I don't really like to put things before chapters, but I want to be very upfront with what this chapter is. I'm really writing this story as an exercise in improving my writing skill, it was never meant to be published on any website. I'm throwing this first (and possibly second) chapter out to get feedback on what I can do better, while I do plan to finish writing this story, the rest will not be uploaded until I'm done or mostly done with the whole thing. I don't want to be one of those authors who starts a project but never finishes it. If you like this story, then don't hold your breath for the next chapter as it might never come. If you REALLY like the idea, then you can pick up your own version of this story and write it yourself.
Now, don't get me wrong. If I finish this story I WILL upload the whole thing (probably a chapter a week or something) but it will be a long time before that happens.
Please, leave comments of what you like and don't in the reviews. I just urge that those comments be focused more on what I did right (or wrong) in terms of grammar, sentence structure, and general flowiness of the story. Telling me you like the direction the story is going is all fine, but I don't learn anything about what I can do better from it. If you don't like the direction the story is going, or if you find something unrealistic or stupid, PLEASE do not flame it. I do not care that you don't like the idea, nor will your opinions be taken into account as I continue writing. Save both of our time and just don't do it. (of course, if you present a logical argument of why something doesn't make sense or why you don't like something in the plot, I welcome your criticism)
Here's chapter one-
Anyone who ever stayed up late in Konoha would tell you that it's no strange sight to see the lights on in the Hokage's mansion. It was often that way ever since the village was founded, over one hundred years ago by the Shodaime Hokage. Everyone knew that it took an incredible amount of work and thought to run a place like Konoha, so to the citizens of Konoha it was just another normal night. The Sandaime Hokage knew better.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was a strong old man; definitely not one to be easily defeated by the inevitabilities of life. He was known as one of the most powerful men in the world, as much due to his prowess in battle as his political standing. In his long life, he'd seen wars fought and won. He led the largest hidden village in the world for more than a few decades, making him one of the oldest of any know kage. Despite all that, his old bones felt weighted down with the magnitude of the events just a few hours prior. He could scarcely remember the last time he felt this drained, but also knew it was foolish to believe that this day would never come. Konoha had many enemies, and it was only a matter of time before someone threatened the peace.
With that in mind, he'd prepared for any sort of attack many years ago. He liked to think he was always prepared if anyone threatened the village. The entire Anbu force could be ready at a moment's notice, on top of every genin, chunin, and jonin in the village trained to protect their beloved home. He trusted every shinobi in the village with his life.
Which was precisely why he was unprepared for an attack from within. He didn't want to believe that any Konoha shinobi was willing to betray the village. Did they not realize how good they had it? Had he neglected his duties to allow such a defector to fester and infect the minds of children?
Sarutobi released an involuntary sigh and stared once again into the crystal ball that sat atop his heavy oak desk, hoping to see something new within its glass surface. With the correct application of his chakra and a couple of simple hand seals, the perfectly round orb began to shimmer; as it had many times that night. It remained that way for almost thirty seconds, causing him to wonder if he'd used it too much. It was a very finicky device in that regard.
Those fears were dispelled when the shimmering gave way to complete blackness. Slowly he was able to see a few features form through the shadows; reminding him of how one's eyes would adjust in a dark room. In another couple of moments the ball fully focused to reveal a dark room, cluttered with empty ramen cups and randomly tossed articles of orange clothing. There was a simple bed in the middle of the room; just as mistreated as the rest of the place, with a single hunched over figure sitting at its foot.
He couldn't see Uzumaki Naruto's face; as his head was bowed in a position the old man had seen only too many times. The floor below his face was spattered with dark splotches, making apparent that the boy had been crying. It shouldn't have surprised him, he had seen the boy cry at least a few times before, but the scene just seemed… wrong.
