Sasuke actually seemed reluctant to leave at the end of the training session, a marked departure from every other student he had seen so far. Kuushou had divided their time evenly between sparring and practice, and the Uchiha had taken to it with a fervor that surprised him. Still, he had more important things to do than continuing to train genin, even if Sasuke was the most eager of the lot.
Once Sasuke was on his way, loaded down with tips to increase his chakra control - he didn't know about tree-walking either, and was only aware of a single variant to the leaf exercise - Kuushou waited in the clearing for a few minutes, gathering his thoughts and waiting to see if any of the observers were going to accost him following the training session. None of them did, however, and he could feel two of them trailing after Sasuke while the other two split off in another direction.
Since nothing was going to happen there, Kuushou now had the rest of this day as well as the two following to himself. His next batch of seals weren't due to the Higurashi store for another week and he didn't see any reason to try to strike deals with other merchants, so he didn't need to do anything in that regard.
There was also the matter of the Forbidden Scroll... he hadn't retrieved it from its hiding place yet, and it wouldn't do to allow someone to accidentally stumble over it, regardless of how unlikely such an event was.
Yes, that would do nicely. Retrieve the scroll and then take a two day mission that would allow him time to peruse it at his leisure.
Retrieving the scroll went well enough – using a minor genjutsu to create a distraction had given him enough time to slip underground, seal away the hidden nest of scrolls into one of his sealing scrolls, and return to the surface without anyone noticing his absence. The entire process had taken less than ten seconds.
"So, where we headed first, Blondie?" Anko asked, her hands clasped behind her head as she walked beside him out of the gates of Konoha.
His attempt to take a solo mission, on the other hand, had failed before he even reached the Hokage Tower. Anko had spotted him, correctly deduced that he was taking another mission, and invited herself along. In other circumstances he wouldn't have minded, but this time it was a hindrance to his plans.
"I had planned to head north to Outpost Thirty, then sweep west until we hit Outpost Sixteen, then head back in."
"Works for me. Hopefully we'll find something interesting to keep us entertained."
Kuushou eyed Anko's sleeping form, trying to decide if he should attempt to crack open the Forbidden Scroll now. She was the only ninja for miles in any direction, but he also had to respect that she was a damn good one. If he attempted to open it anywhere near her, she would probably sense his use of chakra and realize that he was doing something unusual; and that was without considering whatever security features the scroll had. It obviously lacked passive beacons, but he didn't know what would happen once he tried to open it.
He could incapacitate her in some fashion, but there were so many ways that could go wrong, both immediately and long-term, that he swiftly discarded that idea. Moving away from her was safer in that regard, but their nightly patrols usually only encompassed a small area - moving far enough away to avoid detection would be extremely unusual.
Ultimately, though it was irritating, he decided to put it off for the time being. He was getting closer to securing the resources he would need to function without the support Konoha provided, but he wasn't there yet. There were too many ways things could go wrong, and he would hate to have to kill Anko just because he had become impatient.
He would need to find another way; extensive privacy seals within his own apartment, perhaps.
The mission had passed without incident – not even a missing-nin to kill this time – and they had returned to Konoha two days later. Anko invoked the Ration Rule just before they entered Konoha, as she had after every mission, and he found himself buying her dango once again. Once that was taken care of and he had returned to his apartment, he immediately got to work on crafting and installing additional layers of privacy seals – enough to block the sight of a Hyuuga through sheer volume of chakra, if nothing else.
Kuushou looked up from his work when he felt the chakra signature he had been subconsciously tracking stop outside his door. A moment later a series of sharp knocks echoed throughout his apartment. He recognized the signature, but had no idea why Kurenai of all people be visiting him at this hour.
"Yuuhi-jounin," he said after opening the door, "I can't say I expected to see you here."
"There is a matter I would like to discuss with you, Uzumaki-chuunin," she said formally. "May I come in?"
Kuushou stared at her for several seconds before finally nodding. "Very well," he said, stepping aside.
