Thank you all once again for all the positive feedback. I hope you enjoy today's chapter.
When Sakura Haruno woke up this morning, she was feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. It's been a month since the graduation and today is the selection for the teams. What makes it nerve-wracking is that she has no idea who would be on hers. Now, Sakura isn't arrogant enough to think that she deserves to choose her teammates, but she would rather be with people she's familiar with or hopefully, with her handsome dark prince, Sasuke Uchiha. However, even she knows that the chances of placing her, the lowest-ranked genin in the class, together with the Rookie of the Year is highly unlikely.
That's why she's hoping to be on a team with Ino, who despite clashing with her almost every single day, is the only person she can tolerate in the class. Shikamaru is a lazy bum who somehow graduated along with her. Choji only thinks with his stomach. Shino is kinda creepy with his monotone personality. Kiba is loud and annoying. Sai is just an asshole. Yakumo is cold to almost everyone. Hinata is the only other person she can see herself being friends with, but they never had a proper interaction and the girl seemed too shy to socialize.
As she prepared herself to leave for the academy, her mother greeted her near the kitchen. "Hm, you're up early, dear. What's the occasion?" she asked. Mebuki Haruno is a fair-skinned woman with dark-blonde hair and jade-green eyes. Sakura's fashion sense for qipao dresses seems to have come directly from her mother, evident by the fact that they're both wearing one right now.
Sakura groaned in mock frustration. "Mom! Did you forget that today's the selection of teams?" She exclaimed and then pointed at the Leaf headband on top of her hair, instead of the standard way of wrapping it around the forehead.
"Oh, that's today? I swear, time flies by so fast. I remember a few years ago, you were begging me and your dad to enroll you in the shinobi academy. All because you wanted to chase after that Uchiha boy." Mebuki placed her hand on her cheek, reminiscing about the past.
The pink-haired girl fumed, blushing slightly at the thought of her crush. "Mom, you always remember the most embarrassing things about me." She pouted.
Her mom chuckled. "I'm just messing with you, dear." Mebuki replied before her expression fell for a second. "Sakura, I just want to ask you again. Are you really sure you want to be a shinobi? I mean, there are still lots of job opportunities that pay well. Your dad owns a great business in the sake industry, maybe you can succeed him or…."
This time, Sakura's groan of frustration is much more real. "Mom, I thought we went over this? Yes, I'm sure. Don't worry about it." She sent a pointed look at the elder Haruno. "I've been training for four years now in the academy. I'm sure I'm more than prepared for what's out there."
Mebuki looked like she wanted to say something else, but decided to hold her tongue. "I understand, dear. I'm sorry for asking again. I hope you have a great day." She sent her daughter a strained smile, one that could easily be seen through.
Sakura fought the guilt churning in her stomach and faced the door. "Thanks, Mom. I'll be going now. Love you!" She called out as she rushed out of the door, missing the defeated expression on her face.
As Sakura strolled across the streets of the marketplace, she thought over her mother's words. Is she really ready for the life of a shinobi? The only reason she enrolled in the first place was because of Ino and stayed because of Sasuke. Sure, she may have the lowest rankings in the graduating class but coming from a civilian family, it's a big accomplishment! However, there's a gut feeling inside Sakura, telling her that the only reason she passed is due to her book smarts. A lingering doubt was slowly growing now that she's considering everything she's ever done in the academy. Will the jutsus they learned in classes be helpful against an enemy shinobi? While her naive self would've said yes, a deeper and more logical side of her disagreed.
However, before Sakura could ponder more about her future, she felt someone behind her and immediately turned around. "Huh? Mizuki-sensei? What are you doing here?" She exclaimed rather loudly at the sudden appearance of the academy teacher. She always felt something was off with the man, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"I'm actually here to talk to you, Sakura." The man replied calmly. Although, his blue-tinted hair is messier than usual and his skin is sporting a sheen of sweat. The man gestured for her to follow him and without thinking that something was wrong, Sakura followed the man into a nearby alleyway. After checking if the coast is clear, Mizuki faces the pink-haired girl with a contemplative look. "I hear that you had the lowest score in the entire graduating class."
A frown instantly crept up Sakura's face. "Yeah… you're one of the teachers who graded us, Mizuki-sensei." She mentioned, confused.
"Oh, really? Must've forgotten." Mizuki chuckled awkwardly, the smile on his face growing more strained than before. "That's beside the point. I'm actually here to offer you an opportunity. You see, I see a lot of potential in you, and seeing you with such a low rank makes me feel like you've been dealt with a bad set of cards. That's why I'm offering you a special assignment that will guarantee you enough extra credit that the Hokage would consider putting you on a strong team. Maybe even the team where Sasuke is. So, will you take the assignment"
Sakura has just been presented with a golden opportunity. It's a chance to be with her beloved Sasuke, plus an extra boost to her grades and rankings! However, Sakura's inner, more reasonable self whispered in her ear. Will this one assignment make her a better shinobi in the future? Is taking this opportunity worth it in the end? Would being on Sasuke's team guarantee her chances of being his girlfriend?
Now that she thought about it, the clearer it seems. For the first time ever, she felt like she was a shinobi. A quick look at Mizuki's expression told her more than enough about how suspicious the situation is. The desperation on his face almost looks as if he was the one benefiting from this offer. The way he's looking around for people listening in. If this is truly a legitimate offer, why is he being cautious about it? Bad news is written all over it and she couldn't believe she didn't see it sooner.
"I- I appreciate the offer, Mizuki-sensei. But I'm okay with my spot in the rankings. Besides, I already graduate and I'll just have to work with what I have." Sakura steadily grew confident the more she spoke. By the end, she nodded to herself in determination and her will to become a shinobi burning brighter than her four years in the academy. It's almost like opening her eyes for the first time.
