2

Junko didn't get the chance to escape at the end of the meeting like she planned. The solemn, croaking voice of the Sandaime stopped her before she could with a simple, "Junko" and a gesture for her to remain. Her first thought was, dammit. She'd talked back to him in front of everyone and now she was gonna get it. She could almost feel the sweat starting to gather at the thought about being punished by the friendly neighborhood military dictator after direct insubordination in front of every high ranking official in the village.

She really hadn't thought this through had she.

With a reluctance that was now doubt clear to all the curious eyes watching her, Junko stepped out of the departing crowd to step towards the Sandaime's desk. She assumed the position she was used to when confronted with the man. Eyes firmly fixed on the symbol for "fire" on the front of his desk, back straight, and hands behind her back standing at the ready in a military way that her sensei had long instilled in her to avoid fidgeting.

He didn't speak until she felt the last chakra presence leave the room. Well, excluding the four ANBU who were hidden discreetly out of view. But it was considered impolite to mention their presence, especially when she suspected they thought they were well hidden.

"Let's go for a walk." the man said and Junko had to look up at that non sequitur.

"Hokage-sama?" Junko asked, confused and sure she'd heard him wrong. All she received in reply was a kindly smile that did not put her at ease. As the man stood she realized she couldn't exactly run away from the Sandaime and followed behind him pulling at the edge of her black sleeves.

They left the Administrative Building and headed into Konoha Proper without a word. Junko was too caught up in the thought that the Sandaime was leading her to a quiet place to dispose of her to recognize the path they were taking until they had reached an eerily familiar apartment building. It was in the poor side of the Village Proper, the part that had face the most destruction during the Kyuubi Attack. Many who had lived there beforehand had died and most had been reluctant to move back. Now it was mostly filled with lower income citizens who had wanted to move to better housing despite the unfortunate location, immigrants, and orphan housing. Mostly Academy bound and Genin if Junko recalled precisely.

The area itself was one Junko routinely avoided and was familiar purely for the fact that Junko had memorized it as part of her twelve year ban on certain areas of the village. She stiffened instinctively and the Sandaime noticed.

"You recognize it then." the Sandaime said and without another word jumped to the second floor. Junko followed and found the Sandaime taking out a key for one of the apartments.

Junko only hesitated a moment before following him in.

It was a pigsty. A cramped little apartment with two rooms and what appeared to be a half-bath in the hallway connecting them. The small bedroom was a mess. The bed was half made with an orange cover thrown haphazardly over it. Scrolls left open, dirty clothes hanging around one corner, and empty ramen cups scattered the floors. She could see the cracks in the drywall from the entrance of the apartment and noticed the kunai and shuriken that lay across the dresser on top of a few more scrolls. There was a stuffed garbage bag in one corner. A clothesline spread from one side of the wall to the other with a few pieces hanging from the fraying. The only well cared for things in the room was the small planter settled securely in the corner and a potted tree beside the bed.

The kitchen, where the Sandaime instantly diverted to, was much worse. Dirty dishes piled the surfaces in the room, mostly bowls that looked caked with left overs from ramen. More ramen cups set piled next to a half eaten bag of chips. Another garbage bag full and tied was in this room. The sink was full and the refrigerator no doubt empty if she'd dared to look. The entire room had a slightly clinging smell of mold and dirt. The milk left out on the table and the loaf of bread left open made her twitch. She couldn't resist the urge to tie up the bag rather than leave it there to stale. Yet again she noticed, as the laid the bread back down, there was the presence of well cared for house plants around the room.

The Sandaime, who sat at the table ignoring the filth, looked amused at her clear unease.

"This is Uzumaki's home." Junko finally said, eyeing the milk and realizing the Sandaime was waiting for her to speak. She deliberately used the boy's surname this time.

"Yes," the Sandaime acknowledged. Junko didn't look at his piercing gaze and noted the date on the milk was a few weeks passed.

It made her stomach curl. She'd eaten worse during her time as a shinobi for Konoha. Sometimes on missions one had to eat what was available no matter how unappetizing. Still curdled milk made her flashback to her lactose intolerant days. She picked up the milk and shook it a bit. It was chunky.

