It was late when Hiroto arrived back in Konoha with naught but the stars and a meager crescent moon to light his way. The daimyo had insisted he stay the night to rest, and weighing the political ramifications, the jonin had agreed reluctantly. The man had then offered him a hearty breakfast, and kept him occupied all damn morning.
It was like the bastard knew he was in a hurry, and was trying to spite him for catching his daughter's eye. Miki, bless the woman, had finally managed to distract her father long enough for him to slip away. Hiroto had gone nonstop, even going so far as to pop a soldier pill, to make it back as fast as possible.
He was still too late to see Naruto put his hitai-ate on for the first time, but he would be damned if he had to wait any longer than necessary to congratulate his little brother.
Arriving at the gates, he felt something was wrong. The guards on the wall seem far more interested in what was inside than out. It was a sign there was some sort of intruder in the village, or one of T&I's shinobi prisoners had escaped. He avoided the long process of getting through the gate so late at night and hopped the wall instead. He kept an eye out for anyone suspicious on his way home, but never made it as someone caught up to him.
"Hiroto-san," a stressed voice called out, "It's about damn time you got back. Do you know where that brat of yours might be?"
Hiroto turned to see Genma land next to him. The tokujo's teeth were chomping on his senbon rather hard; a bad sign. He decided not to take umbrage with him, since he called anyone younger than himself a brat, "What's he done now? Painted the monument?"
Genma blinked a few times in surprise, "Yea, actually he did, but that's not why every damn shinobi in the village is looking for him. He stole the sealed scroll from the Hokage's residence."
Hiroto put his face in his hands and made a noise that sounded awfully like a crazed laugh, "Please tell me this is a prank."
"Fraid not," Genma replied, redoubling his efforts to grind his senbon into nothing with his teeth.
Hiroto sighed in resignation, "I have a few ideas of where he might be."
XxXxXxX
He hoped and prayed to every deity he could think of that Naruto would be at his usual spot. The kid liked to use an old training field on the outskirts of the village to lay low after a particularly successful prank, and that had been Hiroto's first choice. He quickened his pace at the sound of voices, but remained silent as he approached. Years of training and experience were screaming that there was some plot afoot.
"You are the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and you killed Iruka's parents!" Hiroto's face went stony. Someone had just broken a major taboo. He recognized that voice, but couldn't quite call up a name. Silver hair came to mind, though.
"Now DIE!" He heard the distinct sound of a large shuriken cutting the air, then the sickening sound of impact.
Hiroto rushed forward, silent as a shadow. His shields had appeared on his forearms, and he could feel them vibrating. They seemed to be reacting to his desire to protect Naruto.
"Don't listen to him, Naruto!" he recognized Iruka's voice, and came up short. It was a relief that the chunin was there. He had always been wary of Naruto, but had treated him with respect in deference to Hiroto. He found a good vantage point and began to observe the scene. There was Iruka, bloodied and bent protectively over the blonde. There was an oversized shuriken in his back, dangerously close to his spine, but his flack jacket had saved his life. Iruka had intercepted the missile and saved Naruto's life.
"B-but why?" Hiroto could barely make out the boy's whispered question. He was visibly shaking. Most likely in shock from nearly dying.
"Because you and I are the same," Iruka replied softly, tears beginning to track down his cheeks, "After my parents died, I was alone, like you were. I began to act out to get the attention I craved. I acted like a fool and a clown just to be acknowledged. It was painful... the loneliness. You're in pain too, aren't you?"
"I know Hiroto-senpai looks after you now," he went on, his words heavy with emotion, "but he is gone so much... I could have been there for you..."
"Ah yes," Hiroto looked at the speaker from before. The dead man. He finally remembered his name. Mizuki, "You mean his keeper? The one that's supposed to slit his throat if he starts to turn?"
Hiroto nearly jumped the man there. His fingers itched to close about the man's throat and strangle the life from him slowly. What hurt so bad, was the truth in the words. He stayed put, though; he needed to know how deep Mizuki's betrayal went. Whether or not this was just a grudge, or something more.
The emotional upheaval of the night's revelations proved too much for Naruto. He slipped from under Iruka and bolted, the large sealed scroll on his back. The silver haired traitor followed, and was soon pursued by Iruka who foolishly removed the large shuriken from his back.
Hiroto followed stealthily, the two chunin unaware of his presence. He needed to see how Naruto handled the information he had been given. He trusted the kid to bounce back, but there was always the chance of something terrible.
XxXxXxX
Hiroto couldn't believe Mizuki had attempted this kind of betrayal if a simple henge would fool him. Iruka was even still leaking blood from his back for Kami's sake. From his perch, the jonin could see the traitor and the insturctor. He could also see Naruto hiding behind a tree, doing his level best to suppress the massive chakra signature even Hiroto could feel. Mizuki seemed too caught up in the moment to notice, though, and Iruka, the sly fucker, was keeping him talking.
