Chapter Four

Lord Third gasped as he took a deep puff of his inhaler. The relief it offered during attacks was lessening, and the severity of attacks was increasing. He stood on the stairs as he paused his descent. "Father, are you all right?" His son, Reo asked. Like him, Reo had dark hair and dark eyes. Unlike Lord Third, he was clean shaven, tightly toned, and in the prime of his life.

"Yes, son," he lied. "I'm afraid years of pipe smoking has finally caught up with me, as your mother warned it would."

"Father, are you sure it is wise to be taking Konohamaru to the temple complex?"

"Unfortunately," he shrugged, "I must be there as part of the education board. His sensei and Lord Fourth will be there, and you and Sara will be part of the security detail around the course. He most certainly cannot stay home by himself."

"I was younger than he was…"

"You also had your mother around more often than not," Hiruzen corrected as he finished climbing off the stairs, "if not home, she was at least in the village."

"Father, why the sudden concern?" Reo asked.

"Reo, I have no illusions about being a good father to you or your brother. I was rarely there when it mattered, and I didn't have anyone to stand in my place. Why do you think your brother ran off to work for the Fire Daimyo for so long."

"I thought he was upset that you didn't approve of his girlfriend," Reo retorted.

Hiruzen raised an index finger, "I never disapproved of Kurenai; I disapproved at how cavalier he was toward his relationship with her then, much as I don't approve of his cavalier approach now."

"And yet, you gave them your blessing," Reo observed, leaning his head to the side. What changed?"

"Reo, I could make a fuss about it and probably lose Asuma again, or I can hope that him being attached formally will force him to change his sails." Sensing the subject of end of life was coming up, Lord Third changed the subject, "Speaking of, where is Grandson?"

"Lord Fourth already took him to the testing site, along with Kakashi."

Minato sure is falling into his role of surrogate father quickly. Hiruzen sensed a tic of Reo's cheek. "You don't approve of our emergency plan?"

"I don't like asking such a thing of a seated Hokage."

"Reo, for a moment, stop thinking like an ANBU and think like a father."

"A father that has been absent most of his son's life." Reo stared down at the ground. "If Sara and I died, do you think he'd even notice?"

"Reo, that question is why I insisted on the arrangement with Lord Fourth and his wife. I sent far too many children to orphanages or to eke out a living doing odd jobs while living at Stony Bridge."

"Father, we were at war," Reo protested.

"And in a few months, we could be again," Lord Third reminded his son. He stared at his boy, his heir, "Son, I'm dying." Saying the words lifted a terrible weight from Hiruzen's chest.

"Father?!" Reo's eyes shot open wide.

"You mustn't tell anyone," he commanded. He held up his pipe, "I wasn't kidding when I told you that your mother had been right about my pipe smoking habit." He lowered the pipe and stared his son in the face, "Son, I am gravely ill… I'm… well, I'm dying."

"Dad…" Reo stared, clearly not believing what he was seeing or hearing, "… how… how long?"

"I'm not slated to survive past the new year," he shook his head. "Part of that is why I want arrangements made for Konohamaru now. You and your wife are the Hokage's hands, and you must be aware of the coming events."

"It has crossed my mind," Reo nodded.

"You know as well as anyone how often death stalks ANBU agents."

Reo again nodded, "Why them?"

"You object to the Hokage's family?" Hiruzen asked.

"No," Reo shook his head, "I'm merely curious as to why?"

"For one," he explained, "Kushina is already his sensei, and he's good friends with Naruto. Having a brother wouldn't be a bad thing for him."

"For two?" Reo asked.

"Well, I could have asked any number of prominent clans to take him in in the event of a crisis," he shrugged. "I truly don't think he'd be happy being with any of the major clans."

A forlorn look came over Reo, "He already seems happier as part of their family than he ever was as part of ours…"

"Son, your boy loves you and Sara," Hirzen replied. "After this business is done, there will be time to connect with him more."

"If Sara and I both survive," Reo corrected.

"Son, I don't think the worst-case scenario will happen." At least not for you. "I only seek to be prudent in case it does." Lord Third walked to the front door and donned his jacket and headdress. "Now then, let us take our stations."

