Can Pokemon into Naruto? 27

Commissioned by Anthony Maxwell

Can Pokemon into Naruto?

Chapter 27

-VB-

Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen “The Professor” and Head of Sarutobi Clan.

His title carried less weight than his other titles.

The Professor. 

Paradoxically, he felt a closer connection with it despite the fact that he spent less and less time teaching others. He felt that because it had been his personal passion; to teach and see others grow from what he taught them. 

At the same time, he also loved to discover new ideas and facts about the world around him. Tsunade and Orochimaru may have been his students who had the greatest impact with research and development, but it was he who started the R&D Department where there hadn’t been one before his time as the Hokage.

But one by one, all of his precious memories got tainted as time passed on. 

Orochimaru, his best student and someone most like him in his pursuit of knowledge, walked down an evil path. 

Tsunade, his strongest student, gave up on ninja life as her loved ones died all around her. 

Jiraiya, the loud one, remained loyal to Konohagakure much for the same reason Hiruzen hadn’t given up the hat. They both loved their village, and even after so many had died around them, they loved those who were still around with them. 

Knock knock.

He paused in his rumination and looked up from his calligraphy scroll. 

“Hokage-sama, Jounin Dekai is here for his report.”

“Send him in.”

Shomota Dekai. One of Jiraiya’s students and a comrade of the Yondaime Hokage. In a way, Dekai was also Hiruzen’s student much like how all students of a dojo were students of the dojo’s grandmaster even if he only taught once a week, but Hiruzen had certainly taught the dark skinned man more than a little. 

He had been one of the lesser candidates for the Godaime Hokage’s seat, but, well, he just wasn’t strong enough for the hat. 

Dekai walked in and knelt in a seiza. “Hokage-sama,” he said and bowed. 

“Hmm,” he uttered. “Did you eat?”

Dekai laughed lightly. “On the way to the village, sir. I can have a filling meal after the report.”

“Very well, give the report, son.”

The jounin’s latest mission had taken him to the southwestern border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers. He went there on a mission to deal with possible smugglers on the Land of Fire’s side of the border who smuggled narcotics into the Land of Rivers. This was, obviously, against what any of the involved parties wanted except the smugglers and addicts. However, the smuggling operation was headed by several chunin-grade missing-nins of “unknown” origin, so a jounin had been required to take them out. 

“The smuggling operation has been eliminated, Hokage-sama. However, of the four suspected chunins who headed the operations, I managed to eliminate only three. The fourth had been missing for over a month prior to my arrival.”

“Hmm. And where did the missing-nins come from?” 

“From what I was able to gather, they were Amegakure rebels. Survivors of a … certain purge of Akatsuki.”

“All four of them?”

“It seemed that way, sir.”

“And any idea where the fourth is headed?”

“Deeper into the Land of Fire. I don’t know whether they took the coastal route or the internal land routes.”

Hiruzen waved his hand. “It’s not your concern since they’ve been gone for a while already. And the contents of the smuggling operation?”

“As Tanigakure told us, most of it was narcotics, but there were some people as well.”

“... Slaves?”

“No, sir. Peasants fleeing the Land of Fire.”

“... I see. I assume they are from the current conflict in the south between Lord Fudamasu and Lord Udo?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And what did you do with them?”

“... I handed them over to the border guards to be remanded to their respective lords. I was not close enough to the border to consider otherwise.”

Hiruzen let out a sigh. “You did the right thing,” he muttered. 

Ninjas of Konohagakure could not be seen openly breaking the laws of the Fire Daimyo. That way led to internal strife, political conflict, and potentially even a violent civil war. 

What happened in the Land of Water could not be allowed to happen in the Land of Fire. 

“Very well. Submit your report by tomorrow. Dismissed.”

“Hai.”

And after Dekai left, Hiruzen pondered the implications of Amegakure refugees operating in the Land of Fire. Amegakure was not likely to care, but the local lords in the Land of Fire certainly would. However, finding a single missing-nin was … more effort than it was worth, especially if they chose to lay low. 

He would have to let the missing-nin be. 

“Hokage-sama, Jounin Kurenai is here for her report.”

He blinked. 

Yes, Kurenai. She and her team had been sent down to the southeast to investigate the rumors of abnormal fauna. 

“Send her in.”

Kurenai walked into his office, bowed, and then sat down in a seiza on the tatami floor. 

“Jounin Kurenai reporting in, Hokage-sama.”

“It’s good to see you’ve come back safely. How are you and your students?”

“We are doing well, Hokage-sama. Thank you for asking.”

“Hmm, then let’s get to the report. What did you find?”

She told him what she found. Of a village guarded by giant wasps that the Aburame Clan were sure to covet. Of berries that could mend smaller wounds within minutes. Of medicines made from the berries that granted healing comparable to irojutsu. Of the healer who discovered it all and created nin-animals that could rival lesser summons and even giant fauna of the Forest of Death. 

Because she saw the “giant fire chicken” sneak out to fight against giant bears, who treated her not with animalistic instincts but something closer to cultured summons. 

“... I see,” he hummed. “He could have been a good addition to Konohagakure.”

“I believe so as well, but he seemed to be against the idea of joining any hidden villages.”

“Then that’s that.”

“... Truly, sir?”

“Of course. Force is no way to recruit newcomers. Instead, we should seek to build rapport.” A pause. “Did you try seduction?”

“No, Hokage-sama.”

“Hmm… Do you think it can work?”

“I honestly do not know, sir, but I agree with you that rapport is for the best.”

-VB-

“Rapport,” Danzo muttered in disdain. “Men and women do not operate and change their minds on something so frivolous and uncertain.”

His ROOT had taken a copy of Jounin Kurenai’s report after she had submitted them on the day of her return. Good. At the very least, he could expect her to operate as a proper jounin should, unlike Hatake and Might; Might wrote too much nonsense in his report and Hatake might just forget about it in the first place. 

No, rapport was not something that was going to work. 

People do not serve because they love something. Even he did not serve Konohagakure with just love on the line. Men and women alike served because there were reprisals, poverty, and other fears which kept them in line. 

But if fear was what kept people from simply leaving, then it was love that made them give it their all.

Rapport was neither love nor fear. 

No.

If Konohagakure didn’t get her hands on this new talent, then someone else will. That was less leverage Konohagakure could use internally… and a new enemy if this healer went to another country.

How should he approach this…?

… Well first, he needed to make sure that Kurenai’s report was as accurate as possible.