Sarutobi remained like that for a while, simply watching the boy sit and rub his eyes free of new tears. Occasionally he heard - through the crystal ball - a quiet muttering. What was said, he couldn't tell, but he could probably take a good guess. As he continued his watching, the large double door at the front of the room creaked open and he heard the footsteps as a single person enter the room. The old man didn't bother to look up from the crystal ball; he already knew who it was.
"Hokage-sama," the man said respectfully before pausing for a moment, unsure of what he should do. When nothing seemed to come to mind, he simply walked to the older man's side and stared at the crystal ball as well. The Hokage allowed himself a brief reprise from his scrying to glance over at the other. Umino Iruka was his name, a chunin that taught at the academy and one of the only other shinobi present at the scene of that night's crime. He wore a simple black outfit, no doubt just some things he'd been given at the hospital while he was being treated. It was likely his usual uniform had been rendered unusable after the battle. His eyes betrayed a deep sorrow, something the old man hadn't quite expected. His hitai-ite was missing, but the Hokage knew it wasn't lost.
"I didn't know he was taking it so hard," began Iruka with a frown, his eyes reflecting the image within the ball. "Learning about the demon, it must have been more crushing than he let on earlier."
"No," replied the older man with a slow shake of his head. "I don't think the Kyuubi is the source of his grief." With a wave of his hand the image on the crystal ball shifted, for a moment remaining dark, but quickly reforming into yet another room. This one was brightly lit, with gleaming hardwood floors and pure white walls. It was larger than the other room as well, at least twice as big, with very few pieces of furniture, giving it a somewhat empty feel.
Almost immediately after the image formed, Iruka heard sobbing emanating from the ball, but couldn't see where the noise came from. It took him a few moments, but he eventually noticed the tiny form curled in the upper right corner of the room. Realization dawned upon the chunin as the little girl's sobs sometimes gave way to wails of distress. He searched the face of the Hokage for any type of emotion, but the old man's expression remained the same as it had been.
"Naruto isn't weak," The Sandaime said after an uncomfortably long pause. "Learning the truth about the Kyuubi might have shaken him, but I think he's more distressed about what happened to her." With another wave of his hand, the image within the crystal ball vanished and the sounds of crying stopped.
Iruka nodded in agreement, crossing his arms as he did so. It was part of being a shinobi to see your comrades in danger, but not at such a young age. Naruto wasn't anywhere near ready to witness something like that, not that anyone really was ready to see someone held hostage. While he sympathized with Naruto, he couldn't even imagine what it must have felt like for Hinata.
"Hiashi was furious," Sarutobi sighed, interrupting the chunin from his thoughts. "He would have left to track down Mizuki himself if I hadn't personally ordered him to stand down. I fear that he might take his anger out on Naruto, though I hope he is not so foolish."
"Is it that bad?" Iruka asked incredulously. Sarutobi simply snorted in disgust.
"His eldest daughter was held hostage at knifepoint," he growled. "Since he can't go after the one who did it, his only outlet is Naruto. He never held any kindness for the boy, and no doubt thinks that he forced his daughter to put herself in danger."
"Why not let him go, then?" asked Iruka. "Surely the Byakugan would have been helpful in the search, and it would get him out of the village for a long enough time."
"Because the search party had already left, and he was in no fit condition to operate within a team," the Hokage stated sternly, almost as if he was trying to convince himself as well. "You remember the incident with Kumo. He knew what killing that man would do, but his temper got the best of him; we can't afford something like that to happen again. While his judgment is clouded with rage it's best that he remain in the village. At least this way he must fear punishment for his actions, if he were out on the mission he could torture civilians with impunity if he felt it would help with the search." Iruka didn't look particularly convinced by his reasoning, but he didn't press on the subject any further.
The room remained mostly silent from that point on. Iruka's thoughts were heavy; mostly centering on how he could make the situation better for his students, but also wondering if they'd ever recover from the trauma. Minutes seemed to pass by incredibly slowly as he mulled over those thoughts.
