Konohagakure no Sato, also known as the hidden leaf village.
Nestled at the heart of the land of fire, beneath a canopy of endless green, there lies a village carved from legacy and legend.
The wind rustles through the high trees of the surrounding forest like whispers of ancient battles, while the scent of damp earth and woodsmoke clings to the breeze. Atop its surrounding cliffs, the faces of former Hokage are etched into stone, silent sentinels watching over the Hidden Leaf.
The village bustles with life: merchants calling out their wares, shinobi leaping between rooftops, children darting through alleyways with wooden kunai in hand, dreaming of glory.
The architecture is a blend of humble wooden homes and towering watchtowers, tiled rooftops gleaming under the sun. Beneath this warmth, however, lies the ever-present tension of a world shaped by war and loss.
But Konoha endured.
Not through power alone, but through the will of its people, their defiance, their laughter, their love.
Among its shinobi, one man stands like an echo from another world: a warrior with the grin of a storm and a spirit too wild for silence. The Silver Boar of Konoha.
Daigo Guretsu, and today... he's bored.
Pulling us away from the vibrant streets and up toward the heart of the Hidden Leaf, the Hokage's Tower.
Within its highest chamber, the Hokage's office stood cloaked in sunlight that filtered through wide windows, illuminating walls lined with maps, scrolls, and faded relics of older wars.
Today however, the room was crowded—not with relics, but with Konoha's elite Jounin, gathered in one place for the first time in months. The gathering of Konoha's elite Jounin, now faced with the yearly rite: choosing their genin.
The Hokage's office was filled with the rustle of paper and quiet murmurs. A faint tension hung in the air. Not the kind that came before battle, but the quiet, subtle strain of warriors about to be saddled with something far more chaotic than war.
Children.
Future genin.
Along with those many Jounin, Daigo Guretsu slouched against the wall near the window, arms folded behind his head, eyes only half-lidded with interest. He chewed lazily on a thin twig, bitter from the bark, but it gave his mouth something to do while everyone else made boring faces and talked boring talk.
Daigo Guretsu was tall, well over six feet with a solid muscular build that made it obvious he'd been training hard since he could walk. His skin was tan from long hours under the sun, and his face was sharp, with a defined jawline and a faint scar running from the corner of his mouth to his cheek.
His hair was long and black, tied back in a loose ponytail that reached his upper back, with a few stray strands hanging over his face.
His eyes were a deep brown, sharp and full of energy, often squinting slightly from how often he smiled or laughed.
He wore the standard flak jacket most Jōnin had, but his was slightly modified: sleeveless, unzipped, and worn over a dark shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Black pants tucked into shinobi sandals completed the look, with his headband tied around his arm rather than his forehead. A long, curved sword sat at his side, its sheath simple and well-used.
There wasn't anything flashy about him but most of the people who knew of him knew that he had nothing to prove, that he could still break every bone in your body if you gave him a reason.
"Try not to look so dead inside," Kurenai muttered beside him, her voice low, but not unkind.
He grinned wide at her, teeth bared like a misbehaving animal. "I ain't dead inside, I'm spiritually retired," he whispered back.
"Besides, the only reason I'm even here is because you dragged me. You should be proud. That's commitment."
Kurenai rolled her eyes, arms crossed, but her lips twitched faintly with affection. He might be infuriating, but he was her infuriation.
To Kurenai, Daigo was equal parts infuriating and irresistible, a storm in human form with a grin that could disarm even her coldest stares.
He was loud where she was quiet, reckless where she was cautious, yet somehow, they met in the middle like they'd been doing it all their lives. She didn't always understand his laid-back attitude or why he laughed during the most serious moments, but she trusted him deeply.
Asuma lit another cigarette across the room, offering Daigo a casual nod. Gai was practically vibrating beside a reluctant Kakashi, who seemed content to ignore the world from the comfort of his orange book.
At the head of the room, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood with quiet patience. A long drag of his pipe, a cloud of smoke released, and the meeting began.
"Gentlemen. Ladies. As you know, this year's graduates have exceeded expectations. We have several promising young shinobi. As is tradition, each of you will review the rosters and decide which squad you'd be best suited to lead."
Murmurs spread across the room. Scrolls were handed out. Names whispered. Files shuffled.
