Kuushou didn't even make it out of the clearing before Inoichi caught up to him. The older ninja matched his pace before casually asking, "Would you mind some company for lunch?"
"Not at all," Kuushou replied calmly, noting that Chouza Akimichi and Shikaku Nara had fallen in with them as well. "Where did you want to go?"
If all three were going to be there, the conversation would likely focus on their children and the upcoming training sessions. He could work with that.
"Kiku is actually preparing lunch today, if you wouldn't mind a home-cooked meal," Inoichi said.
Or not.
"That... might not be a good idea," Kuushou answered, sounding hesitant.
Inoichi frowned. "Ino will be eating lunch with her team elsewhere," he added softly.
Kuushou sighed, still looking uncertain, before he nodded slowly. "Alright." It would probably be harder to pull information out of Inoichi with the man's teammates there, especially Shikaku, but he didn't really have a good reason to turn the invitation down at this point. He was supposed to be missing his adopted family, after all.
Inoichi nodded, still frowning slightly. He then took the lead and began walking towards his home.
"How do you think Chouji will do?" Chouza asked, starting off the conversation as they walked.
Kuushou shot Inoichi a quick look and got a nod in response. "They know," was all the man said.
"I haven't really seen much of him since I got here," Kuushou said, shrugging. "From what I saw during the exams, though, he isn't too far off from what I would expect physically. How many clan jutsu does he know?"
Chouza frowned and shook his head. "We just started teaching him a few days ago; training restrictions and all that. How much would you expect him to know?"
"Full- and partial-multi-size," Kuushou began listing off, "along with a solid grounding in earth jutsu. He could pull off a partial-multi-size in under a second before I left."
Chouza grinned widely, looking pleased.
"What's the deal with the training restrictions?" Kuushou asked. "We had them too, but they seem a lot more strict here."
"Troublesome...," Shikaku sighed. "It's supposed to be a law that prevents any non-ninja from accessing potentially powerful jutsu or training. In theory it limits damage caused by infiltrators and espionage, but over time more and more techniques have been rated C or higher, rather than the D or even E they should be. And since the restrictions are based on the rank of the knowledge or jutsu in question, that means students are no longer allowed to learn those techniques."
"Why are they changing the ranks, then?"
"It's complicated," he replied, a sour look on his face, "but it boils down to politics and a long string of compromises we've had to make to keep our graduation rate up."
"What does that have to do with it?"
"Well, let's take tree-walking as an example," Inoichi said. "When I went through the Academy, most of the students already knew how to do that or learned by the end of their second year. In my case, my parents taught me; it's the same with most of the children of ninja clans.
"These days, most of the students haven't even started the leaf exercise before they enter the Academy – in fact, most of them don't know anything about ninja techniques at all."
Kuushou blinked. "Most of them? I'd been refining my chakra control for years before I entered the Academy, as had everyone I knew. Why did their families not teach them?"
"Because ninety percent of the Academy students are civilians," Shikaku said bluntly.
"The Kyuubi's attack really hurt us, Naruto-kun," Inoichi said softly, noticing his disbelief. "We lost a lot of good ninja that day, and there have been several nasty situations since then that have kept our numbers from recovering properly."
"It's a fucking mess," Chouza chimed in. "We skimp on training to get the numbers, but we need more numbers because the training is so shoddy. Then everything gets skewed so that the civilians can keep up and even the clans have to change how they do things to avoid breaking the law. Normally we wouldn't worry too much about that, but the Council has been really cracking down on those sorts of things in the last few years."
"The Council? Aren't they just advisers?"
The three men looked at him oddly for a moment before chuckling.
"That may be true from an official standpoint," Shikaku said wryly, "but it's well known that they have the Hokage's full confidence, and they often stand in for him when he is occupied elsewhere. They've done nearly as much for this village as the Hokage has, even if they don't have the title. They keep everything inside the village running while the Hokage focuses on matters outside the village."
"Really," Kuushou said flatly.
"They can be right bastards when they're in a mood," Chouza added ruefully, "but they do manage to keep the various merchants and guilds in line. Bit conservative for my tastes, mind you, but I sure as hell wouldn't want their job."
"Anyway," Inoichi said, cutting off the discussion, "we're here." He opened the gate and motioned the others towards the door before calling out. "Kiku, we're back!"
"Just in time," she said, moving out of the kitchen and smiling warmly in greeting. "And this must be Naruto-kun," she added, smiling at Kuushou.
"Hello, Yamanaka-san," Kuushou replied, smiling politely. He noticed her eyes cut to Inoichi and Inoichi responding with a small shake of his head and a grimace.
