Day 2
(*With Hinata*)
Despite going to bed after 1am, Hinata was up early. She was plagued with fears and nightmares whole night. Imagining many scenarios of her screwing up and getting people killed. This was not new to her, the difference being, now the nightmares were about all ninjas of Konoha, not just Team 8, or her clan.
After studying the short profile of Tsunade-sama, she was no closer to figuring out how to find or convince the medic to return. However, when studying profiles of the elders, she found a way to be helpful. All of them had very impressive records, but Danzo-sama stood above the rest. Not so much based on the skills or missions, but due to his responsibilities.
The Homura-sama and Koharu-sama had retired as active ninjas decades ago, and only served as Village Elders and Hokage Advisors. At the same time, while Danzo-sama was also retired, he also had crippling injuries, and held 4 different positions within the village! She couldn't even imagine how hard it was on him. Fortunately, she was already able to help him by selecting different Advisors. Today, she was determined to help him some more.
Once she finished freshening up in the bathroom, she noticed Hokage Robes and Hat lying on her bed. Remembering her father lectures on appropriate attire for leaders, she put them on, and was surprised that both fit her well. When she walked into the office, she also noticed changes to the chair, which was now taller and had foot rest.
When she checked the time, it was only 6am, so she still had 2 hours before Jiraya-sama and her Advisors were going to come. Determined to be productive, she grabbed ninja files of all Jonin she knew by name. After an hour, she read through them all, and narrowed down her choice to 2 most qualified, who didn't have too many responsibilities.
One was Hatake Kakashi, sensei of Naruto's team. He was very impressive on paper, but she also remembered Naruto-kun's ramblings about his laziness and tardiness.
The other one was Maito Gai, sensei of her cousin Neji. When she was injured, after the preliminaries, she stayed in a hospital room next to Rock Lee. Over that time, she heard a lot of loud proclamations in support of Gai-sensei's intelligence and strength.
Making a decision, she went to the information shelves, looking for an appropriate form. Once she found the form she was looking for, she wrote down Gai-sensei's name, signed and stamped it with Hokage Seal. Next, she wrote a quick letter to Gai-sensei and attached it to the form. Then put the form into 'finished' paperwork pile.
Next, she wanted to work on Tsunade-sama's return. People were literally dying in the hospital, and Hinata wanted to do everything she could to help them. Recalling, with difficulty, the name of her secretary from previous night, she pushed the intercom button.
"A-Ano, Tsuki-san?" she asked nervously 'would the secretary be already at work at 7am?'
"Good morning Hokage-sama. I am sorry, but Tsuki left 3 hours ago. Secretaries work 12-hour shifts, from 4 to 4. My name is Keno, what can I do for you Hokage-sama?" a male voice asked.
"G-Gomenasai Keno-san. C-Can I get full ninja profile for S-Senju Tsunade-sama?" she asked nervously.
"Of course, Hokage-sama, I will bring it within 30 minutes" he responded.
While she waited on the profile, Hinata went back to the paperwork from the night before, that she was unable to complete on her own. Going over it with a fresh mind made it clearer, but there were still terms and names she didn't recognise. She wrote all of those down on spare piece of paper, to ask Jiraya-sama and her Advisors.
30 minutes later there was a knock on the door, then it opened "The information you requested Hokage-sama..." the middle-aged man trailed off, shocked by the appearance of the new Kage.
"T-Thank you, K-Keno-san" said Hinata, blushing with embarrassment and ducking her head.
"I am sorry for my reaction Hokage-sama" said the man with a bow. He was warned by Tsuki, but was still shocked by how young the Godaime was. He then handled a thick folder to Hinata, took the 'finished' paperwork and left.
Hinata was daunted by how thick the full ninja file was. It was over 200 pages, and would take a while to get through. Glancing back at the request for the assistance from Tsunade, she started on the file with renewed determination.
"Hokage-sama, Jiraya-sama and your Advisors are here to see you" her secretary interrupted her reading. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was 8am already. Closing and pushing Tsunade-sama's file to a side, she pushed the intercom button.
"S-Send them in K-Keno-san."
"Keno said, that you only finished one piece of paperwork this morning Hokage-sama. We would need to pick up some speed today, or this tower will get buried in paperwork in no time" half-joked Jiraya.
"G-Gomenasai J-Jiraya-sama, I didn't know what any of this is" Hinata responded blushing, while giving him the list of things she didn't know, that she made earlier.
At this moment, there was a loud cry of "YOUTH!" some levels below.
"Wonder what set off Gai this time" said exasperated Kurenai.
After studying the list for a bit, Jiraya scratched the back of his head "Haha, my bad. Forgot that you were a Genin, so wouldn't have clearance or reason to visit most of Konoha facilities" he scratched his jaw thinking, while glancing at both Hinata and Naruto.
"Change of plans is in order it seems. We are going on excursion trip today" he told them, only to be interrupted by loud growling noise from Naruto's stomach.
"Hehe, can we stop by Ichiraku's? I overslept and missed breakfast" he said sheepishly.
"I-I didn't have b-breakfast either" added blushing Hinata.
"Very well, we can stop for food first. You can always ask ANBU to get you take away food, Hinata-sama. It is their duty, to save your time, so you can focus more on your work. It is same for your secretaries" advised Hanako.
As their party left the office, Jiraya turned to the secretary "Change of plans Keno, little to no paperwork today. I would be giving tour to Hokage-sama and her Advisors to various Konoha facilities for most of today" as the party left, Keno winced, looked at the ever-growing pile of paperwork, sitting behind him.
(*With Team 8*)
Shino and Kiba arrived to their training ground at their usual time, 15 minutes to 8am. However, they were surprised to discover, that their 3rd teammate was nowhere to be found. Usually, Hinata was the first one to arrive, and would be already working on her katas or strikes, when they came.
Their sensei, as always, arrived at precisely 8am.
"Ah good, you guys are already here. Please take a sit, we have much to discuss" said Kurenai.
"Should we wait on Hinata first?" asked Shino.
"No, she will not be joining us today."
"Is she okay?" asked Kiba with worry, Hinata was like a little sister to him.
"Yes, she is... healthy" responded Kurenai, with a bit of hesitation.