"Why do this?" the scarred chunin asked from where he slumped against a tree, "Why betray Konoha like this, Mizuki?"
The silver haired man laughed hysterically as if his one-time partner had made a great joke, "Why? WHY? Why not? Truthfully, I'm not too different from the demon brat. You can do anything with the techniques on that scroll."
He unhitched his second, and last, giant shuriken from his back, "There's no way the demon fox won't take advantage of it."
Hiroto watched his little brother carefully. He seemed scared out of his mind and terribly sad at the same time.
"You're right," Iruka agreed.
Naruto's face fell. Perhaps Hiroto's estimations of Iruka were off. He briefly considered killing both chunin then and there, and reporting Mizuki as the instructor's killer. Iruka's next words changed his mind, and he had to wonder if he had sensed the blonde fool.
"But Naruto-kun isn't the fox," Iruka went on, his voice gaining strength from his conviction, "He is different. He may be a goof and do badly with school work, but he never gives up. He's a good kid."
"Pfft. Whatever," Mizuki shot at the scarred man flippantly, setting his massive throwing star spinning, "I think it's about time you DIED!"
He charged recklessly at the injured chunin, and Hiroto began to intercept. He was beat to it, though, by a very angry Naruto. The boy simply rammed the traitorous Mizuki off course, causing the shuriken to fly from his grasp and off into the woods. He stood and watched with eyes like ice as the man stood.
"Lay one finger on Iruka-sensei." he began quietly, but finished with a yell, "AND I'LL KILL YOU!"
Hiroto was impressed. Both with the speed of Naruto's reaction and the raw killing intent he was radiating. Mizuki could obviously feel it, too. He looked ever so slightly shaken.
"PUNK!" Mizuki yelled back to cover his nervousness, "I could take you down with one shot!"
"Then try it," the blonde shot back coldly, forming a single sign, "And I'll return the pain a thousand times over. KAGEBUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"
Hiroto nearly fell from his tree as his goofball of a little brother filled the entire immediate area with more clones than he could count. The large group began to pummel Mizuki mercilessly. They stopped short of killing the traitor, though. He lay whimpering in a broken heap when the clones vanished in a cloud of smoke.
It wasn't until Iruka was tying his own hitai-ate on Naruto's forehead that he realized the kid didn't already have one. He felt a swell of pride as the instructor used his authority to name Naruto a genin of Konoha. The first rays of dawn broke through the trees, but nothing lit up the forest more than the boy's smile.
Hiroto chuckled as he leapt from his tree, watching Naruto glomp the injured chunin.
"I was under the impression graduation tests were already over," he said with a smirk, frightening the lower rank shinobi.
"Hehe," Naruto said nervously as he rubbed the back of his head, "Hey, Nii-san."
"Naruto," the jonin said seriously, putting on his scary older brother face, "Go straight home. If you're not there when I get back, we're going to run laps around Konoha with Gai-san till he gets tired."
A look of abject fear crossed the fresh genin's face, and he booked it towards the village, leaving behind the pilfered scroll. Hiroto turned around at the sound of rustling leaves to see Mizuki trying to crawl away. He walked over and kicked the man in the gut viciously.
"Where are you off to, Silver?" he asked in a too-kind tone, kicking the man again, "You got a date with Ibiki-san and then the gallows."
He kicked the man again, this time in the head to knock him out.
"Can you walk Iruka-san?" he asked as he slung Mizuki over a shoulder none too gently, "If you can, head to the hospital. If not, I'll send someone your way."
"I can get there on my own," Iruka ground out with a grunt of pain as he stood, "How much did you hear?"
"Enough," Hiroto replied simply, picking up the sealed scroll, "Thanks, Iruka-san. Naruto needs more people he can trust."
XxXxXxX
Naruto sat at the kitchen table staring at his new leaf plate. His emotions were going wild. He was ecstatic to have gotten it, and to know that Iruka cared. He was confused by the revelation about the fox, but it did seem to explain a lot of things that never seemed to add up. He was worried about what Mizuki had said about Hiroto. Could his older brother just be some keeper, put with him to make sure the fox never broke out?
So lost was he in his thoughts that he missed the sound of the door opening.
"Ryo for your thoughts," he jumped at the sound of Hiroto's voice. He looked up to see a glint of amusement in the man's otherwise serious hazel eyes. He caught a whiff of ramen, and saw that his older brother had a large takeout bag.
"We were in luck," Hiroto said, placing the bag on the table and pulling out numerous bowls of Ichiraku ramen, "The old man, just opened about twenty minutes ago."
He sat down and grabbed a takeout bowl and some chopsticks and began to eat. Naruto followed suit, but ate slowly, pondering this man who seemed to care for him for years.
"You have questions," the jonin stated between bites, fixing his eyes on Naruto.