Kurenai and the rest of the Jounin took the papers, her eyes set on a specific team, one she already had her mind made about.
As for Daigo, his sharp black eyes scanned the papers with visible boredom, fingers idly flipping through files without care or purpose.
Until one name caught his eye. A sudden pause. A flicker of interest. Then? A grin. Slow. Wide. Ferocious.
It spread across his face like dawn breaking through storm clouds. His teeth showed in a way that wasn't entirely polite, and the sheer heat of his amusement turned heads before he even spoke.
Kurenai noticed, everyone noticed. A primal instinct of theirs made their back hair stand out. They knew that grin. Daigo was always grinning but there were levels to his grins. And this one made even Kakashi look up from his book, his eyes narrowed.
The first to react was Hiruzen Sarutobi, his ancient eyes narrowing ever so slightly. The corner of his mouth twitched as he looked over the rims of his pipe.
"…Daigo," he said, voice calm but wry. "What has you grinning like a tiger in a chicken coop?"
Daigo didn't look up. He just held the paper between two fingers, tapping it with the back of his knuckle. His voice came low and delighted, like he'd just stumbled onto something delicious.
"I'll take him," he said, stabbing his finger at the page.
The room went still. Kurenai leaned in, reading the name.
Naruto Uzumaki.
Kurenai's facial expression became haunted. "Oh no." she said quietly.
Across the room, Asuma muttered under his breath. "Oh snap."
Gai's eyebrows rose in shock. Kakashi's single eye narrowed in alarm.
Even Hiruzen, the old war veteran, arched an eyebrow, his version of a double take.
"Really?" The Hokage said, Daigo only giggled slightly like a hyena before folding the scroll up slowly, still grinning .
"Oh come on now, this firecracker's a RIOT!" Daigo said before laughing loudly, his voice was booming, some even flinched.
"He painted all four Hokage faces… in broad daylight," he said, Kurenai remembered that event a little too well, she had to drag her man to the house, the amount of laughter he went through should've put him in a coma.
"He got the ANBU chasing their tails. Brat's got gall. Spirit. Fire." He pointed to his chest. "Right here. I can feel it."
Kakashi raised a hand reluctantly. "If I may… that particular student…"
"Mine," Daigo cut in. "I called dibs. You all heard it. I yelled it."
"You didn't yell it," Kurenai sighed.
"I emotionally yelled it," he replied, crossing his arms and nodding with a grin. The woman rolled her eyes and Asuma snickered a bit.
Hiruzen smiled faintly behind his pipe. "You do understand this isn't a marketplace."
"Oh, I'm fully aware," Daigo said, already flipping through the rest of the team's details with a casual glance. "Let's see who else is stuck with him…"
His grin returned when he saw the other names. "Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Huh. Angry, and Nerd. Sounds like my idea of a good time."
Kakashi looked at Hiruzen. "I would've volunteered for them."
"You didn't speak up first," the old man said, smoke curling from his mouth like a dragon's breath. "And it seems Daigo's taken quite the interest."
"YEAH!" Daigo exclaimed, literally punching the air, Kurenai covered her face behind her palm, slightly embarrassed while Guy laughed.
Hiruzen on the other hand was staring at Kakashi and almost winced at the look of betrayal the copy ninja was giving him. Hiruzen knew of the reason and how personal this was to his shinobi. But what is a Hokage if not the great mediator?
"Perhaps a compromise is in question." Hiruzen said, drawing both Jounin's attention.
"Say what now?" Daigo said with a tilted head, Kakashi looked back at the Hokage with a degree of hope before Hiruzen continued.
"Daigo, you'll take command of the squad. Kakashi, you'll have special permissions to train Naruto and Sasuke individually, should Daigo approve." That was the best he could do.
No Genin squad should have two Jounin sensei. Team 7 was already fortunate enough to get Daigo as a Sensei; that man would bring out their potential screaming if he had to…now that he thought about it, maybe putting Kakashi in there might've been better. Oh well.
Daigo grinned. "Kakashi's on babysitting duty? Even better!"
"I'm not a babysitter," Kakashi muttered.
"Tell that to the big boss!" Daigo shot back.