Lord Third arrived at the central temple, escorted by heavy guard through the Forest of Death – Training Ground Forty-Four. By the time he arrived, evening was already setting in. His mind wandered to the teams out here among the woods. He wondered if they were safe.

"Lord Third!" Minato's boyish voice greeted as he walked into the massive tournament ring inside the temple. In the event that too many teams made it to the end, there would be an elimination round prior to moving on to Part Three of the exam. At the moment, Kushina and Konohamaru were sparring in the otherwise unoccupied ring.

"Lord Minato," he walked to his successor, "I trust so far, so smooth?"

"At least," Minato spoke cautious, "we haven't had anything truly unusual for such an event."

"What do you mean?"

"The clearing near the central temple was a bloodbath. There have been at least a dozen deaths and even more injuries resulting in elimination."

"What about Naruto?" Hiruzen asked, stone sinking in his stomach.

"No word, but that should be a good thing," Minato replied. "His plan was to go to ground initially and try and acquire the hidden scrolls." Minato's eyes turned suddenly to the left, gesturing to the edge of the ring. Kakashi stood where Minato had gestured. The younger man stood with his arms crossed, pretending to be paying attention to the sparring match.

Taking the hint, Lord Third began walking to the ring's edge, following Kakashi as he made for a nearby locker room. The room was sterile white tile with rows of ancient yellow lockers throughout. "Gentlemen, I haven't had a locker room conversation in decades," Lord Third mused. "Dare I ask, what crisis are we up against now?"

"You got it?" Minato asked Kakashi.

Kakashi held out a simple log book, "She didn't even notice."

"Normally, I would be a bit worried about you two stealing a girl's diary, but I'm guessing that is Kushina's log book?" Lord Third asked.

"She has been filing her progress reports as required?" Minato asked.

"Yes, she has," Hiruzen crossed his arms. "Technically, I shouldn't discuss this without her permission." He shrugged, "However, a Hokage may inquire about any record he pleases."

Minato nodded, "Does her recent progress report reflect that she is now well in excess of what she would need to sit for the Jonin Sensei test?"

Hiruzen gave a shallow tip of his head, "I assume there is more?"

"Found this the other day," Kakashi produced a somewhat crumpled bundle of papers. "It was in the trash at the house, in Minato's home office." He handed them to Lord Third. An application for licensure as a Jonin Sensei for one Kushina Uzumaki.

"She fills out the application and decides to throw it out without signing it," Hiruzen scanned the documents, seeing that she had otherwise completed everything. "Did she say anything about not feeling up for things?"

"Tell me if you heard this story," Minato grunted, "Jonin candidate treats a genin like he's her son, he apparently gets killed in action, a few years later, he tries to murder her, and she blames herself."

"Konohamaru is not Obito," Lord Third replied.

"No, but you have to admit the parallels," Kakashi said as he crossed his arms.

"He looks up to her like a mom, Minato; right now, he'd lay down his life to protect her."

"That is why we brought this up," Minato shook his head. "She's carried the weight of something that wasn't her fault for over a decade now." He paused, staring at both men, "Now that she is back to her pre-injury state, it would be a terrible waste if she threw in the towel!"

"Agree," Kakashi nodded, "given the potential storm coming, we're going to need all the help we can get." He pounded a fist into his hand, "And we are frightfully short of instructors with real-world wartime experience!"

Hiruzen nodded solemn. The opening phases of the Third War fed experienced jonin and chunin into the meatgrinder with frightening rapidity. At the end of year one, most of the surviving chunin were promoted to jonin by right of survival and with little regard for how ready they were. As for the surviving jonin, most were pulled from frontline service to preserve some semblance of a training force. That just left a bunch of kids to fight a war their parents and grandparents started. "In any case, I'm about to recommend something completely selfish."

The other two men looked on in confusion. Finally, Minato asked, "What?"

"I'm recommending we bring Konohamaru into this."

"Konohamaru?" Kakashi spoke with mild alarm.