Naruto set down his chopsticks. He couldn't bring himself to eat right now, "Is it true?"
Hiroto didn't even have to ask what he meant. He frowned, "You have the Kyuubi no Kitsune sealed within you, yes. You are not the beast, though, Naruto. Never forget that."
"How... how long have you known?" he had to know.
"Since the day we met, seven years ago," Hiroto finished his first bowl, but refrained from grabbing a second.
"Are you really supposed to..." Naruto couldn't seem to finish the question, but he didn't need to.
Hiroto closed his eyes and seemed to gather his thoughts and resolve, "I once thought you were a ticking time bomb, Naruto. I never blamed you or held it against you, and you even proved me wrong within a matter of months. I didn't adopt you to keep an eye on you. I did it to help you, to protect you.
"You didn't say no," the boy whispered quietly, unsure how he should take that.
The jonin sighed unhappily and nodded, "That's because I won't lie to you, Naruto. Should the beast ever begin to break free, I will not hesitate to kill you to stop it. I would then proceed to put that blade in my own heart. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had to kill you."
"I will do anything to protect this village, Naruto. I made an oath, and I will keep it," he said with steel in his voice. He reached over and mussed the boy's hair affectionately, his voice warming, "I do not ever see that day coming, though. You are too good a person to fall to that creature."
Naruto nodded his understanding, "Why don't you hate me like everyone else?"
Hiroto smirked at the question, "Remember a few years back when I told you I earned their distaste all on my own?"
The boy nodded, smiling as he remembered the day he had gained an elder brother. Hiroto reached into his equipment pouch and drew something out. He tossed it on the table for Naruto to see. It glinted dully in the early morning light filtering through the windows. It was a hitai-ate, but it had a strange symbol Naruto didn't recognize.
"That is the symbol of Kumogakure," Hiroto answered the unasked question, "I am not from Konoha. I defected from a village to the north-east of here."
"One of the worst things you can do is betray your village," Naruto quoted his instructors, "That's why they don't like you. They think you're a traitor or a spy."
Hiroto nodded, happy the knucklehead remembered at least one thing from his classes, "That's right. I know what it feels like to be hated and feared, but I managed to earn the trust of quite a few people over the years. I'm definitely not the most popular person in the village, but I am a jonin and respected for my skills."
"Could I do that?" there was an edge of desperation to the question. One that hurt Hiroto to hear, "Could I make them see I'm not the fox?"
"It will be hard, Naruto," he said seriously, frowning, "People are fickle and quick to judge, but I think you can show them Uzumaki Naruto. You just need to make a stand."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Hiroto thought for a moment, "You need a rule to follow. Something that is reliable about you, that someone can always count on."
"Like one of the shinobi rules?"
"Like your own personal nindo?" Hiroto asked rhetorically, "Sure... that works. It goes deeper, though. The shinobi rules were meant only as strict guidelines. You can bend them to complete a mission. You must never violate your nindo."
"What's yours, Nii-san?" the boy was hanging on his every word, "What's your nindo?"
"Never really put it into words," Hiroto thought for a moment, "I guess it would be 'I always protect my friends and allies.' I'm pretty sure more than a few people think I have a death wish because of it, though."
The boy's eyes shone with admiration, "That is so awesome... but I need my own nindo."
"Don't rush it, kiddo," Hiroto laughed, grabbing another bowl of ramen finally, "And eat up. I know you're starving."
Right on cue, the blonde's stomach growled loudly. He finished his first bowl off quickly and grabbed a second. They ate in a companionable silence until the feast of ramen was gone, then they dragged themselves to bed for some much needed rest. Thankfully, team assignments weren't for another day.
XxXxXxX
"Aww. Look, Osamu. You match with Hinata-chan," Hotaka teased his small friend, pointing to the leaf plate she had tied about her neck. Masaru began to chuckle, and it only grew worse as the cat-user's cheeks colored.
Osamu covered his embarrassment by fixing his friends with a withering look, "I will end you... both of you," he was satisfied when they both shuddered slightly. He then approached the girl he had managed to form a tentative friendship with.
As enigmas went, she was right up there with Naruto, but she couldn't avoid him like the blonde since her escort to and from the academy had been his genjutsu teacher. He had slowly managed to earn a modicum of trust from her, but she still seemed to be wary of him for some reason. It was like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It was due to his desire to unravel that mystery that his reikimokushi was so fine tuned. He had learned to recognize the intensity of an emotion by its sensory signature. Visible alterations to an aura represented the least powerful emotions. As the emotion went up in intensity, he began to hear, smell, feel, and finally taste. In truth, the last one was just a theory. He had yet to experience another's emotion in that way.
The sensations themselves still confused him. He could tell instinctively what emotion was being signified, but the specifics were different for every person. The visual aspects were the most uniform, being one of five colors, blue, green, red, yellow, or purple. They could vary somewhat, but they were always identifiable as one of those colors. Sounds and smells were far more varied. He had yet to puzzle out what all of it meant; though, he was sure it meant something.