"Have you decided what team he'll be on?" Iruka asked after a while. The change of subject seemed to lighten the Hokage's mood somewhat, as a small grin tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Yes, but there are a few issues we must address," he replied quickly. "Those we will get to later tonight, you needn't worry yourself with them now. As for Naruto's assignment, I have decided to place him on Hatake Kakashi's team along with Uchiha Sasuke." Iruka frowned in thought, not entirely sure if that was such a wonderful idea.
"That would put him with Haruno Sakura as well, correct?" Iruka seemed to remember the kunoichi being placed on Sasuke's team. He was sure Naruto would be thrilled at that prospect at least.
"Perhaps," Sarutobi muttered thoughtfully. "I've been thinking on that matter, we'll sort it out tonight; when the jonin get here."
"The jonin?" asked Iruka.
"I sent my Anbu out to gather a few jonin," the old man replied. "They should be here soon."
"What about Hinata?" the chunin asked.
"She has experienced something that would drive even experienced chunin into emotional turmoil," he replied evenly. "From what I've gathered, she believes that she failed to the highest degree. The Hyuuga push perfection onto all of their offspring, as such, being unable to capture Mizuki would be viewed as a significant failure on her part. Since she was held hostage, it will likely be much worse than that. In the eyes of the Hyuuga she has shown the ultimate weakness in the main branch, and it has made her doubt herself more than ever." The detail in which the older man understood the girl's suffering surprised Iruka, he was relatively sure he couldn't gather all of that information by only one night of watching her. Then again, the man had at least fifty years of being Hokage to understand these things. Perhaps that was just one of the gifts that made him fit to lead?
"So, she'll be taken off duty?" It was the only course of action that made sense to Iruka, even if he regretted seeing the shy girl denied the position she had just earned. To his surprise, the Hokage didn't reply right away.
"Possibly," he said after a long period of thought. "But I think it would be counterproductive to do so. She already thinks that she failed her family and herself; if we take her off duty she will only see it as failing her village as well."
"So what should we do?" Iruka asked.
"I've been thinking about an adjustment to the teams that could make this easier for her," Sarutobi replied in a distant tone, as if contemplating a great mystery. Another awkward silence followed and Iruka sensed that this wasn't the time to ask any more questions, even though thousands of them burned at the back of his mind. He figured that they would be answered after the jonin arrived, but until then he would suffer.
He didn't have to wait very long at all, much to his relief. It had only been a few minutes when the large window at the other end of the room suddenly opened, allowing a gust of wind to shoot through the room and causing a few papers to free themselves from the desk. They must have not been important, because the Hokage didn't deem it necessary to retrieve them. Through the now opened window entered the first of the jonin.
Iruka recognized the man from last year's graduation, not that he could ever forget the green spandex clad shinobi, nor his thick black eyebrows; which were probably wider than both of his thumbs combined. His hair was in a very neat black bowl cut that seemed to reflect an impossible amount of light in the dim room. If memory served him correctly, his name was Maito Gai.
"Punctual as always, Gai-san," the Hokage commented, without turning his head to look at the jonin.
"Forgive me, Hokage-sama!" replied the man, his voice booming loudly. "I would have been here earlier, but I was finishing my two thousand and ninth lap of the village when your summon reached me. My youth demanded that I finish my two thousand and twentieth lap before coming here!" Iruka wasn't sure he believed this incredibly loud man was a jonin.
"There's no need to apologize," the old man assured him. "You're still the first jonin to arrive. You may take a seat and wait for the others if you wish." Gai shook his head and flashed the Hokage an impossibly bright grin.
"And waste my youth by sitting around doing nothing? I think not!" the strange man boomed, by this time Iruka was positive every person in the vicinity had been woken from their sleep. Gai didn't seem to share his concern as he walked over to the largest patch of empty floor he could find and started doing a blindingly fast flurry of one handed pushups.
"If I cannot do at least five hundred pushups before the next person arrives, then I will do five thousand pull ups with boulders tied to my feet!" The man's claim was ludicrous, but he didn't seem to share Iruka's thoughts. He continued to pump out pushups like a mad man.
