Butterflies

"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 9 – Family

8-8

Sarutobi Hiruzen goes over his plans once again, with Shikaku of course. "The Allied Mothers Force will, of course, be in charge of guarding the shelters. The genins that cannot be trusted out in the battlefield will be under their direct supervision. All battle-ready genin and chuunin will be in charge of the evacuation." Shikaku lays it out.

"Hmm. Yes, that sounds like a solid plan." Hiruzan agrees. "What would be your suggestion for our Anbu and jounin forces?"

"If the invasion is being focused around the Exams, it's likely the first strike will be in the stadium. My suggestion would be to focus about seventy percent of our jounin there as spectators, along with perhaps thirty percent of out Anbu forces. Have the others set up in these key locations, as they offer the most immediate response to enemy actions." Shikaku taps a few places on the map, spread out over the whole village. "Give the jounin orders to aid the chuunin and genin if they can, to minimize casualties, but give the Anbu orders to take out the more immediate threats."

"I see." Hiruzen thinks about it. "Yes, that makes sense."

"The only thing that worries me is that Sand team in the finals. They will be part of the invasion force as well. No doubt with orders to unleash the One-tail in the middle of our village." Shikaku doesn't sound too pleased with that thought, but he isn't sure how to counter that just yet.

"Gaara will be neutralized before he has the chance. Naruto and Aya have their orders." Hiruzen says evenly.

"H-hokage-sama, surely you c-can't-"

"They are Anbu trainees, Shikaku. They will not fail, and they certainly won't fall." Hiruzen interrupts his Jounin Commander, smiling. "Surely you do not think Naruto will let something happen to his little sister?"

"..." Shikaku wants to agree. After all, logically, Naruto would sooner die than let anything happen to the girl. Emotionally, however, it's a lot harder to just blindly trust that nothing would happen to the daughter he'd only just found. And what's worse is how much of a daddy's girl she's turning into. Shikaku is forbidden to leave the house before hugging her at least once. And kissing Yoshino in front of her so she knows he did.

"Something on your mind?" Hiruzen doesn't like it when Shikaku has that focused look on his face, not when their planning something as important as village security. It usually means he's unhappy with the plan, and that just isn't something the Third wants at this critical stage of planning.

"Just worried about my little girl." Shikaku says honestly. "I don't like the idea of her facing a potentially psychotic jinchuuriki. And I certainly don't like that she's playing such a major role in all of this."

"Aya?" Hiruzen guesses. He hates to admit it, but he doesn't spend nearly enough time with people in a social setting, so most of the social/emotional developments usually escape his notice.

"Nn. We haven't legally adopted her or her sisters, but..."

"I understand." Hiruzen says, smiling warmly. "I've seen what the girl can do, Shikaku. I trust in her and her team to get the job done."

"Her team...? Sasuke...?"

"Nn. As well."

"... I see." Shikaku thinks about that for about half a second, before deciding that saving every life they can is far more important than figuring out what the Hokage's been doing covertly; even if Shikaku already mostly figured it out.

8-8

It's going on ten in the evening by the time Hiruzen finally arrives home. Asuma is drinking some sake in the sitting room, idly thinking about something the Hiruzen can't place. "Ah, mind if I join you?" Hiruzen asks his son.

"Sure." Asuma nods, pouring a saucer for his old man. "The house sure is quiet without our two little loud mouths."

"That it is." Hiruzen agrees, laughing. He thanks his son for the drink, before they toast and sip till their saucers are empty. "I often wonder if you'd ever forgiven me for hiding the truth about Asami from you."

"Hmm?" Asuma thinks about that, already pouring another saucer for the both of them. Hiruzen, meanwhile is fixing his pipe for a smoke. "I can't say it wasn't obvious from the start, pop. I mean, even back then, Asami looked just like her mother."

Hiruzen laughs again. "Too true. But that doesn't really say anything."

"I know why you did it." Asuma says, already sipping his sake and puffing his cigarette. "You couldn't save them both from the village, so you saved the one you could."

"Nn." Hiruzen downs his saucer in one go this time. He regrets a lot of things in his life, but not being able to protect Naruto... that stings even now.

"Don't be like that." Asuma says, pouring his father another saucer. "He has Aya. And that girl is someone everyone would want watching their back."

"Just like her mother." Hiruzen agrees, lighting his pipe and taking a long pull from it. He puffs out the smoke, thinking about that. "It's hard to look at those two and not see Minato and Miwako."

Asuma downs his saucer, filling his and his father's once again. "You're right about that. Adding Asami into the mix though... it's déjà vu every time." The two shudder, thinking about that. Whenever Kushina was added into the mix... one could never be certain of the outcome. Something Naruto most definitely inherited from her. "Hey, which one of the two would you rather see as Hokage in the future?"

"Asami." Hiruzen doesn't even think about that. "Could you imagine Konoha with Kushina as Hokage?" Asuma shivers at the thought.

"Point. Still, I doubt Aya or Shikamaru would allow for Naruto to make too many bad decisions."

"Oh?"

"What, you don't know? Shikaku and Yoshino pretty much adopted Aya."

"Shikaku said as much during our meeting." The ageing shinobi thinks about that. "Hnn, with Aya watching Naruto's back, she'd use every resource available to guide him. Even Shikamaru."

"Exactly. And that's ignoring the fact that she's going to be hounding that boy to train harder from now on. With the support net he's building? I'd say Naruto's a safe bet."

8-8

End Interlude 9

8-8

A/N: Look at that! Both interludes on the same day! My, I'm spoiling you guys ^_^

So guess what? The next chapter is the Third Exam! It might take a little longer though! After all, I want to make sure everything is absolutely perfect! You'll know when it's ready ;)