Disclaimer: All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies and all Naruto characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. This is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.

Warnings: Mild to moderate violence, character death, alternate universe (i.e. kiss canon goodbye), some moderate Dumbledore bashing (he's more manipulative than evil but mostly just stubborn), and who knows what else.

AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.

Chapter 32: The Ghosts of the Past

The next morning, immediately after breakfast, Satoshi told Shino and Naruto to get Hinata and meet him at their old training field (the warded one where they'd first started their training); one of the few places where Satoshi knew he wouldn't be overheard by anyone he didn't already trust and where he wouldn't have to raise any privacy barriers or wards since they already existed. He then left to go drop Saki off at Hannah's in order to not disrupt her routine and because he planned to observe his two new Genin teams at the academy when their teams were announced in addition to getting a read on those individuals that were expected to pass the final tests and would therefore most likely be placed in his division.

The teenage father was pleased to note that his daughter no longer seemed to be suffering from the insecurity she'd displayed the previous afternoon and evening after he'd startled her in the Hokage's office. Though he did make it a point to mention her turmoil from the day before to Hannah as it was possible that she'd act up or that her magic would act out sometime after he left, if she grew insecure due to his absence.

Team Four was already waiting for him when he arrived, the three of them stretching out and warming up as they didn't know if Satoshi had called them for special training, a new mission, or something else and they made it a point to be ready for anything; which is why they'd also grabbed their shinobi gear. Satoshi checked the time before he joined them in the secluded clearing (one of a dozen such places that he'd claimed almost ten years earlier when he'd been paranoid about all the attention he'd been garnering thanks to the leaking of his then recent stats). All three of them immediately straightened up and gave him their full attention and Satoshi smiled at them with fondness and pride as they'd all become damned good shinobi (for their ages and current skill levels) in the past two years.

"I have some potentially troubling news that I wanted to make certain you heard directly from me instead of through the village gossip-vines so that I could fully explain the what, the why, and the how as it could potentially affect us as a team," Satoshi began softly as he clasped his hands behind his back. "First of all, what you are about to learn is in no way a reflection on you nor was it my decision or choice but since it was ordered by the Hokage; I am bound to accept his decision since, in a way, it was my fault that it happened. Please hold any questions or concerns you have until I am finished as I will most likely end up answering most of your potential questions during my explanation."

Satoshi paused and waited for all three of the pre-teens to nod in response before he plowed on, "I have, by way of Arashi and Aranami, been assigned to take two new Genin teams. The reason that I was assigned to take those two teams was directly related to the demonstration that I gave yesterday afternoon. The two Jounin that I faced in the stadium were originally assigned to take the two teams that I was asked to take until they voiced their intent to purposefully fail both teams in order to get out of being assigned to my division. The Hokage did not wish for either Genin team to be unfairly sent back to the academy because of the prejudices of two of his Jounin and so assigned them to my alter egos."

"While I might have some day taken on another team, I had not planned to do so for at least another year when Naruto's apprenticeship with Jiraiya-sama became official and after I'd found apprenticeships for Hinata and Shino. That said, there is no guarantee that one or both teams will pass their final tests or that they will both fail; which is why I wanted to make certain that you heard the news from me since the results of their tests will potentially affect us as a team. I am also not quite ready to cut you free as there are a few things yet that I wanted to teach the three of you and as I mentioned before I need to find two more individuals willing to take on an apprentice or at least offer some specialized training."

"Additionally, the rest of the teams that pass this year along with a handful of other individuals will be assigned to Division Sixteen; which will mean an extended training period in order to integrate them into the division before I break everyone into squads based upon skill. When all is said and done, I expect we'll have close to fifty members assigned to Division Sixteen with additional teams and members being picked up here and there until we have a full two hundred members; since that is the average size of each division. Our weekly training sessions as a team will remain unchanged bar the fact that six new Genin might join us along with a pair of my clones posing as Arashi and Aranami."

"The biggest change in our current schedule will be in regards to missions if one or both teams pass since the missions that you are qualified to take are of a higher rank than the ones the new teams would be assigned. In that case, you will have three options to choose from; you can take C Ranked missions as a three man squad, you can take an assortment of D Ranks just to pass time and earn pocket money until I get the new team or teams to the point where they can train alone a couple days at a time, or I can find another Jounin to fill in for my spot on Team Four occasionally. You'll have until the day after tomorrow to decide since I'm not going to start the test tonight like I did for the three of you because I've not had enough time to set anything up because I had no plans to take on a new team this year. Any questions?"

"Are you actually going to have to teach the two teams if they pass or are you just administering their tests and keeping an eye on them until a new Jounin can be assigned to their teams?" Shino asked after a moment's consideration.

"I will have to train one or both teams if they pass. It would be unfair to them to just pass them off to the first Jounin that will take them as it could impact them negatively; especially considering the fact that Arashi and Aranami have gained quite the reputation since they participated in the Jounin Exams and them passing their team onto another would also reflect badly upon the twins."

"This kind of sucks but it would suck more if they were purposefully failed because it would mean that they didn't even have a chance to prove themselves as being capable," Naruto commented as he crossed his arms and scowled at the ground for a moment before he glanced up and asked a question of his own. "We would have ended up working with them anyway if their original Jounin hadn't been idiots and they had passed their tests, ne?"

