章節 94: A new clique
"Hiruzen!" two old teammates of the old Hokage barged into his room - due to their lavish and safe lifestyle, they forgot their training and did not notice two ANBUs readying to strike the presumable danger to the village leader.
"You need to do something! She is not listening to our counsel." Koharu's hair turned grey due to her age. Previous, tall kunoichi turned into a small, frail woman - she wore a simple long kimono, closed by an obi, a jacket, and a sash over it. Koharu had also taken to squinting, barely opening her eyes at any point in time.
"We can't work like that, Hiruzen! She can't sit through the entire meeting in place!" Homura's strong jawline gained few deep wrinkles, his brown hair and beard from five years ago turned shady-grey.
The window behind Hokage's back opened with audible *slide*, "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, it seems your late teammates retained at least their speed from youth."
"*Sigh* Pakura-kun... Do you need to mimic all of her bad habits? Whatever, what happened?"
"She is-!" Koharu shouted out, but Sarutobi stopped her outcry with a raise of his hand.
"You won't shout or point fingers in my office. Homura, you are the level-headed one. Explain."
"Civilians are outraged at the quick changes over the Academy curriculum. They request immediate sacking and the arrest of the perpetrator. Pakura-san here may have assaulted the protesters. Even after our clear demands to not cause offense to the Konoha's population, this woman made several men and woman cry with her words alone."
"..." Hokage collapsed into his chair and exhaled the air from his lungs, "I'm too old for this... Pakura-kun?"
"Not much to add, Hokage-sama. I used some of the creative bunch of vulgarities... Anko-chan's design. I don't think it's proper for me to dish them out in here."
----
[Flashback-no-Jutsu: Ten minutes before]
Pakura was standing above a subdued man, the apparent leader of today's protest. She was already in the middle of her little show, and the words she spoke out only gained speed. "... shit eating, goat sucking, dick licking, piss drinking, dog raping, child touching, cow humping, toilet kissing, self-centered, feces puking, snot spitting, crap gathering, head swallowing, sewer sipping, whoremongering, dirty, stuck-up, perverted, heartless, mindless, spineless, carnivorous piece of shit!"
----
[And back to the story]
"Isn't it clear? She is protecting her friend! You should never let someone like an Uchiha take control of the Academy. Your choice will doom us all. It was only a single day, and the parents are outraged!" the elderly woman pointed out.
"Koharu, how many recruits our shinobi forces received from last year's graduates?" Hokage leaned his head on his fist.
"Even one is a good number if he or she has some potential." Koharu dodged the question.
"Yes, I think so too." Sarutobi nodded his head, "And we did not receive any new genins last year, it's an alarming outcome for any Shinobi Village, don't you think so?"
"We suggested before to order your jōnin to loosen their requirements. Now you are saying the obvious results are somehow our fault?" Hokage's second teammate pointed out.
"We, as you two and the traitor. *Sigh*. Did you forget how it was to be a genin? Those kids are risking their lives out there! Do you want to send unprepared greenhorns to C-rank missions? Half of them will get slaughtered!" the old man returned.
"Danzo would never let-"
"Stop, Koharu. Just... stop. Leave me alone with Pakura-kun, and think about what were you about to say." Hokage's old teammates squinted his eyes at him, three seconds later, they turned around and started leaving the room. "One more thing! Kana-chan stays where she is, warn of all civilians that she has a free hand on how she deals with the opposition. It would be better for any Konoha's inhabitant not to piss her off, or wounded pride would be the least of your worries." The duo left by slamming the doors.
"Is it always like that with them, Hokage-sama?"
"Yeah, we were always rivals with Danzo, while I had the trust of my Sensei, the worldview of my teammates always aligned much more with Danzo's than with mine." he inhaled the tobacco from the pipe.
"Why not sacking them? I'm sure you could find someone else for the job."
"While it's true, Pakura-kun. I know the two have only the best for Konoha's population on their mind, I need someone to disagree with me." Hokage's puffed a cloud of smoke from his mouth.
"Hmm, so you need something of a Devil's Advocate, I see... Saying that - where is Kana-chan? I know she was sent for a mission, but it seems a secret."
"It is one. The three should be on their way ba-"
"Oh, how nice, they left it open!" Kaname jumped into the room legs first with her black hair waving behind her, "Oh, hi, Paku-chan! Jiji, mission accomplished!" her two breathless teammates got into the room when Kaname showed off victory sign with her fingers.
"Kana-chan, you joined ANBU? Why didn't you say so?"