"Milk's expired." she commented absently.

"Hm," the Sandaime agreed and it was almost a relief when he spoke breaking the awkward silence. "You've alway been one of the most obedient shinobi I've ever had."

Junko blinked at that and looked at him through the side and noticed he wasn't looking at her either. Instead he was looking out the kitchen window at the village visible outside. She didn't doubt he was fully aware of everything she did though.

"Is that a compliment?" she wondered aloud the slight doubt over rather or not it was in her voice. It seemed to amuse the Sandaime judging by his laugh.

"For some it would be yes." the Sandaime told her lightly. "Shinobi are supposed to be obedient. To not question orders and place the mission above their own feelings." He paused to let her consider that and she wondered at them having this conversation here of all the places he could have chosen. "When one of my shinobi who has never once disobeyed publicly does something so out of character you can imagine why I would be concerned Junko-san."

Oh, she thought to herself feeling her stress building even more at the intense gaze resting on her.

"While your excuses in the meeting were understandable it makes me wonder if there aren't other, more specific feelings making you wary of this particular team." the Sandaime said and pointedly turned his gaze away from her to focus on the messy apartment.

Junko inhaled sharply realizing where he was going with this and why exactly she'd been brought to Uzumaki Naruto's apartment. Her fast irrational thought that broke through the panic and knots that had twisted her up since the announcement, was one of irritation and anger and not a little offense. It was almost nice to feel something other than the nauseous fear of things to come that consumed her and she latched onto the feeling without thinking better of it.

Later she would blame her lack of foresight and loss of control on a deeply stressful day and the fact she'd only returned from an S-Rank, her first, the day before and had never been the best at handling people on the words that came out of her mouth next.

But honestly somewhere deep inside her she was a little pissed at being accused by the man who had basically just ruined her life plans at being some unreasonable child hater.

"I can recognize that just because there is poison in a cup, the cup itself isn't suddenly responsible for the deaths caused by the poison. It's just a container." Junko snapped at the Sandaime.

He laughed and Junko realized her mistake.

A test. It had been a fucking test. For all that she'd never shown in overt dislike over the village's Jinchuriki unlike some in her age group. But neither had she demonstrated that she wasn't secretly harboring dangerous feelings towards him. The Sandaime was definitely protective of Naruto and she didn't doubt that if she'd proven to be unable to separate the boy and the fox she would have been removed.

Dammit missed her chance.

"I'm glad to hear that. You are one of those in this village who have the most reason to hate poison after all." the Sandaime said, looking terribly pleased and she realized, a little stunned, downright proud of her. "Sasuke, of course, was your next concern."

Junko nodded and followed after the man wondering what was coming next. As they left she felt the urge to correct him on the tip of her tongue. "I should be hating the poisoner not the weapon." She didn't say it though. It would reveal too much and was too reckless for even her to say in her distressed state. She needed to get a grip on herself and her emotions before she messed things up even more.

If Naruto's home had been so filthy it made Junko's skin crawl Sasuke's was the complete opposite. Not only was it on the opposite of the village, but the apartment itself was a good deal better quality from the get go with an open balcony and a full kitchen and bath. The entire place was neatly cleaned, with scrolls and the Uchiha Clan symbol the only decorations. She could see books and scrolls set up on shelves and arranged in order of their subjects. The bed was made with military precision and the pillows were arranged from largest to smallest. Junko felt a bit of unease at the sight and noticed that it wasn't just neat the entire apartment was unnervingly meticulous. Everything was perfectly in order and balanced with equal spacing. It didn't look like anything had gathered even the slightest bit of dust. It was disturbingly clean and made her wonder exactly how deep Sasuke's streak of perfectionism went. The room had a sterile, Spartan feel and she noted that besides the unnatural order it lacked a certain personality and living quality that came from personal touches.

There weren't any photographs anywhere.

"Sasuke's father, Uchiha Fugaku, was very strict." the Sandaime told her as she looked around the space.

"I remember." Junko told him. And she certainly did. She had the misfortune of meeting Uchiha Fugaku only twice before the massacre, though the second time had been a little less than positive. It had ended with her narrowly avoiding being thrown in lock-up. The avoidance was thanks solely to the fact he had been distracted by throwing her teammate in instead while she got the hell out of dodge.