"Well, come on in, I've just finished making some gyoza, and we've got some sandwiches as well. I hope that's ok with you, Naruto-kun?"
Kuushou had to give it to Inoichi and Kiku, they were really going out of their way to make him feel welcome, no doubt aided by Inoichi's jaunt through his memories – gyoza was his "favorite" food, though it may have been supplanted by ramen.
"Sounds great, Ka- Yamanaka-san," Kuushou replied, almost calling her mom on "accident." Inoichi hid a quick grin and Kiku's smile stretched a little wider, but they didn't say anything.
Once they had all settled around the table, the conversation resumed, the focus once more returning to the upcoming training sessions.
"What do you have planned for my son?" Shikaku asked.
"I want to get him using his shadow techniques as soon as possible," Kuushou replied. "He was something of a prodigy, and he and Chouji were rather scary when they got going."
"Damn right!" Chouza said, slapping the table. "Nobody messes with the Ino-Shika-Cho!"
"Chouza-kun, would you mind not breaking the table again?" Kiku asked sweetly.
"Heheh..., sorry, Kiku-chan," Chouza apologized. "What about Ino?" he asked then, obviously trying to change the subject.
Inoichi grimaced, and an awkward silence fell over the group.
"Endurance training," Kuushou said shortly.
As Kuushou entered the clearing, he noted that Hinata was already waiting on him and looking rather nervous. He also noted a watcher hiding in the training ground – Kurenai Yuuhi. He was rather annoyed that she had ignored his request that no one interfere, but then again just watching wasn't interfering.
Hinata squeaked when she noticed him approaching, ducking her head and pressing her fingers together. "H-hello, N-Naruto-kun," she said.
"Hello, Hinata-chan," he replied calmly, smiling. He got a tremulous smile in return, but for once it seemed her nervousness was overcoming her crush as there was no blush on her face. "Do you know why you're here?"
Hinata nodded slowly. "F-for extra training."
"Do you have any objections to learning from me?"
"No!" she yelled suddenly. She wilted quickly though, actually taking a step back following her outburst. "N-no," she repeated more quietly. "I'd be h-h-happy to learn f-from you."
"Very well then," he said, "let's start with a quick spar."
Hinata nodded jerkily and made her way to the center of the clearing and settled into a stance.
"That's the standard Jyuuken stance," Kuushou noted.
"Y-yes?" Hinata asked, sounding confused.
"And you are keeping your jacket on?"
Hinata's face flushed, and she just nodded quickly without saying anything.
Kuushou frowned, but made no further comment. He moved to stand across from her, spreading his feet slightly and letting his arms hang loosely. "You may begin whenever you wish."
Hinata nodded slowly, taking several deep breaths before she moved forward, her hands jabbing at his arms and torso. He retreated under her attack, his focus on her form and technique. After several seconds, his frown deepened.
"You aren't using your byakugan, either," he noted.
Hinata stopped, taking a couple of steps back before she replied, "D-do you w-want me to?"
"Yes, I do. I want you to attack me as hard as you can, Jyuuken strikes included."
Hinata just shook her head quickly. "I c-couldn't do that! I don't w-want to hurt you."
Kuushou sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was one particular problem he had not anticipated. Goading her into attacking him would likely backfire spectacularly, especially with Yuuhi no doubt itching for an excuse to interfere – he did understand a little better why she had been so concerned about his methods, however.
Perhaps a demonstration would help.
"You will find that hurting me is quite difficult," he said, pulling out a kunai. "Observe." He held up his other hand and pulled the kunai across it, cutting into his palm deeply. He ignored Hinata's gasp as he displayed the bloody hand to her, then wiped the blood off on his pants leg. When he showed her his palm again, there was no sign of any injury.
"H-how did you?" Hinata asked.
"Extensive medical training coupled with some unique advantages," he replied simply.
Hinata just began shaking her head. "W-when did you get m-medical training?"
Ah, now that was a bit of an awkward question. Still, he had known someone was going to ask eventually, and had worked out an answer with the Hokage already.
"I have been studying medical jutsu on the side for some time," he explained, "fitting in training around the Academy schedule. I would spend a lot of my afternoons and weekends tied up with that."
Hinata was shaking her head faster. "Y-you're lying," she accused, her voice becoming oddly fierce. "Naruto-kun never did that. Naruto-kun spent his time playing pranks on the rest of the village, and he liked being the center of attention. He wasn't sneaking off to get additional training," she proclaimed, sounding utterly certain. Her expression twisted, and she held up her hands in front of her, forming a seal and shouting, "Byakugan!"