Shaking his head, the chunin turned his gaze back towards the Hokage, who watched the sight as if it were a normal occurrence.
Throughout the course of the next several minutes, two more jonin arrived. The first was a black haired woman with a strange white dress that appeared to be made of a single long strip of cloth wrapped in an incredibly complex fashion, while the second Iruka recognized as the Hokage's son, Sarutobi Asuma. Upon entrance, each jonin nodded respectfully to the Hokage before taking their seats, ignoring the sight of Maito Gai as he continued to belt out pushups like a machine.
'Am I the only one who thinks he's strange?' Iruka wondered, unable to take his eyes off of the man no matter how hard he tried. He wasn't sure how many pushups the green clad shinobi had done, but since he appeared uninterested in stopping he must not have reached his quota yet.
"Sixhundred!" Gai shouted at last, though Iruka knew there was no way that was possible; it had barely been five minutes since he started. "My youth burns brightly tonight if I can surpass my goals! Tomorrow I shall double up on every single one of my exercises in celebration!" Iruka put his palm to his forehead and shook his head in disbelief, still unable to grasp why none of the others even seemed to notice this behavior.
"Thank you all for coming at this late hour," the Hokage said in a powerful voice, snapping Iruka out of his thoughts. He knew the man well enough to know that he only spoke this way when talking about important business or missions. "I assume you were told why you've been summoned." The three jonin didn't speak up, which meant they had.
"That's good," nodded the old man, normally he wouldn't have to worry about the Anbu delivering his messages, but when Naruto was involved they sometimes allowed his orders to 'slip their mind.' Only Iruka looked confused, but he would catch on soon. "Then you are all aware that while Kakashi is out on his mission to retrieve the traitor Mizuki and the forbidden scroll, his team will require a temporary instructor." Sarutobi anticipated this to raise questions, so he paused to allow them to voice their concerns. Not surprisingly, it was the female jonin, Kurenai, who spoke up first.
"That's what I don't understand," she said with a hint of confusion in her voice. "I know the importance of a temporary sensei, but all of us already have teams of our own to deal with. How are we at all relevant in this discussion?" Sarutobi nodded, but waited to see if anyone else had a question. When none of them spoke up, he continued.
"Usually I would assign his team to a free jonin until Kakashi returned and that would be that," he said with a slight shrug. "But this situation is somewhat unique, in more than one way, and I needed to gather jonin I know I could trust with this task." The flattery seemed to affect Gai the most, as his eyes suddenly lit up with pride. Kurenai and Asuma remained mostly composed, even if the former seemed a little surprised.
"It's because of the Uzumaki kid, isn't it?" asked Asuma casually, while kicking his feet up and leaning back in his chair.
"Partially," Sarutobi admitted. "Even among the jonin, there are some who wouldn't want to train the boy. A few might even show outright hostility. I'm confident that won't be a problem with any of you."
"That doesn't change the fact that we all have teams of our own already," Kurenai reminded him with a raised eyebrow. "Nor does it explain why all three of us are here." Sarutobi smiled approvingly, he always loved when people couldn't figure out his plans. Definitely no small feat considering that these were some of the most talented jonin in Konoha.
"That is because I'm trying something… unique this time," he replied, keeping his voice just as professional as before. "Kakashi's Anbu team has informed me that they are in pursuit of Mizuki. The traitor is proving elusive, and there is evidence that he is with… troublesome company. As such, Kakashi has estimated that the mission will be completed in no fewer than two weeks, more than likely even longer than that. His genin team, in the meantime, will be rotated amongst all three of you until he returns." Looks of realization seemed to settle amongst the jonin, but for Iruka it only raised more questions.
"All three of them?" he asked incredulously. "I don't think that's a wise choice, without the stability of a single sensei, the three might be overwhelmed and confused by the constant shifting."
