Dystopia Unleashed

By WhoIsThisDamnAuthor

That took a little longer than expected...

But anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 8: Graduation

"As soon as we exit the building, we should split up and search for Kushina." Minato had taken charge as soon as the trio had left the Hokage's chambers. They found the red-haired Uzumaki sitting on the same steps Goku had just gotten healed on a few minutes ago. She seemed unsure of whether to leave or to wait for her boyfriend and protégé.

As the three approached her, she simply stood up and walked on. Minato had a worried look on his face. "What happened in there, Kushina?" She simply gave a resigned chuckle, and continued walking away from HQ. Minato sprinted and caught up with her. He held her by the shoulders, and turned her around to face them. "What the hell happened in there?"

She averted her gaze. Clearly, this was something that she both wanted to and didn't want to tell the three. Minato sighed. She would tell him eventually. She always did. "Explain yourself whenever it is possible for you to do so. Anyway, we need to continue with Goku's training,"

Bad idea... Mikoto and Goku both thought in unison. Minato wasn't there when Kushina had found about the whole ten jutsus thing.

"Speaking of training," The dead-eyed stare from before was gone, replaced with a menacing I'll-kill-you look. "What jutsus did you teach young Goku here? I specifically asked forten." She said that last word as if spitting it out. Clearly, ten wasn't the number Kushina was ever expecting.

Minato gulped, although he had no idea what was going on. "I taught him one, Kushina..." Her glare continued, and its ferocity didn't budge an inch. "Okay," she continued in the same deceptively calm voice. "So to make up for your incompetence, you give him a list of secret, forbidden ninjutsu? Are you out of your mind?"

"I did not do anything of the sort!" Minato replied, his temper rising as well. Girlfriend or not, the woman had had her quota of crazy for the day. "I did teach him only one jutsuyesterday, and told him I could cover for him..." the last few words came out in a strangled whisper, as he realized what he was actually saying.

"Cover...For...HIM?" Even Goku took an involuntary step back. But Minato didn't move a muscle. The look on his sad, sad face clearly showed his intention to run as far away from the spot as was possible. "You, his supervisor, were going to help cover up his mistake-ttebane? What in the world possessed you to do such a thing-ttebane? Is pampering his cuddly little chweet face all you're good for-ttebane?"

Three –ttebane suffixes in a row. Not good. That last dumb-ass line I just had to say totally pushed her over the edge. Oh, this could go on forever. Minato had already tuned out the frequency of his girlfriend's voice. Suddenly, he flinched. Please, please do NOT let this go on forever. He suddenly noticed the silence around him. He paused his mental visualization of the transporter kunais and returned to the real world.

Kushina was spaced out, muttering something under her breath. All her three companions strained to listen. It was very unclear, but some words she usually stressed while speaking were audible. "...placed...intruder...watching...Hokage..."

Shaking her head, she turned to face Minato again. "Come with me. We have to discuss this. In private." Minato was happy to have escaped a tiring, one-hour ordeal. He followed, and they disappeared from the staircase they were just standing on. Goku and Mikoto simply stared. Being ditched was never a good experience, but not even involving the guy this was all about? Sheesh.

"In the meantime, go train with that new-found sword of yours, runt..." Kushina's voice drifted lazily in the air, as if somehow brought here by chakra. "Mikoto, you are his overseer for the day. Make sure he gets good enough with that blade to kick some serious ANBU ass."

Goku looked over at Mikoto's surprised face. Kushina handing over her precious charge to someone other than her boyfriend was amazing in itself, but that she'd trusted an Uchiha? He saw what appeared to be a single tear of joy rolling down her cheek. Crap, does she look cute right now...

The moment passed. Mikoto rubbed her eyes with her sleeve, and turned to the Saiyan. "Race you to the training ground?"

"Oh, let's call it a race, if you want..." Goku was casually confident. He'd beaten every one of Kushina's set goals. He wasn't losing to her any time soon.

"Ready? GO!" there was no Get!Set! there. And with that, the Uchiha was in the lead, leaving Goku in her dust. He coughed out the last remnants of the cloud, and decided to experiment a little with his chakra. Slowly walking, he gathered his chakra at the bases of his feet. As soon as his foot was about to leave the ground, to take a step forward, he sent out a little from the tenketsu in his heel. He had released it at the wrong time, though, for his heel was parallel to the ground. All that pressure pushed his leg upwards, driving his own right knee into his face.

