Disclaimer: Macdutton does not own Naruto or Bleach.
Academy, 8am
Torahime walked into the classroom at just as Iruka stood up to take the register for the last time, shocking all present. Arriving to class on time was not something she had managed that year. She usually came up with decent excuses though. Sometimes they were even true.
"Oh my god, next thing we see will be horsemen," Hiraki broke the shocked mood, causing him to receive a few confused looks.
Plainly deciding to ignore the strange comment, Kurenai broke the now confused silence. "Well done Torahime, your punctuality is roughly 0.3%. Congratulations."
Cringing slightly, the girl went to sit next to the Hyuuga twins, as far back as possibly to avoid the look her female sensei was giving her. Iruka continued staring in slack jawed amazement until Kurenai poked him in the side, indicating he should get on with registering the children for the last time.
"Okay, so, toady you will be doing your graduation exams in the areas of Taijutsu, stealth, Nin- and Genjutsu, as well as the mandatory written test. Do you all understand and have the things you need?" Everyone nodded. "Good, because if you've forgotten anything you're fucked now." Iruka grinned, earning himself another dig from his colleague.
Frowning in disapproval of the man's antics, Kurenai started her part, "Students, we will be starting the day with Taijutsu, so make your way to the training fields. You may notice some spectators. Please do what you can to ignore them and simply do your best."
Academy Training Fields
There were a few observers gathered around the area of the fields that would be used for the graduation exams that day, including Anko, the Jonin sensei who had applied to get a genin team that year and the Hokage. There were also several ANBU there, looking out for potential recruits to the various divisions, though few would notice them.
"According to the teachers we should be in for a good exam this year, according to their reports, there are some really exceptional students coming through," one of the observing Jonin was telling his companion when Anko arrived.
"Yeah, the Uchiha heir is supposed to be a shoe-in for Rookie of the Year," the second ninja replied, earning a withering look from Anko and, strangely, a tall, muscular man in what looked like a green spandex jumpsuit.
"Gai?" Anko asked, slightly impressed by the physique shown off by the man's choice of clothing. Then she noticed he was wearing his hitai-ate around his waist. "You're back on active duty?"
"Hello Anko-san. Yes, I returned to duty three days ago. The Hokage graciously offered me the chance to lead a genin team. He thought it might be better for me to take the time to train others instead of returning straight to the field," Gai seemed somewhat subdued compared to Anko's memories of the man, although after his last mission it wasn't really surprising. The man had spent almost six months in counselling and rehab.
Looking over at the Hokage, she felt the sincere urge to facepalm. The guy was asleep for fuck sake!
"Sometimes I wonder why we listen to that guy," she grumbled. Gai laughed a little.
"Because he's insanely skilled, he's been trained by Jiraiya of the Sannin and Sandaime-sama named him as his YOUTHFUL successor."
Anko looked at the green clad man in horror. "Did you just… say 'youthful' in caps and bold?"
"I… don't know." He shuddered. "My apologies, Anko-san. I don't know what came over me."
"… Anyway. So you're looking at putting a team together? Want to talk?" Anko asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Of course. The exams probably won't start for a while so we have plenty of time," Gai sat against a tree before continuing. "My plan is to set up a team suited to high speed strikes. Extractions, assassinations, hunting and such. I want to set up a team that I can mould to work deep in enemy territory. It would be good to have a non ANBU team that specialises in that." Gai looked down, lost in thought, Anko mirroring him unconsciously.
"Sounds like a good idea Gai," an unexpected voice broke the two from their reverie. "If you pull it off, they'll be near guaranteed to get picked up by ANBU in a couple of years." The two looked up to see Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage stood in front of them, grinning like an idiot. "Do you have any ideas on the team makeup yet? I know you've been poring over all their files."
"Well, yes. I've also been talking to some of the ANBU about them, since I know that they've been watching," here he subtly glanced at a nearby tree, startling the porcelain masked ninja hiding there. Minato noticed the direction of his subordinate's gaze and made a mental note that the man was incredibly perceptive. "From the information I've gathered, I'll be trying to get one of the Hyuuga twins, most likely the girl, Keiko. She would be invaluable as a hunter, given her skill in Kyujutsu, and the Byakugan would make finding clear routes to objectives much easier. Besides her? Itachi, possibly. He has shown considerable skill, although his psychological evaluations worry me. Another I'll be aiming to get is Nara Shikaga. She's intelligent. If she can be motivated, she would be an excellent complement to a Hyuuga's ability to gather information.
"I will also be doing my utmost to get Kazama Torahime on my team. The girl has a massive potential for destruction, as well as considerable stealth skills. She is essential to the YOUTHFUL team I will be building!" Gai finished passionately, seemingly not realising his slip.
All those near him began to move away slightly, fearing the outburst. Anko and Minato were the only ones who remained near him, although they both backed up slightly, cringing at his words. "Gai. You did it again," Anko informed the inflamed man.
Flinching as the words began to percolate through his mind, Gai began apologising.
"Calm down Gai, it's fine. Just… try not to do that again," the young Hokage was somewhat creeped out by the outburst, but tried to give the damaged Jonin a chance.
"Of course, Hokage-sama. My apologies."
"Anyway, here they come. At least Iruka's sober this today," Minato grinned, noticing Anko stifling a severe fit of giggles. "You seem very amused. Something you'd like to share?"
"No. No, I just find the image of Iruka high on amphetamines funny," she continued giggling.
