AN: This is for NaNoWriMo, though it's a late start. After November I'll be going back to spruce it up, but for now that means they'll be frequent updates as I try to make it to thirty thousand words, especially with a late start. I'll still be updating "The Choice" while working on this, so don't worry about abandonment. Fans of it already know how long updates between chapters are. Also if you see a mispelling please point it out, I probably won't fix it imediately, but when I'm going back through I'll correct this. I actually have quite a few ideas for this and really like the ideas for Sasuke's students. And unless I decide to make this really long, this will only be going through their starting out as Genin and sequels, including their Chunin Exams, will follow.
PROLOGUE:
The Health of a Friend
"How's he doing?" the Rokudaime Hokage asked, his normally cheerful face serious and his smiling blue eyes no longer smiling concerned. Surrounding him was the chaos of his desk, his paperwork seemingly thrown every which way in some mysterious sorting that only he understood. The coat he'd adopted soon after his appointment to Rokudaime, in a style quite similar to the Yondaime's, was pushed up to his elbows so the sleeves of his considerably toned down but still bright, black-and-orange outfit was visible. His big hat, which he loved showing off and had worn for three weeks straight after his appointment, was placed lovingly behind him on an empty shelf, used only for important meetings now for fear of damaging it. Spiky blond hair, slightly shaggier and longer now, framed a strong handsome face as the twenty-three year old waited for the answer.
The woman he was speaking to smiled softly, brushing a strand of short pink hair from her face. Her green eyes belied the assurance in it though, revealing her own worries. Her hair was still pulled back in a ponytail from wear she'd been working and her Chunin vest was worn snugly over her red shirt, a Medic bag strapped onto her above black pants, her heeled boots completing the outfit along with the Konohagakue hitai-ite worn over her forehead.
"He's fine. I left Matsu-san to keep an eye on him." Haruno Sakura assured her Hokage calmly, mind focused not on the wounds her patient had received, minor considering his position as an ANBU Captain and Hokage's bodyguard, but rather on what else she'd noticed.
Uzamaki Naruto, frowned knowing that there was a "but" in Sakura's speech and that his former teammate and best female friend was gathering her thoughts so she could explain the problem without a bunch of medical terms that would quite frankly give him a headache trying to understand. Medical Ninjutsu never was and never would be his forte.
"Naruto when was the last time Kitsune took a break?" Sakura asked bluntly, pointedly leaving out the name as was expected when discussing and ANBU member. Naruto considered the question a bad feeling in his stomach that had nothing to do with his tenant. Ever since the Fourth Shinobi War, Kurama really hadn't been much of a bother and they could almost be civil to each other bordering on friendly.
"I gave him one three months ago after that S-Class mission in Kumogakure." Naruto told her remembering how tired Kitsune had looked when he'd returned. Naruto had actually been afraid he would die right then and there and had basically forced the ANBU Captain, despite his protests, to take a mandatory three week vacation. He might not have liked it and had complained quite a bit, but he wouldn't go against a direct order from his Hokage.
Sakura gave him a disappointed look.
"Naruto is that the same vacation when you ran off to Sunagakure to visit Gaara and forgot to mention it to us leading to the largest manhunt in Shinobi history led by Kitsune?"
Naruto nod, inwardly flinching with guilt. He hadn't exactly left without warning. There had been a note on his desk that quite clearly stated he would kill someone if he didn't take a short break. He hadn't exactly expected it to take five days to discover thanks to the pure dumb luck of his Secretary coming to place a request for the termination of yet another Genin who'd annoyed the man. Naruto was rather sure it was the same Genin and honestly wondered how he'd gotten the fully trained ANBU, and former ROOT member to boot, to snap so completely he'd filed not one, but fifteen separate request for his immediate termination. While all this had been going on he'd been sand surfing and treasure hunting through old Sungakure ruins with Gaara, before he'd gotten word of his shinobi tearing up the country side and immediately headed home to demand what in the world they thought they were doing. He still had the bruises from the beating Sakura and Tsunade had given him for making them worry.
Sakura sighed scowling, but it quickly morphed into a frown which was more worrying. A scowl meant he needed to be prepared to take a beating like the grown man and Hokage he was, a frown meant something was wrong.
"I think he's overworking himself." Sakura confessed green eyes worried, face grave. "He's body is tired, but he insists on taking mission after mission. I know he'd never purposely endanger his team, but he isn't taking the breaks between necessary to help recover his strength. I honestly can't think of the last time I've seen him as anything other than Kitsune in the past year Naruto. I'm worried. If this keeps up he could work himself to death."