Face crimson, he searched the street for witnesses to his full-retard moment. There was a single one, a boy about his age. His gray hair stood up in about the same way that Goten had cut it. He was also wearing a face mask, covering his mouth and nose. Only his crinkled eyes, and his hands holding his shaking sides were enough to know that he was laughing his ass off.

Goku ignored him. Taking extra care this time, he gave the chakra thrust at just the right time. His foot went forward, like he was running at top speed. Instinct took over, and he was sprinting away on one of the streets radiating from the HQ, jubilant after learning a new skill all on his own. Clearing his mind, he focused on his rapidly moving legs, and the road in front of him. Applying a series of well-timed chakra pushes, he increased speed drastically. His face felt dragged at the sides due to the wind flowing against it.

A wall approached, and he didn't jump to scale it the normal way. Sprinting, he simply placed his toes on the surface, and kept his heel parallel to the ground. Bearing down with all his weight on the toe, he shot a burst of chakra. He flew upwards, and cleared the building's facade, ending up on the rooftop. Taking another leap from there, he cleared two whole buildings, landing easily on the third.

Interesting. This will save so much time, if I simply use enough power to lift myself off before I reach the building, and simply jump over it altogether. Super sprinting (Yes, that's the name Goku has in his mind...) over to the next structure in front of him, he kept the sole of his foot at a forty five degree angle, and pushed. He sailed well clear of the top, and was almost over the building when he caught a glimpse of Mikoto's back, a good three hundred meters away.

You can't win, Mikoto. I'm one step closer to actually flying now. Adjusting his route to jump over buildings he usually had to run around, he shot past Mikoto's slender frame in five seconds, long-jumping off the last building before the training grounds started, sprinting like a madman over the grass, and skidding to a halt before the three training posts.

He figured that in the future, as his running speed and chakra control grew, he would have to keep refining the distances that he ran along the ground, and those he spent traversing the skyline. Sure, once he got fast enough, there would be no need to keep up this tiresome calculation. He would simply go aerial, because the view was better from up there. A bird's-eye view of the village was a spectacular sight to behold. Especially early in the morning.

Ah, the joys of youth...

Mikoto had also arrived. Goku noticed a flash of movement, and spun around, already trying to anticipate the attack. The kunai in her hand missed his shoulder by a distance, as he continued his spin, putting his foot out to try and get her to lose balance. She jumped up and forwards, dodging the tackle, and grabbed the blade with both hands, driving it down at his heart.

CLANG! There was the sweet ring of metal against metal, as Goku drew his shortsword in the nick of time. Holding it awkwardly, like one would a stabbing dagger, he'd only partly taken it out of its sheath, enough to deflect the kunai with the inch of blade right next to the crossguard.

Taking a step back, Goku changed his hold on the hilt, bringing the entire blade out. Lowering his stance, he concentrated, taking deep, measured breaths. This weapon is nothing but a part of my body. An extension of my arm, that's all. My right arm has simply gotten longer, and has somehow gotten sharper. I must fight my normal martial arts with that in mind.

This was simply psychological training. All he had to do was pretend the sword was his arm, and everything would be all right. As Mikoto charged a second time, now with two blades, he replied with a jab with his right fist. Mikoto staggered her approach, bending to her right to let the blade pass her head, and threw one of the kunai, again aiming for his vital organs. Okay, simply bring down your arm to fend off the attack...OH CRAP! Pain throbbed through his forearm. The blade was simply an afterimage of the first one. Mikoto had used the time he needed to block the fake kunai and come close, and had landed a hit.

Goku took another step back. Mikoto relaxed a little, just enough to notice. Goku suddenly placed his foot front, like a video running in fast rewind. Holding his sword with both hands, he swung with all his strength, in a horizontal strike. Mikoto smiled. This guy is like a little child. He's never handled a sword before. This is all instinct. Not bad, but one needs to use brains to fight with a weapon, unlike taijutsu.

