Weeks passed, Itachi and Mitsuki trained hard to prepare for the academy exam, which would open the doors to the coveted ninja path.

"Have you ever thought about what would happen after the exam, Itachi-kun?", Mitsuki asked, as they were walking home from class at the evening.

"What do you mean?", Itachi questioned her, not quite understanding the meaning of her question.

"Well...we're going to... be split into teams...", Mitsuki stammered, trying as hard as she could to get across a message that was obviously troubling her.

"Oh...yes, that," Itachi quickly grasped, "No, I'm trying not to think about it. I'm happy to finally become Genin, and complete missions. And I'm sure we'll be on the same team!", Itachi replied confidently.

"What if we're not?", Mitsuki insisted as she fidgeted with her fingers.

Itachi stopped, forcing the girl to turn around and look at him.

"Mitsuki-chan, we are friends, and I promised to always be there for you, I have only one word. If we were to be in two different teams, I'll be waiting for you every time you come back from a mission so that you can tell me in detail every single thing you did!", Itachi assured her to reassure her.

"And... what if I fail the exam?", Mitsuki grinned.

The boy laughed. Mitsuki raised an eyebrow, not understanding what would amuse him about that possibility.

"It's never going to happen, Mitsuki-chan. We've worked hard and you're probably one of the best students in this class. And imagine Aruna-sensei's face if you had to repeat a grade after having followed his teachings all year!" he explained.

Mitsuki smiled at his assurance, a little more relaxed. They continued to talk about their future and their goals, and then they parted once they arrived in front of Aruna's house after waving to each other.

The dreaded day of the exam finally arrived. Mitsuki was nervously playing with the bells on her bracelet while Aruna explained the exam. They would have to answer a written questionnaire for two hours. Then they would take turns on the training ground to show their shooting skills with ninja weapons, randomly chosen by the examiner. Then, they would continue on the Ninjutsu repertoire, with a demonstration, still randomly chosen, of cloning, or substitution. And finally, they would be asked to show their skills in a friendly fight, in the rules of the art, to close the exam.

"And good luck to all of you!", concluded Aruna before letting them enter the first room for the writing test, not being able to stop herself from throwing a wink towards his protege.

"Good luck to you!", Itachi whispered in his friend's ear, making her jump.

He took her hand and ran his fingers over her wrist before gently grasping the bells of the bracelet he had given her. He closed his eyes for a moment, and blew on them, causing a shiver to run down Mitsuki's thin skin.

"What are you doing?", the girl asked him, surprised.

"A wish.", Itachi answered with a smile.

"Oh...and what wish did you make?", Mitsuki inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"It's a secret, it won't come true if I tell you!", Itachi chuckled, winking at her.

"Are you coming?", Aruna cut them off, making them realize that they were the last ones.

Itachi released his friend's wrist and gave her one last smile before heading into the classroom. Mitsuki felt her heart quicken, it was time to prove herself. A hand was placed on her shoulder, and Aruna's face entered her field of vision.

"I trust in you," he said, looking her straight in the eyes, taking his role as her tutor to heart, before placing a kiss on her forehead.

Mitsuki took a deep breath, before giving him her best smile and went to sit down. The examiner placed the papers in front of them, and at his signal, all the students started to work on the questionnaire. Several subjects were mentioned, the History of Konoha, the geography of the five countries, the different Jutsus, and some questions about more basic subjects (mathematics, languages, sciences...).

Mitsuki answered without much difficulty when a series of questions hit her in the heart. They were about the Hata conflict and how it had been resolved. These events had not been mentioned in the year by their sensei! She answered a few questions with the information she had, but soon her vision blurred and tears rolled down her cheeks. The questions pressed heavily on the guilt and the inevitable eradication of this family. She straightened her head for a moment, closing her eyes and concentrating on her breathing to regain composure. When she opened them again, the examiner was approaching in her direction. She plunged back into her copy, but still heard the man's voice beside her:

"Quite an advantage for you, Miss Hata."

Mitsuki gritted her teeth. Of course, nothing about her family was unknown to her. But still, she never imagined that their story would end up on the exam papers of a small class of Genin wannabes, even though she and the Hokage were struggling so hard to preserve her identity. She chose to ignore the sarcastic tone of the examiner, who eventually walked away. However, she could easily imagine that others would make the same remark to her, as few students knew this part of Konoha's history.

