Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
A/N: Important: A few months have passed since the destruction of Uzushiogakure.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
To KiyumiArashi: The "was that rhetorical?" was referring to your question "So it's like the whole war is over a crush on a girl 20 years ago?" I'm not Masashi Kishomoto so I don't know what's going on in canon. :P There will be some Fugaku. Thanks for telling me the apartment number! I can't tell you why it's on the cover without spoiling anything, but I will reveal that it's Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan. (Technically Kakashi's in canon but since he got the eye from Obito it's Obito's) Mikoto's Sharingan is fully mature. (Three tomoes in each eye)
To Mastur Cheef: Thanks for sharing your opinion on that. Personally, I think no reaction is the best reaction. If the boys did make a big deal out of it, Kushina would be upset, even if they said it was "cool" or something. She didn't/doesn't want them to treat her any differently Yes, the (censored) hits the fan this chapter.
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Chapter Twelve: The Beginning of the End
Night had fallen in Konoha, the bright, busy city becoming dull and quiet, as if even the village itself were sleeping. Shops were closed, the streets were empty, and minus a few guards the entire village was asleep. Well, almost the entire village.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his office, grumbling irritably under his breath as he worked on the endless paperwork. He ran a hand through his dark hair, extremely vexed. Hiruzen felt irritated that he was stuck in his office signing documents while his ninja were out at the front, fighting for the Land of Fire and sometimes losing their lives in the process. The Hokage never joined a battle unless it was a dire situation where a Kage was needed, or Konoha itself was attacked. While Hiruzen hoped that a situation that terrible never happened, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. Paperwork was for scholars, not shinobi. The door opened as someone entered and the Hokage nodded absently in acknowledgment.
"Danzo. What do you need?"
The Head of ANBU— and more importantly, Root— stood tall in the doorway, both eyes fixed on Sarutobi. He wore loose black robes over black ANBU armor, with a sheathed sword disguised as a cane gripped in his right hand. The reports claimed Danzo had gotten an injured leg in the Second Shinobi War— thus the need for the "cane"— but Sarutobi knew differently. Danzo was no more handicapped than he was. He also knew Danzo had kept Root active, ignoring his Hokage's orders to disband it. Hiruzen allowed this disobedience to slide— for now. The one thing that bothered Sarutobi however, was that there should have been more Root agents than his spies— Yes he (more specifically, Jiraiya) had spies in Root— reported. The Sandaime doubted five thousand children had died in the Root program over the past thirty years, so the question was, what happened to them? The only thing keeping Sarutobi from charging Danzo with treason and demanding answers from the man was the fact that Root— the agents he knew of— were helping Konoha, taking assignments in the war and completing them without revealing it was Leaf that had given the under-the-table missions. It was good for the war effort, yes, but Sarutobi was peeved that Danzo wasn't informing him of these missions. Unless he knew that the Hokage had agents in his forces...
"I was wondering if you thought about what I have told you. And my proposition," Danzo said gravely.
Hiruzen frowned, brow furrowing and his kind face growing grave. "Yes. I have. And the answer is no."
Danzo stiffened, his eyes glittering dangerously. "The Uchiha Clan is planning a coup and yet you aren't going to do anything?!"
Hiruzen's face froze into a cold and enraged expression— the face of a leader whose subordinate had spoken out of turn. "There is no proof that the Uchiha Clan actually are planning a coup! I mean no disrespect to your source, but I will not permit the annihilation of a Clan based off of the word of one man! If your accusations turn out to be true, we will use diplomacy to reason with the Uchiha. Until then, I will not act until there is concrete evidence that the Uchiha are indeed trying to overthrow the Hokage and Shinobi Council."
Danzo stood there, silent for a long time, before nodding reluctantly. "Of course, Hokage-sama."
He bowed and left.
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Danzo descended the steps leading down from the Hokage's office and exited the Tower, sweeping through the silent streets, his cane tapping the stones rhythmically as he walked. His stride and calm demeanor showed none of the rage that churned inside of him, threatening to explode.
Stupid Sandaime and his peace-loving ways... Danzo seethed, anger known only to himself. You will not interfere with my plans!
The Head of ANBU paused in a shadowy alley, between two buildings, unafraid of the dark.
"Proceed with the Plan." he said to seemingly nothing.
Two demonic masks appeared out of the gloom, bobbing eerily in the night like ghostly specters as their wearer's nodded. They vanished, and Danzo continued on his way, a smile forming on his lips.
