Thank you to @Miss_Unholy for your amazing suggestion of a puzzle as a genin test. I wouldn't have finished this chapter without your help.

The battle that began with the revelation was brutal.

Naruto had been on the verge of running before he saw Gin, his brother Gin, step forward past Iruka and look the deranged man in the eye.

"You're wrong." he'd said. "Naruto may have dumb mass of chakra sealed in him but he's no monster. He's a shinobi of Konoha, the future Hokage, and my brother. So fuck off you twisted, traitorous piece of dog shit."

In the time that it took Ginjiro to launch his tirade, Iruka launched something as well. Himself.

With very little sound he was there, delivering a stunning blow to Mizuki's solar plexus and knocking the breath out of him.

Shooting back with spittle flying from his mouth Mizuki's face conveyed his utter shock at the move. Before he could recover Iruka threw kunais to the ground at both boys feet, giving them something to defend themselves with at the very least. Because they have to live.

Ginjiro immediately took up the knife, twirling it quickly in to a reverse grip. And seeing the desperate plea in his teacher's eyes, Naruto did the same, marvelling at how much he was cared for.

Mizuki returned Iruka's blow with a fuma shuriken that caught the man in the meat of his right shoulder, making him cry out in pain. Thrown off balance, Iruka landed at the feet of his students, whose expressions both steeled.

Naruto, with determination in his eyes, firmed his stance and made the sign for his new jutsu, with a great cry of "Shadow clone jutsu!"

The clearing was swiftly filled with dozens of carbon copies of the blonde boy, each armed with the same kunai given by their sensei.

Mizuki didn't see it coming.

_____

In the aftermath, neither of the boys moved straight to genin rank, but the Hokage told them that should they pass their team assessments they would both receive credit, and payment, for an s-ranked mission. Iruka himself received both then and there.

So the next day, with about two hours of sleep under their belts, the boys left to their tests, finally understanding why people hated Naruto.

Why Gin was an outcast was still a mystery. The Hokage would have told them if it weren't for the fact that they had incredibly important tests the next day.

Instead they would learn that after their tests. Pass or fail.

-----

For once Naruto's excitement didn't wake him early, Gin had to rouse him in the morning and quickly forced him to eat something before he could protest. After scarfing down the eggs his brother prepared, Naruto booked it for the training field where he was supposed to meet his new team.

A few minutes later Ginjiro left as well with far less enthusiasm but just as much conviction. His teammates weren't there yet, despite the fact that it was nearing their appointed time to meet.

Leaning against a tree a little way from the path was his new teacher, who smiled brightly when he saw him.

Gin waved back, a tired smile forced on his face.

Surprisingly his teacher nodded sympathetically and patted his back.

Gin had to force down the immediate rush of satisfaction he felt, touch starved as he was. Instead of preening he sat on a stump and began to inspect his kunai, and his most recent addition, senbon needles.

He looked at his teacher and noticed he had the better quality set most shinobi sported.

Gin had those supplied for free from the village reserves so he was constantly looking them over and inspecting them for wear.

He found two senbon that had small cracks, likely just from being in his bag. He tucked those away where he could bring them to the forges.

By the time Toshiro and Hana finally arrived, he had five kunai and two more senbon singled out. The rest, about two dozen kunai and a bit over four dozen senbon, were packed readily in his pouches.

The cousins very clearly sneered at his shabby weapons and very indiscreetly flashed their brand new sets as they walked passed him. Gin didn't mind, as he knew that his skill with the projectiles was still the best out of his new "team".

Besides, they couldn't buy their way to a passing grade. He knew that, so why did he still hurt?

From his tree Inoichi silently took in the exchange, and Gin felt his earlier satisfaction instantly melt away as cold numbness crept up his mind like frost. He was just like other adults in the end. Just watching. Never helping. Judging.

Finally Inoichi spoke. "Tardiness doesn't exactly help you in life," he said, then suddenly deadpanned "unless you're an emotionally scarred jounin with no childhood of course."

"Today your exam will be simple. I've hidden information parcels throughout this

Training ground, you guys just have to find them, bring them together and deliver the final message to me before sundown." He stopped to smile slightly at the cousins.

"Which is why getting here earlier would have given you more time. But regardless, this exercise is to determine your future and whether I'll allow you to continue under my tutelage." His eyes became cold, but Gin felt so glacial it didn't even make him flinch. "So don't waste my time."

Hana hesitantly rose her hand and barely managed to ask her question in the suddenly cold atmosphere.

"How many parcels are there sir?"

"Who knows? In a mission you're never going to know exactly how many people you'll need to interrogate, or just who either." He remarked and leaned his head back against his tree, pointedly staring at the sun in the sky.

"Get going now."

And just like that Gin darted into the woods, a slight trail of frost behind him, and a patch of ice where he stood.