That was concerning, but perhaps not overly surprising considering who they were discussing. Naruto scowled, the unfamiliar expression feeling strange on his place. It's true they still had their bi-monthly spars (formally once or twice a day, but being Hokage came with sacrifices) but Naruto couldn't really remember seeing his friend without his mask in forever despite seeing him on a daily basis when Kitsune and his team weren't on missions.
"I can't just tell him to quite ANBU Sakura-chan. You know how he is. Besides he hasn't endangered anyone on his team or done anything severe enough to warrant removal if I'd wanted to. Hell, Dove was in her recently complaining about him mothering them." At the disbelieving expression Naruto grinned, but it didn't quite have its normal brightness considering the subject. "He apparently insists on them eating regularly and refuses to take them on missions if he doesn't think they're up to snuff. He actually forced Dove to take naps because he didn't think he'd been getting enough sleep. And he was the first to discover Boar was pregnant and request her maternity leave, though I doubt Dove would complain much about that."
"Yet he can't take care of himself." Sakura intoned looking frustrated and shaking her head. "It's good Sa-Kitsune takes his team's health so seriously, but he seems to be forgetting that his own health can affect the team the most."
Naruto nodded his face thoughtful as he considered. "It probably has at least something to do with Kabuto, ever since he surfaced again Kitsune's been frantic for even the slightest bit of information on him. He takes it personally."
Sakura's face darkened at the name. "It isn't that Kabuto is personal it's that Kitsune thinks he's a threat to you which is personal."
Naruto didn't comment, mind distracted by the dilemma he was presented with. Sakura waited recognizing the expression she'd become familiar with since Naruto became the Rokudaime.
Naruto couldn't remove Kitsune from his position for no reason. Kitsune wouldn't like it and would likely explode. Plus it would mean his friend would become antsy without something to preoccupy him and use up his energy. And a tightly bound Kitsune was a dangerous one if past experienced was too be believed. He did not want his friend to go nukenin again if he heard a rumor of Kabuto nearby and conveniently forgot to alert Naruto so Kitsune could safely avenge/protect Naruto without the blond accompanying him. Which Naruto would have definitely done if he heard anything concrete. In fact he'd probably reinstate Team Kakashi and bring the Konoha 11. The man was a crafty bastard and had managed to survive the Fourth Shinobi War intact and his sudden reappearance was troubling even without the risk of Orochimaru's resurrection thanks to Itachi. So how could he safely keep Sasuke bound to Konohagakure for a good long while, keep him preoccupied, and not make it seem like he was up to something, which his friend would sense.
Looking over the papers before him, but not really seeing them as he thought, Naruto's eyes wondered to the papers showing the recent Genin Team graduates that needed to be assigned Jonin. Naruto paused looking at the pile considering, but mind not fully comprehending the significance quite yet. Shikamaru, Naruto remembered suddenly, had asked for his first Genin Team as Asuma's child had finally graduated and Naruto had promised him the girl. It was a little strange to realize that his age group was old enough to take Genin, but then again at the same time it made perfect sense, shinobi usually didn't have long lives and most Jonin passed down their knowledge to the next generation while in their twenties. Suddenly something slid in Naruto's mind and two pieces fit together perfectly.
Smiling brightly to himself Naruto quickly snatched the pile of Genin Teams flipping through them until he found what he was looking for. He looked at the team before him pleased. They had sounded eerily familiar when he'd been reading through their file earlier. Team One. Members being Yotsuki Mariko, Yamanaka Fumihiko, and Baisotei Chise.
"A prodigy, a genius, and not quite dead last, but so average by comparison she might as well be." Naruto commented lightly looking up to see a shocked Sakura's expression morphing into something that was a mix of amusement and horror. "Sounds familiar doesn't it Sakura-chan?"
Humor finally won out and Sakura gave him an amused, but exasperated smile. "He'll kill you and if not he'll traumatize them so much they'll flee the ninja program faster than you the day you heard Ayame had convinced her father to turn Ichiraku's back to ramen."
"Sakura-chan have a little faith. If not in his abilities then at least in mine to not die."
Sakura just shook her head, but secretly she was relieved. In all honest it was a good move and if Naruto did something, no matter how strange it seemed, it always worked out. Besides it wasn't like Sasuke would kill the Genin. Right?