She let out a small cry and reflexively covered her eyes as she caught sight of his youki up close. The Hinata in his world had said it was like a flash tag going off in her face, and even prepared for it she still had trouble adjusting sometimes; this one was witnessing it for the first time and had just gotten the full brunt of it.
When she lowered her arms, she was blinking rapidly and her eyes were actually watering. "Who are you? What have you done with Naruto-kun?" she hissed, settling into her Jyuuken stance once more; whatever shyness had effected her before was completely gone now.
"I am Naruto," Kuushou insisted.
Hinata didn't reply, instead charging forward much more quickly than she had last time, her hands glowing with chakra. Kuushou grinned as he began actively fighting her, dodging and weaving around her strikes and countering with a few quick jabs of his own. Apparently he could goad her into fighting him, although not at all in the manner he would have expected. He would need to deal with this problem eventually, but right now he would get an accurate picture of her skill.
That picture wasn't very good, as it turned out. Her form was stiff, strictly textbook Jyuuken, and her attacks were rather slow and predictable as a result. Her overall approach reminded him heavily of Neji, but she lacked both the power and the viciousness to make that style work for her. She had yet to employ the flexibility or agility he was accustomed to and it wasn't looking like she was going to, either.
Her strikes became even wilder as she failed to land a single blow, and he decided to end it. He seized her arm and twisted it harshly, pulling her off balance, then grabbed a handful of her large jacket and used the leverage to flip her through the air, dropping her onto her back. She landed with enough force to drive the air out of her lungs, and she lay there stunned as she tried to recover.
"Not quite what I was expecting, honestly," Kuushou noted as he looked down at her.
"Why are you doing this?" she wheezed, staring up at him. "Where is Naruto-kun?"
"The Naruto Uzumaki you knew is gone," he said bluntly, annoyed. "I-"
"No!" Hinata cried, leaping to her feet.
"I-" Kuushou started again, but Hinata turned and ran out of the clearing, tears already streaming down her face.
He watched her run, blinking, before he sighed. He could perhaps have phrased that better, but that particular revelation was going to come out sooner rather than later, and she had seen right through his so-called cover story. Besides, he'd basically stopped acting even remotely like the Naruto of this world on the second day.
He felt Kurenai moving, then his head snapped to the side as she appeared in front of him and slapped him rather forcefully. "I hope you're happy," she spat, then left the clearing to chase after her student.
"Hmm...," Kuushou said, staring after them. "That definitely could have gone better."
With some unexpected free time on his hands and no training scheduled for tomorrow, he decided to take another mission. His original intent was to take one on his own, but he bumped into Anko before he even made it halfway to the Hokage Tower.
"Already breaking hearts, eh, blondie?" she asked as she fell into step with him.
"News travels fast," Kuushou observed, glancing at her.
"This is a ninja village," Anko pointed out, "but I'd say it has more to do with the Hyuuga heiress running through the training grounds while bawling her eyes out. She's not exactly prime kunoichi material, but that's unusual even for her."
"You'd be surprised," Kuushou noted.
"That is normal for her? Damn, and I thought this one was bad."
"No," Kuushou said, shaking his head, "she actually is prime kunoichi material."
"You're joking," Anko said.
"Not at all. Is Neji still a prodigy here?"
"Yep," Anko noted sourly, "with an entire fucking tree trunk shoved up his ass to match."
"... not quite the same, I guess, but the point is that she could give Neji a run for his money, properly trained."
Anko whistled lowly. "I may not like the little shit, but he is good. And she can match him?"
"Wins four out of ten, last I checked."
"Huh... anyway, I was thinking about taking a mission and needed a partner. You interested?"
Kuushou eyed her curiously. "I have to be back in the village the day after tomorrow for my next training session."
"I'm sure we can find something useful to do without needing to go too far. There are quite a few missing-nin and bandits that slipped into the Land of Fire, after all," Anko said, grinning. "Feel up to another quick and dirty mission?"
Kuushou matched her grin.
"So why'd you really ask me to come?" Kuushou asked that evening as they made camp. They had taken one of the many patrol missions Konoha was currently offering and had already taken out two C-rank missing-nin – a far cry from the frantic battles of his last jaunt outside the village, but still unusual for a mission inside the borders of the Land of Fire. "You hardly need a partner when you can just have those snakes guard you."
"I could, sure, but that's boring," Anko replied. "Besides, you're a lot more fun than most of the idiots I get paired up with."
"How so?"