For a moment, Mizuki remained frozen with a look of disbelief. But a dark scowl overcame his features, a stark contrast to his usual calm demeanor in the academy. It looked so foul that before the killing intent even hit her, she was already petrified on the spot. This is probably her most terrifying experience. He's a Chunin, two entire ranks above her. She has no chance of taking him down or even running away.
"I'm asking you again; will you take the assignment?" Mizuki snarled out.
Sakura could see him reaching for his kunai pouch. Right then and there, she knew that if she refuse, she would be dead before she could be a proper shinobi. Just as she was about to agree to whatever sick plan the Chunin was plotting, a blur appeared right behind Mizuki and in one fluid motion, a hand grabbed his mouth and another hand blurred towards the back of his neck, knocking him out cold.
"Hmm, so that's where you went."
The pink-haired girl shook herself out of her frozen state to look at who saved her and found herself almost blushing. The man who saved her had just placed the unconscious Mizuki down on the ground and gazed down at her with a smile of reassurance, his blond ponytail whisking across the air like some heroic knight. From the looks of his attire, he appears to be a shinobi and a Jonin at that, evident by his navy-green vest. Whoever this handsome guy is, she sure hasn't seen him around the village.
"You okay there, kid?" The man's deep tenor voice snapped out her thoughts.
"Y- yeah. I- I'm just… thank you!" Sakura bowed her head at him, truly grateful for saving her life. She didn't know what would happen if he hadn't come.
The blond waved her away. "No, it's fine. We've been tracking this man down for a while. I guess you assisted us in this case." He replied with a foxy grin.
Sakura raised her head and politely stammered out, "R- really? Mizuki-sensei is a criminal?"
The man narrowed his eyes at her headband before settling with a look of acceptance. "Since you're officially a Genin, I guess I can tell you. Mizuki here is being investigated for attempting to steal from the Hokage. What is being stolen remains unknown due to the failure of his objective. However, he was able to get away but not before we had the village gates on lockdown and searching for him. All we had to do is wait for him to leave himself exposed or flush him out with force. But I guess thanks to you, we were finally able to spot his chakra spiking and apprehend him." He explained in what could be called a true shinobi's voice. It almost felt like giving a mission report to a superior and being on the other side of his explanation left her flustered. "However, when I spotted the two of you, he seems to be threatening you to do his bidding. Did he give any information?"
"N- not necessarily. He just offered me a chance to take a special assignment." Sakura replied, already coming to the realization of what Mizuki intended to do. Either he's going to use her as a distraction to escape or make her steal whatever he wanted to steal in the first place. Either way, they're both terrible.
The blond narrowed his eyes. "Did you accept?" He asked.
It was such a simple question but Sakura couldn't help but feel like she was being interrogated. She had heard about the stuff that happened in the TI Division and to be honest, if there's one thing that would discourage her from being a shinobi, it would be facing a member of that specific branch.
"No! Of course not. It felt too suspicious and strange. But…" she trailed off.
"Once he threatened you, you felt like you had no choice." the blond finished. Before Sakura could explain herself, he held up a hand. "Don't worry. You're still inexperienced and facing a hostile Chunin is not your fault. Although make sure to not follow any strange men into alleyways next time."
Sakura blushed furiously, hearing the same statement from her mom and dad. "O- okay. Thank you again… for saving me…." she shyly said.
The man just nodded his head with a warm smile. "No need to thank me. Just doing my job. Now go! You'll be late for the academy."
The pink-haired Genin widened her eyes. "Oh, shoot! You're right!" She immediately took off out of the alleyway but slid to a stop when she forgot something. She turned right back around to the blond and yelled out loud, "I forgot! What's your name… sir?!"
The blond just let out a chuckle. "Don't worry about it. I'll see you later." were the last things he said before disappearing in a gust of wind.
Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. "'See you later'? What does he mean by that?"
The Uchiha compound has been empty ever since the massacre. After Sasuke turned twelve, everything the Uchiha owned, including the entire vicinity, became his property. However, the last Uchiha preferred staying in his own house rather than exploring the rest of the compound. As a result, most of the area was left deserted and open for anyone to enter. But to many, they felt that they would be intruding into something private and decided to not step foot on the Uchiha grounds out of respect for the dead.
However, this gave an opportunity for a few to monitor the last Uchiha. Due to the aggressive and cold behavior that Sasuke exuded, the shinobi council sent eyes around the Uchiha after he was labeled a high-class flight risk; a title only given to those who exhibit behavior that questions their loyalty to the village. A potential traitor or enemy who is only being treated normally due to his status as the Uchiha's heir.
As a result, a squad of ANBU is sent to monitor the Uchiha's behavioral patterns and combat skills to formulate a plan on how to take him down if there comes a time he would go rogue. The ANBU would only leave if Sasuke had been cleared of all suspicions. For now, a rotational squad of five ANBU agents is hiding across the entire compound, silently monitoring the last Uchiha as the twelve-year-old violently attacks the wooden dummy with Taijutsu.
However, unknown to the ANBU, another person is hiding in the compound and monitoring the Uchiha as well. A pale twelve-year-old with straight black hair and matching dark eyes is sitting inside the second-floor room of a house directly across from Sasuke Uchiha's house. Dressed in a grey high-collared midriff shirt, covered by a black jacket with red straps, and matching pants and sandals, the kid's emotionless eyes followed the angry form of the Uchiha, taking note of his ever-growing rage for his brother.
His master, Lord Danzo Shimura, had approached him at eight years old, still a young learner of the ROOT's way of the shinobi arts, and ordered him to enroll in the academy. His mission is to monitor the Uchiha's actions and behavior, to possibly neutralize his anger—though that would now be considered impossible due to the single time that Sai called the last Uchiha a homosexual individual. If the last Uchiha shows evidence of the idea of betraying the Leaf, he shall eliminate the target and discard every piece of evidence that would lead to the discovery of the ROOT Foundation.