They settled down in the living room, Kuushou leaning against the marble table and Kurenai sitting uncomfortably on the edge of the couch.
"What is this about?" Kuushou asked.
"Tomorrow will be Hinata's second training session. I wanted to discuss your plans and explain some of my concerns."
"I am not required to do so. As long as the students are willing and show improvement, I have been given free rein to train them as I wish."
Kurenai's hands balled into fists, but she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I would be... grateful, if you would hear me out."
Kuushou was rather enjoying this, but decided to not push her any further just yet. "I'm listening," he said neutrally.
"As you may have gathered, Hinata had a significant crush on Naruto, and has for years. Her situation with her family and her clan is... difficult, and Naruto was one of the few positive things in her life. Finding out that he was gone, especially in the manner she did, was... traumatic. Her... father..." Kurenai trailed off, her hands balled into fists again.
Kuushou blinked at the way her tone changed - she managed to pack a shocking amount of loathing and disgust into a single word.
"Her father," Kurenai continued, her tone evening out, "did not help the situation. He gave her an ultimatum three days after that first training session: either she continues training with you or removes herself from the ninja forces entirely. He does not want a... failure diminishing the reputation of the Hyuuga Clan."
"So she attends the training," Kuushou replied after a moment. "Problem solved."
"I heard about what you put Ino and Sakura through," Kurenai said tightly. "Your approach with them was harsh, almost excessively so, and the past has shown beyond a doubt that Hinata does not respond well to that type of instruction. However, Hinata does not wish to resign as a ninja, and so she will continue to attend your training." Kurenai had that odd expression on her face again. Kuushou focused on it a little more intently this time, and thought that it was... concern mixed with pride?
Kurenai drew in a deep breath. "If you approach Hinata like you have Ino and Sakura, the result will not be pretty. Physically she will likely be able to endure it, but mentally and emotionally having her greatest support, you, turn into yet another demanding and dismissive authority figure could destroy her."
She drew in a deep breath and then slipped off the couch, falling to her hands and knees and pressing her forehead to the floor. "I beg of you, please do not do that to her. I do not wish to see my student reduced to such a state."
Kuushou stared at her, thoroughly surprised. His limited interactions with Kurenai had shown she had a great deal of pride, and for her to abase herself in this manner, especially to him, revealed just how concerned she was about this.
Under other circumstances he might have enjoyed seeing her like this, but the knowledge that she was doing it for Hinata's sake rather than as the culmination of his own efforts ruined his enjoyment of the situation.
"Get up, Yuuhi-jounin," he said.
She did so hesitantly, looking at him cautiously.
"Tell me about the Hyuuga family, Yuuhi-jounin," Kuushou said. "Where is Hisana Hyuuga? Where is Hizashi Hyuuga? And why does Hiashi Hyuuga openly state that my attempts to train Hinata are 'wasting my time'?" He knew the answers to some of these questions, but he had yet to hear anyone speak of Hizashi Hyuuga's fate. This provided an excellent chance to learn what had happened to the ANBU Commander of his world.
Kurenai settled back onto the couch, her expression torn between relief and confusion, and began speaking.
Kiba's second session went more smoothly than the first, although the Inuzuka felt compelled to threaten him with a severe beating if he made Hinata cry again. They both knew that there was no chance Kiba could deliver on that threat, but Kiba still made it anyway.
Kuushou started off with another sparring session - only partly intended to drive home how outmatched Kiba was - then returned to chakra control training. Kiba was learning quickly, especially once he was informed of some of the more subtle uses of the skill.
Tree-walking and water-walking were core skills for any ninja, but they did far more than just allowing someone to traverse different surfaces. Once sufficiently mastered, the user could achieve perfect traction on any surface from any angle. The utility of this ranged from the obvious ability to walk on vertical surfaces to the incredibly subtle ability to launch yourself forward that little bit faster, to change directions without slipping.
