Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Okami. Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto, and Okami is owned by Clover Studio and Capcom.
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Summary: Follow Naruto as he joins with Anko, Hinata, and a strange boy as Team Nine, and unlocks the powers of the sun goddess Amaterasu sealed within him. Okami crossover, NaruxHina, AnkoxIruka more pairings inside
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Pairings:
Hinata x Naruto
Sakura x Sasuke
Temari x Shikamaru
Anko x Iruka
Kakashi x ?
Other pairings up for suggestion
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Fair warning. The Jutsu will be in English. I have no intention of butchering the Japanese language with sorry attempts. And no gratuitous Japanese words slipped in, either. But some fanservice will hopefully make up for that.
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Naruto-Okami Crossover
Kaikinisshoku: Total Solar Eclipse
Book 1: Whirlpool Chronicles
By Cyberweasel89
Prologue: Dawn of Divergence
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Long ago, an eight-headed serpent existed. Each head was able to wreak unheard chaos upon the world. This eight-headed serpent of evil was known as Orochi.
No one had heard from it in centuries, until it one day attacked Konoha. The battles raged for two days, Konoha's elite fighting to stop the monstrosity with everything they had. But their mere mortal efforts were not enough.
On the night of the second day, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, arrived. Orochi had already slaughtered countless shinobi of the leaf village. Riding atop the Chief Toad, Gamabunta, Minato fought valiantly against Orochi. Using the sake supply of the village to intoxicate the beast's heads, Minato defeated the demon. But after its defeat, a new threat appeared. This beast was known as Shiranui, a familiar of Orochi. A new battle arose, as this demon, taking the form of a giant white wolf, was far more powerful than Orochi.
However, the Fourth could not kill it, and he knew that. Demons are immortal, and you cannot kill something immortal. The only reason Orochi was killed was because he was not a true demon. But Shiranui was. Knowing it was the only way, Minato used a complicated sealing jutsu to seal Shiranui within the body of a newborn baby, sacrificing his life to the God of Death to do so. And so, Shiranui was not truly defeated. It merely inhabited the body of a newborn baby, destined to once again haunt the people of Konohagakure.
...
At least, that is what most would have you believe.
In truth, Shiranui was not a demon. She was Mother Okami Amaterasu, origin of all that is good and mother to us all. She actually fought alongside Minato, despite her small size. But when Orochi was defeated, a dark mist arose from its corpse. This mist possessed Amaterasu, growing her to giant size and driving her mad. Minato fought to calm the god down, but he couldn't. He had no choice but to stop any further destruction by sealing her within not just any newborn child, but his own son, Uzumaki Naruto, giving his life to the God of Death to do so. With his dying words, the Fourth apologized to Amaterasu, and wished that his son be viewed by the villagers as a hero. Sadly, the villagers would not listen. Since Amaterasu was only the size of a regular wolf when she fought Orochi with Minato, everyone except some of the ANBU believed that Amaterasu did not show up until after the defeat of Orochi, causing them to believe she was a giant familiar of the serpent. They thought of the newborn child as the demon Shiranui itself, leading to angry mobs, lynchings, and abuse toward the poor boy. No one would listen, and it was no use to correct anyone about the true nature of the events. The newly reinstated Third Hokage made Uzumaki Naruto's seal an S-Class secret, forbidden to be revealed to anyone of the newer generation. But the children still felt their parents' hate, and this affected their feelings as well. Life was hard for Uzumaki Naruto as he grew up, yearning for recognition.
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"Amaterasu! Please calm down! I do not wish to fight you!" the Fourth Hokage yelled from his perch atop the massive Gamabunta.
The giant white wolf merely growled, readying for a charging headbutt.
"Get ready, Gamabunta!" Forming the necessary hand seals, Minato shouted "Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
A stream of oil shot from the giant toad's mouth, which was then lit ablaze by Minato's fire jutsu. As the flames launched at the giant white wolf, it merely snarled, summoning a large gust of wind to blow the flames back at the two.
"Jump, Gamabunta!"
The massive toad leaped high into the sky, avoiding the stream of flame. Landing in the forest on Amaterasu's right side, Minato sighed.
"I am afraid I must use it, old friend." he informed the giant toad with a heavy sigh.
"If you believe it is best. I just feel disappointed that we won't be able to share a nice drink together again." the toad said to the human on his head.
It was odd... Gamabunta was a seasoned warrior and king of the toads, yet he felt so attached to this one human. He mused this as Minato began a series of hand seals.
Hand seal after hand seal, the Fourth worked at lightning speed. He must have gone through a hundred hand seals. The God of Death, Shinigami, appeared behind him, along with a ghostly apparition in the shape of a human body. The God of Death reached forward and dug its hand into the back of this ghostly apparition. The Fourth continued going through flawless hand seals. When the Fourth was nearing completion, he uttered a cry.
"Forbidden Sealing Jutsu: Dead Demon Consuming Seal!"
