Hello everyone and thank you for being here again :)

I somehow made it through my exams and am full of motivation :D

I suppose.. anyway thank you very much again for your patience and loyalty

I'm doing my best here to update more and improve my story but it's just no good..

Well, thank you very much for every single nice and helpful comment, they really mean a lot to me and help me out very much :)

So please enjoy this chapter and tell me your opinion if you feel like it

A new direction

The discussion seemed to be never ending. Voices, higher and lower, were risen and broken down again and again in an continuation of endless loops. In the conference room of Konoha was running the longest selection of new Chuunin ever, at least that was what most of the attendants felt like. And that even though most of the examinees had long been decided over and the issue was reduced to the only three last Genin.

"I don't even get what this fuss is all about! She burned the arena down! That's enough prove for me that she isn't fit to become a Chuunin."

"You sure got a point there, but.. she had the power to burn the arena down without even forming signs. I mean.. that's not quite the powerlevel of a Genin."

"She's strong, yes, but she can't control herself."

The same words, the same reasonings over and over again. Everyone was determined, but everyone was hesitant as well.

"Same with the guys. They've went pretty overboard and nearly killed each other And they're only kids."

"But those fights were stunning. It's rare to see such young guys fight that well. There are a lot Chuunin in our rows who'd had a really hard time against them."

"I just have the feeling they aren't mature enough to.."

"Well, for their age I'd say they're pretty.."

"Would you please not interrupt me?!"

"Speak for yourself! I just wanted to say I know Jonin less mature."

"What are you implying there?!"

And they started to scream again, topic long forgotten. The Hokage was sitting at the end of the table and watched. He hadn't said a thing up until now. He just smiled and enjoyed the show.

Finally the examiners calmed down again and one of them sighed.

"The question we have to ask ourselves is: Can we really afford to let those three be running wild without teachers to control them and even leave Genin in their care?"

Seishi was standing in front of the door for quite a while now. His heart was racing as he raised his hand to knock, but he hesitated once again. Should he really go in there? No, he had made a decision and he would see it through, no matter what. With new resolve he took a deep breath, ready to knock. But before his fist reached the wooden door, he was interrupted by an annoyed sigh.

"How long are you going to stand there? Come in already!"

An intimidating female voice shouted at him from the other side of the door. Seishi flinched. Now he had no other choice anyway. He slowly opened the door and peered in the room without daring to enter.

"Excuse me for intrud-"

"Come in I said!"

Tsunade-hime looked at him pissed and shook her head in disbelief. "What do you want here?"

Seishi flinched and entered the room reluctantly.

"I'm really sorry for bothering you, but.." Tsunade raised an eyebrow and looked at him sceptically.

"What's wrong with you? Since when are you so shy? Just state what you want like a man."

Seishi flinched again and stared at the floor beneath his feet. He was feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed. He shook his head and took all his courage together to at least answer without loosing his face completely.

"I'm hesitant today, because I'm here to do something I usually wouldn't even think about. I'm here to beg. I'm here to ask you for a chance that I've already messed up and I know it's pathetic to beg for second chances but.."

Biting his tongue, he threw himself on his knees and bowed before Tsunade as deeply as he could.

"I beg you. Even though I'm not worthy and I've already been rejected once.. please make me your pupil."

Tsunade, who had been sitting at her desk up until now, stood up and walked in front of him.
"Stand up and look at me!", she hissed.

Seishi's body was slightly shaking as he did what he was told. He was prepared to be shouted at, spitted at or being thrown out in one hit. He'd just come back over and over again. And thinking this he exchanged looks with her, as fierce and determined as ever. Tsunade glared at him straight-faced.

"What was our deal? You remember?"

Seishi, too, wasn't about to give in.

"Of course I do. You told me you would teach me if I won the tournament. And I messed up. That's why I know it's disrespectful and stubborn of me to come back here and ask you once again. But I really want to be trained by you, and I really want to become a medic. That's why I will return here no matter how often you reject me."

Tsunade's eyes became smaller and she was even scarier when she looked that angry.

With a mere "you're a naughty one" she punched Seishi on his head so he was instantly thrown on the floor, his head crushed against the parquet.

"I get this often." He raised his head and spit wooden splinters out of his mouth. Tsunade went back to her desk as she was laughing derisively. She sat on her chair and looked down at Seishi, who didn't dare to stand up fearing he'd be just punched down again.

