Yamato stood calmly with his hands behind his back, overlooking the forest he had carefully constructed.
"Report."
A wood clone of Yamato appeared, removing his camouflaged form from a nearby tree.
"How are those three faring?" Yamato asked.
"Lee and Sasuke have been incapacitated. Haru got away and is still on the loose."
Yamato grunted. As expected of Kuzumaki. But she would not evade him forever.
Yamato had forced his three students to run around the forest for three hours without him showing up. Then he had his clones strike when they were exhausted from running and hiding for so long.
"Do you think those three will succeed?" Yamato asked his clone.
"It's too soon to tell. I suppose we'll find out soon enough."
"All right. Dismissed."
The clone rushed back into the forest.
Yamato stood still and peaceful as he did before, looking out into the forest.
Then several shuriken flew at Yamato from a bush. He stepped aside, easily dodging them.
Haru, Lee, and Sasuke burst out of the trees.
Yamato moved to apprehend them. But his arms and legs jerked to a halt.
Yamato realized that he couldn't move. Sasuke had attached invisible ninja wires to the shuriken thrown at him.
Sasuke closed in on Yamato first. His kunai cut Yamato's arm, tearing his sleeve and drawing blood.
"He's bleeding! That's the real one!" Sasuke shouted.
Sasuke punched at Yamato while Lee kicked at him.
Yamato grabbed Lee's ankle and tossed him into the air, flinging him at the trees.
Sasuke stopped his assault on Yamato and rushed away to catch Lee.
Lee grinned. "Thanks, Sasuke!"
Sasuke and Lee lunged at Yamato again, punching and kicking him relentlessly. They forced him to take several steps back.
It was when Yamato stepped on a specific spot on the ground that a pair of hands grabbed his ankles from underground.
"What?!" Yamato cried out. He looked down to see hands with black wristbands.
Only Haru wore black wristbands.
But Haru was above ground, wasn't she?!
Yamato looked up, noticing that the Haru standing behind Sasuke and Lee appeared off. His eyes narrowed. "A clone!"
Before Yamato could even try to free himself and leap away, Sasuke threw several kunai knives to the ground with some wire strings attached. The wire strings wound around Yamato's body, tying him up.
Yamato stood, struggling against his bonds. But Sasuke had made sure the wire strings wrapped around him were tight.
Haru let go of Yamato's ankles and returned to the surface where Lee and Sasuke were standing. She gratefully took in fresh air again.
Haru, Lee, and Sasuke lunged at Yamato to deal the final blow.
"We've got you now, Yamato-sensei!" Lee shouted.
The timer went off, its ring damning.
Haru's heart stopped. Lee's eyes watered. Sasuke cursed.
Yamato cut through the ninja wires binding him. He regarded the three kids calmly.
"...You pass."
Haru, Lee, and Sasuke all blinked. "Huh?!"
"What? But we didn't manage to defeat you in time," Lee said.
"I wasn't expecting you to," Yamato said.
"Your performance was…adequate. You three managed to regroup and figure out the true purpose of the survival exercise. Testing your cooperation skills. Well done."
Lee bawled loudly. Haru patted her chest to calm her heartbeat and let out a long sigh of relief. Sasuke smirked in satisfaction.
Then Haru's relief was quickly dampened by dread.
Shit. Which team was going to be held back?
…Damn it. There was no turning back now.
Haru didn't feel too surprised about passing.
Sasuke was on their team. The higher-ups would be fools not to let a Uchiha grow stronger by venturing outside the village. Sasuke wasn't going to awaken his Sharingan by staying cooped up in Konoha.
"Now explain to me the strategies you used against me in battle earlier," Yamato said.
Team Nine did what he asked, going into lengthy detail.
Haru had asked Sasuke if it would be possible for him to use the Fire Ball Jutsu to burn the forest down and clear the area. They ultimately decided against it since the Fire Ball Jutsu consumed a lot of Sasuke's chakra. He already used it on Yamato's wood clone once.
So Haru, Sasuke, and Lee tracked Yamato through the forest together, their kunai ready to separate his wood clones from the real one through bleeding.
While Haru's clone moved with her teammates against Yamato, the real Haru hid underground.
She had taken some notes out of Kakashi and Naruto's books.
