Hope you all are staying safe, yet another chapter for you all so I hope that helps somewhat. This one took a bit as I had many conflicting ideas with how I wanted events to play out and make final decisions on stuff so I hope it turned out alright though I suppose I'll know how bad the damage is when I wake up in the morning. Anyway Please enjoy the chapter and I will see you all at the bottom.
As a note PLEASE READ THE AN AT THE BOTTOM IN FULL FOR THIS CHAPTER! It goes over a lot of thought process and I think it'll be really helpful in answering any questions or at the very least explaining the reasoning behind them! Thank you and enjoy!
...
"Please, take a seat Natsumi-chan."
The Third gave a kind smile as he gestured towards an empty chair at the front of his desk and she nodded quietly, seating herself down with arms folded. For a moment neither said a word to the other and instead the pair simply took in the silence as if it were the sweetest of melodies, a song that should be left to play without interruption but alas, all songs must end eventually and the silence was broken with a short cough from the wizened leader.
"I hear that you were invaluable in the retrieval of one of our most prized possessions, as well directly as responsible for saving both Iruka-kun and Hideo-kun." The Third recounted taking a moment to study the young girl in front of him carefully. "That is a very impressive feat for a newly graduated genin, I hope you are proud of yourself." He commended settling deeper into his chair as they began their conversation.
"I did what was required of me as a kunoichi of the village, it is nothing deserving of such high praise." She argued politely, leaning back in her seat and turning her attention away from the Third and towards the glass window behind him her gaze peering out into the darkness covering the village. "Anyone would have done the same in my position. I just so happened to be in the right place at the right time." She reasoned and he let out a light chuckle in reply at the dismissive explanation.
"You do not give yourself enough credit, your actions tonight surely saved many lives in the long-run and that should not be so easily overlooked." The aged leader's voice had such warmth to it that she found herself hard-pressed to believe this was the man considered to be the "God of Shinobi". "Regardless, you will be rewarded for your actions tonight even if you feel it is unnecessary." He explained.
"As you wish, Hokage-sama." She relented but inwardly she was pleased that this venture would prove beneficial to her in some capacity even if it was just monetarily. "But I don't believe that is all you called me here for, is it?" She questioned and she noticed how he seemed to age in front of her, all but confirming her thoughts of what he wished to discuss.
"You have good intuition, that will serve you well…" He tried to add a bit of levity to the situation with praise though it came out far less genuine than he may have intended. "But you are correct, there is in fact another matter we must discuss." His wrinkled brow creased in distaste. "I believe you were informed of your status, so to speak?" He prodded and she nodded quietly keeping her eyes locked onto the darkened windows.
"If you are referring to the fact that I am the container for the Kyuubi, then yes Tojo-san took great pleasure in informing me of my burden. Though such information came as little surprise given all the evidence and I had already deduced the truth shortly after beginning my studies on fuinjutsu." She admitted freely. "The less that subtle glares, the name-calling, the isolation, the thinly veiled disgust I attract merely walking through the streets." She shook her head. "All of that makes much more sense with the context of the rather large seal that's been printed onto my stomach." She sighed and out of the corner of her eye she caught the slight flinch he gave as she ran down some of the basic day to day treatment she received at the hands of the village but pretended not to notice.
"The villagers are... misguided, they still feel the pain of that which they've lost and it blinds them from seeing you as you truly are." He did not approve of their actions but there was little he could do to force them to love the girl, free will gave them the right to feel as they pleased even if it was detrimental. "That does not excuse their actions but I do hope you've gained an understanding of their reasoning." He spoke and she raised a brow in curiosity while a slight kindling of disbelief sparked within her.
"You say that as if you are implying I should forgive them? Or rather as if you're asking forgiveness on their behalf?" The reasons for their actions did not suddenly absolve them of responsibility for them. She very much doubted she would receive a pardon if she began to attack civilians just because she could arguably use their treatment of her to justify it. That was not how the world worked, your reasons were irrelevant in the face of your choices and the villagers had made their choice long ago.
"If I asked you to forgive them, would you?" He questioned and she had to fight down the urge to scoff at the question outright. If her present company wasn't the leader of this village and her new commander in chief she may very well have laughed in his face but she kept her composure nonetheless and settled for a small frown.