Kuushou drilled the point home by running across the clearing twice. The first time he did so without utilizing any chakra technique at all. Then, prior to running back across the clearing, he used a few water jutsu to turn a stretch of the clearing into a muddy slop that Kiba had difficulty just walking normally on.
He finished the second trip faster than the first by a significant margin.
After the conclusion of that training session, Kuushou made his way to Ichiraku Ramen, his mind still contemplating how he was going to deal with Hinata. He had barely finished eating his first bowl when two familiar signatures approached the stand.
"Ah, Naruto-san, a pleasure to see you again," Mareko said as she entered the stand. "I hope you don't mind, but I've brought one of my associates who wanted to meet you. He had heard about your techniques and skill and was every bit as impressed as I was. This is Kabuto Yakushi."
"Ah, Yakushi-jounin," Kuushou said, turning to face Kabuto. "I'm flattered that one of the hospital's most skilled surgeons would be interested in my techniques." He had met Kabuto often during his time studying under Shizune, and everyone spoke quite highly of his abilities. He had never had occasion to work with him directly, however.
He knew something was off when Kabuto's expression froze and Mareko looked confused. "Oh," she said, understanding dawning in her face, "you must be referring to Ikuto Yakushi, Kabuto-kun's father. No, Kabuto is still a genin, and his talents lie more in the realm of field medicine."
Kuushou smiled apologetically. "My mistake," he said. That was bullshit; there was no way that tightly controlled and refined chakra belonged to a mere genin. This Kabuto wasn't exactly the same as the one he knew, but the differences seemed to be superficial. The obvious question was why this one was still a genin.
Kabuto's expression quickly morphed into embarrassed chagrin. "It's a bit of a shame, but I just don't have the knack for surgery that my father does. Still, I had hoped to talk with you and maybe get some tips that could help me improve, maybe push my skills forward enough that I could make chuunin."
Mareko nodded happily, smiling. "I'm sure Naruto-san will be able to teach you a lot, Kabuto-kun. I'd be more than happy to arrange for some time at the hospital if you need some materials or equipment to better demonstrate the techniques," she added. "I'll just leave you two to it, then."
Kabuto smiled, adjusting his glasses with one finger. "I look forward to learning all I can, Naruto-kun."
Kuushou returned to the clearing, his thoughts now more focused on the strange conversation he'd just had with Kabuto Yakushi than his upcoming training session with Hinata. There was a genuine interest in medical techniques there, but the majority of the supposed genin's questions had focused on his past rather than his skills. There were also quite a few leading questions on the training sessions and his relationship with the Hokage. All in all, it had been a very interesting lunch that raised quite a few questions and answered none.
He refocused as he entered the clearing, finding that Hinata was waiting for him and that Kurenai had once again taken up residence nearby in order to observe.
He paused, taking a moment to study Hinata as he had not seen the girl since the rather disastrous end of their training session one week ago. She was wearing her normal clothing; a beige, hooded jacket and dark pants that stopped at mid-calf along with ninja sandals. She had one kunai pouch strapped to her right leg and wore her forehead protector around her neck.
Her demeanor surprised him, though. From her reaction last week and Kurenai's words he had expected her to be nearly broken, even more quiet and reserved than she had been before. Instead she was straight-backed and staring at him intensely. Only her hands betrayed her, as they were clenched into fists and trembling at her sides.
"Hello, Hinata," Kuushou said neutrally.
"Hello, Naruto-kun," Hinata answered. She didn't stutter, and her voice was calm and even. "I am sorry for how I r-reacted last week. I should have given you time to properly explain." Her voice wavered slightly, but she managed to get through it without further stuttering.
"I too should apologize," he said. "I worded that rather... poorly. In fact, before we get started, I think we should have a little talk," Kuushou added, motioning for her to join him as he sat against a nearby tree.
Once she had settled in, he began. "How much do you know of my situation?" he asked.
