Chapter 4: A Caring Sensei - Enter the Legendary Sucker
"Days well spent are those with friends."
— Albert Schweitzer
The team of three sat once more at Ichiraku Ramen, enjoying hot bowls of noodles and, to the surprise of just about everyone sitting there, enjoying each other's company. Sasuke Uchiha, working through his bowl of shrimp ramen, was easily the most surprised by that last development as he sat listening to Naruto bombastically retell the events of their earlier genin test to Ayame, the brown-haired waitress. When he wasn't throwing insults left and right, both intentionally and not, the boy's enthusiasm for everything was actually something Sasuke could tolerate more than he would have expected. This was especially true regarding their victory against their teacher.
'Not since…' No. He was actually in a good mood, no need to ruin that.
The Uchiha scion had also been surprised at how well everything had gone earlier in the day. Kakashi had explained after passing them that the entire purpose of the test was teamwork, about seeing "underneath the underneath" as he put it, and that those that broke the rules were trash but those that abandoned their teammates were worse than trash. After that, he offered to treat them to lunch again. Hinata had surprisingly suggested Ichiraku before Naruto could, and given that it was closer to breakfast than lunch the stall was empty outside of their group. The restaurant hadn't even been open yet, but apparently opening early for Naruto was a common occurrence for the duo that ran the shop.
"We'll have a pretty simple schedule this first week. You all impressed me during your test, but I need to know more about what you all can do, where your strengths and weaknesses lie. We'll meet up tomorrow at eight in the morning at the training grounds, work until noon, break for an hour for lunch, then train more until six in the evening. Starting next week we'll take missions in the afternoon, Sunday will be our day off." Kakashi explained, running the kids through their new schedule as he read a book.
Sasuke certainly liked the idea of all-day training sessions. "That sounds awesome sensei!" Naruto exclaimed through a mouthful of noodles. "What kind of kickass ninjutsu are we gonna learn, huh? Can you teach me how to shoot fireballs too?!"
The Uchiha's expression darkened - of course the blonde wanted to learn the Fireball jutsu - but Kakashi waved him off. "Slow down, Naruto. Maybe, but we don't even know your elemental affinity yet."
Naruto stared back at his teacher with a blank expression, and Sasuke felt what respect he had gained for the blonde during the bell test had already begun to wither. How could someone seem so clever one moment and so stupid the next?
"Elemental affinities are the nature that your chakra most naturally aligns to. For example, I have a lightning affinity. Your affinity doesn't stop you from learning any techniques, it just makes certain elements easier or harder. I myself have a proficiency in all elements, though wind is easily my weakest." Kakashi explained, clearly picking up on the orange-clad boy's confusion. "You need special strips of chakra infused paper to test it. I mean I do have some because that was going to be one of the first things we did tomorrow, but - "
"Lemme see!" The blonde boy replied, swallowing his food and turning to his sensei. "I don't wanna wait to know!"
Kakashi sweatdropped as Naruto looked up at him with giant eyes. Sasuke knew he was a fire affinity like the rest of his clan, so he wasn't particularly rushing to channel chakra into paper. Out of the corner of his eye the boy saw Hinata finally stop watching the ramen chef cook and turn towards her teammates. Her food was surprisingly untouched - he wondered why, considering all she could do was watch the chef work. 'Naruto really was spot on. This girl is strange.'
"Again, slow down Naruto." Kakashi tucked away his book and held up his hands disarmingly. "We won't be doing a ton with elemental composition, I just wanted to know for the future." He reached into his tool pouch and pulled out three slips of paper. "Still, as long as the owners are fine with it, I see no harm in checking now since it's just us here."
The blonde looked excitedly at the ramen chef and his daughter. They looked at each other and then shrugged simultaneously. "As long as you don't break the stand." The man said amicably, stirring the broth in the pot in front of him. Probably prepping it for the lunch rush.
"Shouldn't be a problem." Kakashi replied. He extended his arm and each of the genin took a piece of the paper. "You get to go last for strong arming me into this, Naruto. You have to learn some level of patience."
The blonde boy looked like he wanted to protest for a moment, but what sense he had won out as he sighed and accepted his place in the line. Kakashi looked at Hinata at the end and gestured for her to go first. The girl jumped a bit before nodding. "Just hold the paper up and channel your chakra into it." The jonin explained gently.
The girl did as she was instructed, looking intently at the paper. After a beat, the small square first grew damp, then crinkled, browning in spots due to the moisture. "W-water a-and l-l-lightning?"
"It seems so." Kakashi said, smiling with his eye. "Dual elements are pretty uncommon. Sasuke?" The girl smiled sheepishly, turning red at her teacher's words.
The Uchiha child had to admit he was somewhat impressed. He knew from his clan scrolls that the last Uchiha to have natural dual affinities was Shisui Uchiha, aligned with both fire and earth, and that he was the first in a generation.
Sasuke looked down at his paper and channeled chakra into it. To his surprise, it crinkled heavily before sparking aflame. "Fire and lightning?" He said, confused. Almost everyone in his family had been a fire element only. For a moment he felt bitterness as he realized he had more of an affinity to lightning than his family's signature element, but he then brushed that feeling off as he realized it was simply another tool he could use to accomplish his mission one day.
"Well, isn't that something? The odds of two dual elements is extremely unlikely. I only know of one jonin in the village with two elements naturally." Kakashi said, his eyebrow now raised. "Now I feel bad about making you go last, Naruto. The odds of all three of you having dual affinities is pretty much zilch."
The boy looked down for a minute, clearly disappointed, but the cyclops hurriedly added, "But like I said, you can learn anything you set your mind to. This'll just tell us where to start."
The boy's expression turned back up, and he too held up the paper and channeled his chakra. The paper split in half and then, to the surprise of everyone, crumbled into dust before the dust sparked up in flame. The boy stared with his jaw hanging open, clearly not sure how to process this.
"... Three?" Kakashi said, his visible eye actually wide this time as he was clearly shocked. "... That is… So unlikely it's not even funny."
"...I am SO AWESOME!" Naruto exclaimed, half jumping out of his seat as he pumped his fist. Sasuke scowled, not liking the feeling of being lesser than his blonde teammate in any way. Still, if he had lightning and fire, they at least still matched up pretty well.
"You sure are something…" Sasuke muttered under his breath. Then remembering he was sitting next to the girl who looked like a demon whenever he insulted the blonde blockhead, louder he said, "So we have all the elements on our team then?"
"It… would certainly seem so." The jonin replied, still deep in his shock. Shaking his head, the man smiled with his eye again. "That certainly is exciting. I'm fairly certain the last person who naturally had an affinity for three elements was the Third Tsuchikage of Iwa. Very impressive, Naruto."
The boy beamed at his sensei as the man continued. "We finished much earlier than expected. Would you three like to join me for some shopping? I, uh… Think you need new clothes, Naruto. It wouldn't be a bad idea for any of you, actually."
"Hey, what's wrong with my jumpsuit?" The blonde demanded, crossing his arms. "It's really comfy and orange!"
"That's really the problem, Naruto. When you're in the field, it's smart to wear darker colors so you're harder to see when hiding." The jonin replied patiently.
Naruto looked conflicted for a moment before saying, "But I hide from ANBU and stuff all the time."
"Maybe so, but you're going to have to trust me on this one." The jonin replied, his tone a little sterner now.