"As I stated before, this is a bit unique and something of an experiment. There is a good chance that this method of training might not be effective." Iruka was surprised to hear the Hokage admit this so easily, and was about to ask another question before the old man continued. "However, it is my opinion that this method will give them a stronger base in the shinobi arts. Having access to multiple instructors with a wide variety of specialties, I believe they will progress faster than teams with only one jonin instructor." This seemed to satisfy Iruka enough to keep his thoughts to himself, but he could tell that the chunin didn't think highly of the idea. Kurenai on the other hand, nodded with agreement.
"It's an interesting arrangement," she said while deep in thought. "Training them alongside our other genin will also allow us to work on teamwork, since we can place them against each other in activities. I haven't taken on a genin team before, but I've heard teamwork is one of the largest issues most Jonin have. My only question is the order in which they will switch, and if it will be on a daily bases or not."
"They would rotate each day," Sarutobi replied evenly. "That simply leaves the order up to decision."
"I volunteer to take my eternal rivals team first!" Gai bellowed as he entered his famous pose, giving both a thumb up and a blindingly reflective smile. "I will fan their flames of youth until they touch the sky! Kakashi shall see the true power of a genius of hard work!"
Iruka was beginning to wonder if the man had a volume switch on him somewhere, since the close proximity to the spandex clad man left his ears ringing. Once again, the others didn't seem to see this as anything out of the ordinary. How could anyone get used to that behavior?
"That will not be necessary, Gai-san," The Hokage said casually, causing the green shinobi to fall to his face. He muttered something about his flames being stamped out. "As it happens, I've already come up with an order which I believe is ideal. You may debate it if you wish, but I would have Kurenai take them the first day, followed by Gai and Asuma respectively." If Gai was displeased by the order of things, he didn't show it. Iruka wondered if he had simply resigned to his fate, or if he respected the Hokage's judgment enough to not second guess it.
"I think that's a good choice," Kurenai said, nodding in agreement. "It would be awkward for a brand new team to be picked up on their first day by an already established one. This way they will be more comfortable with their classmates, and will be started out all at the same level." Sarutobi acknowledged her reasoning with a quick nod; those were the exact same thoughts he had while constructing this plan.
"I don't mean any offense, but I don't think Gai-san is right for this task." Asuma said, surprising both the other jonin, who were used to him not speaking up at these types of meetings. Gai had a curious expression on his face, but he didn't seem offended, nor did he interrupt the other jonin. "We all know of his intense training methods; which could end up hurting Kakashi's team, plus the introduction of three new rookies could throw off the pace he's already set with his current team."
"Gai-san, do you share these concerns?" the Hokage asked, he hadn't overlooked that question himself, but was sure Gai would be capable of it. Nonetheless, he was curious to see how Gai would respond. He seemed to consider Asuma's words for a few moments and rubbed his chin in thought. In a much more professional tone than earlier, he answered.
"No, I don't think it will be too much of an issue. Neji and Tenten both do very minimal training with Lee and I, as is their choice. As such, the new genin will be with only Lee most of the time, so they will not throw off our own exercises too much. It is true that I will work them hard, but no harder than they are willing to work themselves." Gai allowed himself another few moments to think a little bit more, before continuing. "Plus, Kakashi's team seems mostly up to the challenge. Uchiha Sasuke is a genius not unlike Neji, and will likely require the challenge of a more advanced team for his flames of youth to reach their fullest. Uzumaki Naruto I know little about, but from what I've heard he seems like a hardworking young man, if not a little misguided. The only issues I see would be with their teammate, Haruno Sakura. She is bright and definitely has a good amount of potential in both ninjutsu and genjutsu, but her flames don't burn as brightly as her teammate's."
"Thank you for your honest assessment," the Hokage said in a thoughtful voice, wondering just how Gai managed to get ahold of the roster to know who was on Kakashi's team. Then again, where Kakashi was involved, Gai was usually an expert on the subject. "I have been considering replacing Haruno Sakura for a while, as her abilities might be better suited elsewhere. Team seven is intended to be a hard hitting combat team, but she really doesn't fit that role."