"As you may recall, Hinata was summoned by Shinobi Council yesterday. Presumably, for some experience as future clan head. However, it turned out, that Council decided to reassign Hinata to a different role. As of yesterday, Hinata is no longer part of Team 8" she explained.
"Bullshit! They cannot do that! We have a good thing going here..." exploded Kiba.
"I agree, Hinata is essential part of Team 8" said Shino in more controlled manner, but angry hum from his Kikaichu, were strong tell of his real feeling on the matter.
"My mom is on the Council. I will bug her until they reassign Hinata back!" concluded Kiba.
Kurenai was proud of her team, for standing up for their own, but she had to calm down the situation, before it could escalate further.
"Please, settle down" she told Kiba, who was agitatedly walking around, with Akamaru 'woofing' in agreement on his heel.
"Hinata is not being punished. You can say she got a promotion" she explained, seeing the boys listening, she continued.
"I learned about this yesterday, after we were done for the day. Mind you, I still have hard time wrapping my head around it, but as of yesterday, - Hinata is the Godaime Hokage" she told them with note of disbelieve in her voice.
There were few moments of silence, before Kiba bursts out laughing.
"Hahaha, that was funny, you nearly got me here Kurenai-sensei" he told her.
"I am not joking Kiba" she told him as seriously as she could.
After another minute of silence, Shino responded "that is unexpected" getting nod of agreement from his teacher.
"How?" was the only think Kiba could think off at this moment.
"I never got a full version, but from what I understand, it was Sandaime's wish. Why he chose Hinata of all people, I don't know" she admitted.
"What would happen with Team 8?"
"For the next few weeks? Probably nothing. After the invasion, there are lots of very important things on Hinata's agenda. Team's rearrangements would be low on her priority list. This brings me to the next piece of news."
"There is more?" asked Kiba with look of someone on their last leg.
"Yes. Hokage can choose 3 people to be their Advisors, to help with important decisions. Hinata has appointed me as one of the Advisors" she told them solemnly.
"What does that mean for the team, Kurenai-sensei?" asked Shino, as Kiba seem to have lost the ability to talk at the moment.
"In a long run not much. However, as you can imagine, responsibility of Hokage Advisor comes before responsibility of Team Sensei. So, whenever Hinata needs my council, you would have to train by yourselves, or with your clans."
"It is also very likely, that for the next week or two, I would spend most of my time with Hinata. Normally, you will get time to yourselves, but the village need every capable hand it can get at the moment. Therefore, you will be working with Team 7 today, as they are also short a member" she explained.
"Oh?" asked confused Kiba, a habit she was not sure who picked from who. He from Hinata, or Hinata from him.
"Naruto is also an Advisor" she said with a cheeky grin, making Kiba snort and Shino adjust his sunglasses, hiding his smile.
(*With Team 7*)
Sasuke and Sakura arrived to their training ground at their usual time of 6am, then sat down for a long wait on their sensei.
It was, perhaps, an hour later, than Sakura noticed the difference.
"Hey Sasuke-kun, where is that Naruto-baka?"
"Hm" he responded with disinterest. He has much more important things to do, than to waste his time on his idiotic teammate.
"I swear, if that idiot is learning to be as tardy, as Kakashi-sensei, I am going to bash his head in" she threatened, while flexing her hand, making Sasuke move away a little.
"Hey, Sasuke-kun, do you want to grab dinner after today's mission?" she asked with a blush.
"No" he responded with annoyance, not even bothering to glance in her direction.
A while later, they noticed movement in a distance.
"Hey, Sasuke-kun, is that Team 8?"
"Hn"
"Wonder what they are doing here."
It took another minute before they reached them.
"Hello Sakura, Sasuke, where is Kakashi?" asked Kurenai.
"He is being late, as always, Kurenai-sensei" answered Sakura in annoyance.
"He is still not here? I have checked, and this training ground has been booked by your team since 6am" she scratched her head, wondering.
"Yeah, he always tells us to come at 6am, and then shows up at 10am" once more Sakura was the one to answer, but this time Sasuke at least contributed with a "Hn", which Kurenai took as agreement.
"That is very..." trailed off Kurenai, she didn't want to badmouth her follow sensei, especially someone as experienced as Kakashi "... strange" she finished. She knew about his tardiness habits 'but surely, it was not like this every day?'
"Did you say 10am?" she suddenly focused on the other fact, getting nods from both members of Team 7. She had to swear 'Darn, I don't have enough chakra to wait that long.'
"I see. Unfortunately, I cannot stick around for too long. As I am unavailable today, and your team is short Naruto, I was going to ask Kakashi to have Shino and Kiba attend a mission with your team" she explained, before turning to her students.
"Boys, I am afraid, you will have to explain things to Kakashi-sensei on your own" getting nods in agreement, she walked off with a wave goodbye. There was one other thing she wanted to accomplish.
As Kurenai walked off, something finally registered in Sakura's mind. "Wait, what did Kurenai-sensei mean? Do you know where is that Naruto-baka?" she asked members of Team 8, pointing accusing finger at them.
"Jeez, watch the volume Sakura, we are not deaf" complained Kiba, while clearing his ear with a pinkie. This got him a nod of thanks from Sasuke.
Trying to prevent the brewing fight, Shino interfered "Both Naruto and Kurenai-sensei are with Godaime, and will be missing for most of the next 2 weeks."
"Wait, Godaime? And what does Naruto-baka have to do with it?" she asked after a moment of silence. Even Sasuke looked little interested.
"Yep, Godaime had been elected yesterday. The Hokage then appointed Kurenai-sensei and Naruto as her Advisors, there is apparently someone else, but I don't know who it is" said Kiba.
"Her? It is a Kunoichi? Is it someone we know? Who would choose Naruto as Advisor? He is a dumb as a brick" asked Sakura in quick succession. She was not Ino, but she loved gossip all the same.
Kiba smirked "The answer to all of those question is the same – Hinata. Yes baby! Our teammate is the Godaime Hokage!" he savoured the shocked faces of members of Team 7 for a moment, before frowning and turning to his teammate.
"Hey Shino, I just realised. We are officially teammates of the Godaime Hokage. We really need to pick up our game, or we will be letting Hinata down."
After a moment of contemplation "agreed" answered Shino.