The Sandaime had an air of amusement that made her suspect he knew exactly which incident she was thinking of.

"It seems the boy is similarly disciplined."

Junko nodded reluctantly. Disciplined was being generous and she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling the room gave her. Naruto's had practically screamed neglect and loneliness, but Sasuke's seemed to speak of a need to control that was usually linked to a severe trauma and feeling of lack of control. This seemed less discipline more pain to her.

"I'll be asking you to look after him in place of his father, Fugaku." the Sandaime told her, interrupting her contemplation of Sasuke's issues.

That, was not what she was expecting. The Sandaime continued.

"I realize that you do not possess a Sharingan, but not all Uchiha activate their kekkei genkai. I remember Mikoto never accessed hers and she was an exceptional Jounin in her time." he told her looking at the symbol hanging over the bed with a distant look. "You should not feel the need to share it in order to teach him. Jounin never possess the skills all their students will specialize in. I know I was certainly never skilled in medical jutsu, but Tsunade excelled in it despite her teacher's failings."

Junko looked around the room doubtfully and the Sandaime shook his head. Whether at her lack of confidence or his own memories she wasn't sure.

"Last will be the kunoichi, Haruno Sakura."

Haruno Mebuki and Kizashi were rather overwhelming. Mebuki was just as loud and demanding as her daughter would one day become and Kizashi was a cheerful loud man who enjoyed puns. Put them together and you get a single minded force that even the Sandaime seemed to have underestimated. The same way people no doubt underestimated their pink haired daughter, Junko reflected as she sipped her tea with a smile.

Being dragged in by the excitable couple had clearly not been the Sandaime's plans, but Junko found she didn't mind it. The couple questioning the Sandaime and chatting away allowed her a moment to calm herself as she drank her tea. They seemed to accept an occasional nod from her and a word or two as enough participation, while the Sandaime was overloaded by their praise and eagerness. Judging by how much the conversation was centering around Sakura, it was pretty clear they were proud of their daughter and eager to see her graduate.

Sitting back and centering her thoughts Junko noticed that Sakura's home was even more different than the boys. It felt like a home for instance. The place was much larger than either of the boys' apartment clearly meant for a family and with little touches showing that they lived there. It was neat, but there was still enough muss to show the inhabitants lived there. A wrinkle in the blankets thrown over the couch here. A book left out with a brightly colored book mark there. The smell of tea and snacks filling the sitting room they'd been herded into. Pictures of cataloguing the growth of Sakura decorating the walls, her parents and what were clearly a few relatives included in them. Sakura really was the "normal" one in Team Seven. After the face-to-face with Sasuke and Naruto's lives Junko was a little relieved to see at least one happy childhood in Konoha.

Junko finished her second glass of tea and had settled her emotions into something manageable before she decided to rescue the Sandaime.

"Haruno-san," Junko interrupted in her most polite voice that caught the couple's attention making Mebuki stop in the middle of a story on how Sakura had decided to join the Academy.

"I have deeply appreciated your hospitality as no doubt did Hokage-sama, but we must continue on. We have an appointment that we cannot be late for." Junko lied smoothly and they were quickly being bustled out with apologies for making them late and invitations to return if they ever needed to talk about Sakura or her progress as a kunoichi.

Before they were allowed to leave though Mebuki pulled her slightly to the side face losing her cheer to show the serious concerned expression of a worrying mother.

"I'm glad it's you they chose for Sakura's sensei." Mebuki admitted shocking her. The blonde woman didn't seem to notice and continued. "I know we aren't the best examples of ambitions for a smart girl like her. My husband is a Genin Corps member and I couldn't pass the Jounin Test. We were so proud when we saw Sakura's scores. When we heard her sensei was a kunoichi I was so relieved. She needs to see how far a kunoichi can go."

Junko nodded weakly and Mebuki became all smiles again, giving her a friendly pat and leading her to the door. That was unexpected. She felt a little dazed at the comment and followed the slightly ruffled Sandaime away from the home with the strange realization that she was a role model of sorts.

