By Smertios
Beginning Notes: I've had a few people ask if Naruto will be on team 7, 8, or 10. I'd like to clarify that he can be on none of these teams, since it is chronologically a year before Naruto graduates in the real story. His team? Well… You'll see soon enough. seems to hate my formatting, so if it looks ugly… Well; at least I tried, eh?
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I am writing purely for my own pleasure, and I will receive no recompense for my work, excepting for positive reviews. As such, this is protected speech.
Chapter 3: When I Get Old
'What
will it be like when I get old
will I still hop on my bike, and
ride around town
will I still want to be someone, and not just sit
around
I don't want to be like other adults
cause they've
already died'
The Descendants: When I Get Old
- - - - - - - - - -
(Two Weeks Later)
'And if I assign Tenten to the same group, the two taijutsu experts will have ranged backup and cover, giving them time to close with an enemy.' Thought Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi. 'However, that means that I have to give them Maito Gai, so that Rock Lee has a teacher who can keep him at the same level as other Genin.'
It was the horrible time of the year when he, as Hokage, made the single most important decisions that would ever be made about many of his Genin's lives. He was choosing teams and instructors. An unbalanced year-group could force possible shinobi to spend another year at the academy, often driving them out of service. The wrong Jounin-sensei could cause the death of his entire team before they reached their full potential.
This year was particularly hard, as he had 10 graduating shinobi. He had made 3 well-balanced groups of three, but he still had one remaining Genin. Naruto just didn't fit into the equation. He was, unquestionably, in the upper half of the graduating class, but Sarutobi didn't know what the boy's style of combat was. 'Worse yet, I have no Genin to pair him with.'
In the old man's crystal ball, Uzumaki Naruto was pigging out on Ramen at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. The boy was going to be powerful, that much was certain, but the question waswhich strengths he would draw from. Sarutobi knew that if he graduated anyone from the year below, it would unbalance the previous year's students, putting them at risk. However, if he brought in older students, the Kyuubi's container would have to fit into a team of experienced shinobi as a Rookie Genin. There was only one true option. Sarutobi would have to graduate two powerful Academy students to join a team and make sure that the team didn't promote to Chuunin until he was sure the other teams could deal with the hardest Genin missions. Naruto wouldn't be happy, but Sarutobi intended to balance the slight with an honor.
He would make sure that the team Naruto was on was on the fast path to success. After all, Konoha would need new Sannin, and the current ones showed no interest in returning to Konoha soon. Naruto had the massive chakra coils and backup power that the Fourth's seal had been designed to create, as it slowly drained the Kyuubi. He would easily be able to use assault-class jutsu, and his quickly healing factor (one that had been endlessly useful in the past, when the boy had been injured in class), would allow him to fight at close quarters. That made him a possible candidate for the position of Frog Sannin, a position which consisted of working in the Intelligence community, and being in charge of the 12 guardians of Konoha. Now the only question remaining was who else deserved the honor.
The first choice was obvious. There was a standalone genius amongst the next year down who was more than ready to graduate. Uchiha Sasuke had power, skill, and determination. Sarutobi worried sometimes that the boy would go too far in the name of revenge, but perhaps if he were put in a team where he could grow quickly, he would remain in control. His genius technique, and powerful bloodline would make him fit the role of Snake Sannin, the Sannin in charge of technique development and assassinations perfectly.
The second choice, however, was not so obvious. There were a few candidates for the position of Slug Sannin. The Slug Sannin was nominally in charge of the Medic-Nin of Konoha, and generally known for their Taijutsu and amazing Chakra control. Haruno Sakura was the highest scoring Kunoichi in the class, on academic issues. Her Chakra control and genjutsu were well above average. However, Sakura's Taijutsu was the weakest in her class, falling behind every Shinobi but Yamanaka Ino in physical combat. She was also emotionally unstable and obsessive over the Uchiha Prodigy. Hyuuga Hinata had Chakra control second only to Sakura's (no doubt due to her bloodline), and a powerful Taijutsu style. Her academic marks were fairly good, and she had the backing of a powerful clan. However, her self-confidence was lacking, and her shy nature often caused her combat-skill to be disproportionate to her actual skill-level.
