20 Rebirth of the Uchiha Chapter 20

"So..." the Sandaime said, staring blankly at Teams Ten and Seven as well as Zabuza and Haku. "Your bandit clearance mission turned out to be led by a missing-nin, bumping it up to B-rank," he began, pointing at Iruka. "While Team Ten decided to continue their mission after being attacked by missing-nin, leading to Asuma being knocked into a coma until Team Seven managed to rendezvous with them, at which point, you decided to send clones as message carriers. This, unfortunately, left you without support by the time Zabuza attacked once again, though you held him and his apprentice off long enough that you uncovered Gatou's plans to betray them, taking Gatou captive to try and convince them to hear you out.

"Upon hearing this, Zabuza agreed to aid you in dealing with Gatou's private army. Having dealt with them, you managed to convince him to defect to Konoha, as well as managing to galvanise the natives of Nami no Kuni into dealing with Gatou's thugs for themselves. Have I missed anything?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Also I might have been a little dead and Sasuke's eyes shoot fire now." Naruto summarised, as his teamates facepalmed. The Hokage simply sighed, giving a wry smile.

"Thank you for that, Naruto. If you'll move down to the mission office on the next floor, they'll organise your pay for this little adventure. Team Ten, you go first, while I get a more... detailed report on what happened on the bridge." Asuma nodded, leading his genin out of the room, Ino looking suspiciously at Naruto.

"Now, Iruka, I believe you mentioned that something happened when you were on the bridge?" he prompted, Iruka freezing up.

"Y-yes, Hokage-sama, but I don't believe the genin need to be here for that. Why don't you three head home while I talk things over with Sandaime-sama? You're still not authorised for some of what we need to discuss." he explained, a little desperate. Sasuke nodded and motioned to Naruto and Sakura to follow as he left the room.

"Was that really necessary, Iruka?" "I'm afraid so... Sakura still doesn't know about it. I think she suspects, but until Naruto says something, I can't mention it in front of her." Iruka sighed, as Zabuza cleared his throat.

"Is this about the Uzumaki being a jinchuuriki?" he asked bluntly, a pair of ANBU materialising and holding their blades to his throat as the Hokage spoke up again.

"How do you know about that?" he asked, a dangerous tone entering his voice. Zabuza gulped despite himself. This was the Sandaime Hokage, the 'God of Shinobi', and it was very clear what could happen if he gave the wrong answer.

"I fought jinchuuriki back in Kiri, the Sanbi and the Rokubi. It's slightly different with the blond, but I know how bijuu chakra feels. I'm not the only one. Haku actually fought the brat when he was using it, so he knows too." Zabuza explained calmly.

"I trust you have not said anything. Naruto's status as jinchuuriki is regarded as an S-class secret here in Konoha. It is forbidden to tell the new generation of his burden. Do not break this law, or I will execute you myself." the Sandaime said darkly. It wasn't a threat, Zabuza realised, merely a statement of fact.

"Why would I do that? It's none of my business what he contains," he replied, trying to be flippant about it, even as the Umino gave him a strange, calculating look. "Besides, it was his idea for us to come here. Actually, if the Demon Brothers haven't gotten themselves killed yet, any chance of them getting the same deal as us?"

"You haven't gotten any deal yet," the old man stated bluntly, before chuckling at their expressions. "We still need to verify that you're not planning against us. If you are honest in wanting to join Konoha, you should be... fine," he informed them, before addressing the ANBU. "Take them both to Ibiki. Tell him to be thorough, but not excessive." The masked shinobi nodded, directing the newcomers outside, the doors slamming shut.

"Just a moment, Hokage-sama," Iruka murmured, concern etched into his features. "Naruto drew on quite a bit of the Bijuu's chakra. He kept it under control but... there was a moment where I thought he was going to attack me for breaking up his fight. It's not that I don't have faith in him, but..."

"You are concerned that the seal may be leaking more chakra than was originally intended. I have had similar concerns, but Jiraiya will be coming to the village sometime around the exams to check on it. Speaking of which..."

"I'm not sure, Hokage-sama. One the one hand, they've got a hell of a lot more raw talent than most teams- I mean, any one of them could have trounced me during my exam, but at the same time, they've only been active for about three months. If one of them passed and the others didn't, it could throw off the dynamic... At any rate, they'll be more than ready for the Kusa exams in another six months. I just hope they don't completely outmatch me at that point," Iruka laughed. "Hell, they can probably do that now, especially now Sasuke's sharingan evolved."

"I'll trust your judgement as their sensei, but I actually have a favour to ask. It would seem Hatake Kakashi has been acting rather oddly recently. I believe you would be the perfect candidate to help him deal with what's bothering him." Iruka nodded, confused. What would Kakashi of the Sharingan want with him?

OoOoO

"Naruto, I need to ask you something." Sakura announced as they sat in Ichiraku Ramen, courtesy of Naruto's wallet. The Uzumaki blinked at her in confusion, cheeks stuffed with noodles as he started his second bowl. Looking around, he nudged Sasuke and made a few frantic gestures. The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes before translating obligingly.

"What he means is: Sure thing, Sakura-chan. Just let me finish this bowl." he said, deadpan, Inner Sakura swooning at the fact 'her' Sasuke-kun had used the -chan suffix for her.

"What was the deal with that red chakra?" she began, seeing Naruto tense up. A long pause ensued, in which he and Sasuke had some kind of silent argument. Much staring and subtle gesturing was involved. 'They even talk to one another without actually speaking. No wonder those rumours are still flying around.'

Naruto exhaled loudly, evidently having lost the battle of wills the boys were engaged in. "I'll tell you, Sakura-chan, but not here. We'll head over to the compound and talk there. Just... promise me you'll let me explain everything before you say anything," he said sadly, leaving a few bills on the counter and looking up at the confused face of Ayame. "Sorry, Ayame-chan, I'm not really that hungry. See you soon."