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Loud, screaming alarms woke Minato from sleep. Instantly moving from sleep to alertness, the blonde-haired ninja leapt to his feet, quickly dressing and retrieving his weapons before diving out of his window with a speed that rivaled his Bloodline. Hyko landed near the Yellow Flash, decked out in battle armor, and father and son took in the shinobi running through the streets, voices panicked and faces filled with fear. Minato halted a Chünin running in the opposite direction than what most of the crowd seemed to be heading.
"What's going on?"
"The Uchiha Clan has been massacred!" the Chünin gasped, eyes wide and shocked. "They're all dead!"
Minato's heart froze, the blood draining from his face. A familiar, stern face etched itself into his mind's eye and his heart-rate sped up to a frantic, panicked beat.
Mikoto.
Not wasting any time, Minato grabbed his father's arm and Flashed to the Uchiha compound. Inoichi jumped as the two appeared beside him, recovering just as quickly. The smell of blood hit Minato like a slap to the face. Sheet covered bodies lined the road, bloodstains marking the buildings and streets like grisly decorations. Some of the buildings were blown apart and burned, evidence that the Uchiha had had a chance to fight at least. The silence of the compound was eerie and heavy, the sounds of the outside village seeming muffled. Minato forced himself to build wall in his mind to stop memories of his native village and Kirigakure from rising.
"What happened? Is Mikoto all right?" Minato demanded.
Inoichi was pale and shaken, but he reported obligingly, voice calm and steady. "Based on what we've found, multiple assailants attacked the compound. They used techniques native to Iwa, so we have an idea on who did it. Everyone is dead except a new Genin. Obito Uchiha. We found him locked in a secret compartment beneath his house. He's fine." The Yamanaka swallowed. "We— we haven't found Mikoto or Fugaku yet."
Minato took a deep breath, trying to calm his breathing. He sent a pulse of chakra towards his seals, hoping, praying, that there would be a response.
Please let her be alive. Please let her be alive. Please—
Like a nudge at the back of his mind, Minato felt his seal react, acting as a beacon and telling him Mikoto's location. Minato's head snapped up. "I found her."
He Flashed away before they could respond, appearing in a hotel room. The place was expensive, with light rose-colored walls and a soft carpet that matched the king-size bed in the center of the room. Spiral designs marked the border of the walls and the tan and white crystal-like lamps were set on low, giving the place a soft, shadowy look. The room was peaceful and elegant, and a big shock after the blood and death at the Uchiha compound. Mikoto and Fugaku— who had been kissing on each other on the bed— jerked away from each other, embarrassment and anger on their faces.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Mikoto snapped, blushing.
Minato was too relieved and upset to feel embarrassed. "The Uchiha Clan was attacked."
The two jerked upright, their romance forgotten. Fugaku leapt to his feet, his blazing Sharingan the only sign that he was alarmed.
"Take us there." he commanded.
Minato Flashed the two to the compound. The instant people noticed the two Uchiha, they surrounded them, shouting questions and expressing relief. Inoichi's partner's sharp whistle silenced the crowd as effectively as a gunshot.
Ibiki Morino was a young man a few years older than Inoichi, though he looked much older. He wore his hitai-ate bandanna style to cover up the scars and screw holes in his head. Ibiki had received said scars when his team was captured by missing ninja during an A-Rank mission to gather important intel. His teammates died and Ibiki was tortured for days before the rescue team found him. Ever since then, he worked in Torture and Interrogation, becoming Inoichi's partner when the pale-blonde joined. Ibiki enjoyed his work and was one of the T & I workers who loved to talk about it to the squeamish. Inoichi was still reserved about it, and chastised his partner whenever he began talking about blood and guts, even punching him when the man tried to scare his girlfriend. Ibiki found his partner's relatively sane nature amusing. Minato would always remember meeting Ibiki before his first espionage mission. The man had given the three younger ninja one piece of advice before they left, advice that Minato would never forget.
"Don't let them take you alive."
"THIS IS A CRIME SCENE! GET OUT!" the scary Torture & Interrogation worker bellowed at the civilians, who scattered like startled pigeons, terrified of the scarred man.
"What happened?" Fugaku demanded, eyes widening and voice shaking as he saw the blanket-covered bodies.
"We're trying to find out," Ibiki said gruffly. "Where were you two?"
"In a hotel on the outskirts of the village." Mikoto mumbled, looking numb.
Minato touched her arm gently, giving her quiet support and Hizashi appeared from the crowd of shinobi. The two silently comforted their teammate, ignoring the crowd that still surrounded them.
