Chapter 21: Sensei

(Alternatively, Being Introduced to Sarutobi Asuma)

Author's Notes: As we all know, the separate elements of this story have finally revealed themselves. Though, not in their entirety. There's still more to come, my friends!

(Sakura's POV)

She woke up this morning with the full weight of the future bearing down on her shoulders. She knows that she isn't the only one who came back, but Kurama had informed them that not all of them may make it. She hopes that the majority of them made it. She and Naruto cannot do this alone. She hopes that, at the very least, Kakashi-sensei has made it back as well.

As she sits in what appears to be her new usual spot in the classroom with her hands clasped tightly in her lap, she prays that they will be able to stop the horrors that had come so many years after the war. She prays that they will be able to save the people who didn't deserve to die the way they had before. She prays that nothing will happen as it did before. The death and destruction during the war had only been a preview of what was to come and she prays that they will be able to stop it before it gets that far.

Haruno Sakura, former Jōnin and Iryonin of Konohagakure no Sato, prays with all of her heart to whichever deity that will listen. 'Please. Let us save our homes, our people, our futures. Please...'

(Ino's POV)

Waking up this morning had almost been an exercise in futility. She is utterly exhausted, mentally and physically. But she also knows that she can't really act any different than she usually does. Her new memories and actions might actually help with that since her younger self appears to be very different from what she remembers. She's more like who she was after the Chūnin exams. It's helpful, but definitely weird.

'Not so weird that I can't use those memories to my advantage, though,' she thinks as she walks into the classroom. She's one of the first few people to get here so early. Sakura, however, has beaten her here. The pink-haired girl looks up and Ino feels relief surge through her. Her friend has made it back and that means that there is one more medic on their side.

She rushes over to Sakura and throws an arm around her shoulders, as she usually does, and hugs her. She whispers, "Good to see you, Forehead."

The girl gives her a sad smile. "It's good to see you too, Pig."

Ino shakes her head and says, "Get your mind off of those depressing thoughts. Do you want Shikamaru to pick up on your bad mood? He'll think someone was picking on you again and you know how he gets about that sort of stuff."

Sakura giggles and her eyes light up as she clearly remembers one of her new memories. Ino grins back because it's hilarious to suddenly remember how the lazy and unmotivated Nara goes from sleepy and uninterested to snarling and hissing Mama cat in seconds flat. She doesn't know exactly what changed to make him this way, but Ino thinks that it is a good change. It's certainly been a good change for Naruto and Sasuke, at the very least. Honestly, they had both needed some serious therapy before they came back.

She hopes the therapy Sasuke got this time around has helped the man since he has the memories of it.

(Shino's POV)

Upon awakening in the past, the first thing the Aburame does is take a count of his Kikaichu. He has to ensure that he and his insects are ready to face the horrors that will be upon them sooner rather than later. If anyone had asked him why in that moment he would have told them, "Why? Because there was too much lost. I will not allow anyone in my sight to be taken from me or their loved ones ever again if it is in my power to stop it. I would sooner give my own life then allow the same thing to happen a second time. That is why."

He carefully takes stock of every little thing that is already different from what he used to know afterwards. There are pictures that he can remember posing for, but at the same time they are not pictures he had before. His childhood, itself, is very different than he remembers it being that first time around. It would seem that Nara Shikamaru, himself, is very different as well. He seems to be the catalyst for all the changes that he is experiencing now.

Shino muses for a moment before deciding that the changes are not bad changes. After all, life is all about adapting and evolving to keep up with an ever changing environment. The Nara is much more likely to survive this time around and that is very good to know. They will need his expertise. Even if they do not give him the whole story, they will still be able to give him the details of their experiences when it becomes necessary. Perhaps it is wrong not to tell him everything, but the less people who know about them, the less likely it will be for a traitor to infiltrate them.

Shino wants to put an end to the people who had caused all of their issues and he won't let anyone get in the way of him and his friends and family. Those who try will be struck down just as surely as he will strike down his enemies.