"True forgiveness is something to be earned, not handed out like party favors. I have no interest in seeking petty vengeance over ignorant masses but I don't believe it should be expected of the wronged party to give forgiveness to those who have made no effort to earn it." She declared with an air of finality. It was borderline arrogant in her mind to expect that a child should need to turn the other cheek for an entire village of adults throwing a never-ending pity party. "If they wish for forgiveness they can work for it and if they don't then that's the choice they've made."
The Third fell quiet for a moment but eventually nodded with an air of defeat. "I suppose that is only fair." He conceded though it was clear that was not the answer he would have liked to hear.
Another round of tense silence arose between them but this time it was her turn to break it. While she may have discovered her status on her own months ago there were still blanks in her understanding that she wanted... no, needed to be addressed and who better than the Hokage to answer her questions?
"Why was I not told of my status sooner? Did I not have a right to know?" She questioned evenly, no trace of anger or accusation in her words but her eyes expressed hidden displeasure at being kept in the dark that he no doubt caught judging by the frown that took hold over his normally gentle smile.
"It was a choice made for your own protection on my orders. I had hoped that if you were left in the dark about the truth you may have been able to have a more… normal, childhood. One not burdened by thoughts of what you carried and what that may have meant for you." He explained giving his own justifications for his actions but she was left less than impressed at his reasons.
"No, instead my youth involved such childhood staples such as being removed from the orphanage at the tender age of five and being forced to live on my own, being isolated by the population at large as if I was some sort of diseased leper, and suffering under the combined hatred of an entire village for reasons I was not deemed fit to know about." She retorted a quiet undertone of venom tinted her otherwise monotone voice, each word cutting like daggers through the blanket of regret that seemed to drag upon his old frame. "I suppose we can call that a normal childhood then?" She questioned but it was less of an inquiry and more of an accusation, a fact that was not lost on either party.
"I can not tell the people how to feel, that is the curse of free will." He admitted, acknowledging that while he could create laws to enforce his will he could do very little to change how they perceived her. "Even a kage only has so much authority over the thoughts of his people."
He had an answer for everything it seemed, it was just a shame none of those answers were satisfactory in her eyes but she had more questions and so she was quick to reign her temper back lest she cross a line and ruin this chance.
"The past can not be changed there is no point in dwelling on it." She let go of that thread only to grasp or another. "When exactly did you plan to tell me the truth? Did you even plan to tell me at all or was I never supposed to find out?" She pried and once more she had to fight to hold back a scowl as he seemed to hesitate in his response. That alone was far more telling of his intentions than anything he might say to her.
"I did intend to tell you when I felt the time was right." He sighed heavily almost as if he knew his answer was not what she wanted to hear and had he paid more attention he may have taken notice of the way her fingers burrowed into the arms of her seat that would have proven as much. "I wanted to wait until you had become a chunin and you would be better prepared to handle the information, rather than hamper you with the knowledge of during your time as a genin." He explained, sounding far more tired of this conversation than when they began but she cared little for his exhaustion in the wake of her growing distaste for just how little trust she was afforded when it came to information regarding herself.
There was a creature with the capability to flatten entire villages shoved within her navel but she had to earn the right to be told that information. What if the beast tried attempted to escape while she was on a mission? What if a foreign-nin discovered what she was and tried to kidnap her? What if she had decided she even didn't want to become a ninja… what would the requirements have been then? Would they even have bothered to tell her or would she have gone to her grave without ever knowing?
"I see… I only have one more question then." She didn't care to debate with him any longer, he'd made it very clear that her suffering was in the name of "her own benefit" and it disgusted her to even hear him speak at the moment. "Why was I chosen? There had to have been other candidates that would have made better choices, any of the clan heirs could have been used or even a civilian family's child in a pinch." She leveled the Third with a hard look. "Why did the Fourth pick a no-name orphan off the street to seal the Kyuubi into?"
"I do not know…" He rested his head against the back of his chair and looked towards the picture of the man hung on the wall. "There wasn't exactly much time for him to explain his thought process to me with the Kyuubi bearing down on the village. I can not say for certain his reasons for choosing you." He deflected and she fought down the urge to click her teeth in annoyance and instead kept the pressure on him.
