I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ITS CHARACTERS, I OWN THIS STORY AND ANY CHARACTERS I CREATE.
Thanks for the reviews
What do people think of this for a pairing Shisui and Mei?
Unrelated topic, what did people think of Suicide Squad? I liked it and enjoyed Jared Leto as Joker
Chapter 7: Comfort and Confront
Growing bond
Standing before his father along with the teams assigned to the escort mission, Naruto tries to read the Hokage's face which seemed turned by the reports in front of him. "Well done on completing your first escort mission, even as the situation became more complex you all handled yourselves competently" he says and Hinata steps forward.
"Only thanks to Naruto" she says and Minato smiles slightly, "Yeah Naruto definitely got us through the mission" Ino chimes in, "Yeah well I could have done a better job" Kiba says crossing his arms.
"We all accomplished the mission, now let the Hokage finish" Naruto says and the others step back and Minato breaths in to begin what comes next for the Genin.
"In two weeks the Chunin exams will take places within Konoha, all of your Sensei's have told me you are all capable and will be putting your names forward" he begins seeing the happiness in their eyes "So as of this moment training for the exam will be your top priority" he stands up "Now I need a moment alone with Naruto so you are all dismissed" he says his mood seeming to change.
Once alone Naruto watches as Minato paces back and forth "You should not have spoken to the Mizukage so casually" he says and Naruto meets his gaze not backing down "No matter how good you believe you have become, your just a Genin" he says and Naruto glares.
"Kakashi-Sensei was being side tracked by the past and Haku didn't want to go back to the Mist Village" Naruto says "So I as team leader decided to voice my opinion, or was my appointment as leader merely for show?" he asks sarcastically.
"What's done is done I guess but next time remember not all Kage will tolerate your attitude" he says and Naruto scoffs "The elders are deciding what to do with him" he sees Naruto's confused look "What you thought he would be welcomed with open arms? Whether he wasn't a registered Shinobi or not he still caused many innocent people a lot of pain, supported a hostile takeover of a village and admitted openly that he is still loyal to his Rouge Sensei" Minato lists out "By all accounts he should be executed or imprisoned for life" he states.
"That would be a waste" Naruto shakes his head in disapproval "He has a powerful Kekkei Genkai, he is intelligent and for an assassin...very gentle" he lists out all the reasons it would be crazy to ignore. "The Konoha Police could benefit from his skills greatly, he can disable a target without causing serious harm" he says and Minato's eyes widen at this idea.
"One more thing Naruto" he says pulling out a form "While the others were recommended for the Chunin Exams, the Jonin recommended you for automatic promotion" He says and Naruto's stunned look makes him smile "Despite what I said, I am very proud of you Naruto" he adds.
"So...if I accept, what happens to Sasuke and Sakura's Chunin Exam tryout?" he ask, he knew that Genin where tested in threes.
"They will either face a handicap or find a third member" Minato says in reply "I don't need an answer right now Naruto, you have two weeks to make a decision" he states and Naruto nods leaving the room.
_The Hospital_
Izumi found herself in a weird moment as Sasuke and Itachi sat on either side of her bed, the younger Uchiha surprised them both showing up with a bookey of flowers for her. Dismissing his pink haired companion at the door with the promise "I'll pick you up later" is the last words spoken between the two Genin.
"So was that your girlfriend?" Izumi teases the younger Uchiha who blushes lightly responding "She is my teammate". Itachi was peeling the skin off an apple for Izumi who was unable to do it while her had was in a cast, "Congratulations on your first assignment" she says and Sasuke nods.
"Thanks, glad to see your still in high spirits despite being injured" Sasuke says which came off as a back handed compliment "Still it is Naruto who deserves the praise, he guided the mission perfectly" he adds looking down.
"Naruto is a gifted Shinobi; perhaps we will see his head on the Hokage Mountain one day next to his father" Itachi comments as he cuts the Apple into cubes and placing the plate on Izumi's lap "Now all that remains is for you to show your abilities during the Chunin Exams" he adds and Sasuke looks at him "The final stage always has Genin spar against one another in a bracket styled tournament" he explains and Sasuke nods "Over the next week you will see young Shinobi from the other villages showing up to settle in before the exams so study them closely Sasuke" he instructs and his little brother nods standing up.
"Rest up Izumi" Sasuke says and Itachi's girlfriend nods with a big smile, "See you at home brother" he adds and Itachi nods.