(TenTen's POV)

As she sits in the clearing with her team, TenTen wonders what exactly happened to change things this much already. Her team is apparently a hell of a lot more cohesive then they had been before and it's weird. Her memories don't change very much until they are already two years into the Academy and even then it isn't too big a change. Well, at least not in the grand scheme of things. She remembers a Neji who has become calmer and less angry. A Neji who is closer to little Hinata at this age then he'd been before.

She thinks the only one who has memories that are very different from before is Neji and even he thinks that it is very strange. Though, she thinks that he is much happier to not have to pretend that he isn't close with his cousins. He says that these changes are because Nara Shikamaru, because the Nara took in Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. The young male is very different, more mature at this age than he's ever been, but, despite his maturity, the Nara is still lazy. Which is something that she knows that Neji hates. He'll still be able to work with the other boy, but he'll never be very happy about it.

TenTen wonders if his dislike is more due to the Nara's disappearance than his laziness. The man had been swept overboard on a mission and had never been seen or heard of again. And yet... and yet, the Nara records that tracked whether or not their members were alive had clearly shown him to still be amongst the living. If that was the case, why hadn't he come home? Had he been captured? Had he been too injured to return and simply decided not to come back? If he had been she could understand. But if he just hadn't come home? Hadn't even tried to return? Well, he should be glad that they never found him.

But, what if his maturity is because he has somehow came back as well? She watches as an exceedingly hyper Lee(he's so very happy to see their sensei again. To be honest, she and Neji are happy to see the strange man again too. 'Too many good people lost,' she thinks. Fiercely, she thinks, 'Never again. Never. We won't let it happen this time. We won't lose them this time. We'll save them!') past them with Guy-sensei before she turns to convey her thoughts to the Hyūga.

(Neji's POV)

When TenTen first tells him her theory, he almost dismisses it. But the longer he thinks about it, the more it makes sense. What if the Nara has somehow come back as well? If that is the case, where had he been before the world had gone to hell? How bad had his health been that he could never come home? Had he even tried? Neji doesn't know, but he does know that this Nara Shikamaru is very different when compared to the person he'd once been.

He wonders just what he could have seen to be the way he is now. Had he lived long enough to see the world start to die the way they had?

(What no one, not even Shikamaru himself, will ever realized, is that he had been one of the last living people. He hadn't just seen when the world had started to end. He'd been there when the Planet's death rattles had started to shake the world apart. Those on the Shinobi side had already initiated the fuinjutsu that would take them as far back as Kurama could take them with his chakra. They had never seen just how bad things had been at the very end.

Hyo had been the one to experience the end of everything, even his own life.)

(Shikamaru's POV)

He isn't certain what is is that sets his senses off after he enters the classroom with the rest of his, but it has him frowning. He looks over the room to try to find the cause of his uneasy feeling, but everything is as it should be. Shino is talking to Kiba quietly about a new insect that his father discovered. Sakura and Ino are giggling to themselves while looking at a magazine. Hinata in looking over their shoulders and blushing as one of the girls turns to tease her. Chōji is sitting in his usual spot and waves him over with a smile. Naruto and Sasuke are already squabbling, as they always do in the classroom, behind him as he goes to sit down with his chubby friend.

"Yo," Shikamaru says as he lifts his hand in a lazy wave.

Chōji holds out a chip to him, "Hey, Shikamaru. So what happened after we went home? Dad got called out for something last night and I figured if anyone knows, it would be you."

"I can't say much, but I can tell you that a traitor was captured last night," Shikamaru whispers. "The Hokage doesn't want to scare any civilians so he wants to keep it as quiet as possible."

Chōji's eyes go wide and he says in a low voice, "Woah, not cool."

"Exactly. Gave me a hell of a scare since Naruto hadn't come home. Luckily, he was with the Hokage at the time. He had the test re-administered to Naruto since it was a secretarial mess up that caused Naruto to get failed."

"So he's really going to get to graduate with us! That's great! Congratulations, Naruto!"

"Thanks, Chōji!"

