Naruto: Tornado of Souls V2
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or RWBY
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is chapter 27. Enjoy!
[ ] Signifies hand signs.
Last time:
After eating the Konoha ninjas were looking over the information they received from Hoippu. "It seems that Bishomon has set up camp in an abandoned village called Busshu in Grass Country with eight missing nins that are his underlings." said Kakashi. "He has about thirty Grimm with him and is trying to negotiate with Kusa to join their forces as a jonin. Busshu is southwest of us and is probably about three hours from here at normal speeds. I'll write out a report to Hokage-sama and we'll be off at daybreak."
…
Later Raven was sitting up on her turn on guard duty that night along with Hinata. 'I know Hinata loves Naruto-kun. I wonder about Blake and Pyrrha….What do I do?' She looked at the fire and thought about her life in Remnant and her life here in the Elemental Countries. Making her mind up Raven said to the Hyūga heiress, "Hey Hinata-san; would you like to become friends…? We're both from Remnant and I haven't had a chance to get to know anyone yet except for Ino-chan."
Hinata wasn't expecting such a request but smiled softly. "Well, we are both Konoha kunoichis so why not?" 'She reminds me of someone but I can't place my finger on it.' thought Hinata. 'I wonder who it could be…'
…
Chapter 27
Grass Country, Busshu Village remains
Bishamon was enraged. His entire plan to negotiate with Grass Country's ninjas had imploded in his face. He was having massive chest pains and the Kurokami were running out of control. They'd already turned on the Kusa jonin and his men sent to negotiate with Bishamon and the missing nins under his leadership fell against the black beasts as well. "DAMN YOU KUROKAMI! I am your master! You will obey me….I-I….guaAAAGH!" Bishamon collapsed clutching his chest and foaming at the mouth….
…
Fire Country, near Nenshō Village
Kakashi led his three teams quietly across the Kusa border. He had explained their objectives that morning to his troops…
FLASHBACK…
Kakashi was pointing at a map of the Fire Country/Grass Country Border as all the genins gathered around him. "This is an infiltration job. We'll be moving quickly and quietly using as much stealth as possible. We want to avoid contact with Kusa ninja forces at all costs. We are trespassing on their turf and being discovered could be a huge incident so stay low and stay quiet. Any questions?"
Kiba raised his hand and Kakashi nodded at him. "What if we are discovered by Kusa ninjas sensei?" asked the dog lover.
The silver haired jonin gave a double eye smile and said, "We run like hell of course!"
Everyone sweat dropped. "That's not very reassuring sensei." said Shino.
"It's the best we're going to get from Kakashi-sensei." said Blake with a groan…
FLASHBACK END…
"Busshu Village is right over this ridge people." said Kakashi. "We made it this far without a hitch. Stay sharp."
…
Grass Country, Busshu Village remains
The Konoha ninjas arrived at the outskirts of the abandoned Village of Busshu and saw bodies everywhere. Grass Country ninjas were at the outskirts of the town along with the remains of several wolves and bears (Obviously the carcasses left behind when Beowolves and Ursas died). The telltale signs of damage done by Creatures of Grimm were everywhere. Shino's insects were scouting about and the stench of the Emerald's chakra was all over the place.
Hinata activated her byakugan and scouted the village ruins. Kurenai whispered, "Do you see anything Hinata-chan?"
The byakugan princess nodded. "The remains of Bishamon's party are in the village square. It looks like the Grimm got them too. I see three Beowolves circling a downed man….He's face down on the ground. It looks like he's having seizures. It might be Bishomon; I can't tell."
Kakashi led the group in carefully and intended to get rid of the Beowolves that were stalking the downed ninja. That's when the silver haired jonin realized something. He motioned to the others. "Those three Beowolves aren't stalking the man…they are guarding him…!" The Konoha group cringed as Bishamon's body made an awful cracking noise as he convulsed and flipped over on his back. They could see from their vantage points that Bishamon's face was horrifically contorted in a sick, rictus grin that slowly morphed into a silent scream of death. Then his ribs burst outwards revealing a blood covered orb that seemed to be rising out of the dead man's corpse….