"Ugh, no, Paku-chan. I mean... Hello to you, whoever you are, beautiful kunoichi. My name is Kitsune." Uchiha quickly toned down her voice.
"Heh, sure, Kitsune-chan. Hello to you as well, my silver stallion." Pakura winked, and her face turned into a seductive smile.
"Yo, Paku-chan." The dog-masked replied nonchalantly, crouching behind Kaname's left.
"*Sigh* I believe the third one is Utakata. Dare I ask, why do I not remember drafting him?" the old man's old voice inquired.
"Don't you worry, Jiji! I recruited him myself. Do you want me to stamp his papers here?"
"... Whatever, I knew blackmailing you would bite me in the ass someday - I did not expect such a quick retaliation. Either way, it's good to have someone like him watching over you. Now - masks off, your identities are no longer a secret. Give me a report, your mission went much quicker than it should."
"Hehehe," she giggled as she removed her fox-mask, "Surprise, Paku-chan, all this time it was me, Kaname!" she finished by pointing the thumb at her face.
"Can someone give me a report? Was the mission a success?" Sarutobi leaned his hand on the desk and propped his head upon it.
"Easy-peasy, Jiji. I think Gato got to like me. He signed the documents without much negotiations from our side." Hokage's eyes ventured two to men kneeling behind Kaname. Both of them were turning their heads sideways in negative, explaining that Kaname's boasting was just for her shenanigans.
"*Sigh* I will have a migraine." the old man complained.
-----
[The next day]
'Hmm, what's with the queue? Are these people waiting for something?' Kaname led the three kids to the Academy, but around the corner wall of the complex extended a massive line of adult people with their eight to twelve-year-old kids. Not knowing what's going on, Kaname took place behind the last person making everyone around four of them hush down.
"It's out of the norm." Hinata pointed out.
"Sasuke-kun, can you check what they're waiting here for?" Kaname pleaded.
"Be right back, Nee-san." Sasuke walked away, only to return a minute later, "Hmm, it seems the line ends in front of your office."
"Welp. I think my clone did a little bigger splash than it should yesterday. Let's go, I will leave you at the classroom and deal with them quickly."
...
"Enter!" Kaname ordered aloud, inviting the first pair of a parent and a child. Soon a wealthy-looking merchant of a father entered the office with his obese nine years old son.
"How dare you change-"
*CLAP* Kaname slapped her palms together, interrupting the man. "My name is Kaname Uchiha. Your name, please."
"Heibon, Kusaka Heibon." the round merchant groaned out.
"Hmm." Kaname walked towards the back of her room. After fifteen seconds of sifting through the documents, she found a record with the name of Takanuji Heibon. She put the folder on her desk and sit before the two males. "So, Kusaka-san and Takanuji-kun. What can I help you with on this beautiful day?" her red Sharingan blazed in full glory.
"You won't scare me with your chakra mumbo-jumbo, young woman! I demand you reinstitute the previous curriculum. Yesterday my boy came back exhausted from the Academy. You must consider the kids' limits, they're not some kind of young soldiers!"
"I see. Takanuji-kun, anything to add?" Kaname turned to the smirking boy.
"No, my father is right." He grinned.
"Okay." Kaname opened the first page of the record, 'below-average scores, instances of bullying,' with a loud *stomp* she stamped the document with a big red word 'Rejected' and passed it over to the merchant. "Civilians have no right to be in Shinobi training ground. Takanuji-kun is thrown out of the shinobi program. Goodbye, you know where the doors are."
"B-Bu-But you can't do that!" the boy shouted out, pointing her finger at her.
"Do you know who I am, young girl? You will rue this day."
"Meh, a second-rate merchant..." Kaname mocked, "I earn more in a day than you in a month. Leave now and alert other morons that want to speak to me. You have thirty seconds, or I will send you out myself." she pointed at the door. After an intense glare from her eyes and some genjutsu prodding - the man stood up and led his son out. Kaname listened in on a loud debate behind the closed doors, soon followed by an audible exodus of a crowd of people.
Being sure that the problem is dealt with, Kaname opened the doors of her office to leave the school, but she was stopped by a woman standing in her way. A fair-skinned, barely-older than Kaname, female with shoulder-length blonde hair and a single bang which fell down between her two green eyes.
"Hello, Kaname-san. Can I take a little bit of your time? My name is Haruno Mebuki." the woman bowed towards Kaname.
"Come in." she invited Sakura's mother into the office, "So what can I help you with, Mebuki-san?"