The girl finished her copy half an hour early. She sighed with relief, regaining some confidence in herself, and went to give it back to the examiner, while trying to avoid meeting his eyes. She went out to join the other students, and was pulled to the side by Itachi, who seemed to be waiting for her impatiently.

"Well? How did it go?" he asked her without waiting.

"Yes, it was easier than I imagined. And you?", the girl asked him in return.

"Yes, we had studied well," Itachi replied confidently.

They chatted for a while, until they were invited to line up outside. They went one after the other for the weapon toss. Itachi hit all his targets with one single kunai shot, in one of those perilous moves he used to do with such ease. He seemed to dance in the air, and his landing was so smooth that not a single grain of sand seemed to rise from the ground.

Soon after, Mitsuki's turn came. She had been given shurikens. She took a breath, and in an aerial rotation, released a single salvo of the little ninja stars, which reached the heart of all her targets without difficulty.

She then went back to the examination room, where a new line was waiting to pass for the Ninjutsu demonstration.Mitsuki then had to do a cloning demonstration. She did it, making 2 almost perfect clones at the same time.

And finally, they were redirected to the training ground for the last test: the friendly fights.They waited for everyone to finish the previous tests before the examiner announced the duels.

"In third place, Mitsuki Hata will face Itachi Uchiha," the examiner announced before continuing his list.

Mitsuki shuddered, she was used to training with Itachi, but to fight...and the boy was really strong, he could immobilize her in no time with his Taijutsu. She looked towards her friend who seemed to be as apprehensive as she was about this confrontation. She smiled at him, trying to reassure him. She would give her all in this duel, hoping however that neither of them would get hurt.

When the time came for them to fight, they entered the circle to face each other. They greeted each other briefly, as the ninja code dictates in a friendly fight, and stood face to face, looking into each other's eyes for a long time.

The time passed without either of them seeming to want to start a fight. The wind blew in Mitsuki's hair, and she finally ran towards her opponent, who quickly followed her. As she had predicted, Itachi started a Taijutsu choreography, anticipating every move of the girl. While he tried to attack, she dodged his blows, but really struggled to counterattack herself. He seemed simply unattainable!

Suddenly, she saw an opening, and in a smooth movement, sent a kick in the ribs of the young man, who was breathless. Mitsuki tried to take advantage of this to knock him down, but the boy had not said his last word. He grabbed the wrist of the girl, who had tried to place a last blow, and returned in the back, causing a grimace on the face of his friend while immobilizing.

"Excuse me, Mitsuki-chan.", he breathed in her ear.

Mitsuki let escape a small laugh, and in a cracking letting guess the fracture of her wrist, she freed herself in an unpredictable movement, and landed behind her adversary, taking advantage of this moment of inattention linked to his certain victory, to make him fall heavily on the ground after having mowed his legs of a kick.

Unfortunately for her, he dragged her in his fall, pulling her to him. Itachi found himself lying on the ground, immobilizing again the girl against him.

"Well, it looks like we have a tie," the examiner decided after a few seconds without either of them being able to move, "Get up. Mr. Uchiha, and take Miss Hata to the infirmary, it seems necessary. The examination is over for both of you, we will discuss your results with the other examiners and report the results here in the evening."

Itachi released his friend and helped her to her feet. They clasped two fingers in friendship, ending their battle, and left as the man had indicated.The girl held her injured wrist as they walked together out of the training ground, where Aruna was waiting for them, impatient and nervous.

"So? How did it go?" he asked, almost throwing himself at them.

"It didn't go too bad, Nii-san. We'll know how it went tonight!", Mitsuki reassured him.

"For now, we need to go get his wrist fixed. I...I broke it I think," Itachi explained guiltily.

"I broke it myself Itachi-kun, it's not your fault! Facing an opponent like you, I couldn't think of a better way to get out of the way", Mitsuki smiled.

"You had to fight each other?", Aruna wondered, "What a coincidence!"

"Yes...I didn't want to hurt Mitsuki, but she fought like a lioness and I had no choice but to get out of my own way to face her.", Itachi laughed.

"It was only a test for the Genin rank... you didn't have to go to that extreme you know!", Aruna sighed as she quickly examined the sore, and indeed broken, wrist of the beautiful girl.