"But you could guess at them, he was your successor and surely you had some idea of his motives or thought process." She pointed out, unwilling to accept such a dismissive answer at face value. "As I said, there were better options available. Any of the major or minor clans could have supported a container with proper training, funds, and supervision that far exceeded anything a simple street urchin would have access to." She reasoned.
The Third laced his worn fingers together in thought as he stared her down. "Perhaps he feared that would create an imbalance of power within the clans? Any clan with the backing of the Kyuubi would no doubt inherit a certain amount of sway within the village." He suggested evenly but she shook her head in dismissal of such an idea.
"Then a baby born to civilian parents would have been an easy solution, they would little to no sway over clan politics." She countered and for the first time that night, her face displayed an emotion beyond simple disinterest. "Was it just conveniences then? Did the Fourth just grab the first child he could reach because there was no one there to deny him? No parents around to protest their baby becoming the target of the village's newfound anger?" She muttered spitefully now considering the validity of that argument. Judging by how she was treated it wouldn't surprise her that no loving parent would volunteer their baby for such a task.
"Perhaps he saw something in you that gave him confidence that you could handle such responsibility." The Third interject rather forcefully caused her attention to shift back to him in surprise. "After all, even on your own you've proven to be quite talented and your future is certainly brighter than even some of those born into more fortunate circumstances than yourself." He offered her a smile. "A stubborn spirit unwilling to let others define her… I'd argue that makes you something special even amongst your peers."
"I very much doubt he could foresee how I would turn out, and it does not change the fact that he still picked an orphan to endure the aftermath of his decision." She scoffed, settling down as she realized that she was quickly losing her composure and with it the aged Hokage lost his smile.
"Do you hate him for his choice?" He asked quietly.
"Hating a dead man is a waste of time, he'll never know it and there is nothing I can do about it." She admitted taking a moment to compose herself. "He acted as a leader when his home needed it and even as the victim of his actions I can respect that he was willing to give his life to protect it, even if I don't agree with him sacrificing mine so." She relented. Her feelings on the Fourth were… turbulent, she respected the man's power and skill without question but his actions had damned her and that wasn't something she was going to be quick to let go.
"He wanted you to be seen as a hero, to be respected for your sacrifice." He offered some defense of his successor's actions but it did nothing to change the fact that those wishes had not been honored by the very village he'd given his life to protect.
"I would have settled for being seen as normal, but we often do not get what we want." She stood abruptly to her feet seeming far more worn than when she had walked in. "Is that everything you needed Hokage-sama, I find myself somewhat drained from the night's events." She said, hinting that she was done discussing this topic for the moment.
"That was all, I apologize for taking up so much of your time. Once again on behalf of the village, you have my thanks for your actions tonight, I look forward to seeing what you will accomplish in the coming years should Kami grant me that right." He gave a short, somewhat forced chuckle and dismissed her with a wave of his palm.
She wasted no time in leaving his office.
She needed to be alone for a bit…
…
The rest of the week had passed without further incident and she had spent most of it cooped up in her home, her thoughts had left her far too distracted to do more than some light training to keep in shape. Her conversation with the Third had brought some less than pleasant truths to light about how little control she seemed to have over her own life and the nagging thought that there was even more that she wasn't being told for "her own sake". As if the village had a right to deny her the right to know what she was, who she was on some convoluted basis that those in charge knew what was best for her.
When she had initially discovered her status as a container it had justifiably left her in shock but with that knowledge had come as a slight relief to know that the hatred directed her way was less to do with her and more to do with what she represented. She was not one to jump to conclusions and so she had maintained some foolish hope there must have been a practical reason that she was not told. That perhaps knowing of the beast would give it some measure of power over her? However, when the discovery had provided no tangible effect upon her she grew to question the reasons for such secrecy… the Kyuubi had made no effort to contact her, if it even could, and she saw no changes in her mental state that may have hinted at tampering of her mind.