Once Sasuke left the room "Did Sasuke seem happy?" she asks and Itachi nods "I wonder what happened on that mission"
"Something positive by how he looked"
A little later on
"What!?" Danzo stands up "Out of the question! This rouge has no place among our ranks" he growls, in truth Danzo wanted Haku for Root, it's not every day a Kekkei Genkai user falls on the table, "Placing him with the Uchiha who handle our villages security is morally wrong" he states
"I am inclined to agree with Danzo" Homura says looking at the young Hokage "Regardless if he is or isn't associated as a Mist Shinobi, the boy is an outside, how can we trust him?" he asks
"In case you forgot MY WIFE was not born in this village" Minato says and Homura seems to realize he may have offended perhaps the strongest Shinobi in the village.
"I meant no offence, also Lady Kushina was trained in this village and grew up here" he clarifies "This Haku was trained by a Rouge to be a killer, how can we place out villagers safety within an unknown personality?" he asks, it was a fair question but Koharu decided to speak before allowing Minato to answer.
"Fugaku, you have been silent on the matter" she begins "As the Commander you have a strong vote in this matter" she says "What are your thoughts?"
"For a long while now, Shisui has been lobbying for me to establish a branch near the Land of Waves" he says crossing his arms "If the boy is to join the Police force I would place him there under Shisui's Charge" he says and Danzo's eyes widen.
He didn't like the idea of the Uchiha opening another branch of their police force "What would stop him from betraying Konoha and bringing Shisui's Sharingan?" he asks and Fugaku steps forward
"The Sharingan is not property of Konoha, they belong to the Uchiha" he says and Danzo glares slightly "With respect to you Lord Hokage, if Haku lost to Naruto then Shisui is more than capable of handling him"" he says changing the subject matter "I will take Haku if the only other choices for him are Imprisonment or Death" he adds. "It would be a waste" he adds
Much to Danzo's annoyance it was voted 4 to 2 in favour of Haku joining the Konoha Police force, soon everyone was gone leaving Fugaku, Minato and Hiruzen in the Hokage's Office "So your son suggested this?" Fugaku asks and Minato nods.
"It's hard to read what's going on inside Naruto's head sometimes" Minato says "Still this may be a good thing" he adds looking out his window "How long will you need to have a division of you men ready to be sent to the Land of Waves?" he asks
"I intend to wait until after the Chunin exams" Fugaku states, with all the Shinobi coming it would be wise to wait and have as many Shinobi as possible.
"I hear Naruto has been promoted" Hiruzen says and Minato smiles saying "He's thinking about it now, it seems he will turn it down so he can take the exams with his team". Hiruzen was surprised to hear this, he figured Naruto was trying to surpass his father "Well either way the village is strong with its youth and will continue on regardless of what a few old timers believe" he says as Minato turns to him "You understand?" he asks and Minato nods, as Hiruzen
"Do I want to know?" Fugaku asks and Minato raises his hands slightly saying "Minor details", the two men stand silently for a moment before the Uchiha makes an odd request "Mikoto was wondering if you, Kushina and Naruto would like to come over for dinner, Sasuke is eating out tonight and Itachi spends most of the day at the Hospital" he says adding why his sons will not be there.
"Naruto will likely be training but me and Kushina will be there" Minato nods "We can continue this discussion in your office" he adds and Fugaku nods in agreement. Minato didn't trust Danzo, the man had his own agenda and because of his position he was pretty much untouchable without proof. "Till then" he says and Fugaku excuses himself, once alone he closed his eyes and sighed "The coming months will be my greatest trial as Hokage" he thinks
He had no idea
Later on with Naruto
Learning that his parents would be out late put Naruto in a good mood, he had a lot on his mind with the auto promotion or teaming with Sasuke and Sakura and taking on the Chunin Exams. Plus the incident with Haku and the overwhelming feeling like a storm was coming had him on edge. As he reached his secret location for training he saw someone lying on the grass...
Maybe not so secret?
"Hinata?" he realizes who it is upon getting a close look, the scrapes on her fingers and palms and the pale complexion "She must have been training" he thinks placing his palm on her forehead "I should wake her up" he mumbles shaking her slightly calling her name. She simply mumbles something and turns away from him "Deep sleeper" he smiles sitting down beside her "It would look weird if I brought her home in this state...plus the fact she came out here to train instead of using the many areas within the Hyuga house hold means she was avoiding something there.
-_Hinata's dream_-
"Me love you?" Naruto asks with a clearly insulted look "I am a genius prodigy and future Hokage...I won't settle for an average plain girl like you" he crosses his arms looking away before leaving her alone.
"Hanabi has shown to be a much more worthy successor to the Hyuga family, she will take your place as heir" Hiashi says "I am ashamed to have someone like you as my child, just disappear before you cause me more grief!"
"I looked up to you sister, I can't believe how weak you are" Hanabi says "We should simply expel you from the clan since you aren't even worth starting a branch family with anyone" he laughs
"You are pathetic, my father died because of you!?"
-_Dream end_-
Her eyes shot open "Sorry!" she called out, her eyes snapped to the new location and then to her hands, her fingers had plasters on them and her palms had ointment coated over them.
