Team 7's joint mission with Gaara's team was deemed a success, and they were paid accordingly. Kakashi decided they were allowed a few days off for a successful mission, so Kokoro decided to take the few days off to rest and think about the Mizukage's proposition. The deadline for the deal was approaching much too quickly for her, and she still had no idea what to do. On one hand, she wanted to stay in Konoha with Team 7 and grow stronger as a team, but on the other hand, she wanted to find her own way and build a legacy separate from the team. Besides, she didn't think she was learning too much other than teamwork being with the team. Kakashi was too focused on Sasuke still, and Naruto was being trained mostly by Jiraiya. She'd ask Lady Tsunade, but she was busy putting the village back in order and getting comfortable with her new position. On top of that, Kokoro wasn't a fan of Iryo Ninjutsu. She didn't want to be that medic that had to stay behind while the others fought and threw their lives on the line. Not that there was anything wrong with anyone who did. It just wasn't who she was.
She laid in her bed on her back with her arms and legs spread wide. Her hands and feet dangled over the edges of the bed and bounced up and down as she came to a decision. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Judging by the distinct smell of crackling light and dog, it had to be Kakashi. She got up from her position on her bed and opened the door. Her dad was standing behind the door with an eye smile and his hands behind his back. Standing on four paws on the ground beside him was Pakkun. She knelt to the ground and greeted Pakkun with a few pets before she addressed her dad.
"Why do you look like that?" she asked suspiciously. She tried glancing behind his back and asked, "What's behind your back?"
"Nothing," he said innocently. He held his hands out in front of him, and to her surprise, nothing was in his hands. "Can't I just say hello to my sweet little Koko?"
"Yeah, right," she mumbled. "What do you really want?"
"Maa, maa, you caught me," he said cheerfully as he held his hands in front of him in a surrendering position. "I have a surprise for you! Well, Pakkun and I have a surprise for you."
Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline as she looked between the pug and its leader multiple times. She shrugged, thinking that whatever surprise they had couldn't be bad seeing as how Pakkun helped with it, and gestured for her dad to tell her.
"Follow me," he said excitedly. She followed him into their small living room and immediately stared affectionately at the five furballs sitting on the floor in a line with wagging tails. One was a brown German shorthair pointer that sat the second tallest. To the left of the first one was a black boykin spaniel that sat the smallest among them. The next one was a white samoyed that sat the tallest and the widest. The next one was a brown puggle that sat about the same height as the boykin spaniel, and the last one was a treeing walker hound with large brown and black spots dotting its white fur. They grew impatient as Kokoro stood there and stared with an open mouth. One even tried breaking formation to run up to her but was immediately shot down by the German shorthair pointer. Kokoro turned to her dad and Pakkun and squeaked embarrassingly. She pointed at herself, then at the ninken, then at herself. Kakashi laughed heartily and nodded his head.
"Urushi and I had a litter some time ago, and some of the other ninken had litters," Pakkun explained as Kakashi sobered up. Pakkun gestured towards the small puggle and said, "Mimi is my pup."
"I was going to give them to you awhile ago, but Pakkun and I decided it would be better if they had some training beforehand," Kakashi explained. "They're still young - only three years old - so they're still going to need some training. But they have the basics down."
Kokoro shook herself out of her trance and hugged Kakashi.
"Thank you!" she thanked him.
"Well, it is a Hatake tradition," Kakashi said sheepishly.
Kokoro walked up to the ninken and sat on the ground so she was eye level with them. She smiled at them and said, "I'm Kokoro Hatake. I'm excited to meet all of you and to work with you."
"We know who you are," Mimi said excitedly as she walked up to Kokoro to sniff her and become familiar with ehr scent. "Dad always talks about you!"
"I'm flattered Pakkun," Kokoro teased. Pakkun rolled his eyes but said nothing. Kokoro sniffed Mimi, too, and pet her behind her ears affectionately.
"I'm Shishio," the spotted treeing walker hound introduced with regal. He, too, sniffed Kokoro.
"Fuwafuwa," the white samoyed muttered out.
"Nanako," the small black boykin introduced with a loll of her tongue.
"And I'm Totoro," the German shorthair pointer said with finality. Kokoro immediately caught on that Totoro was the alpha of the pack, the leader. After their introductions were over and they became familiar with each others' scents, Kakashi showed her how to summon them. She practiced summoning them, and then bounded to the training grounds with them to start practicing.