Now she knew that part of her suffering was just the consequence of some misguided ideal, a decision left to some sentimental old man who appeared far too wrapped up in his own self-righteousness to understand the reality of her situation. It was infuriating and safe to say it had not left her in the most pleasant of moods…
"If you keep brooding like that you're going to scare off your new teammates before you even meet them." A dull, tired voice broke her from her thoughts and she was forced to forgo the storm of her internal questioning for the moment.
"I am doing nothing of the sort." She rebuffed, opening her eyes and blinking slightly at the shift in the light before continuing. "I am merely taking a moment to think upon the future, something you might wish to do as well if you ever plan to make something of yourself." She lied, easily turning the conversation away from her and onto him.
"Hmph...that sounds like too much work." He ruminated on the idea for a moment before turning his gaze back towards her. "I'd be happy if I could just live a simple life, maybe become some run of the mill chunin and just coast on without any trouble." He admitted and she fought down the urge to chuckle at his rather predictable answer. If there was anything she liked about the Nara clan's heir it was that he was consistent almost to a fault. It was truly a shame he had no motivation to push himself but there was still time for him to discover just what it was that he truly wanted out of life.
"It is generally those who do not seek a challenge that most often encounter them." She pointed out resting her palm against her cheek as she watched those of her class who managed to graduate chatter amongst themselves anxiously awaiting the team assignments. "Better to be prepared for adversity before it arrives lest it overwhelms you." She recited, it was a line she'd read while studying a bit of the Second's history.
Shikamaru, however, did not seem to care much for it though managing to slump further into his seat if that was even possible. "Can't you ever humor me and let me dream in peace?" He groaned slouching in his seats. "It's like you enjoy stressing me out." He grumbled and this time she failed to stop the light chuckle that bubbled out of her chest at his whining.
"Perhaps I do?" She mused, smirking slightly at the look of resignation that settled upon his face. "I believe it was you who said I was a… what was the word you used again?" She paused in faux thought before letting out a sly smirk and raising a brow in mock recollection. "Ah yes, a sadist." and he nearly slammed his head into his desk in reply annoyed at both himself having said it and her for having remembered that.
"You are a seriously troublesome woman…" He glared at her or at least as much as Nara could glare before he sighed and tucked his head into his arms, leaving their conversation on a quiet but lighthearted note. It was a quaint distraction and they stayed like that until Iruka arrived.
"You're all here and on time, that good it's important for a ninja to be punctual and prepared." He nodded in approval before stepping towards the center of the room and clearing his throat. She noticed that he had healed up rather well, there was still a little swelling around where he'd taken the worst of Mizuki's assault but it was difficult to notice without looking for the signs.
"Before I begin announcing the teams I ask that you bear with me for a few moments to speak to you one final time as your teacher." He took a pause and a hush fell over the room in parting respect towards the man who had instructed them over the past four years. "It is hard to convey how proud I am of all of you." He started taking a moment to send each and every one of them a look of pride. "Just as you all have learned from me I have also learned from you, each of you has taught me a lesson that I will carry on forever and in that way, you will always be with me. As both my precious students and now as my treasured comrades, I only want the best for all of you and so I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have imparted upon me!" He declared giving them a deep bow of respect as the class erupted in cheers and tears. Even she had to admit she was somewhat moved by the sentiment he managed to convey with a few simple words.
She almost felt bad she'd allowed him to be beaten, almost.
He gave them a bright smile and pulled out a list. "Thank you again. Next, I wish to acknowledge the efforts of those students who scored highly on the final exam as well as throughout their time here." He said and another hush fell over the room as everyone waited to see who had earned such honors. Some looked hopeful while others who knew they had not done well seemed to sink into their seats already knowing that they were not among such a group.
"Starting off we have third-place, there was actually a tie here so I will present both students here, congratulations to…. Sakura Haruno and Shino Aburame!" He announced sending both nods of respect for the efforts. "You both did very well but I believe you are both capable of far greater things so don't ever settle for anything less than your best, there is always room for improvement so don't neglect your training." He advised and both students nodded, each promising to heed his advice.
"Coming in at the number two spot was none other than… Sasuke Uchiha!" He announced drawing a few cries of disbelief from the boys' more adamant supporters that the golden prince could be anything less than number one and a slight narrowing of the eyes from the Uchiha himself. "You had nearly perfect marks in every area which is a testament to your constant training and drive, if you continue as you have I see a very bright future for you."