Kakashi had subdued Sasuke from underground during the Bell Test with the Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu.
During the Chunin Exams, Naruto used one of his shadow clones to trick Neji into thinking he was beaten. He burrowed underground to keep himself hidden and launched a sneak attack, giving Neji the finishing punch to his chin.
Haru infused chakra throughout her fists to dig her way underground. Like a groundhog, of course.
Yamato listened to the kids recount their battle plan before saying, "Although your efforts are commendable, I still have some criticism. Sasuke, you could've dealt a blow to me if you hadn't stopped to help Lee."
Lee flinched.
Sasuke was appalled. "But Yamato-sensei, Lee could've seriously hurt his back if he hit those trees."
"Sasuke wasn't wrong to do that! A ninja isn't supposed to just let their comrades get hurt!" Haru argued.
Yamato frowned. "When you're in battle, you can't waste time helping your comrades when there's a chance to land a devastating attack on the enemy. Following the rules and any assigned orders are absolute. As your sensei, I'll teach you three the proper way of being a ninja."
Haru was caught off guard. Shouldn't Kakashi have taught Yamato about the value of putting your comrades' well-being above the mission by now? They were in the same Anbu team!
Yamato felt so cold compared to how Haru remembered him from the Naruto series. It just didn't feel like this was the same Yamato she knew.
"...Perhaps, Yamato-sensei, we can learn from each other," Haru said, coming up with a compromise before the conversation grew more sour.
"Hmmm…" Yamato's frown did not go away and he didn't say more.
Haru scowled. "And take back what you said about my parents, Yamato-sensei."
"I never truly meant what I said, Haru. I was trying to provoke you into attacking me." Yamato looked approvingly at Haru. "But you managed to keep your emotions in check. That'll be important on missions. Well done."
Yamato's praise did nothing to appease Haru. "You still need to properly apologize, Yamato-sensei."
Yamato sighed. "Very well. I apologize. My words were callous."
Yamato started walking away. "Squad Nine officially starts its first mission tomorrow. Be ready." With that, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Haru pouted. Yamato hadn't even offered to treat them to lunch. Oh well.
After Yamato left, Lee openly frowned. "…I don't think I can agree with Yamato-sensei. Leaving your teammates to get hurt? That just doesn't sound right! Guy-sensei would never do such a thing!"
"…Right," Sasuke said, agreeing with Lee.
"Now that we're genin and in a team together, let's do our best to protect each other," Haru said. Lee and Sasuke were definitely capable enough to get her out of danger.
Lee jumped in the air and cheered. "That's right! We're genin now! Yes! We're ninjas! Real ninjas!"
"Should the three of us have lunch together to celebrate?" Haru asked.
"Yes!" Lee said.
"Sure," Sasuke said.
Lee and Haru stared at Sasuke in surprise.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What? I fought Yamato-sensei with both of you, didn't I? I can eat lunch with you too."
Lee cheered, wrapping an arm over Sasuke's shoulder. "Let us celebrate our first lunch as a team together!"
Haru, Lee, and Sasuke decided to eat at Yakiniku Q.
Grilled meat was a good source of protein.
Haru had always been fond of Korean barbeque. So the Japanese equivalent, yakiniku, was also great in her eyes.
Haru was still avoiding Ichiraku Ramen. Team Seven was definitely there celebrating right now.
Haru, Lee, and Sasuke had taken their seats at a table when there came a loud squeal.
"Sasuke!" Ino bounced up to Team Nine's table. "What a pleasant surprise!"
"So how'd you guys do on your survival exercise?" she asked.
"We passed!" Lee shouted.
Ino smiled. "I knew you'd pass, Sasuke! There's no way someone as cool as you could fail!"
Following behind Ino were Choji, Shikamaru, and Asuma.
Asuma raised a hand in greeting. "Hey there."
"Hey…" Shikamaru said.
Choji gave Team Nine a little wave, but his attention was mainly on the rich aroma of meat cooking around him.
A waitress approached Team Nine's table and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Do you mind if these four share a table with you? Our restaurant is very crowded today."
"Not at all!" Lee answered. Sasuke and Haru nodded in agreement.
Team Ten took their seats across from Team Nine.
"These three are your comrades-in-arms now. So be nice," Asuma said to his team.