"You're too young to make such jokes. I won't accept things like that. As my pupil you have to behave. And as my pupil I won't accept any more failures and any more back downs. You've got that?"

Seishi's eyes gaped. His mouth flapped open and a few more, bloody splinters fell out. He blinked and shook his head, still lying on his belly with spread limbs. "What?", he asked disbelieving.

"You've heart what I said. So now go out and come back here tomorrow, punctually at 6 am. I won't tolerate any second of delay. Got that?"

In a blink of an eye Seishi was standing straight again, bowed and nodded. "Yes, Ma'am!" He turned to go but stopped shortly. "But.. why the change of mind if I may ask..?" He was back to the insecure child once again.

"Well, don't think I'd like you or something like that. It's just that I'd be nuts, denying the most talented and motivated trainee I had in a while the best education he can get." Her eyes told him that he wouldn't hear another word from her today. So Seishi just grinned slightly and nodded, bowed and whispered a "thank you" and left the room.

Just when the door clunked shut, Shizune, who had been standing the whole time at the wall of the room, intimidated clinging to the little pig in her arms, dared to talk again. "Tsunade-sama.. don't you think you've been a little too harsh on him..?"

Every time her teacher behaved like that, she got the chills. Tsunade glared at her.

"Why do you think that?"

Shizune flinched and tried to choose her words wisely in order to not make her angrier than she was anyway.

"Ehm.. because.. you were planning to teach him all along, am I not right?"

Tsunade shrugged and looked out of the window.

"Let this be a lesson to you. He's just a child I know, but he's also a man. And you never should give a man easily what he wants. You have to let him fight a little, to bring himself to do something his pride wouldn't usually allow him to. Just to see how much he really wants it and also to make it even more precious to him once he got it."

She sighed. "But he should have just won the tournament in the first place. That would have made it easier for both of us."

Shizune snickered, obviously delighted. "But Tsunade-sama, it's actually you're fault he lost, isn't it?"

Tsunade's gaze got darker once again. "What do you mean by that?"

Shizune didn't seem to have recognized the change of air and went on cheerful as before. "Well, because you bet on -" The killing glare shut her up and her face went blue as Tsunade stood up and walked towards her.

Just when the door clunked shut, Seishi's indifferent facade fell apart and gave way to a broad smile. He made a victory pose and danced his victory dance in the hallway of the hospital, where Tsunade's office was. The patients and nurses running around looked at him startled, but he didn't care and danced the whole way out to the main entrance and out of the door. The moment he had stepped on non-hospital ground he screamed as loud as he could.

"WOOOOHOOOOO!" as he jumped up and down and around and bumped right into a confused, yet well-known face.

"What the f-..?!" Itachi laid on the ground with the lively Seishi sitting on him. "You?! Why are you running out of an hospital all smiles? Did they find a cure against AIDS?" Seishi stared at Itachi with huge eyes. "Wooow, Itachi. I hate to tell you that, but.. there's something ultimately wrong with your humor.." He blinked a little shocked for another few seconds, then smiled again and stood up.

"But I don't care~", he sang while pirouetting, "~because I'm haaaaappy!"

Itachi shook his head and tried to convince himself that he was dreaming.

"Ok.. I suppose I will regret it later but.. what happened?"

It seemed to be unthinkable for Seishi to stop grinning and stay still for a while. "Hihihi", Seishi snickered that it gave Itachi the creeps and he felt his skin crawling.

"Well I guess, I can tell you that finally."

He stood straight and made a solemn face while he waited for Itachi to stand up and get the dirt from his clothes.

"Before the tournament I went to Tsunade and asked her to make me a medic nin. She told me she wouldn't just take anyone coming to her. So I wanted to prove her that I'm not just anyone, but the best she can possibly get. We made a deal, that if I won the tournament, she'd make me her personal pupil. But well, you know best that I failed. But I refused to give up and came here again today to ask for a second chance. And.."
The grin returned even broader than before. "...I got it! I GOT IT! Starting tomorrow I'll lern medical Ninjutsu!"

He started to jump and dance in circles again, shining like the sun. Itachi had listened to him silently. He looked thoughtful.

"I've heard the first time of that now. Since when do you think about that? And.. why?"

Seishi's eyes went dark all of a sudden. He stared into thin air and hesitated to answer for a while.

"Well.. to be honest, for quite a while now. I guess.. for two years."

Itachi started to get a bad feeling about it, he felt a pinch in his stomach. "You mean..?"