The Shinigami became visible to all who watched. The God of Death's hand reached out from Minato's chest and into the chest of the white wolf. Slowly and painfully, it wrenched the soul out of the god's body, eliciting cries of pain from the wolf, each cry stabbing into the Fourth's heart like a jagged dagger. Finally, the soul was removed, and the seal appeared on the belly of a newborn child nestled in a nearby cave.
"Now hurry, old friend! I must away to the boy before the God of Death takes me away!"
Rather than wasting time with a response, Gamabunta rushed to the cave where the infant Uzumaki Naruto was being kept. It was there that Sarutobi the Third Hokage, Jiraiya of the Sannin, and the ANBU known as Hatake Kakashi were waiting.
Gamabunta dropped Minato at the cave, where he rushed in to check up on his child. He gazed at the wailing infant with a father's soft gaze, knowing his boy would grow up without a family. An eerie calm fell upon the cave as the four men stood there, the newborn child crying, and Gamabunta seated outside the cave entrance. It was the Fourth Hokage that broke the silence. "This seal will allow my son, Uzumaki Naruto, to draw upon Amaterasu's chakra and power, while still keeping the god at bay. I apologize for having done such an act, Amaterasu, and I hope that you will one day forgive me."
The God of Death loomed behind the Fourth, ready to take him away.
"Must you go, Minato?" asked Sarutobi.
"Yes, I must. My fate has been sealed. I only ask that my son be viewed as a hero to the village. So long as this final wish is granted, I can rest in peace."
The ANBU cleared his throat to get the Third's attention. "If it's okay, Sarutobi-sama, I'd like to retire from the ANBU forces to become a Jonin."
"I suppose that is alright. I will prepare the paperwork once I am fully reinstated."
The four gave each other nods of farewell, and Minato stepped to the entrance of the cave to say goodbye to Gamabunta.
"Goodbye, old friend. I could never have done this without you." the Fourth told him gravely.
"Think nothing of it, Minato. I'll never forget you, I assure you." the toad king assured, the end of his lips curled in a smile.
"And I shall never forget you, old friend."
With a resound nod from Minato, the God of Death reached into the Fourth's back and pulled out his soul, fading out of existence with it like a wisp of smoke after a candle is snuffed out. As the Fourth's body fell limp to the ground, his golden hair lost its life-like luster and his blue eyes closed, never again to gaze upon the world from a living body. Tears visibly fell from his eyes, falling through the air as the Fourth fell, though a content smile was on his face. The moment Namikaze Minato hit the ground, Gamabunta vanished in a mighty puff of white smoke, while the bearer of the god lay in his cradle and cried out. The Fourth Hokage's face was so content as he died. He had no idea that his final wish would not be carried out, and that his son would be viewed as something far from a hero.
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Roughly twelve years later...
Mitarashi Anko strode down the street, munching happily on the stick of dango in her hand. It was typical weather for the Land of Fire: warm and sunny, barely a cloud in the sky. A few days from now was the day that a new batch of students graduated from the academy to become genin, though Anko didn't pay much attention to that. It didn't really concern her. But what did concern her was that the Third Lord Hokage, Sarutobi-sama, had called her to his office. Anko would be wondering if she had done something wrong, had she not been focused on her stick of dango, walking towards the hokage's tower with her feet on auto-pilot.
As Anko approached the tower, the chuunin who guarded the entrance on either side saluted her, and she gave them each a half-hearted nod in return.
Making her way up to the Hokage's office, Anko walked right past the secretary and just barged into the Hokage's office.
"You need something, old man?" she casually asked as she stood there, the door hanging open.
Naturally, Sarutobi wasn't at all surprised by Mitarashi Anko's sudden entrance. He'd grown accustomed to it over the years. Smiling warmly, he said "Ah, Anko-san. Please, come closer."
As Anko slowly walked to the middle of the room in front of the Hokage's desk, Sarutobi lit his pipe, eliciting a groan from Anko. This was going to be either a really long speech or a big issue involving her.
"Anko-san, what rank are you in the shinobi ladder?" he asked.
"Tokubetsu Jounin." she answered almost automatically.
"Ah, yes. Of course. And what is your job as a Tokubetsu Jounin?"
"I'm the examiner for the second phase of the Chuunin Exams and part of the interrogation unit with Ibiki. You know that, old man. What's the reason you called me here?" she irritably asked, getting impatient.
"Well, a few of the teachers at the Konoha Ninja Academy have informed me that many students show great promise of graduating this year, and I am afraid that we are a little short on Jounin to act as sensei." He informed her.
"So what's your point, old man?" Anko asked casually, but inside was wondering what this was leading to.
"I'd like you, Mitarashi Anko, to lead a Genin team." he concluded.
Anko felt like a weight had been dropped upon her, struggling to keep from being crushed under the pressure. When she recovered from the shock, she spat out "E-Excuse me?"
The Hokage smiled. "You heard me, Anko-san. In a few days time you shall be given a Genin team of your own to lead."