"Who would be replacing her, then?" asked Kurenai, she knew that last minute adjustments to the roster could force several teams to be changed, as a simple tradeoff between two teams rarely worked to balance them. She was concerned that a major switch would jeopardize her own team.
"I have someone in mind," the old man assured them. "But I will need a bit more time to think it over. In the meantime are there any more questions or suggestions?"
For the next half hour, Sarutobi heard the various concerns of each of the jonin present. Occasionally Iruka threw in a question or a couple of words to describe the personalities of the rookie genin, as he knew them better than the jonin present. All things considered, Sarutobi thought that the meeting went very well. He had expected at least one of them to object, and in all honesty didn't have a backup plan if that should happen. Fortunately, each of them appeared rather interested in how this exercise would turn out. All but Iruka seemed to think that it would benefit team seven, but the chunin he stood by his position that it would be too complicated for the genin to learn effectively. It would have made things easier if anything like this had been tried before, but as far as Sarutobi could tell this was the first time it had been attempted in any hidden village.
'Perhaps if this goes well, we can implement a system for all future graduates to rotate instructors?' The idea appealed to Sarutobi, but there would be many issues to sort out in order to launch a program on that scale. He hoped to be retired again before taking on anything on that scale.
Thoughts of the team arrangements aside, he couldn't seem to take his mind off both Naruto and Hinata. He was sure the former would come to terms with everything that happened; it was one of the baffling qualities that the boy harbored. Hinata, however, was far more fragile. That fragile nature was making things incredibly difficult for him, but as hard as it was, he knew getting Kurenai to agree with it would be even harder still. Of course he could always make it an order, but didn't want to force anyone to do anything.
A question from Gai about how a group of six would take on missions snapped the Hokage from his thoughts, and he was forced to come up with an answer.
"D rank missions shouldn't be a problem. On the days that you have team seven, you'll simply have a larger group to complete the missions with. Of course, the pay will be split up between all of you, but that shouldn't be a problem," the Hokage stopped to think about how higher rank missions would be handled; somewhat annoyed with himself for not considering this earlier. "I suppose you just won't be able to accept missions that require you leave the village for days at a time, at least not until Kakashi returns." Of course, Sarutobi knew it would be an issue if the worst were to happen and Kakashi didn't return from his mission. Those weren't thoughts for that moment though, and he quickly banished them from his mind.
The meeting went on for another couple of minutes, mostly on the topic of how the jonin would juggle their team and team seven's needs. It was a rather dull discussion that Sarutobi had very little part in, since it pertained to the teaching styles of the individual jonin more than anything. After that discussion Asuma decided it was time to leave, which seemed to remind the others how late it had become. Iruka left shortly after Asuma, followed by Gai. The latter claiming something about his flames requiring to be rekindled through a good night's rest. Soon only Kurenai was left.
"Thank you for staying, Kurenai," Sarutobi said, though he knew it wasn't of her own will.
"It is no problem, Hokage-sama," she replied respectfully. "But I'm curious as to why you requested me to stay longer than the rest."
"Hyuuga Hinata." His gaze was as serious as it had ever been that night, and it was all the old man had to do to make her frown with realization.
"I thought so…" she muttered. "Please, ask what you need to know, I can tell you about her mental state to the best of my ability."
"I'm fully aware of her mental state," he said, glancing down at the crystal ball that sat atop his desk. "This is about how we should go about making things right for her. You know as well as I that taking her off active duty will only make things worse." Kurenai's expression shifted to one of deep sorrow, but she managed to nod in agreement. "However, I can't just act as if nothing happened. The truth of the matter is that she's emotionally compromised. She probably was before this incident, but now it is far beyond what we can ignore."
"I know," replied Kurenai, shaking her head. "I will make sure that she is taken care of, I know her fairly well, so I might be able to help her through this."