"That you are Naruto, just from another reality. That the world you came from had a slightly different history, and that you were brought here on the day of the final exams," she recited. Her pale eyes were studying him intently as she spoke.
"Anything else?"
Hinata just shook her head wordlessly, her hands clasped together in her lap and trembling occasionally.
"Did anyone attempt to explain the unusual nature of my chakra?"
Hinata startled slightly, then shook her head again. "They just said it wasn't an issue and not to worry about it."
Kuushou snorted in disdain. "That's a half-truth at best, but we'll deal with that another time. What I need to know before we discuss anything else is... why did you decide to continue the training?"
Her hands started shaking harder even as she did her best to hide it. "My father-"
"Is an idiot and an asshole," Kuushou interrupted. Hinata's eyes widened in shock. "And that's not what I asked. Whatever ultimatum he gave you, there's a reason you chose this instead of resigning as a ninja. So, why are you continuing the training?"
Hinata swallowed thickly. "Kurenai-sen-"
"Again, not what I asked. I don't care about your father, or your teacher, or your friends, or the Hokage, or the Council, or anyone else. Why are you here?"
Hinata stared at him wide-eyed, her entire body trembling. Kuushou continued to match her gaze as if daring her to look away. Finally, Hinata answered his question in a quiet whisper, almost too low for him to hear, as one tear trailed down her face.
"I'm tired of being weak," she admitted softly. "I've tried to be nice, and kind, and thoughtful, and considerate, and it's cost me everything." Her voice was starting to grow louder, but she didn't seem to notice. "My mother is gone, my father thinks I'm worthless, my cousin hates me, my sister doesn't respect me, my teacher treats me like I'm about to fall apart, my teammates act like they have to protect me rather than work with me, the few friends I have treat me with pity, and now Naruto-kun is gone before I so much as held his hand. All because I was too weak to do anything about it. I hate it!"
She screamed that last part, then blinked as she found herself standing on her feet and looming over him. She flinched and drew back, obviously expecting some sort of reprisal. Kuushou watched her reaction, as well as noting how Kurenai had started towards the clearing only to freeze in place part way. He was especially impressed with the small burst of killing intent Hinata had released at the end. It was unfocused and untrained, but all the more impressive for that.
He returned his attention to Hinata, noting that the girl had yet to sit down and in fact looked like she might bolt again at any moment.
"Please, have a seat. I am not angry with you, and that was exactly the sort of answer I wanted to hear," he said, motioning for Hinata to sit once again. She did so hesitantly, her curiosity winning out as her fear slowly dissipated. "Let me tell you a story about a girl I knew."
"This girl was born into a noble clan, famed for a certain doujutsu," he said, causing Hinata's eyes to widen as she realized just who he was talking about. "She was trained in the clan's arts from an early age, studying alongside her cousin under the tutelage of her father. She also received extensive instruction from her mother, whose modifications to the style were more suited to the girl than the traditional form.
"The girl grew up to be skilled, and powerful, and a strong example of the potential of her clan. She was nice, and kind, and thoughtful, and considerate. She was friends with the children of the other clans, and often spent time with them, either playing or practicing her ninja skills. She was also one of the few people I respected," Kuushou finished, causing Hinata's eyes to widen before her expression fell.
"It's too late," she murmured mournfully. "I could never be like that now."
"For all the potential and advantages that girl had, however," Kuushou continued, "she lacked a vital something. She could become powerful, but never the most powerful. She could become skilled, but never the most skilled. Held back because she lacked that one vital thing."
Hinata's entire being was focused on his words as she paid rapt attention to what he would say next. "What she lacked," he said slowly, "was hatred."
Hinata blinked. "Hatred?" she repeated dully. Her expression was visibly confused.
"I do not refer to some vague, undirected impulse that causes someone to lash out indiscriminately," Kuushou clarified. "I speak of the kind of hatred that fuels you, the kind that sharpens your focus and burns through your own hesitation like an inferno, the kind of hatred that drives you."