Ducking under the arc of the sword's motion, she neatly tapped the fulcrum of the move with her kunai. She saw Goku's eyes widen as he suddenly lost control of the sword, letting it slip out. Anyone can break an amateur's grip like that, no matter how hard you hold the hilt. Looks like I'll have to teach you more than the basics. But first things first. I'll totally own you in this little match.

She took a step back. There was no danger to a retreat, Goku was fumbling in mid-air to keep his blade from flying into the nearest tree. He desperately drove his arms down, and the tip of the sword dug into the ground, stopping it. He took a moment to adjust, and hefted the katana right back up. Mikoto was impressed. No hesitation, I see. Oh, it'll be fun taking you down a peg.

Goku was struggling. The blade was unwieldy and crude in his hands. He'd never felt so helpless during a fight before. Of course, he could chuck the useless katana and whop Mikoto's ass with his bare hands, but what was the challenge in that? Kushina wanted him to learn swordfighting technique, and he was not going to invite another lecture on incapability onto himself.

Mikoto smiled. Is she planning to use this handicap I gave her to the maximum? Of course, she's Kushina's stand-in for the day. Unless I eat dirt at her feet, she won't consider it over. All of a sudden, there were two more blades in her hands. And two more. In the gaps between her fingers, she held six kunai. The dexterity with which she'd removed them showed that she was adept at this sort of stuff.

Goku gulped. He was clumsy and ineffective against one. Mikoto made a sudden motion, and two of the blades headed towards him. He lifted his blade, but it was a little too late. Considering it an extension of his arm had made him dismiss its negligible, but still existent weight. The kunai grazed his forearm, and he winced. He managed to dodge the other one by the skin of his teeth. Following the blades with his eyes, he saw as a hand materialized around both of them. Mikoto had gotten behind him in the meantime. He jumped to avoid the twin uppercuts. Mikoto threw her blades at him again.

He writhed and contorted his body, much like a cartoon character, to let the two weapons through. Twisting upwards, he craned his neck to see what lay behind him. He wouldn't be surprised again. And yet, he was. Mikoto was up there, and she caught the kunai. Now, attacking with all six, she thrust with spiked hands. Goku brought up his sword, and the blades clinked as they were stopped by the black metal.

Goku landed awkwardly, and had no time to react as Mikoto started a ferocious combo offensive. Throwing four blades upward, she attacked using the other two. Goku managed to counter one with the flat of his blade, and sent the other flying out of her hand with the hilt. In a moment, Mikoto jumped and caught two of the blades she'd thrown upwards. Rolling, she landed up behind Goku, aiming for the base of the neck. Goku desperately blocked it with an off-balance thrust of his sword, behind his back.

The speed with which she recovered from a failed attempt was impressive. Chucking the two she was using right back up, she jumped to catch another pair. This gave Goku a moment of respite. He fired up his chakra circulatory system, and launched upwards. As he approached Mikoto's spinning form, he used his upwards velocity and thrust his sword. She casually blocked it with her kunai. Pumping a minuscule amount into the hollow in the blade, he pushed a little more. The extra weight drove the tip of the blade right into thekunai, shattering it.

Mikoto's eyes widened in shock. She reached sideways and picked up another kunai from the ones around her. She must be using chakra to keep them up there... Suddenly turning, she held both her hands out, and swung both blades around. This time, Goku was ready. He gripped his sword like a vice, turned to get a good angle, and swung down, his blade perpendicular to Mikoto's two. At the last moment, he poured his chakra into the hollow. The blade was heavy. The insane momentum drove it clean through both the kunai like they were so much air.

As the sword continued on, Goku cut off the chakra. It was too late, however, to stop the swing. The sword flew out of his hands as he lost his grip for the third time that day. It drove itself into the trunk of a tree a good twenty yards out. Mikoto smirked. Catching the last two of the six kunai in the air, she pinned Goku to the ground using her torso, and held one at his throat, and the other at his heart.

"I win..." She exhaled deeply. Both of them were sweating from the exertion. Goku nodded, accepting his defeat. He still had a ways to go with his swordmandship, but, given his training rate, he figured he could at least have the basics down before the next three days were up. His eyes met Mikoto's, and lingered there. She seemed... triumphant. With just a little hint of impressed on the side.

