Alright guys, here is the new update. Sorry, but this chapter is kinda short so I apologise in advance. Please don't take this out on me. But I hope you guys will enjoy the story and please review. So many of you prefer to just favourite this story.
Next chapter, "Introduction to the new team seven."
CHAPTER 37: RECONSTRUCTION OF KONOHA
The village of Konoha was peaceful as everyone slept in their beds. It was still early in the morning but in a few minutes, the first sign of the sun rising would be seen. At this time, if a person looked at Konoha, it was a peaceful village but once they have the light to help their vision, they would think Konoha was still in the third ninja war due to the damages of the buildings.
In an apartment, the sound of an alarm clock ringing was heard and the occupant, Naruto, shut the alarm off. Naruto slowly rise up from his bed, rubbing his eyes. Naruto was still dead tired from the events from yesterday but Naruto was told that he had to wake up early. Since it was a normal day, he had to meet up with his team at the hot springs like any usual day. Now that Naruto thought about it, it has actually been a long time since he met up with his team since he was occupied for one whole month for the Chuunin exams.
Naruto dragged himself slowly to the bathroom to freshen up. Naruto opened the tap water and washed his face and Naruto immediately felt wide awake. Naruto proceeded to brush his teeth and once he was done, Naruto stripped off his clothes and entered the shower. Naruto spent only about four minutes and he was done. That was the advantage of having no parents to tell to clean himself properly.
Naruto wiped himself dry and walked back to his room. Since today was going to be day where he was going to sweat himself, Naruto decided to wear a white tank top and a brown pants that went right after the knee. Then, Naruto tied his Konoha headband onto his forehead and entered the kitchen to start on his breakfast. Naruto's apartment building was not damaged during the invasion and Naruto considered himself lucky.
Naruto fixed himself a bowl of Ramen for breakfast, which was his usual meal for most of his life. The day for the third part of the Chuunin exam, Naruto ate a cooked egg and although it was a pleasant change, Naruto did not enjoy it as much as he would enjoy his Ramen. Naruto finished his Ramen in a matter of minutes and when Naruto looked at the time, it was just seven in the morning. His team would normally meet around half past seven in the morning but Naruto decided that no harm could be done in going a little and so Naruto made his choice.
Naruto locked his apartment door from the inside then walked to his window, opened it, climbed out his window and closed it, and then made his way to the hot springs. Even though it was considered early for Naruto, most of the villagers were already wide awake. Despite being a day to repair the damages of the invasion, the villagers were also busy in the market selling their goods. After all, if everyone was involved in repairing the damages, who was going to sell food and other goods to the villagers.
It took Naruto about seven minutes to reach the hot springs and Naruto was surprised that he was not the only one there. He found his black haired team mate, Sasuke waiting there. Sasuke must have sensed his presence because when Naruto approached Sasuke, Sasuke was clearly waiting for him.
"When did you get here?" Naruto asked when he reached Sasuke.
"Fifteen minutes ago." The Uchiha answered plainly.
"Are you actually enthusiastic to do repairs?"
Sasuke sent a death glare at Naruto, "Is it wrong to get here early?"
Naruto rolled his eyes, "No, but why would you want to come so early anyway?"
"It is a ninja's duty to be punctual." Sasuke stated and then looked away as something got his attention.
"I think you're just paying too much attention to the ninja code. I mean, come on, since…" Naruto stopped speaking since he realised Sasuke was pre-occupied with something. Naruto followed Sasuke's eye direction and Naruto realised that Sasuke was looking at a couple of women entering the hot springs, and the women were beyond beautiful.
"What the hell are you looking at, bastard?" Naruto said in a loud voice, startling the young Uchiha.
Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, and Naruto saw a hint of nosebleed. Sasuke was about to come up with a reply but Naruto burst out laughing, pointing at Sasuke's nose. Sasuke clenched his fists in anger.
"You better stop or I will tell Maki what you did with Sakura yesterday?" Sasuke cautioned.
Naruto wiped a tear off his face, "What are you talking about?"
Sasuke smirked, "Well, the fact that you made out with Sakura in front of her house…"
Naruto's eyes widened at the mention of that and turned beet red. Sasuke smirked, knowing he won a small victory. Sasuke knew this could be used as some sort of blackmail if Sasuke wanted to get something from Naruto but Sasuke was not that cruel.
