The Path A Ninja Walks...
Chapter Seventeen
The Recommendation
A/N: WARNING-The character known as Sage Amesawa uses a lot of profanity and colorful language as part of his "colorful" personality. Be prepared if you are sensitive to that. Please note it is not because I condone such manner of speech, and also the character does not mean to use it as a way to be harmful, it is just his personality.
Kokoua's three punctual Genin underlings waited faithfully for her on the bridge at the designated meeting time.
"She's late." Hana muttered.
"...As per usual." Sage sighed. Saseme waited in silence at a distance with her arms folded.
And just like that...her guard is up again...
Sage sighed as he watched the girl. Her eyes were closed. head down. Arms folded over her chest leaning gainst the bridge post with an irritated bounce of impatience in her leg.
I thought that after that mission together and visiting her in the hospital we would have been able to get atleast a little closer to her...
Sage sighed.
...It's like she's keeping us at a distance on purpose.
Hiding something...
But what could it be that she wouldn't want her team mates to know?
...
Is it just me?
Hana thought to herself as she snuck glances at the irritated Uchiha.
...Or does she seem a bit more guarded than usual?
With a sudden puff of pink smoke, Kokoua appeared in the shadow in a dramatic pose of a cocked hip.
"Sorry I'm late~" she said,"You see I got lost on-"
"CAN IT! WE DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" Sage and Hana snapped together while Saseme's dark eyes glared sharply like daggers.
"...Well then...I suppose I'll just get right to it then." Kokoua coughed as she cleared her throat,"There was a matter I needed to discuss with you, anyway..."
XXXXX
"WHAT!? THE CHUNIN EXAMS!?" Once again Sage and Hana spoke out befuddled as Saseme sat back with her arms crossed, listening intently.
I see...
Saseme thought to herself as she blinked.
So it's about that time then...
"That's right." said Kokoua,"The Chunin exams are the exams that every Genin must take in order to graduate to be promoted into full on Chunin." Kokoua explained,"And it just so happens that time is upon us now."
Saseme twitched as her fist slowly tightened.
"Promoted!?" Sage beamed,"Oh I am SO there!"
"Count me in too!" said Hana,"Do you really think we're ready, Sensei!?"
"Well...if I didn't...I wouldn't be here bringing it up to you now, would I?" Kokoua chuckled.
"Hmph...I see..." Saseme smirked,"Is that all then?"
"Hm?" Kokoua blinked,"Yes pretty much." she said,"I want to recommend you three, especially after your performance in our more recent A ranked Mission." she stated,"But before I do...I also wanted to make sure you felt ready too."
"Hmph." Saseme scoffed as she rose from her leaning post and prepared to walk off,"Well if that's all then I'll be heading out."
"Seriously, Saseme!?" Hana huffed,"The Sensei told us so that we could all make the decision together as a unit-"
"I already know my answer." Saseme snipped in before Hana could finish her breath,"So the question remains...do you feel the same?"
Hana twitched.
"Well sure I do but you could still show a little more interest don't you think!?"
What is with her today!?
Hana huffed to herself.
It's like she's in a more foul mood than usual!
...
Something's definitely eating at her today...
Sage blinked.
"Well then...if you two feel the same then there is no further need to stay here." Saseme shrugged,"Koko Sensei...go ahead and put us in for the recommendation."
"...Very well then..." Kokoua blinked,"That was easier than I expected..."She sighed,"The intermission is almost up so, I have to head back now anyway...but...I'll go ahead and throw your names in the hat."
"Very well then." said Saseme as she continued walking through the wind blown leaves on the bridge,"...Later."
Kokoua blinked and let out a slight sigh.
Without a doubt, her twin brother will probably be participating in these exams too...
She thought to herself in a sigh.
I hear they haven't seen or said much to each other since the day the Desert Ninja came and took her away to their village...
It's no wonder she's a little bit...ancy...
Kokoua sighed.
"Well...that's my time." she said with a wave,"I'll update you on the next step after the decisions are made." and with that, she was gone in a tornado of petals and wind once again.
Sage sighed as he watched the Uchiha girl walk away.
"The Chunin exams, huh?" he blinked,"You would think she'd be a bit more excited right?" he asked Hana,"I mean...this is a pretty big deal."