Once they reached the training grounds, the ninken lined up a line with Totoro at the beginning. Kokoro stood in front of them with her hands on her hips and stared at them, wondering what she should do first. She never thought she would get ninken. Usually, Hatakes were given ninken at a young age. Most of the time, they were given once the child starts the Academy. As Kokoro passed each grade in the Academy without talk of getting ninken, she grew hopeless with it and gave up on it. Getting ninken as a shinobi in the Hatake clan was a rite of passage. It showed you were responsible and strong enough to take care of the ninken, train the ninken, and work with the ninken. You weren't a true Hatake until you got ninken.
Kokoro supposed the first thing she should do is assess where they were with the basics. She needed to know what they could do and what they couldn't do. That way, they could focus more on the things they were less good at. She clapped her hands and walked over to the ninken.
"Okay, so I think the first thing we should do is assess each other's strengths and weaknesses. We should get a good idea on these things so we can coordinate and train to the best of our abilities," she informed them.
"That is a good idea!" Nanako shouted in agreement.
"Do you not trust that we have the basics down?" Totoro asked.
"Of course not!" Kokoro vehemently denied. "I just have no idea what the basics for a ninken are. I've never had ninken before, obviously, and dad rarely lets me see Pakkun and the others in action, so I'm unsure about it is all."
"Very well," Totoro said with a bow of his head. One by one, the ninken showed off their strengths. Totoro's best attribute was hunting. He was good at finding others and was fast enough to catch them. Nanako was agile and had good reflexes. She worked best with Totoro and Shishio despite their personality differences as she could keep up with them speed-wise. Shishio was also good at distractions. Fuwafuwa was good at keeping the others in formation and observing his surroundings for any new variables. Mimi was a ball of energy and was a stamina monster. She also had a monster bark and was able to extend her voice so that everyone could hear her from miles away.
They had a lot of potential and Kokoro was fairly impressed with their skill set. She told them as such and watched as all of their tails wagged in sync. She gave them some constructive criticism and performed for them. They, too, gave her some constructive criticism and she took it in stride. With all the introductory things out of the way, they were free to train. The ninken had to incorporate Kokoro into their regular formations, which took some time as they were already used to a five-ninken formation, but once they figured it out, they jumped into a rhythm. After three hours of straight training, Kokoro called it. She dropped to the ground panting. She splayed herself out like a starfish on her back and tried to get her breathing even. The ninken were in the same boat as her as they laid on the ground and panted.
"You all did very well today, and I'm very impressed with your skills," Kokoro told them.
"Thanks Koko!" Mimi shouted as she bounded over to Kokoro and began licking her face. Kokoro giggled and thrashed about as she protected her face. Nanako mirrored Mimi's actions, causing Kokoro to roll around with the two. Fuwafuwa had to come and break them up as Mimi and Nanako were starting to get too rough.
"I'll let you go for today," Kokoro said. "I'll be busy for about a week, so I won't be able to train, but after that be prepared for some more training."
"Just summon us when you're ready," Totoro said as he poofed out of existence.
"See ya around!" Mimi said as she and Nanako poofed out.
Fuwafuwa bumped Kokoro with his nose and poofed away, leaving Shishio left.
"Don't wait too long to summon us again," Shishio said. "We'll be waiting."
He poofed away. Kokoro hummed in contentment and stood up. She had to see Kiba's and Akamaru's reaction to her ninken. She wondered if they would get along. Totoro, Fuwafuwa, and Akamaru might not get along just because Totoro acted like he had a stick up his butt and Fuwafuwa acted too much like a tsundere. The others should get along swimmingly with them, though. Kokoro gathered her kunai and shuriken and placed them in her pouch before heading out of the training grounds. She had to visit the Hokage and let her know of her decision. On the way to the Hokage's office, Kokoro ran into Sakura training by herself. She was practicing water walking on a small pond. She was a bit wobbly, but overall her chakra control was amazing.
Kokoro walked closer to Sakura and called out, "Hey, Sakura!"
Sakura was startled and fell into the shallow water, getting her feet and her bottom wet. Kokoro winced and apologized sheepishly as she rushed over to the pink-haired genin. She helped her up and apologized again.
