AN: Sufficient Velocity and Space Battles are super far ahead, and the Pa tre on is on CH 129. You can find the link on my profile if you wanna just get there. You can even find side stories that aren't here!
"You want them to join the Chunin exams?" Iruka gives him a stern look, but Kakashi's good enough to know there's excitement there. He wants Naruto to be ready, he wants Naruto to-
"You think Sakura's ready for that?" Sakura? Wasn't Naruto his favorite? Or did he already have faith in Naruto and didn't feel like asking? "Last I heard, she was in pretty bad shape after that mission with the rebels."
"Oh, you're worried about her mental space." That makes sense. It's a little odd for Iruka to know about that, or it would be but Naruto knows, and if Naruto knows, Iruka probably knows. Either way, Sakura having to undergo treatment wasn't a particularly well held secret, but it was a secret.
So he stares at him, he stares at Iruka long and hard. Words are hard, stares are loud.
"Uh, err, well, she told me." Iruka admits, a crimson blush spreading across his face and undertaking everything below the thick slash scar at the top of his nose. "I haven't been able to find Naruto much lately, but Sakura is in the education quarter constantly. Studying Necromancy, I think she said? We don't have a program for that here, but, if she says so..." So she's just bragging to everyone that she's learning Necromancy, that's concerning. If Iruka knows, spies probably know. Of course Necromancy isn't really a thing so that information probably isn't that useful.
"Sakura is doing fine." Kakashi decides to relent on the man, slipping his palms into his pockets and leaning his head back a little. "Naruto is too, it's Sasuke I'm worried about."
"Really?" Iruka's gaze brightens at the good news, "the top rookie is your worst student?"
"Worst is the wrong word." Kakashi admits, reaching up to finger his mask a little, "Sasuke is incredibly talented, but between two people with such great potential to be inhuman brawlers, his place in the team is in question. He has to give his all just to keep up with what he views as unfair progress in a position he's not very well suited for, it's straining on the team dynamic. If he'd realize where he fits, he'd be a lot happier, but he ignores most of my suggestions." That said suggestions aren't particularly clear has nothing to do with this, the Uchiha is a genius, he should just get it. Sakura seemed to.
"And you think that team dynamic will hold through the Chunin exams?" Iruka asks with a soft, hopeful smile.
"We recently did a training exercise where Sasuke showed his survival skills and prowess at adapting. He's much better at the role than either of those two, I think being able to take charge and lead during the exams will improve the team, not hinder it. If nothing else, he'll feel better, and then the three of them can impress you. I know Sakura and Naruto respect you."
"Ah, thank you, Kakashi." Iruka beams at him, "but isn't throwing the leadership role onto him in an unofficial way, during such a strenuous and difficult place such as the forest of death, a little much? The Chunin exams may be too much for them, I think the Forest of Death is too much for them."
"... Uh... No." Kakashi's lone eye blinks.
"Please, tell me that exercise you just spoke of wasn't anywhere near as bad as the forest of death." Iruka's smile quickly sours, glaring the man down.
"Anywho, I need to head off." Kakashi turns around, "if you could get that paperwork filed."
"Kakashi, tell me right now you didn't send them into the Forest of Death!"
"I did not send all of team seven into the forest of death."
"Oh, good..." Iruka shakes his head with relief, "wait, why the qualifier-and he's gone."
"Kurenai, Kakashi, Asuma. So? Are there any Genin from your squads you wish to recommend for these exams? It goes without saying but if it's a Genin who has carried out eight or more formal missions, you can recommend them for the exams if you wish. Well, as a general rule, having carried out more than twice that amount of missions is appropriate. Then, you first Kakashi." The Hokage's words hang in the air. Kakashi, already having done the paperwork for this ahead of time - funny to be early for once - is more than ready, but a question does jump to mind as he raises his fingers sideways in front of his mask. "Do D ranks count?"
"..." There's a silence in the room, a long one at that.
"You don't mean to say you have a Genin that you wish to recommend that hasn't done eight C ranks." Kurenai speaks up, red eyes flashing towards him. Her eyes once reminded him of the Uchiha, an uncomfortable reality that brought up a lot of sad memories. Now they remind him of Sakura, and he has to put in an active effort not to pet the Jonin for her dumb question. "Kakashi, you're irresponsible but that's…"
"No." The Hokage says, "but for the Genin you are referring to, I am willing to count the A rank as four, and the B ranks as two each."
"A ranks" A young man from behind them shakes a little specifically one with a scar across his nose that Kakashi was talking to just earlier, "Kakashi, what have you been doing to your Genin?"
"Iruka, your time with them is over, now it is my time with them." Kakashi says, looking back at the man with a stiff gaze. "Please do not interrupt these proceedings, we can talk later if you wish. I will make time for you at the memorial stone."
"Hai-sorry." The man bows his head, and Kakashi's gaze returns to the important man in the big hat.
"In this case I will consider the interruption fine, your team's exploits are indeed concerning, and worthy of comment." The Hokage says, considering them all with a stern glare. "Continue."