"Hey, Hinata-chan," he greeted, startling her somewhat. He followed where she had been looking to find she had been staring at where Naruto usually sat.
"Hello, Osamu-kun," she replied politely. He was glad to see she was stuttering less and less around him, "D-do you know w-where Naruto-kun is?"
"I saw him before I left yesterday," he answered with a wince. He hadn't missed the way she paid a lot of attention the boisterous fool, "He didn't have a hitai-ate."
She seemed crestfallen at the news, almost defeated. It wasn't long after that the blonde himself entered proudly sporting a leaf plate in place of the goggles he usually wore.
"Well I'll be damned," Osamu said in disbelief, "Wonder how he managed that."
"H-he never gives up," Hinata siad quietly, her lavender tinted eyes focused on the smiling blonde.
"True enough," Hotaka agreed walking up with their larger friend, "Wouldn't stay down in our fight a few days ago."
"You didn't ask him to yield like the others," Masaru pointed out.
"Woulda said no anyway," Hotaka countered with a laugh, "First time I did, he got mad and almost won. Never tried it again."
The boy in question was currently getting miffed that everyone seemed to think he had stolen the plate. He was presently glaring at Shikimaru, the one to suggest the possibility.
Osamu smirked and called out to him, "Naruto-san. Good job on graduating."
The bewhiskered teen looked up, surprised at the praise, "You don't think I stole it?"
Amber eyes scrunched as Osamu smiled, "So what if you did? Those things are so well guarded only a real ninja could get to them."
Naruto's azure eyes squinted at the smaller boy. He wasn't too sure if he had just been complimented or insulted. He was saved from further suspicion from his favorite instructor.
"I can assure you all that Naruto-kun got his hitai-ate fairly and without thievery," the scarred chunin told them as he walked in, "Everyone take a seat and quiet down so I can call out the team assignments."
"I would like to note that these assignments are nonnegotiable," Iruka said after the graduates complied, "Each of you has been placed based on aptitude and ability."
The three boys sat together quietly discussing their possible team assignments and what they would prefer. Their discussion was cut short when they heard who they would all be working with.
"Team five," the instructor called out, "Hibaku Masaru, Sakibou Osamu, and Shoudou Hotaka."
They looked at each other in surprise. While they had always worked well together during team exercises in the academy, they had assumed their talents didn't line up very well. Apparently the instructors felt differently. Their attention was drawn back to the assignments as Iruka called out team seven.
"Team seven: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke..."
"Ha!" the pink hair girl interrupted, "Take that Ino-pig."
"and Uzumaki Naruto," Iruka finished giving Sakura a withering look as she drooped her head in disappointment.
"Serves you right for gloating, Forehead," Ino called to her rival. Many of the other fresh kunoichi were nodding their heads in agreement, much to Naruto's annoyance.
"Iruka-sensei," Naruto piped up, "Do I really have to work with this arrogant bastard?"
"Yes, Naruto-kun," the now very annoyed teacher ground out, "If you don't mind I need to finish this."
"But, sensei..." the boy began to whine. He was cut short by a blow to the head from his new female teammate.
"Shut-up, idiot!"
It took a few moments for Iruka to scold the girl for striking her teammate in anger, and she seemed contrite about it. Most of the other genin didn't buy it; Sakura was notorious for her fiery temper and Naruto had a habit of setting it off. Mostly through attempts to get her attention.
"Where was I?" Iruka went over his list and found his place quickly, "Ah... Team eight: Aburame Shino, Hyuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba."
Osamu saw the pale eyed girl next to him begin to poke her fingers together nervously. It got worse when Akamaru, Kiba's white puppy, began barking excitedly upon hearing his partner's name.
He leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry. Kiba-san is friendly enough, and Masaru says Shino-san is a bit weird but a decent guy."
"W-what if t-they don't l-like me?" she asked miserably, "W-what i-if can't k-keep up with t-them?"
Osamu placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. He could feel her shivering slightly under her baggy jacket, "What's not to like?"
She calmed somewhat after those words, but still seemed worried. Osamu's attention refocused on their teacher just as Kiba managed to quiet his excitable dog.
With a resigned sigh, Iruka plodded on, "Team ten: Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino."
He went through some more teams, but Osamu didn't bother paying any more attention. The scarred chunin had covered all of the clan children, and his sister hadn't asked him about anyone else. Their clan wasn't officially recognized in Konoha, but Ren still liked to stay up to date on the politics anyway. One day they would petition the council for clan status, and it would serve them well to understand the interplay between them.
Soon enough, Iruka finished his list and rolled it up, "Your sensei will be here to retrieve you at thirteen hundred. You are dismissed until then."