Then again, no one could stay shy if they were around the force of nature that was Uzumaki Naruto for a long time. Hinata's weaknesses could well be offset by the encouragement of the young Jinchuuriki. Sakura, however, was likely to be annoyed by the hyperactive blonde. That settled it, then. Hyuuga Hinata would round out the third part of the group. They would be officially treated as another Genin team, but he would make sure that they received the best available Jounin-Sensei. It was his hope that in two years they would be able to take the Chuunin test and move on to training with those Sannin who he convinced to return to Konoha for long enough to start an apprentice on the right path. If that failed, he would train them himself.
Now… Who to assign as their Sensei? Maito Gai was out, as he would have to work with Rock Lee to help the boy overcome his disability. Yuhi Kurenai was not of the level he needed in a Sensei. She had just been made a Jounin, and would be ready to teach a team the next year. Sarutobi Asuma, though powerful, was not the kind of teacher this team would need. He was good at taking very weak Genin and teaching them to use their power strategically. He would be wasted on such a powerful team. Few of the other Jounin were gifted or young enough to teach a team like this one. That left him with only one option. 'Kakashi isn't going to be happy with me.'
- - - - - - - - - -
(The Next Morning)
Hatake Kakashi had not removed his ANBU mask in almost seven years. It had been practically fused to his face since he had become ANBU Captain. Only that morning he had removed the mask, and replaced it with his old face-covering and headband-over-the-eye fashion. He wasn't sure how he had felt about removing the old mask, but he was a Shinobi and he followed orders.
That morning he had received a commission from the Hokage to return to the Jounin and take up the leadership of a Genin team. It didn't bother him too much, since he wasn't going to let them pass, but the question hadn't even been brought up since his transfer to the ANBU. 'Obito… Do you think this team will be the one?'
He wasn't holding his breath, but he knew some day a team would come along which was worth teaching. They would understand teamwork, friendship, and the world of the Shinobi, and he would make sure they understand that the team was more important that the mission they were on.
This wasn't it, though. Of that much he was sure. A team made up of a hyperactive blonde with unquestionable egomania, a revenge-obsessed child prodigy with a massive chip on his shoulder, and the heir to Konoha's most powerful who suffered from a serious self hate problem was a team that was going nowhere. Fast. Worse yet, all three of them had been graduated early. As soon as he had read the report on the team members he had gotten his ANBU mask back out of storage and put on his counter for later that afternoon.
They were probably announcing the teams now. That meant that Kakashi had at least four hours before he was going to show up and meet the team. He was supposed to be there within 30 minutes, but Kakashi believed in letting people stew a little bit before he showed up. It kept Genin from getting too used to his presence (and therefore dependant upon him), and meant that the most desirable missions were gone by the time a team reached the Hokage, meaning the team had to learn to like awful missions.
Kakashi knelt by the memorial stone and found his fallen comrade's name. "I never want anyone to have to go through that again."
Watching Obito die had driven into Kakashi just how terrible a Shinobi's life was for a child. They were taught to reject their own emotions, taught to kill before they could truly understand the repercussions of doing so, and expected to watch their teammates and friends die early, violent deaths. There were two reasons that there were so few Jounin in the world. The first was that many quit to deal with the trauma of a life of combat. The second was that the survival rate for a first C-Rank mission was 25 percent. The survival rate for the first A – Rank mission was 10 percent.
Kakashi had lost a teammate before he realized how important Obito was to him. The boy had been obnoxious little brother, comrade-in-arms, and best friend all in one. When team Arashi had fallen apart, Kakashi had sworn that he would allow no other group to go through that again. That was why he had refused to pass a single team. It was too dangerous for them.
By the time most Jounin reached their rank, they had developed serious mental conditions. A combination of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Paranoia, and the horror of watching loved ones died ensured that most Jounin were just plain strange. Maito Gai had developed a coping disorder which caused him to live in an alternate version of reality in which Shinobi were honorable warriors who did only good. Mitarashi Anko had become a true sociopath who didn't care if others suffered, and even enjoyed watching death and destruction. Sarutobi Asuma had become a chain smoker whose sanity revolved around having a cigarette in his mouth.
Kakashi thought himself quite lucky. His mental crutch was a mild-perversion and a desire to emulate a fallen comrade entirely. Neither of those was a particularly destructive habit to have. As long as dreams didn't come back to haunt him, he was a fairly stable person.
It was a disturbing thing to know that training a team meant knowing you were condemning a group of children to insanity and suffering, but they had chosen their own path. If they were lucky they would end up like Jiraiya or Sarutobi, and suffer from extreme perversion. If they were unlucky they would end up like Orochimaru, driven by a need to make death itself die, with no compunctions about who was hurt in the process.
