"Kakashi-sensei, put that book away!" Naruto yelled, displeasure evident at the Icha Icha book now blocking Kakashi's face from view. Sakura was luckily out of the room, and being that her mother was blind Naruto was thankful that at least he had the tact to wait to bring out his less than socially acceptable reading material.
"Naruto, one can never read too much." Kakashi lectured, finger raised as if imparting a truly admirable nugget of wisdom.
Checking his words in front of his somewhat mother, Naruto instead opted to mumble under his breathe, "stupid hentai." Glaring at his mentor Naruto began to eat again with gusto, better to keep food in his mouth so he couldn't yell easily.
"Oh, did I mention that you need to meet with the Hokage?" Kakashi spoke, not even bothering to look up or give his traveling companion of six years a hearty pat on the back when said companion began to choke in his surprise.
"W-what? Why does he need to talk to me, didn't you report in? Kakashi-baka! You were supposed to!" Naruto admonishes, rising from his seat and planting his hands on the table to berate him more.
"Naruto," the tone of Kakashi's voice quiets him, "it's about you."
Silence permeates the table as Naruto sits back down, waiting for what he knows is coming. He is surprised when a gentle hand covers his and rubs his knuckles with her thumb, Sakura's mother smiles comfortingly at him. Drawing strength from the silent show of support he breathes deeply to calm himself.
"He needs to make sure you have control." He doesn't need to say any more. They have spoken of it before, the first time shortly after leaving the village, using halting and simple terms to tell a six year old already tainted with his first blood that he was both hero and villain at birth.
Sakura reenters the room, upon seeing the serious faces the words die on her lips and she sits, waiting for the source of the tension to reveal itself.
Nodding his head firmly, Naruto pushes out and back of his chair, giving a small bow to show thanks over lunch, he leaves.
"Does he?" Sakura's mother asks, toying with her chopsticks idly as she waits.
Glancing over at the twelve year old seated at the table, looking interested and possessing intellect, glinting in the large emerald depths. Shrugging mentally Kakashi plows through, the girl would find out soon enough even without him, she might even know now.
"It's like being at war with yourself constantly, when he's fighting he's also struggling to restrain himself, to not let his anger get the best of him. Most of the time, he does but when he slips... it's all the harder for him to regain control." He speaks, plainly with a voice that neither rises nor deepens. It is statement of fact, something that tears at Sakura's heart all the more.
"What does that mean for Naruto?" Sakura asks, fear clutching it's way up to choke her with all the implications.
Turning to face the girl who's perhaps too smart and too hopeful he thinks, she will be a good ninja, the hopes will wilt and she will learn, something she's always been good at.
"It's up to the Hokage." It's the cruelest truth he can impart on her, that the future isn't something she can control, fighting down the urge to touch the scar running down his face Kakashi looks away.
Wordlessly she gets up and walks away, Kakashi can't blame her and doesn't comment.
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"Hokage-sama, Uzumaki Naruto is here." Looking up from the team assignments Sarutobi nods.
"Send him in and then get me Hayate, I want him here in a half an hour."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Sighing deeply at what is and has to be done, Sarutobi looks over the list again, matching faces and personalities to the letters. It is all he can do, build the strongest combinations to draw out their potential, to draw out their lives. Laying his hand on the paper, he gives it his blessing. Naruto finds him like this, eyes closed and hand gently, almost reverently placed on a single sheet of paper.
"Hokage-sama?" Approaching the desk slowly he walks towards the man that saved him, from people, from loneliness, from the world as a child.
"Naruto. You've grown." Smile stretching it's way across his face Naruto doesn't have to ask how he knows without even opening his eyes, knows that he isn't talking about height or strength but everything. Caught up in the joyful reunion the two old friends share a laugh borne out of pure happiness.
"I missed you, old man." Naruto admits, jovially.
"I missed you too Naruto but that doesn't mean I'll put up with your antics." Cocking an eyebrow he lays down the law, satisfied when Naruto laughs while scratching his head in abashment.
"Now, down to business. I'm going to put you on a genin team," holding a hand up to quell the indignant response he knows is coming the Hokage continues, "you need to be with your peers and learn from them. Teamwork is key, your survival out there depends on how well you work with others. This also means that you will be attending the academy for this last week and will also go through the tests."
"Ah, old man.." Naruto whines, trying to weasel his way out of the new, less than exciting, turn of events.
"Hokage-sama, Hayate is here." The aide interrupts cautiously, peering around the door.
"I'll be ready for him in just a moment." Dismissed, the aide closes the door. "Naruto, have fun." Smiling the Hokage makes a shooing motion. "Oh, tell Sakura that she's very advanced in cloaking her chakra but I am the Hokage for a reason." Somewhere outside a startled gasp is issued and Naruto can't help but laugh as he leaves to find his red handed friend.
"Hokage-sama." Hayate greets.
"You had applied for a genin team." Bringing out a formal request the Hokage places it at the end of his desk. "Request granted."
Stepping closing he picks up the form, scanning it until reaching the important part, his team. Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru, and Uzumaki Naruto.
Turning a quizzical eye towards the older man, he waits for an explanation to be given.
"You have a joint mission, you are to train these children, and watch Naruto. The council has my hands bound; he has to be subjected to an evaluation but by a neutral third party. If he loses control, he must be subdued and brought back. You will submit a separate report solely on his actions on every mission that is undertaken, no matter how mundane. You are close to Sakura as well and will get additional information from her and any others that he comes into contact with. This mission is of the utmost importance and can not be discussed with anyone aside from myself. Questions?"
"No, Hokage-sama."
"Very well, dismissed." Sighing deeply Sarutobi ignores the fading presence and allows the silence to comfort him. The council is a relentless entity and must be appeased. His move all those years ago left them bitter and eager to prove their power. They had done it, if only in part. While originally calling for Naruto's life and then for him to be exiled they had learned to maneuver with political threats and 'requests' that were reasonable enough to force him into following them. Exhaling slowly, he continues with his paperwork, there are still ways to get around them.
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Well, yet another update. Pretty pleased with this chapter, gets things moving and sets up things to come. Let me know what you guys think, please and thank ye! -Cloey Marie-