The teams had been chosen. Each genin split off with their assigned jōnin.
Sabuko stepped into the classroom and immediately spotted Takos with no sign of Koko beside him.
'Oh? They didn't come back together?' he thought, recalling how the two had wandered off to eat.
Takos raised his head just enough to see Sabuko… then promptly dropped it between his arms.
'Guess I'll sit over here,' Sabuko mused, settling at the far end of the room; away from Takos.
Silence.
'I wonder where she is… and our jōnin. Bolognese-sensei.'
He snorted quietly to himself.
'That's the second food mob.'
Takos kept glancing at Sabuko's back. From his shoulders to his arms, then down again. His leg bounced. He scratched at his head.
"Ahhh…" he muttered. Then louder, "Ahhh...!!"
And then, "AHHHHHH—!"
'Fuck's his problem?'
"…You okay?" Sabuko turned around, brow raised.
"SHUT UP…!" Takos barked, coughing into his fist. "Just—why'd I even do all that crap for you if we weren't gonna end up with Yuhi-chan…"
"Uh..."
'Landlord's kid. Guess I'mma be his therapist now.'
He turned back around, propping one arm on the desk.
"What about that Koko girl you went to eat with? She's into you, right?" Sabuko asked.
"I… I asked her out... She wasn't interested... But... I guess I could try again..." Takos slightly puffed his cheeks.
"But, you sure?" Takos peeked at Sabuko, "You're not gonna go for Koko-chan yourself? Since she's so cute and all."
'Damn, he got over Kurenai fast. Skirt-chasing bastard. Be more committed, at least.'
"Yeah. I told you." Sabuko replied flatly, "I'm a mommy lover through and through. No girl our age is right for me,"
"Oh… Okay. Fine. I mean, that's... Good, I guess." Takos scratched his head.
…A little longer than usual.
"Look, man… I'm, uh… about not sitting with you and Naruto earlier today..." he mumbled.
"H-he's just not my buddy, y'know?" Takos stammered. "I don't sit with just anyone. You get that, right? It just… didn't feel right. Especially not with Naruto. No one's his friend. So… it's weird you wanted to sit with him."
'... Worst apology I've ever heard. But he pays the bills.'
"It's alright. I get it," Sabuko said lightly, rising from his seat and walking over to Takos. He sat beside him.
"Friends?"
Takos blinked, caught off guard. His eyes widened.
"Oh… Uh… yeah. I mean—yeah," he stammered as he looked away, "Stop being weird about it...!"
Just then, Koko walked in—a short-haired girl with plain black hair. Not particularly striking, but not unattractive either.
'...Huh. There she is,' Sabuko noted, catching her glancing in their direction.
She quickly looked away and sat on the opposite side of the classroom; where Sabuko sat a few moments ago.
'...'
Sabuko glanced at Takos, who flinched under the silence.
'Guess it stung worse than just a casual "I don't like you that way." He really handled the girl like a mob character through and through.'
Before long, their assigned Jonin stepped into the room.
Bolognese Spaghetti.
Or, as everyone called him—Bolo-sensei.
He looked like the human definition of average. Black hair, standard-issue Jonin vest, Konoha headband. No ominous scars. No cold glint in the eyes. Just some guy with glasses.
"I at least expected a scar or two," Takos muttered quietly to Sabuko.
"I have one," Bolo said, not missing a beat. "Had my appendix removed."
Takos stiffened.
"Geehk—he heard that?"
"I did. Never underestimate a Jonin," Bolo replied flatly. "Anyway, the appendix is gone. Took my childhood with it."
Everyone shared a thought.
'Wow.'
Bolo took his spot at the front of the classroom.
"So this is my Genin team, huh?" he said, voice flat. "From the looks of it, none of you have resolve."
His gaze swept over them.
"I see a girl sulking instead of watching her new sensei. I see two boys too chicken to sit beside her or offer so much as a crumb of comfort. Real impressive start. I got the bottom of the barrel, huh?"
'Took the words right outta my mouth,' Sabuko sighed as he leaned on his elbow. 'you mob instructor.'
He folded his arms with a sigh.
'What's HIS problem!?' Takos fumed internally, his face souring.
"When I had my appendix removed—and my bullies were beating the crap out of me—I clawed my way to Chunin with my teeth. I paid attention. I comforted all the girls, even when they didn't want it."
'Ah. So you were a mob character as a child, too?'
Sabuko blinked slowly.