Part of the flaw was trusting an insane person to teach children to be sane. It certainly seemed to be an awfully insane system. That was no surprise, since a Hokage, arguably one of the most psychologically overstressed people in Konoha, had created it (only the liaison to the Hyuuga Clan had it worse).
Kakashi shrugged. "It can't be helped."
- - - - - - - - - -
Naruto smiled blandly as he walked down Konoha's largest street, hands resting on his hips, eyes fixed ahead of him. Inside him nerves did war with common sense in a battle for control of his senses. What if he got a bad team? What if his Sensei was incompetent? What if Sarutobi changed his mind?
As these wild worries whirled about Naruto's head, he heard a man speaking to a nearby shopkeeper. "The Hokage must be desperate to make that thing a Shinobi."
"Crazy old man." Naruto quickly hurried away, but he didn't manage to avoid the shopkeepers closing statement. "Oh well… The thing will die soon enough."
Naruto fought down the urge to pummel the man and turned down a side street, heading towards the academy. He had learned a great deal in the two weeks since his graduation. Having access to scrolls on advanced tactics and bloodlines had given him a good look into the parts of shinobi life that he had not had a great deal of insight into during his stay at the Monastery. He felt almost ready for the responsibility of being a Genin.
The Academy was much like he remembered it; a fairly drab building which was very clean and just modern enough to look up-to-date and just old enough to not cost the village more than it absolutely had to every time the building had to be rebuilt. Naruto felt himself tense as he walked into the building, voices ringing from his past.
'Stupid Boy! Where is your book?"
'A true Shinobi doesn't need pranks!'
'My parents hate you!'
As Naruto shook his head as if to shake the specter of his past from his skull, he could have sworn he heard a deep laughter in his skull. 'I've always wondered what going crazy would feel like.'
A voice called from behind him, calling him to spin. A lanky boy in fairly regular Shinobi gear had just walked through the entrance to the Academy. Naruto fought down the urge to laugh. The boy's bowl-cut hair and massive eyebrows had the synergistic effect of making him look more like a plastic-surgery victim than a Shinobi. Naruto grinned slightly and cheekily said, "Sorry, did you say something, Big-Eyebrows?"
The aforementioned eyebrows twitched. "I haven't seen you at the academy before." The boy gave him a giant smile, making his teeth gleam. "I shall introduce myself first, however, since that is polite. I am Rock Lee, the Number-One Most Dedicated Shinobi of my year!"
"Uzumaki Naruto. I attended here long ago."
Lee's eyes widened in shock for a moment, but they quickly returned to their normal size. "I heard you had left, but I did not know you had returned."
Naruto was mildly confused by the response (after all, he had always felt invisible amongst his peers). "I returned about two weeks ago. I have been on an extended training trip."
Lee turned to him and smiled so broadly that Naruto worried the boy's face would snap in half, and stuck his thumb up. "Then you must have become strong! I shall spar with you some time, and test the strength of your youth!"
"Uh… Sure, I guess…" Naruto felt sweat drip down his face. This boy was weird. "I'll see you later. I need to get my team assignment."
- - - - - - - - - -
"Hokage-Sama, I'm telling you, they just aren't ready!"
"Iruka…" The Hokage looked at the young man who was reading his class listings. "I know that they are young, but they are needed."
Iruka pounded his hand into the Hokage's desk and, practically snarled. 'If only he were so effective at combat as he is at protecting his students.'
"Young? They aren't just young, they're children! Sasuke is barely sane as it is. His brother's death and his isolation have prevented him from learning teamwork at all. Hinata doesn't even believe she can fight. Her lack of confidence will kill her in combat! On top of that, you are grouping them with a total outlier, whose skill and experience are unknown! Naruto, no matter how good a kid he is, could be totally wrong for the group. Sasuke tolerates Hinata, who mostly ignores him, but adding an unstable element could drive Sasuke to outright animosity, or cause Hinata to retreat even further!"
Sarutobi put his head in his hands. "Do you honestly believe that by spending more time in the academy they will change? Uchiha has chosen his path, and the only thing we can do is help him finish it in such a way that does not harm ourselves. Hinata will grow into her own confidence as she separates herself from her peers and has to stand on her own. Naruto… Will form the backbone of the group. His energy and enthusiasm should give the other two a chance to open up a little bit and create a strong bond."