"What the hell is that thing?!" said Kiba in revulsion at the gore moving about.
The Beowolves heard Kiba's gasp in horror and quickly moved to attack the dog lover. Fortunately Blake, Pyrrha and Raven reacted and slew the three Creatures of Grimm with their blades before the Grimm could mount an assault.
Anko asked, "What is going on Kakashi? Is that a Grimm coming out of Bishamon?"
Suddenly several barbed tentacles shot out Bishamon's body and lashed out at the Konoha ninjas. Naruto was pierced in the left thigh and Shino was run through his right lung and yelled in pain. Kiba barely avoided being hit and Hinata had one of the tentacles grasp her neck and choke her as it reeled her in. The three jonins were fast enough to avoid the whip like appendages and Pyrrha, Blake and Raven were out of range where they'd slain the Beowolves.
Hinata slid right up to the corpse and was spattered with blood from it as the thing emerged from Bishomon's chest. Another pair of tentacles whipped out and seized Hinata's arms holding her in place. The barb piercing Naruto was cut by Kakashi's White Light Chakra Saber in time to prevent him from being reeled in but Shino wasn't so fortunate. He was lifted in the air and then pulled in as brutally as Hinata had been. He crashed to the earth and cried out as the barb wriggled within his body….
"HINATA! SHINO!" cried Kurenai seeing two of her precious students ripped away from her. Shino was already coughing up blood.
The thing rose into the air and as the blood and gore slid off of it Hinata realized what it was. "A-S-seer-!" she choked out as the strange cross between a crystal ball and a jellyfish angled down to 'look' at her. Hinata gasped as the Seer's tentacles seemed to give her a gentle lover's caress….
That's when the Hyūga heiress heard a voice she hoped to never hear again. A deep female voice said, "Cinder….It is you my Fall Maiden! Who would have thought you'd end up there? But you are changed…."
"L-lady-Salem!" choked out Hinata.
The Seer lowered down to Hinata's level and the byakugan wielder saw Salem's distorted image in the crystal ball like creature. Salem seemed to be smiling softly in approval and said, "I see you remember your Master. Transmigration is an odd phenomenon. So many people's personalities are destroyed in the process. Your strong will kept you intact. I'm quite pleased." The Seer released its grip on Hinata's throat and Salem said, "Speak freely child. We have much to discuss."
The blood covered Hinata was nearly having a panic attack. "Lady Salem! The Emerald was….something of yours?"
Salem looked perplexed and the said, "Oh, you mean those stone seeds I sent out? They require a long time to incubate in a host before they become Seers. I already have many trusted allies in the place you are in. The problem is an actual invasion is impractical with transmigration and all. You might say that-"
The Seer shattered into dust as Raven shot by with her O-katana in an Iaido stance. "You know SALEM?" roared the red eyed beauty. "You are the Fall Maiden? Whose side are you on?"
"That's enough Raven." commanded Kakashi. "Hinata is our friend and ally. You freed her and Shino; well done."
"But-!" stammered out Raven.
"Later. We will discuss it all later." replied Kakashi. "Let's have a look at Shino."
Kurenai and Anko were already doing their best to check the wounded Shino who was in agony. Hinata suddenly burst into sobs for Shino's sake and her own mental shock at Salem's contact. Kiba and Kakashi were trying to calm her down. The frustrated Raven went over to see Naruto who was being tended by Blake and Pyrrha….
…
Hours later after dark the Konoha ninjas finally managed to slip back into Fire Country. Shino was in critical condition and was everyone's main concern. Hinata had calmed down but was still very upset for obvious reasons. Naruto was bandaged but his advanced healing was already kicking in. Unlike Shino his body was fairly immune to whatever toxins the Seer's barb had in it. The jonins were having a meeting away from their charges…
Kakashi said quietly, "If I run flat out to Konoha with Shino I believe I can get him to Konoha Hospital in time. I'll take a couple of chakra pills with me."
