Chapter 30: 27: End of the Prelims: Hokage Announcem

I frowned slightly as I watched Lee-kun and Gaara-kun make their way down to the arena from the stands, a feeling of worry building up in my chest. Would there have been enough changes to canon to allow Lee-kun to actually walk away from this? Or would history repeat itself?

If memory served, the initial injury that Lee-kun had received from Gaara-kun in the original timeline was just a broken leg, something that all Taijutsu fighters had to deal with at some point and easily recoverable from. What had almost ended his career as a Shinobi had been the further injuries to his arm and spine that Gaara had inflicted on him after the sand-user had already won.

Gaara-kun was just as expressionless as ever, but I knew that that was simply a facade for the bloodthirsty personality that that idiot Rasa and Shukaku had cultivated. The [Automatic Defence: Sand Shield] and [Final Defence: Sand Armour] had allowed Gaara-kun to develop a supreme being complex, as nothing had been able to hurt him in years, not even his own father. His loneliness and dislocation from his peers had driven him somewhat mad after another idiot, Yashamaru, had almost killed him on his father's orders.

Rasa had obviously been trying to kill Gaara-kun's emotions, in an even less humane way than Danzo had tried with his Root operatives. Wow… someone being worse than Danzo in that department… harsh.

By contrast, Lee-kun was just as much an excited ball of energy as he had always been. If things were going to turn out like they had in the original timeline, then everyone was going to see why a ninja did not need chakra or talent to be a force to be reckoned with.

I took in a calming breath as I looked between the two. "Are the both of you ready?" I questioned, getting nods from the both of them as Lee gave me a 'Nice Gai' pose. "Very well, BEGIN!"

I will just have to be ready to act if I am needed.

Lee-kun exploded into motion at my announcement as he threw a punch at Gaara-kun so quickly that if you had blinked, you would have missed it. Just as quickly, however, a tendail of sand blocked his fist. Karura-san's dying will to protect her son was almost enough to make me cry.

But, it wouldn't do for me to do that right here and now as I schooled my features carefully, keeping a close eye on the ongoing match. "The Kazekage's son is quite talented it seems," Hiruzen-sama commented, looking over at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Perhaps," I replied evenly. "But it seems like he is wasting his potential to me, he seems more like a wild animal to me right now than a shinobi."

Hiruzen-sama hummed in agreement as he nodded. "Indeed, he is quite bad at hiding his intentions, isn't he?" he sighed as he shook his head. "Such a shame, with the proper guidance, he could become truly amazing."

I closed my eyes as I nodded. "That he could," I murmured in agreement as Lee began to backflip away from the approaching sand. Gaara-kun wasn't even trying hard right now, I could tell. He was playing with Lee-kun, who had no way of attacking other than with his fists and feet. I would have to ask Gai-san why he didn't give Lee-kun more training in weapons, as that would be a very useful addition to his arsenal. In the original timeline, Lee-kun had only ever used a Six-Section Staff a grand total of once, during the Crescent Moon Kingdom incident.

Making a note to bring that up with Gai-san, I refocused on the match as Lee-kun deftly avoided Gaara-kun's sand attacks with the minimal amount of movement necessary.

Really, Lee-kun was nothing short of a genius in his own way, how could he be anything else when standing on this stage with nothing but his taijutsu.

Lee-kun was forced back, the green-clad genin landing on the statue of the hand-seals above me. Ah. It was about to happen.

"Lee! Take 'em off!" Gai-san boomed with a 'Nice Gai' pose.

Really, those weights of his were ridiculous, I couldn't help but note just how deep of a crater they made upon landing as Lee-kun began stretching. "Really, Gai-san…" I chuckled in amusement. "You truly did find a diamond in the rough." Because really, what else could Lee-kun be if he not only was able to endure such continual hellish training, but flourish under it.

The crowd gasped in shock as Lee-kun vanished from sight, no jutsu like my [Inaba Flicker], just pure speed. Seriously, I shudder at the through of Lee-kun actually being able to use jutsu with his current work ethic.