"Wait, wait, wait! Are you saying that Hinata is now the Godaime Hokage?" Sakura screeched in shock.
"Yep" said Kiba, with lout popping 'P'.
After another minute of silence, Kiba decided to change the topic. It was not like they knew any more than the Team 7 at this point anyway.
"So..., when is Kakashi-sensei going to get here?"
"Hn, another hour" for the first time spoke Sasuke, after glancing at the sky, to judge time.
"So..., what do you usually do in the meanwhile?"
"Hn, we wait" answered Sasuke with annoyance.
"Wait" said Kiba with disbelieve "you come to training ground at 6am, just so sit and wait, for your sensei to show up at 10am?"
"Hn" was his reply from the class emo, who turned his head away. Clearly showing that he had lost interest in the conversation.
Kiba turned to the other member of Team 7. "How often does this happen?"
"Pretty much every day" she said with a shrug, it was normal for them.
"Do you guys ever train?" he asked with trepidation.
"Well yeah, Kakashi-sensei have us spar every couple of days" she said defensively. She decided to omit, that it was mostly Sasuke sparing with Naruto.
"Holly crap! Your team sucks!" Kiba exploded, standing up and walking agitatedly back and forward.
"Hey!" protested Sakura, and even Sasuke managed a glare in protest.
"How the hell did your team even made it into Chunin Exams, much less got that far in it?" asked Kiba in disbelieve.
"It is puzzling" agreed Shino.
"Woof" agreed Akamaru.
"Hey, Sasuke-kun and Naruto made it into the finals! We are the only rookie team to have 2 members in finals" Sakura protested.
"Well duh, yours is combat team. The Chunin Exams are designed for teams like yours" he explained like it was obvious.
"What do you mean?" asked Sakura in confusion, which was mirrored by Sasuke.
Kiba couldn't take it anymore, so started to walk in agitation back and forward again, waving to Shino to explain while he calmed down.
"Sakura-san, Team 8 is tracking specialist team. How do you expect for shinobi like us, or say a medic-nin, to make a good showing in the Chunin Exams Finals?" he asked.
"By beating up competition?" she asked unsure.
"If our team can track, as well as win in combat against combat specialists, then what is the point of combat teams?" he pressured.
"I-I don't know" she finally admitted.
"The answer, Sakura-san, is that we are not supposed to win. Why then the Chunin Finals are combat based? More so, with clear terrain and few hiding places?"
Shino gave both Genin from Team 7 a few minutes to think. When he saw, that they didn't know the answer, he gave it to them.
"As Sandaime-sama said, Chunin Exams are not for promotion. It is a show for potential clients. The combat is very flashy and exciting, therefore good for attracting them."
"Hn, then what is the point for other teams to join?" asked Sasuke.
"You may have noticed, that first two parts of the exam were not purely combat oriented. The skills they test are essential for all team types. Additionally, if any non-combat specialist makes it into the Finals, then it stands to reason, that their main skillset is even better than combat. They will have a very high chance of promotion."
"Does it mean that you will get promotion Shino-san, since you got into the finals?" asked Sakura.
"Unlikely, as you may recall, I never got a chance to fight in the Finals. However, our team performed very well, in the first two stages. Kurenai-sensei said, that it would be added to our files, and we are on fast track to field promotion" answered Shino.
"Oh cool! Did you hear that Sasuke-kun? We are also on fast track to field promotion, I bet" she exclaimed with happiness.
Kiba had just calmed down from Shino's long explanation, but this set him off again.
"Are you fucking nuts?! Your team passed first 2 stages by the skin of your teeth!" he screamed and started to pace again. A little intimidated Sakura glanced at Shino with question.
"When I said our team did good, I mean we got perfect 30 points from the first stage. For the second stage, we were the second team to reach the Tower, with 4 scrolls" explained Shino with pride.
"From what I remember, your team got combined 6 points in the first stage, and only made second stage with few minutes to spare" recalled Shino.
"What? How do you know that?" asked wide eyed Sakura.
"The information was made available to all sensei after the first two stages. Kurenai-sensei briefed us on performance of everyone in the exam, so we could draw parallels with our own observations."
"Kakashi-sensei didn't say anything!" complained Sakura. Sasuke just grunted in agreement.
"From what I recall, Naruto-san didn't write anything down, so 10 initial points, –9 for incorrect answers, and he ended with 1 point. Sasuke-san answered all 9 questions, but none of the answers were correct. He was also caught using his Sharingan by 2 proctors, so got –4 points for cheating. You, Sakura-san, also answered all 9 questions, but only 4 of those answers were correct, so with starting 10 points, and –5 for incorrect answers, you got 5 points" summarised Shino.
"Bullshit, I copied answers from a plant" disagreed Sasuke.
"There were total of 5 Chunin plants, 2 with correct answers, and 3 with incorrect answers. I am sorry to say, you were fed disinformation Sasuke-san" countered Shino, which made Sasuke turn his head away, to hide his embarrassed blush.
Fighting down the embarrassment, Sasuke wanted to fish for more information. It was clear that Team 8 sensei was much more 'involved' than their own, and he had to get stronger much faster. Kakashi-sensei didn't train them enough. The only time he felt that he was pushed to his limits, was during the month of personal training, in preparation for the Finals.
"So, what does Kurenai-sensei have you do?" he asked, with what he thought was casual tone, like he didn't really care for the answer. It probably didn't work, as even Sakura was looking at him weirdly.
"Well, we usually start at 8am, though Hinata usually came at 6am to do some solo training" began Kiba, who sat down once more.
"If Kurenai-sensei cannot make it to the training, or is going to be late, she usually sends a clone to inform us, like today. Then we train by ourselves, and don't sit around all day" he snarked at members of Team 7.
"On normal days, first thing we do is an hour of physical training. Like running, jumping, sit downs, crouches, push ups, pull ups, etc. Then another hour of chakra control, we alternate every day between tree walking and water walking, while playing some ninja games, or just practicing some moves" he continued, while scratching his head, thinking about it.
"Then we get 2 hours of specialised training. Like sparing, working on team formations, synchronisation of moves, traps making and disabling, mock missions, etc. Lots of different stuff, Kurenai-sensei changes it all the time, to keep it interesting."