"And how would you know what he was high on?" Unfortunately for Anko, the Hokage was a very shrewd man. Even worse, he knew an inordinate amount about what the members of the Uzu Quarter got up to.
"Ehehe. Lucky guess?" She laughed nervously until the Hokage grinned and looked back towards the approaching students.
"It's funny. My Internal Affairs team found a large amount of salt in his bin. It seemed almost like Iruka replaced the salt himself, but why would he do that. What seems more likely is someone pranking him. Someone who could access high purity drugs. Strange." The blonde man grinned, "It sounds like something Torahime would do."
"Errm. I had nothing to do with it?" Anko tried to deflect the blame.
"Of course you did, you had to front the cash for it. She just did the dirty work. And she did it damn well. I should compliment her on that."
The students were lined up on the edge of the clearing used for sparring, Iruka and Kurenai quietly discussing the match ups. Eventually, the two sensei looked to their charges and announced the first bout would be Keiko versus Hana.
The fight moved predictably with Keiko disabling Hana's left arm using Jyuuken, then positioning herself for a killing stroke before the Inuzuka girl could stop her. Both were passed, having shown an adequate skills with Taijutsu. The fights between the other students passed similarly, with the only outstanding student being Arisawa Tatsuki who displayed an incredibly talent for a bastardised mixture of Goken and the Academy Taijutsu style. Using it, she brutally destroyed all the defences Hatake Kakumo could put up, earning herself a win.
This was until the final bout. Iruka grinned as he said the two names, "Itachi versus Torahime."
The orange haired girl glared at her sensei, feeling a deep resentment for putting her against the one student who could best her in hand to hand combat. Then she realised. There were no rules against weapons. Grinning, she looked to Itachi, who almost flinched at her feral visage.
Taking up their respective stances, they sized each other up, preparing.
"Hajime!" Iruka shouted.
Torahime launched herself forwards, moving quickly to short range and engaging Itachi with a series of sweeping kicks aimed at getting her body, and the air currents around it, moving. Itachi fought defensively, measuring the girl's range, searching for an opening. He then began to notice the air around him seeming to charge up and move too quickly.
Activating his Sharingan, he immediately noticed the huge cloud of chakra around him, revealing what his opponent had been doing. All her wild, crazy kicks had been doing was releasing a large amount of wind nature chakra into the air, bending it to her will, speeding its flow.
Seeing his eyes change and guessing he had noticed her plan, Torahime grinned and started to push the wind into her strikes. What had before been powerful kicks now became wrecking balls, leaving large craters or long, deep gouges; her occasional punch would throw Itachi back as he tried to move close enough to strike at her. This was what Kaze no Mai was all about. Controlling the flow of a battle, just as one controlled the flow of the wind around oneself.
The only problem was, with his Sharingan, Itachi could dodge most of her techniques, even landing a few hits of his own.
Growling her displeasure, Torahime grasped a handle at her waist and pulled, revealing a long chain with a blade at its tip. Iruka gasped, realising he had not banned the use of weapons for this match.
Swinging the chain-whip around herself to build its momentum, Torahime began to attack again, forcing Itachi to retreat further and faster. Realising he couldn't get inside the range of the whip without risking serious injury, he began throwing kunai and shuriken but was disappointed by the results. Torahime could simply alter her swings to cut off the ranged weapons, moving them around her and even deflecting a couple directly back at him.
Grinning wildly again the orange haired Hanyo taunted Itachi, "What's wrong Itachi-chan? Can't work out how to get me?" Throwing herself forward, she made long, arcing slashes at the boy, driving him ever backwards, slashing her way through his thrown weaponry all the way. It was during this exchange that Itachi noticed. She did not actually block the thrown weapons, she simply moved her attacks through those that would hit her, deflecting them. Her 'defence', for lack of a better word, ignored attacks that wouldn't hit. Seeing his chance, Itachi threw some more shuriken, following them with kunai. As some of the shuriken passed behind her, the kunai he had thrown deflected, a single knife coming back at her from above.
He was sure the attack would hit her left shoulder until her right arm moved forward rapidly, a second chain-whip being pulled with it, moving vertically to deflect the throwing knife. Itachi's reaction was fairly appropriate.
"Shit."
The girl grinned maniacally and began whirling like a dervish, the spiked chains creating a tornado of metallic death around her. Where he had been able to dodge one fairly easily, two of the unpredictably weapons proved too much, and he eventually misstepped, being caught around the throat by Torahime's left chain-whip.
"Yame!" Kurenai yelled, seeing the danger. Torahime quickly reduced the tension in her whip, allowing it to go slack and fall from Itachi's neck.
Running forward, the med-nin in attendance quickly checked, and upon only finding minor injuries declared Itachi fit to continue. At this point, applause was heard.
"Well done everyone, you all put on an excellent display of your skills," everyone present looked to the blonde Hokage who was walking forward, clapping loudly. "However I want to draw attention to three students. Arisawa Tatsuki," he directly addressed the dark haired girl. "You had displayed a genius ability to develop your own Taijutsu. That was modified from a few instances where you have seen Goken? Excellent. You should seek a real Goken teacher. The style suits you well.
"Next, I would like to point out Itachi's display. Not only did he prove himself competent with Taijutsu, he displayed an important part of being a shinobi. Adaptability. When faced with an opponent he could not engage through one means, he moved to another, even using deflected kunai to attempt to break that opponents advance. You should all learn from this." Minato looked at all the students.