Kurenai looked very conflicted but finally said, "You are the fastest carrying a passenger. Take Anko with you for protection. She's faster than I am. I'll bring the rest of the kids home."
Anko nodded. "Alright Nai-chan. We'll tell the genins our plan and Kakashi and I will set out."
Within the hour Kakashi and Anko were gone leaving behind the distressed members of Team 7, 8 and 15 in Kurenai's care…
…
The genins set up their camp. Kurenai and Hinata shared a tent. Blake and Pyrrha bunked together as usual and Naruto shared his tent with Kiba and Akamaru. Raven by preference had a tent to herself.
Naruto was the first asleep given he was tired and injured. All the kunoichi's ordered him to bed after they ate anyway. It wasn't until he was actually lying down that that Naruto realized how exhausted he was…
Dream…
Naruto looked around and found himself in a strange place he didn't recognize where a woman with white hair and deathly white skin seemed to live. Even stranger she had deep red and purple veins that ran up her arms and face. Most shocking of all were her eyes though. They were jet black with red irises that seemed to glow. She wore a long black robe and seemed oddly regal like some kind of queen.
The orange loving ninja attempted to talk to her but the sounds both he made and she replied in seemed so muffled and far away that they couldn't communicate. It was as if they were talking through a liquid wall. Things were distorted visually as well so he couldn't read her lips either. She pointed outside her home(?) and Naruto saw a black tar-like pit where Creatures of Grimm seemed to be emerging as if they were created there. The blonde asked what was going on in that pit and the vision started to fade. The white skinned woman seemed frustrated and tried to speak more hoping Naruto would comprehend what she was saying but in the end the dream faded out to black.
The last Naruto saw of the woman's face she simply looked disappointed…
End Dream Sequence…
Naruto woke up from his strange dream about the white skinned woman in the middle of the night. He looked over and saw Kiba and Akamaru were fast asleep and the normal noises of the outdoors filled his ears. He eventually let the nocturnal sounds lull him back to sleep. Naruto's dreams were peaceful after that and he was soon smiling in his sleep as Pyrrha, Hinata and Blake filled his mind's eye.
…
Hinata was having nightmares of her own…about Salem trying to invade the Elemental Nations. Grimm were running wild in her dream. All her friends were dying and Shino was the first to perish. The byakugan princess woke up sobbing and it woke up Kurenai.
"Bad dream Hinata-chan…?" asked the red eyed jonin as she stroked Hinata's back soothingly.
Hinata sniffled and nodded before she hugged her mentor and cried quietly. It was a long time before she calmed down and fell back to sleep feeling emotionally spent…
…
In the morning the Konoha genin teams ate their breakfast in relative silence. Naruto was already on the mend and could travel almost normally despite the fact he was in pain. Naruto talked to the others about his odd dream and Raven said, "The pale woman in your dream is Salem. She is the absolute master of all the Creatures of Grimm. She's an insidious witch that wants to wipe out all of mankind. What's on my mind is where Hinata stands." Raven looked suspiciously at the byakugan wielder.
Hinata sighed. "I used to serve Lady Salem but now I'm free of her influence. I'm worried about Naruto-kun seeing her in his dreams though. It almost sounds like Salem was trying to contact him."
"If you are the Fall Maiden you are out of Salem's reach for now." said Raven. "That is a positive. She has no access to the relic that you are required to reach. That has to be a major dent in her plans."
"What's all this about?" asked Kiba. "How is Hinata-chan connected to your old world?"
"It would be better to let Ozpin explain the situation." 'Even if he messed up before…' replied Raven. "He knows more than any of us about Salem."
Kurenai looked perplexed. "It seems like this whole transmigration of souls was just a small piece of a larger puzzle. This all needs to be brought to the attention of Hokage-sama. But make no mistake Raven; Hinata-chan is a loyal Konoha kunoichi. She's not an agent of evil."