"But what about the Chuunin Exams? Who's going to lead the second part?" the purple-haired kunoichi exclaimed, her arms waving about in alarm.
The Hokage held up his hand to silence her. "A replacement for you has already been selected, I assure you, Anko-san."
Anko was about to protest, but the Hokage brought up his hand again.
"This is an order, Anko-san, not a request. Consider it a mission. In fact, you will be paid for giving your Genin their first test."
Anko just stood there, not knowing what to say.
"That will be all, Anko-san. You may go." the Hokage concluded, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.
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Anko went to one of the local taverns to lament over a bottle of sake. Ah, sake. The perfect beverage to accompany any emotion you'd like to be rid of. For Mitarashi Anko, her emotion was actually a mix of several. Dread at dealing with three constant annoyances was one of them. But most of it was being unable to torture the poor little Genin who applied for the Chuunin Exam. Pouring a dish of the magic elixir down her throat, she remembered the looks of surprise every time she made her grand entrance at the end of the first part of the exam. It truly is the simple things in life you treasure.
As she called for another bottle of sake, an idea struck her. Most Jounin just took whichever Genin were assigned to them, but some of them could influence the choices if they made a good point about why the Genin should be switched around. All she had to do was observe the academy students from a safe spot and pick out three of them that, in combination, would provide the most amusement for her! Then all she had to do was figure out a believable reason for those three Genin to be on a team together! It was perfect! Anko began laughing hysterically at her own brilliance, drawing the attention of some other bar patrons. Checking the clock, she found that it was about time for the students to be let out for recess, which meant she had no time to waste if she wanted to get started observing them! She slapped some money on the table and took off out the door at high speed, jumping across the rooftops to the Konoha Ninja Academy.
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Landing in the bushes near the edge of the playground, Anko found herself just in time to see the students exit the building. There seemed to be several children from prominent ninja families. There was an Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka, all sure to end up on the same team, so she didn't even bother studying them.
There was a girl with pink hair who seemed to be completely ga-ga over a black-haired boy who was obviously an Uchiha. She thought about pairing the two up on her team, but the boy would probably reach his full potential when trained by Hatake Kakashi, who also had the Sharingan. Even Anko knew when not to mess up a potential shinobi's future success, so that left the Uchiha out.
There was a boy wearing dark glasses and a high-collared jacket who must've been an Aburame, but he seemed too quiet and logical to be much fun.
Next was a girl and a boy with oversized wooden swords strapped to their backs, obviously from the prominent Akugouhou clan, a clan known for having twins every birthing, and training those twins to fight using cooperative moves involving acrobatics and swordplay. Each sword was the length of their bodies, and as wide as their shoulders. It was known that twins of the Akugouhou clan were only given real blades once they graduated from the academy, as these swords were not only made of wood, but also had a stem and leaf or two branching off of them. Their sense of teamwork wouldn't provide much entertainment, even if the female of the two seemed an irritable sort, and her brother seemed more gentle and docile. Actually, the Akugouhou clan were known for having twins complete opposites of each other, which was why they valued the balance of Yin and Yang. Both twins actually wore a necklace with the Yin-Yang symbol.
Anko shook her head. She had spent too long pondering the Akugouhou twins. Moving on, she found an Inuzuka boy with a small white dog. He seemed rather head strong, but the high-pitched barking of the mutt would likely get on her nerves.
Next was a girl who was obviously a Hyuuga. She seemed to be seated on a bench, fiddling with her hands, and gazing at something. Anko followed her line of sight to a blonde boy wearing an orange jump suit, with whisker marks on his cheeks. He was running around the playground, having just spurred the wrath of the pink-haired girl. Anko was intrigued to find that whenever the blonde boy was nearing the Hyuuga girl, she would close her eyes and tense up, as if waiting for the impact of a punch. But when the boy just ran right past her, the girl would open her eyes and seem disappointed. It was obvious what was going on.
"Oh, they would make for some interesting entertainment." the purple-haired kunoichi thought to herself. With the blonde boy around, the Hyuuga girl would be squirming non-stop. Now she just needed to find someone who would get on blondie's nerves. Too bad the Uchiha was taken.
"You. What are you doing here?"
Anko whipped around and tilted her head upward to find a boy standing on the branch above her. He was obviously a student of the academy.
"How the hell did you know I was here, you brat?" Anko exclaimed through clenched teeth, angry that some academy student could detect her.
The boy jumped down from the branch and landed in front of the purple-haired kunoichi, not making the slightest sound as he landed, she noted.
"I stumbled upon you by pure chance. I was merely hiding from the annoyances that pester me all day." The boy stated monotonously, pointing at a group of three female academy students searching the playground.
"Where'd Kyan-kun get to?" one asked in disappointment.
"Yeah, I wanted to give him my lunch." another one stated.