The meeting continued, names exchanged, teams debated, and it went on like so for half an hour before they were all dismissed.
KONOHAGAKURE, EVENING, STONE PATH BELOW THE HOKAGE TOWER
The air was warm and soft with the waning light of the day, the village bathed in hues of copper and faded orange. The usual chatter of the marketplace had thinned into a calm lull. Two figures walked side by side, the pair of elite Jōnin weaving their way down a quiet stone path.
Kurenai Yūhi glanced up at her partner, expression flat but questioning.
"You really gonna keep playing dumb?"
Daigo Guretsu didn't respond at first. He was walking with his hands folded behind his head, head tilted back slightly as he admired the clouds rolling in lazily. His wide, smug grin hadn't faded since they left the Hokage's office.
"Huh?" he finally said, the corners of his mouth twitching. "About what?"
"You know what." Her eyes rolled. "You picked a team. You picked a genin team. You who always groaned at the mere mention of teaching, who once said and I quote, 'I'd rather fight Onoki shirtless in winter than babysit three screaming brats.' You picked a team."
Daigo snorted. "Yeah, and that offer still stands. That old bag of bones might be easier."
Kurenai stopped. He kept walking for a few steps, then sighed and turned around, seeing her arms crossed beneath the swell of her red-trimmed Jōnin vest. "Well?" she pressed.
He scratched at his cheek, the playful smile giving way to something more relaxed earnestly, even.
"I saw the name," he said. "Naruto Uzumaki. And it just… hit me."
Kurenai blinked. "Hit you how?"
Daigo looked up again, this time more thoughtful. "That name's been floating around for years. Kyuubi's host. The brat everyone whispers about but never talks to. I never really gave a damn until I saw it on paper. And then I just thought…" He lowered his gaze to her, grin creeping back.
"That kid's gonna blow this village wide open one day. Might be nice to be standing next to him when it happens."
Kurenai exhaled slowly. "You want to train him because he's explosive?"
"I want to train him because he's got moxie," Daigo corrected, tapping two fingers to his chest. "He's an interesting little shit. I saw his scores. Not great. I saw his discipline notes, disaster. And yet… he's still trying. Still climbing, still running his mouth, still picking fights. Hell, he reminded me of myself back then!"
She watched him closely, her frown softening a little. "You sure it's not just because you saw how Kakashi's face crumpled when you called dibs?"
Daigo chuckled, grinning toothily. "That was just the cherry on top."
They resumed walking, a few steps of silence between them. Then Daigo tilted his head.
"So what about you?" he asked. "You picked a team too, right?"
Kurenai nodded, trying to seem neutral. "Yes. Hinata Hyūga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame."
Daigo's eyes lit up. "Oh-ho! You went for the weirdo and the quiet ones. Not bad. You thinking of doing joint training with me and the brats?"
Kurenai nearly stumbled. Her face stiffened instantly. "You mean your definition of training?"
He blinked innocently. "Yeah. Boar style. Gravity belts. Dumbbells heavier than a horse. The usual bonding experience." he finished shrugging!
Kurenai shivered. "I'm not letting you drop a Hyūga heiress into the same pit where you shattered three boulders with your knees."
"Okay, maybe not right away," Daigo said, shrugging with that same carefree tone. "We can ease them in. Start with poison resistance training or something-"
"No," she cut in flatly. "Absolutely not."
Daigo just laughed, walking ahead with a hand raised lazily. "We'll workshop it."
Kurenai shook her head, already dreading what her students might be walking into. Still… a smile tugged at the edge of her lips as she followed him.
Midnight, Hokage Tower
Konoha's twilight glow had long given way to the velvety dark of night when the lanterns of the Hokage Tower were lit anew. High above the quiet bustle of the village, an air of tension brewed.
A meeting had been initiated by the Hokage—one attended not only by the Elders of Konoha, but by every head of the major clans. Whatever Hiruzen Sarutobi had to say, it was something that demanded both reverence and reckoning.
The council chamber, a circular room lined with polished wood and the emblems of each clan, was full. The Elders, Koharu and Homura, sat to one side, their expressions set in stone.