As their other friends offer congratulations of their own, Shikamaru leans back and watches with a smile. Now that he is surrounded by his friends he can feel himself beginning to relax and he wonders if he was just being paranoid after last night's events. He decides that it doesn't matter anymore. Mizuki is as good as gone and he won't be able to try to lay hands on either of his brothers ever again.

As the teams are called out, Shikamaru zones out until Sakura's name is called along with Naruto's and Sasuke's. They are the new Team Seven under Hatake Kakashi. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino become Team Eight under Yūhi Kurenai. Iruka-sensei announces that Team Nine is still in circulation so his team, consisting of himself, Chōji, and Ino, becomes Team Ten under Sarutobi Asuma. Shikamaru raises an eyebrow at that.

The Hokage's son? Does the old man want to keep a closer eye on him now that he is a Genin? Or is it just a coincidence? Shikamaru snorts quietly at that thought. Nothing is ever a coincidence when it comes to himself. So just what kind of game is the Sarutobi elder playing? He'll just have to wait and see, he supposes. If things get weird, he'll go directly to the Hokage and ask him. While he does prefer to come at a situation sideways, he isn't opposed to being straight forward. It's worked well enough for him before, both in this life and his last.

(Kakashi's POV)

He can pinpoint the exact change in their chakra and he knows that all three of his kids have made it back. Seeing the three of them through the window is a weight off of his shoulders, one that he hadn't even known that he'd been carrying since he woke up this morning. He smiles to himself as Sasuke discretely looks out the window and catches his eye. The Uchiha lifts an eyebrow and smirks at him slightly. There is a mischievous gleam in the boy's eyes and Kakashi wants to laugh. He supposes that he can be early this time. It will certainly give his fellow Jōnin something to freak out about.

'My kids know me so well,' he thinks with a fond expression.

(Kurenai's POV)

She grimaces to herself when she sees Kakashi slip in at the last moment. She doesn't know what he's planning, but it can't be anything good if his smug aura and too happy eye smile is any indication. She hopes that it won't wind up involving her and her new team. She'd become a Jōnin for the very chance to become a Jōnin sensei. She's always wanted the chance to leave her mark on the next generation of Shinobi and now she has it.

She narrows her eyes at the man. If he does anything to ruin this day, she will make his life miserable. Hell, she'll even go as far as to sick Anko on the perverted Jōnin. He wiggles his fingers at her in a little wave, his demeanor still way too happy to be normal. She shudders and wonders why the Hokage keeps giving teams to the man. He may be a friend of hers, but he's certifiable and he really doesn't need to be influencing young minds.

She sighs as she cloaks herself in a Genjutsu and enters the classroom to retrieve her team. She smiles as she watches them for a moment. The three seem to be very close. The class reports had said as much, but it's good to see it with her own eyes. Her Genin don't even startle when she reveals herself and her smile widens as she calls them to her. They will be a great team. She'll make sure of that.

(Asuma's POV)

Seeing Kakashi enter the hall with the rest of the Jōnin at the last minute, but still on time, is a mind fuck of epic proportions. The man is notoriously late all the time and Asuma wonders just what the newest batch of Genin has gotten themselves into if Hatake Kakashi is on time. He hopes that those poor kids have got what it takes to keep up with the Jōnin and prays that he won't be too rough on them when he fails them.

'If he fails them,' he reminds himself. His father had told him that this particular group of Genin are going to be exceptional Shinobi if given the right teachers. It was why he had assigned Asuma a team even though the man had protested profusely. He isn't teacher material, but the old man would hear none of it. Asuma sighs as he enters the classroom after Kakashi and Kurenai.

The moment he does, he sees the flabbergasted look on the Chūnin sensei's face. He suppresses a smile because that's exactly how he feels. He turns to the new Genin and calls out for Team Ten. His father hadn't given him anything on the brats, so he's pretty much in the dark about them. He'd only told him that he'd be very surprised by his team.