"Yes, you are correct in that they would have joined us for our weekend training exercises if the other Jounin had been willing to give them a fair chance to pass their test and they actually passed."

"Then it won't really be that big of a deal if you do pass them both; the only difference is that we'll see more of them then we would have if someone else had taken their teams," Hinata firmly stated while both Shino and Naruto nodded in agreement with the kunoichi.

"Since most of our former classmates graduated this year, will we know any of the six Genin you might be taking to train?" Shino inquired a moment later.

"It is possible that you know or knew of them, though they are apparently all from civilian families. You will without a doubt be working alongside a number of your former classmates though as most of them either passed last year or passed this year."

"So long as I don't have to work with Sasuke-teme," Naruto growled with a scowl. "He caused all kinds of trouble for me back when we were still in the academy; constantly trying to get me in trouble with those instructors that disliked me when I first started."

"I'm sorry to say that you will most likely end up having to work with Uchiha Sasuke as he did graduate and his team is one of those that will most likely pass their test. The good news is that he won't be on either of the teams I was assigned to test but the bad news is that he was assigned to Kakashi's team; which means he'll be around just as often as he would have been if he had been on one of my potential teams."

"I expect you to be on your best behavior around him and ask that you not start any arguments with him since I will not hesitate to give you the same treatment I gave Neji-kun and Lee-kun when they first joined us. At the same time I will not allow him to disrespect you because you do outrank him and if it becomes a problem and he targets you, I will arrange for you to have a chance to demand he face you in an honor match; much like the one I was in yesterday."

"I don't like it, but I won't start any trouble 'cause I know you won't let him start any trouble either."

"Thank you, Naruto, I appreciate you being honest with me about your dislike of him and being mature enough to accept my restrictions. I will try to avoid assigning him to your squad once I do divide the division into groups since the best way to avoid a confrontation is to eliminate the opportunity in the first place."

"Ano… does that mean that Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura might potentially be assigned to Division Sixteen as well?" Hinata asked with a slight frown.

"Hai; both Yamanaka-chan and Haruno-chan graduated this year and Haruno-chan is actually on one of the teams that I will be testing tomorrow. Why? Did you have similar troubles with the two of them that Naruto had with the Uchiha?"

"No… but those two have been bitter rivals since the day that they both decided that they liked Sasuke-kun and they tend to start yelling at one another the moment they see each other. It will be worse if one of them was placed on Sasuke's team as she will lord it over the other one."

"There was no kunoichi assigned to Uchiha-kun's team since it was noted that all of the girls that graduated this time were borderline obsessed with him. Kakashi specifically requested that no fan-girls be placed upon his team as he'd had to deal with more than his fair share of them while we were at Hogwarts. And while he can ignore his own personal fan-girls all day and all night if needed; it drove him nuts to deal with the obsessed girls that continuously chased after me and tried to either pull me into a broom closet, strip me bare to say they had a piece of my clothing, or dose me on love potions from the moment that my birth name was linked to my adopted name."

"You have fan-girls?" Hinata inquired curiously as Satoshi had never before mentioned any girls chasing after him before.

"Thousands of them; most of them far, far too old and whom had never laid eyes on me personally let alone actually met me," Satoshi confessed as he shivered over the reminder. "Many of them probably lost their infatuation with me by now due to how I left the wizarding world but I won't miss any of them. I'm just glad that none of them know where I live and that most postal owls will never be able to find the Hidden Countries due to the barrier that separates us from the rest of the world; meaning that they can't locate me through the mail."

"How come you never told us about them before?" Naruto demanded with a pout.

"Because you weren't old enough to understand quite how scary fan-girls can be to the one they are obsessed with until now," Satoshi solemnly explained. "They are the most frightening thing in the world and they can be far crueler than any enemy you face; especially when they are found in large numbers." All three pre-teens gave Satoshi skeptical look but dropped the subject when they noted that Satoshi was subtly checking the time before he addressed them once more. "If you don't have any more questions for now, then I'll leave you to finish your morning training while I go study my potential teams and put together an appropriate test for them."

"Aren't you a little old to be stalking little girls and boys?" Naruto asked while giving Satoshi a strange look.

"Are you accusing me of being a pervert?" Satoshi countered as he arched an eyebrow at his honorary little brother.

"No," Naruto drawled out extra slowly as he smirked at Satoshi; letting the Jounin know that that was exactly what the blonde had just implied.

"You do realize that I will get you back for that, ne?"

Naruto blanched slightly even as Satoshi gave him a smirk and left in a swirl of bugs. He reappeared outside of the Hokage's Tower just seconds later in a second swirl of bugs. He then headed up to the Hokage's office so he could apologize to him for being late for his usual lesson only to learn that his lesson had been canceled when he spoke with the Chuunin manning the secretary's desk. Satoshi shrugged his shoulders and Shunshined home where he made a single Kage Bunshin before he henged into Arashi while his clone transformed into Aranami and the two of them Shunshined to another of his warded refuges so that he could wander about the village for a bit before heading to the academy.

As he walked, Satoshi studied one of the team file packets he'd been given the previous afternoon while his clone studied the other; he wanted to make certain that he hadn't missed anything the first time he'd gone through them the night before. He then swapped files with his clone as he didn't yet know which team was being assigned to which twin and he wanted to be prepared even if he planned to have both personas train both of the two teams whether one or both of them passed. His reason; the twins did everything together and everyone knew they did; so it would be expected that they would train a Genin team or two together as well even though most Jounin worked alone.