Raven shook her head. "If Hinata is the Fall Maiden then we have to keep her away from Salem. It's as simple as that."
…
Fire Country, Konoha Hospital
It was early morning and Kakashi and Anko were worn out from running all night. Shizune was examining Shino in the Emergency Room. She'd already summoned some Aburame clan healers to help with the process as they could help Shino using their destruction bugs to assist Shino's own hive in repairing his body. His Father Aburame Shibi was there as well and Shizune was explaining the situation to the clan head.
"Shino lapsed into a coma before he arrived here. I believe I can repair the lung but I don't know about his chakra system." said Shizune. "Tsunade-sama is already in emergency surgery but will be out soon so hopefully she will be able to help. For right now I wil do all I can."
"How badly is his chakra system damaged?" asked Shibi calmly.
"It's bad." replied Shizune. "Saving his life is more important than his chakra system at this point Shibi-san."
Shibi nodded and said, "Please save my son Shizune-san."
…
Fire Country, Forest
Kurenai and the Konoha genins were travelling at a moderate pace with Naruto doing the best he could with his bandaged thigh. He said, "Damn this sucks. We could have been back in Konoha by now if it wasn't for my leg. I'm worried about Shino."
"We're all worried for Shino-kun." said Hinata sadly. "I hope he's alright."
Kiba placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "We just need to have faith. I'm sure Kakashi-sensei got him back safely."
"If he is in Tsunade-sama's hands then odds are he'll be alright." said Kurenai. 'Gods let him be safe…'
Blake was wondering just how Shino could survive such a grievous wound but remained silent so she wouldn't upset the others…
Pyrrha said, "We'll be back in Konoha by tonight so let's keep our chins up and pray for Shino's safety."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Pyrrha's sentiments….
…
Konoha, Hokage Tower
Kakashi and Anko submitted their reports to the Hokage. Hiruzen was carefully scrutinizing the mission statements and finally said, "The appearance of this Salem person is bad to say the least. I believe we need to have to discuss her in detail with the other jonins. Right now you both need to get some sleep. I can tell you are both bordering on chakra exhaustion."
Anko said, "I guess I'll head back to the Hospital and see about Shino. He may not be showing it but Shibi needs our support."
The silver haired jonin sighed and nodded in agreement. "I'm going to go home and shower first. I'll meet you up there at the Hospital in about an hour."
…
Hospital, Emergency Room waiting area
Four grueling hours later Anko was asleep in her chair and Kakashi was barely able to keep his eyes open. Shibi had been joined by his wife and some of his clansmen. After what seemed like an eternity; Shizune came out of surgery and said to Shibi, "Shino-kun is going to live but I don't know if he'll ever be a ninja again. His chakra system is severely damaged by the toxins that were in his body. We were able to successfully remove the poison in his system so Shino is in no further danger."
"Can we see him?" asked Shibi.
"Yes but only two at a time." replied Shizune. "Shino-kun is still sedated so don't expect him to wake up soon."
"Is he still in a coma?" questioned Kakashi.
Shizune shook her head. "No, we were able to bring him out of it successfully. Shino-kun is just asleep now."
…
Kakashi and Anko came into Shino's room after Shibi and his wife visited their son. Shino had numerous tubes and wires hooked to him along with several IV's. The young genin looked pale and gaunt as could be. His skin was clammy and his hair was damp and matted.
"Poor kid." whispered Anko. "He looks like hell."
"At least he's going to live." said Kakashi. "That's more than I expected back when we left Busshu Village."
Soon the two jonins were out in the waiting room again talking with Shibi and his wife. "I thank you both for bringing our son back." said the clan head. "Thanks to you he is going to live."
"I'm sure Shino would have done the same if the roles had been reversed." said Kakashi. "He is a comrade."