The Sandaime wound up picking a playground for the last stop in their journey and after gesturing for her to settle down on a nearby bench offered her a can of coffee her retrieved from a nearby vending mission. She accepted, noting he'd somehow guessed her brand, and drank it her thoughts confused and circling through her day. The children at the playground provided a slight distraction racing one another back and forth. Beside her the Sandaime seemed to be collecting himself after being forced into the Eye of Hurricane Haruno.

"Why me?" Junko finally asked the question she'd been waiting for all day.

"Did you know your sensei protested being put in charge of a bunch of 'wet behind the ear Academy brats' when I told him he'd be taking you?" the Sandaime said instead.

"I'm not surprised." Junko told him dryly. It wasn't surprising. She could picture it. Yusuke-sensei standing in front of the Sandaime, not quite believing he was being taken of the front lines to be a "glorified babysitter" and losing his temper when he realized the man was serious. No doubt it had contained quite a few more choice words than the Sandaime was saying too. Yusuke-sensei was predictable that way.

The Sandaime chuckled at her tone.

"Yes and he certainly didn't appreciate the team he was given. How did he describe it, ah, 'a sheltered almost civilian, a boy with too much to prove and a chip on his shoulders, and a dead last failure'."

Oh, hell that sounded familiar.

"You chose me because you thought my Genin team mirrored them?" she asked incredulously. Junko couldn't believe it. This sounded way too much like the parallels that had a routine of popping up everywhere in the manga. If her team got compared to the Sannin she was quitting here and now.

The Sandaime made a hm sound in the back of his throat and sipped his coffee before saying, "Perhaps."

Well that was vague and unhelpful.

"I think it's a bit ironic you chose Kakashi as a suggestion." he told her yet again with the non sequitur.

"Why?"

"When I first informed the Council of Team Seven's makeup they also suggested he be the leader."

Then you should have listened! Junko wanted to scream, but remained silently knowing the man was getting to some point.

"At first I was inclined to agree with them. Kakashi does appear to be the man for the job and I have no doubt he would be an excellent sensei. He is a skilled and widely respected shinobi of Konoha. Theoretically he has some of the highest chances of survival should the seal break. He possesses the Sharingan needed to teach Sasuke and was the Yondaime's student. Even more importantly, he lacks the prejudice that some feel against Naruto."

Junko was confused. By comparison to no-name average Jounin her, Kakashi was the clear winner. She can't even feel offended by the unflattering picture that is being implied by the advantages he's listing either. Junko is not a Main Character. She is much closer to Cannon Fodder material, while Kakashi has "Hokage Potential" and is a hero of the village. Junko pines for her days as a Career Chunin and paperwork ninja. In all honesty she might have even been glad to be assigned a Genin team if it wasn't this one. Genin teams meant being more settled in the village to train the kids and it meant that the Jounin sensei wasn't likely to get assigned anything over a B-rank until the team had all moved on. Junko liked settled and being a village homebody.

"Then what changed your mind?"

The Sandaime considered her question and after a moment smiled at her.

"That is something I want you to figure out yourself. You must, uh, 'look underneath the underneath'." he told her with a bit of amusement twisting his lips.

Fucking quoting Kakashi. Junko's displeasure must have been clear on her face because he smiled again.

"Rest assured I did not select you over Kakashi on a whim." the Sandaime's expression turned serious as he spoke. "I am the Hokage. I would never base my personal decisions on personal preference! It's all about finding the right person for the job. I carefully considered each of these assignments separately from what the Academy teachers believe. There are times when a squad's composition greatly affects shinobi and their actions, and subsequently, their success rate. It is the duty of those who govern to maintain special teams that possess a variety of skills. For example, Gai's team that formed last year. It certainly doesn't have the kind of balance the instructors at the Academy recommend. It's a squad that largely specializes in taijutsu.*"

Junko nodded. The Sandaime smiled at that and looked happy at her interest. Mostly though she just wanted to understand why her? Hearing why everyone else was all well and good, but she wanted to know.

