Exactly one week after the routed invasion/coup conducted by the Hidden Sand Village and Danzo's illegally operating 'Ne' forces, a funeral was held for the fallen shinobi. It was a somber and solemn occasion, juxtaposed by the typically sunny and warm Konoha day. The only silver lining for many to cling to was how much worse it could have been, if not for the actions of the Sandaime, his two students, and Konoha's brave protectors.
The service itself finished with a procession that ended at the memorial stone, where there was a ceremonial etching of the fallen's names into said stone. There were no shinobi burials in the village for the most part. Some clans could do so on their private grounds, but the village itself did not have the available land to spare for burial grounds for ninja. Too many die for it to be feasible. A sobering thought about the nature of their village's livelihood and reason for existence, but a fact nonetheless.
The Lord Third Hokage gave an empowering speech, remembering the fallen as heroes, their sacrifice is what keeps the will of fire blazing for future generations. There would have been no dry eyes if such a speech was spoken at any other funeral, but not a single tear was shed during the ceremony. This was a shinobi village, a military installation that served as the deadly hand of their Daimyo and Fire Country. Mourning the dead was perfectly acceptable on any other occasion, but this was a funeral.
Naruto Uzumaki had only been allowed to leave the Hospital the morning of the funeral. He had been healthy for at least a day or two before then. But the medic-ninja had been adamant about his needed bed rest. After he passed out and Jiraiya brought him to the field Hospital in the village his injuries had appeared so dire that they almost pronounced him N-110, medical code for 'too far gone to expend energy on during an emergency'. But after Jiraiya's rather terse insistence, and witnessing his wounds almost literally knit themselves back together, the medical officer running the field hospital admitted him.
He was found to have broken both sets of bones in both of his arms, they surmised it was from the amount and pressure of the chakra he had needed to focus in his arms to properly wield the blade's respective techniques against Rasa's Gold Dust: Release. All of his ribs were broken and showed signs of severe bruising. As well as dozens of other smaller breaks, tears, fractures, and blunt force trauma. All topped off with what the head medical ninja could only later describe as "enough brain damage to stunt an Inuzaka." Which is a statement Naruto would like to somehow frame and display. Possibly with the medical ninja's signature on it.
He had really only been let out because of the ceremony, and because a healthy person taking up a hospital bed after an invasion was a waste of resources, even if that health somehow defied most medical doctrine and knowledge. The death toll had been very light for Konoha, but there was still a dearth of injured, and a lack of medic-ninja.
His Chunin vest felt uncomfortably heavy. And not because there was enough smelted steel packed into it to supply a battalion with kunai and shuriken, which was a mostly familiar weight. No, it was heavy with responsibility and expectation. He displayed enough promise in unique and unknown techniques to acquire the gaze of every foreign Kage. And that was before Jiraiya used him like a human kunai against Sunagakure's Yondaime Kazekage. Not that the more public stories told it that way.
So far, Naruto had only overheard a few of the village whispers since he left the hospital, and he has already heard an account that has him going toe to toe with the Kazekage before Jiraiya eventually had to step in to help finish him off. In truth, he had been little more than a convenient tool for the Sannin to utilize in ending a possibly devastating fight much earlier. Allowing Konoha to pursue an unconditional surrender from Sunagakure, seeing as how a genin nullified their Jinchuriki before the invasion even took place, and then Jiraiya sent their Kage fleeing unconscious on the backs of his anbu and personal guard.
Even if other villages' intelligence would know that was blatantly false, as would most reasonable people, doesn't mean it won't paint a massive target on his back. In this world, word and reputation, even if untrue, could be very powerful. And if Naruto did eventually get older and more powerful, it would certainly add to his reputation and credibility. If he wasn't already due to his status as a living weapon, he was certainly a target now.
Mere hours after the conclusion of the state funeral, the Sandaime was already back to work. Currently wrapped up in a meeting that he would have liked to skip, but knew was very necessary for the inner working of village politics. He sat with the current village elders and his two former teammates under Tobirama Senju. They were entrenched in an argument about the future of one of the village's newest Chunin.
