In a land ruled by fear, there can be no peace for the soul...
—-
"Absolutely not!" The pale woman replied, strikingly louder than what was normally expected from her.
The third Hokage sighed.
"That man will not teach the Hyuuga heir, and I will not teach an Uchiha. What about-"
Hiruzen raised a hand to stop the Hyuuga woman.
"Naruto being under Kakashi is non-negotiable, and with your rejection, so is Sasuke. I suppose that you want to reject Hinata in his team too?"
She stared blankly at him, with a raised eyebrow that screamed "Obviously".
"Then we face a problem, Sasuke had the highest Shinobi ranks, Naruto the lowest; the two Hyuuga sisters had the highest Kunoichi's one."
"Naturally, it would be unbecoming of a Hyuuga to not present our superiority."
The leader of Konoha continued, ignoring the woman's boasting.
"Hanabi should be in their team, but she's your apprentice, and you are making clear that separating you two is also out of the table. Which leaves Hinata-"
"As another ninja sacrificed to your machinations."
Hiruzen tensed for a fraction of a second. But after observing the lady almost pouting face, he left a gentle chuckle and rolled his eyes.
"To be placed under the terrifying evilness of Hatake Kakashi, yes."
"You… actually expected me to get team 7, didn't you? This was your plan to make me teach the boys." The old man smiled. "No way, give me Aburame Shino and Nara Shikamaru or Inuzuka Kiba instead."
Normally one would not talk to the Hokage like this, but the close relationship that they have cultivated allowed for some liberties in private conversations.
Being one of the major financial support of Konoha surely helped, too.
"Are you sure, Reiou? Teach Naruto and Sasuke, and team 7 is yours." She scoffed. Hiruzen chuckled again. "Very well. You can have Shino, and we will see about Kiba."
"Fine, but don't get me a useless third member. Farewell, Hokage-sama"
A second later, she disappeared.
—-
"Team 7 will be Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke. The Jounin Commander will be Hatake Kakashi. He's waiting for you three on the training ground 11."
Unsurprisingly, Naruto complained a lot, and loudly, about being on Sasuke's team. She certainly didn't understand what her sister saw in the blonde boy, but it was not her problem, she supposed.
Her father could deal with that mess.
After team 7 left the room, Hanabi knew that it was her time to be called.
"Team 8… Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hanabi and Yakushi Kabuto. The Jounin Commander will be Hyuuga Reiou. She's waiting for you two in training ground 3"
There was no Yakushi Kabuto in the class, so he was likely an older genin that was given another chance with a Jounin-sensei; an exceedingly rare event. In any case, Hanabi held no information about the boy and would need to judge him later.
Shino-san however was strong, smart and quiet, he was among the three best boys to have in her team, something that she had voiced out in the privacy of her home. It looks like her onee-san was listening.
The Aburame boy nodded to Hanabi, who replied equally, and they both left to their designated training ground.
There, drinking a cup of tea, a woman could be seen along with a gray haired teenager. She looked like a normal Hyuuga, white skin with black hair and their infamous eyes. The Jounin wore a very expensive looking white kimono, that was somehow clean even when she sat on the ground in a seiza, and had her headband suspended on her waist, like a loose belt.
Instead of open sandals, though, she chose to use knee-high black boots. Hanabi certainly remembered her vocal disrespect for the traditional open attire, which is apparently a useless weak point, to quote.
"Hanabi-chan, Aburame-san. This is your teammate Yakushi-san. Sit down." The older Hyuuga said. "I will explain his presence later."
Hanabi sat in a seiza at the seemingly nervous boy side, Shino took her left, leaving the girl in the middle.
"I am supposed to test you three in the real genin exam, but let's be honest, I'm not failing this team. Therefore, you three are officially the new team 8 of Konohagakure, congratulations." Kabuto blinked, Shino didn't react in any way that she could notice, and Hanabi absolutely did not pout. "You will all meet me at this training ground at exactly 8am, and when I decide so, we will move to real missions."
She should have expected her onee-san to be this bluntly, really. There is a reason that no one ever considered getting Hyuuga Reiou any mission that required subtly. But Hanabi had bet on her being professional.
Hinata however, became a thousand ryo richer.
"As you all probably know, I am a busy woman, so in many mornings I will only send a clone. Considering how weak you three still are, it will be more than enough if we need to spar." She drinks from her cup before continuing. "Yakushi-san here was put on my team, despite having failed the chunin exams 6 times and his genin test, because of his prodigious ability with med-ninjutsu. Hokage-sama believes that under my guidance he will become prodigious enough with his Shinobi abilities too."
Failed the exam 6 times? Everybody that Hanabi knew never even needed a third attempt.
"He's right, of course, you three will thrive under the honor of my guidance." She was looking at the poor boy, who seemed to be trying really hard to not squirm. "But in any case, I have talked too much. Present yourself to me and your teammates."
Kabuto-san gulped before talking. " My name is Yakushi Kabuto, I'm adequate enough with med-nin and information gathering. My goal in this team is to become a better shinobi to better serve the village. I was reallocated after my genin corps team died."
His entire team died and only the 'bad shinobi' survived? This doesn't fare well for his reputation.
"It's a common burden to med-nin outlive their team." Said Reiou. "I accepted you in the team because you did succeed in the mission after your comrade's death, and because I saw your work in the hospital, there's a lot of potential in you."
Hanabi was slightly confused, she knew that her onee-san could heal almost anything with their techniques. She wondered how med-ninjutsu would be of use.
In any case, it was her time to present herself.
