Chapter Text
"Regarding the genin you'll be in charge of,” the Sandaime said, smoke curling up from his pipe, “I'm sure this new batch will hold your interest."
Hatake Kakashi watched the old man carefully. To most of the village, Sarutobi Hiruzen was The Professor, a warm, patient, grandfatherly leader. Kakashi knew better. He had worn a mask in the darkest halls, taken orders in silence, and watched the Third choose what to show the world and what to bury.
This little performance was not for Kakashi. It was for the building. For the Council’s ears. For the record. For Sarutobi himself. Kakashi didn’t bother to pretend he was charmed. None of them needed him to be.
He was the only loyal Sharingan left. It didn't take a genius to figure out they would assign him to his sensei's son and the Uchiha heir. And this time, both the Hokage and the Council would expect him to pass the team.
"Who's the kunoichi?" Kakashi cut in.
Sarutobi slid a folder across the desk. “Haruno Sakura, top kunoichi of her graduating class."
Kakashi opened the file and ignored the expected scores: great theory, good control, decent taijutsu. His attention went to the comments, where Umino Iruka had written what numbers couldn’t.
Haruno Sakura: highly motivated and competitive. Exemplary chakra control. Prone to emotional outbursts; if properly channeled, should accelerate growth in all areas. Strong fixation on Uchiha Sasuke.
Kakashi’s visible eye narrowed. He flipped to Naruto’s file, wanting to see how blunt they’d dared to be on paper.
Uzumaki Naruto: exceptionally high stamina and chakra reserves; control remains inconsistent. Loud, impulsive, attention-seeking. Responds strongly to praise. Has expressed a crush on Haruno Sakura.
"She's clever." the Sandaime pointed out mildly. "I'd say it's much like Minato's old team."
Kakashi didn't think that was a good thing. His team had been a disaster from the beginning. Especially at the beginning.
"I carefully consider each of these assignments -" Sarutobi began, grandfatherly.
"Lord Third,” Kakashi interrupted, “I won't teach a love triangle."
The Hokage exhaled smoke, long and patient. "Men notice women, and rivalry matures both."
"It can also burn a team down." Kakashi’s mind slipped, uninvited, into old memories. Obito's one-sided rivalry and Rin's crush had only worsened his own dismissiveness. It had already been too late when he saw their worth. "Give me another kunoichi."
"I believe Haruno Sakura has the potential to be a fine shinobi,” Sarutobi said. “Right now, she's average. However - "
The former Anbu Captain turned to his Hokage and repeated, "If you want me to pass this team, get me another kunoichi."
The old man sighed, long and indulgent. Kakashi knew it was not calmness but calculation shifting.
"She needs to be civilian-born,” the Third said at last, tone turning practical. “If we put Sasuke and Naruto with another clan genin, the Council will call it favoritism.”
Kakashi’s mind moved quickly through what he knew of this year's graduates. Seven clan heirs, six already arranged like pieces on a board in a fragile equilibrium of politics and ability.
"That's fine. After the Hyuga, who's the best at taijutsu?" If he was going to be teaching the Jinchuriki and Konoha's last Uchiha, his team wasn't going to be spared from combat.
“If you are thinking in terms of survivability,” the Hokage paused for a moment too long, just long enough for Kakashi to believe this was an unexpected movement on The Third’s board, “… then, Sakasu Hikari.”
Another folder slid across the desk. Above average in most categories. Exceptional in kunoichi exercises. Tactical creativity noted more than once. Decent chakra control. And the taijutsu notes were highlighted and annotated, as if the instructors hadn’t agreed on how to measure her.
“Her family is… unconventional,” Sarutobi added.
Kakashi looked up.
“Her parents lead the kyokuba-dan, Fire’s traveling troupe.”
Kakashi took that it.
He had never met one of them, not properly. ANBU had no reason to since the troupe didn’t wander into high-risk countries. But he knew the name: a clan who trained performance they way shinobi trained chakra. Aerialists, contortionists, jugglers, musicians, actors… they were people who lived by timing and teamwork, where mistakes broke bones and couldn’t be healed with a medic-nin’s palm.
Creative. Disciplined. Team-bound.
Also, outside the shinobi machine in ways the village didn’t know how to categorize. Kakashi looked down and began to flip the pages.
Taijutsu Assessment (General): Moves like an acrobat: unorthodox balance and flexibility. Uses momentum and timing rather than force. Avoids frontal exchanges, prioritizes positioning and exits.
Iruka’s handwriting was neat and careful:
Umino Iruka: Highly disciplined, prioritizes safety of the team. Good teammate in structured drills, keeps time and spacing instinctively. Writes off unreliable partners quickly. Relaxes only after injuries are ruled out. Can be overly literal with authority; does not always distinguish formalities from rules.
Mizuki’s handwriting was sharper and more impatient:
Mizuki: Talented but lacks proper shinobi aggression. Prioritizes survival over victory. Weakness: hesitates to strike if it risks collateral harm; chooses retreat over damage. Note: potentially manipulative with language – speaks like an adult. Difficult to reprimand because she sounds respectful even when disagreeing.
Then a lower year teacher, writing like someone documenting a problem they didn’t know how to solve:
Homeroom: Other students call her “Sakasu-hime”. It began with civilian students as teasing. Hikari does not seem to understand what it means. She treats it like a title, which escalates the teasing.
Kakashi’s eye lingered on that before he flipped to the kunoichi training section.
The handwriting was rounded, expressive, messy with enthusiasm.
Tokubetsu Jounin Suzume (Kunoichi Training): Hikari is a dream. Balance like she was born on a wire. Flexible as a contortionist. Learns choreography faster than anyone I’ve ever taught. She uses self-control as a coping mechanism. When uncertain, she tightens (voice, posture, expression) until she becomes “correct”. Believes correctness keeps people safe. I've seen her taijutsu practice, it is clear that someone taught her that one mistake can break someone’s body. Difficulty with polite lies, tends towards literal answers. Tendency to treat the room like a stage: projects voice, makes eye contact, great diction. Trained in theater. Treats identity like wardrobe: changes posture, breath, smile, cadence on command. With polish, she could excel in charm-based infiltration. Do NOT assign missions requiring close contact, she startles at touch and locks up if hands linger.
Kakashi felt something old twist behind his ribs, unwanted and familiar.
And then, the line that made Kakashi pause for real:
Recommendation: apprenticeship.
If the Hokage permits, I request Sakasu Hikari as an apprentice after graduation. I can refine her kunoichi skillset into field utility: disguise, infiltration, silent takedowns, and information extraction. She already understands performance; she only lacks shinobi context.
He flipped the pages back to Iruka’s note about “writing off unreliable partners”. Naruto would be loud, Sasuke would be closed off. It could go wrong.
But… a girl raised in a troupe already knew teamwork. Performers of that level were used to hard work and working with different people. Someone like that could center a team, if they all survived the initial adjustment period.
Kakashi closed the folder with a soft tap.
"Maa, I’ll give them a chance."