Ibiki didn't ask why they were there. "You're lucky that you picked tonight to go out on a date."
They were too grief-stricken to blush.
"Is anyone...?" Fugaku let his sentence trail off.
"Only Mikoto's cousin, Obito Uchiha. His parents locked him in a panic room below their house... they always were paranoid. Obito's in the hospital now. He's uninjured." Inoichi's voice cracked. He swallowed hard, fiddling with his clipboard in a rare display of nerves.
"What is it?" Fugaku demanded, pouncing savagely at the signs of discomfort. "What aren't you telling us?"
Inoichi dared to look into the swirling pair of Sharingan eyes. "Whoever did this... they burned the deceased's eyes."
"What?!" Mikoto gasped, face turning bone white. "Why?"
"The Sharingan is the pride of the Uchiha Clan." Hizashi murmured, sounding ill. "The attackers probably burned your Clan's eyes to injure that pride."
"And to keep the Council from trying to preserve them and give them to other Shinobi." was left unsaid.
Ibiki grunted. "Hmph. Arrogant bastards... at least they didn't take them."
Mikoto and Fugaku flinched at his words.
With that, Ibiki stalked off, glowering at anyone who got in his way. Inoichi paused, gaze flicking between Fugaku and Mikoto. "I'm sorry." He murmured, apologizing both for his partner's behavior and for all that had happened to them, then ran after Ibiki.
Mikoto collapsed to her knees, sobs raking her body, and Fugaku put his arms around her. In that moment, Minato forgot that Fugaku was an arrogant bastard. He forgot how cold Mikoto could be. All he saw was two people in pain, in need of comfort. He and Hizashi murmured soothingly to the survivors, their eyes meeting for a moment. Hizashi's eyes were filled with angry fire, and so were Minato's. Both wanted nothing more than to hunt the bastards down and make them pay for what they'd done. But, that was impossible. For the moment at least. All they could do was be there for their friends, help them accept and move on.
Hyko stayed back from the grieving friends, hand on his katana's hilt as if he were guarding the four mourners from harm. After a moment of silence, Hizashi spoke gently.
"You may stay at the Hyuuga compound tonight if you wish."
Fugaku looked at him, a shadow of his old aloofness showing in his grief-stricken gaze. "We don't need charity."
Mikoto gave him a tear-stained glare but did not reprimand him. She wiped her eyes and looked at Hizashi. "We'll go back to the h-hotel. Thank y-you for the o-offer though." the Uchiha said, voice trembling slightly.
The same panicked Chünin from before raced towards them, crashing into Hyko. The former ANBU halted the man, and began to speak to him in low, angry tones. The Chünin replied, and Hyko's face went white, the blood draining from his skin. Minato felt dread rise in him. Hyko was an ANBU. He'd barely reacted to the news of the Uchiha Massacre. What else could have happened to make Hyko look like that? Like his entire world was crashing down? The Chünin raced off, still wide-eyed and stunned. Hyko walked slowly over to Minato and his friends, face blank with shock. His eyes locked with his adoptive son's and he spoke.
"The Hokage is dead."
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Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado sat side by side in the small room beneath the Hokage's Office. The room was pretty much the Hokage's break room— like a Hokage ever got a break. It was circular and had two couches and three comfortable chairs all spread around a small coffee table in the center of the room, the pale red carpet soft and downy beneath the advisers' feet. The door opened and two members of the Shinobi Council entered, settling around the room: Shikato Nara— Shikaku's father— and Danzo Shimura, plus the current Fire Daimyo. This was a clandestine, small meeting, one not to be done in the Council meeting chambers. The four Councilmen looked at the Daimyo, waiting for him to speak.
A thin man in his early fifties, the Fire Daimyo wasn't a very imposing figure. His fingernails were neatly manicured, his long black hair sleek and shiny, his wire rimmed glasses making his brown eyes appear bug-like, his eyelashes dark and his face rosy with hints of cosmetics. Not exactly someone you'd expect to be able to lead a country. But while the Fire Daimyo had a pampered look, he had the mind of a politician, a mix of wisdom, awareness, and deception. He was the leader of the Land of Fire, and so it was up to him to make the final decision on who would become the next Hokage.
The Fire Daimyo removed his glasses from his face, cleaning them absentmindedly before returning them to his nose. "Never..." he said quietly, his voice soft and dangerously curious. "...in the history of any of the Hidden Villages... has a Kage been assassinated in his village, in his office. The fact that it is a time of war, and an entire Clan was slaughtered right under or noses, makes me feel the efficiency of this village has dropped." It was obvious the Daimyo was not pleased.
