Chapter 55

It would be a week later when the group of five arrived in the Hidden Leaf. It took two full days for Shizune to recover from her head wound. Tsunade made sure that she was well to travel. Once she was healed, they were off. During the trip, Naruto and Tsunade got to know one another.

While the blond did call her 'granny' a lot, the woman was impressed by him. People at his age weren't so skilled with the Sealing arts. Even she was not as good with the art. Still, to hear about his accomplishments for someone so young, it was impressive. Naruto was picking her brain about an idea of his teammates'. It was an idea that really interested her. It was because of this, the two were bonding.

Entering the village, the group were met by the elders and two jonin. Naruto greeted them in his usual flare.

"Auntie, uncle, mission is complete!" Naruto boasted. Tsunade was amused by this but the two weren't bothered by the greeting.

"That you have Naruto. You can go home and rest now. We will take over now." Koharu said.

"Got it. See ya later granny, Shizune, Pervy Sage." Naruto said and vanished. Tsunade looked annoyed though not as much as Jiraiya.

"I swear to God…" Tsunade growled.

"Do not take it personal Tsunade. It is a term of endearment." Homura explained.

"It's a pain in the ass." Jiraiya muttered.

"Let's just get this over with." Tsunade spat before she lashed out. She followed the elders to the Hokage's tower.

XXX

After getting some ramen, Naruto decided to go home. As he neared his apartment, he was surprised to see Shikamaru.

"Hey Shikamaru, what's up?" Naruto asked.

"I heard you got back. We need to talk." Shikamaru said seriously. Naruto was surprised but did not question it. He let him in and put his stuff down. He went to his kitchen and got Shikamaru a glass of water. The two sat across from each other.

"So, what's up?" Naruto asked and took drink of his water.

"I wanted to talk to talk to you about the nine-tailed fox sealed within you." Shikamaru stated. Naruto choked on the water he was drinking. He got himself under control and stared at Shikamaru in shock. "Don't worry. No one told me. I figured it out on my own."

"H-How? Why?" He stuttered.

"I've been thinking about what happened at the furenal. When Ibiki said what he said about you, I just found it weird that you would be the only one to understand Gaara. Then I remembered how you were treated. How all the adults ignored you or being mean to you. If it wasn't for Kiba, you could have turned out just like Gaara. I know I would." Shikamaru explained.

"But how did you come to the conclusion?" Naruto asked.

"Took a while but doing research about what happened on your birthday, I just guessed that was the case. The Fourth Hokage was a genius but not even he could have defeated that monster." He answered.

"So what happens now? Are you going to tell the guys?" He asked nervously.

"Not my story to tell." Shikamaru said. He then sighed. "Look Naruto, nothing's change between you and me. No nine-tailed fox in your gut is going to end our friendship."

"R-Really?"

"You're loud, obnoxious and way too energenic but you're no danger to me. Adults are stupid for even thinking that about you like that. You've already proved it to the higher-ups. I've got your back Naruto. We losers got to stick together." Shikamaru said with a smirk and held out his fist. Tears welded up in his eyes before fist bumping Shikamaru. Outside near the window, Shikaku smiled. He vanished, leaving the two alone.

XXX

Tsunade glided her fingers across the desk. She walked around it before coming to the chair. She looked at it for a minute before taking a seat. Tsunade could feel the weight of the chair and wondered if this was how sensei felt when her grand-uncle gave him the position. She leaned back and just took it in. She could only hope that she could do this. That's when she saw something on the table.

It was a letter and it had the symbol 'Fifth' on it. Picking it up, she opened it. She instantly recognized Hiruzen's handwriting and began to read.

To the Fifth Hokage,

You are probably feeling the weight of the position as you sit in that chair. I was the same when I took it as was my successor. It was not easy and I made mistakes, as you will. However, you must stay your course. Trust your instincts and rely on your allies. To act alone is to fail. Believe in the 'Will of Fire' and it will guide you to success. I wish you well Fifth.

The Third Hokage,

Hiruzen Sarutobi

Tsunade smiled at the encouraging words. She opened a drawer to put the note away. That's when she saw a folder. It was labeled 'Team Six' on it. She was curious and grabbed the folder. She opened it and read the first page. As she read it, she couldn't help but be surprised by what she was reading. It seemed that the old monkey was preparing for the future of not just the Hidden Leaf but the world.

'Well sensei, I am definitely interested. I wonder where this will lead to.'

XXX

Naruto, Sakura and Tobio stood in front of their sensei, Tekuno Kanden. The jovial man was facing his new team.

"Well, I am glad to know that you came here. So, let's begin with introductions. While we have been on duty for a while, we should learn about each other. How about you tell everyone your name, rank and future goals. I'll go first. I am Tekuno Kanden, jonin and my goal is to see you all succeed. Tobio, why don't you go next."

"Okay, My name is Tobio, I'm a genin and I don't have a goal right now. All I want to do is serve the village as best I can." Tobio introduced. He turned to Naruto.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, genin extrodinaire and I'm going to be Hokage!" Naruto exclaimed, causing Sakura to roll her eyes.