Looks like I wasn't a total loser, then...

"A-HEM!" Both of them started violently. Kushina and Minato were back. Mikoto flashed a little victory smile. In the midmorning sunlight, with godrays filtering through her deep, black hair, she seemed like a surreal vision, a breathtaking spectacle. Goku then realised what he was just thinking about. He reddened like Chi-Chi's face when she was angry. Why, Dende? Why this?

Well, I guess everything has a price, doesn't it?

"So..." Kushina had regained her former demeanor. "Sword practice. Without a sword, too." Her right eyebrow was raised, just a fraction. Mikoto and Goku simply stared, not getting the reference. Kushina rolled her eyes. Oh my god. You guys are denser than my retard of a boyfriend. Goku, I expected this from you, but Mikoto, even you? Maybe a little less subtle. And by little, I mean I may have to shove it in their faces. Let's go in stages. Let's see at which point they finally get it.

"In that position?" Both continued staring like so many dead, extracted eyeballs.

She tried a little more direct. "In THAT position?" Mikoto looked down. And grew vermilion. Goku, as expected, was still ignorant as fuck. Mikoto scrambled off him, and stood up, unconsciously smoothing the front of her skirt. Goku simply got up, and asked like the ignoramus he was. "What do you mean, Kushina?"

She said nothing. Just gave a resigned smile. Goku knew all too well what that smile meant. It meant give up, you ain't gonna get this shit. He went over and plucked his sword from the tree it had lodged itself in. Mikoto suddenly spoke. "Also, Goku, the thing where you cut my kunai in half was pretty decent. The rest of your swordplay, is utter crap."

"Wait, cutting actual kunai in half?" Kushina gave the training ground a detailed lookover. Her eyes widened when she saw the pieces of the standard issue blade given to Konohagakure shinobi. It was made of one of the hardest steel alloys known to mankind. Nothing could simply cut it. Goku obviously had done something out of the ordinary again. Maybe there was a trick to the ANBU sword that only its members were let in on. Some way to make it sharp enough to cut through that kind of metal, with the swing speed of areasonably ordinary human.

So, either Goku's not a standard human, or the blade has something special, and he's figured it out. "Goku!" She called out. "What did you do when you cut Mikoto's kunai in half?"

"Nothing!" He replied back. "I just put some chakra into the hollow of the sword. It becomes unbelievably heavy when you add chakra to it, so it could cut through both of Mikoto's blades at once..." Kushina was shell-shocked. Until now, the only purpose of the hollow that she could think of was maneuverability. For a thirteen-year-old with practically no experience to figure that out, simply through instinct... Goku, you are one scary fella. No wonder Danzo's gotten his sights on you.

The Sandaime had used his usual cipher when telling her about Danzo's involvement in the attack on the kid. Without a doubt, Danzo had access to that conversation, and as soon as the Hokage had used one word lightly out of context, Kushina knew her role. She would keep asking questions to which Sarutobi Hiruzen would give inconclusive answers to, and pretend to get frustrated and storm out of the office, as if she hadn't even gotten a tiny bit of intel from him. Danzo knew about the cipher, and he would give Hiruzen a nice time in hell for that little indiscretion, but he definitely did not know that Kushina had secretly learned the code in one of the dusty old textbooks in the Academy library. How the hell Hiruzen knew that she knew, she had no idea.

Anyway, she'd told Minato about the danger to Goku, and he'd laughed. "He survived one attack, and learned ten new ninjutsu. Don't you think that gives him enough protection? Or are you going to sleep in his room and guard the widdle baby?" Oh, he'd been severely reprimanded for the condescension, but she took his point. Goku could handle himself. And there was always his mysterious benefactor, the one who speared that last assassin. So, there was no need to give him another guardian angel.

The only thing that they could do now, was wait. And train. So they had returned, and found the pair on top of each other. Literally. Kushina dismissed that thought. Mikoto was far too sensible for that. "All right!" She pointed her finger at Goku. "It you versus me, runt..." His pained expression said it all. Cracking her first smile in the day, she pulled out eightkunai.

Let's play, my dear student...

What did I just see?