"You're up huh, must have smelt the herbal tea I just finished brewing" her eyes widen recognizing the voice that belonged too, Naruto walked in with a Tea pot and a tray with two cups on it "Considering you slept all the way over to my house, through me cleaning your wounds and stubbing my toe" he grins at the last part pouring the tea into the cups and handing one to Hinata with the handle for her to take.
"H-How did you know where I was?" she asks blowing on the tea before taking a sip, her taste buds come to life with the spectacular taste from the cup "Wonderful" she sighs happily and Naruto smirks.
"I'm not much of a cook but I make great tea" he says "Anyway I found you because you were sleeping where I normally train in private" he says sitting on the table in front of her "Training for the Chunin exams?" he asks and she nods.
"Yeah, my father will be keeping an eye on the exams while deciding on who his heir will be" she explains "So I need to train hard and prove myself to him" she states, her eyes looked at the contents of her cup to avoid his gaze, "Naruto must think I'm pathetic...he's so strong and it comes so easy for him" she thinks remembering her dream of Naruto rejecting her feelings and calling her plain.
"Hinata, these exams aren't a chance for you to prove anything to your dad, it's a chance for you to prove to yourself that you can protect this village" Naruto says "Don't live your life to please others, live it to make yourself happy" he smiles "Hell Sakura pretty much admitted her dream to marry Sasuke while he was sitting beside her" he laughs "I wouldn't mind a girl dreaming about marrying me" he stands up with the Tea pot and heads back into the Kitchen.
"Naruto...would I be good enough for you?" she wonders watching him clean the cups, she never pictured he would be the kind of guy to clean up after himself. She was happy he found her, tending to her small injuries and making her tea gave her a nostalgic feeling from a long time ago when he stuck up for her. But now it was more, he wasn't the little boy she had a crush on...he was the young man she had fallen in love with and wished nothing more than to express her feelings to him here and now, however she wasn't ready. Naruto had shown he was truly on his way to becoming an important figure within the village and if she couldn't keep up then she couldn't confess.
"N-Naruto" she calls out and he walks in drying his hands "You're right, these exams are a chance for me to prove something to myself" she begins and he nods smiling "So...if I get promoted, will you meet me on the top of the Hokage Mountain?" she asks.
"Sure, but just so you know I could be in your way of promotion" he smirks and she nods with some confidence "Come on I'll walk you home, you should rest tomorrow and give your hands a break" he says heading for the door.
"Yes you're right" she says following him while looking at her palms, despite holding the hot cup the gel on her palm hadn't smudged but she could still feel the stinging pain from them "Thank you Naruto" she smiles staring at his back.
Sasuke and Sakura
They weren't dressed for a date to say the least, Sasuke was wearing pretty much what he always wears, minus his gear, however their Shinobi ID's earned them a nice discount at one of Konoha's most expensive restaurants. She could tell by his fidgeting that he was out of his comfort zone, "Still dreamy though" she mentally sighed.
"So...um looking forward to the Exam's?" Sasuke asks and Sakura tilts her head, Sasuke wasn't much for small talk and if it didn't involve training then he wasn't really interested in it. "We should find Naruto and begin training for them as soon as possible" he adds.
"You're right" she nods, she would pry him for his hobbies and interests later, for now get him relaxed and in a talking mood. "These are the next step in us becoming more vital with the villages security right?" she asks and he nods "So, do you want to Join the Konoha Police force?" she asks and he shrugs.
"My father is commander so I expect he might offer me a sergeant position if I can get promoted to Chunin" he says "What do you plan to do after the exams?" he asks.
"Well, I've learned all I can from books so I think I will apply for an internship in the Hospital" Sakura says "It will mean less missions but I want to become a great medic" she states proudly and he smirks.
"I like that passion of yours, chasing a worthy goal" he says and she blushes at the compliment "I'm sure you can handle it" he adds seeing the waiter who took the orders coming with their meals.
"So...besides training, what else do you do for fun?" Sakura asks as they begin eating, she was surprised to hear Sasuke liked to cook, apparently he was closer to his mother while he was young and used to help her in the kitchen and picked it all up.
"We should cool something together then" she states with a smile, Sasuke grunts lightly pushing his plate in and finishing his water "Tell me Sakura, are you worried about the Chunin Exams?" he asks curiously, she proved herself on the mission but these exams would be a new test against Genin from other villages with who knows what kind of abilities.
"At first yes...but I refuse to believe there is someone stronger than you" she smiles and he chuckles "Naruto has the same strength as you but..." she pauses and he leans in genuinely curious "Naruto acts to spite his father, you're power comes from wanting to prove yourself...and that power will always win" she says and his eyes widen slightly.