"The enemy was well prepared, Daimyo-sama," Danzo rumbled in a grave voice. "They put silencing seals around the Uchiha sector, along with an invisible barrier so none could escape. We couldn't hear, see, or sense that anything was wrong. Also..." He glanced almost apologetically at the others. Almost. "No offense to Sandaime-sama, but security in Konoha was rather lax compared to what it could have been. I pressed for ANBU openly patrolling the village, for security reasons, but Sarutobi disagreed with my proposition, claiming increased ANBU here would cause panic and suspicion."
"Konoha is one of the more lenient Hidden Village," Shikato said softly, hands clasped in front of him, elbows on the table, in his thinking pose. "Our people are more free. We don't have to get permission from our Kage to exit the village perimeter, and we have a Shinobi Council. If open ANBU patrols were increased, the worst case scenario is that people would fear the Konoha is becoming a totalitarian state and rebel."
Shikato noticed Danzo's displeased look as he said this, and was pleased. The Nara Clan Head had purposely stated the worst case scenario. He knew Danzo's game, knew the way the Head of ANBU thought. Danzo wanted to slowly turn Konoha into a village of ninja-drones, crushing the freedom out of it. Danzo most likely thought his desires were hidden from the masses— they certainly were from Homura and Koharu— butShikato wasn't a Nara for nothing.
"That will not do," the Fire Daimyo said, just like Shikato had planned. "But back to the matter at hand: We must decide who is to be the Yondaime Hokage."
Shikato hid a grimace, mind going through a thousand ways to divert a crisis. If only Sarutobi had died a few years later. Minato Namikaze was too young to become Hokage at the moment, though Shikato could see he was definitely Hokage material. Many people still distrusted Orochimaru because he attacked Jiraiya years ago. The secret few had known had somehow gotten out, and Shikato had a feeling he knew how. Because of Danzo spreading the word, Orochimaru's shot at becoming Hokage was currently nonexistent. Two good Hokage candidates were both unavailable for the position at this time. That left one person: Danzo himself. Shikato would bet a month's worth of cloud watching that Danzo had had something to do with the Sandaime's assassination. The only problem was, there was no proof. Treason was too big of an accusation for someone to believe based on pieced together facts. Even if those facts were pieced together by a Nara.
Damn it... Shikato thought. This is not going to end well.
"Who are possible candidates for the position of Hokage?" the Fire Daimyo asked.
Homura and Koharu both looked at Danzo.
Double damn it.
Shikato knew that Hiruzen's teammates had been siding with Danzo more and more these past few years, ever since the episode with Orochimaru. It may have been because of the Snake Sannin's momentary insanity, or maybe because Tsunade had returned to Konoha, meaning all three of the Sannin were in the village. If the latter were the case, Homura and Koharu would have began siding with Danzo because they felt their positions were threatened. Former-teammate advisers to the Hokage could easily be fired and replaced by former-student advisers to the Hokage.
"Danzo was the second Hokage Candidate during the Nidaime's reign," Koharu said gravely, her "wisdom" making the usually benign Shikato want to grab her shoulders and shake her. "He fought in the Second War, and now the Third, and is a competent leader."
The Fire Daimyo glanced at Shikato, who shrugged lazily, hiding his repeated thought of Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! "It's true that a War Hawk may be more beneficial for Konoha during wartime," the Nara said neutrally. He gave Danzo a hard glare. "But the war won't last forever. Konoha shouldn't be turned into Kumo, who are militaristic all of the time. We are only as strong as we are because we draw strength from the Will of Fire."
Danzo's eye twitched a miniscule amount at the words "Will of Fire" but other than that he showed no reaction to Sarutobi's old phrase. "Konoha is also strong because our shinobi are well trained... and we have many powerful Bloodline Clans on our side."
Shikato inwardly tensed at the way Danzo said "Bloodline Clans". There was a slight hiss in the undertones of his voice, like he was trying to keep himself from spitting the words. Before he could ponder his observation however, Danzo continued speaking.
"Konoha is at war, and in order to win this war it needs to be led by someone competent in that area," the War Hawk said.
The Fire Daimyo slowly nodded, and Shikato's heart sank. "I agree." the Daimyo stated. "We cannot appear weakened by the loss of the Sandaime. I, the Head Fire Daimyo of the Land of Fire, hereby declare Danzo Shimura, the Head of Konoha's ANBU, the Yondaime Hokage."