Gaara-kun's eyes widened in shock as something struck his shield behind him, only for there to be nothing there as he turned to face the threat. Another strike hit the shield from behind, making him turn once more, confusion obvious in his eyes as blows started to rain on his shield from all directions without pause.

I had my own Sharingan active to help me track Lee-kun's movements as he rapidly move around the circumference of Gaara-kun's shield, probing it for weakpoints with rapid-fire jabs and kicks before he wound a punch up and broke through the shield, grazing Gaara-kun's cheek.

Before the Jinchuuriki could even react to this, Lee-kun was already moving away and launching a kick at Gaara-kun's back, the sand struggling to keep up with the speed of the genin.

"Truly, in terms of pure physical capabilities, Lee-kun is nearly at the jonin level," Hiruzen-sama commented with a proud smile. "But… unfortunately, it doesn't seem like that will be enough."

"I wouldn't say that, I think Lee-kun still has some more tricks up his sleeve," I said with a chuckle.

"I have no doubt about that," Hiruzen-sama assured with a nod as Lee-kun managed to land a solid blow on Gaara-kun's cheek. "But… I do not believe his current mindset is that of a chunin at this time."

I grimaced a bit in response, unable to counter his point. The simple truth of the matter was that Lee-kun's limitation was not his lack of ability to fully utilize chakra outside of the basic self-reinforcement and 'walking exercises'. It was his mindset of 'charge the enemy' that held him back the most.

Really, while his taijutsu is very powerful, I would even go as far as saying it was better than my own, he was single minded in his approach as to how he used it. Rather than trying to brute force his way through, he should be seeking other avenues of attacks, like leaving behind explosive tags when he punched through the sand.

Bluntly, he was not acting like a ninja. I knew he was capable of being stealthy after the timeskip in the original timeline, but right here, right now? He was as stealthy and subtle as an elephant. His combat abilities were unbelievable considering his inability to use most external chakra jutsu, but I was forced to agree with Hiruzen-sama in this regard. Lee-kun needed far more tempering before he was ready to be a Chunin.

It was a shame, but it didn't look like anything would be changing from this fight. Letting out a sigh I watched as Lee-kun unleashed the Front Lotus on Gaara-kun before signalling a nearby chuunin. "Have the medics prep the surgery theatre," I instructed in a low voice, watching as everyone witnessed Gaara-kun's replacement.

"Yes, Yuriko-sama," the chunin confirmed before disappearing, getting a raised eyebrow from Hiruzen-sama.

"Just in case?" he questioned curiously.

I nodded in response. "I have a feeling that Lee-kun is going to go overboard, and Gaara-kun will follow suit," I replied calmly. "Not to mention the fact that Gaara-kun's bloodlust has been growing by the second…"

Hiruzen-sama hummed in response, the Jinchuriki of Shukaku did a good job of hiding it, mostly, but for shinobi like myself and Hiruzen-sama, it was plain as day how much he wanted to kill Lee-kun. "Agreed. Be ready to act if Gaara-kun does go too far."

"That was my intention, Hiruzen-sama." I retorted with a small snort.

Hiruzen-sama chuckled at my response, glancing over to me in the corner of his eye as I tensed for action, my eyes narrowing as Lee-kun began to open his Inner Gates. "Gai-san..." I sighed in resignation.

"Mm, to be able to open the Gates at his age, a remarkable feat." Hiruzen-sama nodded slowly before sighing. "Sadly, using it like this will seriously damage his body, to the point that he will be in hospital for most of the next month at least. A poor decision."

I nodded in response. "His body isn't prepared for the strain of anything more than the first gate," I agreed. "It has yet to finish maturing and isn't stable enough to channel the raw chakra blocked by the gates."

Hiruzen-sama smirked over at me. "I do hope that you will be able to ensure he can correct that fact," he informed me.

"I shall do my best," I assured him, smiling a bit. "Although… it would be easier if Tsunade-san was here as well."