"After the training, we go for a team lunch, and then take one or two D-rank missions. We usually end at 6-7pm, so we can get some specialised clan training in the evenings. Although, we don't do any missions on weekends. Saturday afternoon is to discuss, and show off, what we learned from Shinobi Library that week. Sunday is a day off" he explained.
As the description of Team 8 training progressed, Sakura's head involuntarily went down in depression. 'No wonder they though our team is a joke.' Recalling one particular tidbit of information, from the explanation, she had to ask, knowing it would only increase their embarrassment. However, Sasuke-kun was interested in this, and she had to do it for him, then he will notice her. 'Hell Yeah!' the inner Sakura screamed in agreement.
"Shinobi Library?" she asked timidly.
Kiba just facepalmed. He didn't even have any energy left for the agitation. After about a minute, he continued to explain.
"Yeah, it is on the same street as the Academy, further North. There are tons of information on useful shinobi skills. Like handy E and D-rank jutsus for camping, or about traps: making, detection and disabling. About various lands, territories and countries. Various Taijutsu, Shurikenjutsu and general weapons forms, and much more. Kurenai-sensei requires us to learn something from it every week, but we can learn whatever interests us, so that is cool I guess."
He gave the other Genins a few minutes to process the information, before having a terrifying thought.
"Please, tell me you guys, at least, do D-ranks correctly" he asked, seeing the confused looks, he just closed his eyes, flopped onto his back and shook his head.
Seeing that his teammate was not going to explain, Shino decided to take over once more.
"D-ranks are essential team building exercises" he began, only to be interrupted by Sasuke.
"By doing chores together?" asked Sasuke with a sneer.
Shino fixed his sunglasses with agitation. "By learning to read body language of your teammates. By learning to have non-verbal conversations. By learning to stay on high alert even in boring situations, or when distracted. All in safe environment, without risk to yourself, your team, or the client" he finished.
"So, when we are painting a fence..." Sakura started uncertainly.
"Covert mission. Practice to blend in with locals, so you don't stand out as shinobi on covert missions. Practice speaking using sign language, out of view of passer-by. Observe everyone and everything happening within your sensing range. Collect, process, rank and classify the gathered information. Be ready to detect and dispel a genjutsu placed on you or your teammates. Dodge, deflect or catch a random thing or weapon, thrown at you or your teammates. Etc. Etc. Etc." explained exuberated Kiba, not even bothering to sit up.
"And the babysitting mission?" asked subdued Sasuke.
"Protection mission. Practice dealing with annoying clients, who don't follow orders, or have a single self-preservation bone in their body. Learning layout of building or location, while identifying best sentry positions, blind zones, most likely routes of attack, best defence locations, places to bottleneck superior force, retreat routes and locations. Again, you can practice silent communication and information gathering as well" he paused to gather his thoughts.
"Sometimes, we need to spot Kurenai-sensei trying to sneak in, to 'assassinate' our client, but only once in a while. We need to be on alert all the time, but even for high rank protection missions, attacks by bandits or enemy shinobi are uncommon" he continued.
"After each mission, we have a team debrief, to discuss the information we collected, what we have learned and how each of us performed. If there were some problems or teamwork deficiencies discovered, we would work on them in next training session, as well as plan how to perform the mission better next time. We also swap roles each of us play during missions, so we all can perform in any required role" he finished.
After that, there were a few minutes of silence, as each team processed what they learned about the other.
Then, there was a rush of leaves and Kakashi appeared in front of the Genins. "Yo" he greeted, then surveyed them for a moment with a lazy eye. "There are more of you today, than yesterday" he scratched his head in confusion "I think" he added. Then shrugged, turned around and started walking away, calling over his shoulder. "Let's go team, we don't want to be late to pick up a mission."
Kakashi had arrived mid discussion between Team 7 and Team 8, but decided to stay hidden and listen in. 'So that is what D-ranks are for?' he realised with a sweat drop. The only thing he was ever told was 'for team building', it is not like he ever done D-ranks, when he was a Genin.
Sasuke and Sakura shot embarrassed looks at members of Team 8, who had their jaws drop, from their first interaction with Kakashi-sensei. After a moment of stunned silence, they all followed Kakashi-sensei to get another clean up mission.
(*With Team 10*)
Asuma and his team were having a break, after some training. Shikamaru was cloud watching, it was a beautiful day for it. Choji was renewing his energy supply by eating some chips. At the same time, Ino was agitatedly telling the boys about one thing or another. He really tried not to listen in. 'Probably complaining about something from the training session, again' he sweat dropped.
Then he spotted a familiar figure walking towards them with a purpose 'uh, oh' she looked pissed.
"Kurenai" he greeted with a nod, while internally sweating.
"Asuma" she greeted back, while stopping 5 meters away. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"Heh, didn't want to ruin the surprise?" he replied, with his usual smirk.
That was a wrong thing to say, as the next moment Kurenai launched at him, with a flying knee to a chest. He barely managed to put his arms in cross guard in time. However, the kick never connected, as the moments before contact, the Kurenai dissolved into mud.
Team 10 also noticed sensei of Team 8 approach, and watched the interaction. One moment they were talking, and the next moment, Asuma-sensei was covered in mud, from head to toe. They watched with open mouths for a second, and then their sensei was replaced with a mud-covered log.
"Man, that was a close one" their sensei said, walking unscratched from behind a tree. "Guess I deserve that" he continued with a smirk, before taking a drag from his cigarette. Only to notice a moment later, that the tip was covered in mud. "Way too close" he agreed with his earlier statement.
"Sensei, what did you do to piss off sensei of Team 8?" asked him Ino accusingly, pointing a finger at him.
He watched his team for a moment, he could talk Shikamaru and Choji into dropping the subject, but Ino would nag about it for ages, if he didn't tell them. 'Guess, I can as well tell them, they would learn of it soon enough anyway.' Giving off a tired sign, he sat near the boys, looking at Ino to do the same.
"Well, as you recall, I had to attend Shinobi Council yesterday" getting nods in understanding, he continued. "During that meeting, the Council was deciding who would become next Hokage - the Godaime" seeing the demanding eyes of his team, he went on. "I may have 'forgot' to tell Kurenai-sensei the identity of Godaime, before she went to meet her" he finished scratching the back of his head.
