Chapter 10

I arrived at the Hokage tower an hour before he usually went home with my report.

" So Loki-kun, what is your conclusion and how many clan heads will be here tomorrow demanding your slow and painful death?" This is why I loved the old man. It was always straight to the point with him.

"Second question's answer first, one. The first question's answer is in the report which is detailed but the rough notes are this; team 8 is clear to participate, team 10 should have never been formed so the need to participate in order to break them up. Finally team 7 is a disaster that can not be repaired, they are not cleared and should be disbanded into the genin core immediately."

"Ok then I am certain it's all written down and I am glad to hear good news of team 8 but why don't you explain why team 10 should have never been formed."

"Because they are a second generation combo and that is unbelievably irresponsible. The fathers of the three are well known figures and fighters which means that all the strategies to beat them can be neatly applied to smaller, weaker and less experienced copies of them."

" Ah that is a risk that should have been considered but you expressed that they should participate not because they are ready but because the exams can serve a secondary purpose. So are they really ready?"

"No they are all three lazy and unmotivated, they are out of shape and beyond the things they inherited there is not a bit of skill between them."

"Hmm I will have to look into these claims myself. You are painting a disturbing picture of things. So then please explain team 7."

"There is no team 7. Even though I may have helped to build a relationship between Naruto and Sakura today, the fact will remain that Sasuke is not a leader and not a team player. It's ok to not be one of those but to not be both is dangerous and he might even be a flight risk."

Hiruzen seemed to think long and hard on my words before sighing. "Very well thank you for your report. I will read over the detailed version and speak with the sensei for each team tomorrow. You may go." I left straight for home.

Hiruzen POV

I was disturbed to hear the report about a class that had every advantage but was doing so poorly. When I read over the full report it was amazingly detailed including a breakdown of most of the actions taken throughout the match. It seemed more than once Loki had to save teammates from each other.

I called for not only the sensei on teams 7,8,and 9 but also their parents.

"Ok, now that everyone is here. I called you to speak about your students and children." They seemed rather concerned about my tone but some like Hiashi and Shibi didn't flinch at all. "When the sensei of all three rookie teams nominated the genin for the chunin exams I was at first pleased but cautious. To satisfy my caution I ask a student that graduated early to genin then quickly became a chunin and is still younger than all 9 of the nominees to evaluate them." Most seemed to already know this since the sensei had already been told and some of the parents learned of it before arriving here.

"I take it the evaluation went poorly?" Shibi was surprisingly the first to speak.

"Yes. Not only did it go poorly, it was such a disaster I am seriously considering disbanding teams and either putting them in the genin core or back to the academy." This raised alarms in everyone's heads and even Hiashi looked shaken.

"May I ask who did this evaluation and what was so disastrous about the teams?" It was Shikaku who asked this time, and clearly many of the others shared this concern.

"It was Loki, no last name as of yet, but he does intend to start his own clan. As for the disaster…" I handed them copies of the report highlights I had made quickly upon calling them. "The report is longer and more detailed but those are highlights or lowlights more accurately." I waited as they read through the report, it was clear on the faces of the Haruno's when they read the part where their daughter almost killed Ino with her carelessness. "It is the opinion of Loki and myself that team 8 remain in the exams even though they are not yet ready to be chunin. As for the other teams… that is why I have called you here. Not only do I want to hear what the hell has been going on from the sensei but since 3 of the six come from ninja families with members who could train them I also wanted your input on the children."

It was clear as day that they had no words at first, but eventually Kakashi spoke up. "I have been running teamwork drills for the majority of the time I train them. It seems it all went out of their heads the moment actual combat started." None of team 7 had living ninja relatives so I chose to address the observations I had made.

"It may be true that you run 1000 drills a day but it is clear to me that up until that fight the whole team hated each other. There may be fault to be placed on your shoulders but as of now, and with the strong, and vehemit input of their evaluator it is my decision that team 7 be disbanded. No amount of exercises will make them compatible." I knew this would be hard on the Haruno's which is why I brought them here. I needed to address them. "I will give Sakura some time off to talk things over with you as a family. While the evaluation says she has no skill as a ninja at the moment, Loki did not have zero things to praise about your girl."