After another moment of internal conflict, Naruto reluctantly nodded. "But sensei… The shopkeepers don't always wanna let me buy stuff…" The boy said, for once sounding almost meek.
Sasuke wasn't sure what to make of that, but the jonin narrowed his eye and simply said, "That won't be a problem today, not while you're with your team."
The blonde boy looked at both of his teammates. While Sasuke kept his expression mostly neutral, he noticed that the Hyuga girl next to him gave the Uzumaki a small look of encouragement. 'Didn't take long for her to get a bit less pathetic.' The dark-haired boy thought to himself.
Naruto nodded slowly, then put a massive smile on his face that seemed a bit hollow to Sasuke. "Alright, let's go!"
Hinata was both glad and disappointed that both Kakashi and Sasuke were also present on this shopping trip, as without them, clothes shopping with just Naruto… 'It would be a good opportunity to change his mind about me… Like a first date' She thought wistfully, walking next to the boy again. She almost jumped at such a bold thought - not panicked like her thoughts had been the day prior when such a notion came, but instead simply there.
But she had felt so much bolder today.
Today he was talking about how great they had worked together and what kind of elemental jutsu they could learn and how they could use combo attacks…
She knew that most people wouldn't be able to listen to a person talk this much. She had noticed Sasuke's annoyed looks in the direction of her crush from his spot to their left as he carried on, and logically she knew the boy was on the loud side. But that was specifically why she could listen to him endlessly - she never knew what to say. If she could speak up though, maybe… Maybe he wouldn't think she was weird.
"So you think that you'll learn lightning or water first? Sasuke already knows fire so we have that covered. I guess it would make more sense for water first since you're the only one who can do that?" The blonde asked, jarring the girl out of her thoughts.
"I t-trust s-sensei t-to have a p-p-plan." She replied, lowering her head. It had taken all of her nerves to get out those words, but a small victory was a small victory. Especially because she had questions. "N-Naruto. H-how l-l-long have you b-b-been going t-t-to Ichiraku's?"
The boy seemed momentarily surprised by the inquiry, before he smiled wide, obviously happy to discuss this topic. "As long as I can remember! The Ichirakus gave me a free bowl of ramen before I started the academy and I kept going ever since 'cause it was so good and they were so nice to me!"
"T-they a-a-re v-very n-n-nice." Hinata agreed, a small smile gracing her features. Inwardly she was absolutely over the moon - she had asked him something! And he had given her an answer! Just two days ago such a sequence would've been unimaginable to her. "Was Teuchi ever a ninja?"
The blonde boy blinked in surprise. "If he was, he never mentioned it to me. But yeah, they've been looking out for me even before Iruka and the old man, back when I was on the str-" The boy's voice caught in his throat and his entire expression shifted, as if he had nearly said something unforgivable.
"... When you were where, Naruto?" Hinata replied, her tone low and filled with something unfamiliar. She was perfectly capable of finishing the sentence. The streets. Naruto Uzumaki had lived on the streets? Why? It was now that the heiress felt it again - that odd feeling, ice cold yet ready to boil over.
Anger.
"Uh…" The blonde replied nervously, even his sheer obliviousness unable to keep him from noticing the sudden shift in his teammate's disposition. "I-I…"
"And we're here!"
"And we're here!" Kakashi announced to the genin trailing behind him. Before the group stood a plain building, its exterior simple concrete with dark blue curtains hanging over the door, a sign above said door saying 'Ryuji's Books and Manga!'. "Welcome to my favorite store in the village."
Not a more true statement could have been made referring to how the copy-nin felt about the small, unassuming store. He had come into this place long ago, shortly after the Kyuubi attack, and talked at length with the store owner about all types of literature before the perverted old man had sold him his first Icha-Icha novel. Ryuji had been waiting to convert him to the greatest of novels since he was a child, after all.
As the cyclops parted the hanging curtains and walked through the open doorway, his genin following behind looking less than impressed, said perverted old man decided to make himself known… By falling from the ceiling.
With a loud crash, a balding man with a white beard nearly to the floor fell from the rafters, a snot bubble going in and out of his nose as he snored, blissfully unconscious despite the impact of his fall, or perhaps because of it. He wore a simple civilian's outfit, though the parting in the middle of his shirt allowed view of an able amount of silvery chest hair.
Sighing, Kakashi walked forward, cleared his throat, and in his best impression- a surprisingly high bar - of a scared teenage girl cried out, "Oh Ryuji, my robes have come undone and I forgot to wear underwear today!"
Suddenly the man sprang to his feet, looking around fervently with a perverted blush on his face and blood spewing from his nose. "Don't you worry sweetheart, I'll give you a big hug to cover you from any prying eyes!"
The copy-nin shook his head in exasperation, practically feeling his students' estimations of the shopkeeper fall drastically. "Just me, Ryuji."
The man's face fell as his blush dissipated. "Oh. That's much less exciting. Whadda you want?"
"Just another book. Preferably another romance if you have any good recommendations." Kakashi replied. "That and I felt I should introduce you to my students."
The old man peered around the cyclops, giving a critical gaze to Naruto and Sasuke before focusing on Hinata. Looking over his shoulder, the jonin saw his only female student blush under Ryuji's gaze before his eyes softened. "Well, aren't you three a nostalgic sight for these old eyes." He muttered, before turning back to the scarecrow. "Did you already finish the Ouran Nobles' Academy Host Club?"
"I did, just now over an early lunch." The taller man confirmed. "I'll need something new. Don't want to end up just rereading the same book again."
"I have a couple of things that might pique your interest." Ryuji said confidently. "I'll run out of suggestions quickly if you keep this pace up, though. I appreciate the sales, but I almost miss when I would see you once or twice a year for whatever Jiraiya put out." The old man turned and began walking towards the back of the store through a maze of shelves and books.
The cyclops followed, and his three students took his cue. They passed by all types of tomes - information texts, history books, epics and light novels, several shelves of manga, and even a small area sectioned off by red velvet curtains and neon lights. Naruto lingered by the curtain for a moment before continuing to follow.
Finally they arrived in the very back where an old oak counter sat, a simple cash till and a stack of books placed atop it. Circling around to the other side, the old man reached under the counter and pulled out another novel, this one medium-sized. "Try this one, I have a feeling it'll be right up your alley."
Kakashi took the book and handed over a small wad of ryo in a smooth motion. "Thank you. I trust your taste as always."
"Damn right." Ryuji nodded seriously, clearly making his recommendations with the utmost care. "So when are you going to introduce me to your little genin here?"
"Oh, right." Kakashi said, turning to the genin. "This is Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuga, and Naruto Uzumaki." The scarecrow introduced all three of them, pointing each person out individually. "This old man is - "
"Ryuji Nohara!" The old man finished for them, showing agility that belied his appearance as he jumped on top of the counter. "Bookseller Extraordinaire and the village's most eligible bachelor!" He struck a grandiose pose, throwing his arms out and tilting his head back to laugh with gusto.
The three genin all had very different reactions; Sasuke was unimpressed, Naruto was confused, and Hinata looked away blushing. Kakashi smiled again with his eye. "Never change, Ryuji." He turned to his team. "Would you all like to take a moment to look around? I'll catch up with the old timer."
The three children nodded before going off in their own directions. Kakashi turned back to the old bookseller, what little of his expression that was visible becoming more serious. "How is Futaba?"