"Wait. So that means you guys passed your survival exercise?" Haru asked.
Shikamaru sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. It was a total drag."
"Asuma-sensei wasn't easy to fight, that's for sure!" Ino added.
"But he was also nice enough to let us eat snacks before starting to get the energy to fight him," Choji said.
Asuma laughed. "All of that was for your own good. Team-building's essential."
Haru relaxed against her chair. So Team Ten had passed their survival exercise. What a relief. The Konoha Eleven would not be the same without Ino-Shika-Cho.
"So where's your sensei? In the bathroom?" Asuma asked.
"Uuh. No. He left," Haru said.
Asuma blinked. "Oh. Did he have an important mission to go to?"
"No. He just left right after we passed our survival exercise," Haru said.
Asuma was baffled. All jounin knew that sharing a meal with their new genin after a successful survival exercise was a rich bonding experience to build camaraderie. Was Team Nine's sensei just clueless or cold?
Asuma sent a reassuring smile to Team Nine. "Ah well. Your sensei must be off doing something important."
Once the raw yakiniku slices came out, both teams eagerly dug into their meals. They needed to replenish all the energy they expended during their survival exercises.
In the middle of eating, Haru asked, "Hey, Ino. Is your flower shop going to be open later?"
"Of course, Haru! Everyone will be buying flowers to celebrate passing their exams today!"
"Ok. Cool, thanks. I'll come by later."
After both teams finished their meal, they were given two separate bills.
Haru, Lee, and Sasuke had agreed to split the bill.
Before anyone from Team Nine could grab the bill, Asuma had already signed his signature on it.
"Asuma-sensei! Please! You don't have to!" Lee said.
Asuma simply wore an easygoing smile on his face. "Come on. It's no big deal. I'm the jounin sensei here. It's my job to look after you genin. Don't worry about it."
Being the Third Hokage's son, Asuma was loaded.
Lee got teary-eyed, feeling touched by Asuma's kindness. "Thank you, Asuma-sensei!"
Team Nine and Team Ten left the restaurant, saying their goodbyes to each other.
Then it was time for Team Nine to leave for the day.
Haru waved. "See you tomorrow, Lee, Sasuke."
Lee waved cheerily. "Bye, Haru! Bye, Sasuke!"
Sasuke silently raised a hand in goodbye.
As Haru walked away, she looked up at the sky in thought.
Team Ten passed. That was good.
But just how was Team Seven doing?
"Haru! Hey, Haru!"
Haru paused, surprised to hear anyone other than members of her team calling out to her. She turned around.
"Sakura?"
"I wanted to give this back to you." Sakura held out a handkerchief to Haru.
It was the same handkerchief Haru had given Sakura when she found her crying by the roadside all those years ago. In fact, the two of them were standing on the very same road right now.
Back then, Haru had been so focused on avoiding more interactions with canon characters that she totally forgot to ask for it back. She didn't want to talk to Sakura any more than she had to.
"You kept it all this time?" Haru asked.
Sakura's cheeks flushed. "...Yeah. It's just that…you called me smart. So whenever I held the handkerchief, I was reminded of that. It made me feel…happy."
She smiled. "You're one of the reasons I passed my test, you know. You and Ino. Your handkerchief and the red headband Ino gave me reminded me to look out for others."
Haru was surprised. So she had a similar impact on Sakura as Ino. Who knew? "Oh. Cool. And it's ok. You could keep the handkerchief. I already got a new one a long time ago."
Sakura laughed sheepishly. "Oh. Haha. Of course, you would've gotten a new one by now. Sorry, I didn't return it sooner."
"It's ok. Don't worry about it."
Haru pointed at Sakura's arm. "Is that the same headband Ino gave you to wear?"
"Yeah. But since I wear a ninja headband now, Ino said it would look cool as an armband."
Haru nodded. "It does look good on you."
Sakura giggled. "Thanks!" She cleared her throat. "...I mean…thanks for everything, Haru…"
Sakura and Haru both stood flustered for a moment, Sakura at her words and Haru at being thanked for the simple act of being nice.
Then Sakura waved at Haru cheerily. "Anyway! Good luck on your first set of missions tomorrow, Haru!"
"Thanks! You too!"
After Sakura was gone, Haru let out a long sigh of relief.
