulsive.”

“Aren’t they all at that age?” Anko replied.

“Not all of them. Shino Aburame is very calm and composed for a kid. Kazuma Uchiha is also very mature for his age.” Iruka said.

Genma approved with a nod.

“Yes, I heard good things about Shibi Aburame's son.”

Anko and Yugao, predictably, had paid little attention to the mention of Shino. But as soon as the name Uchiha was mentioned, they leaned forward with interest.

“Kazuma, the little prodigy... I find it hard to believe he's taking part in the exam. He's only ten years old!” Yugao said.

“Yeah,” Anko said. “I know that the decision rests in their Jonin-sensei’s hands, but I would have expected Jun to resist the idea.”

Iruka no longer saw Jun as often as he used to. But they still talked, and the Uchiha confided in him.

“Jun doesn’t think he will be promoted. Their sensei only registered them to give them more experience.” 

“It's still dangerous!” Yugao protested. “Genins die during these exams.”

Iruka looked elsewhere. He had lost no teammate when he took the exam. But Yugao ... She had lost her two teammates during a Chunin exam. 

“He has his team to protect him,” Iruka said, trying to be reassuring.

There was a brief silence. Everyone knew who was on Kazuma Uchiha's team. Most people paid little attention to Hotaru Tsuchigumo, a refugee from an old clan who had now disappeared. But Naruto Uzumaki ... He gathered everyone’s attention. It was Kyubi’s Jinchuriki ... Who could ignore him?

Iruka tensed up, ready to retaliate if anyone spoke ill of Naruto. But no one risked it. Finally, Genma cleared his throat.

“Speaking of Uchiha, what do you think of the chances of Sasuke? Kakashi has been training them more than usual these days.” 

“He has his chances,” Anko said. Chunin at twelve… It wouldn’t be shocking for a Uchiha, especially with the Sharingan.  It has happened before.”

Itachi had been promoted long before, but no one dared to say it out loud.

“His teammates will slow him down. It's irresponsible to have them participate with him. Didn’t the Inuzuka lose his pet recently?” Yugao said.

There was no mention of Sakura. As if she were insignificant, just there to make up the number. And with a hint of shame, Iruka was surprised to think that this was probably true. Sakura Haruno was nothing special. She had been chosen to fill a void in the team of the best and worst students, nothing more. Iruka knew she had gained confidence and strength, but... he didn't see her succeeding in the exam. She was smart, yes. But more book-smart, not smart like Shikamaru. 

And Kiba… He expected nothing much from him, especially after the loss of Akamaru. The young Inuzuka had refused to take another dog. Iruka didn’t know how he would fight without a partner. Also, the pain of his loss remained fresh. Maybe this exam was meant as a distraction for them. Anyway, he didn’t want to expand on the subject. 

“And speaking of prodigy, Kazuma isn’t the youngest. There is Ranmaru, too. He's a few months younger than Kazuma.

“Ah, the red-eyed kid from the Land of Water…” Anko remembered. “I wouldn't bet on him.”

Yugao nodded her head.

“Same for me. He isn’t that good in Taijutsu, unlike Kazuma. And no matter how insensitive he is to Genjutsu, he will get crushed if he can’t keep up.”

“That's why they put him in the same team as Choji Akimichi and Shino Aburame,”  Iruka said. They have the strength that he lacks. Choji is very advanced in the techniques of his clan.”

“It's the Chunin exam, Iruka. Yes, teamwork is important, but in the end, it is your personal abilities that are evaluated…”

They continued to debate for a long time. Who would beat who, what match would be the most interesting, and who had the best abilities. Anko claimed to support Jun's team because they dated. Yugao just wanted a Kenjutsu user to emerge from the lot. It was pretty funny listening to them. They didn’t just make predictions about the new genins, but also about the Genins who were taking the exam for the second or third time. They could talk for hours, Iruka realized.