Right, been a while since I made a post in this section, but I thought this idea to worthy of discussion.
I've seen the idea before that the genin that pass the Academy exam and the test set by the jounin sensei are the elite genin, considered by the system and the other shinobi to be fast-tracked prodigies.
But that doesn't properly account for the numbers of active duty ninja. So there must be a large number of 'regular' shinobi out there that don't enter the system in the elite manner. So, then, how?
Naruto failed the Academy exam 3 times. This is sometimes taken to mean he was held back(but he's the same age as his graduating class). Other times it means that he took the exam early(but why didn't anyone else - or did they and their failures not mentioned). I propose that it was the second meaning. He opted to try earlier, and perhaps others did too but their failures went unremarked. The optional exam is offered every year and those that pass are assigned to teams under a jounin-sensei. Those that fail the jounin-sensei test are sent back to the Academy, those that pass are elite genin.
Why did the rookie 12 all graduate in the same year? Perhaps it's tradition for most to start trying in that year and the results were uncommonly high due to all the clan heirs.
The core of my idea extends out from the optional exam. What happens if you don't take the optional exam? At what point is the optional exam made mandatory to keep from expending resources on people that will never make it? My suggestion is that at age 16, a final exam is given. Those that pass it are awarded the rank of genin. Those that fail are drummed out of the shinobi program and there are no retakes or appeals at that point.
These genin are not assigned jounin sensei. The last two years of the Academy are much more practical than the earlier years and the final exam graduates are talented enough to jump right into doing D-rank missions and are able to sign up to make themselves available to be tapped for C-ranks led by a Chunin.
So, what do these older and less talented genin generally do? They're the admin ninja, the librarian ninja, the couriers, and so on. They're the ones that do the vast majority of the D-ranks and a significant portion of C-ranks. They're the ones that get stuck with guard duty and patrols.
How are they promoted? Most never get promoted and retire to start families in their twenties or thirties. Those that do are promoted by fulfilling the requirements. Age, missions completed(X number of C-ranks), and written exams. No Chunin Exams for these folks, that's only for elites as only jounin sensei can enter a team in them. Also, Chunin is as high as they can go. No jounin or special jounin come from the rank and file, as they're not considered to be strong enough to protect the secrets that come with those ranks. However, they can be recruited for ANBU and is where most ANBU come from. ANBU squad leaders and captains are selected from elites, though.
The Hokage can only be appointed from elites too, btw.
Anyway, that's the idea. What do you all think? It's not enough for a full story, obviously, but a lot of worldbuilding never makes it into a story directly, only indirectly.
I've seen the idea before that the genin that pass the Academy exam and the test set by the jounin sensei are the elite genin, considered by the system and the other shinobi to be fast-tracked prodigies.
But that doesn't properly account for the numbers of active duty ninja. So there must be a large number of 'regular' shinobi out there that don't enter the system in the elite manner. So, then, how?
Naruto failed the Academy exam 3 times. This is sometimes taken to mean he was held back(but he's the same age as his graduating class). Other times it means that he took the exam early(but why didn't anyone else - or did they and their failures not mentioned). I propose that it was the second meaning. He opted to try earlier, and perhaps others did too but their failures went unremarked. The optional exam is offered every year and those that pass are assigned to teams under a jounin-sensei. Those that fail the jounin-sensei test are sent back to the Academy, those that pass are elite genin.
Why did the rookie 12 all graduate in the same year? Perhaps it's tradition for most to start trying in that year and the results were uncommonly high due to all the clan heirs.
The core of my idea extends out from the optional exam. What happens if you don't take the optional exam? At what point is the optional exam made mandatory to keep from expending resources on people that will never make it? My suggestion is that at age 16, a final exam is given. Those that pass it are awarded the rank of genin. Those that fail are drummed out of the shinobi program and there are no retakes or appeals at that point.
These genin are not assigned jounin sensei. The last two years of the Academy are much more practical than the earlier years and the final exam graduates are talented enough to jump right into doing D-rank missions and are able to sign up to make themselves available to be tapped for C-ranks led by a Chunin.
So, what do these older and less talented genin generally do? They're the admin ninja, the librarian ninja, the couriers, and so on. They're the ones that do the vast majority of the D-ranks and a significant portion of C-ranks. They're the ones that get stuck with guard duty and patrols.
How are they promoted? Most never get promoted and retire to start families in their twenties or thirties. Those that do are promoted by fulfilling the requirements. Age, missions completed(X number of C-ranks), and written exams. No Chunin Exams for these folks, that's only for elites as only jounin sensei can enter a team in them. Also, Chunin is as high as they can go. No jounin or special jounin come from the rank and file, as they're not considered to be strong enough to protect the secrets that come with those ranks. However, they can be recruited for ANBU and is where most ANBU come from. ANBU squad leaders and captains are selected from elites, though.
The Hokage can only be appointed from elites too, btw.
Anyway, that's the idea. What do you all think? It's not enough for a full story, obviously, but a lot of worldbuilding never makes it into a story directly, only indirectly.