"No crap about who's in charge, for one thing. You'd be surprised how many chuunin start trying to order me around."
"I assume they regret that rather quickly," Kuushou observed drily.
"I can't do too much to them – stupid regulations – but they do tend to avoid me after that... wimps. You also carry your weight in a fight – I haven't had to save your scrawny ass yet, which is more than I can say for most of the clowns they call chuunin."
Kuushou snorted. "Glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks most of them are a joke."
"Was it this bad in your world?"
"Not as far as I can tell. I haven't met anyone under the age of twenty who actually deserves to be called a ninja here. Not everyone I knew was great, mind you, but they could at least throw a kunai right."
"What about me? You must have met me at least once, or at least seen me around the village."
"We met a few times, actually, and you seem to be much the same as far as I can tell."
Anko just hummed thoughtfully. "What else in the village changed?" she asked curiously.
"Danzo," he replied immediately.
Anko frowned. "That hardass? What's he like in your world?"
"He isn't."
"... isn't what?"
"He isn't in my world. At all."
"Huh. That's hard to imagine, for some reason. He's always hanging around the Hokage Tower like a blank-faced bundle of joy here."
"Then there's the Council; that's completely different."
"How so?"
"Well, Koharu and Homura are dead, for one thing, but in my world the Council actually has twenty-three people on it, both civilians and ninja, and it's been like that for a long time. It's not just two people."
"Odd," Anko said.
"What's odd is how everyone takes orders from those two. The Hokage says they aren't in the chain of command at all, but every ninja I've talked to thinks they're just one step below the Hokage. They also don't seem to like me very much, for some reason."
"Tell me about it," Anko muttered.
"Oh?" Kuushou asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Old news," Anko said airily, waving off his question. She stood and stretched before turning and walking towards the edge of the clearing. "I'll take my turn at watch. You're up in four hours, so I'd suggest turning in now."
Kuushou watched her leave, pondering the sudden shift in her attitude once the current Council was brought up.
"Fifty-fifty isn't quite fair," Anko was insisting as they neared the gates of Konoha. "You did your share of the work, sure, but I was providing vital oversight to the operation."
Kuushou snorted. "What operation? We saw weak missing-nin, we killed weak missing-nin – the end. And technically I killed two of them while you only killed one."
Anko waved off his objection. "You got the C-rank pansies. I took out the B-ranker."
"Only after I wounded him."
"Like that made a difference," Anko laughed. She shrugged then, saying, "Fine, if you want to play it that way, I'll just add the Sexy Tax to my share."
"... the what?"
"The Sexy Tax. It's standard Konoha policy that the most attractive member of any team gets an additional ten percent for making the entire mission more pleasant for everyone."
Kuushou just stared at her for a long moment. "No."
"Cheapskate," Anko grumbled. As they neared the gates that lead into Konoha, she paused, then whipped around suddenly, her trenchcoat flaring dramatically as she came to a rest, one hand pointing at him imperiously.
"Naruto Uzumaki!" she intoned, her voice pitched to carry. "As the team leader and ranking officer for this mission, I hereby invoke article twenty-three of the Konoha Code of Conduct. Failure to comply will result in severe sanctions levied against you and a permanent mark upon your record!"
Everyone in earshot fell silent as they worked through what Anko had just said. Kuushou twitched as he recalled the section in question – 'On any mission lasting longer than six hours, the team leader may, at their sole discretion, designate a member or members of their squad who shall be responsible for the procurement of provisions for all members of the squad.' There were limits on the amount that could be spent and options for reimbursement and so on, but that was the gist of it.
"... did you seriously just invoke the Ration Rule to make me buy you dango?"
"Yes," Anko said, grinning widely. "Yes, I did."
Kuushou returned her grin after a moment, shaking his head in disbelief as they resumed walking.
"Well played."
Before they made it to the dango stand, they ran into a rookie team once again, though this time it was Team Ten.
"Naruto!" Ino yelled the moment she spotted him. "What the hell did you do to Hinata?"
"Nothing," Kuushou replied flatly, watching her approach dispassionately. "She simply did not react well to certain news I shared with her."
"That's one way to put it," Anko muttered from the sidelines as she watched Ino stalk up to him.
"What kind of stupid prank did you pull this time?" Ino continued, jabbing her hand forward to poke him in the chest.
Kuushou's eyes narrowed, and before she could touch him he grabbed her hand and stepped behind her, twisting her arm and pulling her hand upwards, forcing her to rise up to her tiptoes to relieve some of the pressure.
