Orochimaru deserted the village at the end of the winter. Jun had forgotten about the existence of the Sannin. The latter had hidden his horrible experiments for years. It wasn’t surprising considering Danzo was helping him in the shadows. But he was finally found out and had no choice but to flee. Jun was obviously not there when it happened. He learned it afterward.

The rumor spread rapidly. He had been caught red-handed experimenting on children, orphans or children kidnapped from their families. Most of the kids were from Konoha or the Land of Fire which made his crimes worst in the eyes of the population. Jun doubted they would have reacted the same if the kids were from another land.

The news was also trending among the Uchihas, but it was for a completely different reason. The ANBU led by the Hokage was in charge of the operation. The clan felt it should have been assigned to the Police.

Jun overheard his grandparents talking about it. The Sandaime explained that the ANBU intervened to not overload the police with more work. Seichi vehemently claimed no one in the clan believed it. The police had jurisdiction to handle the case. They felt like the ANBU had no right to act inside the village. The Hokage’s explanation was just an excuse.

The Police needed to show they could handle business, and for that, they needed more ninjas. His grandparents wanted his mom to join the Police. The clan wasn’t happy at all. They were already relocated far away from the center of the village and now the ANBU was doing their job. The relationship between the clan and the village suffered.

The Uchihas were angry. They felt the village was isolating them. People had already suspected them to be behind Kyubi’s attack. The power of their Dojutsu could control the tailed beast in such a manner. Everyone knew Madara Uchiha used his visual powers to control the Nine-Tails in the past. Jun was noticing the tension between the clan and Konoha. He blamed himself for overlooking the signs.

He wasn’t involved in the clan affair, so there was a lot of information he wasn’t privy to. The clan was pissed off. Their behavior only caused more suspicion and discontent from some people in the village. It was like a vicious circle. Each party was feeding off the negative emotions of the other.

Jun didn’t know if he could break that vicious cycle of mistrust. He had a few ideas, but they were overly simplistic. Assigning Konoha ninjas to the Police to solve the personnel crisis? The Uchiha would take it as if the village was thinking they couldn’t do their jobs. Putting the Police building at the center of the village? It wasn’t feasible logistically. Many people would complain.

Investigate the Nine-Tails’s attack to prove the clan’s innocence? Who would perform the investigation? The Police? People would doubt their findings as they were Uchihas, and they were the ones suspected to be behind it. Having the ANBU investigate? The Uchiha wouldn’t trust their findings either.

The last option he thought about was for the Sandaime to take in an Uchiha as a disciple and groom him or her to be the next Hokage. Shisui would be an ideal candidate in Jun’s mind. Itachi was also one to consider. He was the eldest son of the clan leader. The village would trust the Sandaime to raise a suitable successor, and the clan would perceive it as a gesture of trust if he chose an Uchiha.

It would solve the majority of the problems. Whether Danzo would allow it to happen was another story. Jun realized he was thinking of ways to save the clan, and a bitter smile crossed his face. He knew he couldn’t save that many people. He had to leave before the ship sunk and take his mother and sister with him.

Jun had been spending a lot of time with Izumi. The latter learned his brother had become friends with Itachi. She asked him many questions about the young Uchiha. She even followed him to one of his training sessions to see Itachi. Shisui was immensely amused by the situation. Jun couldn’t do anything about his sister’s feelings.

“You know Itachi also likes her, right? He will never hurt her.” Shisui said.

Jun was obviously skeptical. The current Itachi would not harm her. He knew that. It was the future Itachi who worried him. Jun knew there was nothing he could do now. There were less than five years left before the massacre.

He had his life in the clan. He hadn’t wanted to, but it happened regardless. He had his grandparents, his mother, his sister, Itachi, and Shisui. He cared about them, but he also knew they couldn’t be all saved. How would he feel when he loses them? He didn’t know.

The end of the school year was approaching. The last year for Jun and Iruka. They were eager to take the exam. Iruka had managed to find an apartment. And when he became a genin, he would be completely independent. Jun envied him a little. He hadn’t informed his family yet about his desire to move away.

He wanted to talk to Izumi about it and convince her to come with him. He would attempt to convince his mother. But ultimately, she would make her own decision. His grandparents remained a lost cause. He wouldn’t even bother.

Jun wished his father was alive to see him graduate. He wanted to see him be proud of his son. Time had passed since Kyubi’s assault, and he still missed him. The pain wasn’t unbearable as before. He had learned to live with it. The memory of the scene and the emotions he felt, were still engraved in his mind. It was something he knew even time couldn’t take away.

“Not too stressed about the exam?” Iruka asked.

“It will be a piece of cake.”

“I agree with you. I’m more worried about what comes after.”

The exam wasn’t an issue. He knew he would pass it. He had reached genin level a while ago. He may not be far off of a chunin level. After all, he had been trained by the one and only Shisui Uchiha. Jun had mastered three elemental affinities. His Taijutsu dominated all other kids in his class. He was skilled with shurikens.

When it comes to theoretical knowledge, no one came close to him. He had read more books than all the other students combined. He even comprehended some principles of Fuinjutsu. Jun may not be a prodigy like Shisui, Itachi or Kakashi, but he was well above the others. Only his Genjutsu was lacking. He was never interested in it. Isn’t that ironic for an Uchiha?

“We’ll be fine,” Jun said with confidence.

The exam itself wasn’t difficult. The practical part included a run in the forest, the use of explosive tags, a Taijutsu test, and a throwing weapon test. Jun was among the first group to take and complete that part of the exam. Next was the written part with history, math, physics, strategy problems, and general knowledge. He finished the written exam on time. The last part was for them to perform the three basic Jutsus they learned at the Academy. Jun performed them flawlessly.

