"Flowers? For me?" Yuugao gushed with delight as she accepted the colorful bouquet Haruto presented her. The bedridden ANBU had not had many visitors, what with the upcoming Chuunin Exam and everything, so her student's unexpected appearance was a most welcoming distraction. "Thank you, Genji-kun. They're lovely!"
Haruto offered only a noncommittal answer. The young man was clearly distracted.
"What's with the long face?"
"Nothing. It's just some weird work stuff." Yuugao arched an eyebrow.
"I thought you were on break?"
"I am. I just need to take care of a small project for the old man." Of course, most people would probably not use the word "small" to describe the task of devising and implementing a comprehensive defense plan against a multi-pronged invasion by multiple belligerent entities. "Daunting" and "harrowing" would probably have been more appropriate for the situation.
Yuugao blinked at the response.
"You just don't get a break, do you?" The kunoichi's response elicited a nervous chuckle from Haruto.
No, no I don't. But then again, it was not as if he was expecting the job of being Konoha's silent protector to be easy. It was not the workload that got to him so much as the solitude. Yes, there were three of them at the center of the defense planning, but really, the whole idea was Haruto's brainchild. Since the meeting with Ibiki, pieces had begun to rapidly fall into place. The young prodigy found himself particularly gifted at using his newfound authority to suit his needs. Sometimes he used it as a scalpel to chip away the reluctance of junior bureaucrats, while other times, he used it as a hammer to crush through the intransigence of ignorant buffoons. The overall result was that Haruto rarely needed to seek help from either Tenzou or the Hokage. That was a good thing, right?
"It's not that. It's how the old man has basically closed himself to everyone, including me." Since that hospital encounter where Haruto learned the fate of Konohamaru's friend, his meetings with the Hokage became increasingly brisk and to the point.
"From what I heard, his grandson did almost die, Genji. Even the Hokage occasionally needs some alone time," Yuugao chastised lightly. The disguised blond slumped. Ok, so that did not come out well and it did make him sound just a tad selfish. Well, maybe he was. Haruto was not the possessive type, but his unique and intimate relationship with old man Sarutobi constituted one of the bedrocks of his existence. The physical and emotional distance that all of a sudden seemed to have developed between protégé and master did not settle well in the youngster's mind.
Like most things in life, there were varied and complex reasons for this change. For the most part, Haruto recognized that no sinister forces were involved. Sarutobi truly was a busy man and his council was sought by people with far greater prestige, influence and public importance than him. But then again, days had passed and the Hokage's precious grandson had yet to awaken from his coma. Not for the first time, Haruto's mind returned to that fateful hospital encounter.
Old man did say it wasn't entirely my fault. But did the Hokage truly believe that? For once, he could provide no impartial answer.
"Genji, the Hokage strikes me as someone who doesn't like to micromanage. If he assigned you a task and hadn't commented much, then that's a good thing. It means that he trusts you. I don't know about you," Yuugao stated, leaning forward so that her face was only inches away from Haruto's, "but I think it's pretty amazing for the Sandaime to have so much faith in a twelve-year-old."
You know what? She's right. After a bit of prodding from his colleague, the young ANBU began to see his role in the big picture and quickly felt a lot better about his position.
"Sounds like someone's jealous." Haruto grinned from underneath his disguise. Yuugao returned the smile with good cheer.
"Maybe, but I think it's more a matter of feeling disappointed with myself. When I was your age, I was afraid to walk in the shadows of the Hokage. Of course, the Yondaime was Hokage at the time." The young kunoichi's face suddenly took on a wistful expression. Her brilliant eyes seemed to glaze over as she recalled fond memories. Haruto would later swear—though never in Yuugao's presence—that his teacher blushed like a schoolgirl. It was amusing and unnerving at the same time. The young shinobi had read all about the Fourth's dashing good looks and the legions of fawning kunoichi he supposedly possessed. He just never expected to see it firsthand.
"Maa, is there something you wish to say, Yuugao-san?" Reminded of their close proximity to one another, the two ANBU agents sprung apart. The purple-haired female glared at her former superior, who lazily looked back at her with an insufferable smirk.