"There was no prank," he said in that same flat monotone – rather like Itachi's, now that he thought about it. "Hinata's sensei was observing the entire time; you may confer with her if you wish to corroborate my story."
"The hell?" Ino yelped. "Let me go!"
Kuushou paused, stepping back slightly while maintaining his hold on her arm. Her other hand and both feet were unhindered, but she was acting like she had been rendered completely helpless. The real Ino could have broken out of that hold three different ways before he'd even taken his first step, and had even more ways of responding when her arm was behind her back.
He glanced at Anko, who was shaking her head and looking disgusted. He then glanced to the other side, where Shikamaru and Chouji were standing. Shikamaru's eyes were narrowed as he looked on, and Kuushou noted that his hands were raised in front of him, just shy of forming handseals. Chouji looked distinctly uncomfortable, but his posture had shifted subtly and he was poised to charge forward.
Kuushou nodded to them before releasing Ino, causing her to stumble forward slightly before she whirled to face him again. Shikamaru and Chouji both relaxed, though Shikamaru continued to study him intently.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ino snapped.
"Making a point," he replied evenly.
"Huh?" She actually appeared genuinely confused by his answer.
Kuushou turned on his heel and began walking away, ignoring the rest of her spluttered protests. Anko joined him a moment later, smirking slightly.
"Never a dull moment with you around, blondie," she said. Her smirk faltered when he didn't reply.
Somehow, Kuushou wasn't surprised to find himself "invited" to the Hokage's office later that afternoon. He also wasn't surprised to find that both the "Council" and Danzo were waiting in the office as well.
"Naruto Uzumaki," the Hokage began, "you have been called here to discuss a formal complaint that has been filed regarding your teaching methods." The old man's tone was strictly professional, and his face didn't reveal any of his thoughts.
"This is in regards to Hinata Hyuuga, I assume?" he replied.
"Yes, it is," Koharu snapped. "You attempted to emotionally traumatize the girl within the first ten minutes of your session. Added to your borderline hostile approach with Kiba Inuzuka, Konoha's Council has serious concerns about your fitfulness to continue instructing students."
Kuushou glanced at her for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the Hokage. "What is the actual content of the complaint?"
"The ninja in question feels that your methods do not take into account the needs of the student, and that your approach has already caused considerable harm to the student's development as a ninja. They also assert that continued sessions would cause even further harm, and request that all sessions be terminated immediately," Homura responded. "While you do have some skill," he added, "it is clear that you lack the necessary qualifications for conveying that skill to others."
Kuushou cut his eyes towards the other adviser for a moment, then returned to the Hokage once more.
"Do I even need to be here?" he asked after a moment, not bothering to hide his disgust with the situation.
"You will watch your tone, genin!" Koharu snapped. Kuushou chuckled internally; apparently the old woman had forgotten he had already been promoted to chuunin.
Kuushou didn't even bother to look at her this time, instead staring straight at the Hokage. The old man met his gaze evenly, neither looking away or blinking for several seconds.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Homura asked.
Kuushou didn't acknowledge that the man had spoken, maintaining his impromptu staring contest with the Hokage. He noted that the old man's eyes had narrowed slightly.
"In that case," Koharu began, but she was interrupted when the Hokage's hand slammed down onto the desk.
"That is enough," he barked.
"Hiruzen?" Koharu asked, startled.
"Koharu, Homura, and Danzo – thank you for your advice on this matter. You are dismissed."
The room was silent for a moment, then Homura choked out a "What?"
"I said, you are dismissed," the Hokage repeated evenly. "I am perfectly capable of handling the rest of this meeting on my own."
"Hiruzen, what are you-"
"Do I need to repeat myself again?" the Hokage asked, a hint of steel entering his voice.
It was Danzo who moved first, the old man tapping his cane on the floor as he walked towards the door to the Hokage's office. His face was blank as always, but his eyes lingered on Kuushou's form for several seconds as he passed.
Koharu and Homura slowly followed his example, their expressions set in a sort of stunned confusion as they left the room.
The Hokage sighed softly as the door closed behind them.
"Nice going, Ho-"
"Naruto," the Hokage said, his voice slicing through Kuushou's words like a knife. "Why did you tell her, and I quote, 'the Naruto Uzumaki you knew is gone'?"
Kuushou blinked. Apparently the Hokage was a little bit pissed right now; that was the harshest tone he'd ever heard directed at himself from the old man.
"Hinata had already deduced that I was not Naruto Uzumaki," he replied carefully. "I offered our agreed upon cover story about how I received additional training in secret, but she rejected it out of hand. She proceeded to give a rather accurate profile of Naruto's activities and personality, and insisted that he 'never did that.' She was rather emphatic about it, going so far as to attack me out of anger.
