Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced down at the list of team compositions. The elderly shinobi, known by his title "The Professor" or "God of Shinobi" among others was holding the list of perhaps the most crucial aspect of a shinobi. The very list he knew he held would decide the fate of every single Academy aspirants into fully fledged shinobis, ready to fight for the village in its entirety. Every name on there would be working with two other classmates as a composition that would make up the sum of parts far greater than themselves, turning them into a force not to be reckoned with. Many he knew, such as his own students, the Sannin, worked as a cohesive force that made them far deadlier than them separate. It was knowledge that a team with their attributes melded together would make them something truly unique and great.
And as such, deciding a teacher, a sensei, and their instructor, was carefully considered in the formation of a team, not just genins in their scores.
Most teams he had already allotted to students depending on their combined attributes or otherwise by a clan standard or culture. Some, like the Ino Shika Cho of clan heirs, was assigned to his own son, Asuma, or were to hopefully provide a level and modicum of control and instill confidence and otherwise give them such responsibilities, like Kurenai Yuhi. It was a carefully considered process that Hiruzen took with as much consideration as paperwork.
With most of the Jonins of the village allocated to the teams, there had only been one such slot left, that being Team 7, consisting of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno.
Their teacher he had assigned them was Kakashi Hatake.
It should be by all accounts over with, as he had written in and considered the son of the White Fang and ANBU to be the one to lead the Team. He had hoped that Kakashi would be estatic to be teaching his own teacher's son and the legacy of the Uchiha Clan that he swore by Obito Uchiha, his teammate. Sakura Haruno, despite her obsession with the Uchiha survivor and heir; had hoped that the man would be able to bring the girl out of her obsession with the Uchiha and truly a shinobi dedicated to her career due to how he took his duties, and the pink haired civilian would be the one who would bring a normalcy between all three of the orphans of her team and a level of understanding.
Yet the night before of the list of formations that he had already had spent assigning, there were now doubts in his head of the team.
He had no doubt of the placements of students. He knew that despite Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry, one sided as it had been with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, would still be able to place their differences aside and form a friendship. He had been informed by his own ANBU watching over both his predecessor's son and the Uchiha heir that both seemed to be drawn to each other no matter how hostile, no matter how much insults or derisive comments made towards each other, both had clear signs of grief and sorrow and loneliness that no other could possibly understand. The outcast and the survivor. Sakura Haruno he hoped would bring a bridge to balance them out.
He knew exactly why he had doubts. A man of his career, some would say far past his prime that he did not disagree with, would start to make mishaps. Oh, Hiruzen knew his doubts, and it was all due in line, he knew, the assigned teacher to their team: Kakashi Hatake.
The man, to frankly be put, had trauma.
Having lost his own mother from childbirth, his father, his own teammates, and then his own teacher who became like a father to him, and his teacher's wife who became like a mother. Added to that, the young man had scored and racked up multiple assassinations from his missions.
There was no surprise or doubts. The man hid most of it behind a mask of a shinobi required to his duty and code and conducts, but even then, Hiruzen could blatantly see the man was ill prepared and ill equipped.
It was during the night when in his office once more, Hiruzen reconsidered Kakashi Hatake's placement.
It wasn't just that the man had hidden his grief, it had also been his own concerns that the man would not be able to properly train the team.
Many teachers blatantly had favorites, a student who performed and excelled or otherwise contained such attributes they saw themselves in. It was subtle and despite this flaw, no teacher was perfect. Might Guy, the famed Green Beast of Konoha and master of Taijutsu, had picked up a clanless boy Rock Lee and molded him into a Taijutsu extraordinaire in his own image. Hiruzen knew he favored Orochimaru, and he could only bitterly regret what that favoritism had led to, Kurenai Yuhi had tried to ensure she was only concerned with the treatment of Hinata Hyuga by her father, yet any Chunin could see that she saw her as her own daughter when her father did not. It was simply a common fact.