He managed to kill another hour that way before he decided that he might as well show up early so he can gauge the other Jounin's reaction to the Uzutsui Twin's presence since he wasn't certain how many of them had heard that they'd be taking the teams that had previously been assigned to Mujini and Iyashi. It would also give him a chance to mess with those Jounin that would be joining his squad to see if they could handle the twin's more annoying habits.

That was one thing that Satoshi absolutely loved about his alter egos; it was a chance for him to release all of the emotions that he usually suppressed when he was out in public without feeling any of the guilt he felt when he himself gave into his emotions. A chance to be the person he'd had the potential to become but could no longer fully embrace because of the scars on his soul due to his past experiences and the loss of so many close family members, friends, and teammates.

Satoshi was pleasantly surprised to find Kakashi already in the Jounin lounge of the academy along with Iwashi when he entered the room alongside his clone. Grinning, 'Arashi' sat down on Kakashi's lap and draped his arms around Kakashi's neck while Aranami stepped up behind him and started massaging his shoulders. Iwashi actually gave out a strangled gasp that was half shock and half amusement while Kakashi merely rolled his only visible eye and shoved Satoshi off his lap and onto the floor. Iwashi burst out laughing as Satoshi pouted up at Kakashi using the dreaded Fukigen no Jutsu which earned him the middle finger from the Jounin.

"Don't make offers that you have no intention of honoring," Aranami ordered as she slapped Kakashi upside the back of the head before she dropped down on the couch several inches away from Kakashi to prevent him from dispelling 'her' by accident.

"Why oh why do I have to put up with the two of you today, of all days?" Kakashi demanded in what almost sounded like a whine.

"You know you love us, Kakashi-koi," Satoshi blithely declared as he got up and lay on his back across the back of the couch with his hands crossed behind his head.

"Love to kill you, maybe," Kakashi retorted which set Iwashi off again.

"You keep saying that but your actions say other wise," Aranami countered as she glanced sideways at Kakashi before asking him a question. "Why are you here so early? This is the kind of thing you're always late for normally."

Kakashi mumbled something about books, a mission, and blackmail under his breath and Satoshi burst out laughing which earned him a second trip to the floor courtesy of Kakashi as the older man shoved him off the back of the couch with a none-too-gentle shove. He was still snickering when he climbed back up two minutes later; he hadn't thought that Kakashi had taken him seriously when he joked about the Hokage giving his alter egos an S Ranked mission to steal Kakashi's books.

The idea that the Hokage might have actually threatened to assign just such a mission to the twins made the whole thing even funnier and was one possible explanation as to why Kakashi had taken his joke the day before so seriously. When Kakashi started leaking killing intent, Satoshi did his best to stop laughing as he instead turned his attention to his old friend. A glance at his clone had Aranami joining him as the two of them began to shamelessly flirt with Iwashi.

As the other eight Jounin trickled into the room, Satoshi and his clone would transfer his attention to them, though he treated Genma with far more respect and more like the uncle he'd become to Satoshi rather than yet another potential target. The reason for that was because he had a healthy respect for the man's ability to stick those toothpicks he was constantly chewing on in the most uncomfortable of places. And yes, the 'twins' had learned that lesson the hard way the one time Satoshi had actually attempted to flirt with the older man while in his alternate persona.

Kurenai nearly skewered Aranami when Satoshi's female half started flirting with Asuma and Satoshi wondered if the older kunoichi had a crush on the man or if they were actually involved as he noted Asuma gritting his teeth when the disguised Satoshi started chatting up the genjutsu mistress. Satoshi had then leaned in to whisper that they could make it a foursome as he pointedly stared in Asuma's direction and grinned like a Cheshire cat when Kurenai blushed bright red before he added that she needn't worry that his sister would steal her beau as the two of them were still pining after Kakashi which had the woman staring at Satoshi for a full minute before she burst out laughing.

Satoshi had sauntered back over to Kakashi after that and sprawled himself half across the other Jounin's lap (as if to prove his point) while whipping out what appeared to be an authentic signed copy of Icha-Icha Paradise which had Kakashi freezing with his hands halfway to Satoshi's neck. Satoshi then grinned coyly up at his honorary brother as he intentionally licked his thumb and then used that thumb to turn the page in the book and the older man actually let out a strangled whimper before he slowly withdrew his hands.

Aranami laughed and perched on the couch behind Kakashi and ran her fingers through Kakashi's hair while the other Jounin in the room stared at the trio in disbelief; since most everyone knew Kakashi was engaged to the new Chief of Police. Even though he knew he'd pay for it later, Satoshi was laughing his ass off in his mind as it had been a long time since he'd gotten his long time friend and brother so thoroughly and he couldn't wait to share the memory with Dora as she'd get a kick out of it. As would his father, their mutual teammates (from both teams), and Kasai.

The three of them stayed like that right up until the monitors crackled to life as the Genin started filtering into the classroom; Satoshi licking his thumb to turn a page any time that Kakashi attempted to displace him or his sister. Once the announcements of their teams were imminent, Satoshi sat up and quite pointedly tucked the book he'd been reading into a hidden pocket on the inside of his flack jacket; much to Kakashi's relief and annoyance. He then gave his full attention to the monitors and grew serious as he studied thirty-three of the thirty-four new Genin and the two Chuunin as they took their seats; all of them potential members of his division though he doubted more than half (if that many) would pass their final tests.