"I'm shocked. What would Hayate think?" While Kakashi clearly meant it in jest, Yuugao did have the decency to blush. To the outside observer, she and Haruto did look awfully cozy. But true to her fighting spirit, Yuugao bounced right back.
"For one thing, I would certainly hope that my grown, adult, and mature boyfriend would be levelheaded enough not to be jealous of a colleague a decade his junior." It was only at this point that Kakashi took a good look at his former subordinate's companion.
"Genji?" An owlish expression of befuddlement descended on the one-eyed ninja's face. The man turned to Yuugao and said, "I didn't figure him to be quite so young."
"Kakashi-san. How do you do?" Haruto answered with near regal formality. Yuugao silently laughed at how easily her student changed personas at the drop of a hat. One moment he was sulking like a petulant child, while the next, he was carrying himself with all the grace and air of a clan heir.
"Pretty good, Genji," Kakashi answered casually.
"Ah, sensei?" A girl with a crown of pink hair peaked from around the white separator that divided the large hospital room in two. She blushed when she found herself the focus of all three jounin.
"Yo, Sakura, Ino." The pink-haired girl pulled the separator away to reveal a blonde girl sitting on a bed. "Meet Yuugao. She used to work with me in ANBU."
"Nice to meet you," the girls greeted politely. Yuugao cast a questioning look at her former captain.
"Yeah, they're my students. Genji's met them already," Kakashi answered, making sure to keep his voice low enough so that he was not overheard by his students. Alas, he needn't have bothered, given the loud and fierce argument the two kunoichi were having. Suddenly, the loud impact of a hand on cheek smack jolted the jounin from their conversation.
"What's going on?" Kakashi asked.
Curious, Haruto followed several steps behind the jounin of Team 7.
"Sorry, Sensei. It was just a little disagreement. Forehead's being stubborn again." The bedridden blonde tossed her teammate an annoyed glare. Sakura, sporting a livid shiner on her left cheek, was no less angry. After all, she was being a good friend, visiting her teammate—and not chasing Sasuke-kun—and Ino went psycho on her over one little detail about a mission.
"I was NOT. Ino's just being a mean, spiteful, little piggy again. She's just angry that she was useless during the mission and Sasuke-kun had to save us again." As Kakashi smacked his face in exasperation, Haruto chose to intercede in the hope of arresting an impending brawl.
"Based on Kakashi-san's after action report, I thought you ladies would be pleased with your performance. Genin fresh from the academy usually don't take down A-ranked missing nin on their first outside assignments." Haruto allowed a small smile to show.
As he had suspected, the reality of Team 7's mission to the Land of Waves—based on Kakashi's official report—was quite different from the popular image the people had about what happened. While the report made clear that Sasuke had been responsible for delivering the killing blow against the fearsome missing nin, it made equally clear that he had received assistance.
"See, I told you!" Ino angrily shouted.
"It was nothing. We only managed to perform a bit of genjutsu. Sasuke-kun did most of the fighting," Sakura corrected with a blush, surprised by the unexpected praise and reluctant to take credit for her work. Kakashi bowed his head ever so slightly.
"That's where you're wrong, Sakura. The outcome of that battle was most likely determined before your teammate launched his attack. I don't care if Sasuke was the rookie of the year or even a better Sharingan wielder than the prodigal Uchiha Itachi, but there was no way your teammate could have handled someone like Zabuza on his own. Something gave him the edge in that matchup." Haruto stopped just short of directly praising the two kunoichi for their role in defeating Momochi Zabuza.
"According to your sensei, you two successfully erected a modified, dual-focused, multi-layered genjutsu on an A-ranked shinobi. That is certainly not nothing." To most ninja, it would not have been earth-shattering either, but it was something noteworthy in Haruto's professional opinion. Teaching academy students the theoretical basis of folded or multi-layered genjutsu had been one of his key recommendations. Young as he was, Haruto had been quick to realize the synergetic potential of overlapping illusions to confuse and disorient opponents. In a series of theoretical exercises, he had predicted that the effects of such multi-fold illusion complexes to be at least two to three times greater than the sum of the effects of the genjutsu parts. This meant that one or more weak ninja—weak as defined in the conventional sense—with an understanding of genjutsu synergies would be capable of overcoming much more formidable foes. Team 7's performance made a very convincing case in favor of this theory. To Haruto, the tactical implications were enormous, even if no one else realized it yet, and could very well revolutionize combat doctrines across the elemental nations.