"Finally we have Torahime," he smiled at his relative. "She displayed a very dangerous type of Taijutsu. One that relies totally upon attack. Itachi saw that she did not defend, so much as use her own attacks to deflect thrown weapons. What she also showed was an ability to recognise loopholes. Although this test was designed to examine unarmed skills, weapons were not banned. Similar situations may occur in your careers, so you should learn to recognise and exploit them." The Hokage looked over at Gai at this point, seeing him watching with rapt attention, while Anko took large sums of money from another spectator who had obviously bet on Itachi to win.
"Something we must remember though, is that an attack focussed style is open to retaliation by stronger or faster enemies. Defence has its place," as he said this, he stared hard at Torahime who glared back at him, unconsciously revealing her very sharp teeth in challenge. "Anyway, I've spoken for too long. I'll hand you all back to Iruka and Kurenai." He walked back to his chosen spot, flopped onto the grass and began snoring. All tension broke at this and massive sweatdropping ensued.
"Ooookay. Errm. Ninjutsu and Genjutsu then. Yeah. So line up kids, we'll be doing the E-ranked techniques in order," Iruka tried to regain his composure and the attention of his audience. Needless to say, he failed miserably.
"Line up. You're going to henge into Yondaime-sama. Now," Kurenai told the students forcibly, snapping them out of their funk.
All the students performed their Henge no Jutsu to an acceptable level, Kakumo and Tatsuki being reprimanded for minor flaws in their illusions, but given that the problem was not with the technique itself, they were considered to have passed. Next came Bunshin no Jutsu, all of the students again were passed, having produced 3 acceptable clones. Torahime grinned slightly at Minato who grinned back. He knew all about her little loophole here.
Finally, the students were told to perform Kawarimi no Jutsu while Iruka and Kurenai threw blunted shuriken at them. Here, it was specifically stated that the students must swap with logs. Nothing else. Torahime grinned again. They made that point because she had once swapped with Kakumo during a similar exercise. Again, the students all performed successfully, Torahime doing fake hand seals and saying the technique name just for show.
"Okay, next, I will place each of you in a Genjutsu. You will have to break out of it using whatever means necessary," Kurenai told them.
All the students managed to eventually escape the Genjutsu, although Hana almost took too long. Unsurprisingly, Itachi, Misaki and Keiko broke their Genjutsu immediately due to their Kekkei Genkai.
Next, they went inside for the 60 minute written test, taking them up to lunch. While the students ate, complained about how difficult the test was and ribbed each other over the Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu portions of the test, Kurenai and Iruka marked the tests, sighing in relief each time a student gained enough marks to pass.
Eventually, once all the tests had been marked and the half hour allotted for lunch was spent, the students filed back in. Their marks had been written on the blackboard and their teachers smiled at them. "Well done! You all passed the practical portions, as well as the horror that is the written test. You have therefore qualified for the final part of your Academy graduation exam. The stealth test," Iruka told the students.
"For this test, you will each be given a sheet of paper with a location. At that location will be a package with your hitai-ate and Genin registration forms. Once you receive your location, you will have exactly one hour to retrieve your package. The information is on the desks, collect yours and be ready for my mark," Kurenai told the students, noticing Keiko subtly activating her bloodline.
Once everyone was ready, Kurenai flipped over a sand timer and told them to begin. Opening their papers and quickly leaving, Iruka and Kurenai couldn't help but notice that Torahime immediately grabbed Keiko and Shikaga, dragging them out of the window with her.
Once the room was clear, Iruka spoke, "I think she saw through the test."
"Not quite. Shikaga whispered something to her after I explained the rules. If I had to guess, she's going to get Keiko to find the packages with her Byakugan then they'll work together to find them and get past the traps. Shikaga is smart enough that she'll have worked out there will be traps," Kurenai corrected her colleague, smiling proudly at the thought of such promising kunoichi.
"Ah well. However it happens, we have an hour to relax," Iruka grinned, flopping into a chair tiredly. Kurenai broke with her usual habits and imitated him.
"It's been a long morning."
On the roof of the Academy building sat three girls in a triangle. The 'Queen of Apathy' had just finished explaining her plan and the other two were nodding in agreement. Jumping up, Torahime said to her two friends, "Okay, lets get going. We've only got about 56 minutes left. Shika, yours is 800m North, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, Kei-chan should be able to find it once we get within half a kilometre or so. Is that correct?" The girl slowly asked the third member of their trio.
"Yes. The range of my Byakugan is 483m. Once we are roughly that near I should be able to spot it, assuming the location on the paper is accurate," the quiet girl replied, her formal speech belaying her relaxed nature.
"Lets go then. You keep an eye out for traps, okay?" Torahime instructed.
"Hai," the twin reply greatly pleased he young Hanyo.
They began running across the rooftops of Konoha, keeping their chakra use to a minimum to avoid chakra sensitive traps and detection by any sensors looking for them. A short time later, Keiko announced she had spotted the package, but there were several traps set up around it. Stopping in the shadowy alley across from the packages location, Torahime looked carefully, spotting a large shadow that looked perfect.
"Okay ladies, you've done your bits, now for mine." Without elaborating further, the girl stepped into a deep pool of shadow, instantly reappearing next to the non-descript envelope. Keiko and Shikaga gasped, never having seen their friend use her Kagepo technique before. They saw her grab the package and immediately disappeared, just as a shuriken trap was launched at where she had been standing. Once again she was standing next to them, having reappeared almost instantly.