XxXxXxX
Hiroto jumped from roof to roof grumbling about paperwork as he made his way from the jonin station to the academy. He checked the position of the sun and cursed; his team had probably been waiting for at least half an hour now. He caught a flash of light out of his peripheral vision mid-leap, and his danger sense went wild. He turned to see a bird-masked ANBU flying at high velocity towards him, ninjato aimed to kill.
Time seemed to slow as Hiroto entered the semi-conscious battle state all great shinobi did when in combat. He called forth his shields, the quickest drawing weapon he could manage, and interposed his left arm to block the incoming strike. A resounding 'pang' told him he had been saved from being skewered, but the sheer force of the blow threatened to throw him back. His shield's seals activated instantly, drinking in the transferred kinetic force; he could feel them filling quickly, however.
As the rogue ANBU withdrew his blade to attempt another midair strike, Hiroto reversed the seals. The massive amount of force absorbed formed a powerful pressure wave directed right at his attacker. With the sound of a great cat roaring, the assailant was sent tumbling back the way he had come. He crashed with bone crushing force onto the roof of a random building.
Hiroto landed lightly on another building and leapt to the assassin. He found him trying to stand with his femur jutting from his thigh. There was an alarming amount of blood about him.
"Stay down and let me see to that leg," Hiroto told him as he approached cautiously, "Looks like you severed the artery."
The masked attacker answered with a swipe of his blade. Hiroto easily avoided the weak strike and pulled the sword from his hands.
"Die... faithless bastard," the assassin panted out. His voice sounded young despite the pain that laced it.
Hiroto snatched off his mask to find his suspicions confirmed. The agonized face that he saw couldn't have been much older than Naruto's. The dark eyes disturbed him greatly; he didn't see an ounce of fear or any other emotion there.
"You won't... take me... alive," the voice was much weaker this time, and the jonin moved to administer what healing he could. He didn't catch the boy biting down, but certainly did notice the sudden convulsing. Moments later the kid was still, a bit of foam on his lips and eyes lifeless.
Hiroto just stared, flabbergasted. In the twelve years he had lived in Konoha, this was the first assassination attempt. That was actually surprising in retrospect, but what had triggered the sudden resentment?
He came back on guard when he sensed the presence of more shinobi. A pair of ANBU landed to either side of him, and he relaxed slightly as he recognized the cat mask and purple hair of one of his previous keepers. She took in the scene then looked to him.
"Hiroto-san, we heard the roar," she stated calmly, "What happened here?"
Hiroto dismissed his shields and handed over the mask he had taken, "This kid attacked me out of nowhere. He one of your?"
She turned the mask over in her hands, then bent down to look at the kids face, "Little young for ANBU. He didn't bleed out, did he?"
"No... I think he had a false tooth or some other 'last resort'," the jonin answered. That wasn't uncommon for ANBU, but generally were only issued on high risk missions deep in enemy territory.
Cat nodded as she opened his mouth to confirm his suspicions and cursed at what she saw, "This is worse than a rogue ninja, Hiroto-san."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Tortoise..." she barked at her partner, "Go tell Hokage-sama 'the dark heart seeks the tiger.'"
Tortoise took off towards the tower at top speed to carry out his orders. Cat reached to her belt and flipped a switch on a hidden radio, "HQ, this is Cat. I need a disposal team at grid fourteen-F... Roger. Out."
"Hiroto-san," Cat turned to him, and he suspected it wasn't to tell him anything good, "I need to know your activities for the past month."
Hiroto groaned in disgust, but began to comply. His team would just have to wait a bit longer for him.
XxXxXxX
"You're absolutely sure it was a ROOT operative?" the Hokage queried Tortoise. He was rubbing his temples in frustration at having to deal with this now. A Chunin Exam just months away, fresh graduates out of the academy, and someone had to attempt to kill off one of his best.
"Aye, Hokage-sama," Tortoise replied in a neutral tone, "Had the mark on his tongue, and he was too young to be one of your ANBU."
Sarutobi nodded tiredly and waved his hand, "You are dismissed, Tortoise. Get back to your partner."
The masked man bowed deeply to his leader and disappeared in a swirl of leaves and wind. The aged man scowled at the small mess left behind, but decided to ignore the subtle antics of one of his elite warriors. There were far more pressing matters to deal with.
"What are you up to, Danzo?" he asked the empty office quietly.
Danzo, by all reports, had no issues with the Kumo defector. The old warhawk had actually been delighted, in his own sullen, reserved way, that an enemy shinobi would willingly choose such a path. Hiroto was another asset to the village, and he was easily removed if he became a liability.
Is that what was going on? Had Hiroto done something to earn Danzo's ill will? The thought of the simple looking man betraying Konoha made Sarutobi ill. He trusted the jonin as he did any natural born Konaha citizen, but certain members of his council maintained that was foolish.