"I had to give it my best shot against Itachi...", Mitsuki explained as she winced under her elder's gestures, making him sigh again as he released her.

The three of them walked to the infirmary, where Mitsuki was quickly treated, coming out with her wrist immobilized for a few weeks.

"Well kids, I'll invite you to Ichiraku's restaurant while we wait for the results," Aruna proposed.

The two students happily accepted, their stomachs crying out for food after a busy day.They ate their dinner with gusto, gradually letting the pressure they had accumulated so far fall away.

The time to go back to the Academy came soon, and Mitsuki felt a small lump in the pit of her stomach. Aruna had resumed his position as Sensei next to the examiners. Itachi gently took his friend's hand to help her relax. She smiled at him, tightening her fingers around the boy's, happy to share this great moment with him. The warmth of it quickly soothed her, and she was able to focus on the men in front of the crowd.
One of them cleared his throat, getting silence among the students, as well as their full attention. He said:

"Good. We have finished gathering all the elements, and we must say that we are generally satisfied with the level of this class, and we would like to congratulate Aruna Uchiha for the teachings he has brilliantly given you again this year."

A round of warm applause went up in honor of the Sensei, who thanked his students with a humble wave of the hand and one of his eternal smiles. He who was one of the few individuals of his clan to be given such a place in the village since Kyubi's attack, could only be proud to see his teachings bearing fruit so well.

The examiner continued:

"However, we could not retain everyone, and some students will return to the academy next year. Before announcing you, I would like to congratulate you for your efforts and encourage you to continue your studies in order to one day join the ranks of the ninjas. There is no real failure, only lessons to be learned, keep this in mind! Thus, I invite the following people to go to Aruna's side."

The examiner named 4 people, including the smallest of Mitsuki's brother-aggressors. It must be said that because of his actions, he had to miss a few months of classes at the Academy.The girl sighed with relief, realizing that at least she wouldn't have to team up with him.

"Now, for all those who are left," the examiner continued, "First of all, congratulations! You are now officially Genin! You have become the flower of the new generation of ninjas. There is still a long way to go, but in the months and years to come you will gain enough experience to reach your goals! We are going to give you the symbolic headband of the Konoha ninjas! Wear it proudly, respect it, it represents your belonging and your dedication to your village. We are going to call you in groups of three, in order to compose at the same time the teams that you will form during your year as Genin. You will then be assigned to a Jônin who will train you and guide you in your missions. All right, let's go!"

The man cleared his throat and began to call the teams. Itachi's face was tense, worrying the girl who gave him a questioning look.

"I would rather stay by your side so I can protect you better..." the boy admitted in a whisper, completely contrasting with his state of mind the day before.

So he was worried about her. Mitsuki's heart was pounding, but she tried to control herself to appease the Uchiha in turn. She tightened her grip again, and he smiled at her, but his sad look spoke volumes about what he was thinking. Suddenly, the examiner's voice brought them out of their bubble:

"Itachi Uchiha, Tenma Izumo, and... Shinko Inari... you will represent Team 2, along with Yuki Minazuki. Come forward, please."

While Itachi's female fan club grumbled with indignation at the lucky one who would now share most of his time, Mitsuki's heart seemed to sink in her chest. Thus, their fate was sealed, and they could not continue this adventure together. Itachi slowly let go of his friend's hand, and joined, without a glance towards the girl, his two new teammates. His impassive face betrayed nothing of what he might be feeling, but deep inside him, disappointment bubbled up as he slowly moved away from his wish. But if there was one thing his father had always instilled in him, it was to always keep his goal in mind, and it was still very clear: to protect Konoha. Konoha and the young Hata who was joining his team, under the proud look of his tutor. Maybe finally this separation would be good. After all, he could only improve faster, if he didn't face any distraction!

Smiling in spite of everything, Mitsuki grabbed the blindfold that the examiner was holding out to her with a hard look. He was staring straight at her, not releasing his hold on the cloth that he was obviously holding out to her reluctantly. The girl held his gaze, vowing inwardly to quickly prove to him that she deserved to wear this symbol as much as any Genin present. The man finally relented, feeling he had let her hear his message of indignation enough. A vein fluttered at his temple, showing the inner anger that was eating away at him, but Mitsuki ignored it and left to join her new Sensei while tying the cloth around her head.