Danzo smiled, gracefully accepting the promotion, but Shikato could see the triumphant light in the War Hawk's eyes. The Nara Clan Head closed his eyes and nodded, as if he agreed with the decision. In reality, he was nodding to himself in response to his suspicions being confirmed.
Danzo expected this. He has some sort of plan... and unless we can figure out what it is, Konoha is doomed.
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One week after the death of Sarutobi and the Massacre of the Uchiha Clan:
Hiruzen's funeral was a somber affair, the cloudless, sunny sky at odds with the mood below. Minato stood beside his family, one arm around Mariko's shaking shoulders, his sister unable to hold in her tears. The young Namikaze could see Hiruzen's ten year-old son, Asuma —who had just graduated from the Academy— standing next to Biwako, both of their faces blank and grave. Neither of them cried. Neither of them could.
Obito, Mikoto, and Fugaku were clustered close together, the orange goggles on Obito's head making him look oddly young and innocent. He'd graduated from the Academy at age eleven the day before the massacre occurred. Because of the funerals, the Genin team placements had been pushed back. Minato felt bad for whichever Jönin got Obito. Even though he was locked up during the massacre, the kid still had to be messed up.
The service was long and insightful as many shinobi— and even some civilians— stood beside the coffin to speak of the Sandaime. Minato could not help but feel angry that someone had dared to assassinate such a good man. The anger dissipated as worry set in. Minato knew that the Council and Jönin were trying to keep quiet that the Hokage was assassinated. It was fairly obvious, but no one went out and said it, leaving some to their desperate, ignorant hope that the Sandaime wasn't assassinated. That his death had been natural, even though he wasn't that old. The reason for this was simple: Sarutobi was a Kage. It took an extremely powerful person to take a Kage out. The fact that a mere assassin had killed a powerful shinobi... was worrisome. Or, as Shikaku would say, troublesome.
After the Sandaime's body was laid to rest, Minato was about to go home when a Chünin appeared before him.
"Minato-san. The Hokage wishes to see you."
Minato nodded in confirmation and headed for the Hokage Tower. When he entered the building, he was surprised to find Chouza, Kizashi Haruno— a pink-haired Jönin who'd graduated three years before Minato—, Orochimaru, Genma, and Ko there. Danzo's eyes moved from Jönin to Jönin.
"Before the Sandaime's passing, he set up this years' Genin teams. Hiruzen chose each of you to teach a team that graduated this year."
Minato was stunned, though he kept the expression off his face. He knew that most Jönin taught a team of Genin sometime in their career, but he didn't expect to do it so soon. He was only seventeen for crying out loud!
A seventeen year-old who can wipe out armies in the blink of an eye, a small part of him pointed out. Doubt disappeared and determination rose in it's place. If Sandaime-sama thought I was ready for a team, then I am. I'll do my best. Although... Minato glanced sidelong at Orochimaru, who looked pale but as determined as he felt. Orochimaru is finally going to teach another team huh...? Is he finally moving on from losing his first Genin team?
"Do you accept the responsibility of teaching Konoha's next generation of shinobi?" Danzo asked formally.
"Yes Hokage-sama." Minato stated with the rest of them.
"Good." Danzo said approvingly. "Here are your teams..."
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Obito Uchiha sat quietly in the classroom as the teacher congratulated his class for becoming Genin. His goggles hid his tears as he recalled proudly showing his parents his hitai-ate before dinner a week ago. The next night, they were dead. His hitai-ate was now tied around his head, sometimes hidden by his orange goggles when he placed them on his forehead. His short but spiky hair peeped wildly over the hitai-ate, giving him a hedgehog-like look. Obito wore a black track suit with the Uchiha crest proudly displayed on his back, lines of orange following the cuffs, zipper, and neckline of his coat. His pants were completely black. He wore a shuriken hostler on his right leg and a kunai hostler on his left, with wrappings around his left knee.
"Team One is Kotetsu Hagane, Izumo Kamizuki, and Ayame Ichiraku. Your Sensei is Kizashi Haruno." the teacher began. "Team Two is Anko Mitarashi, and Hayate Gekko. Your third member, Tenzo, will join you later." Unknown to the Genin, Tenzo had disappeared the night before. Danzo still had teams searching for him, with no luck."Your Sensei is Orochimaru. Team Three..."
He continued on but Obito didn't listen, silently wallowing in grief.