Tsunade rolled over onto her other side, then gave up trying. On most days, sleep was hard to come by for the blonde genius. Today, however, it was impossible. She'd just healed what appeared to be a normal thirteen year old boy. But, one thing about his anatomy simply refused to leave her thoughts. One little thing.

The kid had a tail. A freaking tail. As was her habit, she'd done a preliminary structural analysis of the kid before healing him. Standard medical practice, so that any differences in anatomy would not be overlooked and healed incorrectly. She had only woken up and come because she owed Jiraiya's damn student a favor. She'd simply brushed over the larger lungs, stronger heart and more flexible muscles as good genes, but the tail had plucked her right out of her drowsiness.

She'd seen experimental humans before. Orochimaru was especially proud of his... 'playthings', as he called them. This tail, though, did not seem like one of his creations. It was something he would never do. Fusing humans with reptiles, amphibians, maybe even the odd fish. He would never go for a monkey. He found their very existence an insult to nature.

So this tail is... Normal, in a way? She'd found that a little hard to digest, but it was the truth. This kid Minato had somehow found in the forest wasn't human. He was definitely a different species. The rest of his body was perfectly normal, except that it seemed suited for combat in every way. No structural defects, perfect bones, increased lung volume, stronger heart muscles, and just the most exquisite set of teeth she'd ever seen.

Tsunade had kind of regressed into a shell since that disaster. Nawaki... The name still brought a tear to her eye and a tremble to her lips. She hadn't gotten over the futility of his death, and the simple step that could have been taken to prevent it. Oh wait. Didn't I have a meeting with Sarutobi-sensei today? She got up and checked her calendar. The date was encircled by red marker.

She quickly checked herself in the mirror. Crap, I look like an old lady already... Entering the bathroom, she splashed her face with water, and grabbed a piece of toast lying on the kitchen counter. Taking a bite, she opened her front door for the second time in that day, only the second time in weeks. Who'd have thought a random kid with a random emergency would help me like this?

She wasn't a believer in fate. Oh, that had flown out of the window when the Shodaime's charm had caused her beloved brother to die an unnecessary death. But even she felt a sort of confidence in her that had been suppressed all these dreary days since the Second Shinobi War. Although she would never admit it, some part of her felt that the kid had brought about a positive change just by being there. Closing the door behind her, she rushed on towards HQ. The Council was waiting for her proposal.

I'm definitely going to talk to you again, boy. Seems like you've given me something to live for.

Drip...drip...drip...drip...

Sharp.

Metallic.

Oh, so alluring.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

He ran a hand across the body beneath him. He couldn't help it. He shivered, the excitement welling up inside him, erupting all at once. The pale man bit down on his lower lip. Not being able to hold it in any longer, he descended with a hiss, sharing in his victim's ecstasy as his teeth sunk into flesh, ripping a chunk out. He drew back, the sides of his mouth stained red now.

"Ah, ah...I can't have you collapsing so soon...stay with me...ssssssssstay with meeee..."

The creature named Orochimaru suppressed the shiver yet again. He frowned, when the broken man in front of him let out a weak whimper. "Stay with me!"

The light seemed to dim around him. The stench of the pool of corpses that lay around him seemed to have no effect on the pale creature. He simply stared at his subject with an adoration that seemed out of place, painted over the face of his.

"Stay with me...Stay with me...we are not done yet, my friend...tell me...open your eyes...What does nine hundred and seven reduced from ten thousand leave?"

"N-N-nine...thousan-"

His subject seemed to experience a fresh wave of willpower, as he tried to get the answer out of his mouth.

"...-d and ni-ni-ninety th-three."

"...Very good."

"No...no...not that...please...no...I told you, I TOLD YOU THE ANSWER! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-MMPH."

The pale creature smiled, as the snake slithered out from under his wrist, and slowly slid inside the man's mouth.

One second.

Then two.

Splurch.

With a sickening sound, the man's innards exploded. The pale creature smiled, as the snake made its way out of the thick, bloody waste that was left.

Sharp.

Metallic.

Oh, so alluring.

Above all else...more than anything in the world, the pale creature loved the smell of blood.

