The classroom buzzed with tension on assignment day. Every student sat rigid at their desk, waiting.
The clan kids already had their futures mapped out. Noble families could arrange specialist Jonin instructors tailored to their children's abilities, so their progress was practically guaranteed.
The rest, the ordinary ninja, got assigned Tokubetsu Jonin or Chunin. For them, reaching any real height meant raw effort and a whole lot of luck.
Before long, Sora watched a young Jonin stride into the room. Namikaze Minato, with a boy Chunin at his side: Hatake Kakashi. They collected Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin, and the four of them walked out together. That fated squad. Kakashi was the son of the late ANBU Commander Hatake Sakumo. Obito belonged to the Uchiha clan. Rin was a branch member of the Senju, her constitution strong and unusual enough that she'd later be chosen as the host for the Three-Tails.
Minato was a born Hokage. Young, and already untouchable in strength.
His sensei was Jiraiya, arguably the strongest fighter Konoha had ever produced, who was himself a student of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Minato's former teammates were Akimichi Yoshimaru and Aburame Shimi. His current students were Obito and Kakashi.
The picture was clear. Minato was a civilian-born ninja, which gave him enormous pull among other civilians. His wife was the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails. And even at his age, he'd already built strong ties with the Sarutobi clan, Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin, the Akimichi clan, the Aburame clan, and the Uchiha clan.
So when the time came for the Fourth Hokage selection, Minato's rise met no resistance. His strategy was textbook: rally the civilian ninja, court the clans, and outflank every rival before they saw it coming.
The tragedy was that fortune and misfortune were two sides of a coin. Minato was young. He'd had to lean on clan networks to get where he was, and after becoming the Fourth Hokage, the clans extracted too much in return. By the time he died, the only people at his side were his wife and newborn son. A family of three. That was it.
"Squad Nine! Yuhi Kurenai, Kazeki Sora, and Tejuno!"
A heavyset man had walked into the classroom. Teju nearly launched out of his seat, shooting Sora a wild look before scanning the room for Kurenai. The squad composition was obvious: Kurenai, the class standout in Genjutsu. Sora, the invisible mid-ranker. Teju, the dead last. A textbook strong-average-weak triangle.
The three of them followed the portly ninja out of the classroom. He was clearly Akimichi, no mistaking that build, but Sora couldn't place which Akimichi.
They climbed to the rooftop platform above the classrooms. Other squads were already gathered there. Sora watched the Akimichi exchange a casual greeting with Minato.
Wait. Don't tell me. Is this Akimichi Yoshimaru? Minato's old teammate?
The four of them found a quiet corner. The Akimichi turned to size up his new students. They sized him up right back.
"I'm Akimichi Yoshimaru, Tokubetsu Jonin of Konoha. Starting today, I'm your squad leader." He settled onto the rooftop railing as if it were a park bench, unconcerned that his considerable weight might send him toppling over the edge. "Let's do introductions. Ladies first. Our pretty little red-eyed girl, go ahead."
"Um... I'm Yuhi Kurenai. I specialize in Genjutsu and Taijutsu. I like flower arranging. I want to become a Genjutsu master as strong as my father. My favorite person is my father, and the person I admire most is my father." She caught herself. "Wait, no. The person I admire most is Lord Third Hokage!"
Yoshimaru smiled to himself. Yuhi-san's daughter. Pretty and politically savvy.
"Me me me, my turn! I'm Tejuno. I specialize in traps and ninja tools. I also like flower arranging. I once saw Yuhi Shinku-san on the street, and I deeply admire the kind of Genjutsu ninja who can kill without being seen! My dream is to become Hokage!" Teju was practically vibrating.
Teju, that's a bit much. Sora kept his face neutral. Since when do you like flower arranging? You like destroying flowers, maybe. And your dream is to become Hokage? You'd have better odds becoming a matchstick.
"I'm Kazeki Sora. I only know one jutsu, Gale Palm. No hobbies. My goal is to buy a house in Konoha for my parents."
Yoshimaru paused, considering this. "Sora, that's a tough goal. Going to take serious work." He let out a breath. "My goal's the same as yours, actually."
Sora's estimation of his new sensei shot up. A kindred spirit. A man of taste. "Keep at it, Akimichi-sensei. Buying a home is only going to get harder."
Yoshimaru winced. The kid had a point.
"Alright, we know each other now. Tomorrow morning, Training Ground Three on the west side of the village."
The four went their separate ways. Teju's gaze lingered on Kurenai's retreating figure a few beats too long.
Walking home, Sora noticed Teju's eyes had gone glassy, his mind clearly elsewhere. The slight upturn at the corner of his lips said it was somewhere pleasant.
"Teju, I think you're playing with fire."
"What? You mean me saying I want to be Hokage? I was joking. Obviously."
"No, you can say you want to be Hokage all you want. Nobody's going to treat you as an actual competitor for the hat." Sora could tell Teju was dodging the real issue.
Since the Third took office, every clan figure who'd made a serious play for the title had met a bad end. Kato Dan, who'd inherited an S-rank forbidden technique. The Senju heir, Nawaki. Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan. Sarutobi Asuma, the Third's own second son, and his elder brother who died young. Not a single one ended well, because the Hokage seat was the fulcrum of Konoha's balance of power. No single clan could be allowed to claim it again. There was maybe one exception: Inuzuka Kiba, who shouted about becoming Hokage and suffered no consequences whatsoever, because he was so weak that not even the clans took him seriously.
Even after the Fourth died and the Third fell in battle, when Konoha was at its most vulnerable, the village still wanted Jiraiya for Hokage. He refused, and recommended Tsunade instead. The clans agreed to make her the Fifth, but only because they understood the deal: Tsunade and Jiraiya would share the power. During her tenure, the wandering sage finally settled down in Konoha, quietly shaping her decisions from the sidelines. Only under those terms did the village accept Tsunade's leadership.
"Teju, you can dream about being Hokage. Konoha lets civilians dream. But what's going on between you and Kurenai?"
"Sora, are you serious right now? I've always thought Kurenai was the prettiest girl in our class, and now that we're on the same squad, I feel like I've got an actual shot. A real chance! We're going to be running missions together. That means seeing each other every day!"
"I'm on the same squad too. You want to think about my feelings here?"
"You?" Teju waved him off. "Not a chance. Don't try to use that excuse on me. I know you. You have zero interest in girls."
What kind of accusation is that? Sora had zero interest in ten-year-old girls. There was a difference.
"Besides," Teju pressed on, "you're the guy trying to buy a house. Where are you going to find the money or the energy for a girlfriend? Huh?"
"I... can't actually argue with that."
He couldn't tell Teju outright that he and Kurenai were a mismatch. Couldn't just crush the kid's hopes to his face.
Teju. Kurenai ends up as the Third Hokage's daughter-in-law. Asuma's girlfriend.
Kid, you're playing with fire.