For the first time since he had fallen from the ceiling, Ryuji's own expression changed and became a strange combination of sad and wistful. "You haven't asked about her in some time. She's as well as she can be, though… She still misses Yusuke and Rin, every day. You're still avoiding the memorial stone on Sunday mornings?"
"Yeah, unless something has changed." The copy-nin replied, his tone growing morose.
The old man shook his head. "No." He sighed. "She still blames you. I don't think I'll ever change her mind. Last time I brought you up she stopped speaking to me for a month."
Kakashi hung his head and breathed a deep sigh. "I can't exactly blame her. I killed her only daughter mere months after her husband was killed in action against Kumo."
Ryuji grunted disdainfully. "Enough of that. It may have been your hand, but it was Kiri that killed my granddaughter, not you."
The younger man nodded slowly, remembering that he needed to stop flagellating himself for his mistakes. "You're right. But it was still my hand, and the ninja who did… what they did to Rin," it was still classified exactly what had been done to her with the Sanbi, though her family knew that she had been irrevocably compromised and made a danger to the village, "are dead. I am all that's left to blame."
Raising his eyebrow and beginning to stroke his beard, the ghost of a smile graced the perverted old man's face. "That's funny. This is likely the first time I've ever gotten you to admit that it isn't your fault that Rin isn't here with us."
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I've had some epiphanies recently. I guess you could say I've decided to start looking towards the future instead of living in the past."
"It's about damn time." The old man smiled wide. " Leave living in the past to us old timers. Since you brought them here, I guess that means you actually passed these kids?"
"Yeah, I did. What I still can't believe is they actually got the bells." Kakashi smiled with his eye, once again feeling a strange mixture of pride in his new students and shame in his own skills.
Now that caused the old man's grip to tighten on his beard, pulling on it as his jaw dropped as if the former was necessary for the later. "You're kidding me? I remember Rin coming home and telling us how none of you could even touch Minato!"
"Well, he was better than I am now. And honestly, these children have more potential than any of us did, and surprisingly better teamwork."
The old man nodded, still looking somewhat stupefied, "Now that sure is something." His face hardened. "Still, even if you were going easy on them and they're super talented and work well together, how in the world did they get one over on you?"
The cyclops grinned ruefully under his mask. "Honestly? I've gotten lazy the last couple of years. I thought I was still training enough to keep up with my skills at least if I wasn't improving them, but I'm starting to think I was wrong."
Ryuji gave him a reproachful look. "That's ridiculous if you've really let that happen. You've probably been too reliant on that eye you got from Obito too. How do you plan to train yourself and your genin properly?"
Kakashi snorted. He was glad Ryuji had the sense to not mention the word Sharingan with Sasuke nearby. "If I look back, that last gift from my teammate has let me take shortcuts. But don't worry about my training or the kids'. I have some ideas already…" Little did the two men know, one of his students was listening intently to the conversation, and already putting together pieces of the puzzle.
Naruto wandered around the shop, Hinata walking just behind him. He was glad she was here, if only because even he could figure that trying to get into that roped off section would be trouble. He definitely wasn't going to try with her around.
Normally perusing books wouldn't have held any interest for Naruto, but he found himself in a strange position walking around the small store with his new teammate where it sounded more appealing than it would have if he was by himself. Maybe it was because she listened so well, but the blonde boy had found himself enjoying Hinata's company a great deal. Even now, with a comfortable silence between them, he found himself happy for her presence.
His eyes raked across the shelves, not reading titles too closely. Having grown up with very little money, the Uzumaki was used to making a beeline for the discount and clearance sections, and that habit had him walking towards a small shelf near the door of books marked with yellow discount stickers.
Squinting at the spines, Naruto was disappointed by many of the titles. They were mostly self-help books and cookbooks. "Do you see anything, Hinata?"
The girl raised her hand to her mouth, looking intently at the shelves while biting on the knuckle of her index finger. The blonde boy found himself staring at her, a strange rising feeling hitting his gut. The girl started, and Naruto quickly turned his gaze strictly back to the shelves, the lightest blush warming his face,
She grabbed a book on the shelf and pulled it out, revealing a book titled Herbology: 1001 Plants and Their Uses. "T-this b-book looks interesting." She stuttered, flipping open the cover and beginning to thumb through the pages.
Naruto kept reading titles, his eyes starting to glaze over at the - to him - incredibly boring subject material. As he knelt down and looked at the bottom shelf, a title finally caught his eye. Reaching out and taking the small brownish-green tome, he flipped it over to the cover. Inside the cream square at the center of the front cover he read the words, Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi by Jiraiya of Konoha.
Intrigued by the title and excited to read about a ninja, Naruto opened the book to the first page and began reading. His eyes grew wide as he read the first page and found that he shared something in common with the main character; they were both named Naruto!
It started with book-Naruto training under his sensei, who… Was a powerful old monkey? Naruto in real life giggled at the mental image of an ape wearing a Konoha headband and using jutsu. Closing the book and tucking it under his arm, for the first time in his life, the young boy felt excited at the prospect of reading.
Kakashi eye-smiled as his students returned to the front counter, each holding a book. "I'm happy to see all three of you appreciate literature to some degree. Why don't I buy those for you all? My treat."
Naruto gave him a million-gigawatt smile while Hinata gave him the more demure version. Sasuke didn't react as positively, but did place the book on the counter with his teammates'. The cyclops read over their selections, eager for what he could learn about his new students. Sasuke had surprisingly gotten a cookbook that seemed to center around curry, Hinata had gotten a book about herbs and their uses, and Naruto had grabbed…
'... Today really is serendipitous." The man mused upon seeing Jiraiya's first book, the books he had released shortly before Minato Namikaze's death, the book that was his blonde student's namesake. There was an argument that a can of worms could be opened by Naruto reading the novel, but on the other hand it wasn't as if he could tell the boy he should get something else. Kakashi was frankly surprised the child had found a book he wanted to read at all given the difficulties he seemed to have paying attention to anything for an extended period.
"I didn't know you liked cooking, Sasuke." Kakashi noted amicably, looking at his darked-haired student with a raised eyebrow. The boy only grunted in response. Turning toward the counter, the jonin pulled out his wallet. "How much do I owe you, Ryuji?"
The old man gave an appraising look to the pile of books before giving the taller man a friendly smile. "Tell you what, the kids can have their books on the house since this is their first visit. Just twenty-five hundred ryo for yours."
"Wow, thanks old man!" Naruto explained, pumping his fist. "That's super cool of you!"
"T-thank you for your generosity." Hinata said, giving the man a small bow.
"Appreciate it." Sasuke grunted, looking a bit lost in thought.
Their teacher nodded in agreement as he handed over the correct change. "Thank you Ryuji. I'm sure you've made three new customers for life."
The old man laughed as he took the money and placed it in the small till behind the counter. "Of course I have! Why would they go anywhere else now that they've been to the best bookshop in the village?" He turned to the three and leaned over the counter, looking as if he was telling a mighty secret. "You all work hard, study well, and eat and sleep plenty. You'll go far with this guy as your sensei."
The three all nodded with various levels of enthusiasm as the group gathered their purchases in separate bags and left the store. Kakashi led the way, making a beeline for a nearby clothing store. After just a couple of minutes of walking they came upon the building and went in the front.
It was a pretty straightforward clothing store meant to appeal to ninja. The walls and racks were lined with dark clothing, most of it padded or holding various hidden pockets for all manner of tools and tricks. Following a habit Kakashi had picked up on in the book store, Naruto made a beeline for the clearance section and his teammates made to follow.
