Interlude: Kakashi's Report

Hatake Kakashi still didn't believe what had happened earlier that day.

He had actually passed a team.

A team that by all rights should've fallen apart the moment they got to the training ground. They had no existing basis for teamwork. There was a Genin who was so nervous he could barely talk, a Genin who was almost too disgusted by the test itself to look for any real meaning within it, and a Genin who was so anti-social that he made all of zero friends in the academy.

Kakashi was understandably bewildered, since none of the teams he had tested it on so far had understood the point of the test. All they thought was 'mine!' from the moment the test starts until a few minutes after he finished his 'you failed' speech. Then comes a Genin who, by all rights was brilliant though nothing that hadn't been seen before with a unique blood-line and he sees through the test almost immediately and corrals his teammates behind him without directly informing them of the test itself.

According to the records he had gone over before collecting them, Daisuke's parentage was completely unknown. No records existed, which was scary all on its own.

So, it was with a great deal of trepidation that he made his way to the Hokage's office, where all of the other Jounin were gathered before the Hokage to discuss their teams. He also knew that people were waiting for him to pass a team. He had hoped to save that for Uchiha Sasuke or his Sensei's own son in a year.

But then today happened.

He was not ready for today.

Up the stairs he went, the slow way, step by step. He had an image to protect, after all. Eventually, he came to the door to the Hokage's office and it opened before he could even knock. Standing at the door, was Maito Gai.

"Kakashi, my Eternal Rival!" He said, flashing his nice-guy pose. "Good to see you!"

Kakashi mentally sighed, though enjoyed. "Hello, Gai. How are you?"

"I'm fantastic!" Gai exclaimed. "Tell me, have you finally found a team youthful, cool and hip enough to pass your standards?"

"I think that's what the meetings for," Kakashi replied drolly. "The one that I'm late for?"

"Come in Kakashi," The Hokage called from within the office. "You're just in time."

Kakashi blinked, perturbed at the announcement. "I am?"

"Yes, I had to postpone the meeting due to unforeseen events," The Hokage said as Kakashi entered and took his seat on a cushion bordering a window.

"I see," Kakashi frowned underneath his mask.

Kakashi surveyed the room. Aside from Gai and himself, in there were thirteen other jounin, each supposedly with a team they were to teach. There were the token members from the Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi clans, a Hyuuga whom was standing straight in her seat. There were others not from clans. Sitting beside the Hokage was the Jounin Commander, Nara Shikaku. He was clearly there for administration purposes: He wanted to know which jounin would be available for high-risk missions and who would not.

"So, assorted jounin," The Hokage lit his pipe. "Now that we're all here, please, from team 1 to 15, report on whether or not they passed your individual probationary periods."

Not all jounin had tests like the Bell Test. Some simply conducted a formal or informal interview of each member before making their decisions. Others simply passed their students outright if they were that sure of their readiness. Others had a test very much like the bell test, but rigged in different ways, depending on what the sensei was looking for.

"Pass."

"Pass."

"Fail…"

And so it went. When Gai was called upon, he stood up.

"Yosh! Their skills are exemplary and even if they possess a hundred handicaps, I will stoke the fires of their youth so bright they shall outshine all their competition!" Gai shouted, striking a pose that somehow ended up upon a cliff with the waves of the sea beating upon the rocks in glorious fashion. "And if I cannot, I will train Genin-teams for the rest of my life!"

"So is that a pass?" The Hokage asked with an amused smile.

"Most certainly, Hokage-sama," Gai answered cheerfully.

"Wonderful," The Hokage replied. "I'm sure you'll do great things for all of them."

Eventually, it came to Kakashi. It was the moment he had been dreading since that Genin had his hand stuck on his hitai-ate. He sighed in defeat and got himself ready for a long, long meeting. "Pass."

The room had gone very still, all eyes on Kakashi. His test was really, really infamous amongst the other Jounin for being unbeatable by all Genin-teams that had been thrown at it. The fact that Kakashi had just declared that a team had passed was almost unthinkable.

Well, everyone was still except Gai, who was trying so hard to contain his excitement that he was shaking.

"Remarkable," The Hokage smiled. He took the pipe out of his mouth. "Before we hear Kakashi's report on his new Genin team, Miyamoto. Aonuma. Pass or fail?"

"Pass," The two jounin replied at the same time.

Something inside Kakashi groaned in annoyance as he felt the eyes of the entire room. Including the Hyuuga, who had her Byakugan on for some reason.

"So, Kakashi," The Hokage seemed to really enjoy what was going on. "Please report the events of the bell test."