"I need your help with my daughter. I tried to explain to Sakura about the drawbacks of her dieting. Unfortunately, I never reached any rank higher than a genin, and my words fell on deaf ears. But you are a legend among us kunoichis, Kaname-san - she will listen to you. It was only a single day, and Sakura came back yesterday - more driven than ever before. But it's still not enough for my daughter. Unfortunately, she never stopped dieting, even yesterday she only ate half of her fill."
"I think I understand, Mebuki-san. Without much-needed nutrients, Sakura-chan's training does not last long. You want me to shake her awake?"
"Yes, Kaname-san, but please don't hurt my daughter. She is my most precious treasure."
"Would you like to watch her sparring match against one of mine, Mebuki-san? It should show Sakura-chan how much she lacks."
"Wait, female students are back on sparring matches, are you kidding me?"
"I scrapped this horrendous idea, it's all back how it should be. Why? Is it a bad thing for you?"
"No, no! I shouted out multiple times my mind about not letting my daughter prepare for combat during the parent-teacher meeting with Iruka-kun and the previous principal. Each time, my worries were brushed aside. Thank you, those daughters and mothers will hate you now, but will vaunt your name in a couple of years. I know that."
Kaname did not expect that this thoughtful woman could be a mother to such a jealous, insecure, and highly self-conscious brat. 'The world is full of mysteries.' she thought, leading the woman towards the sparring site.
...
"Naruto-kun, and... Ou~ What the f-?" Iruka stopped himself from swearing in front of the kids. Looking below his feet, he noticed a scrap of paper rolled into a ball that struck the back of his head.
"And the karma strikes once again~" Ino mused under her nose.
"Hmm?" Iruka uncoiled the message. There were only three words hastily scribed on it, 'Naruto versus Sakura.' And a small drawing of chibi-like Kaname's head blowing a raspberry at the reader. Iruka gazed around the clearing, looking for his new boss, 'Damnit, I can understand chalk, but how could you throw a piece of paper so heavily? I will have a bump on the back of my head...'
"Iruka-sensei? Whose ass I'm going to kick today, dattebayo~?"
"Sakura-chan, step forward, it's your turn," Iruka commanded.
"Yeah!" pink-haired girl fist pumped in happiness, jumping on the arena. "Sasuke-kun, watch me!" Sakura waved to the black-haired classmate.
"Iruka-sensei..." Naruto called out, pulling the man out of his musing mind.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I was deliberating upon a new shuriken throwing method. Did you say something?" Iruka replied.
"I don't want to hurt a girl, Iruka-sensei. Sis busted the sense of fairness to my friends into my head ~ttebayo."
"Then win without hurting her, Naruto-kun." Iruka gave him a thumbs up.
"Ha! The second to last student is worried over the top kunoichi? I prepared myself the entire evening for this."
"Wow, the entire evening, you say, Banshee-chan?" Naruto mocking words were not registered by Sakura's mind, as she was gazing at her crush standing to her right.
"Ready?" Iruka intoned, seeing his two pupils taking combat positions, he cried out, "Begin!"
"Shannaro!" Sakura charged at her opponent, and with all of her power, she tried to punch him. [AN: Shannaro - Sakura's catchphrase she uses when she is excited]
It was a sloppy and slow punch. Naruto noticed Hinata's turn her head sideways, giving him a sign to spare Sakura. With a sigh, he caught Sakura's extended hand before it reached his shoulder. Pulling it to the side of his face, he tapped her hand two times on his cheek, "You hit here. Again."
'Someone like him wants to teach me?! In front of my Sasuke-kun?! Have some of that!' Sakura punched Naruto's in the stomach, 'Ugh my hand... What is he made off?'
"*Sigh*... I believe now I know what the word atrocious mean ~dattebayo."
The girl took two steps back, holding her sore hand. "How? Every single punch I gave you in class instantly knocked you down?"
"That was for the jokes," Naruto replied, grinning at his classmate.
'I can't lose here. Not in front of Sasuke-kun, not against such a weakling!' "*RAAH*!" Sakura rushed at the blonde, giving all she got into a single punch.
'Was I that terrible at the start? Sis thaught me that shouting before your attack is a terrible flaw. Sakura didn't even notice that I stand at the training arena's border... Welp, at least I didn't have to hit her.' Naruto crouched below the strike, letting the pink-haired girl brush around him.
The impetus and unexpected dodge pulled Sakura over the edge of the arena. The girl tried to slow down, but cement curbstone tripped her left foot, making her faceplant in a cloud of dust.
"Out of bounds. Winner, Naruto!" Iruka shouted out, drawing a single tear from her eyes. Slowly gathering herself up, she took a glance at her crush, Sasuke was smirking at her. That was too much for Sakura - catching the sob in her throat, she hurriedly stood up and ran away.
