Prologue
Disclaimer: I do not own the manga Naruto, nor any of the characters therein. Further, I am not currently, nor will I ever, earn any money from this work of fiction.
Five years after the Kyuubi no Yokou attack
The shadows stretched long across the landscape as the Hokage sat in his office, burning the midnight oil. There were many benefits and curses to being the leader of a shinobi village, especially one as large as Konohagakure no Sato. Even now, one of those curses was coming back to haunt him. Years ago, he allowed the village council to assume control of many of the responsibilities around the village to make things easier for him in his old age and just after the Kyuubi attack. Now, he seriously regretted putting such faith in them. Several hours ago, he had received another report of the death of a genin squad while their sensei had been busy fighting the toughest opponent. These particular genin had even fallen victim to simple bandits, led by a nuke-nin from Kumogakure no Sato. Growing increasingly frustrated with the rising number of genin deaths, he ordered his secretary to bring the shinobi academy curriculum for review. The results shocked him to his core.
Further, they fucking angered him. Those bastards on the council would pay. 'Flower Arranging for Kunoichi? Whose ass did that one come out of? Even worse, all these students are held to such low physical standards. It's even worse with the jutsu requirements! Seriously, has the council sat on their asses so long that they forgot that we need to give our shinobi a broader base than Kawarimi no Jutsu, Bunshin no Jutsu and Henge no Jutsu?' As these thoughts raced through the Sandaime's head, the old, forgotten fire slowly came to life in his eyes. No more would he be the pansy catering to the whims of the council. There was no time like the present to bring back the fucking God of Shinobi. He summoned several ANBU, ordering as soon as they gathered, "Assemble the council. Do not take no for an answer. You are authorized to use any non-lethal means you desire." The malicious gleams that shone through the eyeholes of the ANBU masks before their owners left only served to verify in the Sandaime's mind that the council needed a serious reminder.
As the Sandaime strolled through the doors of the council chambers, the din of arguing council members grew to an outright roar. One of the civilian councilwomen screeched over the others, "Hokage-sama, it is the middle of the night! This had better be important to gather us all from our much deserved sleep!" Obviously, this woman was Haruno Okkuu. Her daughter, Sakura, was scheduled to make the transition from civilian to shinobi academy in two years. It had been required for all upcoming shinobi to first go through a few years of civilian academy to learn the most basic of the basics: mathematics, history, geography, etc.
The Hokage's response surprised everyone in the room. Hell, it damn near gave them all a heart attack. Faster than the civilians could see, he drew a kunai from somewhere within his robes and launched it directly at the woman. As it embedded itself into her arm and her screams started, the Hokage released enough killing intent (KI) that even the clan heads had to take a few deep breaths to remain conscious. The thunderous roar of conversation immediately died. Dropping the KI down to a barely felt maliciousness, he finally spoke - sarcasm falling like a flood off his voice, "Council members of Konoha, so good of you to join me. I have come here to correct a mistake that has been brought to my attention. It seems the academy is too lenient. Therefore, you're all fired. The council is hereby disbarred."
The shrieks grew even louder than before as he turned to leave the room. He looked back once, and only once, to say, "Never forget that this is a military dictatorship. As such, I own all of your asses. Cross me again, in any way, and you will die."
Over the next two weeks, the populace would periodically witness several people being called to the Hokage's office. Some walked back out through the same entrance they had used, but never the same way. Others... Well, they discovered the glorious experience of flying through a window and landing face first on the ground three stories below. Either way, the Hokage made damn sure that his new plan would be carried out to the letter. No more would his genin be the laughingstock of the universe. He swore his recently rediscovered pair on it.
Author's Notes: I will not reveal anything about the new set-up for the academy until the next chapter. Also, all changes to the academy will take effect starting with Sasuke and Sakura's class. All previous classes will continue as is for the most part. Some changes will be partially applied to the previous years. On another note, if you don't understand the last sentence of the story, go ask someone else.
Translations: This section will only include new terms. Those familiar with the world of Naruto should have no trouble with the rest.
Okkuu - Annoying