What Anko would later learn is that while Uchiha Sasuke had quite the large fan club at the academy, some girls just felt that Sasuke wasn't to their liking. Those few girls had found a piece of eye candy in the young lad known as Sushiaki Kyan, who had a superior attitude similar to that of Sasuke's, but was a little more laid back and had a much softer and almost feminine appearance. What some girls found more appealing was that the boy spoke far less often than Sasuke. In fact, his fangirls had small contests to see who could get him to speak, usually by pestering him until he told them to go away, then retreating back to the group and swooning over the sound of his boyishly feminine voice.
Anko took the time to study the boy. He really was rather handsome, actually, in a somewhat feminine way. His skin was pale, like he didn't get much sun. His gleaming locks were a midnight black, like that of loamy soil after a heavy rainfall in a forest. Shinier than Sasuke's hair, too. His hair came down to the top of his neck in the back, locks of hair coming down the side of his head to frame his face, and shaggy bangs coming down to just above his eyes. His hair was mostly flat, save for some shag at the ends near the lower portion of his head. He was awfully skinny, almost slender. For that matter, he really was eerily feminine in his appearance, especially in his dark gray eyes. He seemed to be about the same height as the blonde boy, though smaller in his physique.
His clothes were... unique, to say the least. He appeared to be wearing a traditional karategi. Some slight alterations were noticed by Anko, however. It was well known that, compared to the heavier judogi, the karategi was designed to be lightweight. This theme was taken further with this boy's own karategi. The sleeves of the jacket were smaller in circumference, leaving less room within the sleeves for the arms, making it less likely for extra loose material to get in the way. The pants of the ensemble were similarly altered.
The garment was mostly dark gray, but the sash, lapel, collar, and cuffs were black. Adorning his eerily dainty feet were traditional ninja sandals, much like the blonde boy's, except this boy seemed to prefer his in a dark gray color.
"So what are you doing here, hiding in the shadows like a snake stalking its prey?" the boy asked, seeming rather uninterested, but merely asking the question for the hell of it.
Anko raised an eyebrow, finding it oddly fitting that he would compare her to a snake. Crossing her arms, she said "I'm here observing the academy students to make an amusing... I mean, to make an effective Genin team. Got a problem with that, shorty?"
The boy shook his head slowly, his face devoid of any emotion that could give a hint to his thoughts. Anko was tempted to put him on her team, just so she could spend some more time with him and try to decipher his cryptic behavior.
In fact, that was a rather brilliant idea, now that she thought about it. But she should probably make sure of something first.
"Hey, kid. What was your name again?" she asked, putting on an authoritative tone.
Maintaining his lack of emotion, the boy responded "I am he whom men call Sushiaki Kyan."
Anko thought that the family name sounded familiar. She searched her memory for a ninja clan of that name, but found nothing. Shrugging it off, she knelt down in the bushes and pointed into the school yard.
"Well, Kyan... What do you think about the brat there with the spiky blonde hair?" she inquired.
The boy leaned closer to follow the jounin's gaze, looking to find the blonde boy being pummeled to the ground by the pink-haired girl.
"Uzumaki Naruto?" the raven-haired boy inquired in a disinterested tone.
Ah, so that was the hyperactive brat's name. "Yeah, him. How do you feel about him?"
There was a considerable pause before the raven-haired boy answered in a harsh and irritable voice "He is annoying."
Anko smirked. "So, he gets on your nerves, eh?"
The boy remained silent for a while longer before answering. "He is almost as annoying as the annoyances that pester me all day. I would rather go on a lengthy mission to a manure farm than spend an extended amount of time in his presence."
Anko noted that his voice held no hatred. Merely annoyance. Perfect.
Turning around in a stance ready to sprint a way, she gave a wave and said "Heh. Thanks, shrimp. See ya 'round!"
As she sped off, she heard the boy give a grunt in response, furthering her amusement. He'll be a fun one...
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Ah, recess time. It was this time of the school day that everyone's favorite Chuunin, Umino Iruka, took the time to catch up on grading papers. The only difference between this and normally grading papers was that there wasn't a trace of students to bother him.
As he set to work grading he noted with a sigh that Naruto had gotten another D. The only reason it wasn't an F was because he had shown his work. At least... Iruka was pretty sure the jumbled up mess of words and marks were shown work... He hoped they were. If he spent any longer trying to decipher them, he would likely go insane. Sometimes he wondered just what exactly went through Naruto's mind. What exactly were his thinking processes? Iruka hoped that his thoughts weren't at all like his notes, just a random jumble of thoughts. Actually, that's probably what they indeed were...
The Chuunin teacher was interrupted from his musings by a loud thump. He turned his head to the open window, but found nothing. Wait... Open window? Did he leave that window open? He shrugged, and returned to grading papers. But still... Something was bothering him... As a shinobi, he was trained to detect incoming danger at any time.
His feeling was confirmed when a trench coat-clad arm reached from behind him and held a kunai to his neck.
"I gotcha, Iruka-baka." came a voice dripping with sadistic pleasure.