Across from them were the clan heads: Hiashi Hyuga, with his usual stern, unreadable face; Shikaku Nara, leaning back with half-lidded eyes but a brain already working overtime; Chōza Akimichi, arms crossed, silent but attentive; Inoichi Yamanaka, composed; Tsume Inuzuka, sitting with one leg propped up, her wild eyes sharp.
The last to enter were Shibi Aburame and the stern-faced Hōki Kurama, both nodding silently to their peers.
The atmosphere was heavy, not with hostility, but with anticipation.
Hiruzen stood from his seat at the head of the table and rested his hands against the polished surface. His face bore the weariness of decades, but his voice was clear as the mountain winds.
"I thank you all for coming on such short notice," he began. "This meeting was called to inform you of the finalized Genin team placements, and more importantly, the Jounin instructors responsible for your heirs… and Konoha's future."
There was a quiet murmur at that.
Hiruzen picked up a scroll and began reading.
"Team 8 will be led by Kurenai Yuhi. Her students will be Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka." Hiashi's eye twitched slightly, and Tsume grinned. Shibi gave an approving nod. It was a good tracking team.
"Team 10 will be placed under Asuma Sarutobi. His squad will consist of Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Chōji Akimichi." Chōza and Inoichi exchanged satisfied glances. Shikaku gave a tired thumbs-up. This generation's Inoshikacho formation team.
"Now, Team 7…" Everyone leaned forward just slightly. The room stilled. Each generation's team 7 were the heavy hitters, each of them had become legends in their own right and they tended to be amongst the strongest.
Hiruzen's eyes moved across the scroll slowly. "Team 7 will be comprised of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno."
That caused a wave of reaction.
"Uzumaki?" Hiashi echoed, not even bothering to veil his tone.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki," Koharu muttered with narrowed eyes.
"And the Uchiha boy too?" Homura asked, glancing at Hiruzen. "That's… a delicate combination."
"And who is their Jounin sensei?" Tsume asked, tapping her claws against the table. There was a pause, a slight smirk growing at the edge of Hiruzen's lips.
"They will be trained under Jounin Daigo Guretsu."
The silence that followed was sharp. Deafening. Even Shikaku sat up straight.
"Are you serious?" Koharu said, voice nearly rising with Homura following right behind her.
"You're putting those children under him?"
Hiashi frowned, "Sasuke is the last Uchiha. Naruto… the vessel of the Kyuubi. You place them in the hands of a man with no clan ties, no allegiance to convention, no predictability. That man is chaos."
"You mean power," Shikaku said coolly. "Daigo Guretsu is one of the strongest shinobi in the village, arguably the most powerful apart from lord Hokage. You may not like how he operates, but results are results. Who knows what that man has up his sleeves."
"This is favoritism," Koharu snapped. "Two Jounin, Kakashi Hatake and Daigo Guretsu, both training one team?!"
Hiruzen finally exhaled, his gaze steady. "This is insurance. And foresight. Kakashi will serve in a supporting role. He'll assist when Daigo is otherwise occupied. But make no mistake, the responsibility lies with Guretsu."
"And the reason?" Homura pressed. "He's never taken a student. Why now?"
Before the Hokage could respond, the doors to the chamber slid open and steps purposefully echoed into the room.
In stepped Daigo Guretsu, tall, imposing, his broad form shadowed by the flickering lantern light. That usual grin was stretched across his face, carefree and unbothered, as if he had just stumbled into a tavern instead of a political crossfire.
Kurenai Yuhi followed behind, arms crossed, clearly aware of the tension.
"Yo," Daigo said, raising a hand. "Sorry I'm late. Had to stop by for dumplings." The room stared. Hiruzen smirked faintly.
"You were the topic of discussion."
"I figured," Daigo said, his grin widening. He took a look around the table.
"Man, everyone's looking serious tonight. Who died?" Nobody laughed
"Just wanted to say," he said casually, sliding a folded note onto the table, "I'm not here to ask permission. Just figured it's polite to let y'all know—I'm taking care of Naruto. And his team. You got complaints? That's cute. File 'em in triplicate."
Kurenai sighed, rubbing her temple. "He means thank you for the opportunity."
Daigo turned to her, blinked, then grinned even more. "Right. That."
The council room was dead silent. Then Tsume burst out laughing.
'Looks like those kids are in for one hell of a ride.' Shikaku thought.