Hiruzen nodded. "He looks up to his sensei as a mother-figure. You know as well as I know that her teaching permit will expire after the first of the year if she doesn't actually apply for licensure. How do you think my grandson will take it? He has done nothing but talk about Team Habanero since the day Kushina started training him."

Minato and Kakashi both exchanged troubled looks, "I hate to use the boy as leverage," Minato said.

"I'd hate more for Kushina to throw away her future and the future team she could assemble because she's afraid that she'll fail him. Part of the reason Tsunade left was because she thought she was a jinx on all those close to her."

"Boss, he has a point," Kakashi nodded, "She needs to see the good she has already done, the good she can do." He shrugged, "I think Konohamaru needs to speak on his own behalf."

"When do we do this?" Minato asked.

"How about in the morning; grandson is an early-riser as of late," Hiruzen said. "I'll wake him early."

"Grandson, I need you to wake up," the words robbed Konohamaru from fitful sleep. The beds in the proctor's quarters were uncomfortable to say the least. As he rubbed cobwebs from his eyes, Konohamaru noted that it was 0600.

"Grandpa," he pushed back the thin blanket covering him. As he sat up, Konohamaru's eyes adjusted to the pre-dawn darkness. "Kakashi?" The other man stood beside Grandfather.

"Kiddo, we need your help," Kakashi said.

"Help?" the morning fog clung to Konohamaru's brain.

"Grandson," Grandpa stared with his penetrating, serious eyes, "Do you want Kushina as your jonin-sensei?"

"Yes," he nodded without hesitation, all while a pit sunk in Konohamaru's stomach. "What's going on; you're not having second thoughts about her training me?" Cold panic made his heart jump, "Oh god! Are my parents?!" The nightmare of Kushina abandoning him was almost as bad as his parents jealously firing her as her sensei.

"No, grandson," Grandpa shook his head, "but, I'm afraid we may need your help with an intervention."

"Intervention?" Konohamaru wrinkled his eyebrows.

"Did she ever mention a boy named Obito Uchiha?"

Konohamaru froze, wondering how that played into things. "Yeah, she mentioned him the day she took me on as student – she said he'd been one of Minato's students."

"She tell you anything else?" Kakashi pressed.

"He was kind of an ambitious loser from what she said," Konohamaru dug back into his memory. "He wanted to be Hokage but didn't quite fit the bill; that got him killed in the war." He stared at Kakashi, "Wait a… oh god! You knew him, didn't you? She took his death really hard, didn't she?" Way to go, jerk, you probably just spat on the grave of his best friend and teammate!

"It's a bit more nuanced than that," Kakashi answered grim, but without judgement, "but long story short, Obito isn't dead."

"What?!"

"Konohamaru, what we're about to tell you is classified, and you cannot discuss it with anyone else; is that perfectly clear?" Grandpa's tone was stern.

"Yes, sir," he nodded.

"To answer your question, yes, I was on Minato's team," Kakashi nodded, "and I was there when we thought Obito died. And also yes, it devastated Minato and Kushina. Kushina treated him like he was her son – that includes the tough love like she gives you." Kakashi paused, letting the words sink in, "We don't entirely know what happened next, but Obito was rescued or escaped somehow after we thought he'd expired." Kakashi again paused, his throat pulsed before he continued, "On the night Naruto was born, he attacked the safehouse where Kushina was giving birth. He killed six ANBU, he killed your grandmother and her assistant, and he tried to kill Kushina and Naruto."

"Killed Grandma?!" Konohamaru turned his shocked gaze to his grandfather.

"I'm sorry, Grandson, but I didn't want you growing up with a genetic hatred of the Uchiha the way my predecessor did," Grandfather explained. "We know he acted alone, and the Uchiha Clan has disavowed him – with a death-mark." Konohamaru understood what it meant: a member of the clan was expected to execute Obito on sight if they encountered him.

"Why are you telling me this?" Konohamaru's fingers dug into the sheets on his uncomfortable mattress.

"Because Kushina should have applied for licensure by now," Kakashi flashed Sensei's log book and what looked like a paper application, "She's afraid."