Just as I finished speaking, I was treated to one of the most awe-inspiring sights of the pre-timeskip show...Lee-kun pummelling Gaara-kun in midair like a punching bag. He moved so fast that even my Sharingan at the three-tomoe level was barely enough to see the way he moved. He hit the redheaded Jinchuriki so many times that I would have lost count had it not been for my eyes.

Wrapping Gaara-kun in bandages, Lee-kun drew back a fist as he sped down towards the bound Jinchuriki. "[Hidden Lotus]!" he shouted before slamming his fist into Gaara-kun, sending him slamming into the ground like a missile, sending a large dust cloud up. Temari-chan and Kankuro-kun looked horrified, which was heartening to see. They really did want to see Gaara-kun as their brother.

Lee-kun landed awkwardly, his muscles spasming. The power and fury of the [Hidden Lotus] had faded, leaving him so weak he could be beaten by a third year academy student, let alone a genin. This was why the Inner Gates was considered a jutsu of last resort.

Gai-san caught my eye and shook his head, silently asking me not to interfere. I shook my head back, denying him. I was the proctor, not him.

"This match it over!" I announced, getting shocked looks from everyone. "I judge Rock Lee to be unable to continue! The winner is Gaara!"

There was shocked and confused murmurings from the genin as the assorted jonin nodded in agreement, seconds before sand launched out to strike at the weakened Leaf Genin. In a flash, I stood in front of Lee-kun, surrounding him in the ribcage of my [Susano'o] that the sand was unable to penetrate.

"Did you not hear me, Gaara of the Desert?" I asked mildly. "This match...is over."

Gaara-kun emerged from the dust cloud, eye boring into me and KI spewing like flood water over me. It was rather impressive for a genin, but I was no genin. "His death will prove my existence!" the redhead snarled.

The genin and jonin shuddered when Gaara-kun unleashed his KI.

They nearly fainted when I unleashed my own as I glared at the Jinchuriki with my Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. "You will stand down, genin." I said in a soft tone that carried throughout the entire arena. "If you seek to continue, disqualification will be the least of your worries."

Gaara-kun froze, his eyes going wide as I pressed my intent upon him, only letting up when he took a hesitant step back. "A smart choice," I informed him before turning behind me to Lee-kun who was being supported by Gai-san. "Bring him to the infirmary, they are setting up for his surgery."

Gai-san swallowed tightly before nodding his accepting his assistance as he picked up his genin and moved to bring him to the infirmary. "Would you please take my place for the remaining ones, Anko-san," I requested the special jonin who nodded quickly in response, the memory of my KI still in her mind. "My thanks."

I followed after Gai-san and Lee-kun, preparing myself for his surgery as I moved. While not as bad as in canon, this was still going to be a rough surgery.

Time to prove my skill once again.

The damage to Lee-kun was even worse than I had thought, micro-fractures along his entire skeletal structure, his left arm and right leg were literally in pieces, while his heart was on the verge of exploding from the amount of blood that had been forced through it.

As it stood, he would make a recovery, but he would be sidelined for at least three months, preferably five just to be absolutely certain he was fully recovered, and that was including physiotherapy.

I left the theatre and met Gai-san, who was waiting anxiously.

"He'll recover, but it'll take half a year IF he doesn't overdo it and IF he follows the recovery plan to the letter." I said sharply, making the normally exuberant elite jonin flinch. "Gai-san, I am not a Jonin-sensei, nor do I claim to know everything about Lee-kun, but his education as a shinobi is shockingly lopsided. Even with his inability to use most forms of external chakra expression, I can think of over a dozen ways he could have fought Gaara that were smarter and more sophisticated than 'CHARGE!' like he was doing out there. You've done a tremendous job in training his body...now you must train his mind, or he will never rise to fulfil the potential that both I and Hokage-sama can see in him."

With those icy words, I left him frowning in contemplation to return to the arena.

It was harsh, and it hurt me to strike at someone I respected so much in such a manner, but it was something that was needed to be said. Things have begun to change in a manner that I couldn't predict, so I needed to make sure everyone was able to fight at their best.