He isn't expecting much though. Well, not until a long-haired Nara stands up wearing a standard Shinobi uniform already. The boy is tall and tanned from what looks to be long days in the sun. He has a lazy expression on his face and Asuma almost writes him off as being per the norm for his Clan. Then, the boy tilts his head and two others stand up as well, an Akimichi and a Yamanaka.

It's the typical set up for the three Clans, but he's getting a weird vibe off these kids now. Especially the Nara boy. The Nara's eyes slip open a little from their sleepy half-mast and focus on him. Asuma has to remind himself to breath. He's just been abruptly reminded of the razor-sharp intellect that lurks under the lazy facade of all Nara. And this kid? Asuma can tell that he's as sharp as they come.

'Damn,' he thinks. 'The old man wasn't messing around when he assigned this kid and his team to me. And he wasn't kidding when he said I'd be surprised. If this guy is this sharp already, what are his teammates like?'

He's going to be finding out, he guesses. There's no way these kids will wind up failing with a guy like him on their team. Asuma rethinks his strategy for testing the team. Maybe he won't even need to test them at all. Not with the way they are moving together rather than separately. He can see the wary way the Akimichi is watching him, but the Nara and Yamanaka are both completely confident as they guide the boy down the steps with nothing more than a nudge of a shoulder.

He looks down at them for a moment before smiling. He turns and waves a hand towards the door, "Follow me."

He's almost glad to hear footsteps sounding out behind him.

After they've sat down on the bench he waves them to, he lights a cigarette and inhales the smoke thoughtfully. He lets them sit for a few minutes while he deliberates on what he wants to say. Finally, "So I'm going to be completely honest with you three... I never wanted a team. Unfortunately for me, the Hokage is of a different mind."

The Akimichi wilts, the Yamanaka rolls her eyes at him(he'll have to break her of that habit), and the Nara eyes him coolly. He doesn't seem very impressed. In fact, he'd almost say that the boy is ready to just grab his teammates and leave altogether. Not the reaction he wants... "For some reason I can't figure out, he seems to think that I'm the best person to teach you kids. Can't say that I am, though. I know how to guard, fight, and kill. Teaching is a whole different story. Anyway, as far as the Hokage is concerned, we're stuck with each other. Which isn't really conducive for fostering trust in one another, now is it?"

All three of them are eying him curiously now. It's better than the previous reactions. The Nara, however, seems to be waiting for something. Maybe he's waiting for him to fuck this up.

'So don't fuck up. It'll be a hell of a mess to explain to the old man if I do,' he reminds himself.

"That being the case, lets introduce ourselves. I'll go first so you'll have an idea of what I'm looking for. My name is Sarutobi Asuma. I like smoking, playing shōgi, sausage, and soba with tororo. I don't like people who tell me to stop smoking and asparagus. Hm... my hobbies, well, playing shōgi and now training you three to be excellent Shinobi, I suppose. As for dreams for the future, for now it's making sure that you three reach Chūnin within the next two years.

Your turn, red."

The Akimichi points at himself and Asuma nods. The boy takes a breath and says, "My name is Akimichi Chōji. My likes are my friends, but especially my best friend, my family, and food! But I like barbeque more than most other foods. My dislikes are inedible things and people who mess with my friends, call me fat, or waste food. I also dislike people who are mean to others for no reason. My hobbies are buying and eating snacks, training with my family and friends, hanging out with my friends, and cloud watching with my best friend. And my dream for the future is to be a great Clan Head for my family!"

Asuma nods as he listens. He's encouraged by the boy's introduction. Chōji, as he now knows the boy to named, has quite a bit more depth to him than he'd thought. He says, "That's a good dream to have. I can't really do much to help you with that, but I can help you get stronger so that your family will always be able to rely on your strength. You next blondie."

The girl narrows her eyes at him, but answers without comment, "My name is Yamanaka Ino. I like flowers, working with the flowers at my parents shop, and my friends and family. I also like shopping, cherry tomatoes, and pudding. My hobbies are shopping with my friends, Sakura and Hinata, and making poisons."

Asuma winces inwardly. Great... She's probably holding a grudge.