"Baaaka~. She left all of her books in here." Ino sighed out.
"Ino-chan, Hina-chan. I need your help, where could Sakura run away to?" Naruto inquired.
"... I think I know where she went to." the platinum-blonde smiled at Naruto.
"Hey! What about your classes?!"
"Catch us if you can, Iruka-sensei." Naruto blew him a raspberry and ran towards the school with the accompaniment of two girls and a raven-haired boy.
The chūnin took hold of his forehead and exhaled a long breath, "I believe I know who taught him that..."
-----
Sakura was sitting on a swing in a nearby playground, silently sobbing her heart out.
"Here you are!" Naruto ran up to her.
"You're the last person I want to talk with right now. What? Are you gonna brag about your victory? Go on, I don't care, I'm listening, either way, I will leave the Academy. From tomorrow on, you won't have to hear my shrill anymore."
"What are you talking about, Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned her.
"I lost against someone barely better than Kiba. Your sister was right - the grades don't matter on the field - if you were an enemy, I would be dead already."
"Hey! I'm much better than Kiba ~dattebayo! You forgot your schoolbag, Sakura-chan." Naruto passed the bag.
"Thanks, but I don't need it anymore, because I'm not coming back... Heh, it's depressing. A person that I bullied for the last three years is the only one that was worried about me. It seems I don't even have any real friends in the Academy. I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, I must have been insufferable to you."
"Nah, I got used to it. I'm getting much worse from the civilians. And about your lack of real friends, you are clearly mistaken, Sakura-chan."
"Damn right, she is!" Ino entered the playground, "And what's with you and your monstrous speed?"
"Huhu, that's <Shunshin no Jutsu>, Ino-chan. Nee-san showed it to us, but Naruto-kun is the only one that can use it." [Flickering Technique] Hinata joined in.
"Wait, you mean the same technique ANBU use for quick movement?!" the platinum-blonde shouted out.
"Y-you guys~?" Sakura watched a group of friends entering the playground.
"Hmph, just you wait, Dobe. Soon I will get faster than you." Sasuke pointed his hand at Naruto.
"I can't wait, Teme. Maybe then you will finally win a spar against me ~ttebayo."
"Kiss my ass, Dobe. Did you forget I'm winning? You won 102 spars, but I knocked you out 105 times!"
"I don't like to repeat myself, I won 257 times, Teme!"
"RAMEN EATING TOURNAMENT DOESN'T COUNT!!" Sasuke yelled his frustration out.
"Pft... Hahahaha." Sakura laughed out, hearing the two bicker.
"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry to say, but the power behind your punches and your technique is non-existent ~ttebayo. But, there is always a way to make it better. Would you like to join the three of us in daily training? It's at my house."
"Me? Why me?"
"Do you want to or not? It's your last chance to work it out. My sis is helping us every single day."
"... Yes, thank-"
"Hey! And what about me?!" Ino caught Naruto's arm, interrupting Sakura.
"Eh? Don't you have your own clan's techniques to train in, Ino-chan?" Naruto looked deeply into those pale-blue eyes.
"I would like to train with you."
The blonde boy's second arm was tugged powerfully. Turning his head, he noticed Hinata dangerously squinting her eyes at him. "*Gulp* Yes, Ino-chan. If you say so."
"Wait. I know she is good at taijutsu, but why are you so scared of Hinata-chan?" Ino felt Naruto's body tighten up in fear.
"Hehehe. Teme, how many times did you win a spar against Hina-chan?" Naruto turned to his black-haired friend.
"*Mumble*" Sasuke dropped his head, whispering something under his nose.
"Heh, yep, that's a big non-existent mumble." Naruto continued the joke, to the Hinata's beetroot face.
"What?" Sakura joined in.
"Once you get Hina-chan going, she obliterates us in a spar. Both of us... at the same time."
Two girls looked at the Hyūga with newfound respect.
-----
[A little south from the children position]
"He is a good kid." Mebuki sat upon a tree branch.
"Yep." Kaname nodded her head.
"Has he got a girlfriend? Sakura-chan is free." the blonde proposed a deal.
"Hahaha, there is a queue for him, Mebuki-san. See the dark-haired girl, she is the Hyūga's princess, she called the dibs on Naru-chan. The platinum blonde is the princes of Yamanaka clan - she wants a piece of him as well."
"Tsk... Wait, he is adopted, right? I think I saw his face somewhere."