At that moment, Maki finally appeared, landing right in front of the two boys. The two boys were not that surprised by Maki's sudden appearance since he was always doing that and they sort of got used to it. What really surprised them was that Maki was wearing a simple white shirt and some faded jeans. They had always seen their pink haired teacher wearing the normal Jounin attire and this was a first for them.
Maki noticed that Sasuke and Naruto were looking at him, "What?" Maki asked.
Naruto shook his head, "Nothing…"
Sasuke smiled weakly, "It has been a long time since we actually met up here as a team…"
Maki was surprised that Sasuke said that. The way he said that was as if Sasuke loved his team. Or could it be that Sasuke already has formed some sort of bond with this team? That could be good news.
"So, Maki-sensei, what is our duty for the day?" Naruto started once again.
Maki scratched his hair, "Our team has been assigned to help repair the damages to the eastern area of Konoha, which is near the Yamanaka clan and Ino's flower shop."
"And just where is Ino? She's late!" Naruto complained.
Maki cleared his throat, "Ino will not be in our team today…"
"What?" Both Naruto and Sasuke said at the same time, "Why?"
"How do I explain this…?" Maki looked at his two students, "Well, let's just say that she has to meet someone this morning so she will not be with us today."
"Meeting who?" Naruto asked, curious.
"Now that information is classified…"
"What?" Naruto was now more than curious, "How come?"
"Let's just get going," Maki ordered, jumping up on a rooftop, "We have got a long way to go."
That was the end of the discussion as team seven started to make their way to the eastern side of Konoha. Today was a good weather, with the sun being blocked by the clouds. With such difficult tasks for today, Konoha was lucky that the sun was not burning down on them. That would really be uncomfortable.
Maki thought about what he had told Ino yesterday, about Tsunade wanting to meet Ino.
Flashback
Ino was in a daze as she finally heard what was going on. Konoha was attacked by both Sound and Sand ninjas while she was asleep in the genjutsu and the reason why her teacher required the herbs was to save the Hokage's life. Ino shook her head, trying to erase those stressful thoughts. Ino wondered how she was actually able to miss everything today.
Ino walked out of her flower shop and locked the doors. Ino wanted to get all the details from her parents. As Ino started to make her way home, a figure emerged in front of her, blocking her way. Ino looked up at the figure, and she realised it was Maki, her teacher.
"Maki-sensei," Ino greeted tiredly, "You're sort of in my way…"
"That's because I need to talk to you about something, Ino."
Ino sighed, "Can that wait until tomorrow? My mind is in a mess right now and…"
"It's about the herbs that you gave me just now."
Now Ino was getting doubtful. Could it be that the herb she gave did not work? No, she was sure that the new herb she mixed was the perfect one.
"The herb can't be wrong. I'm sure of it, Maki-sensei. I…"
"Calm down, Ino," Maki said, placing both of his arms on her shoulder to calm her down, "The herb worked perfectly Ino. The reason I'm here is because someone would like to see you regarding the herbs."
"See me?" Ino repeated, "What about?"
Maki shrugged, "I don't know. I think she should be in the Hokage's tower tomorrow. She didn't tell me where to tell you to meet her, but that's my guess."
"So, what's her name?"
"Tsunade. Trust me, you mention that name in the Hokage's tower, they should know if they have seen her."
Ino has heard that name before but she just couldn't remember. If Ino was not mistaken, that name was mentioned a few times in the academy but for the life of her, Ino couldn't remember. Ino decided to stop punishing her head. It was in hell as it was.
With that, Maki started to walk away, leaving the young Yamanaka alone in the street. As Maki was getting further and further away, Maki stopped, with his back still facing Ino.
"And Ino, if all goes well, I think your dream of becoming a herb specialist just might come true." Maki stated.
After that, Maki started to walk away. Ino heard those words correctly but her brain was a little too slow to understand what Maki had said. After hearing about her homeland being attacked, Ino's reactions were a little slow today. Finally, when she finally got her senses back, Ino was shocked.
End of flashback
Maki looked at his two students following behind him. Maki didn't want to tell them that if Ino decided to pursue her dreams, she will no longer be a part of team seven. Although team seven could still function, the council might not agree to it for two reasons. One was that Naruto was the container of the nine-tails and it could be dangerous since the team was no longer a full team. The second reason was that Sasuke was the last remaining Uchiha member in Konoha and the council might not want to risk putting Sasuke in a team with just three ninjas in the team.