Sadly, Anko's joy was short lived, as a cloud of smoke found Anko to only be holding a kunai to a log.
"Oh, come on! There aren't even any logs in this-"
Her dialogue was interrupted by a kunai flung right at her head, which she ducked to avoid as the weapon was imbedded into the wall.
"Face it, Anko-chan. I've got the home field advantage. Now stop it. I don't want you wrecking my classroom."
As Anko huffed from her position on the ground, Iruka offered a hand to help her up. Anko begrudgingly accepted it, but a smirk soon played upon her features.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!"
At this cry, a snake slithered out from the Special Jounin's sleeve, biting Iruka on the wrist. Iruka recoiled with a jolt, though more from the surprise than the pain.
Anko readied a kunai, licking her lips in anticipation. Her kunai clattered to the floor when she felt a hand upon her shoulder. Turning she saw Iruka behind her.
"But... how?" she gasped, turning to find Iruka standing a good distance in front of her as well.
The Iruka in front of her exploded violently in a large blast of smoke that filled the room, leaving Anko coughing.
"I see... When did you learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu?" she asked between coughs, still facing away from Iruka.
The Chuunin teacher laughed heartily before gathering himself. "I've been studying up on it, you could say. Of course, after even just one, I'd likely not manage well in a real fight soon afterwards, what with how much Chakra it consumes. And as you can see, it was unstable."
Anko smirked. "Well, you caught me by surprise. Maybe you're finally catching up to me."
Iruka merely rolled his eyes. "So was there a reason you snuck into my classroom and surprised me?"
Anko thought for a moment. Surprising her Iru-baka had consumed her attention, and with the rush that accompanied her hunt, it took her a moment to recall.
"Yeah, there is something. I'd like some information on some of your students." she informed him.
The Chuunin teacher crossed his arm and tried to make his voice sound firm. At least, as firm as he could when talking to Anko. "Anko-chan, you know I can't do that. Information on my students is confidential."
"What about Jounin who're taking on a Genin team?"
Iruka was caught off guard by the question, but quickly composed himself. "Well... I suppose that would be alright if the Jounin wanted information on the Genin he or she was being assigned. But I don't think that qualifies for y-"
"Old Man Hokage is making me take on a Genin team." the purple-haired kunoichi interrupted.
Iruka was struck speechless. He knew how much joy it was to Anko to 'torture' the Genin for the second phase of the Chuunin Exams. She was probably crushed about the situation... though she didn't seem to be showing it...
"I suppose that would be okay, Anko-chan." Iruka concluded.
Anko seemed delighted. "Good! So... What can you tell me about Sushiaki Kyan, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uzumaki Naruto?"
Iruka's face fell at her question about Naruto. There really wasn't much he could say about his grades. He tried to put on a proud face as he said "Trying to find if they'll make a good Genin team, huh?"
The purple-haired kunoichi smiled and gave a "Yep. You got it."
In truth, she only wanted to find out a believable reason for them to be on a team together beyond providing maximum amusement for her in combination.
"Well... First, Sushiaki Kyan. He's... A bit of an odd one. He's just behind Uchiha Sasuke for the top of the class. He aces all of his written tests and he passes all of his Jutsu tests with great accuracy. He's not very good at Taijutsu due to his small physique, but he makes up for strength with speed and agility. He has trouble casting most Genjutsu, but can easily discern when one is placed on him. He excels tremendously in Ninjutsu, probably better than Sasuke. However... He's a bit of a loner. At lunch, he prefers to just sit back with his feet on his desk and close his eyes. He's not sleeping, I can tell that much, but he always shoos away anyone who tries to talk to him. At times, it's almost like he doesn't want to make friends or interact with anyone at all. In fact, he never raises his hand to answer questions. I just wish there was someone friendly enough to warm him up."
"As for Hyuuga Hinata... Well, she aces all of her written tests, and when she works up the courage to raise her hand, she always answers correctly. But... She tends to score poorly when it comes to testing out that knowledge through Jutsu performing and handling weapons. She always hits the edge of the target with a kunai and her Jutsu come out a little off. She tends to back down when faced with anything she considers opposition or competition. She lacks confidence and is incredibly shy. She just needs someone to break her out of her shell."
Iruka sighed, piquing Anko's curiosity.
"In truth, she has a very big crush on Naruto. When Naruto is around or nearby, she tends to perform better with her Jutsu. I'd say she wants to impress him. But one time I tried seating Naruto right next to her to see if her performance would improve, but she just seemed to go into shock. She'd probably be a good friend to Naruto if she could just work up the courage to talk to him."
Iruka paused for a very long time. Anko looked to him expectantly, but soon felt herself saying "And what about Naruto?"
The Chuunin teacher answered with a sigh. "I'm not going to lie to you. Naruto is a mess. He fails every Jutsu test, can never hit the bulls-eye on a target, and his written tests... Well, see for yourself."
The Chuunin teacher turned to his desk and handed Anko Naruto's test.