"You should listen to Genji here. He is a genjutsu expert, the best according to some." Kakashi's statement drew an appraising look from Haruto. The Sharingan nin gave him a cheeky smile to show that the young prodigy was not the only one doing background research on other people. The girls, however, gazed with open wonder.
"Thank you, Genji-san," Sakura stated with a heavy blush. The pink-haired girl had no idea that someone so young could be a member of ANBU. Ino clearly had the same thought, but was less restrained about holding her silence.
"What! Wait! You are Genji? How old are you? How did you get into ANBU?" the incapacitated kunoichi blurted out. The blonde's father had been a member of the special shinobi force for many years before he left its ranks, so she knew all too well how difficult it must be to be accepted into the unit.
"Maa, that's a very personal question, Ino," Kakashi noted cheerfully.
"Yeah, are you looking for a date, piggy?" Sakura added with a sly smirk. "Since you know you can't get Sasuke-kun."
Having seen the argument coming from a mile away, Haruto tuned out the two girls and turned to the other jounin.
"Kakashi-san, if I may make a recommendation. Why not enlist Kurenai-san's assistance for the girls? You may have the Sharingan and know over a thousand techniques, but you aren't much of an illusionist. She, on the other hand, could help them grow by leaps and bounds. In return, you could offer to teach her students some of your ninjutsu."
"That's a very good idea," Kakashi admitted as he rubbed his chin. "Makes me wonder why I didn't think of it before."
Maybe because you're one of the laziest sons of bitches I've ever seen? Happily, Haruto took the intelligent step and kept the thought to himself.
"Girls, as soon as Ino is released from the hospital, we'll make a trip to see Yuuhi Kurenai," Kakashi declared.
For once, the girls became excited at the thought of getting further training. Their teacher suspected it had something to do with being motivated to do so.
The one-eyed ninja cast his fellow jounin a curious look. "There isn't much time left. The Chuunin Exam is just around the corner. Yo, Genji, you got any more of those wonderful tips for my students?"
Haruto considered the question seriously for a minute. "Don't get in fights over your head and don't be afraid to seek aid from your fellow Konoha peers."
"But aren't we supposed to be competing against the other teams?" Sakura asked in confusion. The very simple and reasonable question elicited a strong reaction from the ANBU.
"You haven't talked about the exam's history or the politics involved, have you, Kakashi-san?" Haruto made every effort to sound nonchalant, which would have worked on most people, but just not someone of Kakashi's caliber.
"Ahm, no. I didn't feel the need. Why? Is it important?" The ANBU's sudden concern perked Kakashi's interest. Was there something to this exam that others don't know about?
Yes, Haruto suppressed the urge to shout. It would appear that holes remained in his planning. He had taken for granted that the shinobi of Konoha would naturally feel a sense of camaraderie and a desire to mutually protect each other from foreign enemies.
Team 7 is going to be the weak link, Haruto realized. Since their joint operation, Teams 8 and 10 had grown close enough that the young planner was fairly sure he could convince his teammates and Kurenai's team to work together during the exam. It might be possible to bring Team 7 into the fold, given the family friendships between Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji, but that would depend largely on how accommodating or intransigent Sasuke ended up being.
"In the interest of fairness, the Hokage does not encourage nor condone collusion…"
"But?" Kakashi ventured.
"But genin candidates, especially less experienced ones, have died in previous exams. And conflicts and wars are almost never fair in any case. If it's a choice between survival and upholding some artificial construct, I'd hope that all Konoha ninja are intelligent enough to make the right choice." It was not the best speech Haruto ever made, but it was done on the fly and should suffice. While the girls remained confused, Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, indicating that he had read between the lines and understood what was left unspoken. Due to factors that could not be elaborated upon, Team 7 was, in essence, being encouraged to collude whenever possible.
"And under whose authority are you making that statement?" Kakashi asked.