"My intent was to explain that the Naruto she was familiar with was merely a cover, but she reacted far more negatively to my initial wording that I had anticipated and left the clearing before I could say anything further."
"I see," the Hokage said, relaxing slightly.
"Was none of that in the so-called complaint?"
"It was presented in a rather different light, but the complaint did cover that, yes."
"And did Kurenai seriously ask that the rest of the teaching sessions be canceled?"
"What makes you think it was Kurenai?"
"She did slap me hard enough to leave bruising just after Hinata left the clearing, or was that 'presented in a different light' as well?"
"That was somehow overlooked in the complaint," the Hokage noted, his expression wry. "However, this does leave us with something of a problem."
"Yes, it does," Kuushou said, leaning forward. "The kunoichi from this most recent graduating class are pathetic."
The Hokage reared back, startled. "What?"
"Do you realize that Ino Yamanaka, who you yourself described as 'middle of the pack', was unable to counter a simple hammerlock hold? She didn't even try. Even before things went sour, Hinata Hyuuga refused to remove her jacket despite the serious disadvantage it gave her in combat; given what I know of Hinata in my world and this one's reaction when I mentioned it, I believe she is embarrassed because her body has begun developing early. Embarrassed. Sakura Haruno lacks the advantages a ninja upbringing can give and even in my world her close combat skills weren't all that impressive – I shudder to think of what they'll be like here. Do you really want to send these kunoichi out into the field?"
The Hokage stared at him silently for several seconds, his expression darkening, then made a subtle motion with his hand. An ANBU appeared in front of him, kneeling.
"Yes, Hokage-sama?" the ANBU said.
"Bring me the Academy records for this year's graduates, then tell Iruka Umino to come to my office immediately."
Kuushou watched with interest as Iruka entered the office, the teacher looking incredibly nervous. No doubt the man was wondering why he had been abruptly summoned to meet with the Hokage. The man gave him a quick, curious glance, then focused all of his attention on the Hokage.
"Iruka Umino, reporting as ordered, sir," the teacher announced formally, saluting.
"Relax, Iruka-kun, you aren't in trouble," the Hokage said, though his tone was anything but cordial. "You are here to answer some questions I have about the recent graduating class."
Iruka smiled hesitantly, but did relax out of his rigid stance. "Of course, Hokage-sama."
"I have here," the Hokage said, motioning to the files on his desk, "the results from all of the graduating students. For instance, the files tell me that our Rookie of the Year, Sasuke Uchiha, ranked first in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu."
"Yes, Hokage-sama, that is correct," Iruka said.
"What the files don't tell me, Iruka-kun, is what rank he is," the Hokage pointed out.
Iruka blinked. "I... don't understand what you mean."
"The files tell me his rank in the Academy, but they do not tell me his actual rating on the traditional scale," the Hokage clarified. "Is he B-rank? C-rank? Where do his individual skills fall?"
"Ah," Iruka said. "The Academy no longer assesses the students in that manner – it is instead left to the jounin-sensei to more accurately measure their students' prowess once they have been placed on a team."
The Hokage's eyes narrowed. "When did that change occur?"
"I... think it was a year or two before I joined the teaching staff, Hokage-sama," Iruka replied nervously. "I have always been told to rank the students strictly against each other, as it provides a more accurate basis for comparison than the general D- or C-rank designations."
The Hokage nodded slowly. "Very well," he said at length. "Setting that aside, if you did rank Sasuke Uchiha on the traditional scale, where would you place him overall?"
Iruka thought for a moment, then said, "From a combat perspective, low to mid C-rank. Overall, a high D-rank."
The Hokage frowned. "Moving on, I note in Ino Yamanaka's file that she ranked second in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu, just behind Sasuke. I find this a little surprising, as the class profile clearly had her listed in the middle."
"Er, actually, Hokage-sama, she ranked second in those categories among the kunoichi."
"... pardon?"
"The kunoichi are graded separately from the male ninja. She was beaten out by Hinata Hyuuga in taijutsu, and Sakura Haruno in ninjutsu and genjutsu."
The Hokage opened up the file again, scanning it quickly. "Where is this separation indicated?"
Iruka blinked, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I can't recall that it is, actually. It's just how we were told to do it."
The Hokage flipped open two more files, glancing between them quickly. "I see," he said flatly. "That does answer one of my other questions regarding how first, second, and third all had ties. It seems that, in fact, they did not."