Closing my eyes I paused for a moment to take in a breath and gathered myself before stepping into the prelim's arena as the matchings for the tournament were announced. I quickly glanced over the matchings and paused for a moment as I looked over them.

Match One

Naruto Uzumaki vs Neji Hyuuga

Match Two

Kurotsuchi vs Chojuro

Match Three

Sakura Haruno vs Temari

Match Four

Shikamaru Nara vs Shino Aburame

Match Five

Gaara vs Sasuke Uchiha

Different, yet the same, funny how life works out like that.

It seemed like that Hiruzen-sama had just finished his speech about the coming month as the remaining ten combatants were looking a bit contemplative, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan all looking at me with hopeful eyes, obviously hoping that I would be able to help them train.

Unfortunately for them, that wasn't about to happen this time around.

"You are all dismissed now, I wish you the best of luck in one month's time from now," Hiruzen-sama said with a kind smile to all of the genin. "I look forward to seeing your growth and development."

Taking their cue, the genin began to follow their Jonin-sensei out of the arena as I approached Hiruzen-sama. "My apologies for leaving part way through, Hiruzen-sama," I said with a slight bow of my head.

"It is of no concern," the aged leader replied with a smile. "How is Lee-kun?"

"In recovery, so long as he sticks to the recovery plan I gave to Gai-san and doesn't overdo his physiotherapy, he should be able to resume his duties within the year," I informed with a soft smile.

Hiruzen-sama smile at me as he motioned for me to follow him. "That is good to hear," he said with a relieved sigh. "I would hate to see the promising career of one so young to be snuffed out so soon."

I nodded in agreement as I followed the aged leader into the forest, the assorted predators obviously knowing better than to try to attack the two of us.

"Are you prepared?" He questioned me, looking over his shoulder at me with a quizzical look. "This council meeting is going to be a turning moment for you."

I took in a breath and smiled at him. "I will be," I assured him. "I will be ready to take your seat at the end of the exams."

He smiled at me warmly in response. "That is good to hear, Yuriko-chan," he told me with a soft sigh as he looked up at the sky that peeked through the foliage of the forest. "Trust me when I say that I know I am leaving the village in capable hands."

I bowed my head in acceptance of his words. "I shall do my best to live up to that trust," I replied with a smile, a warm feeling building up inside of me at those words. "If you would allow it, Hiruzen-sama, this coming month, I would wish to take a small leave of absence to do some personal training, starting after this council meeting."

The Hokage paused for a moment at my words before turning to face me with a quizzical look at me.

"I am fully confident in my ability to fight and survive, but I feel that if I am to lead this village, I need to be even stronger than I am," I told him bluntly. "Orochimaru's sneak attack on me proved that I am not completely ready to lead the village just yet."

He hummed in response before nodding. "I shall allow this," he informed me in a firm tone. "Take this time to make any preparations you see fit," he instructed me. "I expect to see you in my office for a debriefing three days before the start of the final stage of the chunin exams."

I nodded in response. "As you wish, Hokage-sama," I replied formally, bowing to him.

"I think that's enough of the formality," he replied with a chuckle as he turned to resume our trek through the forest. "Where do you plan on doing your training?"

I remained silent for a moment, gathering my thoughts before replying. "The being that gave me my power, decided to help me out a bit more and set something up to help me train," I said finally, getting a curious look from him. "We speak occasionally, but I wouldn't expect too much help from him, he does what amuses him."

Hiruzen-sama nodded his understanding. "Understandable," he replied with a heavy sigh, remembering what I told him about my suspicions about my 'friend'. "I shall trust your judgement in this then."

"Thank you, Hiruzen-sama," I said, smiling at him as we exited the forest and headed towards the village.

Our trip through the village was a more quiet one as we greeted the various civilians who were going about their days, getting ready for the finals in a month where there would be various nobles, merchants and spectators coming from afar.

Soon enough we were in the Hokage Tower heading for the council chambers where the assorted members were already gathering.