"Through little fault of their own, the current generation hasn't created any strong enough ninja to lead and protect Konoha." A soft sigh escaped his lips, his face showing signs of his advanced age. "Kakashi, Kami bless him, is our closest to S-rank without killing himself. And I'm uncertain if he's in the proper state mentally to truly bridge that gap, and Gai could be that powerful, but only once before his likely death."
Homura chose this moment to speak up, "Hiruzen, you of all people must be able to see why playing favorites with the Uzumaki of all people could be seen negatively."
"We do not have the luxury of allowing an asset like Naruto-Kun to simply be left to his own devices. And quite frankly I'm more than done allowing some unwarranted stigma of one of our most promising ninja be the factor that prevents him from reaching or even surpassing his potential." Couldn't they see? This boy, man almost, was more than some way for Sarutobi to 'make amends' for his past mistakes. Even if those mistakes were numerous and often. If Itachi was a truly once-in-a-generation prodigy, then a ninja like Naruto may very well be once in an era. He could be what ends up shaping the world for the foreseeable future, and Hiruzen wanted to see him do it. He thinks that potential may even be the reason his student, Orochimaru, has taken such an interest in his development.
"So that's what this is about. The boy no longer sees you as a grandfather, and you think—"
"THIS!" Hiruzen cut him off by slamming his fist into the solid wood surface of his desk, as an intense wave of his chakra flooded the room like a raging river. "This, is about the future of our village! And I certainly will not have ANY of you questioning my motives or mental faculties. You who were taken in by Danzo's facade. You who helped him in his quest to turn Naruto into a living weapon, forcing my hand and forcing his early entry into a life of bloodshed. You who awe their lives to mere sentimentality and practicalism." He gestured to the two elderly ninja across from him, who did their best to look appropriately shamed. His threat had not gone over their heads.
"True, you may have eventually come around to the right side of thinking. But it took Danzo destabilizing the security of the village, both internally and abroad, for you to do so." He would not have his former teammates leading to more division within the village. This problem needed to be nipped in the bud immediately.
Although, Hiruzen knew that he couldn't ignore their advice outright. Not about showing Naruto favoritism, they were practically spewing bullshit on that front. They grew much to mired in public opinion and petty village politics in their old age. But they raised a valid point, even if accidentally.
As Hokage he certainly couldn't dedicate two of his top ninja just to train one newly promoted Chunin. That would be downright irresponsible. Maybe if they were both sharing and switching off training the lad while accomplishing their increasing duties? But Hiruzen knew both his students well enough to know that would happen when pigs fly.
Orochimaru was a famously poor sharer, the infamous 'hotspring incident' put Jiraiya and three of his then top Jonin in the hospital for almost three months. And that was over Minato's apprenticeship, who only showed half as much promise as his unknowing heir does now.
While Jiraiya tended to favor long periods of training and traveling, believing worldly experience is vital in developing a great ninja. A philosophy which 'just so happened' to make his lifestyle of spying, whoring, and writing, possible. And he also functioned as Konoha's spy master, at least in his free time. His white-haired student's spy network was much more of a wide net than Konoha's own, or even Orochimaru's, but it also had much wider holes. A sieve that gathered more large information than specifics.
Hiruzen had literal rooms full of specific information on topics like enemy combatant information, defense statistics, hell he knew their Intelligence Library had enough crop yield data from Kumo's tobacco industry alone to fill a normal public library with twice over. Because in the past some bored Nara noticed a coinciding trend in tobacco yield and export numbers and Kumo's military preparedness for battle. As it turns out, Kumokagure purchased cigarettes for their front line troops to help keep morale up, this caused a significant increase in tobacco output and a decrease in tobacco export as Kumo purchased tobacco in preparation.
What Hiruzen needed was a way to either force them to share the boy, or trick them into thinking it was their idea. He almost certainly could order them to share the boy, and force them to do so. But that would most likely result in a sub-par outcome for all involved. However, he also knew that both his students were superbly interested in training the boy. Hiruzen could admit he would also like a hand in training Naruto, not that it would ever be possible. But when one sees someone with this kind of potential, it's nearly impossible to not want a hand in their development.