The Hokage sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly, then turned his attention back to Iruka. "Where would you rank Ino Yamanaka's combat skill on the traditional scale?"
"Low D," Iruka replied immediately.
The Hokage grimaced, and Kuushou just shook his head in disgust.
"Where would you rank Hinata Hyuuga and Sakura Haruno's combat skill?"
"Hmm..., mid D-rank and E-rank, respectively."
The Hokage stopped moving entirely.
Iruka gulped and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.
"I must have misheard you," the Hokage said slowly. "Did you just say that Hinata Hyuuga, the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan and possessor of the byakugan, and Sakura Haruno, Kunoichi of the Year, had combat ratings of mid D-rank and E-rank?"
"Y-yes, Hokage-sama," Iruka replied nervously.
The Hokage glanced at Kuushou, who just gave him a raised eyebrow in return.
"Just how," the Hokage asked, focusing on Iruka once more, "did Sakura Haruno manage to secure the Kunoichi of the Year title?"
"Her academic and non-combat scores were high enough to overcome the problems caused by her low combat scores," Iruka explained.
The Hokage was silent for nearly a minute, leaving Iruka fidgeting nervously and shifting from foot to foot. Eventually, he said, "Thank you for your time, Iruka-kun. That will be all."
"Of course, Hokage-sama," Iruka said quickly, saluting.
Once he had left the office, Kuushou spoke up. "I gather that you weren't aware of most of those changes," he said.
The Hokage leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "Not all of it, no. Despite what many people seem to think, I don't have the time to personally oversee everything in Konoha, Naruto-kun. Unfortunately, it seems that some of the changes, while perhaps well-intentioned, have not produced positive results."
The Hokage sighed again. "For the sake of comparison, where would you place your fellow graduates in your own world?"
Kuushou hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Using my Triple-B evaluation as a baseline, I would say that the Clan Kids ranged from mid-C to mid-B."
The Hokage grimaced. The room fell silent as the Hokage contemplated the situation and Kuushou attempted to divine his thoughts. After a minute, Kuushou decided to speak up.
"While this has been enlightening," Kuushou said, "and has certainly made my point clear, this does still leave the matter of Kurenai's complaint."
"Yes," the Hokage said slowly, "it does. As Hinata's jounin instructor, she does have significant authority in the matter of her training and it's highly unusual to outright ignore their requests as concerns their genin."
"But?" Kuushou prompted when the Hokage didn't continue immediately.
"But she has also known the Hyuuga heiress for several years, and possibly lacks an objective viewpoint in this matter. Still, all else aside, she may have a point that you are not the proper person to train Hinata, given the girl's earlier reaction."
"Possibly," Kuushou allowed. "Something I noticed during my brief spar with Hinata has been bothering me, though: her Jyuuken form was very rigid, sticking to the basic principles of the style to the point of absurdity. Why is that?"
"I can't say I know much about her training specifically, but the Hyuuga have always been very particular about how their style is used. I take it you expected something else?"
"I expected her to use her flexibility and agility to maximum effect, attempting to strike around my guard rather than the head-on approach she used. She is not well-suited to the base Jyuuken style at all. My understanding is that she learned a great deal from her mother; is that not the case here?"
"No," the Hokage replied, grimacing. "Her mother died when she was very young, long before any training would have begun."
"I see," Kuushou replied, nodding. That explained that little mystery, then. Well, part of it, anyway – any idiot could see that Hinata was not a power-type, so the way she was apparently trained still made little sense.
"Do you think you could teach Hinata this other style of Jyuuken?" the Hokage asked pointedly.
"Only if she's willing to learn. After what I've seen so far, I'm not sure she has it in her."
The Hokage made no reply to that.
"I assume I am still going to be teaching the other Clan Kids?" Kuushou asked.
The Hokage shook off his thoughts and nodded. "Yes. Despite the reservations of certain parties, I still believe that the children will learn a great deal from you. The training sessions will continue."
"And if those certain parties try to interfere?"
"Then they will be explaining themselves to me," the Hokage said firmly.
Kuushou grinned at the steel he heard in the Hokage's voice. "Glad to hear it, Hokage-jiji."
A/N: In true Konoha fashion, just about everyone knows about "the secret" by the end of the second day.
Hinata took the news that Naruto is "dead" about as well as could be expected. Kurenai's reaction is understandable, given how protective she is of Hinata. She knew that the training session was a disaster in the making, and she was proven right.