Iruka sighed and glanced down at the list. "Their group is the only one I have any qualms about. Gai's team should work well, although Lee and Neji have never gotten along. Both are too dedicated to let rivalry get in the way of service. Ryoko's team won't even pass their first test. Ayame's team won't even bother to take the test… But Kakashi… I know nothing about him. He is the captain of the ANBU, I know, but beyond that, he is a mystery."
"I agree with your analysis of the other teams, but I can assure you that Hatake Kakashi, for all of his faults, is the only Jounin capable of training such a team," Said Sarutobi, with an expression of gravity. "He is the student of the Fourth and his particular brand of teaching is exactly what this team needs."
'That is, if I can convince him to actually give his all to this team.' Kakashi's bad habits, especially his laziness, would have to be pushed aside in the name of intense training for his team.
The Academy's best disciplinarian adopted an expression of helplessness. "Sir… I know I can't say anything to change your mind, but I wish you would reconsider."
The Third just shook his head. "I'm sorry, Iruka, but Konoha needs them."
Iruka's shoulders slumped. "Please take care of them, then. I would hate to see any of my students killed needlessly."
As the Chuunin walked out of Sarutobi's office, the old man spoke again, "Don't worry, Iruka, they are in the best hands available."
- - - - - - - - - -
The hard wood of the bench thudded loudly as Naruto set himself down on it. Behind him, a young man with black hair growled indignantly. Naruto shot the boy a look of derision. "Can I help you?"
The boy smirked. "You can get lost, moron."
Naruto felt his hackles rise, but he just grinned slightly. "No can do. See, they're assigning the teams today, and I have to be here to receive my assignment."
"Who the hell are you, anyway," Said the boy, with some annoyance. "I haven't seen you around here before."
"Normally it is considered polite to give your own name first."
Black-hair's smirk grew, if that was possible, and he replied with a superior tone, "Uchiha Sasuke."
'Uchiha, eh? No wonder he has the attitude. I suppose I would too, if I was the much-worshipped lone survivor of Konoha's most powerful clan.' Naruto had learned of the Uchiha Massacre, and all it entailed, from the monks as part of his extensive lessoning.
"Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!"
The boy snorted derisively. "Fat chance. A little moron like you? The Hokage is the most powerful person in the village!"
They had drawn a small crowd; most of who were glaring at Naruto and muttering things to the Uchiha survivor along the lines of "Kick his ass!"
Naruto glared intensely at Sasuke, who glared right back. The crowd, mostly composed of girls, seemed to be holding its breath with anticipation. Then, a boy behind Naruto turned around, striking Naruto in the back. Naruto tipped forward and fell towards Sasuke, whose eyes widened in fear. The room erupted in outrage as their lips ran into one another. Naruto leapt back and began spitting in disgust, as Sasuke did the same. "Ew! Gross!"
Then Naruto noticed the crowd.
- - - - - - - - -
(20 Minutes Later)
Naruto oozed down in his chair, and closed his eyes, wishing that he would just vanish. His aching head echoed that sentiment with a shooting pain from the top of his forehead. Beside him, a concerned girl with black hair was looking at him with some trepidation. "A- Are you sure you're OK?"
Naruto nodded and remained silent.
Iruka chose that moment to glance around the room, and his eyes landed on a bruised and battered Naruto. "Well. It looks like we're all here. Good; we can begin."
Iruka began reading names off of a list. "Team one, Ameko Yuri, Kita Eiji, and Inuzuka Masaso. Team two, Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee. Team Three, Uchiha Sasuke-"
'I hope they don't put me on that dick's team." Thought Naruto, praying for luck.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
'No! Why me?'
"And Hyuuga Hinata."
Beside him, Hinata felt a wide smile spread across her face. 'What luck!'
- - - - - - - - - -
Author's Notes:
Well, at least it only took me three weeks, right?
Yeah, I'll try to do the next one faster, but no promises. I'm constrained to working on the weekends because of homework load. This makes writing significantly more difficult than it otherwise would be. Sorry.
Originally the plan for this chapter was for it to be another 1.5k words longer with two other scenes in it. However, it looks like I'll be doing the rest of the chapter in the next chapter, and bumping everything else back with it. I felt like it was more important to put out a chapter than it was to make this chapter as long as my plan called for. I'll try to fit everything in the next one.
I'd feel less guilty if I was like the really good authors who put out one 25,000 word chapter every month, but I'm afraid that I'm no where near to being that efficient.
Sorry,
Smertios
(Any and all thoughts, recriminations, and plain old complaints are welcome.)