"She thinks so little of Naruto?" he thinks, he had felt the tension between the Hokage and his son but never figured it would be his motivation to be strong, "Well...it's late so I will walk you home" he says and she smiles
"Thanks"
Naruto
It was pretty late and his parents were still out, so like any teen he began poking around his parent's room looking for something interesting. He found his moms old diary from when she was a little girl, some of the early entries where funny, talking about beating up boys for making fun of her hair or spouting about her dream about being Hokage "Close enough since you married the Hokage" he smirks flipping the page seeing something curious.
"It's been a week since they sealed the beast in me, I feel it's presence lingering in my conscience trying to break free" the shaky looking text showed that his mom was sad and scared writing this entry. "Is this what my life will be from now on? Minato has been great and supportive, but what can I offer him, how will the beasts Chakra affect our future children? Will I be capable of even having a child?" the stains from tears had creased the page
"What does this mean...what beast? Affect me how?" he mutters flipping the page, the date skipped ahead to a few days after he was born.
"He's like a mini Minato, blue eyes blonde hair and a healthy complexion" the text described his mothers joy of his birth, he wondered why she hadn't written in the book for over 10 years but figured she must have been busy as a Kunoichi. "The Fox Demon's influence was just whisker shaped birthmarks on his face, but they don't take away from his cuteness, he's my perfect little baby"
"Demon Fox?" he hears the keys in the door and quickly puts the diary where he found it hopping out to window to pretend like he just got home himself.
"That was fun!" he hears his mom say, "We need to invite them over some time" she adds before yelling "Naruto made tea!" she really loved his tea, Naruto was full of questions right now however confronting his parents would likely lead to a fight...no he needed to know everything before confronting them
"What are you hiding from me dad?"
_A few days later_
Over the week Genin and their Sensei's had begun arriving from the other nations, the older more experienced had been restricted to a part of town with no tactical advantage and any attempt of attack would be snuffed out fast.
The Hidden Cloud were watched by ANBU, Minato hadn't forgotten what they did, he didn't trust the Raikage, he met him in battle and believed him an honourable man...but he also remembered that the Cloud Village tried to kidnap Kushina once too and should have been more careful when handling the peace treaty but his eagerness for peace blinded him and they almost kidnapped Hinata. And Hiashi protecting his daughter cost him his younger twin brother when the Raikage demanded the death of Hiashi for killing the Shinobi threatening war.
Now Minato sat across from the current Raikage, the large muscular man sat across from him with his arms crossed, clearly unhappy with the treatment of his Shinobi "This is an outrage Hokage, having ANBU spy on my Shinobi alone is unwarranted" he says and Minato who is currently reading through the Chunin sheets glances at him.
"Forgive me Raikage but you have to understand, whenever Cloud Shinobi are in this village unnecessary accidents happen" he pauses "...and little girls are taken from their home" he adds with a cold tone. The Raikage could bullshit his way through the Hyuga fiasco but he couldn't tell him Kushina was a misunderstanding, and Ay knew this too.
"Those were times of war, you reached out to me looking to bring uneasy times to an end" the large man says looking at the forms, seeing Hinata's picture.
"And you used the opportunity to abduct a seven year old girl from her bed, and when you failed tried to kill her father" Minato retorts "I'll make it very clear to you Raikage, if you want your Shinobi to be eligible for promotion to Chunin then you agree to my terms of having the ANBU watch over them for the duration of their stay, or take them and go home" he says and the Raikage stands up
"You don't know who you are talking down too" he growls out with sparks coming from him, he wouldn't allow this foreign leader prevent his Genin from promoting.
"You don't scare me Ay, you never will so just sit down" Minato says and Ay breaths in as he sits "consider this a warning, should your village act out in any way during these exams then your village will be BANNED from competing on all future Chunin Exams" he says showing the signatures from the other Kage agreeing to these terms.
"I'll see myself out" Ay growls slamming the sheet on the table before storming out "Minato has some spine...I almost respect him for it" Ay smirks seeing a blonde Genin who looked exactly like said Hokage storming towards the office.
Naruto ignored the abnormally large man in front of him as he burst into the room holding a piece of paper.
"Hello Naruto, come to tell me your answer?" he asks but his confused why his son looked so enraged, the sheet of paper caught his eye and seeing "Tailed Beasts" as part of the title made him worry, and his fear was confirmed when Naruto spoke a single sentence that sent a chill down his spine
"Mom is a Jinjuriki!"
The End
I decided to save off the introductions to the Sand Siblings until the next chapter as that will truly be the start of the Exams.
In the next chapter Naruto gives his father a piece of his mind before deciding on taking the promotion or not, the other Genin from the other villages cause trouble and the first test begins
Till Next Time
~DoTheBartMan