As they came up on a bin with assorted clothing items, most of them half-folded at best after a morning of being rifled through, Kakashi began to speak. "Now, while I am not trying to be insulting, I think all three of you would do well to consider trying to find some darker clothing. I'll be happy to cover the costs since you are all doing this at my request." While the cyclops was not a rich man, all of his S-ranked missions had paid very well, and with little to spend the money on over the years his bank account was healthy enough to buy out the whole store if he so wanted.
The three looked to him, the two boys nodding while Hinata looked as if she had something to say. "Is there a problem with that, Hinata?"
The girl bit her lip and looked down, before looking back up and rolling back her sleeve. This revealed the interior to be black in color. "M-my jacket is -r-r-reversible, sensei." She stuttered.
The man eye-smiled at his lone female student. "In that case, I suppose we only need to shop for two today."
Sasuke had already left the bargain bin, clearly feeling no need to stick with the discount section whether on his dime or someone else's. Naruto on the other hand had surprised Kakashi once again by pulling out from the discount section a dark orange jacket with three black rings along the bottom and on the end of each sleeve.
"What about this one sensei?!" He exclaimed excitedly. He unzipped it and turned it inside out, revealing the interior to be the inverse in color. "It's way darker than my jumpsuit and I can reverse it like Hinata's too!"
Kakashi appraised the article before nodding. "It's a little big for you, but you can always grow into it. We'll compromise. I'll grab you that jacket if you agree to black t-shirts, pants, and sandals."
The blonde boy thought for a moment before finding the deal to be to his satisfaction, nodding enthusiastically. "Okay, you got a deal! You're the best sensei!"
The man smiled happily, the praise from the boy to whom he had failed so much leaving him with an unfamiliar warmth in his gut. In truth, it had been more than just clothing more befitting of a shinobi in the field - it was blatantly clear Naruto had owned his current clothing for too long, between the frayed ends of the sleeves and the pants to the pulled stitching dotting the articles. Needing darker clothes for his new position was simply a convenient excuse. Making sure the boy was properly clothed was his first step in undoing years of neglect.
The boy smiled happily as Sasuke returned to the group. He carried seven identical jumpsuits, long in the legs and short in the sleeves, all black in color. "I don't need you to buy them. I'm getting the Uchiha clan symbol put on the back." The boy told his teacher.
Kakashi nodded amicably. "So long as you get it done in a matte material so they won't reflect the light, I'm fine with that."
The group, having made their selections quickly, turned to the counter at the front to check out. The jonin very easily caught the shift in the shopkeeper's expression, the middle-aged woman going from a practiced smile for customers to an expression similar to that of one who just began sucking on a lemon.
'Lovely… Time to show Naruto and the village that he will be treated differently from now on, at least as long as I'm watching.' Kakashi thought to himself, anger bubbling up momentarily before it was repressed. "Hello, I need to purchase these clothes." The man said, grabbing Sasuke's and Naruto's choices from their arms. The Uchiha looked as if he wanted to protest, but Kakashi shot him a quick look that kept him silent. "The jumpsuits will need the Uchiha clan symbol on the back added in a matte finish, and I'd like the Uzumaki whirlpool on the back of the coat. I'll also need a week's worth of black shinobi pants, shirts, and sandals for my student here." He said, gesturing to the blonde boy at his side.
The woman the boy an icy glare before looking back at his teacher. "The order for the young Lord Uchiha is no problem, but we do not serve the kind of your… Other student."
The gray-haired man considered his options for reacting to the woman's blatant prejudice before out of the corner of his eye he caught Naruto reaching to the pile of clothes towards the jacket he had picked out, a look of defeated resignation on his face. The boy was going to put it back, already having accepted that this would be one more example of the village treating him as if he was the fox.
Deep within him Kakashi felt something crack like glass, and in that moment he damned subtlety to hell, leaking out his killing intent - far less than he was capable of but enough to make a seasoned chunin tremble - and directed it fully at the woman.
Still maintaining a cheery disposition as the woman broke out into a cold sweat and likely soiled herself at the weight he was applying, the man spoke in an upbeat manner. "Really? Because if by "his kind" you mean my students, then you wouldn't be able to take care of Sasuke's order either. Or do you mean ninja? This is a ninja shop, so that can't be it. Or do you mean blondes? Surely not, the Yamanaka would be highly offended if that were the case."
Clenching her teeth and shooting him a nasty look, the woman managed to grind out, "You know what I mean."
"Oh. That." Kakashi replied, dropping his amicable appearance and leveling a look that could kill the civilian if he increased his killing intent to match. "Let me make something clear. The Hokage and I believe quite strongly in this boy's potential. Now if you refuse to sell him clothes that will let him effectively do his duties as a shinobi, and he gets killed because somebody in the field sees him through the bushes in neon orange, then I can speak for both of us when I say we would hold you personally accountable. Do you know the sentence for killing a ninja as a civilian?"
"B-but you can't-" She began, only to be cut off by an increase in the repressive feeling that was now leaking out through the store. Kakashi caught his students shifting uncomfortably, but for now they would have to bear it.
"Yes, yes I can. Hell, I can get you slapped with a fine for impeding official shinobi business right now if I wanted to. You underestimate how much sway someone of my rank holds. The maximum sentence for that is a five year jail sentence."
The woman stared at him disbelievingly. "Tch." She grunted before she began totalling up their order. "Just don't expect the normal discount for jonin."
"That's perfectly fine. When will the order be ready?" The gray-haired man replied coolly, letting off of his intent. He heard all three of his students let out quick and ragged breaths. He would have to apologize to them after the group left.
"So long as you promise to never come back, we'll have them ready in two hours." She seethed, holding out her hand for the final payment, a bit over 30000 ryo. Kakashi paid her quickly before turning and ushering his group out of the building quickly. They were already receiving looks and murmurs after his display, and he had no wish for there to be a bigger scene than there already was.
As they emerged back onto the street, he took in three very different looks from his team. Hinata was confused, Sasuke was intensely inquisitive, and Naruto looked -
The orange boy crashed into Kakashi, giving him a death-grip hug and shaking slightly. Not sure what to do with himself, the man awkwardly wrapped his arms around his ward in return, patting him gently on the back. To his surprise, the boy was steady instead of shaking.
After a moment the blonde pulled back and smiled up at him, but it wasn't his usual jaw-aching grin. This smile was smaller, more reminiscent of Minato. It was real and true and the gray-haired man realized in that moment that every other smile and moment of excitement had been forced to some degree. But this expression was a genuine one that Naruto didn't have to force.
"Nobody has ever stood up for me like that, ya know?" They boy said, his tone softer than the jonin had ever heard. "Thanks, sensei."
The older ninja could feel his heart break as the hyperactive blonde knucklehead surprised him once again. 'Better add unpredictable to that list.' He thought to himself."We're a team now Naruto. And any grudge anyone holds against you for anything, whether it be something you did or didn't do," he emphasized the last part, giving the blonde a meaningful look, "will not fly when I'm around."
He captured the gaze of each member of his team, making sure he had all their attention. This was a core moment where he would have the chance to really impart something on his team. Even so early on, this was a make or break opportunity to solidify some modicum of trust with them.