"Afraid of what?!"

"Afraid that she'll train you and send you out on some mission, and you'll come back twisted the way Obito did."

"That's crazy!" he protested, "She wasn't even his sensei!"

"But Minato was," Kakashi raised his index finger, "and she loved that damn boy like he was her own flesh and blood, even told him the last time we were together that she hoped her children would grow up to be like him." He shook his head, "I'm guessing she didn't count on him changing so badly."

"How…how do I come in here?"

"Grandson, she loves you much the way she loves Obito, and that makes her scared – scared that she'll turn you into him. You both share many similarities: prominent clan, absent parents, a burning desire to be recognized and be Hokage."

"That's crazy! I'm nothing like him! He was a punk who never lived up to what he could be despite having a great sensei! How the hell could he even think of putting a hand on… Kushina!" Konohamaru stopped as he realized how worked up he was getting. You also almost called her, "Mom."

"We know that," Kakashi assured him, "and we need your help to let her know it. Otherwise," Kakashi shrugged, "at the end of the year, her teaching permit will expire, and she'll never be your sensei, at least not officially."

"Grandpa, is that true?!" Konohamaru fought tears at the news.

"I'm afraid so, grandson," he nodded. "I've seen the good she's done for you, and I think she needs your help to see it for herself, to remind her that she didn't fail Obito – he failed her."

Konohamaru balled his hands into fists, "All right, what do you need me to do?"

"We need you to sit with us when she gets up to train you this morning," Kakashi started, "and we need you to tell her how important this is for you. She wouldn't want someone she treats like a son to miss out on his best chance at a bright future."

Kakashi's words brought another skeleton from the closet. "Umm…"

"Yes, Grandson?" Grandpa's face sharpened with concern.

"Well, I may need both your help, too…" Big brother, I know you made me promise to let it drop, but I can't.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"It's Naruto… you see…."

A few hours later, Konohamaru knocked gentling on the door to the room Sensei and Lord Fourth shared in the suite. Grandfather stood beside him for moral support. I can do this! I have to do this! After a short pause, the door opened "Good morning Sensei, I'm sorry if I woke you, but you were late to practice," the boy said. That part wasn't a lie, normally they would have started practice at 0700.

Kushina balked and stared down at her watch, seeing the time was "Sorry, Konohamaru, I didn't sleep well. These beds, ya know," she laughed, "it'd be easier to sleep on the concrete floor." The trio laughed quietly, as she stole a nervous glance back to Lord Fourth. "I'll be out in a minute," she said as she closed the door.

"Come Grandson, let's have a seat," Grandpa said. They walked to the common sitting area and sat of a small sofa, waiting for Kushina to arrive. Kakashi meanwhile stood near the entrance to the suite.

As Kushina came out of the bedroom, she took in the sight of the group, rubbing the scar Obito had given her the night of Naruto's birth. "There was something else, gentlemen?" Even Konohamaru sensed her unease.

"Kushina, please have a seat," Grandpa gestured toward the armchair opposite the sofa.

She sat, and for a moment everyone stared quietly, measuring each other, "Lord Sarutobi, is something wrong?" she broke her silence.

"Several things in fact, but not what you think," Grandfather flashed a crooked smile. "Kushina, you've been delaying an event most important."

"What's that?" she looked at him, turning her head askew.

Grandfather pulled from his robes the hourly log Kushina had to file with the education and licensing board. "What's holding you back, Kushina?" he asked as he thumbed the book open, "According to this log, you're almost forty hours over your required contact time with Konohamaru alone." He smiled curiously, "And don't get me started with the amount of hours you've collected training the rest of the genin as we were getting closer to the exam. Your application for licensure should have been submitted two weeks ago. So, tell me, why are you waiting?"

Kushina folded her hands in her lap and looked down to stare at them. Konohmaru could tell she was in pain as she spoke, "How did you know?" Her voice was hollow, defeated.

"I told them," Kakashi emerged from the doorway, "I thought maybe it was time for an intervention."

"Intervention? Really?" she smirked. At least she's not angry.