Hinata nodded slowly, and Kuushou could see the beginnings of understanding in her eyes.
"That girl worked hard, but she never struggled. She had difficulties, but she never truly failed. And while she occasionally did not win, she never lost."
"Why...?" Hinata asked slowly.
"Why does it matter? Why does that make the difference?" Seeing her nod, Kuushou continued. "No one ever really knows their own limits until they have slammed into them headfirst. Until that happens, until you know, you can't possibly find a way to overcome them. When you do, however, when you stand at the base of that towering wall and look up to see no end in sight, when you see how that wall is stopping you from achieving everything you ever wanted, and when you hate it with every fiber of your being" he paused, grinning widely as he stared into her eyes, "that's when you start climbing."
The training session began shortly after that, Hinata throwing herself into each task with an intensity that he wouldn't have thought her capable of. It was a gradual process, coming in fits and starts, but Kuushou could already see the girl shedding her hesitation like a snake shedding its skin, each piece sliding off to reveal something clearer and brighter. Her movements were becoming sharper and more focused, her strikes cleaner. She even took off her jacket without any prompting from him, visibly struggling with the decision but forcing herself to do it anyway. Whatever reaction she had feared or worried about didn't come, which seemed to help her along considerably.
It was true that she was unlikely to become exactly like the Hinata of his world, but he hadn't been lying to her either. This Hinata had experienced a kind of cruelty and neglect that the other girl probably couldn't even imagine, and it had planted the seeds of something altogether darker and deadlier within her. Trying to bring that out would be a satisfying diversion from the daily monotony of training and missions.
Once the training session was over, Hinata paused before she left the clearing entirely. "When did it happen for you?" she asked softly.
"The moment I was born," he replied, knowing what she was asking. She clearly didn't understand what he meant, but accepted his answer and left the clearing without saying anything further.
Kurenai made her way into the clearing a few seconds later, her pace slow and measured.
"I... misjudged you," she said softly. "What you just did for Hinata... I... thank you," she said finally.
"You seem to have a habit of misjudging people, Yuuhi-jounin," Kuushou replied. He stifled a grin when he saw her flinch. "I hope you aren't planning on interfering further."
"I... no," she said, her shoulders slumping and her head bowed.
Now that was what he wanted to see.
"Good."
His time settled into a routine after that, alternating between missions, training sessions, and his own projects. His bank account steadily grew, and he began setting aside some funds to be carried on his person at all times.
It had taken him another two weeks to place enough privacy tags around his apartment that he was sure even a Hyuuga wouldn't be able to see within – due to the sheer amount of chakra involved, if nothing else. He waited another two weeks to see if anyone would comment or investigate, but when nothing happened he felt secure enough to finally crack open the Forbidden Scroll.
It didn't go quite as smoothly as he would have preferred, as it took him another week to decipher the security seals and find a way to deactivate them. Even then he had to make extensive use of his youki to bypass or suppress sections, which simultaneously amused him that he could do it and annoyed him that he had to.
At length, though, he succeeded in opening the scroll without setting off any chakra flares or destroying the entire thing.
The first technique he came across was actually quite promising, even if it was a clone technique. The Kage Bunshin created a completely autonomous, solid clone that was not only indistinguishable from the original, but even returned its experiences and knowledge to the user when the clone was dispelled. Even with his range limitations, such a technique could prove valuable on or off the battlefield.
That was apparently how it worked for humans, anyway. For him, whose true self was composed entirely of youki, it was significantly less impressive. He created the clone easily enough, but he simply found that he was in two places at once and forced to split his attention between them. He had extensive practice with that thanks to his tails and to a lesser extent his experiments with chakra control, but it was still him. Ultimately, it was only marginally more useful than the earth clone or water clone he already knew.
That seemed to be the way of it for most of the techniques in the scroll - they either relied on range that was not available to him or conferred abilities that were no better than what he could already do.