Team Seven had passed and the timeline wasn't destroyed beyond repair.
Sure, Sasuke was on her team. But Sai was on Team Seven in canon and everyone ended up okay.
Everything will be fine.
…Hopefully.
"Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers. How can I help you?"
This was the first time Haru was standing face-to-face with Yamanaka Inoichi.
He wore a pleasant, friendly smile on his face at the moment, but only because she was a customer.
Haru wasn't fooled. He was the Yamanaka clan leader. The leader of a clan of mind-readers.
If she did anything suspicious in front of him, he'd thoroughly investigate her mind where he could find out about her future knowledge of canon and her being a reincarnated person!
So she had to act cool! Act natural!
"…I need flowers."
Haru internally winced.
Holy shit! She sounded so dumb! Of course, she needed flowers! She was in a flower shop!
Luckily, it seemed that Inoichi was used to dealing with introverts and reserved customers.
"Ok. What occasion do you need flowers for? Is there somewhere specific you're taking them?"
"I managed to pass my sensei's exam today. I wish to take some flowers to the Konoha Cemetery…"
Haru hoped she didn't sound suspicious. Who would go to a cemetery for such a happy occasion?
Luckily, Inoichi understood. "I see…Don't worry. I know exactly what kind of flowers you need."
Inoichi gathered some flowers into a beautiful bouquet.
After Haru paid, Inoichi said, "I heard you ran into Ino at the barbecue place earlier. The two of you may work on a mission together one day. I hope you and Ino get along well."
"Yes! Of course!" Haru said. She and Ino were…friendly acquaintances at best. But as long as Haru wasn't on hostile terms with the Yamanaka clan heir and her father, she was safe.
Haru was the first and only member of the newly formed Kuzumaki ninja clan. So keeping friendly connections with her fellow rookies from other ninja clans was vital.
Inoichi smiled. "Have a good day, Haru. And congrats on becoming a kunoichi!"
Haru thanked Inoichi and walked out of the flower shop, feeling a sense of victory.
She had managed to talk to Yamanaka Inoichi without offending him!
Mission: Have a Successful Social Encounter With a Clan Leader accomplished!
"Hi, Mom and Dad. I'm officially a genin now."
Haru placed the bouquet of flowers down in front of Momoko and Kenji's graves.
She sat down and raised a bottle of grape-flavored ramune. "Here's hoping I don't get mauled to death." She laughed uneasily and gulped down the ramune.
The ramune helped relieve her parched throat. She traced a finger over her parents' gravestones. "Sorry if I sound a bit crude. But I don't wish to join you too early…I'm sorry, Mom and Dad! I'm just feeling really nervous, ok!"
"Yo Haru!"
The sudden call made Haru jump. She turned around to see Kakashi. "Oh! Hi Rikimaru…"
Kakashi sat down next to Haru. The both of them sat together in the cemetery as they did when they first met years ago.
Haru wasn't sure how to feel about finally becoming a genin. She was relieved that Lee was going to become a ninja like he always wanted. But she was also terrified of the uncertain future.
The possibility of dying on a mission was high.
Being a ninja wasn't fun and games.
She was long past being an eight-year-old girl who fantasized about adventuring with Team Seven.
Maybe Kakashi had some advice for her?
"Um…Rikimaru, could I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"How do you keep calm during a mission? Knowing it's possible for you to get killed?"
Haru trembled. "I don't want to die young. I don't want to die so soon."
For a moment, Kakashi was silent. Then he said, "...I don't know, Haru. I'm still asking that question myself…"
Kakashi turned to her, his curved eye showing that he was trying to give her a reassuring smile. "All we can do…is keep pushing forward."
Haru sighed. "And…I guess stay alive for the people we still care about?"
"Oh! That's a good point, Haru! You have your own genin team now, don't you? They're counting on you to stick by them!"
Kakashi changed his demeanor from dismal to cheerful. "So you're on your own genin team now. What's your sensei like?"
Haru was grateful for Kakashi getting her to think about something other than death. "My sensei? Well, he's…"
Yamato wasn't anything like Haru expected. She expected him to be more warm than cold.
"…difficult."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Difficult? How so?"
