- Hokage's Office -
Barging into the office was a mummified man with an 'x' shaped scar on his chin; this man had one eye covered by a bandage, and the other seemed to be perpetually closed.
"You called, Hiruzen?"
Hiruzen sighed, used to the disrespect and lack of manners from this friend who had long since strayed down the wrong path.
"Danzo. I want the truth. Did you know Orochimaru was in the village beforehand?"
Hiruzen looked for any indication that his former teammate knew, but Danzo was as stone-faced as usual, giving nothing away.
"Surely you didn't call me here to accuse me?"
Danzo sounded almost amused, but surely that wasn't the case; Danzo was too jaded for such emotions.
"I didn't accuse you of anything."
The 'yet' was left unsaid in Hiruzen's reply, but they understood each other well.
"Who was that girl with Kakashi?"
Danzo changed the subject, but he was less avoiding the previous topic and genuinely interested.
"She is someone seeking to join Konoha, and I've granted her request based on conditions."
Hiruzen replied, not going into detail or stating said conditions.
"And before you get the idea to spy, I advise that you don't."
Danzo scoffed.
"You've gone soft, Hiruzen. It's my job to do the dirty work."
Hiruzen glared.
"Oh, then why was Orochimaru allowed to waltz into the village. Your Root, yes, I know you haven't disbanded, is responsible for the safety of the village, to clean up loose ends, or at least to alert me in advance of threats to the village. Yet you haven't reported a single thing, not of Orochimaru, not of the jinchuriki of the one-tailed beast, or the possible invasion."
Hiruzen accused and watched his face, not surprised when Danzo didn't show a hint of emotion, having guessed he knew all of this.
"Where's your proof?"
Danzo asked, not taking the insinuations lightly.
"Proof? Hahaha! And here I thought you couldn't tell jokes. Danzo, I'm the Hokage; my word is law. I am the ruling force of the shinobi of this village. The Daimyo might fund us, but I am the leader. So, why would I need Proof? Do I need Proof about who spread the rumors about Sakumo Hatake's mission? About who attempted to ambush and kill him during said mission? Do I need Proof on the mysterious disappearance of Shisui? How about the leak on Naruto's status? Proof... I have none; I don't need it to know who was behind it all.
Hiruzen finished, staring into Danzo's lone eye.
Danzo spun, faster than a supposed cripple should be able to move, moving to leave in a sour mood.
"And Danzo. Tobirama-Sensei didn't pick me because I volunteered first, so get that notion out of your head. You were never even considered. Kagami was considered before you. But we both know that Kagami died in suspicious circumstances. It's funny how future Hokage candidates disappear, isn't it?"
"You really brought me here just to slander me?!"
Danzo was pissed; he, of course, did the things Hiruzen brought up, but he didn't expect his passive, soft friend to speak of them.
"What changed? Is Kakashi the reason you've changed? He is much stronger now; perhaps that makes you feel secure."
"Careful, 'old friend', that almost sounds like a threat."
Hiruzen glared, focusing his killing intent upon Danzo.
"More slander, I'd never threaten 'Lord Hokage'. I was merely making an observation. So, he is your choice for the Fifth Hokage; he's strong, but not fit for the position."
"I don't recall asking for your advice. Koharu and Homura are my advisers; you're merely a 'retired' Elder of this village, right? Not someone up to no good, I hope. I can only protect you so much after all, and my patience and understanding with you has reached the breaking point. You'd better watch yourself, Danzo, and take my advice about spying on that girl to heart. If Kakashi comes to have a 'chat', I won't intervene, and might even help him."
Hiruzen shot back in a casual tone.
"You'd let him kill me?"
This really surprised Danzo, who had never expected Hiruzen, of all people, to act like this, having known him since they were both mere brats learning the basics.
Hiruzen acted as if he were shocked.
"Kill? I said nothing about killing, Danzo. You clearly need your ears checked. The help I mentioned was of a diplomatic sort. I'm not heartless enough to watch my friend be killed or kill him, but we both share that opinion, I'm sure."
Hiruzen watched as Danzo showed a sour expression, leaving much more quietly than when he barged in here wanting to snoop on the lives of others. Hiruzen wasn't a fool, and he knew that Danzo was aware of Karin's identity. This was Danzo's way of saying.
