The last three days she was supposed to spend completing her mission were instead spent relaxing at the hotel. It was a reward for everyone to be there, not doing missions, after having passed the exams. Honestly, Seina couldn't believe she was a jonin. Not a tokubetsu jonin, but a jonin. For her, in reality, it wasn't much different from the duties she had been performing until now. According to her new friend Nara, that was because she had only been a tokubetsu jonin on paper but had practically been fulfilling the same duties as a regular jonin.
She shrugged. The only changes were that now she could lead her own teams of fellow jonin, earn a bit more, take on higher-ranked missions, and, amusingly, she realized that theoretically, she could have her own genin team. The thought made her stifle a laugh at how ridiculous it would be for her, at 12 years old, to be given a team of 10 or 11-year-old genin. Clearly, that wouldn't happen for a few years. Now that she thought about it, did she even want to manage a group of kids in the future? She wasn't entirely sure.
When they returned to Konoha, at the end of the third week of May, on the final day of the jonin exams, Seina still hadn't fully processed her promotion. Every step they took closer to the village convinced her more and more that it was real. Then, she began to recall all the things she had left unfinished, so to speak, over the past few weeks.
To start with, she was eager to see Sasuke and Naruto again, whom she had hardly seen lately. She also looked forward to returning to the hospital and taking on missions that didn't involve delivering scrolls or confidential documents. She needed to figure out the matter of the Uzumaki temple she had hidden away, tucked into the back of her mind. Not to mention the other points marked on the map. One of them she could have investigated during the exam, but it hadn't even crossed her mind at the time.
She had so much to do that she felt a little stressed, to be honest. She hadn't even met Matsuri, the genin who was going to replace her in the chunin exams. And it had been months since she'd had a long meeting or even a proper conversation with Tsunade-sama and Shizune.
She told her master all this on the way back.
"You've reached the top now, Seina," her master congratulated her with a smile. "You'll have much more time for yourself now. What's your next goal?"
"To continue learning ninjutsu," she answered automatically. "I've put it aside for a bit, and I'd like to pick it back up."
"We'll also need to talk about the hospital. There are no longer people with severe amputations. Just more cosmetic issues that don't require an entire day's work."
"I know. I noticed during the last consultations."
"The downside of your promotion is that, until Sasuke and Naruto are promoted to chunin, due to the disparity in ranks, you likely won't have any missions together."
"I don't mind waiting a month."
"I see you're very confident."
Seina nodded. She knew her team would succeed. They had learned from last year's mistakes—mistakes that weren't very significant. She was confident they would make it without any trouble.
"By the way… could I schedule a meeting to talk?"
Tsunade's honey-coloured eyes fixed on hers, silently asking if it was important. Seina nodded with a weighted gaze. The Hokage frowned at her expression.
"We'll talk as soon as we arrive in Konoha. Is that alright, Shikaku?" she called over her shoulder. The Nara nodded.
Their arrival in Konoha occurred that same afternoon, a few hours after the ship made landfall. When they reached the southern gate, there were more than a few companions waiting nervously. A group of kids was literally there for Seina. The 11 from her cohort, with whom she trained and hung out, had gathered to welcome her.
"Seina-nee!" Naruto shouted the moment he saw her.
She waved as she walked the last few meters to the entrance. As soon as she stepped into the village, Naruto threw himself at her. Sasuke approached more calmly, staying close to them.
"So?"
"I've been promoted," she confirmed.
Suddenly, everyone began congratulating her. She noticed the amused glances from other villagers. Ino, Tenten, and Hinata had even conspired to buy her some of her favourite bath products, expensive chocolates, and silver hoop earrings.
"You're the first in our class!" Ino said excitedly. "And at just 12 years old! We had to celebrate."
"Thank you all so much."
They suggested going out to eat, but she had to decline to speak with the Hokage. Even so, they wouldn't take no for an answer and convinced her to join them for dinner at the Akimichi restaurant later that evening.
"You'll see her later, brats," the Hokage dismissed them, who had been waiting nearby. "She's coming with me now."
"What!? We haven't seen Seina in weeks!" Naruto protested.
"I said later!"
Naruto and Sasuke looked at her, crestfallen, but they nodded when she silently pleaded for a few hours to speak with her master. She would tell them everything later, but right now, she needed to share what had happened.
"Damn kids. They never listen to anyone…" the Hokage grumbled as they walked to her office.
Seina bit her tongue to keep from laughing, noticing Shikaku's sly smile. Once they entered the office, the Hokage activated all the barriers and protections. She didn't even finish sitting in her chair before sighing and asking her what had happened.
"And?"
"Where do I even start?" she joked sarcastically. "To begin with, the Raikage ordered his participants to eliminate some of ours."
"What?" The Hokage tensed in her chair. "How do you know?"
"A couple of idiots tried to hunt me, thinking I was the weakest. As soon as I realized it, I set a trap for them and then interrogated them. In the end, I was the one who eliminated them and stole their scrolls."
"So that's why you had three extra scrolls," Shikaku murmured, leaning against a wall. "Perhaps we should call the anbu commander and Inoichi."