Anko stared at it a while before asking "What are these scribbles?"
"That's what Naruto wrote down when he was told to show his work. I can't make heads or tails of it."
"I can."
Stunned silence. "What?"
"This makes perfect sense to me. You see, right here he's thinking-"
The Chuunin teacher raised a hand to silence her. "Anko, don't. If you try to explain to me what he was thinking, I'll likely be pulled into both you and Naruto's world of random thoughts. Just let me be amazed that your hyperactive, sadistic way of thinking synchs up with his ADHD-filled thoughts."
"Aydee what?"
"ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I've spoken with Kurenai-sama, who studies psychology, and she's unofficially diagnosed him with it."
"Well what is it?"
"It's a birth condition that causes trouble paying attention, jumbled and scattered thoughts, restlessness, impulsive tendencies, trouble sitting still, and abundant energy."
"Abundant energy?"
Iruka sighed. "Yeah. Naruto has enough stamina and energy to keep an entire army fighting for days. Even when he gets winded, he recovers in only a few moments. He has incredible endurance and a high tolerance for pain, too, and he's quite resourceful."
"Really..." Anko was intrigued. Those were good qualities to have for a ninja, and it might be something to mention when suggesting fake reasons for putting him on her team.
Anko handed the paper to Iruka and gave a teasing salute. "Thanks, Iru-baka. See ya later. Maybe we can get together with Yuugao and catch up sometime."
With that, she ran to the window and jumped out, vanishing from Iruka's view.
The Chuunin teacher chuckled to himself, before looking downward wistfully.
"Yeah... see you later... teammate..."
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Finally, the time of the meeting to decide what teams the academy graduates would be placed on. Our favorite dango-loving Jounin had spent the entire rest of the day eating dango and ramen while brainstorming on believable reasons that Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, and Sushiaki Kyan should be on the same team. It was due to this that the purple-haired kunoichi was running late. Very late. So late, in fact, that she already missed most of the meeting. As she jumped across the rooftops of Konohagakure, she could only hope that Kakashi's chronic tardiness had delayed the beginning of the meeting.
The Tokubetsu Jounin soon jumped down in front of the door to the Hokage's tower, startling the two Chuunin guards.
"Yo. Here for the meeting." She declared, giving them a greeting wave.
The two Chuunin quickly composed themselves and saluted.
"Hurry inside! The meeting has long since begun!"
Anko nodded and stepped in.
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The purple-haired kunoichi barged into the Hokage's office, the door slamming into the opposite wall from the force she put into throwing it open. Every eye in the room turned to her. It seemed all of the available Jounin sensei were here, as well as several academy instructors. The Hokage himself sat behind his desk. Though what caught her eye was Iruka, seated in a chair and looking very beat up. He was missing his hitai-ite, and he seemed to have a nasty gouge in his back.
"Hey, everybody!" she greeted loudly, then put her hand behind her head and grinned uneasily. "Mind fillin' me in on what I missed?"
Nearly everyone in the room sighed, except for Kakashi, who giggled at the contents of his book.
"We were just deciding on team placement." An instructor explained.
Anko crossed her arms and nodded thoughtfully. "Hm... I see, I see... And why does Iru-baka look like he got run over?"
Everyone again sighed. Kakashi only just then realized that Anko had entered, looking away from his book to watch.
"I can explain that, Anko."
The purple-haired kunoichi looked to see Iruka struggling to sit up straight in his chair, despite the pain he was in.
"Naruto stole the scroll with the village's secret Jutsu. Mizuki tricked him into doing it. Naruto failed the Clone Jutsu portion of the exam, and Mizuki told him that he could graduate by stealing the scroll for extra credit."
"And that kid believed that?" Anko gaped in awe.
"Mizuki is his trusted teacher. If we can't trust our role models, who can we trust?"
Anko nodded to that, agreeing.
"Anyway, I found Naruto and fought with Mizuki. Mizuki got the better of me and could have killed me, but Naruto had learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu from the scroll. He used it and beat Mizuki within an inch of his life."
Anko nodded thoughtfully for a moment, but then stumbled backwards as the story sunk in.
"But the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu... Hell, even the Shadow Clone Jutsu is way more difficult than the Clone Jutsu!" Anko cried in alarm.
Iruka shrugged and smiled. "Exactly. Which is why I gave him my headband and passed him."
Anko remained in a state of shock for a moment... But soon realized that this could work to her advantage. Not only did Naruto pass to become a Genin, thus leaving her plans in-tact, there were also several aspects of that story she could use in her argument.
"Okay. So then it is decided. Asuma shall take Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji. Kurenai shall be taking Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino. Kakashi shall be taking Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto. And Anko shall be taking Akugouhou Inko, Akugouhou Youmaru, and Sushiaki Kyan."
"Hold up!"
Everyone turned to look at the purple-haired kunoichi as she spoke up.
"Pardon, Hokage-sama. But instead of the Akugouhou twins, I'd like Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata on my team with Sushiaki Kyan."