'You snagged my puppet, give her back.'
Thankfully, Hiruzen managed to frighten the old war hawk enough to leave it alone for now, but he, too, was aware that Danzo was never the sort to give up.
- 5 days later, Preliminary round -
Despite the changes to Team Seven and the rest of Konoha's teams, the events leading up to the preliminary round remained the same. Too many teams had passed, and this round was needed to select the best out of the Chunin hopefuls.
After Hayate explained the rules, the electronic board drew names at random.
Standing next to the gathered Jonin, Kakashi tapped Anko on the shoulder.
"Hmm? Oh, Hey, Kakashi."
Kakashi went on to explain the situation with Karin and asked whether she'd help Karin shop in the village.
"I'll pay, of course, but I don't really want to help a girl shop for her things."
"Seems easy enough, but this is something simple, hardly makes us even."
Anko replied, rubbing her neck, but unlike before, it was softer.
Kakashi waved it off casually.
"Maa, you're my comrade, of course I helped you; there's no need for you to repay me in any way."
Anko shook her head.
"No, this is something that you can't change my mind on."
Kakashi didn't continue trying to downplay it, seeing that she had a strong resolve.
"Alright, I'll not ask you to drop it again."
The other Jonin were curious, having listened in without shame.
"I didn't know you two were close."
Kurenai spoke up teasingly, a longtime friend of Anko.
Anko looked over to her, showing no signs that the teasing worked or not.
"I wouldn't call us close in the way that you mean, but Kakashi helped me, and I wish to do the same in return."
Anko and Kurenai continued their chat as Asuma gave Kakashi a pat on the back.
"Maa, you're all misunderstanding something."
Kakashi said, ignoring Gai as he yelled about being surpassed by his eternal rival.
"Winner, Sasuke Uchiha!"
Hayate announced Sasuke's victory over Yoroi Akado. This battle was somewhat boring, as Sasuke managed to wound Yoroi with his blade, completely different from the Lions' barrage finish in the original.
Kakashi subtly shifted closer to Anko to whisper.
"Have you or Ibiki looked into this team? Namely Kabuto Yakushi?"
Anko nodded.
"Lord Hokage mentioned your suspicions, and we looked into Kabuto and his team. Kabuto is plainly average on paper; his teammates were slightly better, but from what Lord Hokage said, I'm guessing he's far from simple."
"Yes, he's not simple at all. Don't approach him alone or at all."
Kakashi advised.
"How strong do you think he is?"
"Elite Jonin level, someone fought Naruto in the forest so he wouldn't interfere with Orochimaru. Naruto described them as an anbu. They used a chakra scalpel during their fight. And Kabuto is a medic ninja who has more chakra reserves than he lets show, and he has withdrawn from these exams how many times?"
Kakashi laid it all out before asking.
"Six. This one was his seventh. He withdrew after the second round every time with an excuse of a lack of chakra or injuries. That alone is suspicious, but it appears he's very skilled at undercover work."
Anko replied, seeing that all the information was suspicious when put together like that. The underachiever now appeared to be a highly intelligent spy.
The following rounds continued as normal, with the victors of each match being Shino, Kankuro, Sakura, Temari, Shikamaru, Naruto, Neji, Garra, Dosu, and Sasuke, making ten.
'The outcomes were mostly the same, but there were changes, namely, Sakura winning against Ino, and Tenten actually putting up a good fight against Temari; her weapons had the occasional exploding tags, but when that failed, Tenten pressed Temari into the defense with her kenjutsu, only losing when Temari unleashed a much stronger gust of wind to knock her out.'
Kakashi analyzed the differences, proud of Sakura for her win and Tenten despite her loss.
The contestants quickly drew slots and were paired into matches.
Naruto Uzumaki Vs Neji Hyuga
Garra Vs Sasuke Uchiha
Kankuro Vs Shino Aburame
Temari Vs. Skikamaru Nara
Sakura Haruno Vs Dosu Kinuta
- Chapter end -
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Hope this chapter didn't feel too bare, but I really don't have much to change. You can bet the finals and the invasion will be different.