All of a sudden, Sai reached for a scroll on his hip and rolled it out, revealing a blank parchment page. Emerging from the edge of the balcony is a platoon of ink-drawn mice, crawling their way to the open scroll and melting into the paper. Sai's ability, Choju Giga, provides him a numerous amount of skills to use, including intelligence gathering. By sending ink drawings the size of mice, he can infiltrate any building and gather all the information needed for the mission. For this one, he sent them to obtain a copy of the jutsu that the Uchiha is trying to add to his arsenal.
However, before he could review it, a tap on his shoulder sent his senses into hyperspeed and his first instinct is to draw his tipless tanto towards the person who bypassed his senses. As a ROOT agent trained from birth, nobody below an ANBU should be able to sneak up behind him. He knew it wasn't the ANBU due to the fact he had his mice monitoring all of their positions as well and none had moved from their spot.
Sai was shocked to see his sword stopped by a pair of fingers, holding the blade by the edge. The owner of said fingers was a blond-haired man with cerulean eyes and a Leaf headband tied around his neck. An official Jonin of the Konoha Shinobi Forces yet from what Sai recalls from the records he was given to memorize, he has never seen this man in the shinobi records.
"Hm, your reflexes are pretty good… for a Genin." the mysterious person drawled out, barely even noticing the blade that was about to take his head off of his neck. The man regarded the pale boy with a lazy, half-lidded look. "So, what is a Genin of your caliber, doing in the Uchiha compound?"
The ROOT agent flashed a fake smile. "I am merely scouting the competition. As I recall, there are no rules about entering the Uchiha compound. So, I used this opportunity to spy on his skills." He replied monotonously, like reading a script in his head.
The blond hummed and let go of the blade, allowing Sai to place his tanto back into its sheathe. "Good strategy. But why would you be spying on a fellow Konoha shinobi? Unless you're trying to permanently eliminate him?" the man asked, a dangerous tone in his voice.
But Sai didn't allow his expression to falter, keeping a false cheer on his face. "Of course not. The homosexual oftens challenges me to a fight so it would be fortunate for me to learn about his battle style and combat skills." He replied in the same tone, though he was able to notice a sparkle of amusement dancing in the blond's eyes before it disappeared just as fast as it appeared.
"Hmm, a commendable strategy. But I recommend stopping spying on him in his house or even in the compound, especially when he's not wearing a shirt. It would make people assume you're one of his rabid fans." The man said with a small curve on his lips.
Sai tilted his head, his expression falling flat. "Why? I am merely analyzing the way his body moves to better counterattack his Taijutsu." He replied, causing the blond to silently sweatdrop.
"Kami, he fucked you up real good…" the man muttered under his breath before regarding the pale boy with a stern look. "By the way, all newly graduated Genins should be gathering in the academy for team selection. It's about to start. You and the Uchiha should get going."
The ROOT agent nodded silently and started packing up his tools. Just as he was about to leave, the blond's voice stopped him cold in his tracks. "Genin…" it was a rippling and haunting voice that sent shivers down Sai's spine, a feeling he has never felt with anyone other than Lord Danzo. He turned around and saw a dark shadow fall over his face, masking his expression but the pressure of his killing intent told more than necessary. "...tell your master that if he wants to spy on me..."
The blond slipped his hand behind him and threw out three bloodstained masks on the floor. Sai instantly recognizes them as ROOT masks, evident by the 根 symbol on the barely white surface. The pale boy looked back up at the man and felt his chakra filling the empty room, thickening and growing heavier by the millisecond. "...he should get better shinobi." For a moment, he thought he saw the man's eyes flash blood-red before they vanished.
With that, the Jonin disappeared in a wind Shunshin, taking his crushing chakra pressure with him and allowing Sai to breathe properly. The pale boy stared down at his legs and found them trembling without even noticing. He raised his hand, trying to stop himself from shaking in this unknown emotion. He didn't know what it was, just that Lord Danzo uses it quite frequently to motivate him to train.
Sai comparted the two and almost found himself shaking even more uncontrollably at the mere thought of the Jonin. "S- so, that was Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze…" He stammered out with his strained smile. He had finally figured out his identity midway into their conversation and he remembered his master mentioning him ever so often. "N- no wonder Lord Danzo wishes for his elimination."
A nervous chuckle escaped the pale boy's mouth. "How… terrifying."
"Ko-kun, i-it's fine. I will be a- alright with going alone…"
"Are you sure with that situation, Hinata-sama?"
As the assigned bodyguard and caretaker of the clan's heiress since she was born, Ko is naturally nervous about allowing her to walk to the academy without an escort. Ever since Hinata was a child, she has been the most adorable cinnamon roll he has ever seen and he immediately made it his mission to keep her as happy as possible. However, most of the main house of the Hyuuga clan disliked her timid personality and spent most of their time, belittling her and forcing her to fight at an early age.
Hiashi Hyuga, her own father, thought the same about her daughter and often paired her with Hinata's younger sister for a spar, which the heiress almost always loses. Ko knew that the lavender-haired girl was more than capable of beating young Hanabi Hyuga, but her caring and shy nature prevented her from winning. As the years went by, Hinata grew more insecure and shy to the point that she wouldn't even talk to people without looking down or avoiding their eyes, in fear of being judged cruelly.
It broke Ko's heart to see the child being beaten down both physically and mentally. But even though he's part of the main house, he has no right to interfere with the family life of the heiress other than his job's limitations. Despite that, Hinata remained to be the sweetest person in the clan, even going as far as creating her own medicinal cream to help the branch house when she found out about the lack of medical care for them.