"But enough talking about my struggles." He looked down for a second. "They... don't matter anymore."
'The appendicitis was really scarring for you, wasn't it, dude?'
"First—introductions. I'll say my name again. Bolognese Spaghetti. You'll call me Bolo-sensei. I'm a Jonin, and for now, you three are my team."
"For now?" Takos asked, raising a brow.
"Yes, the boy who speaks out of turn. For now. Every Genin team must pass their Jonin's individual test. We'll do one today. Another tomorrow."
'…Two?' Thought Sabuko.
"Two?" Koko echoed softly.
Bolo nodded.
"Two. First is a written exam—now. I need to see if your knowledge qualifies you to be a ninja. To make sure none of you passed graduation by a fluke… or by possessing a child right before the exam."
Takos and Koko tilted their heads at that. Sabuko shivered.
'SO SPECIFIC.'
"It was a joke," Bolo added flatly.
No one laughed.
"Either way, that's the first one. Passing grade is 75%."
Koko visibly relaxed. So did Takos.
"Oh, thank god," he muttered. "I was worried for a second."
Sabuko gulped. 'Fuck… Am I ready?'
"The reason I'm lenient is because a ninja's true merit is tested in the field," Bolo continued. "Which is what we'll cover in the second test—a physical trial of strength and wit."
He crossed his arms again.
"Now. Names. Introduce yourselves. Ladies first."
'Oh right. We were still doing that.'
"Uhm…" Koko stood. "My name is Koko Chocolate. I'm 12 years old! And, uh… I like—"
'… More food people.'
"Good. Sit down. We don't have time for a life story," Bolo interrupted.
He pointed at Takos. "Boy who speaks out of turn. Go."
"Yessir. I'm Takos Bruger, from the Takos clan. I'm 12!"
"Good. Sit. I know the Brugers."
Finally, he looked at Sabuko. "You."
"I'm Sabuko Kanto. Twelve... Uhm... Yeah."
"Good." Bolo sighed, pulling out three sheets of paper. He handed one to each of them, personally.
"Here's your exam. Whether you pass or fail is entirely up to you."
Takos' eyes widened when he saw the questions.
He glanced toward Sabuko and whispered, "Sabuko..!"
'Right. He's amnesiac… He's done for!'
Takos then looked away to his desk.
'…No. Who cares? He chose Naruto over me earlier anyway.' Takos thought, biting his lip briefly.
"NO TALKING." Bolo-sensei's voice snapped. "First and final warning, Takos Bruger."
Sabuko remained frozen, staring at his paper, motionless while Koko and Takos both began writing.
'So there's at least one rotten apple in this bunch,' Bolo thought as he spotted Sabuko.
'…I can recognize the structure of these questions,' Sabuko thought, 'but I still haven't caught up completely.'
'Right now, 75% is impossible for me…'
Takos stole another glance at Sabuko; seeing a grin tugged at Sabuko's mouth.
'Right now, that is. Hmph. Clone #2. Dispel.'
BACK AT TAKOS' HOUSE, SABUKO'S TEMPORARY ROOM
"Ho? I guess it's time," the clone muttered.
He looked up from the textbooks scattered across the floor, smirking.
'My head hurts like hell… I pulled an all-nighter. It's all yours now, Original.'
With a puff of smoke—POOF—the clone vanished.
BACK AT THE ACADEMY
"GEEHK…!!" Sabuko jerked forward, clutching his head as the knowledge surged in all at once—alongside the sleep-deprived fog of pulling an all-nighter.
His vision blurred. His stomach churned.
"Sabuko. You're warned. Final warning," Bolo said sharply. "And spare me the theatrics. I've seen every trick in the book. Either write, or walk yourself back to the Academy as a student."
'God… damn it... I never get used to this,' Sabuko winced, head wobbling from the aftershock.
But as he blinked past the nausea and focused, his eyes lit up.
'I... I know the answers now!'
He grabbed his pen and started writing furiously.
Takos blinked over, eyes wide.
Even Bolo paused, brow lifting slightly.
'That headache… sudden clarity... Could it be?'
His eyes narrowed.
'Kage Bunshin! To know it at his age is one thing... But to take advantage of it like that?!'
'Extraordinary.'
Bolo thought.
'Once is an accident. Twice is coincidence. But the third time… that's when luck runs out—or turns into brilliance.'
'First was when you graduated. Second is making it through my test now.'
'Tomorrow is the third. Let's see, Sabuko Kanto... if you're brilliant—or just got lucky twice.'