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, who was following their teammate out into the evening. "Let's get going, Sakura. You'll have your answer soon enough."

OoOoO

Rei was ready to greet the two genin members of the clan when they returned (because Naruto was as much a part of their family as anyone) but seeing the depressed look on Naruto-kun's face made her reconsider. Whenever Sasuke got that look, it was best to leave him alone until he felt a little better. None of the Uchibis could remember seeing Naruto look like that before, though. When Sasuke and their other teammate turned up, though, she started to get suspicious, especially when they went into Sasuke's office and shut the doors.

She was most certainly not spying when she moved over to the door, pressing her ear against it. It was simply concern for her... friend. She stood in silence as Naruto began relating the story of the Yondaime fighting the Kyuubi, defeating it at the cost of his own life. When Naruto's voice began wavering and he explained the lies behind it, that the Kyuubi could not be killed, only sealed, the pieces started falling into place.

"...S-so the Yondaime had to seal the Kyuubi's chakra into a newborn. And the kid he chose... it was me. Please don't hate me, Sakura-chan. I-I..." Naruto concluded, at a loss for what to say. Sasuke stood silent to one side, eyes flicking over the kunoichi. Sakura's head was down, leaving the two of them unable to see her face.

"I'll understand if you want to ask Iruka-sensei for a transfer, but please don't tell anyone else about this. Jiji says it's an S-class secret and you could get in a lot of trouble-" Naruto babbled, before a distraught Rei burst into the room, wrapping her arms around Naruto and sobbing.

"N-Naruto!" she admonished, thumping his chest without much real force. "Don't you dare talk like that! Don't you dare act like you deserve any of this!" she snapped, eyes full of angry tears.

Naruto was stunned into silence, even more so when Sakura looked up at him, also crying before she pulled herself into the hug. "All this time, you've been keeping us all safe from the K-Kyuubi. And so many people treated you like dirt... I'm so sorry, Naruto!" she choked.

Naruto managed to give a small smile. "At least now you know why people think I'm a social pirahna," he commented, blinking as Sakura snorted despite her tears. "What?"

"I think you mean pariah, Naruto." she laughed, Rei managing to giggle at it before they fell back into an easier silence.

Sasuke attempted to continue looking aloof, watching three of the people he cared about cry like children.

The fact that his eyes were watering was just the result of the Mangekyou.

Nothing else.

OoOoO

Iruka walked into the darkened bar, immediately replacing himself as a tipsy Mitarashi Anko attempted to grab the 'new meat' in a headlock. Glancing around, he saw a mostly-recovered Asuma sitting next to Yuuhi Kurenai. Best to leave them alone, seeing as they were trying (and completely failing) to keep their ongoing relationship a secret.

Seeing a fuming Maito Gai approaching... on his hands, he was able to determine that his target was somewhere near the bar itself, and he smiled as he passed the taijutsu expert. The man had been a big help in preparing for the Jounin examination, even if he'd nearly killed Iruka dozens of times in the process.

Iruka ordered a glass of water as he sidled in beside an extremely inebriated Jounin, who had a mask covering most of his face and his hitae-ate slung low over his left eye. "I hear you've been looking for me, Kakashi-san," he offered pleasantly, taking a sip as he turned to the slumped over elite. "Can I ask wh- whoa!" he cried, flinching away from a sudden backhand.

"Not 'nough that you've taken my team away," the Hatake slurred, stumbling to his feet. "Now you're actin' like nothin's wrong. Now come over here so's I c'n beat your ass." he continued. It would have been a lot more threatening if he was capable of standing up straight. As it was, Iruka narrowed his eyes and passed a few bills over to the bartender. He was hoping to get this over with without damage, but he wasn't an idiot.

"I think we should settle this somwhere a little less crowded, don't you?" he hedged, moving back towards the door, ready to dodge if necessary. The silver-haired man blinked in confusion, as though he'd forgotten he was in a public place to begin with. 'Then again," Iruka mused, seeing the bottles accumulated on the bar. "It's probably a miracle he's still conscious."

"Be at training ground seven in ten minutes. I'll prove I'm right..." Kakashi slurred, stumbling past Iruka and out the door as the patrons of the bar stared in shock. The awkward silence was broken by Anko, summing up the thoughts of all present.

"Holy fucking shit."

OoOoO

"You sure you want to do this, Iruka?" Asuma asked for the third time, as they stood a few yards away from Kakashi, who was by now at least able to stand upright. "I mean, he'll realise how ridiculous this is if we let him sober up a little-" he began, before Iruka silenced him with a raised hand.

"He needs to get this out of his system or it'll fester. The last thing we want is someone like him going crazy- any more than we need to be in our line of work. Plus, I'd rather have to fight him drunk than sober," Iruka smiled, trying to lighten the mood as he glanced at the crowd forming around them. "Do all these people need to be here?"

Kurenai walked up to them, eyebrows raised. "Iruka-san, you basically agreed to fight Hatake Kakashi. I'd be surprised if they didn't try to see it." she commented, looking at the betting slips exchanging hands.

Iruka sighed and walked up to Kakashi, holding out the Seal of Confrontation. The crowd held their breath for the long silence before Kakashi responded. This was no joke. This was a full-on, no-holds-barred fight for the honour of both combatants, lest they be eternally shamed. At least, if you believed Anko.

Asuma, seeing that neither was going to back down, stood between them, ready to step in if things went too far. "I guess, as I am apparently the only reasonable adult present, that I will be keeping track of the fight. Just try not to kill each other," he sighed, hand raised. "Ready?"

"Go!"