The instructor congratulated him before handing him a ninja headband. Jun looked at the headband in his hand for a moment. A modest smile appeared on his lips. He wore the headband with the Konoha symbol on his forehead. The students who passed the exam had to return to the Academy the next day to be assigned to a team. Jun was only worried about one thing. He didn’t want to be on the same team as Fujitaro. He doubted they would put two Uchihas in the same team, though.

Dinner went well that evening at home. His grandparents were satisfied. They looked happy, so Jun thought. His mother was smiling proudly, and Izumi was excited. Jun returned to the Academy the next day.

The first thing he observed was that less than half of his classmates were present. Many students had failed. He saw Iruka not far away with a ninja headband around his head. He went to sit next to him. They exchanged a smile.

The door opened. One of their instructors entered.

“Silence, please. You will be placed in a team of three led by a jonin. The teams are formed based on your grades, skills, and areas of specialization. We do not take into consideration your friendship, rivalry, or family ties. Now pay attention, I will announce the teams. Team 1…”

The students gradually migrated in groups of three, each team gathering together. Iruka was assigned to Team 4 with a kunoichi named Madoka Hyuga and an older genin named Mizuki. Their jonin was a member of the Inuzuka clan. Jun didn’t recognize his name. Fujitaro Uchiha wasn’t assigned to a normal team but went directly to the Konoha Police. Jun was surprised, but it made sense. He was an Uchiha after all.

“Team 14, Jun Uchiha, Natsumi Murano and Susumu. Your sensei is Shiba Arata.”

Natsumi was good with shurikens, and Susumu had good grades on written tests. Jun didn’t know more about his teammates. Natsumi had long black hair, almond-shaped eyes, and round rosy cheeks. Susumu was an average-sized boy with slicked brown hair. He wore a large scarf that covered half his face and blended with his white tunic and dark blue pants. Jun nodded to them and signaled them to come over.

Each jonin then came to escort their students. Team 14’s jonin was in his mid-twenties. He was tall with a stern face and dark hair tied in a high ponytail. He wore the classic ninja outfit, but the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. He had a katana hanging from his back.

“Team 14, follow me.” He ordered.

He vanished leaving a puff of smoke behind. The genins exchanged a brief puzzled look, then they rushed after him. Their sensei was using the Shunsin no Jutsu to move at high speed. He would regularly stop for a few moments before resuming his run. He led them some distance away from the Academy before stopping at a training ground.

Jun was the first to arrive. He found the jonin sitting on a fallen tree trunk in the middle of the clearing. They waited together without exchanging a word. Natsumi arrived a couple of minutes later, out of breath. She was quickly followed by Susumu who had lowered his scarf to see more clearly, leaving it hanging around his neck.

The jonin examined them one after another for a few seconds.

“You are fast, but there is still room for improvement. I am Shiba Arata, your sensei. You can call me Shiba-sensei. I have read your files, but I’d like you to introduce yourselves. Tell us what you like, what you dislike, your dreams, your strengths, and your weakness.”

The genins looked at each other; no one wanted to go first. Ultimately, It was Susumu who cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“I’m Susumu. I like card games and logic puzzles. I don’t like vegetables. My dream is to join the Intelligence Section of Konoha. My strengths are strategy and Genjutsu. My weaknesses… I guess it’s Taijutsu. I’m also learning medical Ninjutsu.”

Shiba-sensei nodded, then his gaze fell on the next person, who stiffened.

“My name is Natsumi Murano. I like gardening and cooking. I don’t like cocky people. My dream is to become a famous kunoichi. My strengths are Taijutsu, shurikens, and trap setting. My weakness is probably Ninjutsu or chakra manipulation in general.”

Jun found the team well balanced. One person was strong in Genjutsu; another was comfortable with Taijutsu and he was good with Ninjutsu. The combination wasn’t bad. Jun hadn’t thought about his introduction, so he improvised.

“My name is Jun Uchiha. I like to read and spend time with my friends. I don’t like people with old fashion thinking who like to impose their ideas on others. My dream is to become Tokubetsu Jonin before the age of sixteen. My strengths are Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, and explosive tags. My weakness is Genjutsu.”

Natsumi frowned.

“I thought all Uchihas were good at Genjutsu because of their eyes…”

Jun shrugged.

“I’m only half-Uchiha. The probability of me awakening the Sharingan is quite low. I don’t really care. There are exceptional ninjas who do not possess the Sharingan.” He said with a smile.

Shiba clapped his hands. The genins turned to him. Natsumi looked embarrassed. The jonin examined them for a moment.

“Most jonins assign a test to their team to determine if the genins are worthy of their attention and time, or if they should be sent away. You’ve passed the Academy test, but that’s no guarantee of success in our world. Over 60% of newly appointed teams fail this test.”

The genins were paying attention. Jun knew what was going on, but he was still nervous. The stakes were high.

“I have high hopes for you, so my test will be simple. I’m going to face the three of you right here, tomorrow morning to judge your level. Give your all and don’t hesitate to push your limits. You may use any weapons you want. All Jutsus are allowed. You can use whatever you can think of. You’ll need everything you possess to have a hope of even landing a hit. Any questions?”

The three genins remained silent. Shiba Arata smiled.

“See you tomorrow then.” He said before vanishing.

The three students remained seated in a row in front of the fallen tree trunk. No one spoke for a few seconds. Jun could feel the sensei’s chakra a hundred meters away, motionless. He was still observing them. He had found his behavior a bit suspicious. He was their teacher, but he left after a few minutes upon meeting them. There must be more to it.

“Damn, I wanted to start doing missions right away,” Susumu growled.

“It will come. We are genins now.” Natsumi shouted.

Jun couldn’t help smiling. She was right. They were genins now. All these years at the Academy were for this, to become full-fledged ninjas. It was the beginning of their journey as shinobis.