"I have no doubt of that. If it were within my power I would have had her removed from the Hyuuga clan and placed under your care long ago." Kurenai's eyes widened and her expression was one of shock unlike the old man had ever seen on her before. "But even as good as you are to the girl, you cannot help her. Not this time."
"Why not?" Kurenai almost gasped. She seemed to catch herself and managed to regain her composure. Still, Sarutobi could tell that his words worried her. "I am as close to her as any person since she doesn't have any friends to confide in, and we both know her family won't help."
"Come here, I wish to show you something." Without waiting for her to move, Sarutobi made a few seals in order to activate his crystal ball. Unlike last time, however, it hardly took any time at all to come into focus. That was because the images forming were those of an event that had already happened, and required much less energy to create. "I warn you, this may be hard to watch."
Kurenai, with a solemn expression, peered into the ball.
"Dispel the jutsu, Naruto!" Mizuki shouted with a crazy look in his eye. "Dispel it or I kill this girl!"
"No! Don't!" Naruto shouted, extending an open hand as if to grab onto the unconscious girl and pull her to safety. His clones stood by, completely dumbfounded, as the exchange went on.
"I knew you wouldn't!" Mizuki screamed, completely insane. "A demon like you could NEVER feel anything for another human! I'll kill the girl and you won't even flinch!"
"No!" shouted Naruto, and instantly the forest was rocketed by a blast of smoke as each of his clones vanished into nothingness. "I got rid of them, just let her go!"
At that moment, the dark haired girl in Mizuki's arms began to stir. Her eyes flickered open, and at first she looked around without understanding what was going on.
"Look, she's awake," Mizuki said in a clear, far too cheerful voice. "How convenient. You'll get to feel it when you die."
The girl looked down and felt cold metal against her neck, her eyes widened in shock and her irises narrowed into tiny circles and she screamed in terror.
The image in the ball warped and began to vanish as it started to form a new scene.
Hinata sat curled up in the center of her room, unable to stop the tears that flowed from her eyes. Balled in her fist was a single piece of bright orange fabric stained along one edge with red, her tears fell onto it as she sobbed and held back the wails and moans that threatened to escape her every second, she failed more often than she succeeded.
"N-Naruto…kun," she said in between hiccups. "I-I-I'm s-sorry."
"Enough! Please!" Kurenai's voice cut through the image, just before it faded to blackness.
"I didn't show you everything," Sarutobi said, allowing for very little time to get ahold of herself. "I didn't want this to take too long, since the crystal ball is almost at its limit already. Naruto managed to get Hinata away from Mizuki when Iruka threw a few shuriken to distract him, though Naruto was stabbed in the arm during the attempt. Mizuki used the time that Naruto was busy making sure Hinata was alright to escape. Someone was waiting for him at the edge of the village and they used a reverse summoning to escape with the scroll."
"Why did you show me that?" she asked, forcing herself to remain calm despite the white hot rage that bubbled up within her gut.
"Because, it reveals something," the Hokage stated. "I've been watching both Naruto and Hinata ever since the accident. Through her crying she has only said one thing; Naruto's name." Kurenai closed her eyes as she realized what the Hokage suggested in that statement.
"You want her to replace Sakura?" It was more of a statement than a question, nevertheless, Sarutobi answered.
"Yes. She is devastated that she failed to protect Naruto, and that he was injured trying to rescue her. I think the only person that could help her now is him. Her admiration is as clear as day now, if we give her another chance to redeem herself with him she might be able to pull herself away from this."
"What if he doesn't acknowledge her?" Kurenai argued. "He could just as easily make this worse if he resents her for what happened, he might think it was her fault that Mizuki escaped."
"Naruto isn't like that," the Hokage assured her in a very powerful voice. "He grew up a lot like she did, being shunned by the entire village just as she has been shunned by her clan. Underneath his pranks and loud demeanor, he is just as insecure as she is. He hides it better, obviously, but I fear he is almost at the end of that rope. If anyone could understand her enough to help her through this, it is Naruto."