"Kushina," Grandpa spoke again, "we are dangerously short of instructors with real combat experience – not the bandit raids we see nowadays."

"And yet, you wanted me out of the war, and now, you want me to jump in now that there is no war?" I sense some history neither told me.

"Kushina, I've spent most of the past decade on protection detail to no benefit of my own career because it was where I was needed the most," Kakashi's tone was firm, but not quite to the degree of scolding. It reminded Konohamaru of being told countless times that his parents were doing something vital for the safety of the village.

"Kushina, I know you are upset at how things went down," Grandfather spoke, "but I was sincerely worried at what might happen to you if the enemy knew you'd be near the front line." He sighed, looking down at the ground, "You may remember at least once it was nearly the end of you and your unit." He locked eyes with her. Konohamaru assumed they were talking about the Third Shinobi War and not another war.

"So," she sighed, "you want to know why I haven't put in my application to sit for the instructor's test?" Please don't be because I was bad! Please don't be because you don't have faith in me!

"We won't pass judgement," Kakashi said, "I know Naruto is a handful, as are his friends, but you've toiled at this for almost a year now. I'd hate to see all that progress go to waste."

"There of course is a selfish reason as well," Grandfather chewed at his unlit pipe, something he did when he couldn't smoke. Selfish?

"What's that?" Kushina furrowed her eyebrow. What could be selfish about… oh!

Realization hit Konohamaru. "It's me, sensei," Konohamaru bowed his head, realizing what Grandfather meant.

"Konohamaru, what's wrong, son?" They both froze with the slip of her tongue. Son?!

"Nothing's wrong," Konohamaru tried to smile despite his racing heart. He nervously scratched the back of his head, "it's just that… well, Grandpa and Kakashi told me if you don't submit for actual licensure, by year's end you'll lose your permit to train me."

Kushina froze, like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, "Konohamaru, I'd still be willing to train you in my free time…"

Oh god, she really is going to abandon me like everyone else! Konohamaru didn't restrain the tears now erupting from his eyes, "But Sensei, you wouldn't actually be able to be my Sensei then! You… you promised!"

"Konohamaru…" she strained with her voice.

He continued to cry, and he didn't hold back the hot frustration he'd saved for his parents, "You're the only sensei that saw anything in me other than a fat paycheck or a chance to punch a ticket on the promotion ladder!" Konohamaru hammered a fist into his knee, causing it to burn. "You treated me like family, like I was actually Naruto's brother! And now you're too scared to teach me!" Everything he'd dreamed about as a shinobi began crumbling.

Kushina stared with eyes wide at his outburst. "Grandson, mind your manners!" Grandpa barked, "You are addressing the First Lady as well as the person who is still your sensei."

"NO!" Kushina protested as tears began to run down her cheeks, "It's okay, he's right," she cried into her hands for a moment. "I was being selfish, not considering the needs of my apprentice." It's all right, sensei, I'm such a selfish jerk for throwing this temper tantrum!

"Kushina," Kakashi's walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Rin, Obito, and I were all plenty screwed up by things you had no control over, and you weren't our sensei. Look at what positive things you've achieved with Naruto and Hinata despite all the challenges that got in the way. Look at what you achieved with Akemi and Hanabi in a very short span of time!" He pointed to Konohamaru, "And look what you did with this little rascal. He wasn't a blank slate! You had to wiped clean the mistakes of others and start him over, on the right path this time! And you've succeeded there!"

"Kakashi…" she tried clearing her tears.

"That means you're not cursed, Kushina! That little boy sitting there is the product of the good you can do, and the only mistake, the worst you could make, is letting that work sit unfinished!"

"Konohamaru," she choked, "you really want me to continue to be your instructor?" Her tear stained eyes suggested a level of disbelief at his insistence.

"Yes, please," he cried, wiping his eyes. "You taught me more in a few months than I've learned in the past three years!"

"It's true," Grandpa said, "Kushina, my grandson, the future of my clan, was aimless without your training and encouragement. He was in the bottom half of his class; now he's almost the head of his class!" Way to inflate my ego, Grandpa!