"And?" demanded Ino, ready to jump up, from the juiciness of the information she was getting.
"You all should actually know her pretty well. It is one of your old classmates – Hyuga Hinata" he told them, savouring their shocked looks.
Shikamaru was the first one to recover, who flopped back on his back with "troublesome".
"Wait!? Are you saying that Hinata is Godaime? How?" asked Ino in shock.
"Hahah, my pops picked her to replace him. I don't actually know that much about her. I was kind of wondering, what you guys could tell me about her?" he asked them.
Ino took a few minutes to think back to the quiet Hyuga. "Well, she was really shy in the academy, and sat in the back by herself. She didn't try to steal my Sasuke-kun, so I guess she is fine, not like that Billboard Forehead Sakura!" she exclaimed in anger. "Now that I think about it, she liked that class clown Naruto" finished Ino with sagely nod. Rest of the team only sweat dropped at her summary of the classmate.
"She was not troublesome" summarised Shikamaru his observations. Which coming from him, was a high prize, Asuma thought.
"Hinata was always nice to me in the Academy" responded recovered Choji, then grabbed a few chips before continuing. "She is also rival of my Uncle Chojiru."
That piqued Asuma's interest. "Isn't Akimichi Chojiru one of the strongest in your clan?" he asked his student, getting a nod in agreement, he continued. "So how did he end up picking a Genin as a rival?" he asked with interest.
"Oh, we weren't Genin back then, it was years ago" Choji corrected, took a few more chips, then resumed his explanation. "Uncle Chojiru lost cinnamon buns eating competition to Hinata. He has been training heavily ever since. I think, he also pays bakery to organize yearly rematch, but he keeps losing" he finished with a shrug. Rest of the team sweat dropped at the explanation.
"Don't you, Akimichi, think about anything other than food?" asked Ino with exasperation.
"For Akimichi, food is chakra" he munched on few more chips, before finishing "Hinata must have huge chakra reserves, if she can outeat Uncle Chojiru."
(*With Gai*)
Maito Gai had been subdued for the last month. Ever since his star student injury, in the preliminary matches, he found it hard to focus on anything else. Lee was like a son to him, and seeing his dream being taken away from him, torn Gai's heart apart. He still put a strong front, but those who knew him well, would see that he was suffering behind a mask.
Gai have finished his morning workout, and was on his way to meet with his team, when he was intercepted by an ANBU.
"Are you Maito Gai?"
"Yosh!" he admitted, giving the ANBU his nice guy pose.
"Maito Gai. The Godaime-sama have nominated you as Head of Konoha's Security. Congratulations. Please follow me to the Hokage Tower."
As he followed the ANBU, Gai was thinking about the news he received. He was not an airhead, that most people took him for, and realised that some major shifts of power were happening within the village. Willing or not, he was now part of that power play.
When he arrived to the correct room, he was led to a sleepy looking clerk.
"Maito Gai as requested" introduced him ANBU, then left.
The clerk gave him a quick look, before pushing number of forms in from of him. "Please sign here, here, and here." Once done, the clerk explained promptly "the Security Headquarter was already notified of the new Head. This there, is your introduction to the job and list of responsibilities" he gave him a thick folder, then put a letter on top "and a letter from Godaime. You may leave now" he was unceremoniously dismissed. 'What an unyouthful fellow' he thought.
He left the room, but stopped in the corridor outside, to read the letter.
Dear Maito Gai-sensei,
I have seen, that Lee-san is among the people, who require Tsunade-sama's healing skills. I would like to reassure you, that bringing her back to Konoha, is among my top priorities.
Godaime Hokage,
Hyuga Hinata
The letter was very short, but by the end of it, Gai had tears running down his face. To think that Godaime had seen through his mask and took time, out of her very busy schedule, to reassure him!
"YOUTH!" he screamed in relief, that his student might have a chance to continue his shinobi carrier, as well as promise, to be the best Head of Security, the Village had ever seen. There was no other way to repay such youthful Hokage for her kindness. With his fires of youth rekindled, he ran to meet with his team.
"Gai-sensei, it is true that Neji's cousin is now Godaime?" asked Tenten, as soon as he stepped into training ground.
"Aha, I see that news already reached your youthful ears" he praised.
"Hpf, the clan has been talking about it nonstop" complained Neji.
Gai put his hand under this chin, thinking "having a member of your clan as Hokage is great honour. It seems, that even the stoic Hyuga's, would get excited by such news."
"Anyway, my youthful students. The Hokage-sama have assigned me a task, that I must attend to with all due haste. I trust you two can handle a clean-up mission on your own?"
"Hai, Gai-sensei" his students responded.
"Excellent! Remember this is springtime of your youth! Let your power of youth out and let it burn bright!" he exclaimed, while giving them a nice guy pose. This would ensure, that his students were properly fired up for the day ahead.
A moment later Gai's afterimage disappeared, as he left to the Village Security Headquarter. It was a small building near the Village Wall. Next to it were much bigger Security Barracks, where personal stayed between patrol duties.
True to clerk's words, the headquarter already knew of his new status, and he was promptly led to his office and given summary of current state of affairs.
There were 200 Shinobi under his command: 20 Jonins, and 180 Chunins. Unlike normal Shinobi, who ran missions, this was a long-term placement with stable salary and work hours. It was preferred by those with families, despite giving lower earnings. It was safer, and provided better work / life balance. Many other village functions ran under same approach, like T&I, Hospitals, Cryptography, R&D, etc.
Each shinobi worked 12-hour shifts for a week, then they would have a week off. Those who needed cash, could also take short missions, during their week off.
That gave Gai 50 active security Shinobi at any given time, with possibility to summon up to 150 more, on short notice. However, during the important periods, like Chunin Exams, or now, after the invasion, the security was increased. All 200 of his subordinates were on duty, 100 per shift, with no time off for anyone, until situation stabilised.
The village itself was policed by members of ANBU, so his area of responsibility was outer village perimeter. It included the Gates, Village Walls, Hokage Mountain and territories around them. During peace time, their main responsibility was to prevent spies and smugglers from getting in or out of Konoha. At war times, they also acted as sentries. Being the last line of defence, before the village itself will be in danger, meant that it was very rare for them to be involved in big scale fighting.