"What are you doing here?" Sakura questioned.
"I just got done training and was heading to the Hokage's office. Where's the rest of your team?" Kokoro asked.
"They went home for the day. We worked on tree climbing today and my sensei noticed I was really good at chakra control. She assigned me to practice water walking while the others worked on tree climbing. The other two left a little bit ago, " Sakura explained.
Kokoro thought about what Sakura said and asked, "Do you know what you want to specialize in?"
"Huh?"
"You know how every shinobi has that one thing they're good at," Kokoro said. "They tend to focus on that one thing and make a career out of it like a tokubetsu jounin, or they just make sure that one thing is on a higher level than the rest of their skill set. The Uchiha tended to focus on genjutsu while the Inuzuka focus more on tracking."
"Oh," Sakura said as she placed a finger under her bottom lip. "I have been reading a few medic books. Sensei says I have the patience and chakra control for it, and I'm not really much of a fighter. Plus, I'd rather know how to heal my teammates in case we get into a bad situation."
"Good point," Kokoro said. "Have you asked around to see if someone could train you under iryo ninjutsu?"
"Not yet," Sakura admitted.
"You should," Kokoro encouraged her. "I'm sure you'll make a great medic."
"Thanks," Sakura said. She hesitated before asking, "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, in the Academy, you always called me weak and you never wanted to be around me. And right before the Chunin exams, you were a bit rude to me. Why are you being nice now?"
"Maybe the time apart has helped?" Kokoro suggested. "I'm not really sure. You do seem less annoying now that you aren't fangirling so much. Or maybe you are and you seem less annoying because I don't see you do it."
"I do still like Sasuke," Sakura admitted, "but I want to grow as a kunoichi more."
"Good to know. I'll let you get back to training."
"Alright. Bye, Kokoro.
"See ya!"
"The council has told me about the proposition the Mizukage gave you," Tsunade started as she sat behind the Hokage's desk. Shizune stood beside her with a pig named Tonton in her arms. "I want to hear how you feel about it before I give you my thoughts."
"I think it would be a great way to learn more about my heritage and to learn new skills," Kokoro told her. "It would be a shame to have to leave Konoha, but I think it would be in my best interest to go."
"I feel you will be a great kunoichi and I am very hesitant to let you go," Tsunade confessed. "However, I think this would be a great opportunity for you to grow. I don't want to hold you back from the greatness you could gain. From a Hokage's perspective, it would also help strengthen our ties with Kirigakure."
"So, you are okay with me going?"
"I, Tsunade Senju, give you, Kokoro Hatake, expressed permission to leave Konoha and join Kirigakure's forces. You will always be welcome back should the need arise. I will have your paperwork filled out and ready for you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade!" Kokoro thanked her genuinely with a bow. "I won't let you down!"
"Good. There is one more thing I would like to inform you about," Tsunade said.
"What is it?"
"Don't be so impatient, gaki. We're waiting on one more person."
Just as she said that, there was a knock at the door. Tsunade gave the person permission to enter the office and in stepped Shikamaru. Kokoro looked at him confusedly and asked, "What are you doing here, Shika?"
He shrugged his shoulder and said, "I know as much as you do."
"You two are here because Sarutobi had much to say about your performance at the Chunin exams. With the interruption of the invasion, it is only until now that it has come to my attention that he intended to promote the two of you."
"Are you serious?" Kokoro asked in shock.
"Shikamaru Nara, you showed intelligence and the strength to give up when necessary. You have been promoted to the status of chunin. You are hereby a chunin of Konohagakure," Tsunade told Shikamaru. Then she focused her eyes on Kokoro and said, "Kokoro Hatake, you showed the strength to not give up and the intelligence it takes to use what you are given and defeat your opponent. While it has been noted that a habit of defiance and childishness is apparent, the council and the former Hokage have decided that these things will straighten themselves over time and have deemed you as having chunin prowess. You have been promoted to the status of chunin. You are hereby a chunin of Konohagakure. Congratulations to the both of you. Once we are finished here, you may go to the chunin-dedicated room where they will give you your jacket."
Shikamaru bowed to Tsunade and took his leave. He looked back at Kokoro and continued through the door as she promised she would catch up with him later. She turned to Tsunade and bowed with the most respect she could give.
"What are you still doing here, gaki?" Tsunade asked irritably. "I have paperwork to do and you have some packing to do."