Speaking of blood... There was another sample that had caught his interest. The little goody shit had quite the exquisite stuff running through his veins. Regeneration of a altogether different type, one that could be paired with Hashirama Senju's little buggers to produce the ever-strengthening body.

The snake flicked its tongue, tasting the slick substance on the floor. Oh, the very scent of blood sent shivers down his spine.

So tantalizing, oh, so sweet.

He extracted a surgical blade from his waistband. He always kept one of these beauties at hand, lest the urge to mutilate someone strike him at an odd hour. He could make do with a kunai, but those things were so messy, crude and useless. Nothing beat the precise cuts this made.

Nothing even came close to the level of physical torture he could exact using one of these, and nothing else.

He had a petri dish prepared. The boy's cells had to be properly diffused into the Senju tissue. It was a perfect replica of a human calf muscle, only smaller. taking the blade into his thumb and forefinger, he made an incision about halfway up. The already contracted muscle tissue split apart, like a stretched rubber band being slowly cut into.

He placed the blade in a sterilizing solution, and it went back into the folds of his haramaki. No need to waste good steel blades. Stealing more from Tsunade's ever so awesome collection would arouse suspicion. He looked at the muscle.

Hashirama's cells had already started regenerating the tissue. However, there was something different about this. It was generating far, far more cells than usual. Instead of simply healing the wound to its previous form, it was building on the muscle, strengthening it. His dead snake-eyes gleamed with ecstasy.

What had formed was an improvement of the original, as if injuring the tissue and then subsequently healing it was a good thing. He'd found the perfect improvement to the Shodai'scells. The cells he'd managed to harvest from the few drops of blood were far too few to cultivate on their own. He needed samples.

Which brings us to the most exciting part of the day.

He had found a new plaything. All he needed to do now, was to bring it home, and play with it.

He picked up the small muscle. It had grown quite a bit. The blood that had escaped when he cut it still lay splattered on the reformed tissue. Lifting it to his mouth, he licked it off. Then, in a sudden motion, he dropped the piece of meat onto his tongue. It slid back, taking the piece with it.

Sharp.

Metallic.

Oh, so alluring.

Orochimaru simply loved the taste of blood, as well.

Right. Let's get this over with.

Hatake Kakashi was not someone who enjoyed socializing. Or any human interaction at all. His entire life revolved around one thing; training. The only reason his grades were far, far above even the self-proclaimed geniuses of his batch in the Academy were because of his own hard work and perseverance. After what had happened to his father, he had resolved to never break a single guideline in his life. He followed the rules strictly, upheld them in front of everyone, and treated those who broke them with much greater disdain than he usually showed the rest of the imbeciles in his batch.

Seriously. Everyone in his dope-retarded batch deserved to die.

As he walked down the road to the training grounds, he held in his hand his only treasured posession. The first copy of Icha Icha Paradaisu, Jiraiya-sama's first novel. Oh, the glorious make-out scenes, the dashing foreplay, the bold locations... Hurry up and write a sequel already, old man...

People gave him suspicious glances as he crossed the main market district. As the son of the infamous White Fang, he was treated with mixed emotions. Some still existed who gave him sincere smiles, acknowledging his father's efforts. Most shunned him, muttering under their breath about betrayal and treason. He didn't care anymore. He'd decided to live his life on the damn straight and narrow, and he was going to do just that.

At the team selection meeting at the Academy a few days ago, he'd stayed in the far back, avoiding eye contact, and drawing his mask up, giving off a hostile aura that no one dared to encounter. There was a designated five-feet circle around him where no one had the balls to sit, forget converse with the gray-haired topper. As he'd run his eyes over the class, he did what he loved best. Judge everyone sitting there with a cynical eye.

Oh, look at that pretentious bitch. Kurenai, you aren't that hot. Get over yourself, he mused, ignoring the sudden flutters his heart gave when he saw those red eyes, perfectly matching her lips...

He had nearly put a kunai through his own skull at that point. Damn. She's too hard to even judge. Moving on, his eyes scanned the room for potential scapegoats. And latched on to the biggest show-off of all. Sarutobi fucking Asuma. Just because your daddy's the village top brass doesn't give you a free pass with the ladies. You and your retarded specially-fashioned blades. Who but the Hokage's son would be so spoiled as to get his own custom blades? I doff my cap to your uselessness.

