Chapter 28
Kurenai found her team to be far more forgiving and stronger than she had thought. Despite the death of Sakura, they did not blame her and accepted her back without a word.
They shouldered the burden of her death on their own backs and were determined to improve themselves. This strength and determination moved her, and she could not help but support them in this journey.
So, she helped them. Taught them all that she could, yet despite their combined efforts, they faced a great hurdle in their dream of making it to the Chunin Exams. A hurdle that brought them to their current condition, where the three of them stood in front of the Sandaime-sama with a very special petition.
"I am afraid I cannot allow that," and the rejection struck at her heart, and she saw both Kiba and Choji reel back at those words, as the Hokage's words dashed their hopes.
"The rules for the Chunin Exams have already been set, and all the genin are to participate as teams of three," and her fists balled up as she was reminded once more of her failure.
"I am afraid I cannot make an exception," and the sense of anguish on her two students' faces compelled her to speak up.
"Please," she requested,
"I humbly request you to reconsider the petition, Sandaime-sama. Let them participate in the exam," she asked, and the man looked her in the eye, as she bowed, and Kiba and Choji followed suit.
"Please, accept our request, Sandaime-sama," they chorused together.
"Raise your heads," the Sandaime-sama added, in a softer voice.
"I can see your determination, but I am afraid rules are rules," and she bit her lip, and the weight of her failure felt as if it would crush her back.
"But while I cannot let a team of two participate in the exams, there is no rule barring me from allowing a team of three," and with that, she frowned, as the Hokage-sama leaned forward.
"Come in now," and with that, the door behind them opened up, as a young man walked in with large, round glasses and grey-blue hair.
"Pardon my intrusion," he greeted sweetly and nervously.
"Yakushi Kabuto, reporting for duty…."
0000
SHIKAMARU NARA
Shikamaru had known that Hikari Hyuga was no normal shinobi. He had known that even before he had been added to their team, breaking apart half a century of traditions, and while initially he had been somewhat bothered by his addition, with every passing day, Shikamaru felt himself more and more appreciative of his presence.
Prodigies were a rare breed in the shinobi world. Prodigies that could reshape a village were even rarer still, and in his mind, Hikari Hyuga was one such shinobi. After the passing of Sakura, Shikamaru had seen firsthand the cruelty and depravity that this world was capable of, and he had decided that he would do his best to spare the rest of his friends from that cruelty.
He was not naïve enough to think that he could shoulder such a burden all by himself. The only way to spare his friends was to make them all so strong that they would never ever lose to anyone, which was easier said than done.
Or to focus all the hatred and rage of their enemies onto one shinobi. Make one person shoulder such a grand burden. It was a great sacrifice that only a few amongst their generation were capable of.
But it was a sacrifice that would shield the rest of his friends and comrades from the cruelty of this world.
"So, what is this about?" asked the person he had chosen to be that sacrificial lamb, for he could think of no one better suited to this task than the boy sitting in front of him.
Even without his intentions, Hikari Hyuga had begun to gain quite a reputation, and his latest stunt during their last mission was only going to add to that.
"What do you think?" Shikamaru teased, as they sat beside the lake in training ground thirteen after returning from their latest mission, which had been a raving success, of course, due to the combined efforts of Ino and Hikari.
The pale-eyed boy was smart enough to have an idea why he may have called him like this.
"You have come here before with Ino," Shikamaru added, and he had seen the two of them himself as the pale-eyed boy raised a brow.
"I doubt you have called me for the same reason," he joked lightly, as Shikamaru smiled as well.
"Well, at least that I can finally pass on her troubles to you now," and while nothing was official, many already knew and whispered about the blossoming relationship between Hikari and Ino.
The two had been like oil and water initially, but now they behaved like a married freaking couple, completing each other's sentences and sharing their lunches.
"Still, I did not think that you would teach her the Nidaime's sensing technique," and Shikamaru had been taken aback by that, along with their sensei. But Hikari had only smiled as Ino had replicated one of Konoha's most legendary techniques.
"I did not teach her anything," he lied, as Shikamaru flicked a stone into the lake.
"I just pointed her in the right direction. The rest she did on her own," he answered, and he doubted it as simple as he made it out to be.
"Well, that kind of technique will be far easier to keep secret than yours, though," for he had replicated the technique of another kage, and already whispers and rumors had begun to spread about it.
"The rumors have begun to spread, and many are asking if the Yondaime had a secret love affair with a Hyuga woman," and they both chuckled at those words.
"But that was your intention, wasn't it?" for why else would he make such a public spectacle of it, and let the official report make a mention of his technique.