"Nevertheless the Aburame Clan is in your debt." said Shibi. "Kakashi, Anko; if there is anything you ever need of the Aburames do not hesitate to ask."
…
Kurenai and her genins made it back to Konoha Village that evening and were informed the Shino was alive at the front gates much to their relief. They went straight to the hospital afterwards to get Naruto's thigh examined and to check in on Shino.
Kiba, Kurenai and Hinata went to see Shino and Blake, Pyrrha and Raven waited on Naruto as he was being patched up. Naruto was talking to the Doctor taking care of his leg. "The toxins have already been expelled from your body thanks to your healing factor Uzumaki-san." said the Doctor as he used the Mystic Palm jutsu to heal the remaining damage. "You should be good to go now. Take it easy the next few days." Naruto then went to check on Shino with his teammates…
Afterwards Kurenai and the tired genins submitted their action reports at the Mission Hall and went to their homes for some much needed sleep…
…
Yamanaka Flower Shop
Early the next morning Raven showed up at the Yamanaka Flower shop looking for Pyrrha or Ino-chan who could take the red eyed girl to see Naruto…Raven was concerned about the orange loving ninja and wanted to see him…and maybe get to know him better. As she entered Ayano was at the counter and said, "Good morning! Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. I –Oh, good morning Raven-chan." said Ayano with a warm smile. "How are you?"
Raven gave a soft smile to Ayano. "Good morning to you Ayano-san; is Ino-chan in? I thought I'd stop by since I got back in the village."
Ayano nodded. "I'm sure Ino-chan will be happy to see you. She's in the kitchen so head on in."
"Thank you Ayano-san." replied the sword wielder. "It will be good to see her."
As Raven came into the kitchen she saw someone she wasn't looking forward to seeing again so soon….Yamanaka Inoichi. Pausing she looked into Inoichi's blue eyes and said, "Hello Inoichi-san; I'm Branwen Raven but I'm sure you already know that."
Inoichi looked at Raven suspiciously and thought, 'So this is what became of Sakura….After what Sakura did to Ino-chan and Ayano it's going to be difficult to be objective with this girl.' "Yes, I heard about you from Hokage-sama. We have a lot to talk about don't we? Do you want to schedule that mind walk?"
'Straight to the point eh?' thought Raven. "We can do that whenever you want Inoichi-san; I have nothing to hide from you. Actually I could use your advice once we are done with the mind walk."
Inoichi asked, "How does tomorrow morning sound? I have other duties to attend to today."
"I can be here at eight in the morning unless you'd rather meet elsewhere." answered the red eyed beauty. "I have the next three days off because of the mission I was just on."
The Yamanaka clan head nodded and said, "That will work nicely Raven-san; I-"
"Raven-chan!" said Ino as she entered the kitchen smiling. "I thought I heard your voice. Daddy, this is my friend Raven."
Inoichi said, "Yes, Raven-san and I just finished introductions Princess."
Ino smiled and said, "I heard you all had a rough mission Raven-chan. Pyrrha-chan told me about Shino. I was so sorry to hear about that. Are you doing okay?"
Raven nodded and said, "I'm alright. I'm planning on going to see Shino later in the day. I wanted to visit Naruto-kun as well since he was also hurt but I don't know where he lives."
"That's no problem!" said the sassy blonde kunoichi. "We can go over to see Naruto-kun together. I meant to visit him as well. Is that okay Daddy?"
"I don't see why not Ino-chan." said the Yamanaka patriarch. "I'll trust you two to stay out of trouble?" he asked looking more at Raven than Ino.
"Of course sir." said Raven. "Ino-chan and I will behave as proper kunoichis."
Inoichi nodded in approval and Ino wondered what the underlying tension was between her Father and her new friend was. 'Daddy seems concerned. I'll ask Raven-chan what's going on later.' thought the blue eyed kunoichi. "Let me get my gear and we'll go see Naruto-kun together Raven-chan."
