I slump in my chair "Security is going to increase severely in all of Konoha now. I wouldn't even be surprised if Hyuga were stationed almost everywhere, to cover the entire village so that they can capture the next murderer alive."
Sakura nods "This is a very delicate situation. If this is the act of one of the other great five villages we might have another war happening soon"
Hinata shakes her head "It is unlikely for this to be the action of the other villages. They would at the very least leave some clues behind. As it is there is nothing known about why this is happening"
I sigh "There is nothing to indicate what the reason for the murders is, let alone to indicate whether they are coordinated or how they are coordinated. Both the murderers and victims are long term citizens of Konoha, not some tourist coming over for a week. The only actual clues are the effects caused by the murders. Panic and tightened security."
Sakura eats a biscuit "Another option is that whoever is responsible for the murders wants the Hyuga to be spread thin. If the village stations Hyuga for surveillance then the clan compound will be significantly less defended. "
Hinata sips her tea "The compound is still almost impossible to sneak into. Hyuga sentries make any attempt at stealth pointless. The only thing it would help them for would be for a very short skirmish, but that would still expose them completely."
I down a full glass of tea "It's impossible to know anything concrete right now. The only way more information will come up is if another murder happens."
One thing we do not mention is that this makes our plan to kill Danzo much more difficult. The increased surveillance via byakugan renders any attempt to even discuss this topic a security risk.
-one month later
"Guess what? Tomorrow is the day you all go on your first C-Rank mission! Go pack your bags and prepare, we're not training today"
"Alright man"
"So we're not doing a mission today?"
"Alright"
-one day later
Sakura, Hinata and I all go to the gates, to wait for my genin to arrive. When we get there we find TenTen already there, Hidesho and Wakemi are yet to arrive. Hidesho comes three minutes after we arrive, with Wakemi coming one minute after him.
I gather their attention "Alright, this is actually important so listen up. The purpose of this mission is for you guys to get your first kills in a somewhat controlled environment, so we're going to eliminate some bandits. Sakura, Hinata and I are just gonna hang back and keep you guys safe. Any questions?"
They all shake their heads. The bandit camp is pretty close to Konoha, probably kept there and not removed just for these kinds of missions, so it does not take us long to get there.
When we arrive we sneak above the camp, looking at them from the trees. I give each of my students an examining look. Wakemi tries to look indifferent, but her breathing and frequent gulps give her away. Hidesho is actually indifferent and TenTen looks apprehensive.
I decide to give them some encouragement. I point at Hinata, Sakura and I "Don't worry, if you're ever in any actual danger the three of us will intervene. There are no shinobi inside of the camp and none of the bandits have the slightest clue on how to use chakra."
They all then stare at me nervously for a bit before nodding. One by one they then drop down and attack the bandits. Tenten and Hidesho end up stumbling on their first kills, thankfully not enough to make me intervene. Wakemi end up taking it in stride, simply rushing towards her next target afterwards. In less than a minute they eliminated all of the enemy bandits.
The trek back to Konoha is spent in silence. When we arrive I tell them to rest and just meet with me at the Hokage Tower tomorrow. They nod and all go home. Hinata, Sakura and I also go home. We spend the rest of the day playing Monopoly-Catan.
-one month later
There has been another murder attempt. This time the murderer was caught. Sakura couldn't get any gossip out of Ino, she either doesn't know anything or can't say anything related to the suspect. Hopefully things calm down a bit now.
-three months later
There have been no further murder attempts, information regarding the murders is still tight however. In other news we're halfway towards opening the third gate!
—
It's been five months since the last Chunin exams. I decide to inform my students early, so that I can give them some more intensive training before sending them to the meatgrinder.
I give each of them an appraising look. Tenten has been getting better at taijutsu and ninjutsu, I can't help her at all with her weapons. Wakemi has been getting some aid from Hinata for her gentle fist and has some proficiency in medical ninjutsu. Hidesho is excellent at taijutsu, the only problem is he sucks ass at ninjutsu. Overall, they should be fine to take the exams this year.
I decide to ask them from now instead of right before the exams, this way I can give them some intensive training before sending them there. "I've got something important to tell you so listen up! Next month the chunin exams are going to be held in Suna. They are essentially a dick measuring contest between the villages, everyone sends their strongest genin so they can show off. Each exam is different, so i dont know what they will test you on. This exam is held in Suna, Any questions?"
They all raise their hands. I point at TenTen "You first."
She lowers her hand "if we pass, do we become chunin?"
I shake my head "Nope, you need to show off for that promotion. So you have to stand out either in leadership or strategy, brute force won't work."
I then turn towards Wakemi "There's no prize money, but you'll boost your reputation and that'll let you get you better paying missions. You might even get commissioned for missions"
She then nods "Do you get commissioned for missions teacher?"
I nod "Yeah but i dont take them, its not like i lack money right now"
I then point at Hidesho, he immediately asks me "Do all three of us need to agree or is this an individual exam?"
"You all need to agree. It's a team exam"
They then spend about five minutes discussing whether to go or not. They decided to go, so I give them the bad news "Until we leave for the exams we're meeting here every morning of every day for training. No more missions. I will be teaching all of you a kinjutsu to use as your trump cards."
"Finally, we can actually train"
"But how are we going to get paid?"
"Hidesho, I don't think this is something we should get excited about"
Let the poor guy celebrate TenTen. He'll regret it tomorrow, until then the poor sod should have some time to be happy. I hope they can safely open the first gate by the end of the month.
-3 weeks later.
When i give the secretary the application forms for the chunin exams she gives me some interesting news "The Hokage wishes to see you. Please go to his office"
I give the lady a nod and climb up towards Hiruzen's office. When I get there I find him reading paperwork. He looks at me "Sasuke. I have a very important mission for you. Once you arrive in Sunagakure you are to investigate the murders occurring there. All the villages are currently facing this issue, murder-suicides simmilar to the ones that happened in our village are happening everywhere."
Hiruzen holds a paper towards me "This is all the information we hold regarding the cases. Read it and voice any questions you hold"
I take the paper and give it a read. It can basically be summarised as:
The murderers are cultists of Janshin. They kill their neighbours as that's the right thing to do according to them.None of the murderers have been affiliated with shinobi as of yet.There is no indication that any of the murderers had any affiliation with Janshin prior to the actual murders.The byakugan detected no unusual signs in the last murderer before,during or after his murder attempt.Further investigation into Janshin is required. All that is currently known is that Hidan of the Akatsuki is a cultist of Janshin and that his cult is a death cult.There is a timegap of one to three months between murders.
I hand him the paper "It's almost as if they were possessed. But if it's something invisible to the byakugan then it's not something to do with chakra."
He nods "It is eerie. Whilst the murders have stopped after we caught one of them that is not the case for the other villages. They have proved themselves unable to catch any of the murderers. Your team's request to attend the exams is accepted. Take great care, remember that the safety of yourself and your wards is paramount. You may leave"
I nod and go back to my team, they almost have the first gate down. Thankfully It's almost a certainty that they will be able to use the first gate by the time of the exams. That should increase their survivability by leaps and bounds.