"So, what do you say, beautiful?" Everyone turned to see Lord Fourth emerge from the doorway to their dorm room, "You ready to stop fretting over everything that went wrong and start building a new future?"

Kushina stared at her husband curiously, "You planned this, didn't you?"

Minato grinned as he stretched in the doorway, "I had a hand in it, but when I saw this," he pulled out her folded application for licensure, "I figured maybe a little push was in order."

"So, what do you say?" Konohamaru asked. Please say yes! Please say yes!

Kushina stared at Konohamaru, "You do realize you'll be tested as much as me as part of this; it could get kinda hairy, ya know."

"Leave that to me!" he pointed a thumb at himself with a confident smile. Konohamaru hoped the vote of confidence helped.

"Come on hon," Minato approached her, holding out the application and pen, "this is what you've wanted since before Naruto was born. You've had to put so many dreams on hold; now is the time to start making them happen!"

Kushina took the unsigned application and pen, and she signed her name. She was committed now. "I'll file this with the board," Kakashi took the completed application, "and they should be contacting you with an exam date within a week or two."

"That wasn't so bad," she sighed and smiled. "I guess it's you and me, Konohamaru!" Minato beginning to massage her shoulders.

"Ha! They won't know what hit them!" Konohamaru exclaimed. I'll make you proud!

Despite her joy, Kushina's face again morphed into concern. "What's the other thing? You said more than one thing was wrong." She stared at Grandpa, and Konohamaru felt his bladder tighten at what he was about to say.

"Perhaps, Konohamaru can explain that better than me," he chewed his pipe with a slight smile.

"Konohamaru, what is it?" she asked.

You're doing the right thing. It's the least you can offer in return. "It's about Naruto," he said nervously, hoping Naruto would forgive him for betraying his trust.

"What about him?" Kushina became even more concerned.

"It's just that… well, his birthday is coming up, the big one-three!"

She nodded an understanding. "And?" she circled her fingers to get him to continue.

"And he's pretty much told me he isn't going to celebrate it this year."

"What?" she and her Lord Fourth said in unison as she pulled back in surprise.

"I was helping him pack his gear for the exam, and we got to talking about how fast the year was going, how the holidays like the Yokai Market and the Rinne Festival would be here soon, and I brought up that his birthday would be the week ahead of Part Three." Konohamaru averted his eyes, "Well, he said something about being too busy with getting ready for Part Three of the exam to bother celebrating," Konohamaru shook his head, "and he said it was just another day."

Sensei exchanged a concerned look with her husband, "Did he tell you about this at all?"

He shook his head, "No, but I can't say I'm surprised. He's been taking this exam with great seriousness – especially when it comes to the safety of the Konoha teams. He's seems determined to reach manhood at the expense of any remaining childhood he has."

"Minato, it's a major milestone birthday; we can't just let him throw it away!" Kushina exclaimed.

"Agreed," Minato said, "Perhaps while we wait for news, we should discuss what our options are. I really don't want to see our boy miss his own birthday."

"If I may," Konohamaru offered.

"Speak freely," Kushina said.

"Well, you should bring Hinata in on this," Konahamaru felt his streak of mischief returning.

"Oh?" Kushina's lips tightened, and she exchanged an equally trickster grin with Lord Minato. "Please," she turned back to Konohamaru, "do tell us your suggestion."

"Well," Konohamaru began tapping his fingers, mimicking Hinata. "I mean, the boss man does have a thing for her… I even hear they've had kissy time!"

"Konohamaru!" Grandfather protested.

"No," Lord Minato raised his hand, "the boy has a point." A naughty smirk cracked at the corner of Minato's mouth. "Young love sometimes needs room," he turned to Kushina, "in other cases, a bit more of a push."

"An intervention!" Kakashi chuckled.

"All right," Kushina nodded as she bit her lower lip, "it's a start."

Author's notes: Hi everyone, apologies for not updated this one more often. Critical Moments Volume 3 eats up most of my time. I hope you nevertheless enjoyed the chapter, and I hope to see you next chapter! Stay healthy and stay safe!