Raven nodded and said, "I'll be out in the shop with Ayano." 'No need to continue this pointless staring contest with Inoichi…'
…
Ino and Raven were walking together towards Hashirama Lane where Naruto's apartment building was. "What was all that friction between you and Daddy Raven-chan?" asked Ino.
'She's observant as ever.' thought Raven. "I'm from another place you know. Your Dad has to do a mind walk on me to make sure I'm trustworthy. He was supposed to do it before I started taking missions for Konoha. It's just a formality I guess."
"That seems a bit overkill to me." said Ino. "I could talk to Daddy and-"
Raven shook her head. "It's the Hokage's orders Ino-chan. Neither Inoichi-san or I really have a choice in the matter. Besides; as I told your Dad I have nothing to hide." She looked up at an apartment building and asked, "Is this Naruto-kun's place?"
"It's the next one down." answered Ino. "Won't Naruto-kun be in a shock to have two beautiful kunoichis checking up on him?" she asked with a giggle.
The young sword mistress just smiled and chuckled at her friend's antics…
…
Naruto's Apartment
Raven hesitantly knocked on Naruto's door and found herself blushing slightly again. 'Oh damn it! I'm blushing like a school girl again…I wonder if Naruto-kun is up yet? He was always a late riser.'
Ino grinned as she heard Naruto padding up to the door to answer it and asked, "Who is it?"
"It's Ino-chan and Raven-chan Naruto-kun! Are you dressed?" asked Ino. 'I sure hope not!' she mentally giggled.
Raven looked over at Ino and could tell what the blonde girl was thinking by the look on Ino's face. She mentally chuckled and thought, 'He's not going to open the door naked Ino-chan.'
Naruto opened the door and had a hand full of kunai. His eyes had a steely look that surprised Ino and Raven found very attractive. Naruto put his knives away and said. "Good morning girls, what brings you out here?"
Ino rolled her eyes and said, "We came out to see how you were doing of course! I know you aren't used to having beautiful kunoichis coming to your door but why the kunai?"
Naruto grinned but said seriously, "You can never be too careful."
Raven smiled shyly and said, "Good morning Naruto-kun. I hope we aren't imposing on you."
The orange loving ninja shrugged and said, "No; it's no problem. Come on in. The real me is in the kitchen."
"The real you?" asked Ino. "Oh; shadow clone."
The shadow clone let the two girls in his apartment and locked the door behind them before he said, "Boss; it's Ino and Raven-san."
"Bring them in the kitchen." said Naruto. "I'm just cleaning up the counters."
The shadow clone led Ino and Raven into the kitchen where the original Naruto was rinsing out a cloth he'd been cleaning the counters with. "Hi girls, have a seat and I'll be right there." The shadow clone dispersed leaving both kunoichi's wondering what it must be like to have multiples of yourself running around.
Naruto was wearing shorts and a white t-shirt with a red Uzumaki swirl on the front. "So how are you ladies doing this morning?"
"We came to check on you." said Ino. "Raven-chan said you were stabbed through the thigh and we were both concerned."
Naruto motioned to his unblemished left thigh. "It's all healed; you know I heal up really quickly."
Ino looked at Naruto's left thigh and did a double take. "Where's the scar?"
"I don't scar Ino." replied Naruto. "I never have."
"I knew you always healed fast but this is ridiculous!" said Ino as she gawked at Naruto's uninjured leg. 'Nice lean, muscular legs. Damn Naruto-kun, Ino-chan likes!'
Raven was enjoying the view too (The days before his leg had been swollen and bloody). "Ummm…" 'How did I never notice his physique before? Sakura you idiot...' The red eyed girl quashed her lustful thoughts and said concerned, "Have you had any more strange dreams Naruto-kun?"
"You mean about Salem?" asked Naruto. Seeing Raven nod he said, "No, just the one time. I blame it on the poisons."
"You were poisoned too?" asked Ino shocked. "Are you sure it's all gone?"
The orange loving ninja nodded. "The doc said my body already expelled the toxins last night. He double checked and I'm fine Ino."