Sasuke for his part appeared as if he wanted to say something but instead bit his cheek and let out a muted thank you returning to his brooding but there was a tightness to his posture that revealed he was not exactly pleased with the outcome.
"Lastly, we have the number one spot and this class's rookie of the year… Natsumi Uzumaki!" He revealed and all eyes quickly shifted towards the petite Uzumaki who appeared unphased by the revelation barring a small smirk that graced her feature. "You've demonstrated excellence in every area and even gone beyond that which was required of you. I don't think anyone can claim you haven't earned it and so it truly is my honor to present you with the title." He gave her a genuine smile, perhaps the first she'd ever received from him and despite herself, she offered one of her own a small token of respect and appreciation. They may not have had the best relationship but he'd always been fair with her which was more than she could say for most.
"That said, I want to be clear that this moment does not define any of you." He turned his attention back to the rest of the class. "I know that you are all more than capable of so much more and this is only a brief second in the journey that is the rest of your lives. The person you are today does not have to define who you may become tomorrow. Always strive to be better, be it as a better person or a better ninja." He left them on those final words for a few minutes allowing the atmosphere to settle before speaking again. "I think I've borrowed enough of your time now so let's begin. The teams were finalized by the Hokage himself so don't go complaining to me if you don't like your team," He warned sending certain individuals parting looks before pulling up his list. "Team One shall be…"
She only half-listened as Iruka slowly went down the list keeping a mental note of who ended up where but it was only when she heard the names of the more prominent figures in her year that she tuned back in.
"Team Seven will consist of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno…" A pause had to be taken in lieu of the girl's victory cry and the subsequent groans of disappointment from the rest of the Uchiha's fan club who were now glaring daggers at the pink-haired female. "...and Shino Aburame." He finished and quickly moved on for everyone's sake.
"Team Eight will consist of Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga, and Natsumi Uzumaki." He continued taking a moment to spare a glance at the trio before moving on to the rest of the team announcements.
"Team Nine is still in circulation so that just leaves Team Ten which will be made up of Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara." He concluded putting the list away. "Your new teachers will be swinging by to pick you up over the course of the next hour so keep your ears open and don't wander off." He warned before granting them a parting smile. "I look forward to seeing you all again, be sure to give it your best."
With his peace said he quietly left the classroom, leaving them to discuss their new arrangements amongst themselves.
"Troublesome, I would end up on a team with Ino…" Shikamaru grumbled, stretching himself along the length of his desk as he considered his new team. "Our parents probably had something to do with it." He grumbled. He didn't mind being with Choji at all but Ino was a pain in the ass and no doubt there was going to be a lot of shouting in his future.
"Given your parents' success, it's not surprising the village would like to try and recreate such a famous team." She supplied having already guessed something like this would happen from the outset. "Then again, not all outcomes can be recreated so easily so I suppose we shall see in time if you'll live up to their legacy or not." Just because the team had worked once before it did not mean it would work again but in the same vein of thought perhaps it might. It was too early for her to say.
"Hmph, what about your team?" He turned his attention down below towards. "How do you feel about being paired with Kiba and Hinata?" He asked. curious to know her own thoughts on her soon to be partners.
"It would be remiss of me to judge them too harshly so soon but I must admit they would not have been my first choices." She stated bluntly eyeing up both her would-be teammates analytically. "That said, there were far worse options and I am confident that with enough time I can break them down and rebuild them into something more fitting for my needs." She surmised, either missing or ignoring his deadpan stare at her choice of wording and her idea of how a team should function.
"You aren't supposed to break your teammates, you know that right?" He pointed out.
"If there is room for improvement then it is necessary." She rebutted not at all bothered by his exasperation. "Potential left untapped is potential left wasted, just be thankful we were not paired together or I would have done the same with you." She admitted shamelessly causing a shiver to run down his spine at the thought of having to meet her expectations. Ino may have been bossy but other than being loud and a pain in the ass she was pretty much harmless, Natsumi on the other hand…
"And just like that my team suddenly doesn't seem so bad." He amended and she laughed lightly, sparing him a passing glance as she stood up from her seat and began to make her way down to her own team.