I tried to give them a comforting look here. "He actually recommended she be thrown head first into the hospital as he believes she has great potential as field medic since she never gave up and has great chakra control along with memorization ability. You should decide as a family if she wants to continue, but I truly believe Sakura can be an amazing doctor if given the chance." They nodded and bowed before taking their leave. The room was quiet after they left since there were now 2 genin who had no family representation to deal with.

"Hokage-sama,,,,what of the boys" It was Hiashi again, he knew well what Sasuke represented.

"It was recommended that Naruto receive 2 months at a time with different chunin and jonin instead of regular core activities…and it was recommended that Sasuke have his chakra sealed as a flight risk." All hell broke loose.

"No way!"

"Surely you can't be serious!"

"That would be a dangerous precedent!"

"On what grounds?!"

It was a mess of noise and outrage which I had expected. The fact was that Sasuke was technically a clan head on paper at least. It would not go over well to seal him without perfect evidence of a real crime.

"QUIET!" I had to shout to get the room back under control. "I do not intend to follow this advice! Loki-kun may have made a near perfect report full of excellent observations and recommendations but they are only recommendations! I have decided to apprentice Sasuke under Kakashi instead." It calmed everyone down. I knew they were worried as I had taken every recommendation in the report so far, and they likely believed I would continue to do so. "I will however follow to some extent the recommendation for Naruto as we need our jinchuriki to be strong."

"Hokage-sama, I have a question." Tsume began. "Why are there so few details about team 8 in this report? I mean they all passed but there is almost no info on how they did."

"Yes, in regards to team 8 the report pretty much can be summed up as 'meh good enough' when I read the full report it was pretty much like this: Kiba = dumb and easily tricked, Shino = smart and capable but needs to practice running and dodging a lot to be a chunin, and Hinata = timid and wasting potential. He even had an offer to Hiashi I will discuss in private." Loki no doubt was trying to die with the offer but I would let it play out.

"Why did he call Kiba dumb?" It was Kurenai who spoke this time.

"Apparently there were multiple times he could have scored a hit but never coordinated with anyone else and even with Akamaru's help he never actually cut off escape routes. Additionally Loki laid several dummy seals to see who would have fallen for them and Kiba collected 8 out of 12." Tsume blushed at how embarrassing that was to hear about her own kid and backed up from the desk to hide it.

"It is pleasing to hear my son did so well and the advice will be taken into consideration." Shibi was brief with his comments and Hiashi held quiet, apparently interested in the offer I dreaded passing on.

"So team 8 continues into the exams with tempered expectations?" Kurenai was a rather new jonin so she clearly was interested mainly in making certain her students were squared away.

"Yes which brings us to team 10. Frankley I was disappointed to learn that all of these three were so incredibly lazy in the match that even when Loki let Shikamaru catch him only Choji and Shikamaru were able to pass. They really did move that slow on a battlefield." The parents as well as Asuma grimaced with embarrassment at that.

"Additionally and frankly I share the blame on this part… The team was a foolish idea from the outset." This caused a great amount of consternation among the 4 who were very confused how this could be. "You three were an excellent team in your day but over time more and more people learn how to count your combos. These people will know most of your tricks and have a way to not only counter them but turn them into traps, and while this might be something you might be able to adapt to on the fly. We have instead put together a team of slower, weaker, less experienced and less powerful versions of an old known combo."

They all realized the danger in this and their eyes widened to comical proportions. "This team is the one I am uncertain what to do with. The recommendation from Loki is to put them in the exams and hope that at least one of them passes as an excuse to break up the team and possibly slot Naruto in the place of whomever passes."

"It seems the best option, truly we almost got our kids killed living through them the past which we so loved." Choza was often the quietest of the trio but in this moment he took the lead and spoke the fears and regrets of the whole group. They all nodded to each other, to Asuma and then to me.

"So it is decided then. Teams 8, and 10 will participate in the exams. Team 7 is disbanded as of now and the remaining members will do as decided earlier. That is all the business I had with everyone but Hiashi." All the others left most were some amount of dejected and embarrassed.

"What is this offer from a child chunin you have for me, Hokage-sama?"

"Honestly I did not want to have to tell you this as you might hunt down and attack Loki for your clan's honor but here it is." I slid him the separate paper that came with the report.