"Ugh. Fine! Have them come," her master sighed, rubbing her temples.
The ones mentioned didn't take more than 10 minutes to arrive.
"What's the problem?" asked the anbu commander from behind his mask.
"Seina, can you explain everything from the beginning?"
She fervently wished for a pensive but, as it hadn't occurred to her until now that such a thing would be necessary, she had to start talking from the beginning. She explained everything: the strange eye of that man, Ao, the odd conversation she'd had with the Mizukage before she silenced him, her encounter with the Kumo ninjas and the interrogation, her capture of Biwa and the discoveries she'd made while "questioning" him, the additional clues that didn't align with Itachi, and the mysterious death of Yagura, the former Mizukage…
She spoke for half an hour without interruption. Konoha's higher-ups listened attentively as she detailed her findings during the exams. By the time she finished, the atmosphere in the room was tense and calculating.
"This is good work," said the masked anbu. "This information could be of great use to Konoha."
"That A," Tsunade-sama growled. "I knew he'd try something like this."
"It was predictable. A is the most militaristic of all the Kage," said Shikaku. "What's most surprising in all this, honestly, is what's brewing in Kirigakure. Based on what Seina uncovered from Biwa's mind and overheard from Ao... Everything points to Yagura, the former Mizukage, having been replaced a long time ago."
"Why do you say that?" asked Inoichi, who had been silently pondering.
"Yagura's behaviour became erratic about three years ago. Up until that point, he'd ruled peacefully. For a time, I considered several hypotheses about his sudden change: mental illness, blackmail, internal conflicts... But the real question is: who replaced the Mizukage, and why?" Shikaku mused aloud. "Something doesn't add up. What did Akatsuki gain by removing Yagura from power?"
"Akatsuki... They're mercenaries, right?" she asked, having limited knowledge about the criminal organization. "Could someone in Kirigakure have paid them to eliminate him?"
"...It's possible," Tsunade-sama admitted. "But there are too many unknowns. We don't have enough information to answer those questions yet."
"One important thing we do know: the new Mizukage is aware that Yagura was somehow replaced. How did she find out?" asked the ANBU.
"As Tsunade-sama said, there's no way to know for sure..."
"The bigger question is: what happened to my brother, Isobu?"
"Who?" she asked, completely confused.
"When I was inside your mother, I heard rumours that reached her ears. It was said that Yagura, the jinchuriki of the Sanbi, was a perfect jinchuriki because he could control Isobu and use him to fight Kirigakure's enemies. In fact, that's why he became Mizukage at such a young age, according to your father."
"Good question," she said, stunned, before relaying it to the others. "What happened to his bijuu?"
The adults' gazes fixed on her. She watched as they exchanged looks, clearly realizing that Isobu had to be somewhere. When a jinchuriki died without their bijuu being extracted, the seal would completely break, releasing the bijuu into the world. So, if Yagura had died suddenly without the bijuu being extracted first, where was the Sanbi?
"I had forgotten that Yagura was a jinchuriki," Tsunade admitted. "Good question."
"Either it was extracted before he was killed without anyone noticing, or the seal broke, and now it's roaming free."
"Can't it be sealed again?"
"No," Inoichi laughed. "No one except the Uzumaki had that kind of skill. That's why bijuu are extracted before their jinchuriki die of old age. We have tools to transfer them to sacred objects, but only if they're already sealed beforehand."
As she listened, an image of the demon mask from the Uzumaki temple flashed in her mind. She suppressed a telling shiver and nodded at the new information. She left the meeting a while later when it was clear they wouldn't get any more answers. Upon reopening her bond with Naruto and Sasuke, she realized they were training in the practice field while waiting for her to leave the office.
"Finally," yawned Shikamaru. "Any longer, and we would've left it for another day."
"Is everything sorted out?" Sasuke asked, slipping his hands into his pockets casually.
She nodded, knowing they'd interrogate her about the meeting later. They went to have dinner at the Akimichi restaurant, as was their tradition. For most of the meal, they peppered her with questions about the exams: the written test, the trials in the Blood Swamp, the type of missions she could choose from, her mission, her fight against the other kunoichi... By the end of the night, Seina was utterly exhausted from all the talking. She'd spent almost nine days speaking no more than five minutes at a time, and now they wouldn't let her breathe.
"Let's change the subject," Sasuke suggested, noticing her fatigue. "If it were me, the last thing I'd want to talk about is the exams."
"Haven't you invited Karin?" Seina asked Sasuke quietly.
"Naruto said she didn't want to come," he shrugged. "I haven't even met her yet."
"We'll introduce you tomorrow if you want."
She saw Sasuke nod. Karin had been reluctant to hang out with their friends, perhaps because she'd never had so many peers her age who didn't want something from her. Still, Seina resolved to take it slow. She'd start with Sasuke, then introduce Karin to Ino and the other girls. Finally, once Karin felt completely at ease, she'd bring her into the larger group.
"So, what have you all been up to these past days?"
"Training," several voices answered in unison.
"That seems like all we ever do," Ino groaned.
"You're the ones who need it the most," Shikamaru said with a tired expression.
"Why do you say that?"