During the invasion, 30 of his subordinates were killed, and additional 80 had been injured. Of the injured, 15 had minor injuries and were already back on active duty, with another 10 expected to be back tomorrow. The dead and those with longer recovery times, had already been replaced, by new recruits from the general pool.
After getting the quick overview, he started to familiarize himself with current patrol routes. To ensure, that all areas were covered and there were no gaps, for anyone to sneak in or out.
"Gai, what are you doing in my office?" there was note of warning in that question, making Gai wince internally.
"Good morning Danzo-sama. Haha, I take it, that no one informed you of the changes?" he asked the old man with fake boisterous air. Despite how he looked, Gai knew how dangerous that man was. Both as veteran shinobi, and with the resources and influence he wielded in the village.
"Changes?" asked Danzo emotionlessly, but a stress creak of his wooden cane betrayed him.
"Yosh, I have been put in charge of Village Security this morning" he explained.
"I see... And how did the Godaime justify the need for the 'change'?" he asked with controlled voice.
"Ahaha" Gai scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I wouldn't know Danzo-sama" at the questioning look, he elaborated. "I had no opportunity to speak with our most youthful Hokage yet" he confessed.
Danzo studied him for a few moments, trying to ascertain the truth of his words, before slowly nodding in acceptance.
"I see... Would you mind? I didn't get the opportunity to pick my personal effects" he asked Gai. Danzo kept all of the more incriminated stuff back at his Root base. However, he knew that Gai was much smarter, than he let on, so it would be better to make sure he didn't leave any breadcrumbs lying around.
"No, of course not. I wanted to inspect the Security Barracks anyway. Take your time Danzo-sama" agreed Gai. He was happy to leave the awkward situation behind him, it was dousing his flames of youth.
True to his word, Gai took a good hour inspecting the barracks, as well as getting to know some of his subordinates. Each route was patrolled by a pair of shinobi for an hour, after which, they took 20-minute break in the barracks, before starting on a different route. It ensured that shinobi were rested and sharp for their patrols. Additionally, there were always troops in the barracks, ready to reinforce any site of trouble.
When he got back into the office, Danzo was already gone, so he went back to inspecting and memorizing the patrol routes. An hour later, he had to conclude, that the routes were solid, and he couldn't find any holes that enemy could explore. Not that he expected anything less from Danzo, despite his dislike for the man, no one ever questioned Danzo's competency.
Now that his main concerns were addressed, Gai went to the paperwork pile, to see what was next on his agenda. As it happened, the first piece of paperwork was the rejected Wall Repairs Bill. An hour later, after reading through the corrections and suggestions done by the Hokage, as well as doing a quick independent check, he started to get irking, that his placement may not be just politically motivated.
Deciding to withhold judgement for the moment, he went to assess the damage to The Village Wall in person. It was all good and all on the paper, but he was person of action, and had to see the damage for himself.
Two hours later, after numerous measurements and re-checks, he returned to the office with a heavy heart. In addition to many points the Godaime made, the damage itself was exasperated. If they were to replace all damaged stone blocks, in addition to filling in the breaches. And added a generous 'just in case' allowance of materials on top of that, he could not explain the number, that Danzo-sama requested.
Pushing his suspicions aside, he went to work on amended repair bill.
The stone itself was special and resisted Jutsus damage. Because of it, breaching the Village Walls was quite hard. Additionally, it was hard to chakra walk the stone, only Jonins and elite Chunins would be able to scale it. Also, the wall itself was tall enough, that jumping over it would be problematic. Therefore, the main attacking force would be forced to diverge to the gates, which were choke points.
Ramp construction was a possibility, but it would exhaust a good amount of chakra from the attackers, in addition to creating only narrow areas of attack, similarly to choke points. The ramps were also suspensible to destruction by defenders.
The stone was rare and only available from a few mines in the Fire Country. True to the form, the mine that was chosen, was the closest, and could produce in necessary volume. Then, he went to the price list for the mine, and worked out the bulk discount they could get. Then went logistics of transportation, protection details, the clean-up of the rubble and wall rebuilding itself. After additional 3 hours of productive work, he was happy with the new bill, which was significantly cheaper than the previous one.
Now, that he had finished his more detailed analysis, he brought his suspicious back. Knowing that there was rarely smoke without fire, he decided to go and inspect every patrol route in person. After sitting in the office for the last few hours, he had to stretch his legs anyway.
Four hours later, he returned to the office and sat heavily in his chair. This was depressing. Four of the patrolling teams were not following the designated routes. One team didn't even bother leaving the barracks for their patrol. He couldn't even say that issue was with influx of fresh recruits, as 3 of those teams were veterans. Even among the ones who followed patrolling routes, good number were horribly out of shape.
If this was the state of Village Security just after the invasion, he didn't even want to consider the state of affairs before then. Did Danzo-sama ever check the routes and patrols in person, or did he expect for his plans to be followed to a letter? Additionally, on 2 of the routes he noticed blind zones, created by landscape and the forest overgrowth, that would allow people to sneak in undetected.
'Yosh' there was nothing to it. He would address all of the problems and relit his subordinate's flames of youth. He couldn't believe he doubted the most youthful Hokage-sama, even after she saw through his mask of sorrow. 'I would do 10,000 one handed push ups for each hand, as punishment for doubting Hokage-sama' he decided.
(*With Hokage*)
Hinata was used to blend in and avoiding attention. However, the Hokage outfit caught attention of Konoha population like flare the moth. There were so many eyes watching her, so many whispers, so much attention. It made her very uncomfortable, and she couldn't even hide in the Hokage robes, like she could in her hoodie.
Then came the actual Konoha facilities. Hospital, administration, T&I, trade hub, ANBU headquarters, warehouses, mission offices, prisons and so many others. In each and every facility there were so many workers, who wanted to gawk at her. Then, she had to meet with everyone in control of each of those facilities, and listen to everything they had to say, while they showed her around. The talks ranged between giving lips service to Hyuga Clan, to demanding for her to fix all of their issues and problems.
After visiting over 40 different facilities, Hinata was exhausted. She never met so many new people in one day before. For introvert like her, it was very exhausting. If anything, she was very happy, that most of her work would be paperwork.