"Don't worry Nara-san, I will make sure to check in on you every so often to measure your progress. I doubt I can rely on Yamanaka-san to properly motivate you so as your comrade I suppose that duty falls to me." She gave him a smile that should have been reassuring but instead only made his hairs on his neck stand on end, her smile was full of teeth that warned him just exactly her "checking in" would entail. His body hurt already...
Why was it that his life always had to be so damn troublesome.
…
"Hello Hyuga-san, would you mind if I take this seat?"
Hinata floundered at the suddenness of her request for a few moments, her pale lavender eyes darting quickly between the open seat by her side and the now waiting form of her new teammate before she realized that she had yet to answer. She quickly squeaked out a small no and without wasting a moment Natsumi had sat herself down into the open spot by her side without so much as a care in the world as if her asking was more a formality than anything else and given what she knew of the girl that was likely true.
Before she could speak Natsumi turned to her and her voice died inside of her throat as she was pierced by sharp blue orbs, she felt as though she was being measured… no, that wasn't quite the word for it. Perhaps dissected? Like everything she was and would be were suddenly being combed over with a fine wire brush and her breath caught in her lungs for a few moments as silence passed between them.
Then Natsumi spoke.
"It appears as though we will be working together for the foreseeable future, given that knowledge I wanted to know your thoughts on me and Inuzuka-san." She rested against the back of her chair but never took her eyes off the meek girl. "Please be honest, I wish to remove any obstacles to our success early on."
Hinata for her wasn't sure how to respond and it was only a small moment of silence that she began to speak for herself. "A-Ano, I'm not sure what you would like me to say Natsu- I mean Uzumaki-san?" She cursed herself for her slip up but to her surprise, Natsumi did not appear bothered by the use of her name in such a familiar way.
"You may refer to me by my first name if you wish." She said dismissively. "As for my question I wish to know what you think of me and Inuzuka-san. Do you have any problems with either of us?" She amended and Hinata immediately shook her head as if scandalized by the very thought.
"N-No, not at all! I-I mean, I don't have any problems with either of you." She seemed embarrassed to speak but she tried to convey her sincerity in her words. It was not in her nature to seek conflict with others and so she was quick to overlook any flaws in the name of avoiding confrontation, something Natsumi knew but did not comment on for the moment.
"I see, that is good." Natsumi nodded but as always her true feelings were unreadable and that left Hinata a bit out of sorts, unsure if her answer was received positively or not.
"Hey! You two holding a meeting without me?" A boisterous voice interjected, turning their gaze to the source. Kiba's rough and grinning face greeted them, the panting form of his pup sitting tucked away under his hood staring at them curiously as his master crossed the distance between them to join in on the conversation.
"I assure you It was not our intention, I had planned to reach out to you as well Inuzuka-san." She confessed taking a moment to study him as he hopped onto the desk using it as a seat to settle in between the two. "It would be rather unproductive of me to exclude you given our new partnership."
"Right?…" He sometimes forgot that she talked like that "Anyway, you can just call me Kiba ya know? Inuzuka-san is kinda stuffy for my tastes." He complained, frowning at the overly formal way she addressed him. She acted like they were strangers or something… sure they weren't exactly friends or anything and to be honest he thought she was pretty weird but still, four years in the same class seemed like long enough to be on a first-name basis.
"Very well, Kiba-san it is." She seemed to test the words before nodding and turning to Hinata. "I suppose it is only fair I ask if you would prefer I use your clan name or your first name." It was becoming clear to her that her perception of their relationship may not extend both ways, perhaps Shikamaru had a point when he said she was often too rigid in her thinking.
"H-Hinata is fine but whatever you are comfortable with is okay." The heiress said and once more she nodded in acknowledgment.
Before they could continue their conversation further the sound of the classroom door sliding open interrupted them and a lone figure strode calmly but confidently into the room. A stunning kunoichi with raven black hair that reached down to her back and sharp ruby eyes surveyed the now silent room. She definitely stood out, her outfit consisted of a battle dress made of white bandages and mesh underneath that left just enough to the imagination without actually revealing anything. Even the way she carried herself drew eyes to her, there was an air of womanly elegance to her that put the girls to shame.