"Hey, Yuriko, how's it going?" Tsume greeted with the trademarked feral grin of the Inuzuka Clan as I took my seat next to her.

"It goes well, how about yourself, Tsume?" I questioned my compatriot with a polite smile.

"Eh, not too badly, going to have to kick Kiba's ass into shape after losing to a Nara of all people," the woman groused shooting a glare to Shikaku who chuckled lazily from where he was sitting. "Man, the kid didn't even need to lay a hand on my pup to beat him either…"

I chuckled a bit in amusement. "Perhaps he should learn to cool his head down a bit," I suggested, smiling at the Inuzuka next to me who huffed and rolled her eyes.

"You don't think I haven't been trying that?" she questioned gruffly. "He behaves less like a canny pack animal and more like a rabid beast sometimes, hopefully this will teach him otherwise…"

"I'm sure you will figure something out," I assured with another chuckle as the last member of the civilian council entered, allowing the meeting proper to start.

While most council meetings were between the clan heads, the jonin commander, the ANBU commander and the Hokage, once a month the civilian council were allowed to attend to air any concerns they had with the security of the village and to hear any official announcements being made.

Thankfully they were fully aware of what were to happen if they were to try and waste our time with meaningless concerns and only brought forth legitimate ones to be discussed, things like guards of important imports of metals that weren't found in Hi no Kuni or patrols for the farms outside of Konoha proper.

"Before we call this meeting to a close, there is one last announcement I wish to make," Hiruzen-sama announced to everyone after the final item was discussed to an acceptable conclusion. "At the end of the final stage of this chunin exam, I will be announcing my retirement and my successor."

The room paused as they stared at the Hokage in surprise, and I couldn't exactly blame them, Hiruzen-sama was the longest running Kage in the Elemental Nations, beating even the Sandaime Tsuchikage out by five years.

"Have you decided on a successor already?" Hiashi questioned curiously as he turned to look at the Hokage.

Hiruzen-sama nodded in confirmation. "I have, the one who will succeed me as the Godaime Hokage shall be Yuriko Uchiha," he informed the room as I suddenly found myself to be the object of interest for the room.

I let out a small breath as I kept myself composed under their stares.

"Is that… wise, Hiruzen?" The first one to speak up was, not too surprisingly, Homura who was looking between myself and the Hokage with a nervous look. "She is still rather… young don't you think?"

"Not to mention she is descended from him," Koharu protested a bit more vehemently.

I frowned as I turned my gaze to the two councillors, but before I could reply to their accusations, however, someone else spoke up in my defense.

"If you really think she is anything like Madara, then the two of you are idiots," Shikaku spoke up, surprising everyone that his usual lazy and sleepy demeanor was nowhere to be seen. "She has done nothing but work to protect Konoha and its people since she was a genin during the last war, something, I may note, neither of you really participated in…"

The two recoiled from the unsaid accusation before someone else spoke up, surprisingly from the civilian side. "Excuse me, I know that our opinion is not as powerful as the shinobi," one of the younger civilians spoke up, the representative of the farming communities that supplies Konohagakure with its food if I remembered correctly. "But… why are you questioning Hokage-sama's decision on this?"

I barely restrained a bark of laughter that bubbled up at the young man's question, really I couldn't have scripted such a question better myself.

"I may not know shinobi very well, due to the nature of your work, but even we in the farms have heard of Yuriko Uchiha," the young man continued. "And, sorry for saying this, Hokage-sama, but… he is getting old, most people retire before they even hit your ages, Hokage-sama, honored councillors."

"No need to apologise, Higa-kun," Hiruzen-sama informed with a calm, placating smile. "You do have a point after all. I think it is time for the three of us to retire, Homura, Koharu."

The two turned, opening their mouths to protest his words before freezing as they caught his eyes, while his facial expression was set in his usual grandfatherly smile, mostly for the benefit of the civilian council, his eyes were speaking a different story altogether as they glared at his two teammates with a wordless threat.