"Whatever, let her be in her pissy little mood." Hana huffed,"I don't care!" though truthfully, she also felt kind of hurt...
"I dunno, Hana..." Sage sighed,"I don't think it's that she's...pissy really..." he blinked,"I think it's more like...something seems to genuinely be bothering her..."
"Huh?" Hana blinked as she held her green eyed gaze on the Lavender wearing Genin who had a swirl of blue concern in his blue-green eyes.
"Don't you think that as her friends...we should maybe try to figure out what's bugging her?"
Hana blinked and let out a huff as she whipped her head away.
"Whatever! I'm not her friend!"
Sage sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Well I am." he stated and began to walk off in the same direction as Saseme did,"...I'm gonna try to see if she will talk to me..." he said as he held up his arm in a wave,"Later, Bitch~"
"Dammit Sage you ASSHOLE!" Hana cried out, but the boy was already gone, leaving an echo of a snicker behind to ring in her flushed ears.
XXXXX
Kokoua huffed a pant as she quickly ran back to the hall, waiting for the intermission to end before having to step before the Hokage once again.
"Right on time." A white haired man chuckled.
"Kakashi..." Kokoua huffed and rolled her eyes as she straightened her hair,"Nose in a book once again I see." she spoke in irritation,"How can you stand reading that smut?" she scoffed with a playful rolling of the eyes.
"How? It's simple really." he said, without lifting his face from the pages,"By turning the pages to get to the end." he blinked.
"...Smart Ass..." Kokoua huffed and rolled her eyes as the doors soon opened once again.
"That's the end of the intermission." said Lord Hokage as he called back in the scattered Shinobi,"Come on back now and let us commence the meeting."
Following the old man's order, the gathered Ninja of the halls straightened themselves and sorted themselves back into the meeting room as the Hokage took his seat once again.
"Now then..." he stated,"It is time we choose our candidates for this year's chunin examinations." he said,"To begin, will those Jounin in charge of the rookie genin... step forward."
Stepping up in boy-girl order, four Jounin steped forward before the Hokage.
Asuma Sarutobi.
Kurenai Yuhi.
Kakashi Hatake.
And Kokoua Amane.
"Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and Kokoua." Lord third stated each name and made eye contact with each of their holders,"What do you say?" he blinked,"Are there any in your squads you would recommend for the exams despite their inexperience?" he asked,"As you know, any Genin who has carried out 8 or more missions is technically eligible for the examinations." he stated,"Beyond that, Only you as their teachers can decide if they are ready." he blinked,"Of course most Genin require more time for their training period..." he exlained,"At least twice that many missions." The Hokage took a long drag from his pipe and blew out a puff of smoke before continuing,"So,Kakashi." he called forward the white haired masked male named Kakashi Hatake,"You may begin."
"I lead squad seven." he stated,"Consisting Uchiha, Sasuke. Uzumaki, Naruto. And Haruno, Sakura."
Kokoua twitched slightly and gave a side ways glance to the man at her side.
Uchiha, Sasuke?
I see...
She blinked.
So he is the one who has trained the brother...
"I,Hatake Kakashi, recommend all three of these Genin, for the Chunin selection exams."
"And my squad is number 8." said the woman known as Kurenai Yuhi.
"Hyuuga, Hinata. Inuzuka, Kiba. And Aburame, Shino." she stated,"And now I, Yuhi Kurunai, recommend all three."
"My squad is number 10." said the man called Asuma,"Yamanaka Ino. Nara Shikamaru. And Akimichi Chouji." he stated,"And now I, Sarutobi Asuma, recommend all three."
"I suppose that leaves me then." Kokoua stated as she stepped forward,"I lead Squad 15." she said,"Consisting of Amesawa Sage. Kimouri Hana. and Uchiha Saseme."
Kakashi twitched at the mention of this name giving an internal gasp as he shot his head in direction of the woman beside him.
Uchiha Saseme!?
He thought to himself.
That's a name I haven't heard in some time...
"And now I, Amane Kokoua, also, recommend all three."
Kokoua shot a glance in his direction and blinked.
"Oh...that's right." she blinked," I suppose you have a bit of history with her...don't you, Kakashi?"
To this he responded with silence as she gave a slight smirk.