"I am Hyuuga Hanabi, the heir of the Hyuuga clan. I'm proficient with all ninja's arts and my Byakugan is particularly strong, but naturally, my biggest strength is in close quarter combat. My goal for this team is to continue my growth and honor the confiance deposited at me by my clan, hopefully with powerful teammates at my side."
There, said, with the adequate stoic Hyuuga face. She doesn't want her family to annoy her later.
"Hanabi-chan is my direct disciple, my niece and my future clan leader, therefore she is my highest priority." Hanabi held back a flinch, she spoke the truth, but there was no need for her sensei to be this blunt. "This does not, however, imply that anyone in this team will be neglected. I am strong enough to teach and protect you three."
Well, that was an understatement.
Shino-san touched his dark glasses before talking.
"My name is Aburame Shino. I'm also adept in all ninja's arts, but I specialize in my clan techniques. I have the same goal as Hanabi-san and Kabuto-san. However, I also seek to save someone."
This was the longest that she had heard Shino-san talk, and yet it was too short for her to know him more, apart from the new piece of information at the end.
"Frankly, you are the best shinobi from your class. The… Uchiha may have had higher grades, but you could defeat him and your entire class if we exclude Hanabi. I personally request you in this team because I believe you to be future Rank S material." She drank her tea once more. "And anything below your level of competence would be inadequate to walk along a future Hokuto Shinken master."
Hm, so Shino-san was some kind of prodigy? She never thought so, but Hinata-nee always said that she had too high standards for other people.
Something about not being fair to compare others to sensei, herself and Neji.
"Well, it's my time I suppose. I am Hyuuga Reiou, an entrepreneur of success, the strongest Hyuuga and the founder of the Hokuto Shinken. As a Jounin, I have mastered all ninja's arts, but I specialize in my clan techniques. My current goal is to make you three better ninjas than everybody else in this world. Ah, and also to become Hokage."
Hanabi couldn't resist and rolled her eyes.
"Oh~ Am I feeling an unbeliever? Hanabi-chan is growing so smug lately. Maybe her onee-san should educate her harder when training."
"The heavens will open and fate will break before you become Hokage, o-nee-san."
Faster than she could see without her doujutsu, her sensei teleported to her position and started pinching her cheeks.
The younger Hyuuga struggled in vain.
"The council would never accept you. You are unprofessional and bad at diplomacy. And what kind of sensei talk about having a favorite? In the first hour!
"I am just being honest with my cute genins."
"Honesty is for samurais, not shinobis. Your age seems to be degrading your memory, perhaps you should reconsider your career, obaa-san."
In the confidence of her mind, Hanabi recalled that Reiou was loyal to Hyuuga first and Konoha second. Sandaime-sama would never choose her unless there was no other choice.
More importantly, her cheeks were hurting!
"Stop this onee-san."
"I will stop when you beg forgiveness to Reiou-sama, you brat."
Her teammates stood there, bleeding awkwardness.
Traitors.
She glared at them.
"Er… Sensei." Called Kabuto. "Maybe you should have mercy on her? N-Not that I am ordering you or anything."
Coward! No, wait, thank you.
"I suppose that I can punish her cheekness later. It's time for business."
She returned to her place and removed a storage scroll from her kimono. The scroll was laid open in the ground and let off smoke as it activated.
Two conjuncts of weights appeared.
"Yakushi-san, Aburame-san. You two will use these six days per week, the weights are adjustable. You can read how in the manual." There was a damn instruction manual in the two sets. "They were rather expensive to request, I will let you know. Use it well."
"Weights? But neither me nor Aburame-san are Taijutsu users." Inquired Kabuto.
"No. You are not. But anyone training over me will have a powerful body. I also have already started creating a Taijutsu style for you two."
"Oh, thank you, Reiou-sensei." He bowed his head." Does Hanabi-chan already use a set?" Kabuto turned to Hanabi, who was massaging her red cheeks. "Ah, do you want me to heal you?"
"I have my own set, yes. And it's fine, you won't be able to heal it, she manipulated my tenketsus."
"She used the Hokuto Shinken to pinch you?" Shino asked, surprised.
"I surely did." Reiou finished the last of her tea.
Shino-san looked at her, then at Hanabi and then at Kabuto-san.
He sighed.
Poor Shino, at least the amount of sighs that he would do in the future will give him stronger lungs.
—-
One hundred and thirty-seven ninjas. One hundred and thirty-seven enemies.
At least ten Jounins, perhaps twenty, and more than sixty Chunins.
By all means, I was doomed, and my corpse was to be used by my enemies; With luck, only to steal our secrets.
I looked up to see the night sky.
"You guys are really unlucky." I told them with a shackled voice, a stream of tears fell continuously from my eyes. "The star of Death does not shine for me today."
They attacked immediately after, and despite their assured victory they did not play around anymore, they didn't dare to be careless even in my sorry state. Elemental Jutsus, Kunais and Shurikens flew toward me, I could feel Genjutsu infiltrating my chakra system and poison filled the air.
"Hokuto: Tenryū Kokyū Hō (Art of Dragon's Breathing)"
My first gate, opened under Hokuto's technique, cast no strain upon my body. And I disappeared.
Ten minutes later I sat alone on the silenced bloody ground, ignoring the mutilated corpses, and all of their gore.
I sat alone on the quieted bloody ground, forgetting about what I forever lost.
I sat alone on the muted bloody ground, hugging my knees and watching the stars.
I do not intend to continue this, but the idea of this story is that instead of evolving their eyes, like the Sharingan, the Hyuugas found another pathway to High Rank S. Hokuto Shinken, who has a lot of parallels with the Juuken.
The Focus would be the new team 8 and the Hyuugas.
Reiou was in the same team as Anko, under Orochimaru, and they are around the same age. The other teammate was an Uchiha.