Maki sighed. The council can really be a bother and it was no wonder that Jiraiya had never liked them. As a matter of fact, most of the elite Jounins did not like the way the council thinks. The ANBU probably think the same but being personal warriors of the Hokage and the council, they have no say in this.
"Man, this is going to be so boring…" Naruto whined when they finally reached their destination.
"Stop whining, idiot," Sasuke scolded, "You're really getting on my nerves."
And with that, the two boys were locked in another quarrel. Maki sighed, rubbing his forehead. The one thing he really hated about his team is that the two boys, no matter how much he tried, will always get themselves into an argument at least ONCE. Maki stepped in between them, separating the two by shoving the Uchiha to the right and the blonde to the left.
"Break it up you two," Maki said, "We need to concentrate here."
Naruto grumbled while Sasuke acted like nothing ever happened. Maki sighed. Maki received orders from one of the ANBU leader and ordered his students on their assigned duties. Maki was ordered to help repair damages on some large building that was used for some sort of clothing business while Sasuke and Naruto were assigned to carry supplies such as lumber into the building. Naruto complained throughout the whole assignment.
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In the Hokage's tower, it was busy as just as the village was busy. Ninjas were coming in to hand in reports and going out to send out orders. The administration staff have never been so busy. The villagers that were in the tower were not helping, complaining to get their area fixed and repaired as soon as possible.
"Please calm down," A female staff said to a large male, "We will get your house fixed if we can spare some ninjas but they're all busy now and…"
"Calm down?!?" The large man yelled, saliva spitting out of his mouth, "How can I calm down? My house has holes all over and I want it repaired now! It's not…"
Gai tapped the man on the shoulder and the large man spun around to look at Gai. Gai smiled, his teeth sparkling white, "Please, show me where your house is. With so much youth within me, I can get it done within a few minutes!"
Gai gave a thumbs up and everyone in the administration office were silent, watching this elite Jounin. The large man's jaw was open, thinking that Gai maybe a little weird wearing tights. But that was all the man wanted. He left the office with Gai following, smiling brightly.
Ino was just standing outside the doorway of the office and sweat-dropped at the sight. Ino remembered Gai because her father had returned with him from his missions on several occasions. Ino shook her head. She needed to do what she came her and look for this Tsunade person that Maki had told her about.
It was quite hard to get to the administration's desk with so many people shoving her out of the way and the place was quite packed. Ino was getting frustrated but just being a twelve year old Gennin, there wasn't much she could do.
Finally, Ino reached the counter, "Excuse me, do you know where is Tsunade?"
At the mention of the name, the staff Ino was talking to immediately paid attention on Ino, "Tsunade-sama?!"
Ino nodded, "Yeah…"
The man, around his mid-thirties thought for a moment, "Can't say that I did, but her assistant…" The man turned to look at someone, "Hei, Shizune!"
"What?" A woman's voice replied.
"There is someone here looking for your teacher!"
A few seconds later, a woman around her twenties appeared at the desk. She was wearing a black kimono and has medium length black hair and she holding some files to her chest. Shizune looked at the man and the simply pointed at Ino.
"You're looking for Tsunade-sama?" Shizune questioned, her voice in disbelief.
"Yeah…"
Shizune sighed, "Look, Tsunade-sama is pretty busy right now and…"
"But I was told by my teacher that Tsunade wanted to look for me regarding the herbs." Ino protested.
At the mention of herbs, Shizune immediately realised her mistake, "Oh, so you are the person that created the herb for the Hokage?"
Ino nodded. Shizune now understood and Tsunade did inform Shizune that if the person that created the herb was looking for, Shizune was to bring the person to her. Shizune looked at the blonde girl in front of her again. For Tsunade to personally call for her, Tsunade must have been impressed with the child's abilities, but this was different. Tsunade was normally interested if the person has good chakra control but this was because the child was good in making herbs.
"Alright then," Shizune said, standing next to Ino, "Just follow me and I'll bring you to her."
The two females left the administration office and started to climb the stairs of the Hokage tower. They had to climb the stairs for a few minutes and this was starting to tire Ino out but Shizune seemed to be perfectly fine. Ino assumed that Shizune must have been used to this since she was working in the Hokage's tower. How wrong Ino was.
