Shinobi's Percipience

In The Blood

It is in my honest opinion that the Uchiha clan has produced some of the finest shinobi and kunoichi that I have ever known. And I know that it will doubtless continue to produce men and women of exceptional caliber, so long as the clan exists.

- Senju Hashirama, in a letter to the 123rd Daimyo of the Land of Fire; May 19th, Akiharu 29 (109 BU)

I have no idea what you see in those guys.

- Senju Tobirama, in a memo to his brother; August 8th, Akiharu 29 (109 BU)

ACT 1

SHADOW

"I'm through." This was the first thing Sasuke said, upon entering. "That's it, I've had it. I am not handling these brats any longer."

This was the third time Naruto had heard him say those words since becoming Hokage, and for the third time, Naruto frowned and asked, "What's wrong with them?"

"They're just... terrible. Awful. Incompetent. Shall I continue? I could go on for hours." Sasuke sighed instead, pacing around Naruto's office, not even waiting for a reply. "Honestly. I can't handle them any longer. I'm through. This is a terrible idea. It's always been a terrible idea. Why do I keep doing this?"

Because your wife keeps talking to Sakura, and she keeps telling me that it'd be good for you, Naruto thought, but said nothing, instead standing, searching for, and finding the files on this particular batch of students. He flipped through the papers. "These guys were assigned to you only three days ago..." None of Sasuke's students tended to last more than a day, much less three. Odd. Naruto looked up. "Did you do the bell test?"

"Yes."

"And did they pass?"

A pause. "...yes. But only barely." The annoyance in his voice returned in an instant. "I asked for the best, I always ask for the best."

Tired eyes looked over the paper, and records of test scores and grade placements in the single digits were what they saw. First, third, fourth in their classes, never below the top five in any rank. "Sasuke, these are the best. They're top in their class, y'know. I even had Sakura make sure when I chose them."

"Then, please, explain to me why I find myself so disappointed," Sasuke continued. Naruto could hear his foot tapping on the floor. "Honestly, I'm waiting."

He put the files down and looked at his best friend with as severe a look as he could muster. "Sasuke, they passed the test, didn't they?"

"I don't care. I'm not interested." He had his arms crossed, and his red eyes were narrowed. As always.

"Just... explain to me what went wrong this time, okay?" Naruto said, managing a slight smile.

"One of them fainted before I could even introduce myself."

Naruto chuckled, almost nervously, almost knowingly. "Well, uh, maybe she was just a little nervous? First day of class, y'know."

"He."

"Oh." He frowned and thought this over for a moment. "Well, either way. Was he okay?"

"Of course he was fine. Took us five minutes to wake him up, and after that he was quaking like a leaf," said Sasuke. "I told him he should just go home, but no, it was 'I'm f-fine, I s-s-swear.'" He scoffed, starting another loop around the office. "Didn't say a word after that. Unlike the other one."

"Chatterbox, huh." Naruto was looking through the files again, though he wasn't really reading them. Three students, three photographs; two boys and a girl.

"Thinks I'm some sort of idol," was the half-grumbled reply.

Naruto glanced upward to see Sasuke glaring at him a bit more than usual, tapping his foot again. "That meaning...?"

"I was given a basket of tomatoes," Sasuke replied, "as a 'welcome gift.' And then I was offered a backrub. Apparently," he added, after a brief pause, "I look tense."

Naruto wondered, for a moment, if Sasuke still had as many female fans as he'd had when he was younger. If this was any indication… Pff, tomatoes. He struggled to turn his smile into something more like comfort, rather than amusement. "So'd you let her give you one?"

Sasuke didn't even reply, just glaring.

"Well, I dunno... Maybe she was just trying to make a good impression," Naruto continued. "I mean, I guess you're still pretty popular with the ladies, and you know how girls that age can be, y'know?"

"The girl was the one who gave me the least trouble."

Naruto paused, took a quick glance at the files again, and the photographs. He guessed that the boy that didn't look like the camera was going to eat him was the one that Sasuke was talking about.

Well, the world had shown him stranger things.

"It still doesn't sound that bad," Naruto said, putting the files down again. "And besides, man, they passed the bell test. That's huge, y'know."

"The bell test is nothing more than a diagnostic tool. It means nothing," Sasuke said.

"Well there's a reason, like, everyone uses it, y'know," Naruto replied.

"You do know that only Kakashi-sensei used it, don't you?"

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, paused, closed it, then began to speak. "Well we use it, too." Sasuke rolled his eyes and resumed pacing, as if that didn't answer everything. "Well none of your other students passed it, y'know. Didn't you send them all back to the academy?" Naruto continued.

"I did."

"So just take these guys in, I don't think it would be fair to send them back after getting this far, y'know." Naruto leaned forward on his desk and laced his fingers together, shrugging thoughtfully.

"I never said I was sending these three back to the academy. I'm merely requesting that you give them another teacher and leave me to my own business. I have enough on my plate already."

Naruto smirked. "So they're not that bad, then? Worth another shot?"

Sasuke stopped his pacing, not looking at Naruto. "...I'm too busy to handle them."

"And what, exactly, is keeping you busy?"

"That is between me and my clan." His Sharingan spun in annoyance, or intimidation.

Naruto sighed. Of course. He always did the whole eye-spinny-thingy whenever his family came up. "That's not the issue, Sasuke. Look, obviously, you think they have potential. Why not train them yourself? You can't be that busy, y'know."

"Trust me. I am."

And that was where Naruto found himself in a hard spot, a promise and a favor repeating in the back of his mind.

("Do it for her, Naruto. And their kids. They're overwhelmed and they could seriously use a break.")

"Well, that's not an issue. You can make time."

Sasuke stood there for several seconds, looking like he could annihilate a small fleet with his discontent.