"You wanted the world to know?" and Hikari looked him in the eye, as silence hung in the air.
"Maybe? Maybe not? But can we stop playing this game?" he asked, as the smile on that face dimmed.
"You didn't call me out here to discuss gossip Shikamaru. So, tell me what you want to say?" and well, that was fine with him.
"I want you to become the Hokage," he jumped straight into the pitch as Hikari Hyuga frowned.
"That was my intention already," and he shook his head.
"I know, but I want you to hasten the timeline and take up some of the responsibilities far earlier than you might have hoped," Shikamaru added, as he turned away from him.
"I want you to make a splash at the chunin exams this year. I want you to become the boogeyman of our generation, much like the Yondaime-sama became so for his own, and the Shodaime before him," and it was a great burden to carry, for one shinobi to bear the hatred and enmity of so many enemies.
"Why?" he asked.
"Because that is the most optimal way for me to save my friends," he did not lie to him, for he would see through them. And he did not have much to hide as well.
"I see," and given his intellect, he did not need to ask more, and he could see his mind racing.
"Why me?" he asked.
"Because you are the only one who can," and he shook his head.
"I can name at least two other genin who have greater potential than me," and he was probably speaking of Sasuke and Naruto, and the last Uchiha and the knuckle-headed blonde were indeed talented, and had great potential.
"They lack the mindset, though," he answered.
"What I need from you requires a certain level of calmness and ruthlessness that is lacking in both Sasuke and Naruto, that is, besides the fact that both of them carry burdens of their own," burdens which made them unsuitable for this task.
Naruto was the jinchuriki of the Nine Tails and was now well-liked by the people. Sasuke, on the other hand, was the last survivor of his clan, and the village would never dare risk his life lest they end up causing the extinction of the Uchiha.
"But I have burdens of my own," and he did, for he was an exile from the Hyuga clan, who would surely prove to be a hurdle in all this.
"And that is my offer, for if you do this for me, I will help you handle that problem of yours," and he was amongst the few who could do that, given that he was the heir to the Nara clan, and was the son of the current Jounin Commander.
"You already have an in with the Yamanaka, and with the Nara backing you as well, you will not need to worry about the Hyuga clan. I will even help you gather the necessary support to force their hand in changing their ways, as long as you keep your end of the bargain," and then silence came, and the two of them did not speak for minutes, until Hikari nodded.
"Sure then, though I have a question of my own?" and Shikamaru felt relieved at his acceptance, though he had expected that.
The deal was a win-win for them both, and Hikari had no reason to reject it.
"Ask away?"
"I was put into this team so that you could keep an eye on me, wasn't I?" and Shikamaru nodded.
"Yes," he told him the truth, for it was an easy enough deduction.
"What exactly did they fear that I might do?"
"They feared that you might become the next Itachi Uchiha," he said as he looked him in the eye, and there was a smirk on that face.
"Itachi Uchiha, huh," and the way he spoke that name surprised him, for there was no hatred or anger in him as he mentioned the name of the clan killer.
"I see now," and for the first time, Shikamaru felt a bit nervous as Hikari asked him another question.
"And what do you think?"
"Do you think I have the prowess to become like that?"
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.
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0000
Miles away in a land drenched in an ever-pouring rain, a masked ninja slowly appeared out of the ground, as the leader of the Akatsuki stood there staring at his drenched village.
"You said that you had some urgent news," the purple-eyed man, with a rod piercing his entire body, whispered, as the masked nin nodded.
"I do," he answered, as his feet suddenly touched the ground, and though he wore the same black and red cloak as the purple-eyed shinobi, he was not an official member of the Akatsuki.
"I have word from Konoha," and the village hidden in the leaves was of particular interest to their group, for several reasons.
"They are planning to hold the chunin exams there," the masked nin added as he stepped beside the purple-eyed shinobi.
"Is that so?" the purple-eyed nin whispered back.
"Do you think that we can make use of this?" he asked.
"Initially, I would have said no, especially given that Jiraiya himself has returned to the village," and though they had many S-ranked nin at their command, few of them would willingly walk into a confrontation with one of the continent's strongest shinobi.
Even he himself could be certain of victory if he were to face the white-haired Sanin.
"But we received some rather interesting intelligence beyond that," and now the masked ninja gazed at the purple-eyed shinobi.
"Our former associate is also eyeing a move during the exams," and that changed things.
"You expect chaos," Pain added, and the masked nin nodded.
"Indeed, and with chaos comes an opportunity, especially since there won't just be one jinchuriki in that village," and he gazed at Ame as he spoke of his intel.
"There will be two of them there…."
0000
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