Jiraya observed the exhausted Hokage from the corner of his eye. He was actually quite impressed. Despite the clear discomfort and tiredness, the girl didn't complain once. She met and listened to every department head, without exception. Even those, who were clearly trying to earn a favour, and those who were rude. It reminded him of his old sensei, neither Tsunade-hime or himself would have had the patience for that.
He didn't expect that they would be able to visit all of the facilities in one day. He expected, that Hokage will demand to stop midday, if not sooner, but here they were, just one last place left.
Jiraya intentionally delayed this particular visit as long as he could. Hopping that Danzo would have left for the day, by the time they came. However, knowing Danzo, the warhawk knew what Hokage was doing, and was waiting for them. At least he managed to persuade the girl to have dinner in the BBQ joint beforehand. He could stomach only so much ramen in a day. Naruto's stink eye didn't affect him at all, they already had ramen twice today.
Naruto relished in the attention their party was getting. For once, the attention was one of curiosity and respect, rather the hostile looks he was used to. The excursions were also interesting to him, so many shinobi, doing lots of stuff, that he didn't even know existed. Some of the people they met were jerks and he didn't hold back on telling them exactly what he thought.
By the end of the day, even his energy was running low, and Ero-Sennin refused to go and recharge it with the Food of Gods. 'How could you even have "too much ramen"?' he was asking himself, while glaring at the white-haired man.
Once they finished their quiet, late dinner, they moved to the last location on their list. There wasn't too much talking for a while now, as everyone was tired. As they approached the office of Village Security Head, they could hear a voice counting in very fast fashion.
"Nine thousand and nine hundred, 1, 2, 3, …. 99, and ten thousand! Yosh!"
"Gai, what are you doing here?" asked Jiraya in confusion. He was the first person through the door, and starting to get sense of DeJa'Vu.
"Good evening Jiraya-sama. Our most youthful Hokage-sama" he indicated Hinata, who just walked into the office behind him "had appointed me as the Head of Security this morning."
Hearing that, Jiraya went chalk white. 'Forget "may", Danzo is most definitely going to try to assassinate me! Why me?' he asked the heavens, tears running down his face. Vaguely, he could hear Hanako asking ANBU to triple Hokage's protection.
"G-gomenasai G-Gai-sensei" apologized Hinata, for giving him more work.
"Nonsense, Hokage-sama. It is I, who should apologize, for doubting your flames of youth. Please forgive me!" he bowed at a waist, making Hinata jump a little at the suddenness of his movement.
"H-Hai" she forgave him quickly. There was no one in the village, that didn't doubt her, including herself. 'Well, maybe one' she blushed, watching Naruto from a corner of her eye, who was busy gawking at Gai-sensei.
"Bushier brow sensei! Do you work here?" asked Naruto, who was last to enter, and missed the initial words exchange.
"Yosh! You are Naruto, one of Kakashi's Genins, right? You did very well against Neji in the finals, he is a formidable fighter" praised Gai.
"Heheh" blushed Naruto, not used to being praised.
"Sorry to interrupt Gai, but it was a long day. Do you mind explaining what Village Security is responsible for, and showing us around? We had been going over all of the Konoha Facilities today, and letting Hinata meet with the people in charge of each department. This is the last stop for us" requested Kurenai.
"Of course, Kurenai. This way Hokage-sama" he took the lead. "Village Security consists of..."
About 20 minutes later, the party was back in the office. Gai only shown them the headquarters, barracks and nearby section of the wall. There was no point in showing them the whole wall, gates, or the patrolling routes.
"I have also revised the Wall Repair Bill, and had been able to push the price down to 220 million Ryo" said Gai.
"That is amazing Gai, it is what, nearly 30% cheaper?" asked Kurenai.
"It is" admitted Gai with pride. "The main expense is transportation. It accounts for half of the remaining costs. I have considered many options to reduce it further. Even considered using storage scrolls, but the nature of this stone is such, that it cannot be easily sealed" explained Gai.
As he talked, he also watched Hokage with curiosity, she seems to be staring at his weights. He moved a bit, and sure enough her contemplating gaze followed. 'What was she thinking?' It took him a minute, before seed of idea started to form in his mind 'surely not?' He rushed back to the forms he used for the calculations, inspected the map, done back of the napkin calculation, and sure enough, the idea looked plausible.
Seeing the young Hokage watching him with approving smile, he screamed "YOUTH!" It took her only few minutes, to work out a solution to a problem, that he spent half a day contemplating.
"Truly your flames of youth burn very bright Hokage-sama" he bowed to her in respect. "I will have the revised bill ready for you tomorrow morning, before you get into the office. If I fail to do that, I will run 500 laps around Konoha on my hands" he declared, giving her a nice guy pose, getting a quiet giggle from the Kage.
On the way back to Gai-sensei's office, Hinata spotted a calendar on a wall. She was startled to realise, that Naruto's birthday was only few weeks away. The last two days had been some of the hardest in her life, but also some of the best. Not only due to how much time she had spent in Naruto's company, but also with how well they worked together.
They had already interacted more in the last 2 days, than in all previous years combined. She had gotten Naruto present for each of his previous birthdays, but never had courage to give it to him in person. Now, that they were becoming friends, she felt like she simply had to do it. As she contemplated what to get him this year, her eye caught orange leg warmers, that Gai-sensei was wearing. 'Orange is Naruto-kun's favourite colour...'
It was the first time she met Gai-sensei in person. He was such enthusiastic and honest person, like an older version of Naruto-kun. 'If Gai-sensei liked the legwarmers, then Naruto-kun will also like those? Naruto-kun does seem to respect and like Gai-sensei...' Hinata observed.
The sudden increase of activity from Gai-sensei knocked Hinata out of her musing. Watching him dash around the office at inhuman speed brought a smile to her face. She was so happy that she picked him over Kakashi-sensei. His energy was infectious, and her tiredness seem to evaporate in his presence. Hearing his outlandish declarations made her giggle, she had no doubt that he would follow through on those. Lee-san was the same, medics had to tie him to his bed, so he wouldn't follow on his promises.
Through the day, Hanako stood back and observed, letting the younger generation have control. Only stepping in, when absolutely necessary. It was clear to her, that neither Naruto, nor Kurenai had any sort of political training. It was not a bad think per say, she seen what politics done to Hyuga clan. She, among many others in the Branch House, supported Hinata as next clan head, for her kindness and honest personality, something that Main Branch hated Hinata for.