He paused once more after explaining the other ways squads were selected. It took her a moment to realize he was giving her a moment to consider his words and speak. Kurenai's was clearly a tracking team, she decided. Asuma's specialized in secret techniques and honestly the Ino-Shika-Cho was one of the more balanced all around teams, especially in terms of team work. Did he want her to explain Team Seven?

Junko considered it going over what she knew from her experiences in this life and about the team's abilities from her last.

"The Sharingan is said to be able to control the bijuu." Junko said slowly considering.

The Sandaime nodded and she continued with a little more confidence.

"But that isn't the only benefit. Sasuke as an Uchiha has high chakra reserves and the Uchiha have always been good combat fighters. The development of the Sharingan would allow him to specializes in genjutsu as well as ninjutsu." Junko stuck out her fingers as she began to go through her mental checklist.

"Naruto by possessing the Kyuubi will have ungodly amounts of chakra and energy as well. If he can be appropriately taught and channelled he has the potential to become a devastating powerhouse. Not to mention he may posses the Uzumaki affinity for seals and the boy has already demonstrated a clear aptitude for trap making, evasion, and infiltration with his pranks. This covers both with his ability to pull them off under the noses of the village and his ability to escape Chunin and occasionally Jounin level shinobi wanting to punish him."

She ignored the Sandaime's thoughtful hum and curious look as she continued caught up in figuring it out.

"Sakura has been described as incredibly intelligent by her parents, which while it can be excused as parental bragging are backed up by other factors. Her test scores during the Academy show signs of incredible intellect as usually only Nara's have the perfect scores her parents mentioned. Puzzle games were visible throughout the home and were clearly marked for her. Girls possess naturally more refined chakra control and if Sakura is on the level her parents words suggest the girl can be fast tracked through the medical track allowing for a medic on the team."

"All together if they are properly trained the team could balance out to be an excellent first response team." Junko concluded thoughtfully and turned back to the Sandaime to find he was looking more than impressed.

He looked vindicated.

"That was impressive. You appear to have considered angles not even I did for this team placement." the Sandaime told her with the biggest grin he'd demonstrated all day. With that he stood and looked down at her with downright paternal eyes.

"You will do fine Junko-chan," he assured her warmly and made his leave.

Oh my God. It finally clicked. The Sandaime wasn't just vetting her for his favorite troublemaker he was attempting to bond with her. She'd known of the Sandaime's habit of bonding with different members of the village. She'd seen the old man playing with the children, personally comforting orphans, and making appearances around the village. But those were more public things, she also knew of the more subtle practices her used that made him so popular and loved. She knew he was the one who'd helped arrange for the Mission Room to have coffee. She knew he went to every conference at the Academy to hear the teachers concerns. She knew he liked to take an interest in shinobi he seemed to feel were particularly valuable to the village. Umino Iruka had tea with him every Sunday afternoon. Nara Shikaku was a common shogi opponent. And it went on. The man seemed to be everywhere and know everyone, touching each life in the village. Junko's own sensei had routinely invited the man over for some sake and food after his retirement.

Staring bewildered at the man's departing back she suspected she was supposed to have been comforted by the conversation they had just had. Instead she was left feeling drained and wondering what to do with her life. The only thing she can do, Junko decided as her stomach growled weakly, was to go get supper.

She knew exactly where she wanted to get it too.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well this is twice as long as the last one! Yeah for me. This was partially inspired by my rewatch of "Team Seven" relevant episodes, particularly the one where Hiruzen gives Kakashi a little talk during the end of the Shadow of the ANBU filler. It seemed like something he would do.

This chapter is a little rough and I'll probably go back through them later to neaten and clean them up. For now though working on this is getting me through finals week. I think it'll be the chapter after the next that Team Seven finally makes an appearance. Or at least someone other than the Hokage. Not sure if anyone will think any of this is funny, but personally I really like Sakura's parents. Their odd ducks and clearly love their daughter. The story itself is being planned on the spot and so far no more than two chapters at a time so will see if they show up more.

Lastly I'd like to think everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed. Please keep telling me what you think!

*This is a direct quote from Naruto: Shippuden, Episode 361, "Kakashi: Shadow of the ANBU Black Ops - Squad Seven (Sub)"