The silence in the room was deafening. Asuma's cigarette fell from his mouth. Kakashi's book slipped from his hands. Only the Hokage did not seem shocked. He seemed mildly surprised, but not shocked.
Anko cleared her throat. "Allow me to explain."
She hooked her hands behind her back and straightened her posture to set the stage for a lecture atmosphere.
"Normally the student who scored highest and the student who scored lowest are put on the same team to balance things out. However, from what I have heard, Naruto's original assessment was not accurate, considering that he learned the extremely difficult Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and beat a Chuunin academy instructor to a pulp. Not to mention that he snuck into a heavily-guarded area and stole an extremely valuable scroll, something the average Genin could not normally do. There is also to consider his abnormal amount of energy and stamina, and his apparent resourcefulness. Furthermore, Naruto has had a hard time, and neither Haruno nor Uchiha are fond of him at all. And we all know what Kakashi is like."
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, Kakashi included.
"While it may be assumed that Naruto could warm Sasuke up a bit, I honestly don't think the Uchiha headcase would give him the time of day, nor would Naruto even try to befriend him. I also feel that Sakura being on Kakashi's team has its drawbacks. Kakashi will likely focus most of his time on Sasuke. Sakura needs a lot of attention when it comes to the physical aspects, and I feel that Sakura will not receive that attention from Kakashi. I also feel that Sasuke would be too much of a distraction for Sakura. However, Inko and Youmaru both come from the prominent Akugouhou clan, a clan focused on the concept of teamwork. Teamwork is something that Kakashi looks for, and the Akugouhou twins could pass this sense on to Sasuke. There is also the fact that the Akugouhou twins have each other and their clan to help them train and better themselves, giving Kakashi the time he wants to spend on Sasuke. Also, Sakura would probably receive better training under Kurenai. Shino and Kiba are very supportive, so they would help with Sakura's training as well."
She paced to her left, standing by the wall.
"Similarly, Hinata is very shy and does not have confidence in herself. However, she seems to try harder when Naruto is around, so I believe that placing them on the same team might just make Hinata strive to improve herself. Being around him for extended periods of time might even encourage her to try and befriend Naruto, something the boy desperately needs."
She passed over to the opposite wall.
"On the other hand, while Sasuke definitely could use some warming up, Sushiaki Kyan is far more quiet and unfriendly that Sasuke. Naruto and Kyan also hate each other far less than Naruto and Sasuke do. I believe that Naruto could warm up Kyan far better than he could Sasuke."
She paced back to the center between the walls, in front of the door.
"So I request that Naruto be moved from Kakashi's team to my team, Hinata moved from Kurenai's team to my team, Sakura moved from Kakashi's team to Kurenai's team, and the Akugouhou twins moved from my team to Kakashi's team."
There. That wasn't too bad of a performance, Anko figured. Now she just had to wait for the feedback.
She ended up waiting quite a while. Everyone was positively shocked. Iruka seemed to be looking at her with some sort of prideful look. The Hokage merely sat there, smiling.
It was Kakashi who spoke up first after retrieving his book from the ground. "I'm perfectly fine with this." was what he said.
This set everything in motion, the academy instructors mumbling to themselves and whispering to each other. The Hokage reached for his pipe and a match.
Kurenai crossed her arms and nodded thoughtfully. "I see your point, Anko-san. I would be happy to take Sakura under my wing."
Anko silently cheered. She just needed the approval of the Hokage now.
The Hokage soon finished lighting his pipe, nodding thoughtfully. He wrote a few things down on some papers, whispered to a ninja standing next to him, puffed his pipe, then wrote down something else, nodding thoughtfully again. It was rather excruciating, really. Finally, he spoke.
"There is a change of plans. Hatake Kakashi's Team Seven shall consist of Uchiha Sasuke, Akugouhou Inko, and Akugouhou Youmaru. Yuuhi Kurenai's Team Eight shall consist of Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno Sakura, and Aburame Shino. Sarutobi Asuma's Team Ten shall consist of Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Chouji. Mitarashi Anko's Team Nine shall consist of Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, and Sushiaki Kyan. You will all be expected to meet with your new Genin tomorrow to introduce yourselves and assess your team. The meeting is adjourned."
The Hokage pounded his gavel, ending the meeting.
As everyone filed out of the room, Anko stood there in awe.
"Wow... I can't believe that actually worked..." she whispered to herself. She felt like jumping for joy, but quickly suppressed the urge, as she had to maintain composure. After all, no one else here knew that she was only teaming these three up for her own amusement. Though the Hokage was giving her a somewhat knowing smile. Anko quickly left due to this.
XXXXXXXXXX
As our favorite Tokubetsu Jounin left the Hokage Tower, she was startled when someone cleared their throat to her right. She turned to see Iruka step out of the shadows.
"Oh, hey there Iru-baka." Anko greeted, giving a small wave.