"While fighting, my sensei, Yamato, threw my teammate, Lee, towards a tree. Then my other teammate, Sasuke stopped attacking Yamato-sensei to jump in and save Lee. Sensei told Sasuke off for doing that. He told us that he should've let Lee get injured so that we could successfully fulfill the mission objective…It's just not right!"
Kakashi frowned. "Your sensei doesn't sound like a very nice man."
Haru shook her head. "I don't know…he's just not what I expected him to be."
Kakashi sighed and ruffled Haru's hair. "Stay strong, Haru. If you and your teammates are stubborn enough, you can teach your sensei a thing or two."
Haru laughed. "Knowing my teammates, they'll have no trouble being stubborn."
Kakashi smiled. Then he said, "So I heard that you were considered the class crybaby back at the Academy."
Haru shrugged. "Yeah. Not exactly the most flattering reputation. But that's who I am."
Kakashi chuckled. "So that makes you a…crybaby ninja…"
He went quiet and stared up at the sky. He looked as if he was contemplating something.
Haru saw Kakashi's hand move to grab something from his pocket.
Next thing Haru knew, Kakashi plopped something on top of her head. "Consider this a graduation gift."
Haru grabbed the object from the top of her head to see a pair of orange goggles.
Her eyes widened.
They were Obito's goggles.
"...What? Shouldn't you give these to someone else, Rikimaru?" - Namely Naruto?
"No. I think the goggles are a good fit for you. They'll make good protection for your eyes."
"But I can't just take these!"
"Haru, it's rude not to accept a gift, you know," Kakashi said with a playful tone.
As Kakashi looked at Obito's goggles again, his expression turned somber. He turned to Haru and said solemnly, "Remember, Haru. Those who break the rules are trash. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash…"
Haru sat in stunned silence. She couldn't believe she was having a heart-to-heart talk with the Hatake Kakashi. And having him quote the famous line to her in person? That was what every Naruto fan could only imagine in their wildest dreams.
Unknown to Haru, Kakashi focused upon her intently, seeing the silhouette of a young Uchiha Obito in her place. - I pass Obito's will onto you, Kuzumaki Haruto.
Kakashi's expression changed again, turning cheerful this time. He gave Haru a thumbs-up. "Well, I've got to get going! Good luck on your first set of missions tomorrow!"
"No! Wait! Please take the goggles back!"
But Kakashi was already gone, vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
Haru groaned and looked down at the goggles, gingerly touching them.
Why didn't Kakashi give these goggles to Naruto? If anyone resembled Obito the most, it was him.
But Haru couldn't just pass Obito's goggles onto Naruto. Kakashi would notice and just shove them back to her. And Naruto would have probably refused them anyway since he already had his own pair of green goggles.
If not Naruto, couldn't Kakashi have given them to Sasuke? He was from the same clan as Obito!
But apparently, according to the laws of this universe in making Haru a subpar Naruto clone, if Naruto had his own pair of goggles, Haru had to get her own pair too.
And they were hand-me-downs!
What the hell?
Considering what happened to Obito, these goggles were either a good luck charm or a very bad omen…
Just great. Kakashi might've just added Haru to the list of people he tragically loses.
Haru sighed and pocketed the goggles away.
Since she was stuck with the goggles anyway, she might as well keep them around and put them to good use on a mission sometime.
These goggles better not be an Obito magnet.
The last thing she needed was Obito killing her for defiling his precious goggles.
Lee marveled at his new haircut. "I love it, Guy-sensei! Now I look just like you!"
Guy looked upon Lee with pride. His handiwork with a pair of scissors wasn't half-bad!
"And that's not all, Lee! I got this for you too!" Guy pulled out a green jumpsuit.
Lee gasped and his eyes sparkled. "It shall be my honor to wear the same outfit as you, Guy-sensei!"
Lee grabbed the jumpsuit, rushing into the bathroom to change.
Guy chuckled fondly at Lee's enthusiasm. He was glad he was able to make time to visit Lee at his house in the Lee clan compound after he finished his duties as a jounin sensei for the day. His young protégé's smile was his entire world.
Lee exited the bathroom. "So how do I look, Guy-sensei?"
Guy barely held back the tears welling up in his eyes. "Perfect! Cool! The true epitome of youth!"
Tears streamed down Lee's cheeks. "Yes! I'm cool! I'm a ninja now! Just like you, Guy-sensei!"