"...Team Seven will be Obito Uchiha—" Everyone looked at him, pity in their gazes. Obito's fists clenched. He had always sought attention— he'd had to since he wasn't super smart like all of the other Uchiha— but he hated that look. He didn't want pity! He wasn't sure what he wanted, but he knew he didn't want everyone to feel bad for him. "—Rin—"
Obito's heart fluttered for a moment at the mention of his crush's name before returning to it's gloom. Rin seemed to be holding her breath as she waited for the teacher to reveal their third teammate. Obito saw her glancing at Kakashi Hatake, her brown eyes sparkling hopefully. Her brown hair hung to her shoulders in layers and her cheeks were marked by two purple rectangles. She wore a loose sleeved black top and a purple apron-like skirt, with a flap of cloth in the front and back. She had black shorts and mesh purple stockings underneath the skirt. Rin also had wrappings around both of her hands.
"—and Kakashi Hatake." Obito groaned, his heart plummeting further. Great. He was stuck with a genius so broody that he could have been an honorary Uchiha Clansman. Obito momentarily felt bad for thinking irritably about his deceased Clan, but old habits— especially ones born of rejection and loneliness— were hard to break.
Kakashi looked unmoved by this announcement, his dark eyes cold and distant. His gravity-defying silver hair spiked up more than Obito's ever could, and the bottom half of his face was covered by a mask. Obito always wondered why Kakashi wore that mask. Did he have buck teeth or something? A weird nose, perhaps? Why else wear a mask all the time? Kakashi wore a black t-shirt with white stripes down the sleeves, metal arm protectors, and black fingerless gloves. His pants were black, with a kunai and shuriken hostler on his right leg, wrappings around both of his ankles, and a sword strapped across his back.
"Your Sensei is Minato Namikaze." Obito frowned, trying to remember where he'd heard that name before... Oh. That was it. The Yellow Flash. Cousin Mikoto's teammate.
"Team Eight is Ebisu, Muta Aburame, and Tokuma Hyuuga." the teacher droned. "Your Sensei is Ko Hyuuga. Team Nine is Iruka Umino, Mizuki, and Tsubaki. Your Sensei is Genma Shiranui. Team Ten is Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuuhi, and Might Gai, led by Chouza Akimichi."
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Minato watched his students from above, sighing in exasperation as he took them in. Although they were one of the three teams left, they were not even attempting to get to know each other. Obito sat quietly in the corner, glaring occasionally at Kakashi, who ignored him. Sometimes, Obito's eyes would brighten up and a small evil smile— one Minato had seen many times on Kushina's face— would appear on his face. But soon, it would fade, the Uchiha's eyes growing distant and sad. Kakashi had the familiar "I'm cool, dark, and brooding" posture that Minato had seen many times when he was with Fugaku and Mikoto. Rin was glancing between the two boys, her face unsure, as if she couldn't decide who to sit with, but Minato could see her blush whenever she looked at Kakashi. Studying their behavior for a few minutes was all Minato needed to get a gist on his team's personalities.
So I have the mourning Uchiha who probably likes to prank and acts like Kushina when he's not brooding, a stiff rule-abiding genius who acts like an Uchiha, and a shy girl who might be a bit of a fangirl. Great.
Minato Flashed out, unnoticed by the Genin, then entered the room through the door, the nine Genin instantly focusing on him. He knew he was a rather intimidating figure, despite his age. Because of his profession as a part-time Hunter Ninja, he wore completely black. Black long sleeved shirt with a hood, black pants, black boots, black weapons' hostlers, black fingerless gloves, black hitai-ate. His bright blonde hair and sapphire eyes were the only colors on him, but even those could look dark and chilling if Minato wanted them to.
Kushina always teased him about scaring the Chünin and Genin— and even some Jönin— with his almost ANBU-armor-like clothing. In return to her teasing, Minato merely shrugged in response, and said that they were only afraid if he glared at them. A Minato glare was almost as scary as a Hyuuga or Uchiha glare. Enough to make most ninja freeze or flee at least. Mikoto and Hizashi expected nothing less from their teammate— they were the ones who taught sweet little Minato to glare properly after all.
The Yellow Flash studied the nine Genin silently for a moment, internally amused by their awed, nervous and calculating expressions, then said. "Team Seven. Meet me on the roof." He vanished in a swirl of leaves.
No need to show them everything right now after all...
Minato smiled as he realized that he'd just copied his own Sensei's first meeting with Team Jiraiya. He leaned against the rail, waiting for his team to show. They did, bursting through the door like they were fleeing a fire, Rin puffing slightly from her hasty run upstairs.