Umino Iruka entered the classroom a few minutes later with Touji Mizuki on his heels and Satoshi studied both adult Chuunin as the Hokage had hinted that they too would be placed in his division and he couldn't help but frown as his eyes fell on Mizuki. He'd never liked the pale haired man when they'd been in the academy together and Satoshi knew the man had been one of those that had been taught by Orochimaru. He knew that being a student of the Snake Sannin didn't automatically make the man evil and the man had apparently escaped the purges four years earlier so he hadn't been tagged with the cursed seal.

However, Satoshi still remembered how cold and cruel the Chuunin had been during the year they'd been in the academy together. He'd been one of Satoshi's biggest tormentors before he'd turned to easier targets after Satoshi had befriended Kumade and Tokuma. In contrast, Satoshi got along great with Iruka (as did all of his termites) and enjoyed the easy going Chuunin's company the few times that they'd run into each other at the ramen stand over the years (that was in addition to the times that Satoshi had worked with the Chuunin's former team after Team Twelve had been disbanded).

That the two instructors worked well together and were reported to be friends helped Satoshi bury his personal dislike of Mizuki in order to prepare himself for the day when he'd need to work alongside the older man. The disguised Satoshi then returned his attention back to the other two Chuunin that he knew for certain would end up being assigned to his division; Endo Hayase and Oota Oukei.

Hayase had wild black hair that stuck up in every direction above his hitai-ate (much like Satoshi's hair) that he wore like a headband and an easy going grin. He wore a light blue-gray hooded sweater and the dark blue pants that most shinobi wore. Oukei on the other hand had short hair that he kept neatly in place with his hitai-ate that was tied about his head like a bandana and wore glasses. He wore a tan tank top beneath a short sleeved dark gray over shirt that had the kanji for endeavor embroidered in the center of a circle on the back, a thin black sash tied about his waist, and brown pants.

Both Chuunin were seventeen years old and had been teammates since they were twelve when they first graduated from the Academy. Their new teammate, on the other hand, was the twelve year old Haruno Sakura, who had long bright pink hair, a red dress that was split up to the waist on both sides overtop of skin tight dark gray shorts, and wore her hitai-ate like a hair band. She had wide, pale green eyes that were currently staring dreamily at one Uchiha Sasuke and at the moment held none of the intelligence that her file reported her to have; though that was most likely due to her currently being in full 'fan-girl' mode.

Her rival, Yamanaka Ino, could have been Sakura's twin but for the fact that they physically looked nothing alike (Ino had long, blond hair that she wore up in a high ponytail and blue eyes). She too was currently drooling over Sasuke the same as Sakura though and had dressed in more feminine clothes like Sakura; wearing a sleeveless purple midriff shirt with a wide turtle-neck collar that she wore folded down, a short purple skirt slit up to the hips on both sides, white and purple arm warmers on her arms, white bandages wrapped around her stomach and legs to maintain her modesty, small silver hoop earrings, and her hitai-ate tied around her waist like a belt.

Satoshi was inordinately pleased that his daughter would grow up to adopt the clan's style of dress within the next couple of years; meaning that he wouldn't have to worry about her wearing such 'girly' and revealing clothes while on missions or during training sessions. Satoshi added commiserating with Inoichi to his mental to do list with a side note to give the older man a sympathy gift as he had no idea how the man kept his sanity with his daughter walking around in such a skimpy outfit. Shaking his head to clear away the unnecessary thoughts, Satoshi refocused again on the Genin, and shifted his attention shift to Ino's assigned teammates; Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji.

Shikamaru was the spitting image of his father, minus the facial hair and scars; intelligent dark eyes that appeared bored as hell, long black hair pulled up in a messy ponytail that made it look like he had a pineapple sitting on his head, and that small smug grin that said he knew everything you didn't know or he would soon enough. He wore a pale grey, green, and teal midriff vest over a short-sleeved mesh shirt and plain black pants, his hitai-ate around his upper left arm, and hoop earrings that Satoshi knew matched those his father wore as well as those Ino wore. Satoshi just knew that the kid was going to be as troublesome as his father and on the screen Shikamaru sneezed suddenly before he glanced directly at the camera.

Snorting in amusement over the kid's reaction, Satoshi let his eyes drift to Chouji; Torifu's grandnephew and the current heir to the Akimichi Clan. Like all of the Akimichi, Chouji could be considered fat though the only people who dared call them that to their face were those with a death wish. Satoshi knew, from conversations he'd had with Kasai and his father, that the Akimichi Clan possessed the ability to convert fat into chakra and that their large size was a protective buffer that could potentially save their lives during an intense battle.

The young Akimichi in question had a red spiral tattooed on both cheeks and light brown hair with a slight red tint that stuck up in all directions; though the way Chouji had tied his hitai-ate around his head made his hair stick out on either side of his head much like the 'horns' that Torifu sported (when not wearing his mask) though no where as clear cut. Unfortunately, this made it look like Chouji was wearing a pair of underwear on his head and Satoshi knew the boy had been or would be teased mercilessly for that by others. He wore a lose white t-shirt with the kanji for food on the front with a green short sleeve shirt overtop that he left unbuttoned, dark brown shorts with his calves and ankles wrapped in bandages along with his hands, wrists, and forearms, a long white scarf around his neck, and small silver hoop earrings like Shikamaru and Ino.