A variant of the Kage Bunshin that created clones that could explode on command, a technique to allow the user to experience the senses of another living creature from miles away, a technique to bombard the user's surroundings with numerous fireballs for up to a hundred meters in all directions... all potentially useful, and all closed to him due to his damnable seal.
Even the Eight Gates, which seemed promising at first, ultimately had very limited application. The ability to force his body to produce massive amounts of human chakra did not seem like it would benefit him much; the human reserves at his disposal were already among the largest ever recorded, and that was without including his youki. There might come a time when he needed more energy than that, however, so it was worth learning.
As he determined how he could manipulate the body in order to produce the effects described by the scroll, however, a thought occurred to him. If he could do this to his container, what was to stop him from doing it to other ninja? Vague ideas began forming in his mind.
Setting aside those thoughts for later, he continued exploring the scroll. Soon afterwards he encountered the Impure World Resurrection Technique. The ability to rip souls out of the afterlife and make them obey his every whim sounded like it could be put to all sorts of... interesting uses, and all he had to do was offer up another life in exchange. That was hardly any price at all.
Unfortunately, the technique also stated that a control seal was required to force the resurrected to actually follow orders, and the scroll did not contain the design for such a seal. It apparently assumed that any user would know how to create one on their own.
The other problem was the same as he had with so many other techniques; he had to continuously provide chakra to fuel the technique, which once again ran into the limitations imposed by his seal.
The irony that, without the seal, he never would have bothered to learn any of these techniques - or understood just how much more he could do with his own youki - was not lost on him. It didn't make him hate the seal any less, however.
A large portion of the next set of jutsu were dedicated to techniques that mimicked abilities he knew to be considered clan-specific.
One "medical" technique that forcibly altered the eyes, allowing the user to see long distances. The scroll specifically noted that the user could not see through solid objects, and the technique was eventually forbidden as repeated uses swiftly caused permanent blindness.
Another, labeled as a "lesser" mind-walking technique, had similarly mixed results. Users were able to enter another person's mind, but in the majority of cases the technique drove both the user and the target insane.
One technique increased the size of the user's limbs - sealed due to difficulty reversing the process as well as permanent damage incurred when the technique failed. Another designed to "imprint" an animal as loyal to the user - the notes on the technique claimed it was restricted because the technique drastically shortened the animal's lifespan - the longest an animal survived was two months, hardly enough time to train them properly - in addition to a relatively high failure rate of one out of four. That alone didn't seem enough to justify the restriction, but much like the other techniques Kuushou thought the clans themselves might have had something to say about the village trying to steal or emulate their signature techniques. Pissing off the clans, the backbone of Konoha's might, over techniques that were of questionable value seemed like a bad idea all around.
A technique that lengthened the user's perception of time rounded out the group - sealed because the technique often put the user into a trance rather than leaving them functional.
Somehow, he wasn't at all surprised to learn that Konoha had spent a considerable amount of time attempting to replicate the techniques of their clans. It wasn't clear whether their efforts had failed because the clans had some sort of subtle bloodline that allowed them to use such techniques effectively (or obvious one, in the case of the Uchiha and Hyuuga) or if they had failed because the village was attempting to do this on the sly without any assistance from the clans.
As he continued reading, he encountered more long-range techniques along with three distinct techniques that turned the user into a living bomb by forcibly detonating all of the chakra in their body - ironically, he could essentially do that already by breaking his seal.
He paused when he came across a technique that claimed it would attract all metal within a variable range to the user's location. It was actually labeled as a suicide technique for two reasons - the chakra requirements were absurdly high and the metal attracted (commonly kunai or other bladed weapons) traveled at absurdly high speeds and often killed the user.
The technique sounded interesting, but it was the note that the chakra was focused on a single point that peaked his interest. If that was true, then it would not run afoul of his seal. He noted the name for later study - Kinjyou no Tsurikomu no Jutsu, Attraction of the Impregnable Fortress Technique.