At the sight of Lee openly crying, Guy also began bawling. "You did it, Lee! You did it!"
Lee and Guy hugged each other in tears.
"I know you'll make me proud, Lee!"
"I'll become a great taijutsu specialist! I promise, Guy-sensei!"
Guy hugged Lee tighter. "I know you will, Lee. I know you will…"
"Sasuke, someday you will have to be a good leader to guide your newly restored clan."
Sasuke lay in his bed, mulling over the words Haru had said to him earlier that day.
His father had said something similar to him when he was a young child…
"But I don't want to play with the other kids, Father! I want to play with Big Brother!"
Sasuke pouted and puffed his cheeks. He crossed his arms across his chest.
Fugaku sighed. "Sasuke, the other children of the clan are your peers."
"So what? They're not cool like Itachi!" Sasuke said.
"Sasuke…you know that your brother will be the future clan leader someday."
"Yeah! I know that, Father! And I'll be his right-hand man!"
Fugaku smiled fondly. "Since you'll be the future clan leader's right-hand man, the other children look up to you, Sasuke. They will depend on you for guidance, just like how you do with Itachi."
Sasuke stopped pouting and he became deep in thought. "So…I'm kinda like the Big Brother to the other kids in the clan?"
"Something like that, Sasuke…"
Fugaku placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Sasuke, as my son, it is your duty to help me take care of the Uchiha clan. That includes the other children your age. You will grow alongside them and work together as ninjas when you grow older. They'll be counting on you."
"Just like you being the leader of the Uchiha clan and the Police Force, Father!"
"Yes! That's right, Sasuke!"
Sasuke took heed of Fugaku's words. He nodded vigorously and looked up at his father with determination. "I see! I understand now, Father!"
Just as Sasuke grinned at Fugaku, a couple of young Uchiha clan kids showed up outside his house.
"Sasuke! Come on! Let's play together!"
Sasuke smiled as he rushed to the other children. "Ok! Ok! I'm coming!"
Sasuke rubbed his forehead, feeling a sudden exhaustion and gloominess come upon him.
Would he have been out celebrating with his fellow clan members who would've been the same age as him tonight? Would've graduated as ninjas alongside him?
Sasuke reached out for his headband, feeling its cold metal underneath his fingers.
What would his parents think of him now? What would they say to him now that he was finally a ninja?
Would his father have said, "That's my boy" to him for the second time?
Would his mother have hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, promising to make his favorite dish? His mother and…that man would've cooked a grand feast for dinner for Sasuke and the other clan graduates he would've befriended.
…But he would never know because they were gone. Gone because of him…
Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
He had murdered them. He had taken them away. He had betrayed the children they were supposed to protect.
Now that Sasuke was finally a genin, he was one step closer to killing him…
One step closer to avenging his clan…
To honor the memory of the parents he lost…
To remember the children who lost their lives too soon…
Yamato was on high alert, keeping his eyes and ears open for any potential witnesses.
His shoulders relaxed as he saw and heard nothing strange. "There's no one else around. We're clear."
"Confirmed," Sai said.
Yamato and Sai had agreed to meet in a concealed soundproof location somewhere within Konoha.
"What do you have to report, Sai?"
"I passed the survival exam with Team Seven. Then Hatake Kakashi took us out for ramen. Where did you take your team for lunch, Yamato?"
Yamato blinked. "I didn't. Was I supposed to do that?"
"Yes. It would appear so. All the jounin treated their genin teams to celebratory lunches."
Yamato sighed. "I thought that genin teams went straight home after finishing their survival exercises." He shook his head. "No matter. Too late for that now."
Sai didn't even laugh, keeping a serene smile on his face the entire time. "Before starting the exam, Kakashi told us not to eat breakfast or we'd vomit. The hunger weakened my team against him."
Yamato scoffed. "He's sadistic and inefficient. No surprise there."
Sai kept his smile, his expression not changing at all. "Kakashi managed to capture Naruto and ordered us not to feed him while he was tied up. Sakura was the one who helped us pass. She fed Naruto bento, despite Kakashi's orders."
Yamato frowned. "So Sakura was the one who chose to disobey orders and fed Naruto. Yet Kakashi still let your team pass?"
Sai nodded. "That's correct."
