Butterflies
Beta'd by: Setokaiva
"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!
Interlude 1 – Troublesome
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"What seems to be the problem, Yoshino-san?" The aged Hokage asks amicably. It isn't often he gets his Jounin Commander's wife in his office, let alone dragging a clearly unwilling Hatake Kakashi with her.
"Your intentions to make this man a sensei. It's illogical, unsafe, and unwise." She doesn't beat around the bush. Sarutobi Hiruzen can't help but chuckle at those words. "This isn't a laughing matter, Hokage-sama. You intend to put his as the sensei for Team Seven, correct? To ensure that Uchiha Sasuke can learn from a Sharingan user once he activates his bloodline?"
"That is a safe bet, yes." He narrows his eyes at her. She shouldn't know what team he's on.
"Don't give me that look. Team Seven has been a heavy hitter team since your genin days, Hokage-sama." She points out. Ah, that would explain that. "I'll bet I can even tell you who the other two teammates are. Which is why Kakashi is the worst possible sensei for that team. They are Uzumaki Naruto and Namiki Aya. Aren't they." She doesn't wait, and she doesn't ask. The Third makes a 'get on with it' motion with his hand. It is after all tradition to put the two top ranking of the class together with the lowest ranking. It isn't surprising she'd know that.
"Three orphans, two of which carry deep emotional wounds. What does this man know of healing those wounds?" Yoshino starts the verbal assault. "He still hasn't gotten over his genin teammates' deaths and this is at least as long ago as these kids have been alive."
Kakashi looks defiant. He's going to try to defend his case. He never gets the chance. "Furthermore, Naruto and Sasuke will need a positive father figure in their lives. Can Kakashi say he even knows what that looks like anymore?"
Any other man would have blown a gasket. Kakashi just looks annoyed, but for him this speaks just as loudly. "And if that isn't enough, there's Namiki Aya. She's been spending a lot of time in my home recently. So I believe I can speak from experience. Kakashi is not equipped to handle a girl like her. She'll wrap him around her little finger, manipulate him into doing anything she pleases, and she'll do it with a smile on her face. She needs a far stronger hand to guide her."
That brings Kakashi up short. Fine, he can admit (if only to himself) that he's never been good at dealing with girls. "Their team will need a far more emotionally and mentally sound sensei than Kakashi. His skills should not be the reason he's picked." Nara Yoshino rounds off her verbal lashing.
"What do you suggest?" The Third doesn't refute any of the claims; it would only fall on deaf ears. And that's ignoring the fact that she's probably right.
"Make me their sensei." She all but demands. "I would still ask Kakashi to train Sasuke once his Sharingan is awakened. But I am far better equipped to guide these three. Furthermore, I owe it to their mothers."
"Ah. Still an unpaid debt to Aya's parents, I see." The Third looks intrigued.
"Yes, I owe Miwako-chan. But I also owe Mikoto-chan... and Kushina-chan." Both Hiruzen and Kakashi stare at the woman disbelievingly. "Do you really think I wouldn't figure out who that boy really is? He looks just like him, doesn't he?"
The Third Hokage. The Professor. The God of Shinobi. The worried old man that can't seem to predict his people any more... hmm... sounds far less impressive. "Kakashi-kun. Something to say?"
Emotionally, Yoshino's right. Logically, Yoshino's right. Ethically, Yoshino is right. But... "Good luck convincing the council?" Kakashi knows just how to fight dirty.
"Hokage-sama..." Yoshino sings sweetly... too sweetly... "If you ignore everything I've said and just pass me over for something like this... I promise you I'll be far worse of a headache than the council."
The worried old man that can't seem to predict his people any more... sweats from the clear-cut threat. Being married for over fifty years, having a daughter, he knows just how thoroughly (and legally) a woman can make your life a living hell if she's motivated enough. And judging from the fact that she's here, had thought about this enough to figure it out before Hiruzen even had the time to actually do the team placements; with all the paperwork he has...
She's more than just motivated: she's invested. The same kind of investment that would make a woman yearn for a man she knows doesn't want her (*cough*fangirls*cough*).
"How about a compromise, Yoshino." Hiruzen has navigated these situations before. Let's see if he can manage it again. "I won't make you the official sensei. I'll make you a shadow sensei. So if Kakashi is late, and we know he always is, you can take them for the day and he can't do a thing about it."
"You do realise that I can see through you... right?" Yoshino isn't impressed. The old man coughs into his hand, trying to mask his discomfort.
"Alright. What if you be made full sensei if the genin file an official complaint against Kakashi? You could see it as a sort of wager...?"
Yoshino thinks about that. The odds would be stacked against her in this. After all, genin filing a complaint about their jounin-sensei? She thinks about it. "You can still use Aya's recent connection to your son and his friends to offer what you desire. There are no rules against this, after all."
"And if he fails them on principle alone? He's never passed a team, after all." She obviously isn't getting what she wants. She'll just have to find another way to... whip Kakashi into shape. She might as well deal with Asuma as well. Kami-sama knows he'll end up being her son's sensei.
"Then he can explain that to the council." Hiruzen offers with a smirk. Yoshino smirks as well. The others assume it's because she likes the thought of Kakashi explaining his actions to the more than irritating civilian council. But... no, it's planning on making her threat a reality. It's been a while since she'd spoken to Sarutobi Asami, after all... maybe she can make a lunch date and... discuss her father's lack of spine?
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End Interlude 1
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A/N: I needed to have this explained now, otherwise everyone will miss the subtle hints entirely. This will also explain some far more hidden motives no one would guess, and far-reaching changes it will bring. But enough foreshadowing! Onward! To finding out what Ino's done to Aya!