"Y- yes, Ko-kun… I- I will be fine." Hinata replied with a shaky smile, suggesting that she was just putting up a front.
Ko wanted to call her out on it but didn't want her to feel worse so he just sighed. "Alright, Hinata-sama. But make sure to flash your chakra if you're in trouble or if you need me. I'll be there immediately." He stated with a nod of determination.
Hinata's smile morphed into a more genuine one as she bowed to him in gratefulness. "Th- thank you, Ko-kun. I- I'll keep that in mind," she said before turning to leave the gates.
Ko's watchful eyes didn't leave her form until she turned to a corner and disappeared. "Stay safe, Hinata-sama," he whispered, allowing his words to be swept away by the wind and brought to Kami.
Meanwhile, the young heiress was quietly walking in the direction of the academy, pulling up the hood of her purple jacket and lowering her head to keep the attention away from her. It somehow worked with most of the civilians ignoring her presence as she stuck by the wall of the nearby buildings. Crowded places don't normally work well with the Hinata's social anxiety so to cope with the situation, she fiddled with the headband around her neck to keep herself busy.
However, this ended up working against her favor when everyone kept bumping against her. With her self-confidence lower than a dead shinobi's chakra, she doesn't even speak up or acknowledge. Without even making a retort or complaint, she continued onto her path, occasionally letting out a squeak whenever she would accidentally bump into another person.
But it seems that luck wasn't on Hinata's side this day because even though her head was lowered, her eyes failed to see the open crack on the road, causing her to trip and fall. While her baggy clothes softened her impact, it didn't make it any less painful. The humiliation she felt from tripping in the middle of all these people hurt more than the pain she felt from the actual fall.
As she struggled to stand back up, she then noticed the lack of weight on her head. The realization that her hood is gone and her identity has been revealed caused her to freeze in fear. Just as she expected, whispers from the crowd surrounding her began to rise.
"Is that the Hyuga heiress?"
"What is she doing here without an escort?"
"Did she trip and fall?"
"Aww, poor girl."
"Someone should help her."
"Pfft, I thought the Hyuga were supposed to be graceful"
"Clumsy one, ain't she?"
"Should we call a shinobi?"
The blood pounded in her ears. Her heart thudded in her chest. Her hands shook. Her feet tingled. Her vision distorted as if she were looking through a fish-eye lens. She had to get away. She couldn't stay around them. She couldn't look at it. Tears began to gather around her pale eyes as they frantically searched for an escape. She couldn't handle the judgemental looks they were sending her or the disgusted sneers. They must think she's pathetic. Her father's right—she doesn't deserve the title of an heiress.
'I'm a failure…'
She clutched her body and slowly rocked herself, her hands wrapped so tightly around her own arms that her nails dug into her skin. She could feel her breath, her cold breath, leaving her as if she was being suffocated in a closing box. She cried harder, her chest growing tight as bile rose in her throat. Everyone's voices began to distort and soon, her father and the clan's voices replaced them. She could hear them, berating her, punishing her for her weakness, calling her a disgrace of the clan.
'I shouldn't have been born…'
Hanabi, her beloved sister, looked at her with utter disdain. Neji, her cousin, gazed at her with his cold pale eyes, feeling no sympathy for the cruelty being brought upon her. Hiashi, her father, stared down at her with disappointment and as his mouth started to move, her heart began to tremble as the words began to slowly leave his mouth.
"One, two, three, four, five… come on, say it with me."
That wasn't the voice of her father. It was warm, comforting… unlike anything she has ever heard from her father. That's when Hinata noticed the hand rubbing her back, soothing the uneasiness and dread out of her body. No one had ever comforted her like this before, not even Ko. Besides, she isn't sure that anyone other than herself knows that she gets these psychological attacks during stressful situations. Usually, she would always pass out and wake up the next day as if nothing happened.
But this feeling of warmth and relief washed over her trembling body, she wanted more of it.
"Follow how I breathe…" the person said, guiding her hand towards his chest and allowing her to feel his calm heartbeat.
Hinata began focusing on her breath and keeping a steady balance, not that she needed it since the person—or man, now that she felt his chest—kept her balance by wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Slowly but steadily, her heart started to slow down to a normal rate and her vision began to clear again.
With her eyes finally returning to their past state, she was finally able to catch a glimpse of the man who calmed her down. Instead of a face, she was met with a white ANBU mask with a beak and eyeholes that almost resembles a bird's beady eyes. The tuft of auburn locks sprouted out the top of his head and fell on his shoulders. He wore a standard ANBU uniform, though she noticed that the vest was for a Jonin. She doesn't know if it's on purpose or not, but she's glad that she isn't able to see the man's face, or more specifically—his look of pity or disappointment.
"That's better. Are you breathing well? No blurred vision or feeling nauseous?" The mysterious ANBU asked.
Hinata sniffed and looked at the man with slightly trembling eyes. "I- I'll be f- fine…" she stammered out. For a second, the ANBU just stared at her and without even seeing under the mask, she could feel his eyes gazing straight through her soul.
"Alright. But don't push yourself." He said after a nod.
Noticing that her hand is still on his chest, she quickly retracted her arm with a blush. The ANBU still had an arm around her shoulder, but she didn't bother moving it because whatever he was doing, it was soothing and kept her calm. She let out a shaky sigh before staring right back up at the ANBU.
"A- ano… ANBU-san, wh- why did you help me?" She shyly asked, flinching when she thought she sounded rude or demanding.
Hinata didn't know how, but she could almost feel the bright smile flashing under the man's mask. "Why not? I saw a lovely girl in trouble and why wouldn't I want to help?" He replied, causing the lavender-haired heiress's face to burn bright red and burst smoke from her ears.
"P- please don't m- make fun of me…" she sputtered out as she covered her face in embarrassment. The low chuckle from the ANBU only made it worse.
