"You wanted something, Uchiha-san?" asked Ryuuko after he'd closed the distance.
"You said that there were rumors of another Uchiha," stated Sasuke.
Ryuuko considered him for a moment, the fan in her claws opening and closing repeatedly.
It seemed to require a lot of effort from him, but finally it came out. "Please?"
Ryuuko nodded. "Very well. My research indicated that 95% of the Uchiha clan was here in Konohagakure during the formation of the village itself."
"Right, the First Hokage and the head of the clan at the time - Madara," said Sasuke, more to show he followed the dragon-girl's speech than anything else.
"What of the other 5%?" asked Ryuuko. "You understand I was curious, as you are my Lord Naruto's rival."
Sasuke nodded.
"It turned out that they are no longer Uchiha, instead going by the name Uchiwa, and are apparently of a non-Sharingan branch family descent," said Ryuuko. "So you have some relatives, though they moved to a small port city and have apparently been a non-ninja clan since then. As for the other Uchiha... you do understand that Naruto's group has some unusual skills?"
"It has come to my notice," said Sasuke drily.
"Including myself," said Ryuuko. "I am not the only one, and those of us who have the ability to see portents and signs of the future have seen there is another of the Uchiha clan alive. Worse, he is responsible for the destruction of your clan more so even than the one you already knew of."
Sasuke had started out thinking that this was simply about That Man, but the idea that That Man was backed by another - that was something to scoff at. Except that maybe... That Man was strong, but some of the clan had been strong too. Perhaps there had been Another he simply hadn't seen.
Perhaps.
Naruto met Konohamaru.
There were similarities to what happened in the unaltered timeline.
"That's it! From now on, I'm your rival!"
"Challenge accepted!"
There were differences too.
"And I'll have a bigger harem than you too!"
"You do know that the meaning they use is not the meaning you use, right?"
And some differences were bigger than others.
"This is my gang! Moegi, Udon, and Tiki!"
"You've got a mi'qote on your team already? Good work!"
"So we're going with four man teams," said Iruka, seating himself on the edge of the desk and facing his students. It was always something bittersweet to see one's pupils doing well and going out in the world. Especially when they would be facing danger if they got past the additional hurdles.
Well, one thing at a time.
"Each team gets a jonin who will be your sensei and team leader while you are genin," continued Iruka. "Each team will, as stated, be composed of four genin. Your sensei will arrive, call for their team, then escort you somewhere you can get acquainted and further briefings."
The gossip and whisperings quieted down, though with a group this size that was just speaking of relative values.
"Team Five was just retired, so that number can be re-used," said Iruka. "Team Five's jonin is Mako. Tobio, Higure, Fuki, and Kasumi."
The dark elf Higure stretched slowly, somehow reminding Iruka of a playful cat who'd just sensed some fun to be had. Oh well, not his problem at this point. Fuki and Kasumi, two of Ami's little clique, sent disgusted looks at the leather-wearing dark-elf. Nope, definitely not his problem. Higure was one of those who had been flagged as possible recruitment for T&I work, so she might not stay long with the group anyway.
"Team Six is still in use," continued Iruka aloud. "Team Seven. Your sensei will be Kakashi Hatake. Rookie of the year, dead last, and top kunoichi are traditionally put on the same team. They tend to balance out and bring out the talents of the 'dead last' - some of whom have gone on to be particularly strong ninja themselves. Naruto Uzumaki - rookie of the year..."
"WHAT?!" Sakura stood up at her desk. "How did HE get Rookie Of The Year?! Name one reason he would be higher ranked than Sasuke!"
"His grades have been improving overall," said Iruka, ticking points off on his fingers, "he did the Academy Three, spearheaded the capture of a rogue ninja, scored 300% on the written test, and managed to develop an entirely new approach to fuuinjutsu."
"...I said 'one'," grumbled Sakura as she sat back down.
"Also on Team 7 is the top kunoichi," began Iruka.
"I'm on the same team as NARUTO?!" complained Sakura.
Iruka idly began flipping a chalk-laden eraser in one hand. It would go up, rotate three times, and plop down in his hand without so much as a puff of the highly visible white dust being disturbed. Keeping order in a class this size sometimes required a certain degree of threat.
Sakura sat back down again.
"Top kunoichi this year is a relative newcomer," said Iruka. He stopped flipping the eraser but continued to hold it in one hand. "Kara Zor-El. Who seems to have perfect recall, a physical strength on a par with adult Akimichi, as well as considerable chakra reserves and control," continued Iruka. "Dead last is Ami."
"Oh dear kami, why me?" asked Ami, visibly distraught.
Iruka glanced around, deciding that no one was really asking for a high-speed eraser to the head. "Rounding out the team for the fourth member is "
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(Posted Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:00)
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