Sakura stood in the Hokage's office waiting to meet her new sensei. She'd handed over the transfer request forms the day of the preliminaries and they had immediately been granted. She'd then been ushered out and told to report back in two days time at nine am.
"Ah, Sakura Haruno," the Hokage said gesturing for her to sit. "What I've arranged for you is a little bit more than what you might have been expecting. There is the consideration that you may or may not be promoted during the course of the third exam so joining another genin team would be moot even if we had a team that had an opening for someone to join."
Sakura knelt, slightly confused. She had been released from Team 7, but she wouldn't be joining another team?
"Instead I have asked Yamato, one of my best agents, to take you on as an apprentice. The contract of which would terminate upon your skill set reaching a certain point rather than you gaining a certain rank."
"I could be an apprentice for years," she whispered. The Hokage wrapped his lips around the end of his pipe and nodded.
"Hmm. Yes it's likely that you'll be an apprentice for a few years, but you will have dedicated one-on-one training so it is more than likely to only be a few years."
"Do I get a choice as to what I'll be taught?"
"Of course you will," another voice said from the door. "My apologies Lord Hokage I thought I was on time."
"You are, as always, Yamato. Sakura was running early. Excitement for a fresh start I would think." She ducked her head and peeked up at the shinobi who had made his way over to stand next to her.
Standard jōnin green flak jacket and uniform in the colour black, rather than blue. The Uzushiogakure symbol patches were missing from where they would usually sit on his sleeves. He had spiky honey brown hair and wore a happuri-style forehead protector.
"Before we go any further. There is a non-disclosure agreement that you must sign Sakura, and if once you hear our plan, another one in your apprentice contract."
"A non-dis... okay," she swallowed her surprise and took the agreement that was offered to her. She read it slowly and thoroughly making sure that she understood everything that had been written before reaching for the pen and signing her name and dating it.
The Hokage looked pleased and gave her a sound nod. "Yamato is an agent in Konoha's ANBU black ops," he revealed and Sakura blinked slowly at the news.
Explains the uniform. Inner mused.
What do you mean?
Black clothes instead of blue. No Uzushiogakure patch. Remove the flak jacket and add a mask and he's anonymous again.
Huh, I suppose you're right.
"If I sign the apprentice contract, what does that mean for me?"
"There will be times when Yamato will be assigned ANBU missions. You will not be expected to accompany him, nor would you be allowed to. However, during those times when your master is away, you will be expected to continue your training as agreed upon. You will not divulge to anyone any details that you might know or accidentally find out about the missions he takes, nor will you divulge the nature of those missions, or your knowledge of your master's true position in Konoha's ranks or his ANBU identity."
"Yes sir."
"You, as his apprentice, like all of those apprenticed to ANBU agents, may be asked to run errands for the black ops which means that you will be required to have an ANBU identity in order to be given access to ANBU headquarters. You will also be trained and assessed to ANBU standards."
"You want me to go into ANBU?"
Don't you think pink hair is a rather identifiable trait old man?
"Not unless you wish to enter those ranks. But you can be trained to have the same skills they have."
"And that's why you chose Yamato-sensei?"
"No I chose Yamato because he is the only person who can teach you how to use Mokuton."
Sakura turned to look at the shinobi now sitting next to her. He gave her a close mouthed grin, his dark almond shaped eyes shining with amusement.
"Okay."
"You'd like to sign the contract?"
"I'd like to see the contract. I assume there's some wiggle room? I understand the sections that are relevant to the non-disclosure agreements will be non-negotiable, but the rest is?"
"Spoken like a true merchant's daughter."
"I'm quite proud of my civilian heritage sir."
"As you should be. But the Mokuton is a kekkei genkai. You're not just a Haruno. You have shinobi blood in you as well. Senju blood."
"I guess I'll take your word for it. My parents were both Haruno clan orphans, and they're no longer around to ask if they knew their bloodlines. Apparently a lot of the clan's historical records were destroyed in the Kyuubi attack."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Fortunately, the Senju records were well preserved. The clan is now mostly civilian, but there are a few that still choose the way of the shinobi. Your great-grandmother on your mother's side was born Nanao Senju. A young cousin to Lord First and Lord Second."
Sakura raised her eyebrows at the specific connection.