"What the hell was that?" The Hyuuga and Nara girls asked together, amazed.
"Kagepo. Secret family technique," Torahime gave her trademark feral grin.
"That's it? No elaboration?" Shikaga asked, plainly annoyed at the puzzle that it presented.
"Yeah, pretty much," Torahime's grin grew.
"Troublesome. Whatever, we need to go East-South-East now for Keiko's package," the genius strategist said, reminding all present that they were not finished yet.
Unknown to the girls, a spandex clad man was tailing them, listening in to their conversation. "Hmm. Good teamwork, division of responsibilities. They'll make a good team."
At the next site, the girls encountered a similar setup the dealt with just as easily, so they quickly headed further north, outside of the populated areas of Konoha towards the location of Torahime's package.
Upon nearing the location, Keiko stopped in her tracks. "Holy fucking shit!" The foul language shocked the other two as it was so out of character.
"What?" They both asked, worried.
"There's got to be hundreds of explosives around the envelope," she explained.
Torahime paled. "Great. The Demo Corps got involved," she groused as she tried to think of a solution that would allow her to survive. Looking carefully at the location she could see the masses of explosive tags and other munitions gathered around the package. Then an idea struck her, as she noticed that all the munitions were low explosive. "… They have a burn time," she mumbled.
"What?" Shikaga asked.
"All those explosives take a split second to explode, because technically, they burn instead of explode," Torahime explained slowly. "If I could move fast enough, I could pick up the package and get out before getting blown up…"
"You are insane," Keiko told her worriedly.
"That's news?"
"Oi. I have feelings you know," Torahime shot back at Shikaga who just smiled slightly. "Kei, reckon you could fire a chakra arrow attached to my foot?"
"What? Errm. I guess so," the young Hyuuga girl said nervously, thinking about the logistics. Drawing the recurved bow from the small of her back, she strung it, pulling an arrow from the quiver strapped to the same place.
"I hate this thing," she mumbled.
"Why?" Torahime asked, wondering if this was a good idea.
"It's too small and weak. But my longbow is too big to carry," Keiko explained.
"Hmm. I might have a solution to that later… but for now, lets fire me from a bow!"
"Haaa... Okay, Hime-chan."
Setting her left foot on the tip of the nocked arrow, Torahime crouched, ready to spring forwards.
"Three… two… one… FIRE!" Keiko called out, releasing her chakra charged arrow on the last word. Torahime moved with the arrow, pushing against it and firing herself off at incredible speed, tearing chunks out of the ground while she pumped masses of chakra to her legs, digging into the soil as though she had claws.
Moving faster than most could follow, she flashed through the explosive filled clearing, grabbing the envelope on the way past, never slowing her reckless pace. As the explosives detonated, she pushed harder, only just outpacing the explosion, but she was still thrown off her feet by the pressure wave.
"Ugh. Not doing that again," she grumbled as she stood up and moved to rejoin her companions.
"You're crazy. Grade A, bat-shit fucking loco," Shikaga informed her when she reached them.
"Oh thanks Shika, I really appreciate that ringing endorsement," Torahime's words dripped sarcasm. "What's up with you Kei?" She questioned her friend, noticing she looked a bit odd.
"Nothing!" The girl quickly said, blushing faintly.
"Ah, whatever. I know explosions get you off," Torahime teased.
"Wha- no! I-I- NO!" Though the denials could be heard, the porcelain skinned Hyuuga blushed even more.
"Heh, whatever, lets get going," Torahime grinned, enjoying making her friend uncomfortable.
On the bluffs nearby stood Uzumaki Renji and the current head of the ANBU Demolition Corps. "That. Was fucking. AWESOME!" Renji said happily once the girls were out of earshot.
"Yes. Yes it was. And we have got to get that girl. She saw through the weak point in the setup and found a way to beat it. She'll go far if we can get her into the ADC." The purple haired woman looked at Renji. "You were right. She has turned out pretty good."
"Told you taicho. Now I need to go make a start on making more powder. I used my whole stock," Renji sighed sadly.
Gai was struggling to contain his enthusiasm. The girls were a perfect team. If he had to kill, he was getting them. All they needed was a little guidance and they'd be perfect for the role he had planned.
"HOOOOO! THEIR YOUTHFUL FIRES ARE BLAZING BRIGHTLY!" He shouted the words, tears streaming from his eyes, his teeth gleaming. Around Konoha, various people flinched and began to cry with inexplicable terror.
Academy, 2pm
"Well, you've all passed the academy graduation, congratulations!" Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage led the round of applause from those who had attended the graduation ceremony. "All of you will need to hand in your registration forms by midday tomorrow and return to this room. Until then, we will be sorting the final team assignments and other bureaucratic nightmares. Again, congratulations on graduating the Academy. If all Jonin-sensei could follow me to my office, we'll get to work." That said, the blonde man flickered out of the room.
"Alright, get out. I want my half a day off," Iruka shouted at the kids, gaining a few laughs from the gathered observers. As the former Academy students filed out, Torahime stepped up to her former senseis.
"Thank you. For understanding and helping me," she said in a quiet voice, surprising the two Chuunin.
"Of course," Kurenai replied first, surprised at the show of gratitude from the unpredictable girl.
"Yeah. It's not like we could just abandon you," Iruka smiled. "Now seriously, get out. I need to drink."