Satoshi knew that those three kids were expected to follow in their fathers' footsteps to form the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho team that had been and still was a formidable team. Satoshi had had a chance to see the older trio in action during the routing of Root four years earlier and they had been impressive to behold; their teamwork flawless and their attacks seamless. It had been the memory of watching them fight as a single unit (one thought – one goal) that had inspired Satoshi's tactics for the second half of his Jounin Melee exhibition. He truly looked forward to the potential he knew those three kids had locked up inside of them (much as he looked forward to the day his little termites surpassed him as he knew they would).

Shifting his gaze, Satoshi next studied one of the two teams that his alter egos had been assigned. Team Eleven consisted of Rouga Hotaka, Kichida Taichi, and Mori Aina; the three oldest new Genin that had earned their hitai-ate this time around.

Hotaka was a tall thin sixteen year old boy with short cropped blonde hair, pale skin covered with freckles, a huge chip on his shoulder, and a perpetual sneer. According to his file, he came from a merchant family that had dumped the boy in the academy because he showed promise, kept terrorizing the younger kids belonging to the merchant caravan that his family belonged to, and he'd been sniffing around the older girls like a randy dog. He wore an expensive gold silk kimono overtop of a blue t-shirt, bright red-orange pants, and wooden platform shoes that were impractical.

Fifteen year old Taichi was just the opposite of Hotaka; short and stocky, he had dark brown hair that hung in a half tangled mess down his back, tanned skin clear of any blemishes, a friendly disposition, and an easy going smile. He wore a threadbare purple shirt, patched brown trench coat, and green pants with tattered hems; the teen from a rather large and poor family of farmers and most everything he had was second hand (including the brace of slightly rusted and pitted kunai that he wore around his left leg and the pitchfork he had strapped across his back). He was also, however, far too easily riled and quick to lose his temper when anyone picked on his weight, his lack of height, his family's financial state, or his threadbare clothing.

Finally there was Aina, the eighteen year old daughter of a local seamstress. She was currently wearing an ankle length peasant's dress that was brown with yellow accents and a pristine frilly white apron tied around her waist. She had long, brownish-orange hair that was currently done up in an intricate braid and coiled on top of her head. She was also wearing a rather impractical pair of high heeled shoes that looked like they would be rather difficult to walk in let alone run or fight in. Overall, her attire was even more impractical than Ino and Sakura's skimpy outfits despite the fact that her dress was far more modest than the two younger girls' chosen clothing.

The next trio of new-made Genin to fall under Satoshi's scrutiny was the second team that his alternate personas had been assigned to lead. Team Fourteen was a very different group of Genin when compared to Team Eleven. To start with, the three children that were assigned to Team Fourteen were the youngest three academy students to pass the exam this time; all three of them ten years old. All three of them were also dressed in far more practical clothing than those that the older Genin were wearing (though, in Taichi's case it was more necessity that dictated his attire rather than choice like it was when it came to his two teammates).

First there was Ando Kaito; a rather short and scrawny boy with short dirty blonde hair and pale blue-gray eyes. The kid was wearing bright blue pants and a large red hooded jacket that practically swallowed him whole. Then there was Taniguchi Daiki; a tall and lanky boy with long muddy brown hair, violet colored eyes, and an outfit that looked eerily similar to the one that Satoshi always wore when he was posing as Arashi. Lastly there was Sasaki Tsukiko; a slightly pudgy girl who was just a couple of inches shorter than Daiki with short dark green hair, wide hazel eyes, and a slightly more modest version of Aranami's outfit.

In order to avoid the mental trauma of acknowledging just how eerily familiar that particular trio looked due to their attire, Satoshi finally turned his attention to Kakashi's potential team; rookie of the year (because Naruto and Shino, had graduated two years earlier and Shikamaru was too lazy to work that hard) Uchiha Sasuke, a civilian boy by the name of Miyamoto Tobio, and Inuzuka Kiba.

The teen wasn't quite certain what anyone saw in the brooding snob with the superiority complex that was exceeded only by his obsession with killing his older brother. His dark hair was just as messy as Satoshi's, if not messier, and stuck up in the back like some kind of bird's tail and Satoshi had an urge to call the depressing boy chicken butt to his face just to see how he'd react. He wore a wide collared short sleeve blue shirt, blue and white arm warmers, white shorts, and his hitai-ate around his forehead which only emphasized the poultry tail his hair formed.

His dark eyes were cold and bitter and Satoshi felt a wave of pity wash through him as he realized that the kid probably didn't have anyone to go home to as he'd adamantly refused to accept a guardian or move off the Uchiha Estate. He also had difficulty in seeing Sasuke as a relation of Obito; which helped to ease any grief Satoshi would have felt over being reminded of his first and much missed honorary brother. Not wanting to dwell on the brooding orphan, Satoshi let his attention shift to the civilian on the team.