"Being a team means being a family. My team - my sensei Minato, my teammates Rin and Obito - " his voice broke slightly at the mention of Obito in particular - "they were my family. I've outlived all of them, and it has haunted me everyday for a long time. I want being your sensei to be my chance to finally accept their deaths and move on… Have some new people to consider family, even."
They all had varied emotions on their faces. Hinata had teared up, while the blonde boy that caused his monologue for once was serious and contemplative. Sasuke looked mostly indifferent, but there was a subtle look in his eyes that said he was listening.
"I want you three to have that chance. We are all entitled to our secrets, but I know more about all three of you from your files than you know about each other. I know all three of you know what it is like to be alone." The three each flinched to some degree at that, proving the words true. "I know you may not all really like each other. But we'll be spending too much time together, be put in too many dangerous situations, for one thing to ever be in doubt: we have to know we will all protect each other with our lives, over the mission, the client, or even the village. Always remember; those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. So I will protect each of you, every time, with my life if I have to. And I expect you all to do the same."
He looked each of his soldiers in the eyes once again to emphasize his point. They nodded in agreement, each looking solemn and motivated. Even Sasuke looked as if the words had reached him to some degree, even if Kakashi could guess that there was one thing he was guaranteed to put over the lives of his team. But expecting any singular speech or moment to change that would be foolish.
"Now!" He said, his tone shifting considerably to reset the mood. "It's half past eleven and all the jonin sensei need to meet up to report to the Hokage. Shall we meet here at two to pick up the new clothes?"
His students all agreed, and so he flashed the peace sign and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Sasuke stared at his teammates, thinking of his teacher's words. He hadn't thought that far ahead, but he supposed he would need to trust his two teammates in the field to keep him alive. The thought somewhat terrified him, but between the events of the morning and the reveal of their chakra natures, he supposed he may have underestimated his teammates.
Still, he knew if it ever came down to his revenge or his team, he would kill Itachi. Of that there was no question. But the thought actually made him feel… He wasn't sad. He hadn't really been able to feel something as simple as sadness for years. But he did find the idea to be regrettable. The only course of action then would be what he had always planned: he would face his brother alone, with his team far away.
And if his team wasn't far away, that would simply be one more thing he would have to live with.
He appraised his two teammates. Naruto was staring at the spot their teacher had disappeared from, a deeply introspective expression on his face that felt alien but actually looked as if it belonged there. Hinata meanwhile stared at the boy with a mixture of concern and happiness.
"Hey Naruto." Sasuke said, barely remembering to use the boy's actual name instead of an insult. "What was that all about?"
The boy looked back at his teammate, slightly distracted. Finally registering the question, the blonde put on his gaudy smile with every tooth and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, I've just pulled a lot of pranks, ya know? Some people don't like me much."
"B-but…" Hinata surprisingly cut in. "W-why did sensei s-say that part about things you didn't do?" She looked nervous, but also more determined than usual.
The Uzumaki looked at her surprised for a moment before recovering his smile. "Sometimes people get pranked and just assume I did it." He waved aside her question with ease, too much ease in Sasuke's mind. As if he was hiding something. But the boy clearly didn't want to talk about it, and considering all the things the Uchiha never would want to speak to his team about, that was something he could respect.
"What should we do until the clothes are done?" Sasuke asked the other two. Normally he would go off and train on his own, but spending time around his teammates was already paying unexpected dividends. Depending on their plans, he was open to seeing if there was more to gain.
"Oh yeah! Dammit, I forgot!" Naruto exclaimed, pounding his fist into his hand. "I wanted to ask Kakashi about the Uzumaki spiral!"
Sasuke remembered that extra request from their sensei, and it had been odd now that he recalled. "Yeah, that was strange. It sounded like he was talking about some kind of clan seal. Since when are you from a clan?"
Naruto furrowed his brow. "I'm not. I think?" The boy scratched his head as his face once more screwed up in concentration. Then he groaned loudly. "Dammit! I don't want to wait until two to find out!"
"W-we c-c-could go back to the b-bookstore and a-ask if he h-has any b-books on c-clans." Hinata suggested softly. The two boys looked at her before looking back at each other.
"Yeah, he's super old so he might know something." Naruto pondered out loud, completely missing the train of thought but at least seeing value in the idea.
"Why not?" The dark-haired boy grunted, trying to resist rolling his eyes at his teammate. Now that he suspected the idiot persona was simply a mask, moments like this were all the more frustrating.
As the three made their way to the bookstore in silence, the Uchiha thought about what had happened more. He supposed it made enough sense that some people would hold those annoying pranks the blonde had pulled against him, but it would be rather petty if they weren't even sure he was the culprit. On top of that, Sasuke was now noticing the glares leveled at the blonde boy as they walked. Surely most of the villagers hadn't been on the receiving end of pranks they could blame him for, yet alone ones he had actually committed. Painting the Hokage monument couldn't have been that big of a deal for the populace at large, right?
The group eventually arrived at the bookstore and went in, the dark-haired boy putting his musings on the backburner for now. The shop had a handful of customers milling around as they approached noon, but their luck held and the strange old man was still available at the front counter.
"Hey old man Ryuji!" The blonde greeted, waving enthusiastically.
The man smiled genially at the group. "Well hello to my three new favorite customers. I'm surprised to see you back so soon without that teacher of yours. What brings you in?"
"I was wondering if you could tell me anything about the Uzumaki!" The boy exclaimed.
"The Uzumaki?" The man replied, blinking owlishly. He began stroking his beard in thought. "Now that is a name I have not heard for some time." He turned and began rifling through the large shelves behind him, speaking as he searched. "They were an old clan that went extinct when I was a young man. If I'm remembering correctly they had their own village in Whirlpool country and were allies of Konoha."
He pulled a large book from the bottom shelf, turning and placing the tome on the counter. Upon seeing that Naruto's face had fallen, the man smiled sadly. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Kakashi said you were an Uzumaki earlier."
The boy nodded, clearly having hoped he may have had family out in the world. Hinata hesitantly reached out and put a hand on his arm, and he jumped in surprise before shooting her a grateful smile. Sasuke actually felt a stab of pity at the boy's disappointment: he understood better than anyone how lonely being the last of one's family was.
'More and more evidence that maybe I misjudged the idiot.' The avenger pondered. The boy was still loud and annoying, but between the tactics this morning and the whiplash-inducing changes in his demeanor, there appeared to be more to Naruto Uzumaki than he had originally believed.
"This book should have information on their history. Normally it would be pretty expensive, but I don't think Kakashi would mind me adding it to his tab." The old man continued. "Even if you may not get what you wanted, it'll always be of benefit to know where you come from. It tells you about who you are." He nodded sagely, pushing the book forward to the child.
"Thanks gramps." The boy replied, flashing him a small smile. Sasuke had noticed that look earlier when the boy had hugged their teacher. It wasn't his normal smile with his eyes closed as if he was blocking out the world, but rather a more genuine thing that kept his eyes open. The dark-haired boy had to admit that there was a certain charisma to that look, another thought he filed away for later.
"Anytime. Now you kids run along." He replied, gesturing to a customer behind them awaiting checkout. The three departed the shop quickly, and Sasuke turned to his teammates as they stood in front of the shop.
"What now?" He asked, already having been taken in unexpected directions this morning. The boy was curious to see what else continued time spent with his team would teach him.