"Well that's a relief." said Raven. "They said they got all of the toxins out of Shino too so hopefully he never had nightmares."
"I doubt he did given he was in a coma." said Naruto sadly. "Team 7 is going up to visit him once he's out of intensive care. Right now just his family and Team 8 are visiting. We'd just be underfoot I'm afraid."
'Naruto-kun really has matured.' thought Raven with approval. 'He's slowly becoming the man that he's meant to be –a kage level ninja.'
Ino noticed Raven was staring dreamily at Naruto and stifled a chuckle. 'Someone is smitten.'
….
Anko and Blake's Apartment
Blake and Anko were having their morning tea and discussing their situation. "We're going to have to get better weapons for hunting Creatures of Grimm Anko nee-chan. Kunai knives just aren't sufficient for the task at hand."
"So you think that weapons like you had in Remnant are a good solution?" asked Anko. Seeing Blake nod the snake mistress added, "We're talking about a lot of ryos Blake-chan….But then again Hokage-sama is reviewing our mission now. He may decide it's necessary as well. I know Kakashi is already pushing for it. On the other hand your boyfriend Naruto-kun was pretty effective by streaming wind chakra along kunai."
Blake's ears drooped. "And how many other genins are capable of chakra manipulation on his level? Most chunins can't do that either."
"Point taken Blake-chan." said Anko. "Besides; Naruto will have his gunblade soon from what you've said."
Blake's voice took an edge. "Naruto-kun will be even stronger with the Shear Trigger in hand. We need to get you a special weapon too nee-chan. I had a friend named Ilia that had a metal gun whip. It was a very potent weapon that could cut through metal. I wonder if you could use such a weapon…."
"A metal whip huh?" asked Anko with a chuckle. "That would pretty much cement my image as an insane dominatrix that the public has dreamed up. I wonder if I could incorporate it into the snake style…?"
…
Hokage's Office
That afternoon, Kakashi, Anko and Kurenai were discussing their views with the Third Hokage. Hiruzen said, "As a temporary measure I'm moving Raven Branwen into Aburame Shino's spot on Team 8. Young Shino will be out for months and Team 8 is the only anti Grimm squad aside of Team 7. I realize you have objections Kurenai but we need your team at combat strength." Kurenai sadly nodded. The aged Hokage then turned to Anko and said, "I have a replacement in mind for Team 15 so you will be able to break them in with the Malachite twins. You yourself admitted that Raven is vastly better than the twins anyway and that will eliminate the gap in skills you reported would cause problems previously."
"I understand Hokage-sama." said the snake mistress. 'Damn what a mess….'
The Hokage sighed. "…And as all three of you have requested it we're also going to get some of this specialized anti Grimm weaponry for all of you and young Kiba. Unfortunately we will have to rely on those of you who came from Remnant to remember and design such weaponry so it will take time. We'll also have to find some competent blacksmiths to create such weapons."
"I have us covered on the blacksmith part Hokage-sama." said Kakashi. "The genin Tenten on Team 9 works in her Father's shop and they have turned out the special gear for my team and Hinata. They do superb commissioned work."
"Well, that's one less worry." said the Hokage. Then he asked, "I never thought about it before Kakashi but what kind of a weapon did you have in Remnant?"
Kakashi smiled under his mask and said grandly, "I had the coolest weapon of all! A walking cane!"
Hiruzen, Anko and Kurenai all sweat dropped. "…A cane…?" asked the Hokage. "I'm so sorry that I asked…"
…
POSTSCRIPT:
Well, Salem has made an appearance at last. The question is whether or not she can actually have any direct influence in the Elemental Nations or whether she is merely a spectator via her Seers….Things have gone south for Team 8 and particularly Shino. Will he be able to be a ninja again? Lastly the Hokage has started gearing up specialized groups to deal with the Creatures of Grimm. What will that lead to? See you next time. Blue out. 11/24/17
Updated 4/6/22