"Funny how things work out." she stated,"As I would especially like to note that Uchiha Saseme has already showed promise as a future Chunin despite her young age and lack of experience." she blinked,"She showed leadership on our most recent A-ranked mission with the Land of Sand." she stated,"There was dispute amongst the team members but Saseme was able to get them in line and able to cooperate."
"Yes...I remember reading that in your report." said the Hokage,"That really is quite impressive." he stated,"You must feel proud as her teacher."
"I wouldn't see that I deserve all of that praise or credit." Kokoua blinked,"Saseme had these skills with her long before I taught them." she said,"I would say she probably learned these capabilities from an even better teacher before myself...wouldn't you say...Kakashi?"
Kakashi fell silent as his eyes closed. His consciousness fading into a distant memory...
XXXXX
A small girl's cries could be heard in the echos of the night time breeze. Battle cries of pent up frustration, followed by a barage of sounds of weapons hitting targets and tiny fists meeting punching logs and tiny ankles producing full forced kicks.
There she is again...
He thought to himself from behind an Anbu mask.
The Uchiha kid...the girl.
He blinked.
She always comes here...to this same spot every night to release the pent up frustrations of her day...
I wonder what she has to be so angry about...?
He sat in silence, watching from his hiding place with an intense curiosity about the little Uchiha girl who trained alone in the Midnight's moonlight shadows...
Long...Long ago.
XXXXX
"...Heh." Kakashi let out a gentle chuckle,"That was once upon a time a long time ago..." he stated softly,"And I was hardly her teacher." he said,"I merely helped her improve on the skills she already had."
"Is that not the job of a Sensei, though?" she chuckled,"Sorry, for having stolen your student~" she teased.
"I'm not." he stated,"I feel you're more than capable of handling her."
Her gaze fell heavy on Kakashi. He acted cool about it, but she could see the small hint of a relieved smile beneath that black mask. One of that could almost be compared to a father. No matter what little time he spent with her in that hidden past of mystery...
She could still sense that he cared for her deeply.
After a voice of disapproval sounded from Iruka, a Chunin who was the previous teacher of 9 out of the 12 Genin named, the meeting was finally dismissed. As the gathered Shinobi left one by one, Kokoua walked alone down an empty hall, only to be called back by Kakashi Hatake from behind.
"Kokoua..." he called to her softly,"Might I have a word with you?"
She stopped in place and glanced back, acknowleging her superior's presence before granting him a nod.
"What is it, Kakashi?" She asked softly, leaning on the wall next to this man who called her back.
"It's...nothing really I guess...just a ringing point that Iruka had made earlier." he blinked,"About it being too soon for the Genin..." he paused a moment,"I talked pretty big in there, of course I believe in my students..." he stated,"Each one of them." with a movement of his eye to hers she could read that he also inculded her own student, Saseme, in that mix.
"And?" she blinked,"What of it."
"I guess you could say...I feel kind of hypocritical." he stated,"After all...I know exactly how he feels right now...for reasons of my own."
He must be thinking about Saseme...
She thought to herself. She didn't know too much about that past...just that Kakashi shared a history with the young Uchiha girl back in her days before the Academy...
And before she was taken and transferred to The Land Of Wind for those four most recent years.
"I guess what I am trying to say is...are you sure they are really ready? Your team, I mean?" he asked.
"Tell me, Kakashi..." Kokoua blinked as she folded her arms,"Are you asking me if I am sure that my team is really ready? ...Or are you asking me if I am sure that Saseme is really ready?"
"..."
She sighed.
His silence says it all.
She chuckled to herself.
"You have doubts in my recommendation of Saseme, then?"
"...She hasn't exactly had a rosy past." he said calmly,"...There's no guarantee that her emotions won't rule her over all decisions in the future." he stated,"That being said, you know as well as I do that emotions are weakness for a Shinobi...so...bearing that in mind, I ask again." he said this time with a more firm tone,"Is she really ready?"
"..."
This time it was Kokoua who fell silent for a moment before heaving a heavy sigh.
"I understand your concerns, Kakashi..." she said softly,"But with all due respect, Senpai, as you so clearly stated to Iruka earlier..." Her eyes took on a crimson gleam as she gave him a look of fierce intensity.
"...She is not your student anymore...she's mine."
To Be Continued...