There was quiet for a moment as Naruto seemed to ponder the question before Hinata surprised by speaking up. "I-I know we h-had it earlier, b-but could w-we g-g-go back to Ichiraku's? T-there's s-something I wanted t-to ask Mr. Teuchi…"
The two boys looked at each other before Naruto shrugged. "Sure, I never say no to a chance to eat ramen!"
Sasuke sighed. "Sure, why not? It was pretty good." And with that the three made for the noodle stand. Unbeknownst to them, Ryuji had been waiting for them to leave. As the last of his customers left, he quickly flipped the sign at the door to closed and locked up his shop, making for the Hokage tower.
Kakashi sat in the jonin meeting, looking on disinterestedly as the prospective sensei for Team Six, a jonin he was friendly with by the name of Genma, reported that the children had failed his test.
"And on top of their lack of teamwork, young Midoriya seems to have little to no acumen for ninjutsu or genjutsu and isn't really even passable at taijutsu. That said, he has a very analytical mind and has an excellent eye for detail, quickly diagnosing my strengths and weaknesses and attempting to communicate that information to his teammates. I would recommend he be considered for R&D or the intelligence division instead of being an active duty frontline soldier." With that the man returned to his seat.
The Hokage hummed thoughtfully as he puffed on his pipe. "Thank you for your insights, Genma. A note will be made in Izuku Midoriya's file about his potential aptitude for a non-combat role in our forces." He peered down at the ledger on his desk before smiling. "Kakashi Hatake, please report on the performance of Team Seven, composed of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Hinata Hyuga."
The scarecrow stood languidly, walking to the front of the room and standing before his leader. Behind him he vaguely heard the murmurs of other jonin, some remarking on how notable the names on his team were while others wondered why the Hokage even bothered having him give a report considering he never passed his teams.
Kakashi breathed in and sighed before beginning his report. "Team Seven passed with flying colors." There was an explosion of whispers behind him before a stern look from the Hokage quieted the murmurs. "The three reported to the training grounds well before the scheduled time, showing excellent punctuality." A few snickers as the irony of that statement hit could be heard. "They took time before I made myself known to discuss their abilities and strategize for the unknown situation they would be entering."
He took a breath before continuing. "I administered the bell test. After being informed of the rules in the test, and told one of them would be sent back to the Academy, the three scattered into the woods. I expected that they would work separately and begin fighting among themselves, and that seemed to be the case when Naruto appeared before me and challenged me directly."
He paused for a moment, realizing that now nobody was speaking behind him as he had everyone's attention. "The boy proceeded to form over one thousand shadow clones with minimal effort and attempted to overpower me with sheer numbers."
Once more the group behind him burst into conversation. Aoba, another jonin he was familiar with from his time in ANBU, stood up and spoke. "That's a difficult thing to believe, Kakashi. Even with certain… Circumstances surrounding Uzumaki, that amount of clones without being taxed would indicate he already has more chakra at his disposal than most kage."
Appreciating Aoba's ability to be taciturn about the Kyubi, the silver-haired man nodded in acknowledgement. "That would seem to be the case, yeah." He agreed.
"Hmm." The Hokage hummed, contemplating this new information. "I knew from the events the other night regarding the rogue chunin Mizuki that Naruto was able to form a great deal of clones, but one thousand?"
"At least." Kakashi confirmed. "There were so damn many and they were so damn orange that an exact count would have been impossible even with my Sharingan, which I was of course not using to give the kids a fair chance."
The old man nodded thoughtfully before gesturing at his subordinate to continue. "As I engaged the clones, I was surprised when I caught the fist of one only to have the tenkatsu in my arm attacked by a pulse of chakra. That particular clone was actually Hinata Hyuga under a henge, a ruse that allowed her to get much more contact with me than I would have otherwise allowed to use her clan techniques."
"Quite clever to use Naruto's clones to her advantage like that. Or do you think the two planned that before the test as you mentioned earlier?" Sarutobi asked, looking somewhat impressed. "Such a tactic could have proven to be a checkmate for an enemy unfamiliar with the Hyuga or unaware they were fighting one."
"I believe it was planned." The jonin confirmed. "After her attack, Sasuke emerged also under a henge and showed great proficiency with the fireball technique, attacking while I was in midair and forcing me to counter with a water technique." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I was so used to operating with the Sharingan that I forgot to account for the loss of vision that would occur."
"Ha!" Asuma laughed from his seat next to Kurenai. "Rookie mistake Kakashi."
The cyclops sighed. "Trust me, I'm still kicking myself for that, especially since they used it to their advantage. Sasuke proceeded to throw a fuma shuriken at me, and I leaned back to avoid the attack while preparing a lightning technique to dispel the clones en masse. Unfortunately as the shuriken passed, it transformed into Naruto, who used my prone position to snatch the bells as he flew over me." The man smiled remembering the shit-eating grin his blond student had on his face as he passed over his new teacher.
"They actually got the bells?" Sarutobi asked, removing his pipe from his mouth and leaning forward with a raised eyebrow.
"They did." Kakashi confirmed. "After they got the bells, I asked Naruto which of his teammates would get the other bell. He proceeded to argue that I should pass all of them because of how well they worked together, and when I refused he offered to go back to the Academy while his teammates passed. Both Hinata and Sasuke also found this unacceptable and declined, showing they understood the true purpose of the test and leaving me no choice but to accept them as ninja of the Leaf."
He waited a moment as everyone processed his report. The bell test was used fairly commonly by jonin to test new teams, but for a group to successfully get the bells and see through to the real purpose of the test was unheard of. It was all the more notable given Kakashi's status and history when it came to testing new teams.
"In addition to that," Kakashi continued, "I feel there is one more thing worth mentioning regarding the potential of this group."
"Oho, there's more?" Sarutobi said, leaning so far forward at his desk he was nearly out of his seat.
"After the test, which we finished quite early, I treated my team to a meal to start building bonds. During this meal we began discussing chakra natures, and I happened to have chakra papers on me to test them." He shook his head in disbelief, feeling that this next part would be the hardest for most to swallow. "I was shocked to discover that both Sasuke and Hinata had dual affinities to fire and lightning and water and lightning respectively."
Asuma let out a low whistle. "Damn, two dual affinities? On the same team? Has that even happened before?"
"I cannot remember a time in my long service as Hokage where it was the case." The elder Sarutobi replied. He smiled like that cat that caught the canary. "And let me guess, young Naruto has a wind affinity?"
"Yes, that he does sir." Kakashi replied. Time for the kicker. "Along with a secondary affinity to earth and a tertiary to fire."
The room once more became abuzz with conversation. Sarutobi's pipe actually fell out of his mouth as his jaw dropped, though he swiftly caught it before it dropped to his lap.
"You're bullshitting us." Genma said plainly. "There's no ninja in village history with a natural affinity for three elements!"
"I would have to correct you there, Genma." Hiruzen replied, immediately commanding the attention of every ninja in the room. "Technically speaking, I naturally had an affinity to earth, fire, and water. My water affinity was simply so weak compared to the other two that is did not even register when tested with the methods available in my younger years. Still, outside of myself and Onoki of the Twin Scales, it is unheard of."
The old man leaned back in his seat and appraised the Hatake that stood before him. "It seems the potential of these three is even greater than I had originally expected with such a diverse set of affinities. That is every major element covered."
"I would agree, sir." The jonin replied. "In light of this information, as well as their performance during the bell test, I was hoping to discuss my plans for their development more at length with you this evening."