They finally stopped climbing the fleet of stairs and entered a corridor. The corridor had doors to the left and right. Ino heard that this place were rooms assigned to the personal guards of the Hokage, the elite ANBU forces. Ino felt honoured that she got to enter such a high ranking area. Finally, Shizune stopped and knocked on the door to her right. After a few seconds, Shizune knocked once more.
"Come in!" A voice yelled from the other side.
Shizune turned the door knob and opened the door. Shizune stepped aside and ushered Ino into the room. There, Ino finally got the first glimpse of the legendary medic-nin, Tsunade. Tsunade was sitting down on a stool, looking at herself in the mirror, obviously bored.
"What do you want now, Shizune?" Tsunade asked without looking at Shizune.
"Tsunade-sama, the person that created the herb that helped you to heal the Hokage is here." Shizune informed Tsunade. Tsunade immediately turned and looked at Ino.
"Ah, thank you, Shizune. You can leave now."
Shizune bowed and then closed the door. Shizune sighed tiredly. Tsunade was most likely still mad at her for interrupting in her gambling yesterday but Shizune was just doing what was best for her. They have had so many problems in the past for Tsunade's excessive gambling.
"So," Tsunade started, "You're the person that created that unique herb?"
Ino nodded, "Yes…"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, "Do you know how difficult it was to create that specific herb? It takes hours and even the slightest mistake could destroy it…"
Ino nodded once more, "Yes, I'm well aware of that but I have so much free time in the flower shop that I always practice and I'm now pretty good at that."
"You're a Gennin, girl?"
"Yes…"
"What's your name?"
"Yamanaka Ino…"
"Yamanaka eh?" Tsunade was now impressed, "What's a girl like you from a ninja clan doing with herbs?"
Ino gulped, "I never had much interests in becoming a ninja. I have always wanted to be a herb specialist but since my father is the head of the clan and I have to succeed him, I was forced to be a ninja."
"The head?" Tsunade thought about it, and if her if her estimations were right, Ino was the daughter of Inoichi, "So, your father is Yamanaka Inoichi?"
Ino nodded, "That's right…"
"Let me ask you a question, Ino…" Tsunade said, using the name Ino for the first time, "If you could become a herb specialist and drop your career as a ninja, would you do it?"
Ino hesitated for a moment but finally nodded slowly, "Yes…"
Tsunade smiled, "Let's go and meet with your father…"
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In the highest floor of the Hokage's tower, in a meeting room, the council was having a meeting. Two ANBU black opts were guarding the door and this shows that the meeting was not to be interrupted no matter the circumstance.
Inside the meeting room, only one important seat was not taken and that was the Hokage's seat and that was to be since the Hokage was still recovering but at least alive. The fire lord was present, the advisors of the Hokage and four high ranking council members and both the head of the Nara and Akimichi clan were present.
"It is obvious that we have to strike soon once the repairs have been done!" The second council member stated, slamming his fist on the table, "We are now at war with the Sand and Sound. The Sand itself is powerful alone and now, with the help of the Sound, our chances of winning are low. We have to strike now while they are recovering."
"We are also just recovering," Akimichi Chouza argued, "The only ninjas available for such high risks missions are the elite Jounins and ANBU black opts."
"Then send them for the mission!" The same council member retorted.
"We cannot do that!" Nara Shikaku replied angrily, "The mission is too risky and if they die on the mission, although the chances are quiet low, what will happen to Konoha? They are now the main defenders of Konoha and it was thanks to their magnificent work that Konoha still stands today."
"Then what about if we send clan ninjas?" The fourth council member suggested, much more calmly then the second.
The female advisor of the Hokage shook her head, "That would be unwise. We all know that Konoha has suffered ever since the destruction of the Uchiha clan. One of Konoha's most prestigious and powerful clan was completely wiped out and our military force has suffered. We do not want to carelessly send clan ninjas on dangerous missions with no chances of making it out alive. That will be just a repeat of the Uchiha massacre."
"So what do you propose we do?" The fire lord asked.
The male Hokage's advisor cleared his throat, "It's best we try and solve the problem with the Sand village in a diplomatic way. That would be best. We do not want to lose the lives of countless ninjas."
"Alright, so that's out of the way…" The fire lord said happily.
"So what's the next issue?" The third council member asked.
"Who will be the next Hokage?" The female advisor said.
"Any of you would like to nominate on a particular person?" The fire lord questioned.