We're going to have to work on her stamina. Minato noted.
Kakashi frowned at Minato, studying him critically. "You're our Sensei? You're barely seventeen."
Minato decided to ignore that comment. "Introduce yourselves," he said calmly. When they gave him perplexed looks he said. "My name is Minato Namikaze. I love my friends, ramen, and Fuuinjutsu. I hate people who despise others because of something they can't control. My hobbies are making new seals, finding new ways to use my Kekkei Genkai, occasionally stopping my former teammate from killing my former Sensei, and traveling. My dream is to become Hokage, and change the Hyuuga Clan." He pointed at Kakashi. "Your turn."
"My name is Kakashi Hatake," he said stiffly. "I like training. I hate people who don't follow orders and the rules. They're scum." Minato mentally winced, his expression not changing.
I wonder if Sandaime-sama managed to get Kakashi's tormentors to leave him alone? Somehow I think asking Kakashi about it would be a bad idea...
"My hobby is training." Kakashi continued. "And my ambition is to become a Jönin as quickly as possible."
Minato managed to smile. "Try to become a Chünin first, okay?" Kakashi merely stared at him. Minato sighed. "Goggles, you next."
"My name is Obito Uchiha." the boy said softly. "I like ramen and pranks, I guess. I dislike geniuses who think they're all that." He gave Kakashi a glare. "My hobby is pulling pranks. My dream..." He glanced at Minato, who gave him an encouraging smile. Obito frowned as he considered his dream. A week ago, it had been to activate his Sharingan and impress his Clan. To prove he wasn't useless. Now though... his Clan was dead. Having the oh-so-special-and-to-be-worshiped Sharingan hadn't saved any of them.
Then what's my dream now? Obito thought despairingly. I wanted to activate my Sharingan to prove myself to them...
But now he couldn't. Because they were dead. They were dead, despite their "superior" Bloodline. And Obito, locked in a cellar beneath his home, had been unable to help his family. He was unable to protect them...
With that simple thought, he knew his new dream.
Obito's back straightened and his voice grew strong and loud. "My goal is to become stronger, and protect all of my precious people, no matter what!"
Kakashi snorted. Obito glowered at him. Minato gave the Uchiha a long, thoughtful look before turning to Rin.
"My name is Rin." she said. "I like strawberries and..." She glanced at Kakashi and blushed. "I don't really dislike anything... My hobby is collecting shells." She hesitated a moment before continuing. "And my dream is to become a medic ninja as great as Tsunade-sama!" The girl shouted the last sentence defiantly, like she was daring them to laugh at her, before clapping her hands over her mouth and blushing harder.
"That's a good dream." Minato said, smiling kindly at her. He then spoke to the whole group. "You guys lucked out this year. Normally, you'd have to take a second test in order to become Genin—" The three stiffened. "—but, since we're at war, you get a free pass." They relaxed. Hopefully you don't die because you weren't ready to become ninja... Minato thought darkly.
"Is that why this year's Sensei are so young?" Rin asked curiously. "Because the older Jönin are out in the war?"
Minato nodded. "Mostly." Actually, many of them are dead... I'm surprised Sandaime-sama was able to keep the must-be-ten-years-old-to-graduate law in place, with all of the deaths and casualties that have occured. "Because of the war, you're all going to learn techniques you normally wouldn't learn until you were Chünin. But until you are all efficient enough to go into the field, we will be doing D-ranked missions."
The three children nodded in consent, glad they were finally Genin.
XXXXXXXXXX
Jönin Rei Karuka sat in the dark, almost empty bar, staring broodingly at his empty glass. His fourth... fifth glass maybe? Rei didn't know, and definitely didn't care. The bar tender didn't speak to him, merely set another glassful of sake in front of him. Rei mumbled his thanks, accepting the drink. It was a familiar routine. Rei visited this bar every evening, as he had since the beginning of the war— in the shinobi world, once you became Chünin you could drink—... ever since Shira died in the Battle of Kurama Village. Rei couldn't forgive himself for his teammate's death, even though he was nowhere near her when she died. No, Rei had been off fighting in the eastern sector, while Shira was in the north. That didn't stop him from feeling guilty, however.
Rei swallowed another strong gulp of alcohol, shivering slightly as he drowned in his misery. The remainder of his team had split because of Shira's death. She had been the glue that had kept them together. Moko was off fighting on the Grass border. Aka refused to even talk to Rei, angered that he was drinking, wallowing in grief instead of moving on. Rei didn't care what his teammate thought. All he cared about was that Shira was gone.