"I'm not…" the auburn-haired man said, carefully removing her hands from her face and wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "You're beautiful and strong. Don't let anyone else say otherwise."
Hinata almost cried again. The last time she heard someone call her that, it was her mother on her deathbed. To hear it again awakened a surge of memories of the happiest moments of her life. A time when she felt like she belonged to a real family. A place where she felt loved. It was a beautiful sight that will forever remain ingrained in her heart for all the years to come.
"Hey, come on. I want to see you smile." the man's voice broke her out of her memories.
She couldn't understand why he would care for someone he didn't know, but for whatever reason it is, she's grateful for his presence. Without even realizing it, Hinata gifted the ANBU with one of the most genuine smiles in her life. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe and warm with another person other than her caretaker.
"Th- thank you, ANBU-san…" she stuttered out, but kept a tiny smile on her lips.
"That's better. Now, you better get going. The academy is going to start now." He mentioned. Hinata's eyes widened considerably as she frantically realized her situation. As she was about to stand up and start rushing towards the academy, she heard the ANBU speak again. "Do you want me to accompany you?"
The question stopped her in her tracks. At first, she wanted to agree vehemently. The man's comforting presence almost felt like a bonfire in a snowy winter night. But as she thought about it, she didn't want to bother him any more than she did. It was already embarrassing enough that she was seen having a panic attack in the middle of the street. She doesn't want to humiliate herself even further by asking this nice ANBU shinobi to walk her to the academy like he was her caretaker.
"N- no need, ANBU-san. I'll b- be fine on m- my own…" she tried to sound as confident as possible, but it's obvious that the ANBU didn't believe her.
Fortunately for her, he didn't say anything and accepted her answer. "Alright. Stay safe, Hyuga-sama." He said as he stood right back up and turned around.
Hinata didn't know what came over her as the ANBU began to leave. She was sure that the blank mask and the anonymity helped her feel safer in the ANBU agent's arms. The fact that she doesn't know the person who witnessed her panic attack and vulnerable state helped a lot with calming herself down.
But deep down in her heart, she wanted to know the person who helped her. The person who made her remember the warmth she felt from her late mother. The person who showed care for her more than her entire clan ever did.
As the ANBU flickered away in a Shunshin, Hinata activated her Byakugan at the last second to catch a glimpse of the man's identity. Sadly, he had his back facing her and she couldn't see his face. However, she was able to get one significant detail about the ANBU agent. His hair; was a Henge. She didn't know why he needed one. Maybe it was to add to the entire ANBU corps' mystery. Even though she felt bad for intruding on the man's privacy, she couldn't help the smile on her face at being one step closer to finding out about the man's identity.
"His hair is so bright!" she muttered to herself with a giggle.
"So, you're a Jonin sensei now?"
The question immediately made Naruto groan. Ever since his friends heard about his new status, it's all they've been talking about. Even his squadmates in ANBU were pestering him about it, though they sounded rather somber about it. But after a small farewell party in the bar and a few tipsy songs, Naruto left ANBU with a smile on his face, albeit a drunken one. He already had to listen to them drunkenly wail about his reassignment. He doesn't want to go through it again.
Naruto buried his head in his hands. "Can we please not talk about this?" He asked hopefully, but Kurenai's stern look crushed any optimism.
"Not this time, Naruto. You avoided us yesterday to party with your ANBU friends. Now, it's our turn to bring you to a bar and explain to us how this all happened." the Genjutsu Mistress insisted. "Besides, there's no one here but us. No one will know about your identity.
Naruto looked around the bar and he had to admit that the only people inside the bar at the moment are the bartender, a couple of drunk civilians, and their group. The blond continued to curse the Hokage for putting him into this situation and will forever do until he could find a silver lining. All that the Jonin status brings to him is unneeded attention from civilians and curious stares from the older shinobi who knew him as a kid.
"Come on, Naruto. The last time we talked, you just came back from a mission. Did something happen?" Asuma questioned.
The young Namikaze sighed. "Look, I can't tell you all the details. But to make everything short, the main reason why I've been reassigned was to become a sensei." He replied.
"A sensei?" Kurenai repeated, sharing a confused look with the rest of the table. Meanwhile, Kakashi remained silent as he read his favorite book. "But there are lots of other Jonins to choose from. It doesn't make sense for them to lose their best ANBU asset."
"That's what I've been trying to say. But the Hokage had already signed the documents before I can make an argument." Naruto threw his hands in the air and collapsed on top of the wooden table with an audible groan. "The Hokage has been plotting this for a while now and he had just gotten a legitimate reason. What a joke."
"But isn't this a good thing?" Asuma suddenly remarked, earning a raised eyebrow from the blond in question. "For one, you have more free time to relax. ANBU barely leaves you to rest in your schedule. I still remember that one time when you were gone for three weeks. We thought you died or went missing."
"Asuma-kun is right, my blond friend! Proper rest after a hard day's work will give you enough youth for tomorrow!" Gai butted in, pumping his fist into the air with a large smile.
"While I won't exactly use Gai's choice of words, he's right. During ANBU, you barely had any time to settle down for a drink or spend time with us. Even when you did, you used that time to train all day long." Kurenai said in a soft reprimanding manner. A look around the table would see the group nodding their heads in agreement. "To be honest, you were worse than Kakashi."
Said man raised a brow. "Was that an insult?"
"Yes."
"... alright then."
"You see what I have to deal with without you here?" Kurenai sighed, earning chuckles from around the table. "Besides, I don't think being a sensei is all that bad. I, myself, teach from time to time." She proclaimed proudly.
"Teaching academy students with high chakra control a few genjutsu to expand your legacy doesn't count," Naruto deadpanned, causing Kakashi to chuckle and Kurenai to splutter for a response.