Tobio looked enough like a Nara that he could have been mistaken for Shikamaru's brother or cousin if not for the fact that the twelve year old was full of energy and had become known through the years as the class clown. If rumors were true, Tobio actually had a personality very similar to Iruka's and looked enough like the Chuunin that he could have been mistaken for Iruka's son almost as quickly as he could be mistaken for a Nara and the only reason he wasn't, was due to the fact that the Iruka would have been far too young at the time of Tobio's birth.

The kid wore a short sleeved, light gray, sailor shirt trimmed in navy blue with matching dark blue pants and his hitai-ate around his forehead. According to his file, the boy had excellent chakra control and had both the potential and the desire to become a medic despite his tendency to goof off as he was by no means stupid; just a joker, much like Kotetsu and Izumo.

Satoshi's eyes were then drawn to the one Genin that he'd rather have absolutely nothing to do with; Inuzuka Kiba and his ninken partner, Akamaru. Oh, Satoshi was sure the boy wasn't that bad despite being labeled as a trouble maker and the dead last of the current class (due to his frequent habit of ditching class). No, Satoshi hadn't wanted anything to do with the boy because he was related to Inuzuka Toshiro. In fact, the boy was the spitting image of Toshiro; from his dark, messy brown hair, his small dark eyes, and the red fangs tattooed on his cheeks to the shape of his face and his slightly longer and far sharper than normal canines that reminded Satoshi of vampire fangs.

He even dressed much like Toshiro had dressed and it made Satoshi's heart ache for the teen he'd never quite allowed himself to consider a teammate and all that had been lost when that fateful mission had fallen apart and again later when Toshiro had taken his own life. Thank kami that Akamaru looked nothing like Kariudo (Toshiro's wolfhound ninken) or having to work with the pair would have been ten times worse. As it was, Satoshi's eyes cut away from the screen as he tensed up and fought to control his breathing as he saw again the explosion that took Kariudo's life and Toshiro's leg.

A pair of hands sliding around his neck startled Satoshi, caught up in his memories as he was, and he reacted instinctively (and rather violently) before his brain could process where he was and who it was that had touched him. He grabbed the hands of what he thought was an attacker and pulled the person up and over his head before slamming the person onto the floor at his feet. It wasn't until he saw the stunned expression on his clone's face as it exploded into smoke the moment it impacted with the floor that Satoshi snapped out his memories as the other Jounin all turned to stare at him in shock over what had just happened.

Embarrassed and pissed as all hell that he lost control in front of the other Jounin, Satoshi cursed violently under his breath before he Shunshined out of the room in a burst of leaves. He ended up in the middle of Training Ground Twenty-Three where Team Twelve used to train occasionally and he stared at the unused field for a minute before he created a quartet of cement clones and threw himself into a furious battle in an effort to fight the demons that were haunting him for the first time in nearly ten years.

He probably would have fought until he passed out if not for his internal clock telling him that it was time to pick up Saki from daycare. Dropping the henge he'd been wearing, Satoshi wrapped himself up in his emotionless mask and buried all thoughts and feelings as he transported himself across town to collect his daughter. He found her sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by a swirl of uncontrolled magic with silent tears tracking down her face and Satoshi cursed to himself as he realized that she'd been channeling his emotions; something that happened occasionally when he was particularly emotional and that he suspected was the result of the chakra connection that he'd shared with her since the first night he'd held her.

Dispelling her wild magic with a slash of his hand, Satoshi scooped his daughter up into his arms and held her close to his heart as he rocked her gently. Satoshi then apologized to Hannah for the trouble before he beat a hasty retreat so he could go somewhere private in order for the two of them to get their emotions under control. They ended up sitting on the Yondaime's hair at the top of the Hokage Monument where they sat over looking the village; or rather Satoshi was looking out over the village while Saki was clung to his shirt inside his jacket with her face pressed against his chest – her tears soaking his shirt.

Not wanting to face anyone in his current state of emotional upheaval (his emotions far from controlled despite being locked behind his mask) and knowing he couldn't shirk his duty, Satoshi sent a pair of Kage Bunshin to meet with his two potential Genin teams in his place so they wouldn't be left hanging. Pinny silently delivered a late lunch to the father and daughter duo a half hour later when they didn't turn up at home for the meal; the elf instinctively knowing not to disturb them. They remained up on top of the Hokage's Monument until the sun set at which time Satoshi reluctantly took them home so that Saki could eat supper and have a bath.

Satoshi wasn't really surprised to find Kakashi and Dora sitting at the table with the rest of the family that night and he wordlessly passed the now calm (if not happy and bubbly as usual) Saki to her godmother before he excused himself. Knowing his daughter would be cared for, Satoshi cut off his connection to Saki so she wouldn't feel his emotions as he withdrew to his room and climbed up the wall until his feet were on the ceiling before he laid his back flat against the wall. He then spent the next two hours doing endless repetitions of sit ups; allowing gravity to add a level of difficulty as he worked to maintain his hold on the ceiling and keep his repetitions smooth and steady.

He heard the door open and close several times but he didn't pay any attention to who was coming and going as he focused his attention on what he was doing in order to not think and not see the old memories that were clamoring for his attention. At the end of those two hours, his steady if slow slide down the wall as he grew exhausted and his aching body let him know that he'd pushed himself to his current physical limits long enough and he let himself drop to the floor where he ended up sprawled on his back after he tripped over his own feet and botched his landing. Closing his eyes, he spent a moment steadying his breathing (that he only just now realized had become rather ragged) and counted his heart beats until they returned to a slow and steady rhythm.