But there too, the tension seemed to be there. Her two teammates, a much taller boy, and a girl not much older than Mitsuki, took great care to ignore her. Not a word was spoken to her. Not a glance, not an introduction, so much so that such a warm welcome said a lot about the resentment that inspired his presence.

"Tsss ... I'll have to team up with the babies. And all girls on top of that! They'll never give us worthy missions at this rate," the boy hissed through his teeth as he kicked a rock.

"If you want to be brought to make "worthy" missions, then start by proving that you are worthy of it yourself. That starts by not underestimating your teammates. For your information, you are looking at the second and fifth midshipman of this session. And as you probably already know, the teams are set up to be balanced. So I'll let you know what that means for you" said the Sensei behind him in a hoarse voice.

Mitsuki looked up at him. He wasn't very tall, but naturally gave off a strength that spoke volumes about his experience. His skull showed old burns underneath his scraggly brown and white hair. He was probably no longer young, and the coldness in his voice suggested that it was better to go along with him if one hoped to continue evolving.

"Babies and a grandpa..." the boy muttered again, triggering the giggles of his redheaded teammate.

"Come on! A little smile!" demanded the photographer present to immortalize the teams, before a flash dazzled them, without wasting time.

The Sensei retrieved the photo without a glance for her, and immediately walked away from the stage.

"Well, enough nonsense for today. I don't care about your name, your history, or your aspirations. You are now my responsibility, and I expect you to become what you came here to be. That is to say, brilliant Ninja, although I have my doubts about the feasibility of this project. Also, you are a team. So you will work as a team, and be punished as a team, if one of you does not learn quickly to hold his tongue," said the man, passing his dark and piercing gaze on each of them, finally stopping on the boy to support his last words. "Any comment?"

Intimidated, the trio simply shook their heads. Satisfied with this answer, the Sensei let out a growl before evaporating in a cloud of smoke. A heavy silence remained before the boy opened his mouth again:

"Did you understand Hata? No waves! I don't want to pay for your nonsense. Stay in the shadows and let the professionals do their thing, maybe that way we'll get away with it! See you later, suckers!"

He in turn left to join a group of friends, no doubt with the intention of lamenting heavily about this draw that had brought them together.

"I think we are not out of the woods with him ... By the way, I'm Soga Hiki. I know who you are. And as for the Sensei, I don't really care. All that matters to me is to succeed. So if you're just the second in our class, I'd rather trust you than that fool who will only get us into trouble. On this, my parents wait for me to learn the news! " declared in its turn the beautiful redhead before running away in its turn with an air of disdain.

What a strange team that is. But maybe things will get better with time, Mitsuki was determined not to stop on this first feeling. She looked at the crowd below, and seeing neither her friend nor Aruna, decided to go back to recover from this long day.

"Nii-san!" called Mitsuki as she entered the house.

Aruna appeared in the door frame of the living room and the girl immediately threw herself in his arms to hug him as tight as she could.

"If you only knew how proud I am of you, Princess," the sensei whispered in her ear, before pulling her aside to look at her, "This headband fits you like a glove! You've gotten so big..."

His tone suddenly became nostalgic, and his look very sad.

"Aruna-kun? What's wrong?" Mitsuki worried.

"Oh yes, don't worry. I'm glad you're in good hands. I know Maeda Norimoto well, he may not be the most powerful ninja, but he has good values. He will be a good Sensei for you" Aruna assured.

"I hope you're right, Big Brother..." Mitsuki let out, unconvinced after this first difficult contact.

"Keep your confidence. You are already an exceptional kunoichi! And I'm sure that underneath his indifferent looks, he noticed it too." smiled Aruna, before being interrupted by knocks at the door. "Well, he won't be long, I'm sure it's for you. Go, but don't delay, from tomorrow, we will go to the Hokage to formalize our family, little sister." He concluded his statement with a little pat on her back, not hiding his haste to finally offer her the protection of his name. And as he had guessed, it is well on Itachi that the door opened, anxious, then finally happy to find his friend. They walked through the streets of the Uchiha district exchanging vividly about their feelings about their new teams, without ever admitting the pain they felt at the idea of seeing each other less often. But so began their life as Ninja, and with it, a lot of hope for their futures that was enough to ease this disappointment, to give their best as Genin.