"A similar upbringing won't guarantee anything," Kurenai spat. She knew she was out of line, but didn't care. "There is a chance to save her from this; if we waste it on a gamble like this then we might lose her."
"Naruto will not blame her for this," Sarutobi responded as calmly as he could. "Throughout all the harsh treatment and hatred he has seen, Naruto has never shown an ounce of resentment to anyone who doesn't deserve it. The fact that Hinata tried to help him is the most acknowledgement he's ever gotten from one of his classmates. He won't even think to put the blame on Hinata, not when she helped when he needed it most. Regardless of the outcome."
"Can you guarantee that?" Kurenai asked, forcing herself to calm down. She was only partially successful.
"I wouldn't do this if I thought there were a better option, but I cannot guarantee anything," he replied. "You know I wouldn't take any risks here, not when it comes to her daughter." Kurenai's anger suddenly vanished; she turned her eyes away from the Hokage and tried to fake being upset. She didn't succeed.
"Damn you old man," she said, but the fury had gone from her voice. "Damn you for bringing her into this. You know that I can't refuse now."
"I'm not trying to bribe you," Sarutobi said with more sorrow than he intended. "We both owe her our lives, I wouldn't use her to gain leverage over your decision."
"Is it possible to put Naruto on my team instead?" Kurenai asked, though she sounded like she already knew the answer."
"You know the reasons why it wouldn't work," Sarutobi told her. "Team eight is recon specialized and Naruto has absolutely no talent in that area, he would drag the team down with him. He's not stupid, either. He would know it was his fault if the team failed, and I can't put him into that situation." He could see the pained look in Kurenai's expression, but could think of no way to make this any easier for her.
"I could train Naruto to be effective at recon," she said. At this point, Sarutobi was sure she knew she was fighting a losing battle. Still, he answered.
"You could, of that I have no doubt," he admitted. "But he will never be as good as Shino or Kiba, not without many years of practice at least. However, just like Naruto would bring down team eight, Sakura would bring down team seven. She shows far more promise in recon than Naruto, perhaps even more promise than Sasuke. Switching her and Hinata is the only logical move we can make, since the Jyuuken will fit a heavy hitting team like team seven perfectly. The only downside is that team eight won't have the Byakugan, but it is hardly an essential piece while an Aburame and Inuzuka are on the same team." Try as she might, Kurenai could not flaw the Hokage's argument. She definitely tried though, barraging him with a hailstorm of "what ifs" and "How about." It took Sarutobi a good ten minutes to get through all of her objections, before she finally seemed convinced.
"I understand, Hokage-sama," she said, trying to force a professional expression, which she failed at rather miserably. Her voice wavered slightly, also betraying the emotion she felt. "Regardless of how I feel, this will be better for her… I won't be so selfish to deny her this opportunity simply because of my wants."
"That is very wise of you," Sarutobi said sympathetically, giving the jonin a faint smile. "You will have at least a few lessons with her, and no doubt will still see her even after Kakashi-san returns. Make the most out of that time, just because you won't be her full time sensei doesn't mean you can't be a role model."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," she said, somewhat more in control of herself this time. "I will do my best to help her through this."
"I know you will," he replied. "Now go get some rest. You'll certainly have to come up with a lesson plan."
And that's the end of that. Tell me what you think, what I can do better, what I did well, and anything else of that nature. If you like the idea enough to take up your own story, please tell me in the reviews so I can read it. Hopefully I can finish this story up and publish the rest, but please don't PM me asking "When will the next chapter be out?" I don't know the answer.
And if you really want to waste a portion of your life flaming this story, then expect me to ignore your very existence as an insignificant speck in my life. You will receive no attention, no reply, and no thought. I probably won't read your review past the point where I realize it's a flame. Seriously, you have better things to do than that.