"Yes, he is very similar to his parents, but I can't say anything before he is a chūnin, I'm sorry."
"Hmm, so in what? He will finish the Academy this year, and the next year exams are in Konoha, so like one and a half years, right?"
"Hmm, yes, most likely."
*Fwoosh*
"About that, you're called to the meeting, Kana-chan." A silver-haired ANBU flickered towards the two women.
"What now? *Sigh* I'm sorry about that, Mebuki-san. See you later, duty calls."
"Bye, and thank you."
------
"Hi, Inoichi-sensei. What's going on?" Kaname greeted her old team leader. She was led into a big chamber that was able to contain all jōnins in the village.
"I don't know, Kana-chan."
"*Sigh* What a drag. It's exhausting, we are standing here for three minutes already..." Shikaku Nara complained.
"Breathing is tiring for you, Shikaku. Wanna chip?" the red-haired Akimichi Chōza presented an opened bag of chips.
"Sure, thanks." Kaname grabbed a handful and slowly started eating.
"It's starting, hush now." Inoichi pointed at the Hokage entering the room.
"My dear friends, some of you may know that the next year chūnin exams will be held in our village." Hokage started, "My student Jiraya, send me a note that put me in a proverbial pickle. The previous Country of Rice Fields changed its name to Otogakure, Country of Sound. Jiraya believes it's a viper's nest, the entire country fell into the hands of my second student, Orochimaru. Jiraya took hold of a piece of info, alarming me of the Otogakure genins coming to Konoha for the exams. I would like to hear your opinion on this. What do you think, should we let the snake into our village or not?"
"Hokage-sama, is there a danger in allowing a bunch of kids into our village?" Yugao raised her hand, asking the question.
"No, even tens of genins won't deal much damage to the village proper."
"It's clearly a trap, Hokage-sama." Shikaku began, "Orochimaru wants to put his sleeper agents inside the village to deal us a blow."
"Yes, I know, Shikaku-kun. But it would be a precedent when one of the Great Hidden Villages would not permit to test genins from one of the smaller villages."
"What about Suna? Are they coming as well?"
"I won't make any presumptions, but I believe they are, Genma-kun. Right now, we have little tense relations, but we're allies. Mizugakure will send their genins our way."
"So we will have more allies in the village, where's the danger here, Hokage-sama?"
"It's Orochimaru, we are talking about, Kurenai-chan. He will not attack if he was not sure of his victory."
"Then invite the kids, Jiji." Kaname stood up, licking the saltiness from her fingers, "If you bring Jiraya-san back, I believe we can extinguish the viper's threat once and for all."
"Kana-chan, we can't imagine what my student has planned for us." Hokage shot back.
"I believe I can. Orochimaru pulled a trick on me last year, and I'm pretty sure that was only an intro to what he has planned. Noting that the two of us are his primary targets, Jiji, his trick would be a perfect ending for us in his eyes."
"A trick? What are you talking about, Kana-chan?" Hokage questioned her.
"I'm not sure if I should talk about it. You have the technique in your forbidden scroll, Jiji."
"What?! Then we can't let him in the village under any cost! Wait! How did you know what's inside the forbidden scroll, Kana-chan?"
"Tehe~." Kaname scratched the back of her head.
"*Sigh* What are we talking about here?" Shikaku joined in.
"Have you heard about Edo Tensei?" Kaname smiled to the wide-eyed Nara clan leader.
"What is Edo Tensei?" Kakashi inquired.
"You have too low of a clearance, Doofus-kun." she joked.
*Slam* "Have you got any ideas on how to deal with the snake?" The old man punched the table in front of him, ending the discussion.
"Yep, it's still in the planning phase, but with time I could develop a countermeasure. Jiraya-san's expertise would help me greatly, Jiji."
"I see. Everything that was said here is under S-class secret." Hokage ordered aloud, "Kana-chan, thanks to your involvement, I appoint you as the security leader of the next chūnin exams."
"Ugh, more work for me. I will get you someday for this, Jiji."
"Yeah-yeah. Dream on, Kana-chan." Sarutobi waved her off.
創作者的想法 
dahnik
dahnik I hope you're all healthy :-) 4k words chapter for you, my dear readers. I can't wait to read your comments and ideas, some PSs and reviews are always welcome.
Now to the Kaname's side-stories, I will post it as a separate story on webnovel. I will give you a notice when it's complete - for now, it has about 2k words. It will be only a raunchy, graphical read for you with no effect on the story, so if you don't like it - don't read it :-P
If you found any mistakes, please inform me :-). I don't like mistakes :-).