"I was going to bring this up after we'd gone through your apprentice contract. Lord First charged his clan with keeping records of all who carried Senju blood, whether they knew it or not for instances like this. Mokuton is a very rare, very treasured kekkei genkai of the Senju clan, and of this village. You are the first to naturally inherit the trait, so this is the first time that a parcel of land set aside in the village charter will be transferred." He handed her a document.
"I'm sorry?" She looked at the man called Yamato.
"I didn't get my abilities to use Mokuton naturally. I don't qualify for this."
"I. I don't understand," she said flicking through the document. "Why am I being given land?"
"The first council thought that mokuton was too important to the village to lose and it was common at the time that Shinobi weren't tied down by geographical boundaries, especially to a village. They wanted to give incentive to the Senju who had the mokuton trait to stay and continue the bloodline in the village. They wrote it into the founding charter that an independent parcel of land, no smaller than three Se, was deeded to every mokuton user and that the village would pay for getting it connected to the village amenities. Until today no one has been able to claim it."
"So I get a parcel of land just for having something I was born with?"
"The Senju were the driving force behind the coalition of clans, Lord First was the one to create the dense forest that hides the village in the leaves. A lot of people at that time believed that having a mokuton user in and loyal to the village was a reason for success."
"Doesn't seem fair. The village was doing just fine."
"Are you turning down the land gift?"
"I didn't say that," she shot him a look that said he was crazy to think she would and he chuckled. "But I'm more interested in the apprenticeship contract."
"Ah, yes, we seem to have gotten side tracked for a moment there." He handed her a copy of the contract he and Yamato had put together, and they waited patiently as she read it through just as thoroughly as she had the non-disclosure agreement.
Six days on two days off, so no standard weekend. Access to ANBU headquarters, training grounds, medics, and library.
Library?
Kami, can you imagine what they have in there?
What else does it say?
Training in Earth Style, Water Style, Wood Style- that's expected. Tracking, Sensing, Stealth.
Those are good.
Standard stamina and taijutsu training.
Solo D-ranks allowed in village. Competence for out of village solo D-ranks to be assessed.
C-rank missions at least once a month. Inner gasped.
We're going to get experience that's for sure.
Out of village D-ranks pay well too. C-ranks even more.
General stipend...
General stipend? Are we getting money just to be an apprentice?
Looks like... Ah, it's for the general errands that come with being an ANBU apprentice. Fifty thousand a month.
Sakura looked up at the list of other specialities she could get tutoring in. "Do I have to choose now what I want tutoring in or can I pick and choose when I'm ready?"
"Some of these are run by certain divisions who already have a set training schedule. You should indicate what you're interested in and that way we can arrange training when it's available so as not to put too much strain on those teaching you. That doesn't mean that you can't alter that list, it just means that you'll have to work around their scheduling rather than your own."
"Oh, of course," Sakura said, returning to reading the contract in full.
There were a few other rules that she had to abide by as an apprentice. Concessions that both Master and Apprentice would have to give, and a whole lot more that she'd have to deal with when dealing with ANBU.
"I sell a number of people seals and tags. Does that need to be taken into consideration at all?"
"Not at all. Several seal specialists do the same."
"And the living arrangement is non-negotiable?"
"I'm afraid it is. Yamato will be your legal guardian until you attain the rank of chūnin or the age of sixteen. But you might like to extend that out until your own property is ready to live in if either of those come to pass before then."
Sakura gave it another quick read through, marked down the areas she thought she wanted to be tutored in and signed the contract, the second non-disclosure agreement, and the ANBU apprentice contract annexed to it.
A copy was made and she was handed one that was already sealed into a scroll.
"I don't have to tell you that that should be placed somewhere safe do I?" the Hokage asked and Sakura sealed it inside herself.
"No sir. I'm sure I'll find a safe place to store it."
"Excellent, now then, all that needs to be done is signing that deed to transfer the land into your name. There are costs that are involved with owning property, but as stipulated by the charter you will not have to pay the land tax for the first ten years, as it will be covered by the village."
Sakura sighed. Her eyes were tired from all of the legalese she'd just read through and she felt a bit overwhelmed by the day.
"But that can wait," the Hokage chuckled. "How about we revisit this again after the exams?" She smiled with relief.
"I'd like that. Thank you sir."
Feels like a filler. It kind of is but review anyway please.
~G