Sai's expression changed for the first time, his smile turning into a confused frown. "Kakashi told us that those who break the rules are trash. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash…what exactly does that mean?"
A flash of contempt passed through Yamato's eyes. "It doesn't matter what it means. As the son of the disgraceful White Fang, it's no surprise that Kakashi believes in the same nonsense as his father. Don't listen to him, Sai."
Sai nodded, but a sliver of doubt still gnawed at him from within. He didn't show his hesitation to Yamato.
Yamato took a breath. "As for my team, they also managed to pass. Unfortunately, they still haven't learned to put the mission above themselves."
He shook his head. "Sasuke didn't use his Sharingan at all when he fought me. It appears that he hasn't awakened it yet. As for Team Nine's battle abilities, they are…merely adequate."
"Kuzumaki Haruto…is she anything like Naruto?" Sai asked.
"From how you described Naruto, Sai…No, Haru is nothing like him."
Haru ran away at the sight of Yamato instead of fighting him head-on.
Even before Haru was on Team Nine, Yamato was aware that she took the form of a young adult woman when she made her rounds and errands around the village. Unlike the Kyuubi boy, she roamed around the village silently and out of sight.
The Anbu and Konoha shinobi learned not to be alarmed about the presence of the unknown woman, detecting Haru's chakra signature and noticing the woman transform back into Haru once she was alone.
"...I see. So Haru and Naruto are different despite their many similarities. How interesting," Sai said.
Yamato thought about the potential headache the ninja staff would have to deal with regarding Haru passing her genin exam. Some of the shinobi clans would protest why they couldn't just fail Haru. She was the Kyuubi's accomplice and a civilian. There was no way a civilian could keep up with shinobi. Surely, they had to replace Haru with a worthier ninja. Especially since sending Naruto out as a ninja was already dangerous enough.
But Yamato deduced that this was probably going to be the year that more than nine rookies were allowed to be sent out into the field. Konoha couldn't risk snubbing the rookies from the village's important ninja clans. Otherwise, the powerful ninja clans would throw an uproar. Too many of the rookies were just too talented this year.
"Kinoe…do you like your new name? 'Yamato', right?" Sai asked.
"How I feel about my new name doesn't matter. It's irrelevant to the mission. What matters is following Danzo's orders."
Sai nodded. "I suppose I feel the same way about my new name, 'Sai'."
Yamato nodded back at Sai. "We should go rest. We set out with our teams on our first missions tomorrow."
"Agreed. Until the next mission report, Kinoe."
Sai left, leaving Yamato alone with his thoughts.
The squad Yamato was in charge of was quite troublesome.
A stuck-up prodigy with a chip on his shoulder, a leftover flunkee who couldn't even use ninjutsu or genjutsu, and a spineless coward who cried nonstop.
Yamato let out a heavy sigh.
He had a lot of work ahead of him.
A/N: Happy belated Birthday Haru and Naruto!
If something seems off about Yamato, I wonder why. (wink wink)
Fight scenes are so hard to write…
To better explain Haru's existence in the Naruto world, think of the Pokemon anime with Ash (Satoshi) and Ritchie (Hiroshi). Haru is the Ritchie while Naruto is the Ash of this world.
Haru's personality is similar to Zenitsu's from Demon Slayer except he's cooler and OP. Haru is still in her cringefail loser stage.
So Team 9 goes on their first major mission next chapter! What do you think is going to happen? How do you think Team 9 will handle things?
And just what are Sai and Yamato up to?
I know that this is labeled as genfic and I won't write canon x oc ships for Haru into the main story because it feels out of place to me. But I'm totally cool joking with readers about any potential ships for Haru (Ex: LeeHaru). So feel free to talk about ships in the comments! Have fun!
I'll be going on a tour group trip to Japan and Korea soon on Oct 28. It's a trip I've delayed since 2020. I was supposed to go after graduating from college but…2020, y'know.
It'll be my first time going to Japan and Korea.
I wonder what Halloween is like in Japan.
In Japan, I'll be going around Tokyo, Yamanashi, and Kawaguchiko.
In Korea, I'll be in Seoul and Incheon.
If anyone has travel tips, food recommendations, must-buy souvenirs, or must-go places for Japan and Korea, feel free to share! I would appreciate it.