Shikaku, Choza, and Homura still remained adamant that he shouldn't be trusted. Koharu, Shibi, and Inoichi remained wary of Hiroto, but allowed that his service record spoke volumes about his loyalty. On the council, only Tsume and Hiashi staunchly defended the former Kumo nin, but they were probably the best allies one could have. They had wildly different attitudes, but they shared the common threads of loyalty, duty, and reciprocation.
Hiroto had saved the lives of some twenty shinobi during his ten years of service. Half of them had been members of either the Hyuga or Inuzuka clans. That wasn't even considering the incident involving Hiashi's daughter, when the patron had suddenly become very outspoken in defense of Hiroto.
The Hokage decided that Hiroto hadn't done anything against the village. No... Danzo was up to something again, and it was bound to be problematic. The cagey old man had a small but well trained army at his disposal, but the Hokage had a few tricks up his own sleeve. He scrawled out a quick note in a cipher only one other man knew. Rolling it up, he whistled out his window, layering chakra into the sound. One of Konoha's short-range messenger birds answered the call with a happy chirp and landed on his hand.
"Yamanaka Inoichi," he told it, tying the small message to the bird's leg. It trilled its acknowledgment and took off, and Sarutobi settled back into his chair with a wicked grin. The Watchers were about to go to work.
XxXxXxX
Kakashi stopped in surprise when he saw an irate Hiroto approaching the academy from the opposite direction.
"Yo, Hiroto-san," he called out lazily from behind his book, "What's got you wound up?"
"Some rogue ANBU tried to kill me. That's what," the junior jonin replied sourly as he walked up.
"No joke?" Kakashi asked, lowering his book, "He stop to tell you why?"
"Not really," Hiroto answered, "I need a favor, Kakashi-san. If Naruto passes tomorrow, keep an eye on him. I have a bad feeling whoever tried to have me offed isn't really after me."
"Sure," Kakashi agreed. It would be his duty to look out for his students anyway.
They passed into the academy together, but stopped upon seeing the very obvious prank set up for them. A single black board eraser wedged in the sliding door, poised to fall on the head of whoever walked in.
"Really?" Kakashi asked incredulously, reaching for the door.
The silver haired jonin just allowed the eraser to hit him as he opened the door, and the two of them walked in together.
"Nii-san!" Naruto called out, "Please tell me you've got team seven?"
"Nope," Kakashi answered with an eye smile, "I do. My first impression... I don't like you guys. Meet me on the roof in ten."
The cyclops disappeared in a poof of smoke.
"Man..." Naruto whined, "Why'd we have to get a one eyed freak? He can't even dodge an eraser!"
Hiroto chuckled darkly, "Naruto... Are you disrespecting one of my fellow jonin?"
"Eh!? No, Nii-san!" the blonde quickly waved his hands in front of his face, "Need to get going. Gotta be on the roof."
He took off past his older brother with his other two teammates following at a more sedate pace, both looking slightly nervously at the jonin that had frightened the normally unflappable Naruto.
"I guess that means you're our sensei," Hiroto turned to see his three new students lounging in the back of the classroom. Hotaka had been the one to speak.
"Sure am," he agreed with a smile, "Meet me out in the yard in five."
He opted to walk out since he didn't know the little poofing trick Kakashi had used. His students joined him shortly, and he looked them over thoroughly. They were mostly as he remembered them from their first meeting four years ago in the park.
Masaru had grown a little taller, but his major growth spurt had yet to take hold. Hiroto estimated the teen, who already stood just a few inches under the jonin, would grow to over seven feet. He approved of the kids dress, heavy duty pants, t-shirt, and boots; all of it black. His long coppery hair could prove worrisome, but Hiroto knew that even such a possible weakness could be used as a weapon by clever shinobi. By all accounts, Masaru was exceedingly clever.
Hotaka wasn't far behind his broader friend in height, but he was like a collection of sticks beneath his white gi. The garment would have to go now that the boy was a shinobi. Though training was a life-long activity, a gi was inappropriate for duty. He would let the boy know after the test, if he passed.
Osamu was short... even shorter than Hiroto's own stumpy little brother. He seemed to favor dark colors for his dress, but stuck to ones found in the forest. Greens and browns, mostly. He seemed to have stopped wearing shorts in favor of the full length pants normally used by active shinobi. He still wore the white wrappings on his lower arms and legs, and Hiroto couldn't help but find it odd that he continued to remain barefoot.
"I'm Ryoukou Hiroto," he introduced after getting a good look at them and making them fidget.
"Is that what the tigers are for?" Osamu asked, pointing at the tattoo like seals on his forearms.
Hiroto gave a bark of laughter, "Not exactly. Life has seen fit to turn me into a walking pun."
"How about you introduce yourselves," he prompted when they only gave him confused looks, "Tell me your likes, dislikes, and ambitions."
They shared a look, and he saw an almost imperceptible and silent communication go on. Finally Hotaka nodded, having agreed to go first.