Hiruzen would liken the urge to a similar feeling that leads a person or a people to carving a face into a mountain, a statement to history of your existence. Something that says 'Look, I existed!'. Like the grand monument bearing his own visage alongside his four compatriots sitting just out of his view through his office window, only instead it would be your name in the early stories of the man who changed the face of the world.
It is possible that if he stroked their egos enough, he may even be able to get them to share without overtly tricking or lying to them. Perhaps, he mused silently to himself, if he somehow made it Naruto's 'decision' while subtly guiding the boy to the most prudent outcome?
"No" He said aloud. That line of thinking is exactly how their relationship had become so strained. Hiruzen trying to manipulate the decisions to match his pre-determined plans. Could it possibly be as simple as asking Naruto-Kun to play along? It would certainly be to the boys benefit to do so. Two of the Sannin training you was something many ninja would almost literally give an arm and a leg for. But having two of the Sannin
That raised another question to Hiruzen. Did Naruto even want to play along? Did he want to be apprenticed to either Jiraiya or Orochimaru? Let alone both? He had come so very far almost entirely on his own. Most of his skill and prowess coming from his own intense and exhaustive research and experimentation with Chakra Smithing, which he did with little to no help. But Hiruzen firmly believed, no he knew, that Naruto learning under his two students would be in his best interest if he was truly meant for greatness.
After a minute or more of silence while the Hokage sat in thought, Koharu spoke up "Hiruzen." Only for her voice to be stopped by his raised hand.
"I am your Hokage, Koharu, and you would both do well to remember that and address me accordingly." He had ascertained the proper course of action, although he doubted it would be easy to pull off. Let alone make either of his two students very happy, at least not at first. But it would be what is best for Naruto, which in this current situation, would be what is best for Konoha.
He dismissed the two people in the village he had once thought he could trust implicitly as his peers. They stopped in the open door of his office, allowing his next scheduled meeting to walk in past them. Both of his former teammates pausing to give a deferential nod to his two students walking alongside the most promising new Chunin in Konoha's history sandwiched between them.
Hiruzen allowed a smile to grace his tired features. Naruto looked good in his new vest, and he certainly deserved the promotion. He was honestly ready for it a long time ago, but the aged Hokage knew that the young Uzumaki had non-physical issues he needed to work through.
And he knew that being placed on Kakashi's team allowed the groundwork for that emotional growth to take place. Sadly explaining that to the, at that time, emotionally distraught child soldier turned out to be more difficult than he had originally believed. Naruto had obviously taken his reassignment as a sign that Hiruzen not only didn't care about him or the loss of his entire team, but as a sign that he was just a pawn to the Kage. Both of which were patently false, it was just nearly impossible to communicate that to the young man.
In reality, Hiruzen cared quite deeply for the boy, and empathized with the loss of what Naruto considered to be a real family. Sadly he was not only the Hokage, who had larger responsibilities than the emotional development of a single Genin, but he also knew that Naruto needed stability that Kakashi and his team could provide. Which honestly sounded a little crazy when he first thought of it, but deep down he believed Kakashi knew what he was doing, and thankfully the copy-nin displayed so admirably.
Kakashi knew he should not be attempting to replace the blonde's former team, and he din't really need to physically train Naruto much either. So instead he tried to focus on giving the kid roots and a support system. Both the Aburame and Nara ended up being boons in the endeavor as well.
"Ahhem!" Was the not-so-delicate way that his sole male student decided to interrupt his train of thought.
The ungrateful brat. Of course Hiruzen knew they were here, but he was the sitting Hokage and assumed they would know that the meeting only starts when he starts it.
For her part Orochimaru seemed to be indifferent to the proceedings. Either content to allow her sensei a moment of peace, or more likely studying him and trying to ascertain what he was thinking about. And Naruto sat in one of the chairs across from his desk, relaxing, the boy having long since acclimatized himself to the office and the audience of the Hokage. Whether or not he liked it much.