Kurenai laughed, "What, planning on being in bed by 3pm, Iruka?" This comment caused the man to go bright red at the reminder of his normal reaction to even small amounts of alcohol. "Go on, Torahime. Prepare yourself for your new life, and make us proud to have taught you."
Hokage's Office
The Hokage's office was a large room, dominated by a desk between two large windows. The walls were lined with shelves, all the way up to the high ceiling. The people gathered in the room were currently engaged in arguing to get the teams they wanted, while the Hokage himself was simply resting his head on his desk.
After a good ten minutes, the blonde stood up and asked them to be quiet. His request went unheard or ignored, causing a vein to start pulsing in his forehead. "I SAID SHUT IT!" He yelled, finally losing all patience. "Now, I've listened to you going arguing and I've made my decisions, based on your requests and on reviewing the reports. First off, Gai. You're getting the team you requested, composed of Nara Shikaga, Hyuuga Keiko and Kazama Torahime." Before he could continue, one of the other Jonin present started to complain. For his efforts he got punched through the wall of the office. "I wasn't negotiating Riichi. My decision is final. You were asking for a combat support team, so you're getting Hyuuga Misaki, Hatake Kakumo and Aburame Shike. They should balance fairly well.
"Hizashi, you asked for a medic, so you're getting Inuzuka Hana, she has a good basis for medic-nin training, given her veterinary skills. The rest of your team will be Uzuki Yuugao and Sarutobi Hiruki as combat specialists for protection," he told the stoic Hyuuga who simply nodded his understanding. "Finally, Shikaku, you will be in charge of Yamanaka Inoi, Uchiha Itachi and Arisawa Tatsuki. That should provide a good basis for a balanced team." Minato finished his pronouncements, telling the four Jonin to collect their teams the following day.
As they were leaving, an ANBU messenger appeared in the room, kneeling before the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, we've just received confirmation. Iwagakure has declared war upon us." Hearing this, all the Jonin stopped in their tracks. "Kirigakure, Kumogakure and Sunagakure also appear to be massing their forces near their borders. None appear to be allied, however." Finished delivering his report, the messenger bowed again before being dismissed by a wave of the Hokage's hand.
"It seems we won't be getting much of a grace period. Change of plans, we'll be gathering your teams today. You'll need as much time as possible to start their training," the Hokage sighed again, clearly saddened by the turn of events. "Hiruzen was right. This will be the Third Shinobi World War. Yomi," he called, summoning the head of the ANBU. "Call for a full gathering of our available forces for 3pm. I'll need to announce this. Once my announcement is finished, I'll need you to gather the current graduating Genin class." Once the Hokage finished giving his orders, the ANBU Commander and the four Jonin left to gather the rookie Genin.
Looking through the window to the HokageMonument, Minato felt a deep sadness. There would be a lot of deaths in the coming months. Friends would be lost, families broken… he had made his name in the war with Iwa, earned himself such a terrifying reputation that 'flee on sight' orders had been issued by the Tsuchikage. Adding to his sadness was the realisation that the smaller countries that bordered the Great Five would be dragged in. Ame, Kusa, Taki, so many countries that didn't need any involvement with the quarrels of their larger neighbours. With another deep sigh, Minato began to draught his announcement.
Outside the Hokage Tower, 3pm
All the shinobi gathered outside the tower were nervous. It was well known among the ranks that war had been looming for the past year. Did this gathering mean that it had finally happened? One of the villages had declared war?
Grouped near the back of the crowd, the Uzu-nin looked grim to a man. They were raised to hate the shinobi of the other four Great Villages, as well as those of Ishi and Kusa, for their attacks on Uzushiogakure.
The Hokage walked out onto the balcony of the tower a few minutes before 3. Looking down at the assembled troops, he wondered how many of them would be killed, how many would he lose this time? Raising his voice to be heard over the whole square, he addressed the shinobi. "I have grim news. Iwagakure has formally declared war upon us and the other nations appear to be preparing their forces to join the war. We can count on the support of Sunagakure, but the positions of Kirigakure and Kumogakure are currently unknown." The young leader paused, the weight of his words sinking into the gathered ninja. He gazed around, taking in the various reactions, from the sighs of the Nara and quiet stoicism of the Hyuuga and Aburame, to the barely contained rage and excitement of the Uchiha and Inuzuka clans, as well as everything in between.
"This war will be new. Some of you still remember the Second Shinobi World War, the horror of pitched battles, volleys of weapons and jutsu. Such battles again will not be risked again, there will be no formal lines. All the world saw what happened in our war with Iwa and none will risk the destruction of an army to a single jutsu. As I said, this war will be new. I will need to see the heads of all divisions, as well as all clan heads in my conference room in ten minutes. Disperse."
With his final words, the crowd dissipated, heading out to think on their futures. The bars and brothels in the Uzu Quarter would be doing good business tonight.
Walking slowly, Minato made his way to the conference room, his position bearing down upon his shoulders like never before. During the Iwa conflict, he hadn't had this much responsibility. Sure, he'd led teams on various raids and during battles, he'd even been put in charge of battle groups in the latter days, but he'd never been in charge of more than a dozen people. Now… now he held in his hands the lives of thousands. He was responsible for the fate of the whole village.
His reverie was broken by two quiet sets of footsteps behind him. Looking around he saw two old men, greyed and weathered by time. "Kensuke, Arashito…" He croaked, not quite sure how to react to their appearance.
"You're doing it again," the elder of the Uzumaki reprimanded him, his voice still the deep, powerful rumble it had been in his youth. "You're doubting yourself. Stop doing that and get the fuck on with it."