"I'm Shoudou Hotaka," the lanky teen began, "I like to exercise," he was interrupted by a snort of amusement from Masaru, "I dislike lazy big-bodies," he continued with a pointed look at his large friend.
"I want to master my Tou-san's style of taijutsu, Koodorikaze," he went on, a determined gleam in his steal colored eyes, "Then I can become the Green Beast of Konoha."
"That's actually a title?" Hiroto asked incredulously, "I thought Gai-san just made that up."
"He got it from his and Tou-san's master," Hotaka explained, "It's granted to the greatest taijutsu expert in Konoha."
"Huh..." Hiroto would need to reevaluate his estimations of the talented but admittedly crazy jonin, "Next?"
"Hibaku Masaru," the largest child said, "I like explosives, seals, and well-engineered traps. I dislike walking sticks that think three hours of exercise a day is lazy," he shot Hotaka a wink.
"My dream is to become a great seal master like my father," he continued.
"Who was your father?" Hiroto asked curiously, "I wasn't able to find any files on him..."
"I... I don't know," Masaru said sadly, his shoulders drooping, "Kaa-san won't talk about him, and I've never seen a picture of him. All I have are his research notes."
The jonin thought that exceedingly odd. The only other time he had run into something similar was when he had tried to dig up info on Naruto's parents.
"I'm sorry," he said with a wince, "I didn't mean to dredge up family troubles."
"It's okay, sensei," the boy gave him a weak smile.
"Alright, shortstack," Hiroto turned to the last genin, trying to shift the conversation away from darker thoughts, "Your turn."
"I'm Sakibou Osamu, and... Yancha is lurking about somewhere," he peered around seeking his feline, but shrugged when he couldn't spot her, "I like cats and analyzing people. I don't like it when my friends passive-aggressively snipe at each other."
That got a laugh out of the other two boys, who each clapped the smirking genin on the back. Hiroto got the distinct impression the smallest teen had just won some sort of game.
"I plan to help my Nee-san bring our clan back to glory," he added solemnly, his easy smile fading into a determined expression, "We will give to Konoha the strength Kumo scorned."
Hiroto nodded in acknowledgment of the goal, not trusting his voice after such a stark reminder of past sins. He got his emotions under control in short order, but a lingering sadness crept over him.
"Those are all great goals," he told them honestly, "But I'm afraid the first real obstacle to them is coming tomorrow."
They all looked on curiously, and a bit apprehensively, at his words.
"See... there is one more test for you three," Hiroto explained, "A test of my devising to see if I really want to teach you."
"If we fail?" Osamu asked, voicing the concerns of his fellows.
"You go back to the academy," the jonin answered. He smirked at the determined looks he got back, "Masaru-kun is up first at eight hundred hours. Hotaka-kun will be next at eleven hundred. Osamu-kun, you'll be last at fourteen hundred. You'll each meet me at the main gate."
They nodded their understanding, and he moved to leave.
"Wait, sensei!" Masaru called from behind him, "What's the test?"
"You'll see," Hiroto shot back darkly.
XxXxXxX
Masaru paced nervously back and forth in front of the gate. He lifted his palms to his face for the hundredth time since arriving a full thirty minutes early for his test. He scrutinized the seals he had inked onto them last night, and found them to be exactly as they had been when he had successfully tested them.
Straight flying kunai worked exceedingly well with what he had dubbed his chakushufuu. The seals had managed to triple the power of a normally thrown kunai without growing unstable, but as the force went up the chakra required followed exponentially. He could easily manage about twice his normal throwing power for a full brace of kunai. Any faster and he would quickly drain his reserves.
"Well, aren't we punctual?" he nearly leapt from his skin when he heard his sensei right behind him, "Gotta work on that situational awareness, though."
Laughter could be heard from the nearby gate guards, and it only got worse when Masaru shot them a dirty look. He sighed in defeat and turned to face his sensei.
"So where are we going?" he asked curiously. The frown he got in return was a bit disconcerting.
"Just follow me, and try to keep up," Hiroto told him. The plain looking man jogged out the gate and hopped up into the canopy of the surrounding forest heading south-east. Masaru followed suit, and managed to match his sensei's pace by trickling chakra to his legs.
They didn't have far to travel; he estimated they had gone about seven kilometers. A large structure loomed out of a clearing in the woods. A compund with walls nearly as high as Konoha's, but made entirely of stone. The place seemed foreboding and gave the impression that what went in didn't come back out.
"Stick close to me," Hiroto ordered seriously, "The defenses on this place were designed, in part, by your Kaa-san."
Masaru could feel the blood drain from his face. His mother wasn't the sheltering type, and had willingly shown him exactly what some of her more diabolical traps could do. The pictures had been disturbing enough, but it had been the live test pigs that had really driven the point home. Despite what she jokingly called them, her inventions were far from toys. He gladly remained a step behind his sensei all the way to a heavily fortified door.