What was not however was how a teacher would teach their student or otherwise.
Hiruzen could only make up scenarios of how it would go, and realize another of his own mistakes that he would utterly fail not just Minato but once more, the same mistakes he had made with Orochimaru.
Kakashi Hatake would teach the team, yes, but not effectively he realized.
Hiruzen understood the need for the Sharingan's cultivation. Obito Uchiha had gifted him the legacy and prized dojutsu, and he knew Kakashi wanted to not just turn the Uchiha away from his lust for vengeance but the fact both had mirrored each other in certain aspects. In doing so, Kakashi would be forced to try and fulfill his friend's legacy but also inadvertently leave both Minato's son and the civilian girl largely lacking in comparison. It would not just be fair to only Minato's son and Sakura Haruno but also Kakashi himself, as he would force himself to try and fulfill multiple legacies.
The more he considered this aspect and thought over it, the more he realized that in a sense, Kakashi wouldn't have the necessary emotional support that both Naruto or Sasuke either needed, or even assist Sakura Haruno enough for that matter. Kakashi's own emotional instability would be unable to provide a considerate hand in turn to any of his students.
That was the reason why he reconsidered Kakashi as the teacher to the next Team 7.
He needed not just a teacher who could emotionally be an anchor to the Team and provide support yet also remained balanced in their approach, to address their flaws and fix them instead of ignoring them in hopes it would be fixed by the students' own or by the merit of time itself.
That was the reason why he was relooking into the roster of available Jonins left to be able to teach them. He flipped through another page, a frown marring his aged face.
There had to be someone who could assist all three, someone who knew how to balance, someone who could provide union and bring out the best in the three and not create discord.
Another flip of the page, and then another, and realization hit the elderly man then.
He knew the exact teacher, the one who would properly balance and teach Team 7, the one who would not repeat the mistakes of the predecessors.
"You called for me, Lord Third?"
Kakashi Hatake stood in the front of the office of his Hokage, the familiar small book of Make Out Tactics in his hands that was swiftly snapped shut and pocketed away.
"Indeed I have, Kakashi." Hiruzen shook his pipe to clear the excess of tobacco. "There is a reason I have called you, and it's regarding the team placement for the following day. You are aware of our earlier conversation regarding Team 7, of course."
"Of course, Lord Third." Kakashi knew any request made by his Hokage was of course of importance. "What is it?"
Hiruzen decided to not beat around the bush, for both were busy men. "I have an… inquiry of sorts for you. Tell me, how do you feel they would interact, or you feel about it?"
Kakashi blinked with his single eye, only taking a second in his trained mind to give a nuanced answer. "Based on how Naruto and Sasuke interacted in the Academy… not too well for that matter. Sakura is… infatuated and smitten with Sasuke and she…" Kakashi's face turned solemn; it was only for a second but it gave Hiruzen a clue into the mind of his Jonin. "She isn't like the rest of the villagers who think Naruto as a monster but she thinks of him as a troublemaker in large part due to his pranks, and as such doesn't have high opinions of him either. Sasuke, simply put, would not like either of them, though then again, according to Academy instructors' reports, doesn't like anyone in his class."
Hiruzen decided to get into his primary concern now. "And, may I ask, Kakashi, what will you do about it? How will you handle any schism between either two or even all three?"
Kakashi answered after a moment's thought once more. But Hiruzen shook his head.
"Not the training basics of what is required for a team, Kakashi. I mean the conflict between young Naruto or Sasuke. Or even Sakura Haruno for that matter. How would you settle conflicts or disagreements between them if they clash on missions or even training. How would you handle such inevitable predicaments?"
Kakashi did not respond. For a second, the Hatake clan heir and student of his predecessor paused. He attempted to explain, only to realize he did not formulate such a response, or rather, was unable to.
Hiruzen simply nodded his head in a slight angle at the lacking response.