"The Hokage's." Haruto quickly showed the other man his special documentation, complete with the Sandaime's seal. While the display provided sufficient proof of authenticity, it left lingering questions in Kakashi's mind about the exam. Previously confident of his team's chances, the master of a thousand techniques was now less comfortable with the idea of his team walking into the exam blind. Suddenly, the occasional bursts of tensions between the two kunoichi and the Uchiha prodigy seemed a far greater liability than usual. Yet, Kakashi knew that there was little he could have done. Several influential Uchiha clan members had all but demanded that Sasuke be allowed to show his, and indeed, the clan's mettle at the upcoming exam.
"Sakura, let's go so Ino can rest in peace."
"Where are we going, Sensei?"
"The Uchiha compound. There are some things I need to teach you and Sasuke before the exam." The highly excitable pink-haired kunoichi squealed as she hopped away. Ino glared heatedly at the retreating back of her friend-rival.
"See you around, Yuugao. I'll try to get Hayate to visit more often. Don't worry, Ino. You'll meet your precious Sasuke soon enough." Kakashi's lighthearted teasing only served to switch the target of the Yamanaka girl's evil glare-of-doom onto himself. Deciding that he had been sufficiently amused, Haruto also chose to make his exit.
"I wish you a speedy recovery, Yuugao. Same to you, Ino-san. And best of luck on the Chuunin Exam." Waving her colleague off, the ANBU female was amused to note the patch of red spreading across the other girl's face. The blonde blushed a deeper shade on noticing the older kunoichi's attention.
"Those are very lovely flowers," Ino commented in a bid to draw attention away from her. Alas, it worked pretty well.
"They are, aren't they?" Yuugao clocked her arm backwards and tossed several flowers over. The flowers landed right on Ino's belly.
"They smell even better! Wow, I don't think my parents' flower shop even has these strains for sale. Where did your boyfriend get them?" In Ino's mind, someone who had access to and provided flowers this lovely must have been the other girl's special someone. Yuugao, however, found the idea hilarious and chuckled loudly.
"No offense to my boyfriend, whom I love, but Hayate couldn't tell the difference between weeds and roses. No, these were from Genji, and I believe he grew them himself."
"No way! It must have taken seasons of breeding and crossbreeding to produce strains this pure!" Ino exclaimed.
"Genji has always been special like that," Yuugao added wisely. But in all honesty, the ANBU vice captain only had a vague idea about just how special her young student really was.
Two figures waited in the dark. One was pacing agitatedly back and forth.
"Are you sure he's coming?" the more nervous figure asked.
"Don't worry. He'll be here on time." The second figure was far calmer. "Relax, Genji. You've become very tense lately."
"I know you've been through these doomsday scenarios before, but this is my first time. So excuse me for being edgy," Haruto answered testily. "Besides, the fate of Konoha is basically riding on my plan."
The young blond's official superior smiled. Better than any other human, Tenzou knew just what made Haruto tick. Therefore, it was not surprising for the ANBU captain to guess the source of his subordinate's anxiety and the best way to alleviate said anxiety.
"I have every confidence your plan will succeed. The same goes for the Hokage." Haruto could not tell whether Tenzou was being entirely truthful or not. In retrospect, he probably would not have cared.
He did cease his pacing, though.
"Captain Tenzou, codename Yamato, of Konoha ANBU. To what do I owe the honor of this meeting?"
"Hiashi-sama, I'm pleased that you managed to make it here on such short notice. Before we begin, did you take the appropriate precautions?"
The regal figure of Hyuuga Hiashi nodded. "As far as everyone is concerned, I am currently attending a meeting of the clan heads, convened by the Hokage, to discuss our deteriorating diplomatic positions with certain western countries. Only my twin brother, who is holding my seat at that meeting, knows where I am."
"Good." Tenzou nodded in approval. "Please allow me to introduce a very capable colleague of mine. This is Genji of Konoha ANBU. He is currently doing some sensitive work as the Special Representative of the Hokage. I'll now turn this meeting over to him."
Taking his cue, Genji stepped forward.
"I'll be frank and to the point, Hiashi-sama. Konoha needs your help."