"Yuriko-chan, is there anybody you would like to request to take the position as your advisors?" he questioned, turning to me with a patient smile.

It was something I had through long and hard on, since he told me his decision. "I do," I informed calmly. "If they would be willing, I would like to work with Hiashi Hyuuga and Tsume Inuzuka as my advisors."

The gathered council members rippled for a moment at my request as Tsume stared at me for a moment before barking out in a laugh. "Sure, I'm game to advise you!" she informed in her usual brash manner as she clapped me on the shoulder.

"It would be an honor to serve as your advisor," Hiashi assured me from his position with a nod of agreement.

Hiruzen-sama smiled at the three of us before nodding. "Very well then, Yuriko Uchiha will be assuming the mantle of Hokage one week after the chunin exams are completed," he informed proudly, although he did shoot his teammates a look, telling them to silence any other arguments they had. "Homura, Koharu, kindly meet me in my office for a discussion after this. The rest of you, dismissed."

"Shit, Godaime Hokage," Tsume said with a shake of her head as she grinned at me. "Quite the difference from being the Hokage's assistant, huh?" she said teasingly, referring to my time under Minato-sama.

I rolled my eyes in response as we move out of the chambers, an easy grin on my face. "Yeah, well, you're going to be one of my advisors," I told her calmly. "Are you really in any position to speak up about big leaps?"

The Inuzuka clan head lead out a bark of laughter in response. "Yeah, I can't really speak up to that, now can I, Hiashi?" she questioned, turning to the Hyuuga Clan head who walked up to join the pair of us.

"I think it is a reasonable choice," Hiashi informed in his usual calm demeanor. "You balance myself out quite well when you compare the two of us."

Tsume snorted in response as I smile at the pair of them. "So, do your brats know about this?" the wild woman questioned.

I shook my head in response. "No, they don't, I told Roshi, but I wanted to surprise the two of them," I informed her with a grin, getting a laugh from her.

"Ah, that blond runt of yours will be shocked at that announcement," Tsume said in amusement as we walked through the halls of the tower. "He did pretty good in the prelims, beating a member of Suna's Puppet Corps isn't an easy thing to do, I remember one in the Second War… eh what was his name again?"

"You mean Sasori of the Red Sand?" Hiashi prompted.

"Ah, yeah, him, vicious bastard he was," Tsume nodded in confirmation. "Thank goodness Tsunade-sama was around to counter his poisons."

I hummed in response as the three of us left the building, civilians giving us a berth as when three high ranked shinobi were walking around with our headbands on meant we were talking business. "First thing I want you to advise me on," I mentioned to them in a low voice. "I am considering recalling her back to active duty in the hospital."

The two of them turned to me with speculative looks at my statement. "It would be good to have her back, even if it's just in the hospital," Tsume said after a moment. "Nothing against your skills but…"

I smirked at her with a small chuckle. "Tsunade is better in the hospital than me, I have freely admitted that from day one," I replied.

Tsume snorted. "Yeah, but you're worth five of her on the battlefield, I've seen your work during the third war," she commented, swatting my shoulder lightly.

"How do you plan on getting her to return?" Hiashi questioned curiously, raising an eyebrow at me.

"By being a shinobi," I replied with a grin. "Hit her low, I will be sending Jiraiya and ask Hiruzen-sama to do one last mission for me if he would be willing."

The two looked at me before Tsume spoke up. "Now that's just evil," she said with an admiring look. "Her teammate and her sensei? Damn, talk about guilt tripping someone."

"The thing is, Konoha needs all the Shinobi it can get. Having one of our S-Rank Kunoichi wandering Hi no Kuni in a drunken stupor is not only mismanagement of resources, but damaging for our reputation." I said with a sigh. "I can understand why Hokage-sama allowed it, but it does not mean I will permit it. Besides… She still has family here."

"Family...you mean Naruto-san, do you not?" Hiashi cottoned on quickly.

"Yes. Senju and Uzumaki are closely related. It would be good to give Naruto-kun some degree of actual blood-related family." I nodded.