"That won't be a problem." The elder ninja replied. "I have some input to share already. Would you like to meet me at my home at seven?"
Surprised at getting an invitation to a more personal setting instead of a meeting in the very office he stood in now, Kakashi nonetheless nodded in agreement. After this exchange the cyclops returned to his seat, aware of the many eyes on him. Kurenai gave her report on Team Eight, passing her group though noting that the Inuzuka boy would need to improve his decision making and Sakura Haruno had a long way to go before her practical skills caught up to her theoretical knowledge. Asuma also passed the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio, noting they already had excellent teamwork despite their personalities clashing more than their fathers'.
Afterwards the teachers were dismissed, and Kakashi lingered as the group filed out. Soon it was just him and the Third. "Dinner at the Hokage's house? Don't I feel special." He mused with a small dose of good-natured sarcasm.
The old man chuckled in equally good humor. "Ah but Kakashi, everything about you and your team is becoming more and more special."
As Hiruzen said these words, a knock was heard on the door. The Hokage called the person on the other side in, and to Kakashi's surprise Ryuji Nohara strode in with a fiery expression, nostrils flaring as he stood before the two and bowed.
"Lord Hokage, Jonin Kakashi." The man greeted, his formality feeling out of place for the normally relaxed and silly old man.
"Why so formal, Ryuji?" The Sarutobi greeted. The two went way back - it was Ryuji's bookstore that the old leader picked up his signed, first edition copies of the new Icha Icha novels, after all. "It is good to see you again, old friend."
Rising from his bow, the bookseller did not answer directly but instead surveyed the room with a keener eye than most civilians. "You may wish to dismiss any ANBU that do not have SS level clearance, my Lord."
At these words the atmosphere shifted. Almost nobody in the village had SS-level clearance. Kakashi was on that short list, as were Shikaku Nara, the village elders Homura and Koharu, and Ibiki Morino. And even then, nobody expect the Hokage was privy to more than a few pieces of information with that designation.
Hiruzen, his face now stoney and serious, raised two fingers. The ANBU present disappeared from the shadows and out of the office. With a single handsign from the old man, seals lining the walls were activated. The room was now impervious to just about every method of surveillance an outside party could attempt, be it bloodlines, chakra constructs, or seals. The wards in place were foolproof - they were an old Uzumaki design, after all.
"And what SS-rank secrets are you somehow privy to, Ryuji?" The old man asked. Kakashi stood still as a statue, completely blindsided by what was happening before him.
Ryuji replied by taking a seat in the chair across from the Hokage next to where Kakashis stood. "Do you still have that good sake in your desk drawer?" He asked blithely.
Hiruzen did not respond, but instead nodded, reaching into his desk and pulling out a bottle and two cups. He filled both, taking one for himself and pushing the other towards the civilian across from him. The bookseller lifted the cup to his nose and breathed in the scent, a small smile forming on his face.
"You always had excellent taste, Saru." He said before taking a sip and placing the cup on his desk. Leaning back in his chair, he began to speak. "When I first opened my bookstore over twenty years ago, one of my first customers was a young girl, new to the village and looking for books on sealing. I sold her a beginners tome published by the recently extinct Uzumaki clan."
He leaned forward again in his seat. "Now the girl came back quite a few times over the years, attempting to get more advanced books in sealing. As she rose in rank, I was able to grant her access to advanced, adept, and even the rare master text. We became good friends. I enjoyed her fiery personality, and as she grew older I certainly didn't mind such a beautiful woman frequenting my shop."
"Is there a point to this story?" Hiruzen asked with narrowed eyes, sipping his own drink. Kakashi knew there would be. Ryuji might have been an eccentric, but he was not a man who acted without purpose.
"Why yes, one I'm rapidly approaching." The civilian confirmed. "You see, this woman had always expressed a disdain for anything feminine. So imagine my surprise when she comes in during her late teen years and asks me for a book on baking of all things. When I asked her why she needed such a text, she blushed red as her hair and said she wanted to bake something for a classmate of hers from her academy days. I asked who and was surprised to find out that it was none other than my granddaughter's jonin instructor and the future Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
Kakashi and Hiruzen's eyes both widened as they realized what Ryuji knew. "A couple years later, that woman, Kushina Uzumaki, came in and bought countless books on parenting and child rearing. But even as she ballooned in size, she never would tell me if Minato was the father. After the Kyuubi attack, I thought she and her child had perished like so many others. And then you came into my store today with a blonde boy who was the spitting image of Minato… But his chin and attitude is all Kushina."
The room fell completely silent. Then the Hokage spoke. "Ryuji, I hope you had the good sense to not mention any of this to Naruto." He said gravely.
The civilian snorted. "Of course not. But I was more than happy to give the boy a book on famous clans with a rather generous section dedicated to the Uzumaki clan. Well, give it to him on Kakashi's tab at least." He grinned mischievously. "That book was 12000 ryo by the way."
Hiruzen sighed deeply, leaning his head back and pinching the bridge of his nose. "And how did Naruto even know to look into the Uzumaki clan?"
"That may have been my fault." Kakashi cut in, scratching the back of his head ruefully. "I bought Naruto some new clothes before coming here, Sasuke too. Something better suited for field work. Sasuke wanted his clan symbol on his, and I noticed Naruto's jumpsuit had the Uzumaki spiral on the back, so I requested the same for Naruto's new jacket. He must have picked up on that."
The old man behind the desk sighed again, shooting his entire glass of sake. Ryuji spoke first. "I can understand hiding who his father is - the man made enemies out of entire hidden villages. But why hide Kushina from him?" Most civilians would not have been able to speak to the Hokage with their heads up, but Ryuji was not most civilians, so he was leveling a steely gaze at Hiruzen, his tone demanding answers.
Lucky for Ryuji, he was one of the only people in Konoha the Hokage expected no courtesy from. "Association, for one. Many knew of Minato and Kushina's relationship, and it would be a matter of time before word spread and Naruto, let alone others, found out." Hiruzen refilled his glass as he spoke. "On top of that, the Uzumaki and their diaspora were equally celebrated by different groups throughout the world. Their uniquely strong chakra is valued throughout the world and would likely place an equally large target on his back."
"That's bullshit and you know it." Ryuji replied coolly. "If you really wanted to protect him from that, you wouldn't have given him the Uzumaki name. So what's the real reason?"
"... I was afraid." The Hokage replied, the wrinkles in his face standing out more than usual. "At first I didn't think he was mature enough to know. That it would go straight to his head. Then as the years went on, I feared he would hate me for hiding his history from him."
"And if he does, that is his right." The bookseller shook his head warily. "Fear holding back the Professor. Keeping the closest living relative of the Senju living in rags. You're too old for this."
Hiruzen chuckled without any mirth. "On that, we can agree." He sipped his drink once more, his face deep in contemplation.
Kakashi took his opportunity to chime in once again. "What shall we do now that he is looking into things on his own? I had already planned to talk to you about if we all would come clean to him in the near future now that he is a ninja. This makes it a matter of when, not if."
"It was always a matter of when." Hiruzen huffed. "And I am running out of time." He thought for a moment longer before he looked up with resolve in his eyes. "For now, we will let him look into things on his own. Once he starts asking questions, send him to me, and I will tell him everything I can about Uzumaki and Kushina."