Another patron sat beside Rei, a Jönin that he didn't recognize. His skin was oddly pale and his face expressionless, but his drank the sake as enthusiastically as the grieving Jönin beside him.
"Who'd you lose?" Rei mumbled randomly to the man beside him.
The pale Jönin placed his nearly empty glass back on the counter, gripping it with both hands, staring into the brown depths of the drink. "My entire squad." he said softly.
Rei took another swig, before pushing the glass back over to the bar tender, who refilled it. "I lost my teammate and my team split up." he stated.
"My squad was fighting at the Land of Rock border," the unnamed Jönin offered in return, still staring into his drink. "The Battle of the Rocky Plains."
Rei winced as he heard the name. "Only ten people survived that battle."
"Ten people," the Jönin scoffed. "Yeah right. I was the only one who survived that wasn't a Bloodline User."
Rei stiffened, "What? Bloodline Users?" For some reason that bothered him, the fact that Bloodline Users were the only survivors. A memory, vague and fuzzy, began to nag at the back of his mind.
"That's right," the Jönin said bitterly. "Three Hyuuga, four Uchiha, and two Dual-Element Bloodlines." He grinned remorselessly. "Those damn Uchiha deserved what they got. Thinking that they were better than everyone else. If they were so powerful, why didn't they use those powers to save people's lives? No, they just let us normal ninja die for them in battle, staring down at us while we bleed. Heh. Uchiha bastards is right."
The words acted like a trigger, and Rei remembered the memory that had been prodding at his mind, remembered what his Sensei had revealed about Shira's death. The grieving Jönin's eyes narrowed. "My teammate was with an Uchiha when she died. The Uchiha claimed that she tried save her."
"Yeah right." the pale Jönin spat sarcastically. "Why would an Uchiha save anyone except themselves?"
Rei remained silent, his hatred for the unknown Uchiha growing. It was the Uchiha's fault that Shira had died. She had probably just stood by and watched as his teammate was slaughtered, trying to save her own skin!
The pale Jönin took another drink of sake, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "You know what I heard about the Uchiha? One of them was that ANBU that went crazy two years ago. And he not only had one Bloodline, but two." He gave Rei a knowing look. "What does that tell you?"
Rei took in this new information, suspicion growing. "Some people say that the Bloodline Clans got their Kekkei Genkai from demons..."
"Perhaps that power is causing them to lose their sanity and humanity," the pale Jönin deducted darkly.
"And yet Konoha allows these abominations to live?" Rei snarled, fist slamming into the countertop making his glass shake.
"Sarutobi was soft," the pale Jönin said wisely, no longer touching his drink. "Perhaps Danzo will be less lenient."
"If not," Rei hissed, mind clearer than it had been in months. "It will be up to us to destroy these— these—"
"Somaruchi?" the pale Jönin offered.
Rei paused before nodding. Somaruchi. Tainted Blood. Yes. It was a fitting name for demon spawn.
Rei rose, drink forgotten, face set and intent.
"We have to warn the others. They need to know about this problem."
He left without asking the pale Jönin his name. Said Jönin turned back to the bar, face going expressionless, almost like a mask was melting off of his face. The bar tender watched him warily.
"You...? I haven't seen you around here before." he said hesitantly.
"And you never did," the "Jönin" said in a neutral, yet somehow dangerous voice.
A chill went up the bar tender's spine as he looked into those blank, emotionless eyes. He nodded rapidly, sweat beading on his forehead. "N-Never saw you. Of course."
The Root agent smiled falsely, no longer needing to express fake emotions. He stood, vanishing from the bar, his mission complete.
Danzo-sama would be pleased.
XXXXXXXXXX
A/N: "The Beginning of the End" indeed...
I decided to not do the bell test because: A) It would have been repetitive. and B) It's wartime, so I think they'd want as many graduates as possible so why test them?
By the way: Even though Kakashi is a Genin, he's still farther ahead than his peers. He just couldn't graduate early because of the "must-be-ten-to-graduate" rule.
Speaking of which: Kakashi and Rin are 10. Obito's 11. (His birthday is in February. The current month in the story is around June-ish.)
Also, Danzo didn't injure his arm or eye. (Kinda obvious if you read my description of him but I thought I'd remind you)
REMEMBER: Orochimaru is not evil in this fic!
Next chapter will be called "Blinded By the Dark"
Please review!