"And you're not alone. You know better than that. Didn't we say we'd be here? Do you have that little faith in your family?" Arashito's words cut deep, reminding the young Hokage of his last conversation with the elders of Uzu.
"I'm just scared. All these people… all the deaths we face. They're my responsibility," Minato whispered, his strong, happy façade failing in the presence of his teachers.
"Of course they are. You're their leader," Uzumaki Kensuke's brutal statement shocked Minato out of his funk, causing him to simply gape. "That means that you have to do everything you can to win, and win quickly. Or run. Take every person you care about and flee to a safe haven."
"But we fled once. We ran, and we ran, looking over our shoulders every day hence," Arashito growled, his anger obvious. "And now our enemies return. No more running. No more restraint."
"The old tiger is right. They were allowed to survive, to get away with their atrocities in Uzu. No more."
Minato had always suffered from premonitions. He saw flashes of how the future and past linked. As he looked at the two ancient sentinels, remnants of an age long lost, he saw the shadows of others. In Kensuke, he saw his own son, grown into a man, the mane of blond hair flowing around his face. In the ancient leader of the Kazama, he saw the young heir to the clan, Torahime, who would come into her true inheritance. All this, he saw for just an instant, the truth of their lives hammering into his mind.
"You plan to die." It was not a question, but a statement. Minato knew.
"Our time is long since gone. The world has moved on since the days that were ours." Kensuke sighed sadly, every year of almost a century of life visible in his face.
"But we will remind these villages of why they should fear us." Arashito said the words Minato had feared. "I must go. I need to speak to my grand-daughter."
With that, the man vanished into the shadows of the corridor.
"Always so dramatic," Kensuke mumbled.
"You will want to lead the first battles I'm guessing?" Minato had resigned himself to the loss they would suffer.
"No. We will stay with you for a short time, to teach you what little we still can. Then…" The old man's eyes glazed over. "Then we will release ourselves. They will remember why we were the Sixth Great Nation."
Kazama Tower, Later
Torahime walked into the flat she shared with Anko, quietly wondering what would become of her life. War? Was she ready? Was anyone ready for that? Was it possible for anyone to be ready for that? No answers presented themselves and she sighed.
"It's been a long time, Hime-chan."
The voice sounded from the shadows in the corner of the room. She turned rapidly to look there, releasing a large amount of bloodlust and chakra, shredding the Genjutsu over her left side and revealing her true appearance.
"Now, now, no need for such aggression Hime-chan. I'm only here to talk."
Still growling and remaining in her combat stance, Torahime looked on the weathered visage of a man many thought dead. Kazama Arashito was casually sprawled in front of her, his body no longer bearing much semblance of humanity. He had lived so long that his Youkai blood had turned him into a bipedal tiger, his only human feature being his right eye, whose pupil was still round.
"The blood ever comes through," he told her, noting her looking at his form. "I see yours is becoming particularly powerful already." The statement caught Torahime off guard and she relaxed her stance.
As the girl stood straight, the old man could see an incredible specimen of a tiger Hanyo. She was fairly tall, with thick, long legs and large powerful shoulders. Her left arm had completely formed into that of a tiger, ending in a strange, anthropomorphic mixture of hand and paw. Looking at the slightly awkward way she stood, he guessed both feet were digitigrade, likely also furred and clawed. The tail swaying close to the floor behind her also showed the extremity of her blood. All this he took in, but nothing captivated him as much as her eyes. The blazing orange irises and dark markings on the surrounding skin, all surrounding the discs of perfect darkness that were here pupils. "Both eyes already…" he murmured, surprised by the extent of her transformation.
Shaking off his surprise he began to speak, "It's time you learned about your heritage. I was not the one who was meant to tell you this, but circumstances demand it. Sit." It was not a request. "You are aware that my son, your father, was a Hanyo like us, like the rest of our clan." She nodded, wondering where he was going with this, but interested. "What you do not know is that your mother was not. We never told you any more than the fact that she loved you, because you were not deemed ready for this knowledge. Your mother was the Queen of Tigers, descendant of the Empress herself." Torahime was shocked, her hand moving to grasp her right shoulder. "She and your father were attracted from their first meeting. It was… a short lived relationship, but not by any fault of their own. She died soon after your birth, and her last words were to name you. Did you really think that your name was a coincidence?"
The words were causing Torahime's head to spin, the enormity of their meaning slowly beginning to sink in. "Mother… my mother… was a tiger? A pure-blood tiger?"
"Yes," Arashito sighed sadly. "It's why your blood is so strong. I took nearly 50 years to reach your point. But I don't think you will become such an abomination as I."
"What? How are you an abomination?"
"I am a half blood, but I hold the second greatest of our legacies. That has driven me to this extremity of transformation. You are far purer of blood, and burdened with the greatest of our power. I would expect your transformation will slow soon, until you reach a plateau. Beyond that, you will be able to influence your own body, moving further towards a tiger as and when you wish. You may even be able to regress back to that plateau, although I do not know."
"I… I don't know what I'm supposed to say now," Torahime was totally lost for words, floored by the enormity of what the ancient patriarch of her clan was saying.
"Asking questions is usually a good place to start," Arashito laughed.
"I… You said something about 'The greatest of our power'. What do you mean?"
"Ah, you're far too observant child. You are aware that you have a… tenant?" Torahime nodded. "Good. I'm guessing you were never told the full details of our history then?"