He still wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings but that was intentional as he feared his demons would come back to haunt him once more the moment he attempted to return to reality. The familiar comforting warmth of healing chakra rushing through his body had Satoshi opening his eyes just long enough to identify Kanpou leaning over him before he let his eyes close again.

"Are you in any pain?" Kanpou asked softly, the older man having noticed Satoshi's eyes opening briefly.

"Not anywhere that you can heal," Satoshi confessed in a voice far rougher than normal.

"Just making certain you didn't push yourself beyond simple exhaustion."

"I wanted to but knew it wouldn't help and despite the demons haunting me today, I know I still have a duty to perform tomorrow and since I am obligated to put forth the effort; I will do so because I can do no less."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Shibi inquired with concern from somewhere behind him.

"It was like looking at a damn ghost," Satoshi rasped without opening his eyes in response to his father's question. "If I didn't know it was impossible because of the timing and because he'd been pining after Nanami; I'd swear he was his son or younger brother. In all of the years since that day… I never looked at any member of that clan; I never wanted to see the resemblance between any of them and him. I didn't allow myself to see, refused to even look least I see him. I didn't want to remember my mistakes and then suddenly there I was face to face with Tsume's son and he was wearing his face. It was like a punch in the gut and at the same time I saw again the explosion that destroyed his leg and killed his ninken partner."

"I couldn't distinguish between then and now until I'd made a fool of myself in front of the other Jounin and it hurt so much to know that it was partly my fault that he's dead. Knowing I'm going to have to see his face on another and that I'm going to have to work with another that looks and acts just like him, kills. Kamisama above but I didn't think it would hurt this bad and what's worse is that my pain bled over to Saki-chan again because of my connection to her chakra network and she had no idea why she felt so tormented."

"We are all human and we all make mistakes at some point in our life," Kakashi unexpectedly stated in a matter-of-fact tone from the vicinity of Satoshi's bed. "Toshiro knew he made a mistake and he chose to deal with the shame he felt much the same way my father dealt with the shame and disgrace that came when he chose to abandon his mission in order to save the lives of his teammates; by taking his own life."

"You did what you had to do and accepted the blame for your own mistakes and you pushed on; Toshiro was unable to do that. His inability to cope with the loss of his ninken and his leg is not your fault though; you did what you felt you had to do based upon your knowledge and the situation you found yourself in at the time. You could have chosen to abandon both of your teammates and flee in order to save your life; you didn't. You could have panicked and ended up getting all three of you killed; you didn't."

"I know that in my head most days," Satoshi murmured softly in reply. "Right now my heart is having trouble accepting it because it hurts for what I can't change and can't fix. I haven't worked with an Inuzuka since that mission. I don't know if it was an unconscious effort on my part, a conscious effort on the Hokage's part, a mere fluke, or some combination of the three but in the nine and a half years since then, I had not once been placed on a team or asked to assist on a mission where there would be ninken present aside from when you summoned one of your pack. I don't know how I'm going to face the kid when your team finally joins Division Sixteen and I have to face him in a spar."

"I feel much the same about being on a team with another Uchiha," Kakashi admitted just as softly.

"If he had looked anything like Obito-nii or if he'd had Obito's perpetual happy outlook; I probably would have been far more hung up on him than I was on Tsume's boy. It was far easier seeing Sasuke since he is the exact opposite of everything Obito that was, though seeing the cold bitterness in that boy's eyes hurt because I remember the joy and mischief that could always be found in Obito's dark eyes. Besides, I think I spent far more time wondering if Sasuke intentionally styled his hair to look like a chicken's butt or if it just looked that way naturally than recalling that he's an Uchiha and therefore related to my first niisan."

"Ano…" Shibi blurted out at the unexpected non-sequitur at the end.

"Well, it's true; I mean have you seen the way it sticks up in the back? And with him wearing his hitai-ate tied around his head but under his fringe, it gives him the appearance of having wings on the side of his head which only reinforces that butt-like visage. I'd really like to know how long it takes him to get it to stand up like that each morning… or if he just rolls out of bed like that."

"Please don't ask him; he's more likely to kill you instead of answer you," Kakashi deadpanned.

Satoshi snorted as he rolled his head to the side so that he could look up at his self-claimed brother as he opened his eyes and retorted, "That's what Kasai-sama swore Itachi would do if I asked him whether or not most Uchiha were born with a stick up their asses or if they worked to put it there over time; and I'm still alive."

"Nani…?"

"Of course, that might have been because Arashi had walked up and kissed him on the lips on a dare while Aranami draped herself against his back and ran her hands all over his chest as she asked him the question; I don't think he really registered what I asked him but he did stare at the twins in confusion every time we crossed paths after that. I don't know if he was trying to figure out why we were still alive or if he was trying to decide whether or not we were just toying with his affection since both of my alter egos always blew him kisses after that."

"I take it you are feeling better now?" Shibi asked dryly as he leaned down to stare at Satoshi from his perch on Torune's bed.