He didn't dare to finish his sentence, but he didn't have to anyway. Seishi did it for him.

"Yes. I will never forget that day two years ago. When you carried the unconscious and badly hurt Sayuri back to the vilage we stayed in and collapsed at the entrance. There was blood everywhere, your body was like Swiss cheese.

I tried everything I could think of to help you, but I couldn't do anything until we brought you back to Konoha and Tsunade took you in. Everyone was screaming in panic, it was all so hectically and I could read in the faces of the medics that no one believed you would survive this. And all I could do was staying behind and pray. And I was so devastated, I thought I'd lose everything I loved just once again. You can't imagine how delighted I was when Sayuri finally woke up. And then you. Since that day Tsunade-sama was like a god to me, able to bring the dead back to life. I don't want to go through this once again. I will protect you by all means."

Itachi had no idea what to say. They had never really talked about that incident two years ago and about Seishi's feelings towards that. It must have been horrible for him.

"I thought it would be enough if I grew stronger in order to protect you. But it wasn't. No matter how strong we become, there will always be some guys out there even stronger. Guys who are able to kill us in seconds with ease. I realized that in the second part of the exams. When those guys attacked us, I was down in an instant and had to be saved by Sayuri. And because I was so useless, Sayuri had to reveal her true identity which led in a huge mess for her. In the end it was all my fault for being so weak that it came to this. I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry. But I won't let myself be saved again. This time I will be the one who'll save everyone."

Itachi was clenching his fists. He wasn't sure whether to be moved by Seishi's words or be worried.

"It wasn't your fault. Seishi.. it was all my fault for acting this way towards her. And.. I'm happy that you think that way.. I guess.. but, before you decide something like that you should hear something first. About me and Sayuri.. we are.."

Seishi smiled. It was a neither happy nor sad smile. It was just creepy.

"I know about that, Itachi. And I don't care. No, I'd say I'm happy for you. You deserved that after all you've gone through. It's the right thing to happen, I'm sure of it. But it doesn't change my attitude towards you."

He walked towards Itachi and their eyes met. Seishi had never had such a determined look on his face.

"I love you. Both of you. You're everything I have in my life. You're everything I live for. And no matter what happens between us, you won't get rid of me that easily. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, I will follow you to the end of the world. And I will protect you whenever you're attacked. I will save you no matter what situation you're in. I promise.."

And then, suddenly, his smile changed once again. Now a calm, yes nearly enlightened smile. He turned around, held his face against the sun, so his slightly tanned skin shone nearly godlike and he opened his arms.

"I promise you, starting today I won't let neither of you die. Starting today, I will promise you, you.. no.. we.. we will be immortal. And we will raise to the top of the world with no one to stand a chance against us."

Tsunade was standing at the window of her office and looked down at the street in front of the hospital. She watched her new pupil, being hugged by his friend and listened to his words.

"You better keep that promise", he said.

She bit on her lips vibrating in anger. She couldn't believe what she just had heard.

"That guy..", she started, "isn't fit in the slightest to become a medic. I knew this all along. He has no idea of the principles we medics have, our priorities. He's selfish. And he's born do destroy and not heal. How can he make promises he can't possibly keep?! That's the least thing a medic should do. I don't know what I'm thinking teaching him."
It sounded more like she scolded herself but Seishi. Shizune looked at her master worried.

"But.. the same goes for you right? You already promised.."

Tsunade glared at her. "I know that!", she shouted.

"I had a bad feeling ever until he asked me to do that. It was less a demand than an order. If I just knew.."

She sighed and her eyes became worried, too, as she looked at the two guys outside.

"If I just knew what the old man is up to."

Back to the conference room the clamor had wound down finally and the imminent decision was heavily weighing on the atmosphere. All it needed was someone to take the courage and speak it out. Just as someone finally opened his mouth, he was interrupted by another one.

"In my opinion.." All eyes in the room gaped simultaneously and locked on the Hokage, who was taking the word for the first time in this discussion.

"In my opinion, the issue is, whether we can take the responsibility for a Jonin to hold control over three Genin with this tremendous powers and expect them to estimate and utilize their capabilities wisely and, of course, without endangering their surroundings and the reputation of our village. And furthermore, whether we can afford to keep those three talented and promising children with great potential down on a level not appropriate for them and deny them to develop and be of greater use to their beloved home."

Thank you very much for reading :)

I hope you enjoyed it and keep waiting for the next chapter

I'll do my best so see you then!