"No, I was just told that the Empress of Tigers is our link with the shadows. I never really understood that."
"Well, now I'll explain properly. The origins of our clan are ancient, more ancient than any other that I know of. There was once, long ago, a powerful beast with an unparalleled connection with the Void. Using her strength, she expanded her power, conquering and subjugating other tigers, allowing them to live just as they had before, once they swore to answer her call. Before long, she had earned the right to call any tiger to her aid and declared herself the Empress of Tigers. This meant nothing to the others of her race, who simply acknowledged her as a powerful ally. She laid down a few simple rules, the rules we follow to this day.
"These rules were workable only because they were flexible. They permitted the tigers to continue to live their solitary lives, but made it easier for them to aid each other, in the case of attack by others, for example to wolf tribes. Eventually, a vague clan system evolved, the loose ties still allowing for the individuality that made them so unique.
"This building of power did not go unnoticed by the other powers of the world. The Toads, Wolves, Dogs, Crows and other clans all began to truly fear the Tigers. Where once, they had simply been the most powerful creatures in the lands, they were now more closely linked. If a single Tiger could destroy a pack of dogs, what could a streak of them do? So the other animal clans colluded, calling on their human allies to aid them in breaking the potential power of the Tigers. This was a genius plan, and we saw it's like when directed against Uzu. But they never knew about the closeness of the Tigers to a clan of humans. A clan they had been melding with. The Kazama.
"Hanyos with other animal races are incredibly rare, excepting the Foxes. But we all contain at least a small portion of Tiger blood. When the other clans moved against the Tigers, they met powers they simply could not contend with. Yes, they killed many of them, pure-bloods, Hanyo and humans, but they were beaten back, ambushed, destroyed, again and again, by the Shadow Dancers. These Dancers were led by a terrifying apparition, a creature who had accepted the Void and controlled its horrific power, tearing into them from the darkness.
"Eventually, the Tigers simply vanished, along with the human clan they had taken such a shine to. Nobody knew where they went, only that tigers continued to exist around the world, as wraiths, never fully seen, at least not by those who lived. So, they faded into legend. Except in Uzu, where we had never been hunted. We were similar to the Uzumaki you see. Warriors, bound by blood to a clan of animals. Eventually, this similarity led to us joining the Uzu pact, the agreement that formed Uzushiogakure no Sato. And you know the rest from there."
"But what about the Empress?" Torahime asked desperately, completely enraptured by her elder's story. "What happened to her?"
Arashito smiled at his descendent. "She eventually died, but her spirit lingered. A being so powerful, and so closely linked to the Void cannot leave this world. It is the reason for our burdens."
"So she… was sealed?"
"Yes, Hime. After her death, her spirit was restless, and she wandered for many years, walking in step with her kin, until her wanderlust was overtaken by her need to truly feel the world. For our blood instils a powerful need to travel, a distaste for sedentary natures. But we have a deep connection with nature and the world, through are link to the Void. So she found my father, and asked to be sealed into a baby, and when that baby grew, she became powerful. So very powerful…" The old man smiled reminiscently. "Eventually however, that girl died, and the Empress was left to wander again, to sate her need to travel. Finally though, she again felt the need to feel the world. So she came to me. And between myself and Kensuke, we sealed her into a newborn baby, a young girl of the Kazama clan." Arashito looked at her, staring into her eyes. "We sealed the Empress into her most direct descendent."
Torahime simply sat, stunned. Her? Heir and Jinchuuriki to the Empress of Tigers?
"Fuck."
"Well finally. Thought the old coot would never tell you."
The voice that suddenly sounded in her head shocked the girl so much she leapt across the room. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!"
"Honestly, he's just told you that you have an immensely powerful ancient beast sealed inside you and you're surprised that she talks?" The voice sounded amused at the reaction. "I suppose I cannot expect better, it must be somewhat surprising."
Staring accusingly at her grandfather, Torahime ground out a single word, "Explain."
Arashito sat for exactly three seconds before collapsing, laughing uproariously and rolling around on the floor. "Oh my Goddess! That was brilliant. I never thought you'd react that extremely!" Wiping the tears of mirth from his eyes, he looked at his granddaughter. "Sorry, we agreed that she wouldn't speak to you until you were ready. If she did from day one, it might have driven you crazy or something."
"I don't think she really needs my help with that."
"Shut it you. I'm not crazy." Torahime growled.
"You ran through an explosion. I'd say that qualifies rather well."
"I'd like to point out, you seem to be talking to yourself." Arashito decided to chime into the apparently one-sided conversation. All he got in return was a glare. "It'll take some time getting used to. But to help you along, you might be able to communicate mentally. If you can do that, less people will think you're crazy."
Luckily, at this point an ANBU appeared in the doorway and stopped, gaping at the two feral looking beings in front of him.
"Yes?" the young Hanyo said irritably while the elder continued to chuckle.
"I- I've been sent to collect… Torahime-san," the fresh ANBU croaked out.
"Fucking great, that means I don't even have time to get someone to reapply the Genjutsu. This is your fault old man." She sniped at her grandfather.
"Here, I'll redo it, but you should at least show your team, maybe even explain about your tenant." He told her as he made a series of handseals, finishing by placing his left hand on her shoulder, reapplying a variation of the Genjutsu that made her appear fully human. "This should hold for a while. Get a better one put on as soon as you can though."