Once I get through the rest of the initial training sessions, the pace will accelerate rapidly towards the Chuunin Exams. The Wave Mission will be covered... sort of. I haven't decided who will be getting that mission or if Kuushou will be involved. However, Naruto "The Miracle Worker" Uzumaki will not be there regardless, so... yeah. If it does end up being Kakashi, reality is going to ensue. If someone else, Intelligence may ensue instead. It will get no more than a chapter, either way.
I'd be very interested to hear comments on my portrayal of the "Council". I've presented three different points of view on them as well as showing how they behave via Kuushou.
As always, thanks for reading and thanks for all the reviews!
Edit: 02-25-2012
I'm getting several consistent questions and comments in my reviews, so I'll post the answers here for anyone else who might be wondering.
1) Is there going to be a plot?
Yes, there is and will continue to be a plot. There is a certain level of commentary on canon inherent in this idea, but I feel that I have done nothing that contradicts the canon base I am using. If you disagree, please provide specific examples to help me understand where I went wrong.
2) What about the Bijuu?
The Bijuu in TEC differ in three major ways from canon: first, there were nine of them from the start, and no Juubi; second, their personalities and names (and True Names) are distinct from their canon counterparts; third, they were born in and existed in an entirely separate realm (as were the Summons) which had some important consequences for how their powers developed. Kuushou is a fundamentally different being from Kyuubi.
3) What about Mr. Pinkeye (less commonly known as Madara Uchiha)?
Kuushou is not Kyuubi. Thus, he cannot be used to reform the Jyuubi, and the Sharingan / Mangekyou Sharingan will not control him. For the purposes of this story at least I am assuming that the sharingan can do that because it was spawned from the Juubi's own powers, in a way. I would assume the MS can control all the Bijuu, but I don't know if that's actually been shown in canon.
4) What happened to canon!Naruto?
For the time being, this world is just a copy of canon with a single substitution made. Canon!Naruto in TEC would end... badly for him. The results for the world at large would be mixed - some people would come out better, others worse. The major threats in TEC are not of the world destroying variety.
5) Is this just canon bashing? Council bashing? And so on?
As I mentioned above, I do not feel that I have done one single thing with the canon characters that is not fully justified and consistent with what we were shown in canon. What we are told, on the other hand, I intend to ignore. For instance: Ino, according to Narutopedia, graduated second in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu just behind Sasuke.
Bullshit. Ino couldn't take Sakura, and I can't recall that she even fought anyone aside from that. What we are shown in canon is that kunoichi are useless, and for the most part that continues to be the case. Tsunade and Mei Terumi seem to be the exceptions. Anko? Kidnapped. Kurenai? Sarutobi actually says that her main purpose is to bear children. Sakura? Had an absurdly good showing against freaking Sasori of all people, then reverts to her pre-timeskip personality. And so on. Now, I did stop reading shortly after the timeskip (about the time Naruto burned his skin off using Kyuubi's power, I believe it was), so a lot of this is from the wiki or comments on other fics I've read. It's possible I've overlooked major parts of the story.
Sasuke, despite my dislike for how his character developed and the monster he has become in canon, really was one of the most competent graduates. I've mentioned several times that Kiba and Shino are actually quite close to their TEC counterparts (or, rather, that those two in TEC are only moderately stronger than in canon, said growth due to their time with the Clan Kids). Their knowledge in TEC, as they were actively encouraged from multiple fronts to learn everything they could, is a different matter altogether.
I'm trying my hardest to not bash the Council (or anyone else, for that matter), but they are not going to be friendly with Kuushou. After his blatant disrespect in that meeting and after they realize Sarutobi's newfound criticism of their actions stems from "Naruto", it's just going to get worse. They aren't going to pull some grandiose plot out of their ass that will culminate in an epic showdown in the Council Room or before the whole village, no. They will be as deliberately obstructive as possible, and they will be examining every single one of his actions under a microscope trying to find fault.
Bashing is, to me, showing people in the worst possible light because you, the author, do not like them. In Naruto fiction that tends to be showing people who don't like Naruto as retarded, insane, incapable of logical thought, and ludicrously incompetent to boot. Koharu and Homura really do care about Konoha, they really do perform a lot of vital functions within the village and so on... but they aren't perfect. They've also become accustomed to a certain amount of authority that, officially speaking, they do not have. They have been overstepping their bounds, little by little, for so long that everyone in the village, including them, has forgotten where the bounds were. Sarutobi has allowed this to happen, even encouraged it to an extent, because he trusts them and knows they can get the job done. He's also had some of the consequences of that abruptly thrown into his face, aided by Kuushou who is deliberately manipulating the situation in his favor.