"You really dote on the kid," Tsume noted in a soft voice.

I paused at that statement for a moment before replying. "You know how we Uchiha are," I commented. "We never do things by halves."

That sent Tsume into a fit of laughter. "That you don't," she agreed. "You start off learning some medical jutsu from your mom, next thing you know you're comparable to Tsunade of all people!"

I rolled my eyes at her. "Anything worth learning is worth learning right." I informed her. "Anyway, the finals are a month away. Any guesses on who's going to get promoted?"

"Those brats of yours for one," Tsume said with a roll of her eyes. "All three of them are already standing at a Chunin level, they just need the vests to match."

"Shikamaru and Shino are both viable choices as well, depending on the progress they make this month," Hiashi commented as we moved into a teahouse. "Both are strong tactical planners, but they do need to build up their individual abilities more."

I snorted a bit in response. "What a surprise, a Nara and Aburame are tactical planners," I said humorously before chuckling. "Remember Aika Nara and Doro Aburame?"

The two of them blinked before Tsume laughed. "The two taijutsu specialists!" she giggled out. "Oh I almost forgot about them!"

"Indeed, they certainly went against the curve," Hiashi nodded in agreement, his lips quirking in amusement, their conversation pausing for a moment as the waitress came over and took their orders. "So, who will be training your three?"

I hummed a bit in response. "Well, I know Saya-taicho was looking at Sakura-chan for the Hospital, so I think it wouldn't be too hard," I explained as I tapped my chin a bit. "Plus my mother is more than willing to help her out with some other things. I know Kakashi-san has been interested in teaching Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun for a while now, particularly Sasuke-kun as he can actually inherit the majority of his skills. As for Naruto-kun… there is someone I know who will be teaching him."

My two new advisors looked at me with raised eyebrows, obviously waiting to hear a name as I grinned at them.

Tsume finally let out a sigh of complaint. "You're not going to tell us who it is, are you?" she questioned irritably.

"Mm, not really, I want it to be a surprise," I said with a grin as I sipped the tea that had been brought out. "Anyways, as much as I would love to chat with you two for a while… I have to ensure that his trainer actually does his job before I go for my own training."

The two looked at each other before looking back to me. "Do you need assistance with it?" Hiashi questioned in concern.

I shook my head in response as I finished the last of my tea. "No, I have something arranged for it, so, don't expect to see me around the village very much for this coming month," I informed them as I stood, leaving some Ryo for my own share. "See you two later."

The two gave their own goodbyes as I left the stand and made my way into the village, heading for the hot springs where I knew the person who would be training Naruto would be hanging out around.

Sure enough, as I approached, since I was looking FOR him, I could see the telltale white hair and red haori of the toad sannin in one of the trees that surrounded the hot springs. "Jiraiya-sama, please come down from there," I called up to the sannin in a chilly voice, making the man shudder as he turned to look down at me.

The years certainly have been kind to the remaining loyal sannin, as far as the village was concerned, with him maintaining his relatively youthful good looks without the aid of Orochimaru's body swapping or Tsunade's jutsu - something I suspect to be apart of his status as an actual sage.

"Ah, Yuriko-chan…" Jiraiya-sama said slowly, looking a bit nervous at being caught by me. "You're looking… lovely today…"

I let out a sigh as I shook my head. "Just get down here, Jiraiya-sama, there is something we need to discuss," I informed the sannin with a long-suffering look at him as he chuckled.

I knew I was never going to change his perverted ways, so I wasn't even going to bother with it.

"So, how can I help out the next Hokage?" Jiraiya questioned, waggling his eyebrows at me, well, at least I didn't have to worry about anyone listening in if he was speaking so freely about that. "Need some advice for the bedroom?"

I rolled my eyes at his suggestive comment. "Roshi and I are quite happy in that regard, thank you," I informed him plainly. "No, I'm here to talk to you about something else… Naruto-kun."