The Chuunin teacher nodded. "Hi, Anko-chan. Do you have time? I was wondering if you would join me for a drink. My treat."
Anko thought this over. Iruka probably wanted to talk... But if it meant sake on his paycheck, she was up for it.
"Sure thing, Iru-baka. Where to?"
"Hallowed ground."
Anko visibly paled. She hadn't been to that place since... "You must wanna talk about something important if you wanna go to hallowed ground."
Iruka merely nodded, his face blank.
XXXXXXXXXX
Despite the name, "Hallowed Ground" was a restaurant and bar owned by a former ninja who went by the codename "Hallow". Hallow was injured in an S-rank mission where everyone else in the nine-person squad perished, but the mission still succeeded. Hallow had since opened up the establishment for ninjas old and new alike to meet and discuss missions and experiences over a nice drink and a good meal.
As the Chuunin teacher led Anko there, she could only stare at the ground. Hopefully they could go in and not run into Hallow. Anko really didn't feel like a reunion right now... Luckily, Hallow was out of town that night, allowing the purple-haired kunoichi a sigh of relief. But she still lingered at the door. Iruka needed to give her shoulder a reassuring pat to convince her to go in.
Once inside, Anko ordered some sake, and the two former teammates sat in uncomfortable silence for a while.
"So..." Iruka began. "You want Naruto, Hinata, and Kyan, huh?"
Anko nodded slowly. "Uh-huh."
The Chuunin teacher sighed. "I'm going to be honest with you, Anko. Naruto has had a rough past. He's been shunned by the villagers his whole life over what's sealed inside him. He's been chased by mobs countless times in his childhood, growing up without parents or friends of any sort. The only people he trusted were the Third Hokage and the owners of the Ichiraku ramen stand."
Anko silently wondered why Iruka was telling her this, but kept quiet and let him talk.
"Like me, he turned to pranks to get attention. I felt a connection to him because of this, so I was really the only teacher at the academy who ever gave him a chance."
The Chuunin teacher smiled sadly. "He's actually like a son to me, really. Or, at least, to me he is. I know he's fond of me, but he never lowers his guard, even when he's just with me."
The Chuunin teacher looked down at the table gravely. "Hated by everyone his whole life, abused for as long as he can remember, Naruto has never felt safe. He always has his guard up, and he flinches whenever anyone touches him. There's only one time I've ever seen him lower his guard."
Anko was getting interested now. "What happened that made him lower his guard?"
"It was in his early days at the academy. I was supervising his detention when he fell asleep at his desk. I was the only one in the room, and I noticed that he looked relaxed for the first time. I didn't want to ruin the one time I had seen him lower his guard, so I let him sleep the rest of detention. I carried him home when it got late. He woke up when I got him home, but let me place him in his bed. Ever since then, the Third Hokage, the owners of the Ichiraku ramen stand, and me are the only ones who can touch him without him flinching. It's kind of sad, really..."
Anko was listening so intently that she didn't even notice her sake order being delivered to the table.
"Anko..."
The purple-haired kunoichi jumped a little when Iruka finally looked up from the table and into her eyes.
"Please... be kind to Naruto. All he really needs is someone to care about him. And I think you're the next person he can add to his list of precious people."
Anko smiled. It wasn't a grin and it wasn't a smirk like her usual smiles. She was pleasantly and warmly smiling, and she didn't know why. In fact, she couldn't stop herself from smiling.
Iruka's serious face rose into a grin. "So... are you giving them the same test that our sensei gave us when we first became Genin?"
Anko grinned as well. "Of course! Gotta keep up tradition."
The Chuunin teacher cringed. "I just hope those three can fare better than we did. We passed, but just barely."
The purple-haired kunoichi let out a loud laugh. "Yeah, I barely survived that test. I think Yuugao actually burst into tears at the end."
Iruka chuckled as well. "Yeah. But we turned out fine. You a Tokubetsu Jounin in charge of the Chuunin Exams, me a Chuunin teacher at the Konoha Ninja Academy, and Yuugao a high-ranking member of ANBU. Makes me wonder what Mattai-sensei would say if he were-"
Iruka stopped as Anko's face fell, looking extremely grave and gazing down at the table. The Chuunin teacher reached over and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Sorry, Anko-chan. I know how you don't like sifting through the painful memories..."
The purple-haired kunoichi shook her head. "No, it's okay. People need the bad times so that they can appreciate the good times."
The Chuunin teacher let out a laugh. Anko raised her brow at this. "What's so funny?"
"I think Mattai-sensei rubbed off on you more than you realize."
The purple-haired kunoichi gave him a puzzled look.
"That was one of Mattai-sensei's commonly used bits of wisdom."
Even Anko couldn't help but smile.
"Yeah. I guess Mattai-sensei is still alive in his teachings." she concluded.
The two spent the rest of the time catching up, then headed home. Iruka had to prepare for the last day of school, and Anko had to prepare the test for her students. It would be a busy day, and they both needed their rest if they hoped to face it properly.