"My name is Sakura Haruno, I am a genin and I also don't have a goal in mind. I would like to continue my medical training and see where that leads." She said.

"Well then, I hope that I can help you all in your goals. So, let's see just how you all function as a team." The man pulled out a single bell and the trio knew what this meant. Takuno smiled as the three geared up to fight. "So, shall we begin?"

XXX

Tsunade had just finished her daily meeting with the council. It had been about two weeks since she became Hokage and she was already regretting it. The workload was getting to her and then there was the complaints that she had to deal with. Lucky for her, the elders were there to help her without any trouble between them. Even an elder who she never trusted seem to be playing ball with her. How long that would last would depend on how things went. Either way, it had been a busy two weeks.

Tsunade neared her office where Shizune was waiting for her. There was also someone with her that she was very interested to see.

"Shizune, make sure that we are not interrupted. Step inside jonin Hatake. We have much to discuss." Tsunade said. The door was opened and she stepped in, Kakashi following. She got to her seat while Kakashi stood in front of her. Once she was settled and she activated the security seal, she faced the silver haired man. "So, first things first. You should know that I do fully intent to punish you. The elders told me that if you couldn't keep Sasuke in check that you would pay a price. However, I wanted to know how you messed up so royally. The first thing, why did you pass this team?"

"They met my expections ma'am. I gave them the bell test and they all passed." Kakashi stated.

"Only after Naruto understood the point of that test, right?" Kakashi did not show any reaction. "I interviewed your former charges and they told me about the bell test. Sakura's interview was most enlightening. You giving them a second chance is not what disappoints me. I can understand the why so I can excuse that. It is after you passed them is where I get annoyed."

"I was focusing on trying to get them to work together, which was difficult because there were outside forces that interfered with what I was trying to do." Kakashi argued.

"So it's there fault?" Tsunade asked with an edge. She pulled out a folder and opened it in front of him. "You ignored the issue with Sasuke when he attempted to steal Naruto's scroll. You didn't train them in the Tree Climbing exercise until your first C-rank mission. You ignored you kunoichi's request for training when asked. These are notes that Hiruzen took when others came to complain about how you ran your team. There is more that ten complaints, all saying that you did nothing while favoring Sasuke."

"Sasuke was further along than the other two. I had a plan for them. If they were just patient, I would have trained them to their full potential."

"When was this going to be? When Sasuke became a chunin?"

"If it led to that, then yes."

"So, if they had died in that exam then what would have happened? Keep in mind, Hiruzen's notes explain what happened in the Forest of Death."

"I am not defending Sasuke's actions in the forest. However, if they had come together like I preached, none of that would had happened."

"Are you serious right now? What kind of bullshit excuse is that? You can't preach teamwork when the preacher is a hypocrite and one of his followers refuses to listen. There is no reason for what happened. You should have never recommended your team that was so fractured in the exams. It is a miracle that they survived and that is on you Kakashi." Tsunade said hard. She took a breath to calm herself before looking at him. "Now, you better have a good one for teaching that boy the Chidori. What could have possessed you to do that?"

"I specifically told Sasuke that jutsu was to save his comrades. By the finals, he did not consider Naruto a comrade, only an enemy." Kakashi explained.

"Only because your boy was a petty child. His ego couldn't handle that someone who his graduating class saw as a 'loser' getting stronger than him. So the great Sharingan Kakashi gave him ANBU training and a deadly jutsu to sooth it." She said.

"And what does Naruto get? Training from a sage?" He countered.

"Naruto would have beaten Sasuke in finals even if Jiraiya didn't help. Ibiki, Tsume and Iruka aren't bad shinobi. Plus, you know first hand the power of sealing jutsu. Your sensei and his wife were prodigies at the art, so is their son. So far, all I have heard is excuses from you and you have done nothing to correct them. I want to know why you didn't stop Sasuke's research in breaking Naruto's seals?"

"What? I don't know what you are talking about." Tsunade could see that he wasn't lying.

"When Sasuke was arrested, we searched his place. We found scrolls on sealing and marks about certain seals. I don't have to tell you which ones. However, you were supposed to keep an eye on him and report anything suspicious."

"I… I cannot defend these actions ma'am." Tsunade sighed at him.

"As of right now, you are on leave. If we need you, we will call you. If it wasn't for the rise of activity from the other villages, I would demote you. However, you will write down five jutsu each for your former charges. I believe that is only fair." Kakashi nodded but there was something on his mind.

"Ma'am, may I ask what happened to Sasuke? I have been to his cell and he was gone." Kakashi said. Tsunade looked at Kakashi for a while before answering.

"As of three days ago, he is now a prisoner of Hozuki Castle. Seeing that you couldn't convince him that he was wrong in his actions and he showed no remorse, I sent him to Blood Prison until he's eighteen. Afterwards, he will have his chakra sealed and monitored for the rest of his life. His career as a shinobi is over." Kakashi was surprised by this action but there was nothing he could do. With a bow, Kakashi vanished. Tsunade sighed and deactivated the seals. She really hoped that this would wake the man up. However, she felt like this was only the continuing of very dangerous downward spiral. She only hoped that she was wrong.

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