The gathering of the jonin and the Hokage had come together to discuss their current crop of genin-candidates and the selection of Teams. Most of which had been hashed out ahead of time. One candidate had caused the rosters to be shuffled a bit.
"I think you're making a mistake," said Yuhi Kurenai. "Everyone else might disagree."
"Actually, I tend to agree," said Kakashi Hatake.
"I'm surprised," said Yuhi. "So you noticed it as well?"
"Yes," said Kakashi, inclining his head. "I HAVE been in ANBU after all. One has to be able to observe details. Naruto Uzumaki's entire body language changes around specific people. It might be best for him if you paired him with Hinata Hyuga, but it might tell us more about the firebird sealed within him and how he's developed if he was far away from her."
"So we're to flirt with danger while studying him like some new species of bug?" asked Yuhi, not liking that at all.
"You've been Hinata Hyuga's sensei before, taking her under your wing much as Gai took that boy Rock Lee," pointed out Asuma. He raised his hands up defensively as Yuhi turned a cold look his way.
"I'm just saying I can see both sides of the argument here," said Kakashi. "Yuhi's course is safest, but to get information on the situation is more important."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and adjusted his hat as he looked over the jonin who would be taking over the genin teams. "All right. Let's make sure we all understand the information. Naruto Uzumaki is actually Naruto Namikaze, the son of the Fourth Hokage. At the time of his birth, the Ninetailed Demon Fox attacked our village. His mother, Kushina Uzumaki, died as complications of the attack. His father defended our village by sealing the Kyubi no Youko in his son."
"Why didn't he just kill it?" asked one of the newer jonin, who knew the summary was mainly for his and his fellow new-jonin associate. Might as well ask now.
"Because even if he managed to kill it, which was hardly likely, it would reform at some point in the future," said the Hokage. "Only if all the tailed beasts could be slain before any of them had been reborn would there be a final death if you tried to kill them unsealed. Though admittedly this is speculation."
"The Ninetails had the power to destroy our village entirely and might have done so within hours," said Kakashi. "The firebird, on the other hand, crushed it. In a single attack."
"Oh," said the new jonin who'd spoken earlier. "So a level of power that was rather excessive."
"Exactly," said Hiruzen. "To be able to bring the Kyubi from raging to a coma in a single attack? Yet we have only a few clues as to what it actually was and what we have now are the indications of what Naruto is coming into as he taps those abilities."
"Fire, obviously," said Kurenai. "He can generate enormously hot flames, yet when he caught me accidently, I only felt a brief intense heat. Not even my hair was burned. He also was able to quench and shape flame, I did manage to see him do that. Conscious control of his flame is another thing altogether. There's also his genjutsu."
"He knows genjutsu?" asked Kakashi.
"Perhaps not, perhaps something merely like that," said Yuhi, frowning. "He seems to know who is around him at any given time. Something like the Inuzaka nose, or perhaps the Byakugan but not sight. Did you notice how he flinches around some people?"
"Especially that Haruno girl," agreed Kakashi, "as well as Sasuke Uchiha."
"Where he seems to relax around Iruka Umino and Hinata Hyuga," said Yuhi. "He doesn't guard his body language very well at all."
"Have you tried using a genjutsu on him?" asked Kakashi.
"No," said Yuhi. "I began when I suspected he might have that talent, and I got this feeling."
"Feeling?" asked Kakashi.
"Call it instinct, experience, or intuition," said Yuhi. "Just the impression it would be very dangerous."
"When the time comes for you to test your genin team, it might be best if you tried that at some point, just to be clear on what that danger is. Only a light and nondangerous one though, just in case. I'd tend to listen to your instincts, but we'll need to know." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "Very well. Is there anything else that needs to be added?"
"The one he seems to calm fastest around is Hinata Hyuga, who will be on my team," said Yuhi. "I will try to coordinate so that some time in between missions will be shared by my team and yours Kakashi."
"That will be difficult," said Kakashi, "considering the nature of missions."
"The occasional shared mission might help," said the Hokage, "once they manage to get beyond D rank missions."
"What chakra element does this Naruto possess anyway?" asked the new-jonin.
"His mother was primarily wind, his father was primarily lightning, but with the addition of this bird-of-fire," said Kakashi with a shrug. "So far he's manifested fire and wind that anyone's seen."
"So your team will have the Uchiha, who also have a strong fire element, to possibly run damage control in case Uzumaki runs out of control?" asked the new-jonin. "Wouldn't a water-element user be better?"
"One of the reasons I wanted Hinata on Naruto's team," said Yuhi pointedly. "She's quite likely to be water element when she gets her chakra built to the point she can be tested. There's also one other thing, though I'm not sure it has any relevance."
"Which is?" asked Kakashi.
"Hinata Hyuga has had a massive crush on Naruto for several years," said Kurenai. "Observing them, Naruto has just recently learned of it. Hinata's father, on the other hand, is not likely to know nor approve of it when he DOES learn of it."
"When he DOES, that's going to be a bit messy," understated Asuma.
"Starting today, you are all real shinobi," said Iruka-sensei, "but you are still genin. The hard journey that lies ahead has just started. Now you will soon get missions to help the village. You will have a jonin as your sensei. You will follow your sensei's instructions, which will prepare you for eventual advancement as well as complete those missions."
Naruto tried to listen, though he'd taken his usual seat near the front instead of back with Hinata. He had tolerated being knocked aside by Sakura in her eagerness to get near Sasuke, but he'd felt her coming. Literally. It was kind of his own fault for not getting out of the way.
Pffft. Three man teams? More people in my way. was a strong thought from Sasuke, sounding quite clear to Naruto.
Sasuke-kun, I just have to be on his team! went a similarly loud thought from Sakura.
Please kami, let me be on Sasuke's team! went a thought from Ino.
Naruto checked, but it didn't look like any of the other mutters or whispers were spoken aloud either.
"We tried to balance each team's strength," said Iruka sensei after a brief pause.
Naruto blinked. That was only partially true. He felt the discomfort of Iruka, as well as some muttering that would have been under his breath if it had been aloud. Naruto was looking directly at him though, so it wasn't actual spoken. More of that thought-hearing stuff, those inner dialogues he was getting better at making sense of.
Iruka-sensei went through the teams, finally coming to Naruto's. "Team 7. Haruno, Sakura. Uzumaki, Naruto. Uchiha, Sasuke."
"HELL YEAH!" said Sakura, cheering.
Crap. I'm stuck with a fangirl. How annoying, said Sasuke's voice.
I'm not on the same team as Naruto-kun?
Naruto let out a deep breath, regretting now that he hadn't sat next to Hinata.
"Team 8," continued Iruka. "Hyuga, Hinata. Inuzaka, Kiba. Aburame, Shino."
Naruto felt Hinata's disappointment and sadness. He looked in her direction, not really consciously, and smiled at her. "Hinata. Good luck!"
Then he had to face his team. Sasuke Uchiha, full of dark tangled thorns. Sakura Haruno, who was happy and bubbling that her would-be boyfriend was on her team.
While he was an unwanted third wheel and not exactly welcome. Great.
Well, he was giving up on Sakura so that was ONE source of conflict that he hopefully didn't have to deal with.
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(Posted Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:55)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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