A true femme fatale…
"Team Eight, follow me." She instructed before turning on her heel and walking out of the room without so much as another word.
…
Well, she would give her points for style if nothing else.
"Come on, our sensei is waiting." She wasted no time standing up from her seat and making her way to the door, her sudden movement kicking Kiba and Hinata out of their own stunned silence and into gear as the two scrambled after both the blond and their new sensei.
"Oi, don't leave us behind damn it!"
"P-Please wait!"
They were going to need some work…
AN. Chapter Complete!
Been a little bit, sorry about that but with everything I wanted to do and the decisions I had to make for this chapter I really wanted to be sure that I could commit to everything before I moved ahead and published it. With that said I want to jump right in and explain some of my choices as well as clarify some things in regards to the chapter and the story itself!
1. Natsumi's conversation with the third and why she didn't piece or at least suspect her status as the child of the Fourth Hokage:
Now, I actually initially planned for her to come to that conclusion but decided against that for a couple of reasons. The biggest being that I personally didn't think it made sense for her to piece that together despite her intelligence due to her upbringing and how she perceives herself which I try to hint at in their conversation. Remember that for as long as Natsumi has been alive she has never been viewed as valued or important by anyone, the Third was not around to take a suspicious interest in her that may have tipped her off and at most, she was just given basic human decency by a very small amount of people but nothing that comes close to how people would treat a normal child.
She didn't grow up with people filling her heads with dreams of being the prettiest princess or the most badass kunoichi. She didn't have anyone telling her that she was special or gifted until she had busted her ass to become stronger and smarter than those around her and they were forced to admit she was worth something. I personally think it makes more sense that after years of that treatment makes it far more likely for her to believe that she really was just some random orphan the fourth had to pick because no sane parent would put their kid through what she went through. Why would she believe she may be the village's long lost princess when she's never had a reason to believe that before? How could she be the hidden child of a beloved hero? It's almost something out of a fairy tale and she's never had time for such things.
Just an idea.
2. Why Team Eight and why I didn't put her with Shikamaru or Shino.
So this took a lot of deliberation and I want to be clear that I did read every single suggestion and I thank everyone who took the time to leave their thoughts on this topic! I decided on Team Eight and specifically the teammates I did for a few reasons.
Number one, Team Seven is pretty much screwed with Natsumi on it which is a point I knew from the start and many of you echoed. Sasuke's inferiority complex would run rampant if he was stuck with her and Sakura won't have a sympathetic meat shield to bail her out all the time while she is still weak since Natsumi doesn't view her very highly. There is no glue holding them together. Kakashi she might be able to deal with but the interactions of team seven would just end up being really tedious since they would almost always be hostile, it is, for this reason, that I put Shino in her place because he's loyal enough to still help Sakura out and not competitive enough to threaten Sasuke which is more than likely reason enough for the three to at least compromise.
I think that given her thoughts on her class Kiba and Hinata have a lot of potential to aid in her growth as a character especially putting her with Kiba over Shino. She may have gotten along with Shino more but Shino would never really challenge her, never step into her space and get a real reaction out of her. He's very passive and while she might like that it doesn't push her character in any way.
Kiba works as a good contrast to her logical and colder way of thinking, he is more honorable where she may be more underhanded, more passionate where she may be more callous, and more emotionally driven compared to her. He offers more opportunity for conflict of ideals and for her to see another side of herself, possibly questioning how she does things or reinforcing the idea that her methods are correct. Shino could maybe do these things but I think they fit Kiba more, plus he can add a bit of levity to more tense moments.
Onto Hinata, now I know people tend to have very strong feelings towards her character (to an almost irrational degree with some of the comments I've seen in my other story or on profiles) but I do have plans for her. I want to do something similar to what I've done in "A Better Path" with Sakura where she grows and develops into a more likable character with help/instruction/threats from our main character. This could also help with the building of attachments that Natsumi lacks as the more effort you pour into something the more you tend to feel for it and that could change how she acts and what paths she takes.
Thank you as always for reading, sorry about the long AN but I really wanted to explain my choices since a lot happens here! Please let me know your thoughts with a review and stay safe during these trying times, my PM's are always open for suggestions, ideas, or just general conversation for people who need them!