Another technique that provided endless amusement from the mere fact of its existence was listed simply as Kuchiyose Hakai no Jutsu, Summoning Disruption Technique. With enough warning, the user could prevent another ninja from summoning an Outling to their side. There appeared to be no debilitating effects from using it, and although the technique was designed to cover an area upwards of two kilometers for a period of nearly a minute, there was technically nothing preventing him from using it himself... other than the unlikelihood than a ninja would attempt to summon in combat when he close enough to them to use the technique.
Then he reached the end of the scroll and found the entries for the Shiki Fuujin no Jutsu and the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki.
These two seals, it seemed, were how Minato Namikaze had sealed his counterpart in this world. As he had expected, the Death God was still involved, though it was unclear why this world's Naruto had survived the sealing process. That was the entire purpose of the Shiki Fuuin.
What concerned him, however, was the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki. He could pick out portions of the seal that greatly resembled the chakra storage component of an exploding tag. Other sections he couldn't fully decipher, but large parts of it were simply storage.
And if that was the case... how had it managed to contain him for over a decade? His youki should have continued to build up over time and ruptured the seal, and that was without considering what he could have done to simply overwhelm some portion of it.
Perhaps the other sections he didn't yet fully understand held the answer, but the vague uneasiness that he had been feeling ever since he had discovered that he had been present in this world long after his banishment should have taken place strengthened.
His newly established routine was interrupted a few days later when Anko came knocking on his door.
"We've got a possible mission, Blondie," she said without preamble. "It's not a patrol though," she added. "Officially, our mission is to reinforce the team on site. Unofficially, we'll be performing recon, actively hunting missing-nin, and," her gaze honed in on him, her eyes watchful, "possibly assassinating a civilian target."
"That sounds like it would take longer than two days," Kuushou responded after a moment.
Anko relaxed, grinning slightly. "It'll probably take longer than two weeks actually, but Hokage-sama selected me for the mission and gave me free rein to choose my own partner. You're it."
"Rank?"
"A, possibly AA," Anko answered.
Kuushou grinned eagerly. "I'm in."
The Hokage frowned when they entered his office, sending a sharp glance Anko's way. "This is your partner for this mission, Mitarashi-jounin?"
"His combat rating is sufficient, and he agreed in principle after he was informed of the mission type and rank, Hokage-sama," Anko replied firmly.
The Hokage's frown deepened, but he eventually nodded.
"What's this about, Hokage-jiji?"
"Team Gai recently took a C-rank mission to the Land of Waves, a fairly standard escort and guard. They left four days ago, and we just received a message from Gai indicating that their client was being targeted for assassination by the businessman known as Gato. Apparently their client's work on building a bridge spanning the channel between the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire is threatening Gato's shipping monopoly.
"Normally this would not be a cause for concern, but Gato has seen fit to employ missing-nin to carry out this assassination attempt. As the missing-nin attacked despite the presence of Konoha ninja, this has become a little more serious than a civilian squabble.
"Gai made a call as the leader of the team and decided that continuing the mission was both viable and in the best interests of Konoha; as the client lied about their being a known threat to his life, Gai would have been well within his rights to terminate the contract on the spot. While he chose to continue, he also requested that additional backup be sent as soon as possible, specifically a combat team prepared to deal with missing-nin ranked B to A."
"That's our official mission," Kuushou said.
"Yes," the Hokage said flatly. "In reality, that is your secondary mission. Your primary mission is to eliminate any missing-nin operating in the area, as well gathering evidence to confirm the identity of their employer."
"And when we can identify their employer?" Kuushou asked when the Hokage didn't continue.
"Then you are to eliminate him as well," the Hokage said slowly, his eyes lingering on Kuushou's form. He closed his eyes for a brief moment; when he reopened them, they were hard and he resumed speaking in a firm tone. "Konoha will not tolerate anyone employing missing-nin this close to our borders, especially if they are willing to attack our ninja or those under our protection."