Meanwhile, Jiraya was busy ingesting and jabbing every anti-poison medicine he had in his numerous scrolls. If Danzo knew of his lost position in the morning, it was quite likely, that his assassins were already dispatched. ANBU would have screened food of Hokage and her Advisors, but not his, since he didn't hold any position in the village that warranted ANBU protection detail.
Since they all eaten together, it was very unlikely, that his food was poisoned quite yet. However, it was better to be safe than sorry, when it came to Danzo. The scream of "YOUTH!" from Gai, made him screw up, and he broke a needle in his already abused arm. Swearing in his head, he went to work on removing the stuck piece of metal. 'That doe eyed brat is already more trouble than Naruto.'
They had finished their visit to Village Security shortly after. "It has been hard day for us all, so I think we should disperse for the day. I will walk you to your clan gates" he pushed on the girl. Knowing Danzo, he was likely waiting to ambush the Hokage in her office.
"Hiashi-sama expressed his wish to see you Hinata-sama, at the first convenience" added Hanako. She saw that Hinata was planning to object, so decided to land a hand to Jiraya, knowing what he was trying to do.
Hinata felt revigorated by Gai-sensei's energy, and wanted to read some more on Tsunade-sama, but she couldn't just ignore her father.
The walk was mostly silent, with Kurenai and Naruto peeling off with a wave goodbye, once they reached the inner parts of the village. As they neared the Hyuga compound, Hinata was startled to see her father waiting at the gates. He always knew when she was coming home, but usually the gate guards instructed her to go, and see him in his office.
"Hinata" he greeted, sounding awkward?
"O-Otou-sama" she responded with a bow.
"Will you be staying the night, in the compound?" he asked in his more normal manner.
"H-Hai"
"And will you stay for breakfast? I would like to talk with you after the breakfast" he asked?
"H-Hai" responded Hinata, it seems, that even her father was confused by her new status.
"Very well, then you should go and catch some sleep, you look tired" he dismissed her.
"G-Goodnight Otou-sama, Jiraya-sama, Hanako-obaachan" she bowed to each of them in turn and walked away.
From a corner of her eye, she caught her father glancing at few random spots. She was confused for a moment, and then it came to her. 'Of course, the ANBU! How could I forget again?'
Once she reached her room, she quietly called "ANBU-san?"
"What can I do for you Hokage-sama?" asked a female ANBU, kneeling in front of Hinata, making her very uncomfortable.
"A-Ano..., I-I left a ninja p-profile on my desk, in the H-Hokage Tower. C-Could you b-bring it here?" she asked barely audibly.
"Of course, Hokage-sama" answered the ANBU, then Shunshined away.
It took less than 5 minutes for the ANBU to bring the Tsunade's profile back. Hinata did her evening routine, then climbed into her own bed, and read the profile until it was time for her to go to sleep.
Meanwhile, outside of the Hyuga gates. "Hanako-san" nodded Hiashi in both greeting and dismissal.
"Hiashi-sama, Jiraya-sama" bowed Hanako, before retiring to her own house.
"Jiraya-sama, how is my daughter handling her new duties?" he asked Sannin, once Hanako was out of earshot.
"Hahaha, she is doing great" said Jiraya, with fake bravado.
Hiashi raised an elbow at him "I would like to think, that I know my daughter" he said, and kept staring the Sannin down.
Jiraya winced, knowing that he would have to come clear. "She dismissed Danzo from 2 positions in 2 days" he confessed.
"I see" Hiashi could only close his eyes at that. "Picking a Branch Member as Advisor didn't go overly well, with the Hyuga elders either" he confessed in turn.
Jiraya winced again, he didn't even consider that angle. "Will she be safe in the compound?"
"Yes. Having Hyuga Hokage is great honour to the clan, no matter who it is" explained Hiashi. "How is she handling the paperwork?" he decided to clarify another question he had.
"Surprisingly well, but she will have to pick a lot of speed soon" summarized Sannin.
"I will bring it up with her tomorrow then, as well as increase her protection details, while she is here. Have a good night Jiraya-sama" ended the conversation Hiashi.
"Hiashi-sama" returned Jiraya and left, keeping a close eye on his surroundings.
(*With Danzo*)
After the surprising visit to his 'old' office, Danzo left to the Hokage Tower to speak with the Godaime. Only to learn, that Hokage had left to tour Konoha Facilities, and will be gone for most of the day. Danzo was frustrated, but decided to wait for the Hokage to return. He didn't think that particular Genin, will be able to stomach the touring for very long.
When he voted for easy to manipulate Hokage, he forgot, that others would be able to manipulate her just as easily. However, something was not adding up. 'Why would Jiraya be doing such blatant moves against me? I am missing something, but I cannot put my finger on it.'
As time went, his mood didn't improve. In addition to doing a lot of thinking, he also subtly interrogated the secretary about the Kage. He mainly learned 2 things of value. One, that Hyuga was early starter, so it was best to ambush her in the early morning. Two, that she was very slow in handling paperwork. That wasn't good, as what was the point of a puppet, if you had to do all of their work for them. He could just as well become Rokudaime.
It was late night, after 10pm when an ANBU arrived to the office.
"Tsuki-san, the Godaime-sama had retired for the day, and will be staying the night in the Hyuga Compound. I am here to pick up a file from her office" the Cat ANBU informed the secretary. Then moved into the Hokage office and was gone seconds later.
"I am sorry Danzo-sama" apologized the secretary.
"Not to worry Tsuki-san" said Danzo with forced calm. After being stood down 2 days in row, he was quite pissed.
"Torune" he called one of his trusted agents, once he reached Root base.
"Yes Danzo-sama"
"Sent couple of teams to deliver a message to Jiraya."
"What kind of message Danzo-sama?"
"The permanent kind."
"As you wish Danzo-sama."
Danzo didn't think they will success, unless they got lucky. Jiraya was too good to be taken down so easily. He also considered taking care of the Hokage, it would be easier, despite the ANBU protection she had. However, he decided to hold off for now. He still didn't know, what sort of game Jiraya was playing, so was not going to do anything too drastic, yet.