"It is obvious that we choose Tsunade. She is one of the legendary Sannin and was a student to the third Hokage, not to mention the grandchild of the first Hokage. I nominate for her. Jiraiya could be a better choice but he travels here and there, so being Hokage is out of the question for Jiraiya." Both advisors suggested.
The third council member nodded, "But the Sannin's are getting old. Tsunade will only be able to maintain that position for the maximum of ten years. Is there any young one's that could take her place?"
"There are two." Shikaku said.
"And who are they?" The fire lord asked, now curious.
"Hatake Kakashi and Haruno Maki…" Shikaku answered.
"Kakashi?" The fire lord was interested, "The son of the white fang. He is powerful and young, and well known through out the land."
"And sorry to say, who is Haruno Maki?" The first council member asked.
"He is an elite Jounin, said to be an equal to Kakashi." Chouza answered, "He was the student of Namoto Shuya and Maki is also quite well known throughout the lands and is at the same age as Kakashi."
"Namoto Shuya?" The fire lord repeated, "Was he not close to the fourth Hokage?"
The male advisor nodded, "Best friends was what I've heard. It is also said that Shuya was at the same level of the white fang."
"What happened to him?" The fire lord asked, looking at the male advisor.
"Shuya was a person that wanted to be Hokage but the people of Konoha were in favor of Minato. Like Orochimaru, Shuya left the village and is a missing-nin. Shuya could be still alive, but we're not sure."
"Alright then," The fire lord said, "I think we have future candidates for the position of the sixth Hokage. What else is there to discuss?"
The fourth council member passed a white sheet of paper to the fire lord, "This is the list of ninjas that made the position of Chuunin rank. Is there any of them that you would disagree in promoting the promotion?"
The fire lord read the sheet paper and read the names. He remembered the match of each of the ninjas and the names listed here did indeed have the things required needed to become a Chuunin. The fire lord looked at everyone present in the meeting, smiling.
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Elsewhere in Konoha, everyone was at the cemetery, watching the dead ninjas being buried. Some of the ninjas were high rank and well known, so some made speeches on how they respected a particular ninja. This was going to be a long day but Naruto knew he had to stay here since he was a fellow ninja.
Maki was not with his team. Maki was looking at a freshly buried grave and he could not believe that he died. He was quite powerful from what Maki remembered and the best in the team. For him to fall in the invasion will be a huge loss in the Chuunin ranks. Izumo was next to Maki, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"I can't believe he's gone…"Izumo said sadly.
Maki nodded slowly, "Damn it… Kiryuu… How can this be possible? He had the potential to be an elite Jounin in the future and now…" Maki could continue no more.
"I'll miss him…" Izumo admitted.
Maki patted his former student's shoulder, "This is how life is for us ninjas."
Izumo nodded. Maki looked at the grave of his former student, Kiryuu. Maki gave a small prayer and then walked away, leaving Izumo to mourn for his friend's death. Maki walked to where Naruto and Sasuke were and Maki gave a weak smile.
Sakura was not with her team though. Sakura was also looking down at a grave and Maki found Sakura. Maki recognised this grave. It was his brother, Sakura's father. Sakura stared blankly at the grave, not knowing what sort of emotion to have for a father she never knew.
This was a time for the dead ninjas to be remembered. Sasuke and Naruto walked towards Maki.
"I think it's over, Maki-sensei…" Naruto said.
"Is there anything we have to do for today?" Sasuke asked, hoping that they were done for the day.
Maki shook his head, "No, we're done. You guys can go back now."
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"So, it is decided then?" The second member asked for confirmation.
The fire lord nodded, "Is there a problem?"
"Not really. But the problem is this," The fourth council member argued, "Tsunade has given us this form that this ninja, Yamanaka Ino, will no longer be a ninja and so, team seven has an empty slot."
"And you said that team eight now has a Chuunin with them?" The female advisor asked.
All council nodded. The male advisor narrowed his eyes, "So, if team eight now has a Jounin, a Chuunin and two Gennin, it will be imbalanced since the team is too powerful."
"So what do you suggest?" Shikaku asked.
"What about we move this ninja to team seven?"
Everyone agreed and it was settled. Team eight will now be comprised of a Jounin, Chuunin and Gennin, a three-man team while team seven will be comprised of a Jounin and the usual three-man team of Gennins. This was the best they could do. Shikaku read the list of team seven.
New Team seven
Jounin leader: Haruno Maki
Underlings: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura