Disclaimer: The usual disclaimer applies.
It's been some time, ne? I've gotten a great anonymous review that made me sit down and write this chapter, so, say thank you to Anonymous-san. :-)
Crimson Sorrow
Chapter 6
Sasuke couldn't breathe. It was like he was caught in a jutsu that imprisoned him in a bubble of space and time. He couldn't move or speak or even think properly. The name of Team 2's Jounin instructor was still ringing in his ears.
Naruto was back? Since when and why hadn't anyone told him about it? At least Kakashi should have known better than to keep quiet about it. Hot anger coursed through his veins, finally bringing him out of his shock induced stupor.
Sharingan blazing to life, Sasuke turned to his former sensei just in time to see him step forward and herd three children out of the room, obviously in a hurry, either to escape Sasuke's wrath or to hunt down his former student.
Iruka's voice cut through his thoughts. „ Team 7 under command of Uchiha Sasuke: Nakahara Rui, Fuji Saeki and Okita Sena."
Sasuke forced himself to calm down. Without even glancing at the three brats who were unfortunate enough to get him as their Jounin instructor, he went out the door and to one of the nearby parks. As much as Sasuke shuddered at the thought of taking Kakashi as an example for anything, he would take a leaf out of his former sensei's book and copy his introduction technique, somewhat. Sasuke remembered that their first team meeting hadn't taken longer than perhaps fifteen minutes and he was set on breaking that record.
And then it was time to hunt down one blond idiot who thought he could simply abandon his friends without so much as a single word.
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Naruto led his team to their designated training area, leaned casually against one of the trees, keeping his body angled in a way that ensured he was presenting the less amount of targetable area to the three Genin, crossed his arms and scrutinized his team for the first time.
He knew that the Academy still favoured the use of Genin cells that were made up of two boys and one girl, but if that was the case for Team 2 he couldn't tell which one of them was the girl. Which seemed to indicate that the girl in question took less pride in her gender and appearance and more pride in her abilities as a kunoichi.
Pointing at the tallest of the three Genin, whose long black hair was gathered in a high tail, Naruto barked: "Name, age, gender and abilities."
The Genin's brown eyes widened at surprise, most likely because of the gender category, but stood quickly to attention and said: "Takehara Isamu, age twelve, male, my specialties are genjutsu, tactics and spying."
Naruto nodded slightly. The boy's voice was absolutely gender neutral, without the added gender information demand it would have been impossible to tell if Isamu was male or female, short of a visit to the public baths.
Declining his head into the next Genin's direction, Naruto ordered: "Your turn."
The Genin was short and had very short violet hair that stood up in small spikes. "Saito Amaya, age eleven, female. My specialties are taijutsu and ninjutsu. I am in possession of a minor kekkai-genkai that allows me to absorb specially forged weapons."
So, he had finally found the girl of the team. She was small and had a slender, boyish figure, but judging by her wild violet hair and almond shaped silver-blue eyes she would be stunningly beautiful once she hit puberty. He could only hope that the Genin had voluntarily resigned before they entered that hormone-ridden stage of life.
He supposed he could put aside the gender question now. On the other hand, he wouldn't put it past the old hag to put two girls on his team.
Waving his hand in the last Genin's direction, he said: "Last one."
Golden eyes locked with azure one, as the small brunette replied: "Misato Kiyoshi, age twelve, male. My specialties are ninjutsu and medical jutsu."
For Academy students they seemed pretty advanced. Obviously the old hag had put a team together that would ability wise actually be up to the task of normal Genin teams. He quickly squished any pity he felt for them. It had been Tsunade's choice to put the career of three promising Genin at risk by appointing a Jounin instructor who didn't want a Genin team in the first place and whom she knew would take every chance he got to get rid of them.
"As the Hokage has already explained to you, you are now officially Genin under my command. If you think that gives you any right to take liberties, you are mistaken." Naruto growled, keeping his voice as cold and unemotional as if he was talking to an enemy. "If you toe out of line I will slap an official complaint in your file faster than you can blink."
Pinning one Genin after the other with a cold look, he continued: "Official complaints made by a team leader can't be overridden by the Hokage, if the ninja in question acted in a way that was unfit of their rank.
At this moment, thanks to the Hokage's promotion you will be hold up to the standards of Genin with the experience and expertise of at least one year on the front lines, since this is where such promotions are usually earned."
He watched as a kind of horrified realization dawned on all three faces. And he wasn't even finished yet.
"You and I both know that you do not have that experience or expertise. Yet, you will still have to match it. Your training will reflect that rank, your missions will be ranked accordingly to that. You will be the envy of your peers, no D-rank missions for you. No, with three Genin of your official rank and me as your team leader, our team will be lucky to even get C-rank missions. More often it will be a solid B-rank for us.
I'm not an irrational man, so I will give you one week to master the techniques any shinobi will need to know to survive such a mission. After that week, we are off into the dangerous and adrenaline inducing world of hurt that is commonly known as B-rank missions.
I don't need to tell you that even seasoned shinobi die on missions. If you die because you were not up to the task according to your official rank, I will not be held responsible for it. If you cause the mission to fail, you will have a black mark on your file.
It was unkind of the Hokage to force you into this situation, however there is still one way for you to get out. You can at any time voluntarily retire from your rank and no one will think the worse of you for it, because it wasn't your fault that the old hag promoted you without reason, which is well documented.
It would mean no official complaints or black marks in your file, no dangerous missions or insane training regime and the chance for a new Jounin instructor. You can do so at any time right up to the moment Team 2 accepts a mission. During a mission it is impossible. So it is really up to you, how you will spend the next twelve months of your life."
Horrified silence followed his speech.
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Sasuke impatiently waited for the three Academy students to arrive at the park. Honestly, how long could it take to cross a couple of streets?
When they finally arrived, he couldn't help the snort that escaped him. He had been assigned a team of midgets. They were all more or less equally small in stature and even their hair was equally long. He just knew that Naruto would name them "Team Midget" if he ever caught sight of them.
"Alright, let's make this short and painless. Tell me your name and any goals for the future you might have, starting with the one on my left."
The child nodded gracefully and started: "My name is Nakahara Rui. I want to found my own clan and have it recognized throughout Konoha." Her voice was bell-like and soothing. With her exotic waist long white hair, bronze skin and big black eyes he didn't doubt for a second that she could find a gifted shinobi husband. It also explained her graceful movements and well modulated voice.
Sasuke would bet that she knew all there was to know about etiquette, too. Judging by the calluses he could glimpse on her hands, she took her shinobi training just as serious as her social training. A good sign, if he had any interest in being saddled with a Genin team.
"Alright, next one."
"My name is Okita Sena. I want to be an ANBU." The boy's voice was quiet, his sentences short and to the point. Sasuke was sure that the pale, green eyed boy never wasted any words, not as quiet as an Aburame, but not anywhere near as boisterous as an Inuzuka either. Though the boy's long black hair was tied in a half-ponytail, he didn't seem feminine at all.
The last one started his introduction without any prompting. "My name is Fuji Saeki. I want to become a Chuunin so I can either become an Academy instructor or an interrogation specialist. Either way I get to mentally scar people." The boy piped with a high voice that virtually dripped with innocence.
Pale blue eyes beamed up at Sasuke and he couldn't help thinking "psycho". The boy's long black hair was braided into three braids, which helped give his delicate, androgynous features a slight masculine touch.
Sasuke's decision stood, he would be mad to take on that team.
TBC