He turned to Kakashi. "Tell him nothing of his father, but once he comes to me, share with him stories of his mother. Once I have explained to him the status of the Uzumaki, we can use that as cover for why you were assigned to guard her during her pregnancy and get cover for why you knew her separate from Minato. Dismissed."
"Sir." Kakashi nodded, turning and leaving the office.
After he left, Ryuji appraised his old friend. "You are more direct than normal, Hiruzen." His face grew solemn. "When you said you were running out of time… You weren't referring to your age, were you?"
The Third smiled sardonically, and then as if on cue broke into a violent coughing fit, covering his mouth with his right hand. The bookseller stood in alarm, but Hiruzen held up his left hand in a motion to stop him. After a few seconds, his shaking lessened, and he pulled his hand from his mouth to reveal it and his lips covered in blood.
Pulling a handkerchief from his pocket, the Hokage wiped the blood from his hand and mouth, shaking his head. "No, old friend. I was not."
Far away in the Land of Hot Springs, Tsunade Senju lounged languidly in a local onsen, her student Shizune and the pig Tonton off to her side. The Slug Sannin and last Senju, most accomplished medic of her time, was so hungover that even at her peak she would have felt debilitated.
"Shizune, why did you let me drink that much last night?" The buxom blonde asked her protege, her voice carrying a childish whine.
"Like I could have stopped you." The dark-haired girl muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Tsunade asked, her head jerking in the direction of the younger woman.
"N-nothing, Lady Tsunade!" The girl replied, sinking into the water to avoid her teacher's wrath.
"Hn." The woman grunted, laying her head back into the water. It had been another night of her living up to her title of 'The Legendary Sucker'. She had lost several thousand ryo in a local casino and now had an even bigger briefcase of IOUs back in their room. Not that she cared. It was never about winning when she gambled, it was about simply feeling some kind of rush, win or lose.
Standing up and securing her towel, the woman turned to her student. "You stay here. I'm going to head back to the room, get dressed, then hit the casinos again."
Shizune wanted to speak against such an idea, but she knew her arguments would fall on deaf ears. So she nodded sullenly as her mentor left the baths. Tsunade dressed quickly and then returned to her room to gather her possessions. As she entered the small two-bedroom at the onsen, she heard a tapping sound on the window. When she turned she saw two birds, one snowy white and the other dusty brown, tapping their beaks in turn against the glass.
Opening the window, both birds flew in and each deposited a letter on the table in the center of the room. Eying them dubiously, she went over to the table and appraised the two scrolls. Both were marked with familiar seals - one the mark of the Hyuuga clan head, the other the seal of the Hokage's office.
Deciding which to read first, she opened the scroll from Hiashi. A slight smile graced her face as she read the beginning, though her expression shifted as she read on.
Dearest Sensei,
It has been too long since we last spoke. I hope you are doing well in your travels, and that you may have found a modicum of peace in retirement. I am doing well myself, although the politics and machinations of the elders of my clan frustrate me daily. Both of my daughters have grown. My youngest Hanabi shows great promise in our clan's arts, while my eldest Hinata graduated from the Academy just yesterday.
Unfortunately, I do not write to you simply to exchange pleasantries. Lord Hokage ordered that I write to you to relay this: you must return to the village immediately. He says that there is a medical case that only you have a chance of curing, and it is of the utmost importance that everything that can be done is. The details of your prospective patient and the illness that needs to be treated has not been entrusted to me, but I trust the judgment of Hiruzen Sarutobi implicitly. He told me he would write to you separately with more details.
He knew you would refuse him. The only time you have ever returned to the village since your self-imposed exile was when my darling wife Hitomi was at death's door, finally giving into my pleading. Unfortunately by the time you arrived, it was too late. I have never blamed or begrudged you, but by your own admission had you come sooner more could have been done, and her life may have been saved. You said you owed me a debt in the blood you now fear that you could never truly repay.
It is now that I call in that debt. The Hokage has asked that you report to Tanzaku Gai in a month's time, where a team of ninja will meet you to escort you back to Konoha. I hope you will honor my request.
I realize now, Tsunade, that we have both been running for far too long. The woman who made me the shinobi and man that I now am would have been ashamed of the father and clan head I have become. I am endeavoring to stop running, and to be better than I have been.
I hope you will do the same.
Your Student,
Hiashi Hyuga
Tsunade re-read the letter, then read it a third time. Anger bubbled in her gut at such an underhanded tactic. Disregarding Hiashi's diagnosis of the severity of the complications his wife Hitomi had been facing since the birth of their second child, and the danger of the resulting disease that took her life, was Tsunade's greatest regret since she left the village. Knowing she could have done more reading the autopsy reports had hurt even worse. But she had never imagined that the debt she felt she owed Hiashi would be leveraged by her old sensei.
Determined to know what patient could be so important that Hiruzen would go this far, she placed his letter on the table before ripping open the missive from the Hokage. Scanning the scroll quickly, her eyes widened at its contents.
Reaching the end, the woman let out a scream of rage, punching the table clear in half. Grabbing her green jacket from the coat rack by the door, she made off to find Shizune. While she was uncertain that she would go back to Konoha, she knew that the consequences if she did not meet the team in Tanzaku Gai could be disastrous.
They had packing to do. It was a long journey back to Fire Country.
In the words of Vegeta, I'm back bitches!
Sorry I've been gone so long. I won't get too deep into it, but my life has had all the drama of a Lifetime movie without any of the closure and I just lost all will to write. But my drive is back, so here is an extra long chapter 4!
I know I'm taking a long time to get out of this early stuff, but I have a lot of things I want to set up and plot threads and relationships I want to establish that are different from canon, so the pacing will likely stay slow for a few more chapters before things pick up and we get to Team Seven's first mission.
I hope y'all like Ryuji. I don't really plan to have many OCs - if any more - but he's one that I plan to use heavily for Kakashi's development, and using him here to plant the seeds for Naruto finding out about his lineage and establishing his worldview was a great chance to introduce him.
A few things worth mentioning; I know the kids all having multiple affinities veers hard into bad fanfic tropes, but I couldn't resist. I feel like I've already indicated they're all regarded as SPESHUL, and with how Naruto ends up by the end of Shippuden, there's an argument it would have made as much sense to give him an affinity to all the elements, so I'm rolling with it.
I haven't seen many fics that have Naruto come across Gutsy Ninja so early, so I'm excited to explore how that impacts his development. I know this chapter was light on Hinata, but the next chapter will open with a pretty long scene for her, so I hope it will balance out.
I know it seems like Sasuke is getting a little too friendly too fast, but honestly I prefer to write him more in the mold of Megumi from JJK. Logically this team seems to work, so he's willing to be less hostile. Doesn't mean he'll open up anytime soon.
How many of you thought Tsunade was Hiashi's old sensei? Probably a fair amount considering I wasn't all that subtle about it, but I hope I surprised a couple of people. Like I said, I plan to change large parts of her history, because while she is in my opinion the best female character Kishimoto ever created, I feel she still got the shaft a lot compared to Orochimaru and Jiraiya in terms of backstory. I'll try to be clear about the differences moving forward. Please PM or let me know in a review if there's any confusion!
I want to thank LightningScar for pointing out that Hiruzen was acting a bit OOC early on. It gave me the idea for a plotline introduced here that I'm incredibly excited for the repercussions of in the future.
I think that about does it for now. Hopefully the next chapter doesn't take nearly as long. Take care everyone!