"THere's one more thing I wanted to talk to you about before I go," Kokoro said. "It's about Sakura Haruno."
"What of her?"
"She's a genin that just graduated from the Academy. She is very smart and she has some of the best chakra control I've seen from our generation," Kokoro admitted.
"Where is this going?" Tsunade asked impatiently.
"She seems serious about her training and she's very interested in iryo ninjutsu."
"You want me to train her."
"It's just a suggestion," Kokoro said with a shrug of her shoulders. "With the right training and focus, she could be a great kunoichi and medic."
Tsunade contemplated it before she said, "I'll think about it. Now shoo! I have to send a letter to the Mizukage about your arrival and I still need to fill out your paperwork."
"Best of luck, Lady Tsunade!" Kokoro said as she left the office. She closed the door of the office and walked over to Shikamaru, who was leaning against the wall a ways down the hallway. She punched him in the arm and said, "Congrats Shika! I knew you had it in you."
"Yeah, yeah," Shikamaru said blandly. "It's gonna be such a drag leading teams now. I should have given up quicker."
"Stop complaining. You know you're excited," Kokoro said with a playful scowl.
"Heh, you're right. The new challenges will be nice. What did you have to talk to the Hokage about?"
"I ran into Sakura earlier," she said as they rounded a corner and began descending the stairs to the floor below. "She's coming along well in her training and is showing some potential to become a medic."
"So you asked her to take Sakura on as an apprentice. Never thought I'd see the day you'd be nice to Sakura. What about you, though? Don't you idolize her?" Shikamaru asked as they got to the chunin room door.
"I do, but I won't be here long, sadly."
After getting their jackets and putting them on, they left the building and began walking with no destination in mind. Kokoro was excited to show off her jacket to her dad and to Haku. Maybe the promotion would get her some cake, too. She wanted to show Naruto, too, but she was worried about flaunting it in front of him. He would be happy for her and more determined to level up, but she knew deep down he'd be a bit depressed knowing he didn't get it either. And don't get her started on Sasuke. Knowing him, her promotion could very well be the tipping point.
"You said you won't be here long. What's up with that?" Shikamaru asked.
"The Mizukage gave me a proposition right after the Chunin exams. She asked me to become a part of the Kirigakure forces and become an ambassador of sorts between Konoha and Kiri. I accepted her offer," she said.
"I see the benefits," he admitted, "but it's gonna suck without you here."
"I'll write every now and then," she promised. "I'll need to know what's happening and how everyone's doing. Besides, eventually, I'll be able to travel to and from Konoha. Hopefully, during one of those trips, I'll run into you."
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow. The sooner the better, I guess."
"I'm assuming you don't want to tell everyone?"
"Not everyone. I'll tell Naruto, Sasuke, Choji, and Kiba. I'm sure everyone else will find out through others."
"I'll get Choji. Meet us at the barbeque place in ten minutes and we'll eat out together one last time before you go."
"Of course, Shika," Kokoro said with soft eyes that began to tear up. She would miss her friends the most.
Naruto was leaning against the bridge railing, waiting for Kokoro and Kakashi to show up. Kakashi had called a team meeting fifteen minutes ago and only Sasuke and Naruto have shown up so far. After waiting an hour, Kakashi showed up, and ten minutes later, Kokoro ran up to them. Naruto bounded up to them and growled out, "Why'd you call an urgent team meeting when you knew you weren't going to show up until later?"
"No need to be so hostile, Naruto," Kakashi said. "Besides, Kokoro was later than me."
"I got caught up with Choji and Shika and lost track of time," she explained. "I didn't mean to be so late."
"At least she has a good excuse," Sasuke said.
"Why'd you call this meeting anyway?" Naruto asked.
"Kokoro has some news to share. And I hear you have news as well, Naruto," Kakashi said.
"Oh yeah!" Naruto started. "Pervy sage wants to take me on a three-year training trip out of the village. We're leaving in a few months!"
Sounds like fun!" Kokoro said. "Make sure you visit me on your travels!"
"He's not going to visit Konoha if it's a trip out of the village," Sasuke bit out. He was in a bad mood.