"Right, let's go ANBU-san." Torahime took control easily since the messenger was obviously a new ANBU initiate. "Seriously though, what the fuck is that mask?"
"Axolotl." The man replied tonelessly.
"Ouch. Someone was creative."
"You're telling me?"
They continued to verbally spar as he led her towards the designated meeting place, the roof of the HokageTower. When they arrived, Torahime bade him goodbye, quietly reassuring him he'd only have the absurd mask for a few more months. Unless he fucked up badly. Then he'd likely be stuck with it for a year or so.
Looking around, Torahime saw the rest of her graduating class, as well as several Jonin. Wondering what was going on, she walked over to Keiko and asked what was going on, only to learn that nobody knew, they had just been summoned by the ANBU.
A few seconds later, Minato walked onto the roof with a grim expression, followed by an old man with long, grey hair and an enormous sword. "You're all here, good, good. Well, you're probably wondering why. These four Jonin are to be your sensei and commanding officers. Your chain of command is simple. Unless directly issued by myself, no order countermands theirs. Do you understand this?" Everyone nodded. "Well you are going to prove it. You will each walk within," he made a few handseals then stepped out of the 2m circle that formed, "this sealing circle and explain my words."
The fresh Genin proceeded to do just that, each one being nodded out of the circle once finished. Eventually, Torahime stepped into the circle to confront the Hokage and the old man with him.
"So, Torahime, explain your chain of command." The terse command showed her just how strained the Namikaze man was, considering he was usually so happy and relaxed.
"I will always follow orders from my Jonin sensei, unless they directly conflict with orders issued by the Hokage himself," she recited quietly. "That is my chain of command, but it doesn't explain the procedure regarding higher ranking shinobi outside my direct chain of command. What do I do if an ANBU gives me an order?" Torahime asked the simple question that had been bugging her during her wait.
"Good, you noticed. Only the Nara kid actually noticed that I didn't mention that. Basically, you should always be a part of your Genin cell, so orders will be given to your Jonin sensei or other commanding officer. If however, you are separated from your cell and receive orders from an ANBU or Jonin, it will likely be in the capacity of a field subordinate. That means you will temporarily become a part of their combat cell. Later, you will likely become part of a battle group, in which case your chain of command will be clearly defined. So reiterate your current chain of command to me." Once again, the Hokage ordered her to clarify her understanding of the orders he had issued.
"I follow all orders given by my Jonin sensei when I am part of their Genin cell, unless these orders directly conflict with orders given by you. If I am not part of a genin cell, orders by a superior rank are to be followed, making me a part of that shinobi's cell." Torahime spoke slowly, making sure to understand her own words.
"Correct. Now tell me your chain of command, from the top down."
"Yourself, followed by my Jonin sensei. In cases where I am not under the command of my Jonin sensei, my sensei is replaced by the ranking shinobi in the area."
"Good. Now we'll sort teams, then you belong to the Jonin for a while." Raising his hands into a dispelling handseal, Minato dissolved the silence seal he had used. "Okay, team allocations. Team Riichi will be Hyuuga Misaki, Hatake Kakumo and Aburame Shike. Team Shikaku will be Yamanaka Inoi, Uchiha Itachi and Arisawa Tatsuki. Team Hizashi, Sarutobi Hiruki, Inuzuka Hana and Uzuki Yuugao. Team Gai, Hyuuga Keiko, Nara Shikaga and Kazama Torahime. Jonin, you have your instructions." With that, he left the rooftop.
Gai was the first to move, calling his new students and telling them to follow him. He led them through the tower slowly, moving outside and passing the buildings until he reached a park. Climbing the stairs of a building in silence, he finally settled them on the roof garden, where he sat facing the three girls.
"Errm, hello, I thought we could start with some introductions so I could get to know you a little before I start explaining about my plans for this team. I'll go first. My name is Maito Gai, I am a Jonin of Konohagakure, my favourite food is curry, my favourite pastime is Taijutsu training. My dream is to become the world's greatest Taijutsu master. Would you like to go next, Shikaga-san?"
"Ah, troublesome. Nara Shikaga, Genin, rice, chess, surviving," Shikaga listed off answers to the same things as Gai, minimising the effort she expended.
"Well, that was rather informative. Thank you, Shikaga-san. Keiko-san, would you like to take over."
"Of course," Keiko said demurely. "I am Hyuuga Keiko, sister to Misaki. I am now a Genin of Konoha, my favourite food is sashimi, my preferred pastime would be archery and I wish to free Hinata-sama from the hatred of the elders of my clan." Her willingness to share such things surprised Gai, but it also reassured him that he had chosen correctly in his team.
"And finally, would you like to tell me about yourself Torahime-san?" Gai asked the fiery girl who rounded out his team.
"Hmm. Well, the first thing I should probably do is show you something." The statement confused those present, until she put her hands in a ram seal. "Just going to ask you not to freak too much." Thus saying, she released chakra and broke the Genjutsu.
Her teammates and sensei simply stared as she sat back down and took off her boots, sighing in relief at getting the stupid things off. "What, no screaming or terror? No 'What the fuck are you?'," she sweatdropped. "Seriously, the staring is getting a bit much."
"T-t-tail…" Keiko fainted.
"I didn't expect that," Shikaga mumbled, being forced to re-evaluate her teammate.
Gai voiced a single, simple sentiment that all three who observed the release could agree on.
"Fuck."
A/N: Right, something of a big update. Still just blagging with this, but it is what it is. As I've said before, feedback is appreciated.