Jiraiya-sama paused as he looked at me with narrowed eyes, trying to gauge what I was going to say from my expression. "Is something wrong with him? With the seal?" he questioned in concern.

"No, nothing like that, thankfully, even his training to access the Kyuubi's chakra is going well, no, this is about his participation in the final stage of the chunin exams," I informed him, getting a raised eyebrow. "I want you to be his trainer for the final stage."

"Is that… wise?" Jiraiya-sama questioned. "With how close we both were to Minato… it took a lot just to keep the questions about you raising a blond kid after Minato's passing, hell, some even thought you were his mother of his kid."

I rolled my eyes at that insinuation. "I think we both know that Naruto-kin's heritage was something of an open secret to the world," I countered with a second roll of my eyes. "Especially as he got older."

Jiraiya-sama grimaced at my point. "I take it it's also because of the Akatsuki?" he asked in lower voice.

"Yes," I nodded in confirmation, a grimace on my face. "Kakuzu knew to target him and Sasuke-kun to draw me out… we need him to be able to at the very least be able to escape their clutches on his own."

Jiraiya-sama nodded in agreement. "What kind of training were you thinking of?" he asked, not quite agreeing to do so quite yet.

I shrugged a bit. "Honestly, I think you would know best," I replied, meeting his gaze seriously. "He does fight in a very similar manner to you."

Jiraiya-sama sighed as he rubbed back of his neck for a bit. "Well… the toads have been on my case of finding another summoner for the contract…" he groused a bit as a smile grew on my face.

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama," I told the man gratefully. "I know he'll be in good hands with you."

It was always surprising how adorable a grown man could look when he was blushing in embarrassment.

"You really do take after Kushina sometimes, you know that right?" he groused at me with an embarrassed glare as I laughed in amusement.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Jiraiya-sama," I replied easily. "Where should I tell him to meet you?"

Jiraiya-sama waved me off a bit in response. "I'll come by and pick him up myself tomorrow," he informed me.

I nodded in acceptance. "Thank you," I told him gratefully, patting his shoulder. There was a reason, even after all my years of knowing him, I still referred to Jiraiya with the suffix of 'sama', he had earned it. "As a fair warning, after the chunin exams, I will have a mission for you."

Jiraiya-sama's face became a bit more solemn as he met my gaze. "Tsunade-hime?" he hedged speculatively, gaining a nod from me. "It won't be easy to convince her to return…"

"I'll make sure you have help for the mission," I assured him. "Just be ready for it."

Jiraiya-sama nodded his acceptance as his face broke into a beaming grin. "Hey, this is the great Jiraiya-sama you're talking to!" he announced in a proud voice. "I am always prepared for any situation!"

I laughed in amusement to his boasting. "I shall hold you to that then, Jiraiya-sama," I told him. "If you wish, you are free to join us for breakfast tomorrow, it would be good to spend some time with you again."

Jiraiya-sama chuckled a bit in response. "It would be my pleasure," he replied easily in an over exaggerated manner as he bowed to me like one would to a noble. "I shall meet you in the morning then, fair Lady Uchiha."

I rolled my eyes in response. "Just make sure you're tidy for once," I told him sternly as I began to walk away. "I won't be afraid to break out the hose if you smell like hookers and booze!"

Jiraiya-sama's response was to simply laugh as he began to make his way back up the tree to his peeping spot to resume his preferred pastime.

END CHAPTER!

Yuriko's Stats

Name: Yuriko

Level: 81

EXP: 39,047/70,000

Age: 23

Gender: Female

Title: Uchiha Clan head (+50% to all reputation gains, command of the Uchiha Clan)

Secondary Title: Equal to the Clan Killer (+50% to all stats, +200 HP & CP per level, Reputation with Konohagakure and Uchiha Clan is set to [Exalted])

STATS - Current

HP - 12,000

CP - 38,500

STR - 100 (175)

INT - 140 (210)

DEX - 160 (280)

VIT - 100 (175)

WIS -140 (210)

LUK - 45 (65)

Ryo - 39,115,254

Stat Points: 10