"Well, I have good news and bad news. I'll start with the bad news first and then give you the good news," Kokoro told them. "The bad news, more so for you than me, is that I'll be leaving for Kirigakure tomorrow. The Mizukage saw my final battle in the Cunin exams and wants me to join Kirigakure. I'll be an ambassador between Konoha and Kirigakure."
"So, you're leaving Konoha for good?" Naruto asked with a screwed-up face.
"Not good," she said. "There are some conditions that could allow me to move out of Kiri, but for now I won't be in Konoha."
"What's the good news, then?" Naruto asked.
Kokoro grabbed her flak jacket and proudly said, "I made chunin!"
"How?" Sasuke demanded.
"Apparently the Sandaime left some notes behind and thought I should be promoted to chunin," Kokoro said with a shrug. "I'm not really sure what the stipulations are, but I guess I met them."
Sasuke sucked his teeth and began leaving.
"Where are you going?" Kokoro asked. "I thought we could hang out before I left tomorrow. We could grab some ramen and then eat some cake at my house. Dad said Haku agreed to bake a cake."
"I don't care about some stupid cake or about your stupid promotion," Sasuke said rudely as he left.
"Teme!" Naruto yelled. "Don't talk to her like that!"
"Let him go, Naruto," Kokoro said with a sigh. "He just needs some space."
"He shouldn't have said that!"
"No, but I understand why he did. C'mon, let's grab some ramen before dessert!"
Haku stood in front of Kokoro with a small smile on his face. He had met her only a short time ago but was already saying goodbye. They were standing in front of the village gates. Kakashi was beside Haku with Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji. Sasuke was nowhere in sight.
"They might have strayed from the bloodthirsty techniques they used during Zabuza's time, but they will still be ruthless," Haku warned her. "Stay strong and show them your kokoro. Stay true to yourself and grow stronger."
"I will, Haku," Kokoro promised. "When I get back, can you show me your ice mirror jutsu? I'll certainly be strong enough by then!"
Haku laughed lightly and said, "I'm sure you will."
Kakashi walked up to Kokoro and placed a hand on her shoulder. He looked into her eyes and pulled her into him, giving her a hug and rubbing her back gently.
"Do your best," he said as he pulled away. "You'll have your ninken to lean on when times get rough. If at any time you need anything, send one of the ninken my way and I'll do my best to help."
"Thanks, dad," Kokoro said. "Can you do me a favor while I'm gone?"
"Sure!"
"Can you help Sasuke? We've already established that you favor him the most no matter how much you deny it. Just make sure he gets the help he deserves. He's hurting, but he doesn't want to show it. Don't let him drown any longer," she said.
"I don't-"
"Just promise me."
". . . I promise."
"The next time I see you, I want to fight!" Naruto said. "So get strong! I'll catch up to you soon!"
"You bet!" she said back. She pulled him into a hug. "Make sure that old man takes care of you."
"Visit soon, Koko!" Choji said with small tears in his eyes. Kokoro smiled gently at him and hugged him as hard as she could. When she pulled back, Choji offered her a chip, which she gladly took.
"Take care, Koko," Shikamaru said. She hugged Shikamaru, too.
"You'll have to show me your ninken when you get back," Kiba said with a toothy smile. "Mom'll want to meet them, too. You know how she is."
"I do," Kokoro said with a grin. They hugged and Kokoro gave Akamaru a few pets. She stepped away from everyone and took one last, long look at them. She gave them a smile on the outside, but on the inside she was terrified of what was to come. She knew it would be a long road ahead and everything she was about to go through was going to be for the best. It still hurt leaving her friends and family. "Tell Lee I look forward to fighting him at his 100% again! And tell Sakura good luck! And tell Hinata that I believe in her!"
"We will," Shikamaru said with a fond smile on his face. "Now go! Hurry up before you're late!"
"I'll be back!" she promised as she began backing away. "Don't forget about me!"
"We couldn't even if we tried," Kiba said.
"I love you!" she confessed emotionally.
"We love you, too, Koko," Kakashi said. And with that, Kokoro turned around and faced her new beginning.
We are at the end of the first part of this story which is super exciting for me! This is the final chapter of part 1! I'm going to take a two-week break from posting to plan out part 2 and then I'll be back with a new chapter! Part 2 is going to explore Kokoro's life in Kirigakure, Kokoro's relationship with Gaara, and more of her internal struggles. It'll probably end somewhere before the war arc begins.