Moving on. Oh, his favorite victim. Maito Guy. Oh. Tough 'Guy' thinks he can become something without chakra molding, huh? Newsflash, bozo. On your side of the fence, the grass ain't green and the girls ain't pretty.

He felt quite pleased with himself. He'd inflicted what he thought was some serious burn on three dumbfucks who deserved it. He caught someone staring at him. Oh god. He fought with his gag reflex as he saw who it was. Guy... Why is GUY staring at me? Oh, kami-sama, the humiliation...

"And Team Seven will contain..." the sensei's voice cut through his mental rant. "Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi looked up. Even though he didn't really care, he was a bit interested in seeing which two fools would he have to cover for in the missions they were forced to undertake together. "Nohara Rin."

Okaaay... That isn't actually half bad. Rin was one of the few, two, rather, who didn't look at him with a gaze that said just go die already. Quite the contrary. It almost felt like... happiness? He was getting the same vibe from her at that moment as well. I think my life as a Genin won't suck too bad.

"Uchiha Obito!" Kakashi's head hitting the wooden desk resonated through the classroom. WHY HIM? That bumbling, clumsy-ass fool? He got up in protest. "SENSEI! Why is he in our team?" He ignored Obito's indignant pout and Rin's widened eyes.

The overworked Genin instructor let out a humongous sigh. Can't I just get a B-rank mission where I get killed or something? Why does every batch have to have such eccentric personalities? Sandaime-sama, I'm retiring. "If you would sit down, Hatake-kun, " he said resignedly, "I don't think I need to explain to you why teams are made with balance as the main objective? You being the best in the class, and Rin-chan above average, it was only fair to put in Obito-kun." He gave a disdainful glance at Obito. "The worst in our class."

Everyone in class snickered. Obito had hung his head down in shame, and Rin was looking at him with guilt. Kakashi himself felt a little bad; the sensei didn't have to put it quite that way. But, that sympathy was gone in a flash. I'm in the same team as OBITO? Just kill me already and be done with, kami-sama.

And, here he was, a few hundred meters from the training ground. Their Jonin-sensei was busy with other pressing matters, so he couldn't meet them ahead of their actual orientation day. He'd called them to the training grounds at eight A.M. sharp. Well, I wanna see for myself exactly how stuck up in work this Minato-sensei really is. Well, if he turns out to be a loser as well, then I'm returning my forehead protector and going back to freeloading off of Kotaro-jii.

Screw graduation. I want a challenge.

He reached the grounds at exactly one minute to eight. He reasoned that any half-decent shinobi's watch couldn't be more than one minute fast or slow. Slow being in his favor, he reached one minute early to account for the fast. Rin-chan was already there, and so was Obito. She gave him a too-sweet smile, clearly signaling something other than them being simple acquaintances. Come on, Kakashi. You've read that make-out novel too many times. That's not how it happens in real life. Or does it? Hail to the king! Jiraiya-sama!

Obito seemed a little torn between longingly looking at Rin-chan, and dully staring at Kakashi. Hmph. Now MY day is ruined as well. Thanks a lot, loser.

As he approached, he heard rustling behind him. So your watch is right on time, sensei. As the sounds got closer, he discerned two separate footsteps. He didn't turn around yet. That wouldn't be sweg enough. From the slow steps of one and the faster ones of the other, he guessed that the sensei was bringing in another kid, around the same age as the three of them.

As they got closer, he could hear another faint sound. Straining his ears, he fought to catch enough of it to figure out what it was. He heard a soft chime, and a rattle. Bells. Hmm. Two of them. I can only think of one purpose he specifically got TWO.

He opened his eyes, and looked at Obito's stupid grinning face. A small smile curved his lips. No one could see it, though. (Because of the mask? Forgotten who Kakashi is?)

So I guess it's goodbye, Obito-kun.

Whew. Another long haul.

I'm going for consistency here. Keeping all chapters in a steady 5.5-6.5k range.

Liked the Orochimaru part?

I feel that telling the same story from the viewpoints of many characters really gives it a sense of completeness.

Expect more POVs from various supporting characters.

Goku is still the protagonist. That won't change.

Peace out.