The door opened for them before any indication of their arrival could be made; more proof of the security about the place. Inside to greet them was a man a bit taller than Hiroto. Unlike most of the shinobi of Konoha, this one wore a gray button up long sleeve shirt with matching pants. Curiously, his eyes were completely covered by bandages wound about the upper half of his head and his hitai-ate.
"Right on time, Hiroto-san," the man greeted in a mild tone, "This is the first one, Hibaku Masaru, then?"
"It is," the jonin confirmed, "Masaru-kun, this is Tonbo-san. He has graciously agreed to allow us the use of his facility for your test."
"What is this place?" Masaru asked uneasily, "What's the test?"
Tonbo motioned them inside and closed the door behind them, "This is Konoha Prison. Non-shinobi criminals captured by our forces are kept here for the duration of their sentence."
He led them down a winding corridor, unlocking various security gates with keys or chakra as they were required. They soon found themselves on the other side of the tall walls. There was only a ten foot wide path around the perimeter of a square shaped pit sunk twenty feet into the ground. Masaru could see prisoners milling about the depression, getting their daily allotment of sunshine. On the walkway were a few shinobi intently watching the prisoners.
"Clear the yard," Tonbo called out to the guards, who moved to comply, "Someone bring up Widow."
"The prison is mostly underground," Hiroto explained to his student, "The facility is for non-shinobi prisoners, but every now and then, we get a hold of a chakra savant. The extra measures are meant to control them."
"Chakra savant?" Masaru asked curiously. That term hadn't come up in the academy, to his memory.
"Someone without formal training that can manipulate their chakra," his sensei explained, "They come up with all sorts of interesting ways to use the stuff. Some of our most famous jutsu are based on the work of chakra savants."
"Like what?" he asked eagerly. This was good information to have.
"Kawarimi, for one," Hiroto told him, "Legend has it modern genjutsu started with a single chakra savant as well."
"The inventor of kawarimi wasn't even a ninja?" the teen asked in disbelief.
Hiroto nodded sagely, "Remember, Masaru-kun, this profession isn't all that old, but people have been using chakra for quite some time."
"First team and already quite the teacher," Tonbo offered jokingly as he rejoined them, "Widow's ready to go, Hiroto-san. You sure you want to do this?"
"Yes," he answered grimly, "You know why."
Tonbo nodded and sighed, "Just making sure you were prepared for the guilt. It's one thing for it to happen by chance on a mission, but to purposely place them in the situation..."
"Umm..." Masaru interrupted nervously, "What are we talking about?"
"Widow understands the deal?" Hiroto asked Tonbo. At the blind man's nod he turned to Masaru.
"In that pit is a criminal," he began to explain, "She has been sentenced to death by one of the daimyo's judges. Got it so far?"
Masaru nodded uneasily, "Yea."
"Good," Hiroto said, though it sounded like anything about this was, "Your test is to carry out the execution."
A/N: School finally reared its ugly head and demanded my undivided attention last week. After two papers and a particularly hard circuit project, I was a tad burned out. Took me nearly four days to work up the energy to write. When I did, I couldn't conjure the words. Bonus points if you can spot where I started fighting with writer's block. More points if you figure out what Hiroto is talking about when he says "walking pun."
I think I might maintain this more sedate writing pace. As of this posting, the story is 66,254 words (That's all content. I didn't include author notes). That's over 5000 words a week, not including the copious notes I make to keeps shit straight. Since I'm taking 16 credit hours next semester, things are going to get crazy. I'm just happy the benefits I earned in the military allow me to go to school full time without having to work. Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving for my American readers. For everyone else, hope you had a good Thursday.
EDIT: I feel like a straight ass for forgetting to mention a couple of things. The first: thanks to Schermionie for the ridiculously long review and the website suggestions to help improve my grammar. I also need to thank my buddy Daniel for his help with this story. He has been a sounding board for my ideas and an idea engine all his own. He is also gracious enough to go over my work to spot check it for spelling and continuity errors. Thanks, Daniel. You've been a great friend.
Hibaku Masaru
Rank: Genin
Gender: Male
Birth Date: December 3
Hair: Copper
Eyes: Blue
Height: 5' 5" (165.1 cm)
Weight: 140 lbs (63.5 kg)
Hibaku Masaru is the only son of Natsumi. He is a mathematical genius, focusing his talent on chemistry, physics, and mechanical engineering. His mother has trained him in the art of trapping, and he is a self-taught sealer.
Chakushufuu (Launch Seal)
Type: Fuuinjutsu
Rank: C
Effect: This seal can store a large number of small objects, such as kunai or shuriken. Unlike most seals, which release all of their stored mass at once, these seals can release a single item at a time. In addition, they can impart kinetic force to the object. This essentially makes them a seal version of a mechanical kunai launcher.