"Th- that's not true! I already have Yakumo as my apprentice and she's perfect I might add!" the genjutsu mistress harrumphed. "But as I was saying, being a Jonin-sensei isn't that bad. There are lots of things to do. You can try forcing Kakashi to finally find something more productive than reading that trash." She sneered out, focusing a withering stare at said man and his orange book. If she was allowed to, she probably would've cast a genjutsu or burned the book itself.
For the first time in the conversation, the silver-haired cyclops sent a glare back at the genjutsu mistress. "How dare you insult the great works of Jiraiya-sama. The Icha Icha series is a renowned novel praised by all critics from the Elemental Nations. The plot, the characters, the emotions! This is a work of art with an added bonus! No sane person would ever call this precious gem trash!" Kakashi passionately exclaimed, causing the drunk civilians from the side of the bar to cry out in unison.
Kurenai whirled around to the three with a menacing glare. "Is that true?!" she snarled out.
Asuma vehemently shook his head, nearly dropping his cigarette in panic. A bad move on his part because Kurenai definitely found it suspicious.
Naruto boredly proclaimed that he doesn't care about the works of his godfather, hiding the fact that he wrote some parts in the books in exchange for jutsu knowledge. Kurenai narrowed her eyes at his words but ultimately accepted them.
Gai loudly cried out that he could never read such 'hip' and 'cool' novels as Kakashi. Kurenai completely ignored the man, knowing that the Taijutsu specialist would never willingly indulge himself in smut. So instead, the genjutsu mistress turned her attention back to Kakashi, who returned to ignoring her presence and reading his smut books.
But just as she was about to deliver justice to the man, the presence of multiple chakra signatures incoming set them on alert. Only Naruto sat calmly in his seat, already recognizing them. To say that the group was surprised to see three identical figures appearing in a wind Shunshin would be an understatement. It was clear that all three were shadow clones of Naruto as the last figure, who wore an ANBU suit, took off his mask to reveal a set of cerulean eyes and a foxy smile.
"Boss, information has been gathered. We faced no problems in our search though we were able to apprehend the traitor." The first clone reported with a serious tone.
"We brought him to the TI Division. Anko-chan was a bit… handsy this time." Clone number two chuckled uneasily.
"All in all, the mission is a success. No complications at all." The ANBU clone spoke up with a smirk, already worrying the original Naruto.
"Alright. Good job, you three. Now, dispel yourselves." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the three clones when all of them shared a secretive look and began to grow sadistic smiles that resembled a bit too much of a dango-loving psycho.
When the three dispelled in a cloud of smoke, the memories rushed into Naruto's head and rearranged themselves into proper order. Upon receiving the mission reports, his frown of concentration broke into a frustrated scowl. His hands ran through his blond locks, resisting the urge to just pull his hair out.
"No problems my ass. Practically all of them need therapy." He grumbled to himself.
"What is that about?" Asuma asked.
Naruto continued to rub his temples. While the rushing memories from his dispelling clones don't give him that much of a headache anymore, it's still a bit irritating. Especially with the amount of information he received from three different sources.
"A reconnaissance mission." The blond replied, much to the confusion of the rest of the Jonin.
However, Kakashi immediately caught on to the meaning as he regarded Naruto with an inquisitive eyebrow raise. "So, how was it?" He asked. After all, he was the one who gave Naruto enough information to create their profiles.
"Depending on what they do in the future, they probably have the most potential in the class." He then released an exasperated groan. "But what I know for certain is that I'll have three brats who'll be a pain in the ass."
Sakura's feet were practically shivering in anticipation and fear. All she could think about is which team she'll be put in. Ino's team had already been announced and suffice to say, she kinda pities her for being put in a team with a lazy ass and a glutton. So with them gone, there are only a couple of people left who will be her future teammates.
"Since Team 9 is still in circulation, we'll head over to Team 8. The team consists of Shino Abarume, Kiba Inuzuka, and Yakumo Kurama. You'll be led by Jonin Kurenai Yuhi." Suzume Ikeda announced. Most of the kids wondered where their previous instructor was, but all she said was that Iruka was cleaning up for a fight.
The aforementioned Inuzuka groaned, while Yakumo simply stared at her teammates frostily and Shino simply kept quiet. It will certainly be a hard future for such a loudmouth like Kiba to be teamed up with the two most muted students in the class.
Sakura eyed the last three students in the room who still weren't assigned to a team. Hinata was sitting in the top corner of the room, pressing her index fingers together and oddly absentminded. Sai was still as creepy as ever, smiling awkwardly with his eyes closed but there seems to be a bit of sweat dripping on his forehead, which Sakura found odd. Meanwhile, Sasuke is sitting in the front with his arms tucked into himself, his usual broodiness gone and replaced with interest.
The pink-haired girl came to the conclusion that either one of them is going to be left out or all four of them is going to be on a team. The more she thought about it, the more she grew worried. Both options would end up bad for her. If one of them has to be left behind, it's obviously going to be the weakest in the class, which means her. If all four of them would be in a team, she would easily be overshadowed by the three of them and as a result, would eventually be thrown out.
Hinata, while shyer than a leaf, is still one of the best taijutsu practitioners in the class, and coupled with her strange X-Ray eyes, she's a genuine asset to the team. Sasuke is already a given, being the Rookie of the Year and the last Uchiha. Despite Sai's insufferable attitude and general fake personality, Sakura couldn't deny his exceptional shinobi skills. Sometimes, she wondered if he was holding back his strength. She once noticed how the pale boy pulled back his punches during a Taijutsu match and even purposely missed one kunai despite hitting the last nine.
It suffices to say that she's screwed either way.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Suzume-sensei, who's finally announcing the last team. "Now for Team 7, they will consist of Hinata Hyuga, Sai, and Sakura Haruno. You will be led by…" The curly-haired instructor raised an eyebrow from under her glasses. "... Jonin Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze."