"My dream for the future is to become a great Iryo-nin who can fight on the front lines without needing to be protected and to eventually become the Head of my Clan."

Asuma blinks before smiling, "That's a very good dream. I assume that the front line medic dream comes from Tsunade of the Sannin."

Ino nods decisively. "Yes."

"Well, I don't know much medical Ninjutsu, but if this is the path you want to take for your Shinobi career I can talk to some people about getting you enrolled in the Medical Program. It'll be tough, though, and you'll have to work hard. Both there and at team training."

Ino smiles and says, "I'm no stranger to hard work! Bring it on!"

Asuma nods, "Then it's a plan. It might take me a little while, so you'll need to be patient until then. Right then, last but not least, you in the black."

The boy watches him for a moment before yawning and saying, "Nara Shikamaru. I'd rather not talk about myself, but since you'll probably be troublesome about it - I like my family and friends, cloud watching with Chōji or my brothers, playing shōgi against my old man, mackerel, and kelp. I hate eggs, it's worse if they're boiled, and if you try to make me eat them I'll throw up on you."

The last statement is said so matter of factly that Asuma forgets to hide his reaction and he leans away from the Nara. "Consider me duly warned."

The boy nods before continuing, " I dislike people who interrupt my free time with useless things - especially when I'm with family and friends - people who treat others badly just because they can, and having to say anything more than once. If you don't understand me the first time I say something when I'm already hindering my vocabulary then you won't ever understand what I'm saying. Please don't ask me to repeat myself unless you honestly couldn't hear me."

Asuma gives the kid a deadpan look. The kid looks back with a surprisingly steady gaze.

'He's not about to back down,' Asuma realizes. 'That's a good thing. He'll make a good leader one day if I can make him a little less high-strung.' And the kid is. Most people wouldn't see it, but he can tell that the kid has already figured out the quickest way to remove himself from a situation he doesn't want to be in. While that's a good skill to have, he shouldn't feel that way about team meetings. He coaxes the boy carefully, "And what about your hobbies and dream for the future?"

The Nara shrugs, "Cloud watching, playing shōgi, and hanging out with my family and friends when I'm not training. My dream for the future..."

The boy trails off for a long moment. Finally, with a furrowed brow he says as if it has only just occurred to him, "I guess my dream for the future would be help my brother, Naruto, become Hokage and to be a good Clan Head too... I've... never really thought about it beyond actually surviving my Genin years."

"Never?" Asuma asks lightly. He doesn't want the kid to close up on him, not after he seems to have unthinkingly exposed a part of himself.

Shikamaru(he reminds himself to call him by his name instead of just calling him kid) frowns as he says, "A lot of Genin die because they either don't listen or have had a mission upgraded without warning due to a client lying about the mission's rank."

"Mm, I suppose that would make you rethink things. But while those things are true, you forget that I'm going to be there to protect you if a mission goes wrong. You've got time to figure out a dream that's meant solely for you," the Sarutobi says. Asuma claps his hands together, "anyway, why don't I take you kids out for lunch as part of us officially becoming Team Ten?"

His Genin give him a weird look and he just smiles at them mysteriously. Shikamaru snorts(the noise is strangely feline) and stands while stretching. Then he says, "So long as there's no eggs, I'm not very picky."

It seems to trigger something because Chōji and Ino begin to clamor about where they want to go. Asuma wonders if he hasn't just made a mistake as he hears some rather expensive options get tossed about.

(Shikamaru's POV)

Maybe the Hokage doesn't have any ulterior motives, but he's sure as heck stuck them with a contradictory sensei. The Sarutobi is very weird, Shikamaru decides. He had outright admitted to not even wanting a team, but here he is paying for one hell of an expensive meal after their first meeting. It doesn't make sense to him, but he can already see a bond growing between the man and his teammates. He'll take a wait and see strategy for now. If things go well then maybe he'll be more inclined to approach the older man if he needs to.

Author's Notes #2: So that's all of the people for Konoha. We've still got others that haven't been introduced or reintroduced in some cases.

So what did you all think? Did the majority of the characters seem like themselves?