"Sir, with all due respect, are you asking if they shouldn't disagree with each other and accept everything one or the other says?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "No. Disagreements are fine. Opinions are fine. We as shinobi will have clashing opinions or how a mission should be accomplished. We have different views on things and that makes us unique in our own ways. If we all simply agreed on a matter and followed the masses, then what does that make us? A theory is a theory, yet researchers will have different responses to how that hypothesis is proven." Hiruzen narrowed a gaze at the man. "Hostility is a result however… if that does not come to an understanding or a middle ground…" He sighed, thoughts of Orochimaru brewing in his mind, then shook it off. "Which leads me to my next inquiry for you, Kakashi. How will you train Naruto or Sakura? After you focus on trying to reawaken Sasuke's Sharingan, what will you teach Naruto and Sakura? Sasuke is naturally a genius like yourself and can learn on the fly. What of the other two?"
Kakashi hadn't thought of that. "I…"
Hiruzen nodded once more. "I see." He sighed. "I'm sorry to say this, Kakashi. I know how much you truly wanted to train Minato's son and the last of Obito's clan, but upon thinking over and careful consideration, I'm afraid I cannot in good conscience and for the better of the three, place you as the Sensei of the team."
Kakashi froze. Even for a shinobi of his stature, a part of him wanted to request for his Hokage to consider otherwise, feeling that it could only be him and it was only him that would be able to train his teacher's son and Obito's last cousin. He wanted to object, but he understood his Hokage's reasoning the more he was questioned as to why. The grey haired man could only simply nod in acceptance at being replaced. "I… I understand, Lord Hokage. I… I wish to object but I understand your decision. I am concerned. Who will train the team then?"
Hiruzen allowed a comforting smile to form on his face, glad the man would be able to move on and not cling to the past. "Thank you, Kakashi. As to your statement, I have someone in mind…"
Naruto Uzumaki was dissatisfied.
While it was a definitive plus that he would be paired with Sakura upon the graduation from the Academy, he would be unfortunately placed on a team as well with that stuck up jerk Sasuke. He wanted to take it up to the old man, but according to Iruka Sensei, he would have to accept him on the team, for it was the Hokage's decision to place the Uchiha on his team.
Naruto could only wait, along with his team, for the arrival of their new teacher.
"Naruto? What are you doing?!" A abrasive Sakura Haruno frowned at her blonde haired teammate's action of placing an eraser up top, jammed between the sliding door of the classroom they were in.
A whine almost escaped Naruto's lips. "Come on, Sakura! Its what they get for not arriving on time! Maybe they're running late or just forgot! Iruka Sensei said that our teacher is this Robin guy or whoever or something or Kakashi on whatever list he has. He has no clue but I'm tired of hanging around! I'm going to do something about it!"
A scoff escaped from Sasuke where he was sitting, directing both of them to him. "Our Sensei is a Jonin, the best of the elite, idiot. You honestly believe they're going to fall for something stupid like that?"
Naruto flipped him up, which drew another scoff and a eye roll. "Up yours, asshole!"
Sakura in the meanwhile, was torn with addressing Naruto directly and simply agreeing with his ridiculous pranks.
Naruto was in the midst of adjusting the eraser into a position where it would directly hit whoever entered when the door slid open. "Ah!" He yelped.
"Oh… an eraser prank? Heh, I'm sorry, kiddo. But Morgan pulled so many pranks multiple times on me already before that I was far aware of it."
The three had a full look at their teacher and were quite astonished.
Their teacher was a youthful woman with a rather pretty face. She had silver white hair which well to her shoulders and upper back in twin tails. Sakura herself was rather astonished by the beauty of her, along with Naruto, while Sasuke gave only a raised brow of curiosity. She donned a long flowing robe, underneath of which they saw she wore a cream colored shirt and white pants. A light, easy smile was on her face as she glanced at the three.
"I am Robin, your teacher. Team 7, follow me."