"Somewhat," Satoshi breathed softly, his voice slightly steadier than it had been earlier as he closed his eyes again before sitting up now that Kanpou was done with him. When he turned around, leaned his back against the wall, and opened his eyes so he could see everyone in the room he was a bit surprised to find Inoichi, Ibiki, and Kasai there as well as the other three he'd interacted with since he'd been pulled from his mental fog by Kanpou. "Ano… how long have the rest of you been sitting there?"

"Did you really ask Itachi if the Uchiha were born with a stick up their ass?" Ibiki inquired with a rumbling laugh as his eyes danced with mirth.

"We've been here since before your rather graceless tumble to the floor," Kasai remarked with exasperation and concern.

"Oh, I'm sorry I ignored everyone," Satoshi replied as he tipped his head back against the wall and closed his eyes once more. "I heard the door opening and closing but didn't bother keeping track of who was coming or going because I was fighting the memories that have been haunting me since I was blindsided by Inuzuka Kiba's resemblance to… to Toshiro. If not for the fact that Akamaru looks nothing like Kariudo, I think I might have actually believed that Kiba was Toshiro come back from the dead to haunt me; he even wears the same hooded gray jacket edged with fur that Toshiro used to wear even on the hottest days of summer. And yes, Ibiki, I really asked Itachi that."

"Did you ever allow yourself to grieve for him?" Inoichi asked from where he was leaning against the wall beside the taller Ibiki.

"No and I never got a chance to make peace with him over what happened before he hung himself and I think that's what hurts the most. Nanami and I actually dealt with the baggage between us and we both apologized for our mistakes that hurt each other but we can't do that with Toshiro because he isn't here. I thought maybe I had managed to deal with my guilt at least; because I have used the terrible memory of that day to make the younger shinobi assigned to my squad… well division now since I'll soon have the numbers… to make them understand just how important teamwork is to a mission in addition to following the rules and having skill."

"I guess knowing I'll have to deal with an Inuzuka for the first time hit me harder than I thought it would and nothing prepared me for just how much he looked like Toshiro. It will be hard seeing his face day in and day out when we train and during missions but its not like I can kick him out of my division just because he's a painful reminder of a past teammate. I may have to get Padfoot to explain things to the boy so I can buy myself some leeway instead of earning his ire and disdain when I inevitably give him a cold shoulder or hungry stare until I grow more used to his presence."

"I'll let Sarutobi know that you'll be fine, given time then," Kasai stated as he crossed the room to place his hand on Satoshi's head. "We both saw you freeze up and then kill your clone with no warning and witnessed your rather furious if short sword fight against yourself and worried that maybe we'd pushed you too hard, too soon. Walking in and finding you doing sit ups upside down on the wall was a bit troubling but I've seen you do all sorts of weird training exercises through the years. I think the most disturbing thing was hearing you admit that you hadn't even known we were here until you opened your eyes and saw us; something that would have never happened under normal circumstances."

"Actually, I used to zone out all the time when I was little," Satoshi admitted with a half grin that was more sad than amused. "Kushina and otousan drove that habit out of me with extra laps, humiliating pranks, and dire threats; how do you think I came up with some of my more unorthodox training methods to break my termites and minions of their bad habits?"

"Minions? Since when do you have minions?" Ibiki asked curiously.

"Since I was nine technically," Satoshi laughed softly. "I just didn't properly appreciate their potential until I was about eleven when I started teaching them how to prank without getting caught. Only now, their numbers have more than tripled and I've been give free license to turn them into a proper army."

"Ibiki, I'm retiring right now; good luck heading up our department," Inoichi deadpanned before heading towards the door. "I'll have my office cleaned out tonight so you can move in first thing in the morning."

Everyone laughed and Satoshi smiled as he caught sight of the grin on Inoichi's face, knowing the older man was just teasing him. Feeling far better than he had earlier, Satoshi climbed to his feet and scrubbed at his face for a moment before he followed the others out of his room. He spent the rest of the evening cuddling with his daughter while he listened to the boys talk about their day before he asked them to tell him what they knew about the six individuals he'd be testing the following morning. He even allowed the seven boys to offer suggestions for the two tests he would be administering, throwing out the absurd or those that were above the current level of the Genin but accepting others with a small modification or two.

By the time he crawled into bed that night, Satoshi was almost back to himself though he sent his daughter to sleep with Shino and Naruto while he himself crashed in the living room so he wouldn't wake Torune if he had any nightmares. And he had nightmares aplenty that night; though they were no where near as bad as he'd feared they would be and he suspected that was due to the fact that he was older now, had mostly come to terms with what happened on that mission, and had talked about what had bothered him right away instead of holding it inside like he had for over a month after it first happened.

He was also thankful that the nightmares he did have hadn't pulled upon the worst of his experiences at Hogwarts because he wouldn't have dealt with those nearly as well considering some of them were far darker than those from the years prior to attending the school of magic.

Translations: Japanese to English

Ano – um/uh
Fukigen no Jutsu – fatal pout technique often employed by children and women everywhere
Kami/kamisama – spirits/god

AN: Again, this chapter was very similar to chapter 32/33 in the original posting of Bug Boy with two big exceptions; one being Kurenai's presence and the other being the composition of Satoshi's second team. The next chapter will have a major deviation from the original story-line and will provide you with an insight into why both versions have different team compositions. You can expect the next chapter to be up sometime within the next seven days; I'm not going to give a specific day though since I've been having too much trouble posting chapters on the promised day. ~ Jenn