Sakura's eyes widened inconsiderably. She's just been assigned to a team… and without Sasuke on it! Her attention immediately switched towards the last Uchiha, as well as the rest of the class who came to the same conclusion. Just as they expected, the raven-haired boy's face is contorted into a furious scowl. If possible, his dark thoughts grew even darker than before. Everyone could practically see the black miasma emanating from the last Uchiha. That is until…
"Sasuke Uchiha, you will be promoted to Special Genin and be assigned to Jonin Kakashi Hatake as his apprentice."
Almost instantly, Sasuke's chakra receded back to its normal levels and he leaned back into his seat with a satisfied smile. "Thank you, sensei." He quietly said, earning multiple incredulous looks from his classmates.
Suzume nodded. "You're welcome. Wait here for your Jonin sensei to pick you up. Sasuke, you're free to leave for now. Your sensei has a famous habit of coming in late." She said idly, receiving a non-committal grunt. "Alright, congratulations on being Genin and I hope to see you succeed into wonderful shinobi in the future. So long."
As soon as the instructor left, an awkward silence fell before the entire class. With no one speaking and with no other mundane topics to talk about, every Genin began fidgeting in their seats as they waited for their sensei. Most of them just started twiddling their thumbs or drawing on their notepads, while the usual silent ones did what they do best.
Meanwhile, Ino ground her head against her desk in agony for she could suffer only so much without talking to anyone about anything. Most of the people in the class are barely her acquaintances except for a select few. She grew up together with Shikamaru and Choji, but it's mostly because of their parents. Sasuke would just ignore her again and the rest are people she didn't interact with throughout the entire academy time.
Suddenly, she got the idea to talk to Sakura again. While they may be rivals in love, they still have a pretty tolerable relationship with each other to the point where they can talk about other things without ripping each other's hair out. So with that in mind, she turned around to face her pink-haired friend/rival.
"Hey, Sakura. Do you know that… huh? Where is she?" She spun her head around all confused upon seeing the empty seat. "Has anyone seen her?"
"It seems that Hinata also disappeared. Why? I still haven't found the answer." Shino spoke up monotonously.
Everyone whirled their head towards where the lavender-haired girl would usually sit and just as the bug-user said, she was nowhere to be found.
"The freak is also gone," Sasuke mentioned out of nowhere, staring at the empty seat where Sai was sitting just a second ago.
"Where'd they go?"
Hinata has no idea what just happened as she stared at the grassy field before her. The area was obviously designed for shinobi training, with the occasional tree or bush. But just a second ago, she was in the academy and patiently waiting for her sensei when all of a sudden, she felt the entire world grind to a halt as she lurched forward before she collapsed onto the dirt, and here she is now.
A groan next to her alerted Hinata of another presence in the area. Though she was not expecting to see Sakura's entire body flipped upside down. Her face was buried against the dirt and grass while her upper body was in the air with her hands on the ground being her only support. The lavender-haired girl's compassionate side immediately took over as she rushed toward the poor girl.
"Sakura-san, p- please let me help," she said with a smile before wrapping her arms around her waist and with the help of Sakura's own hands, flipping herself back upright.
"Whew, thanks Hinata. I'm pretty sure I would've broken a bone if it weren't for you." The pink-haired girl said as she patted the dirt out of her qipao dress.
Hinata let out a squeak and spoke quietly, "No problem, Sakura-san."
The young Haruno sent a grateful smile before it turned into a scowl. "Now, do you know who the asshole who brought us here?" Sakura demanded as she angrily stomped over to the middle of the field, whipping her head around for the perpetrator.
"Well, Ugly. If my observations are correct, it is obvious that we were brought here for a reason and is most likely our Jonin sensei, considering it's only us three that has been taken." A false cheery voice perked up, causing Hinata to jump out of her jacket and Sakura to send a death glare at the pale boy.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to insult him, another voice filled the empty space. "An astute observation, Sai. But for what reason did I bring you here?" Naruto suddenly appeared right behind, causing the two girls to jump while Sai simply turned his attention to him.
Once Sakura saw him, she immediately recognized him as the person who saved her earlier this morning. "It's you! Wait, that's what you meant by 'see you later'. You already knew!" The pink-haired girl exclaimed loudly.
Naruto chuckled. "Yes. Thank you again for your assistance. I just so happen to be in the area when you were threatened. Isn't that right, Sai?" the blonde smiled coldly at the pale boy, who did his best to hide the fear in his voice.
"I don't know what you're talking about, sensei." He replied with an even more awkward smile than his usual.
The blond simply hummed, narrowing his eyes at him. "Is that so. Well then, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, Jonin of Konoha and sensei of Team 7."
Both Hinata and Sakura's eyes widened. "Wait, Namikaze. As in Minato Namikaze? Are you his brother or...?" the pink-haired girl asked.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he simply nodded. "I'm his son. Yes, that's true. I'm surprised you haven't heard of me." Naruto replied sarcastically, though Sakura seemed to have missed the tone.
"But why haven't we heard of you in class before? Shouldn't you be important enough to be taught in class?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Not really. what does knowing about the family of the Fourth Hokage have to do with becoming a shinobi? Besides, it's a good thing I'm not being talked about in history, or else I'll be having a conversation with your instructor." A dangerous glint lit up in the blond's eyes, almost mischievous and foxy-like. "Anyway, let's move on to more important things like... your initiation test."
Hinata timidly raised her hand. "U- um, Naruto-sensei? Wh- what do you mean by that?" she silently questioned.
"You don't think that I'll just accept a bunch of academy students to be my students, right?" He said in amusement. "Your graduation test is just another obstacle test in the academy for you to reach the real Genin test."