"Well since it appears only one of my students is mature enough for this meeting, I'll be addressing them." He made an exaggerated show of turning to Orochimaru before addressing her.
An admirable effort was required to hide the mischievous smirk threatening to split his face, but it was ultimately unnecessary as Jiraiya had already fallen to the ground in an exasperated heap. While Naruto, the one person in the room with the least amount of training and experience in guarding his emotions still somehow appeared to be the one most in control of himself. Perhaps he picked that up from his Aburame teammate?
"Poor social etiquette aside" Hiruzen began again, not so subtly queuing his students to shape up. "I am at a crossroads in the path that should be taken with Naruto…" he allowed the subtext to sink in with his audience. 'The Uzumaki needs a guiding hand, and I am uncertain which of you should be that hand.'
"Naruto you are obviously prodigious in your chosen specialty, no one here, or anywhere else in the elemental nations, can begrudge you that." He continued on, "which is part of the reason why you need a new sensei."
Naruto's objections were stopped by a hand from Hiruzen before they even left his throat. "I am not necessarily looking to permanently take you away from Kakashi or the rest of your team, Naruto-Kun. But even you should know that your little display with Jiraiya-Kun during the Chunin exams painted a target on your back." He said, as if that was even close to the sole reason the boy was considered a V.I.P.
Rubbing the back of his hair, Naruto was obviously uncomfortable with the attention he's attracted, not only from his Kage but the rest of the ninja world. Although he certainly didn't seem to regret it, intense bodily injuries be damned.
"Not only do I need you to truly begin developing yourself, but you need a sensei who can both help and protect you in that journey. Kakashi is a powerful man, but even he would struggle to protect you and simultaneously handle any situation that may arise outside of the village." Naruto simply had to accept that fact, nodding along with his leader.
It's not like he would be completely cut off from his team, it just seemed that their collective Chunin careers were diverging a little sooner than he had anticipated. Not to mention either of the Sannin present here would be far more effective Sensei when it comes to actually developing his current skills. But that still left the question of who.
"Do I get any say in all of this?" Naruto finally spoke up, glancing indignantly around the room full of living legends.
Hiruzen steepled his hands under his chin, resting his elbows on his desk for a few moments. Before he snapped his fingers and a pipe appeared in his mouth as an anbu melted from the shadows to light it with an additional snap of the fingers before disappearing back into whatever technique hid them from view.
"Well my boy, yes and no." The surprised look on Naruto's face was almost worth the indignant looks from his students. No matter, he would get them to work together whether they liked it or not, for Naruto's sake. No matter, he would get them to work together whether they liked it or not, for Naruto's sake. But first he needed to speak to the blonde alone. A nod to his two students let them know that they needed to leave.
Orochimaru did her best to look both apathetic and annoyed, while Jiraiya put up an indignant display. Their reactions both for show, they knew he was doing this for good reason. They quickly bowed out with no further fuss. Neither of them doing so literally, as they both show their disrespect by leaving out his offices now open window. The Brats.
Hiruzen looked at the room's sole other occupant, still sat acrossed from him, and let out a sigh. Past mistakes flooding back to him, his memory never allowing himself to forget. "Naruto I would like your help in getting my two idiot students to agree to both be your sensei."
Sorry about the really long gap, I work weird hours and holidays were hectic with work, travelling, and family. I also kind of forgot I hadn't even posted this chapter yet, as I had written 95% of it weeks ago and meant to use it as a quick update for you guys while I work on more stuff.
To be honest, I used to have a relatively solid idea of the storyline and major events even the end. But I've been thinking and playing around with ideas that have pushed it in a direction I didn't really plan for at all, so now I sorta have nothing other than a vague sense on how it will end. And I've been sort of sporadically working on random plots that come to mind at different points of the story the last few weeks, as well as the meat and bones of the next few chapters. So in short, I've been distracted by myself for no real reason.
I'll also almost definitely be making some changes to past chapters. Most likely nothing huge, some small consistency stuff, world information, some timeline things, and of course what are probably only a few of my many errors.
Made a small addition to the end of the chapter, just lines things up better for the next one.