Kakashi took a deep breath and readied himself. "Cell 13 demonstrated enough teamwork qualities to receive a passing grade in spite of failure to secure either bell. Genin Shimoda saw through the test nearly immediately and was able to somehow rally his team behind him in a plan to seize the bells."

"I see," The Hokage said. "That alone is commendable from them. Did they show any other remarkable traits?"

"Nakamura showed above average stealth capabilities," Kakashi replied. "Yamada demonstrated an ability to detect and break Genjutsu and Shimoda demonstrated tokubetsu-jounin level Taijutsu and better Chakra Control than mine."

Some disbelieving scoffs were heard around the room, alongside some chuckles, but all were silent as the Hokage's killing intent entered the room just enough for everyone to feel a slight chill in their bones.

"I can see you're not joking, Kakashi-san," The Hokage intoned, puffing his pipe for a long moment. "Please explain."

"Shimoda used telegraphed attacks to lure me into a trap," Kakashi replied. "He used the tree walking technique to stick to and attack me. Later, he used the same technique and when I attempted to push him off with my own chakra, I couldn't do it."

There were whispers going around the room and Kakashi withheld a sigh.

"To top it off," Kakashi wrapped up his report. "He had seen through the bell test and exploited his knowledge to force a pass."

"Did he give an explanation as to why his control was so good?" The Hokage asked.

"He credited his bloodline," Kakashi replied.

"And the other two?"

"Nakamura has talent in stealth and Yamada had seen through the Hellviewing Technique," Kakashi said. "Nothing as exciting."

No one moved or said anything aside from the occasional sharp whisper to their comrade beside them. Until Gai stood up. "Yosh! Our teams must duel to see who is the best team! I will train them so hard that they will surpass your superbly youthful Genin!"

Never change, Gai, Kakashi thought with a smile. Never change.

"Before this goes back to every clan in the room tonight," The Hokage said, standing and walking around to the front of the desk. "Please remember to pass on that attempting to suck up to the leader of a future clan is in terrible taste, especially since he's only twelve and only a week out of the academy. Am I understood?"

A chorus of 'Hai, Hokage-sama' went through the room.

Satisfied, he turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi-san?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"I want you suggest and encourage him to get his blood tested so we can see what we're dealing with here." The Hokage ordered. "Help him train and to find the limits of his bloodline. No forcing him to do anything. Report anything unusual that is claimed to be a part of the bloodline directly to me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Now, if there's nothing else?" The Hokage inquired.

"I do have something else to discuss in private, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied. "Alone. And it has nothing to do with Shimoda or his bloodline."

"Very well," The Hokage replied. "Everyone else, dismissed."

The room slowly filed out, the last to leave being the Jounin Commander.

"So what's this about if not an improbably powerful bloodline," The Hokage took another puff of his pipe.

"During the Bell Test, Nakamura Nichiren confessed to cheating on his graduation exams," Kakashi got the other thing out into the open.

"Has he?" The Hokage replied. "How did he do this?"

"With a soldier pill and clever application of sneezing powder."

The Hokage let out a short, barking laugh. "My goodness. What do you think should be done?"

"I wanted to request that he remain on the team," Kakashi answered.

The Hokage was quiet, as he puffed on his pipe. "Why?"

"Because he was afraid his lack of ability would result in his teammates getting killed and wanted to tell me even when his teammates didn't think it was necessarily wrong," Kakashi replied. "He swore that he would do everything in his power to rectify the gaps in his knowledge and skills."

"And why does he want to be a Shinobi?" The Hokage asked.

"He wants to be a medic-nin to help injured shinobi on the front lines," Kakashi answered.

The Hokage made a thoughtful sound, releasing several puffs of smoke.

"I will need to meet the lad," The Hokage replied. "Impress on him how cheating when it's not implicitly required is no way to handle his education. If he is as complicit as you say, then I will grant him the privilege of remaining on your team."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied with a bow. "That's all I had."

"Dismissed."

Kakashi was out the window in seconds and heading back to his home where he can just take a nap and recover from this insane day.

But in the Hokage's office, the Hokage gently sat back down in his chair, thinking over Kakashi's report. He thought back to that day, all those years ago, when Naruto, the innocent child he was, brought Daisuke to him, announcing to the orphanage that that was his friend.

"If I had known what you'd turn out to be," The Hokage chuckled, still remembering his embarrassed gratitude at receiving the little black note-book for his birthday. He sighed, looking over the copy of Daisuke's identification card.

"I think we're in for some eventful years."