"The Kakashi-led group, Team seven, Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto Uzumaki. Sakura Haruno. I, Kakashi Hatake, recommend these three for the Chunin exam."
"The Kurenai-led group eight, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame. These three, I, Kurenai Yuhi, recommend the same."
"The Asume-led group ten. Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi. These three, I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend the same."
The silence their announcements cause is stunning, but it ends quickly as people murmur back and forth.
"To think rookies will be in the Chunin exam."
"Hasn't it been five years since that's happened?"
"To think it's nine of them."
"Wait a minute!" It's Iruka's voice that interrupts the Hokage's thoughts once again, though once again the older man gives him his chance. There is much to discuss here, and he has his own questions he'll be asking once this is over.
"What is it, Iruka? This must be important." In fact, the Hokage puts him on the spot, drawing all eyes towards the teacher.
"Lord Hokage, please let me say one thing. This may be presumptuous, but as for the nine names that were given. I was in charge of them at the Academy, admittedly they were all students with great ability, but none of them stood out to this extent. They should be tested after having gained more experience to reduce the chance they get hurt!"
"I became a Chunin when I was six years younger than Naruto is now." Kakashi says, tilting his stance towards Iruka in respect.
"Naruto is different from you! Sakura too!" Iruka approaches, one step at a time. "When you submitted the paperwork, I had assumed you were planning on showing them the first steps to the exam and then dropping them out, but you seriously think they should go through a dangerous gauntlet already? No, you've already done that haven't you. Is your intent to crush them?"
"I can't help but notice you left out Sasuke…" Kakashi trails.
"Sasuke was crushed a long time ago, don't distract me." Iruka snaps at him, looking to the Hokage to get his permission to continue. The elder's nod fills him with confidence. "But Sakura is an innocent girl, and Naruto- why are people laughing?" Iruka can't help but look around as laughter erupts from all around them. The man's tempo is stolen from him directly by background Jonin and Chunin snickering like he said something incredibly dumb. It's off putting.
"I assure you, Sakura can manage this." It's Gai of all people that speaks up, "I know little of Naruto, but if he has risen to the skies alongside her, they will be fine. Of that I solemnly swear!" He thrusts his hand out in a fist, and smacks it against his chest.
"I can attest that Sakura is not weak." Kurenai says, placing a hand on her bandage covered hip. "She's at least as strong as Kiba is, and I am recommending Kiba."
"I don't think Kiba should be recommended either." Iruka holds back a growl, present company includes the Hokage, and he likes his job.
"Iruka-sensei." Kakashi speaks up, even giving him a softer look. "I understand what you want to say, you care for these Genin greatly, and you still consider them children. It's aggravating to see them in danger, I know, however… You must understand that when you graduate them, you put them in danger. Sakura has faced up against a Jonin."
"Whaa-"
"I didn't say she won." Kakashi quips quickly, "though she might have a better chance now, she'd only been a ninja for a few weeks at the time. Nothing in the Chunin exams will be anywhere near as dangerous as what my Genin have already faced. They will survive."
"Can you promise they'll survive unharmed?" Iruka's breath gets caught in his throat.
"Can you promise they will not get hurt on their first D rank?" Kakashi asks, "no, they may slip and fall, or get mauled by an angry demon cat." The snickers once again resume, but Kakashi continues through it. "But they will survive. Even should they fail, we can merely pick up training and gaining experience for the next test. I do not think perfectly ready Genin should be held back from a chance at advancement simply because their old teacher is worried."
"I, but-"
"I am grateful for your feelings, but they need them much more than I do. If you are so worried, talk to them, you have a week." Kakashi finishes, and turns to the Hokage. "I am firm in my recommendation, please accept it."
"As am I." Asuma nods his head at his father, not a care in his aloof posture.
"If I had doubts I would not have recommended them. Hinata will keep them safe, Kiba will protect Hinata, and Shino will ensure they get to the third phase even should they falter. I have full faith that they may use this as a learning experience." Kurenai's words linger in the air for a moment.
"But not complete the exams?" Iruka asks, "the sting of failure so early in a career can linger."
"Adapting to failure keeps you alive, and I will be here to cheer them up. They'll be fine, win or lose." Red eyes take to the Hokage, just like the ones of the two Jonin beside her - well one in the case of the cyclops -, "please, accept my recommendation."
"Iruka, I understand your point." The old man says, his pipe bobbing in his mouth.
"Master Hokage…" Iruka trembles slightly, seeing understanding in the old man's eyes. Once more, he is grateful for their benevolent and fair leader that has been around since before he was born.
"Therefore I have decided to conduct a special preliminary exam for these special Genin. They will pass, and should they not, their sensei will be punished for putting them in unnecessary danger before they are ready. Will that suffice?"
"Yes, master Hokage." Iruka bows.
"Any objections?" Hiruzen asks.
"None." The three Jonin's voices echo with one another in their confidence.