The academy bell rang like a war drum. A new beginning, another test.
The day had come when the top graduates would be assigned their squads. Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya had already moved into their teams—celebrated for their talent and potential.
But for Hiruko, things were different.
He wasn't placed with the Sannin.
No. He was placed with those who didn't quite fit. Just like him.
Team Assignment – Training Field 9
"Team 9: Sakumo Hatake. Might Duy. Hiruko."
Hiruko blinked slowly. His mismatched eyes scanned his teammates.
Sakumo Hatake was calm, silver-haired, and focused, with a quiet confidence that belied his youth. He held his blade like an extension of his breath—polished, but not yet infamous.
Might Duy, by contrast, was a bundle of kinetic energy barely restrained by a bright smile and boundless optimism. "Nice to meet ya!" he yelled, his bushy eyebrows practically trembling with excitement.
Hiruko offered a small bow, studying them both. One has elite blood and technique. The other… sheer willpower. Curious pairing.
Their sensei arrived a moment later—quiet, sharp-eyed, and already calculating.
Danzō Shimura.
No scar on his chin yet. No black armband or bandages. Just a dark flak jacket over clean, unmarked jonin attire and a mind forged in Tobirama's image.
He stood before them, arms crossed, emotionless.
"You three have been placed together for one reason. You're unpredictable. You think differently. That's either a strength—or a weakness I'll crush."
Might Duy's face twitched in confusion. Sakumo nodded in understanding. Hiruko simply narrowed his eyes.
"Follow," Danzō ordered.
Test of Compatibility – Blood Over Water
Training Field 12 was a wasteland of shattered stumps, cracked earth, and kunai embedded in broken logs.
"This is your test," Danzō said, throwing down a scroll.
It unfurled into a triangular seal.
"The moment I activate this, you'll be under assault. The goal: make me move from the center."
They looked at each other.
"That's it?" Duy asked.
Danzō's silence was the answer.
He snapped his fingers.
A surge of chakra erupted from the seal. Illusions flared, smoke erupted, and within seconds, the field was covered in shadow clones—dozens of them—each holding weapons, each moving with jōnin speed.
"Begin," came Danzō's voice, echoed and distorted from every direction.
Tactical Dissection Begins
Sakumo moved first, blade drawn, weaving between clones with surgical precision. He struck three, vanished into a flicker step, and cut through a fourth.
Duy followed with brute strength—the opening forms of the Eight Gates, years from mastering them, but already pushing human limits.
Hiruko remained back.
Observing.
This test isn't about power. It's about pressure points. Danzō is trying to provoke panic or disunity.
He slid a hand into his robe. A scroll—one of his own design, blood-marked and infused with modified chakra.
"Time to escalate."
Summoning: Shiromari – The Castle Beast
"Summoning Jutsu."
A massive ripple tore through space as smoke erupted and twisted into a shifting, scaled form.
A chameleon—enormous, with a serpentine tail and half-materialized architecture along its spine—rose behind Hiruko. Its eyes shimmered with genjutsu potential. Its breath shimmered with camouflage chakra.
The air distorted around it.
"What the—!?" Sakumo ducked as a clone was flattened by the tail swipe.
Duy jumped backward. "Is that a… building?!"
Shiromari opened its jaw, revealing a spiral staircase within. Hiruko calmly stepped forward onto the beast's tongue.
"It's part summon, part lab," he explained. "It adapts to scale and camouflage. A pocket fortress."
Hiruko clapped his hands and focused.
"Now let's pull him out."
Battle of Wits – Danzō Reacts
Inside the haze of clones, the real Danzō's eyes narrowed as Shiromari moved.
A chakra signature that's warping the terrain itself. Not a normal summon. That boy—he didn't just sign a contract. He engineered this.
Then, Danzō felt it: chakra closing in from three angles.
Sakumo cut through the clones on his flank and hurled two shuriken—wired, dragging a third kunai behind in an arc.
Duy launched forward from behind, yelling, his body igniting with raw, burning energy.
And above them—Shiromari, blending into the sky, dropped its tail like a guillotine.
He coordinated this perfectly.
Danzō moved—just slightly.
A flicker-step and body flicker cleared the triangle. The ground shattered under the chameleon's tail.
Silence.
They had passed.
Aftermath – Team 9
Danzō stepped forward, brushing dust from his uniform.
"Well done," he said plainly. "You forced me to react. That means you pass."
Might Duy fist-pumped into the air. Sakumo gave a subtle nod.
Hiruko was silent, calculating his chakra loss. Shiromari still isn't at full potential… but its integration was successful.
Danzō turned to him.
"You built that summon?"
"I modified an ancient contract," Hiruko answered. "Chakra compression. Genjutsu resistances. Spatial fold interior. I'm still adapting its core matrix."
Danzō smirked faintly—for the first time.
He's dangerous. But focused. And useful.
"You'll make enemies," Danzō said. "Some in Konoha. Others outside. Remember—power created without control breeds paranoia. Even in allies."
Hiruko simply replied:
"Then I'll learn to control fear, too."