The Hokage picked up a small scroll and tossed it to Anko. "That contains the latest information available to us, as well as a full copy of Gai's report. Now that you are aware of all pertinent details, do you accept this mission?" His eyes lingered on Kuushou as he continued. "You are not required to do so."
Kuushou shrugged. "It's fine, Hokage-jiji. It needs to be done, and I rather like working with Anko."
She grinned, most of the remaining tension easing out of her body. "Love ya too, Blondie," she teased.
The Hokage studied him for a moment before he nodded, slipping back into a more formal demeanor. "Very well. Since you are accepting, you need to travel as quickly as possible to join up with Gai and his team and get the latest intelligence on the situation. Everything we currently have is included in the mission scroll. Do either of you have any other questions before you leave?"
"What is the chain of command?" Anko asked immediately.
"Gai will have overall authority as the ranking ninja in the field, but you will be operating independently of his team. Unless there is a clear and immediate threat to his client, you are not required to follow his orders. That said, I expect you to be able to work together. Naruto-kun will of course report to you, and Gai's team, as genin, will answer to yourself or Naruto should they find themselves working with either of you."
"Standard rules of engagement?"
"Yes," the Hokage replied. "I expect you will have minimal contact with civilians, but try to make a good impression. Securing positive relations with Wave now could prove invaluable once their economy recovers."
"Hmm... what about the training sessions?" Kuushou asked next. "This mission is likely to last at least a week."
"The sessions will be canceled for the duration of the mission. I'm sure the students will appreciate the chance to enjoy their days off, for a change," he added, smirking slightly.
Once it was clear neither had any further questions, the Hokage continued, "If that is all, you are dismissed. Good luck."
"How long do you need to get ready, Blondie?" Anko asked as they left the Tower.
"Ten minutes," Kuushou replied easily.
Anko paused. "Really?" she asked, surprised.
Kuushou shrugged. "I keep all the gear I would need on my person at all times; one of the many, many benefits of being able to make your own storage scrolls. The ten minutes is just so I can lock down my apartment properly."
She eyed him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Meet me at the south gate in ten minutes."
A/N: Thanks to the SB forums for providing feedback on this chapter.
The differences in the start of the Wave Mission partly reflect what I see as a more reasonable approach (although far from the only valid one) as well as differences in style between Gai and Kakashi. Without adding a lot of supposition and background information, I can't fully explain Kakashi's decision to continue in canon without throwing around words like "arrogant", "conceited", "naive", etc.
In fact, if you think about it, even in canon all of them should have died right then and there. If Haku had just taken out the genin once Zabuza had Kakashi trapped, or even just sniped Tazuna... oh well.
Gai's team isn't ready to face off against Zabuza and Haku either, but they do have a full year of experience more and a very effective scout in Neji. Coupled with the request for reinforcements specifically to deal with any other threats, that's a much more justifiable situation.
As for what my approach to the Wave Mission will be, I doubt it's never been done before, but it should be fairly unusual. I followed the canon path for the Wave Mission much more closely (to a point) in Ramen Days, and it was even more painful trying to write it than it was to read it. All the little niggling details that resulted in the canon conclusion to that mission, and all the contrived coincidences to get there... ugh.
As an aside, you know what the single most irritating things about those rehashes is? It's not how Zabuza always end up dying somehow (Haku's likelihood of dying is directly related to whether Haku is male or female, it seems), or how Naruto somehow miraculously just happens to find himself out in the woods just in time to meet Haku... those are annoying, but not the worst.
The worst is how Naruto, regardless of how competent or godlike he is, never actually protects Tsunami properly. Without fail, the thugs will get past whatever defenses the team has set up (if they even bothered) and manage to take Tsunami hostage just long enough for Inari to prove how "brave" he is by getting his face kicked in, then for Naruto to swoop in and dramatically save Tsunami before rushing off (leaving them alone again, usually).
No. Just... no.
As always, thanks for reading and thanks for all the reviews!