"Wait, there's another test? Is our graduation test just… a farce?" Sakura exclaimed rather loudly. Hinata agreed with her but remained quiet, only opting to gaze at her new sensei with a bewildered look.
"Well, to me it is, pinky," Naruto said, ruffling the pink-haired girl's feathers. "What you learned in the academy is pathetic. Those three academy jutsus may be useful, but they will never sustain you for the long run. All of those written tests are pointless unless you're aiming for another career. But as a shinobi, you will die the moment you step out of this village with your level of skills and experience. Sai!"
Instinctively, the ROOT agent stood up in attention. Only when he realized that he was not in the presence of his master did he slightly relax. "Yes, sensei?" he hesitantly replied.
"You got the second-highest rank in the graduating class; correct?" Naruto questioned, earning a nod from the pale boy. "That means that you have no problem forcing me to move from my position, yes?"
Unsure of where this conversation is going, Sai just replied idly. "Yes, sensei."
"Then prove it." There was no killing intent, nor chakra pushed, but the sheer pressure the Genin all suddenly felt nearly overwhelmed them. Naruto isn't even glaring at them yet the intensity of his gaze still shook them to their core. "In fact, I want all three of you to try and make me move from my spot. Failure to accomplish this task, you will be sent back to the academy."
For the first few seconds, no one moved from the frozen state until his words truly hit them. Sai was the first one to act. Leaping into action, he pulled out a scroll from his hip and withdrew a brush from the knob. He then opened a hatch from the same place, which was filled with chakra-infused ink, and quickly dipped his brush into it. Within seconds of drawing onto his scroll, all of the drawings were finished.
"Ninpo: Choujuu Giga." Sai whispered with a ram sign as eight ink-drawn lions emerged from paper and leaped towards the still form of Naruto.
Sakura and Hinata watched with wide eyes, witnessing the Sai's true shinobi skills for the first time. As the ink lions were about to collide with Naruto, the blond slowly raised his hands and blurred into hand seals.
"Futon: Akuma no Kaze."
With those words uttered, the air around him began to manipulate itself into crescent-shaped wind blades. As the lions neared, the wind blades shot forward and easily shredded through the ink drawings. But it didn't just stop there. The jutsu continued forward and once they were high enough, quickly slammed themselves onto Sai, tearing him and the ground into pieces.
Sakura gasped in horror, shocked that their new sensei just killed one of their teammates. While she may despise the boy, she would never wish for his death. She couldn't help but think that the person who helped her this morning was just a façade to hide his true personality; a cold-blooded shinobi.
Meanwhile, Hinata had her Byakugan open the entire time and had been watching her sensei's chakra the entire time. There was not even a single drop in his chakra reserves. To produce such a high-ranked wind jutsu and not even make him break a sweat spoke volumes of his power. When the wind blades attacked Sai, she saw the pale boy's chakra signature disappear but it was too quick for it to be instant death.
Her speculations were proven correct when the dust cleared and all that was left was a splatter of ink and a lingering chakra signature. Sai had replaced himself with an ink clone and appeared behind his sense, a kunai drawn and with intent to kill. He did all this right when Naruto had sent his wind jutsu to shred his ink lions, using it as a distraction to get behind him.
'He still hasn't noticed. I should be able to—' Sai's attack suddenly came to a grinding halt. His feet failed to even move while his body slowly grew fatigued. Looking down, his expressionless face nearly broke out of character. 'Are these… chains?'
Wrapped around his torso and legs are two sets of golden chains that are protruding out of the dirt. The more he struggled to move, the more it tightened its grip on him. Sai could feel his chakra depleting by the second. Whatever these chains were, they were absorbing his chakra and using it to strengthen itself. His eyes followed the bumps in the dirt and found himself staring at Naruto's lower back. His arms were folded and he was facing the other way, but it was clear that he's been aware of the pale boy's plan from the beginning.
"You think I didn't see what you did? I'm disappointed. I thought they would teach you better than to engage a Jonin without a proper plan." Naruto taunted with a foxy smirk.
Sai didn't respond and simply stared blankly at the blond. A few seconds later, another clone burst from the ground and leaped at Naruto with a kunai thrust, only for it to be stabbed through the heart by another set of chakra chains. Shock remained on the clone's face as it burst into a splash of ink, ending Sai's attempt. His chakra chains were almost done seeping his chakra out and it was only a matter of time before he collapsed.
All of a sudden, a circle of leaves rose from the ground and spun around him, moving faster and faster like he was in the middle of a tornado. Then, the leaves fell along with the sunlight. Naruto's eyes scanned the empty field in front of him when his attention was redirected by a weak moan.
Directly in front of him laid a bleeding figure that he's all too familiar with. It was Mito, but her arm was missing and a kunai was struck directly into her temple. Blood pooled on the ground as she tried to move with her broken legs. The seal on her stomach that held the Kyuubi back had been broken, leaving a bloodied hole where it used to be. All he could hear was her choked breath and moans of agony as she pathetically crawled towards him.
"O- onii-chan, wh- why didn't you s- save me—"
"Kai."
The image in front of him melted out of reality as the genjutsu was dispelled. The Narakumi Jutsu; a C-rank Genjutsu that allows the user to infiltrate the target's mind and created a vision of their worst fear. While he could've easily dispelled the moment he felt chakra invading his mind, he decided to allow them just for the sake of letting them off easy. He didn't expect much from them but a C-rank genjutsu, he was glad to say that it surprised him.
Naruto took a glance at where the girls were, or at least where they were supposed to be, only to find it empty. He then turned to the trapped Sai, who was now made out of wood and bark. A simple squeeze of the chakra caused the log to burst into splinters. The only reaction Naruto gave was a raised eyebrow as he retracted his chains back to his torso.
"Hm, I guess this will be easier than I thought."