Neji's curious question drew everyone's attention to Team 10. Everyone knew that both Team 10 and her own needed temporary substitutes, but apparently, they weren't aware of the struggles Team 10 was having integrating Sakura, who had stopped training seriously after joining the cryptanalysis squad.
"It's Sakura. She needs a lot of training to level up. Otherwise, she'll just be dead weight for Ino and Chouji."
"Why?"
"It seems she stopped training and focused entirely on her new job."
"Then why does she want to become a chunin?" Kiba asked in exasperation.
"I think Sakura doesn't want to fall behind," Ino sighed. "Can you imagine being the only genin in our class for the rest of her life?"
"I get it, but at least she could've kept training in her free time," Neji frowned. "What kind of ninja stops training completely?"
"The kind who only uses their brain," Kiba mocked.
"Sakura-san will surely improve in the coming weeks," Hinata said softly, trying to be conciliatory. "She just needs to get back into the rhythm of training."
"That's the problem! It's nearly June, and the exams are in three weeks!" Ino wailed.
Seina didn't quite understand why it was such a big issue. The only disadvantage Ino and Chouji would face was during the five-day survival test in the desert. Sakura would give them an advantage in the written test, so it was only fair they returned the favour in the physical challenges. Their goal was simple: survive for five days. They didn't even need to fight unnecessarily.
Clearly, the ideal situation was for everyone to be equally skilled in theory and physical abilities, but not everyone excelled at everything. That's why the test was done in teams.
Of course, if it had been a jonin exam, Sakura would've perished during the five days Seina spent in the swamp. Fortunately for Team 10—and especially for Sakura—this was a team effort.
"You know… I think I'll give you my gift for your promotion before the exam. It'll be more useful that way," she chuckled, knowing exactly what she was going to give them.
"What!?"
"What gift?"
"You'll see."
"That's not fair! Now I won't stop thinking about it."
"Seina!"
The voices of her friends made her smile as they discussed what kind of gift she could be planning to give them that would be so useful. They headed home shortly afterward, agreeing to meet up again in a couple of days as usual on Mondays.
"What do you want to give us?" Naruto asked excitedly as they walked through the village toward their house.
"Some things to help survive the desert," she rolled her eyes. "You'll see, Naru."
When they got home, they saw that Kakashi-sensei wasn't there. Apparently, according to a note he had left, he was away on a mission. Seina took the opportunity to show them everything that had happened over the past few days, opening her link so they could see her memories as if they had been there themselves. Both Naruto and Sasuke looked serious and angry when they saw the attempt to assassinate her. Sasuke, in particular, focused intently on the part involving Biwa, just as she expected he would.
"Why does it feel like every time we learn something new, this mystery just gets harder to solve?" Sasuke sighed.
"Because we clearly don't even know half of what's really going on," Naruto said with surprising maturity and seriousness.
The next day, Sunday, she took the day completely off—and she meant it. She didn't lift a single finger. She lazed around the house while her brothers looked on indulgently. She still couldn't believe she was a jonin now. The news hadn't fully sunk in yet. In the afternoon, she decided to visit Karin, so Naruto and Sasuke accompanied her to her apartment. Karin, as soon as she opened the door, was completely taken with Sasuke, much to Naruto and Seina's amusement. Sasuke, meanwhile, looked thoroughly uncomfortable seeing her starstruck face.
"Seina! You're back!"
"Hi, Karin. I just wanted to stop by and introduce you to Sasuke. He's my other teammate."
"Come in. We can talk inside."
"Nee-chan has been promoted!" Naruto blurted out, unable to hold it in.
"Really? Congratulations!" Karin smiled, ignoring Sasuke entirely. "I knew you'd make it."
They chatted for a while, though it was obvious Karin was avoiding looking directly at Sasuke, as if embarrassed, while Sasuke sat like a silent movie actor. He had planted himself on the couch and hadn't said a word. Naruto and Seina exchanged glances—equal parts confused, amused, and curious—and let Karin steer the conversation to avoid making her uncomfortable.
A bit later, when they said goodbye to Karin, Sasuke bolted out the door with Naruto hot on his heels. Karin sighed as he left.
"What's going on?" Seina asked.
"Nothing. It was clear I made him uncomfortable, so I didn't want to complicate things more."
"Is that why you two didn't say a single word?" she asked. "What a strange way to make things easier."
"He noticed that I liked him, and as soon as he realized it, he looked like a dead man walking," Karin sighed.
"Don't worry. Sasuke's introverted. Just try to interact with him normally, and things will work out," Seina reassured her.
Karin nodded. She was right, of course. The moment Sasuke noticed her glowing, admiring eyes and the blush on her cheeks, he had stiffened like a broomstick. Clearly, he didn't feel the same way. Still, as Seina had said, ignoring him wasn't the best way to handle the situation. The most sensible thing to do was to act naturally. If Sasuke didn't like Karin romantically… well, there was no helping that, but at least they could try to be friends.
She found Sasuke waiting for her outside the apartment. He seemed less uncomfortable, but the way his hands were stuffed in his pockets, his shoulders were slightly tense, and his gaze was averted told her everything she needed to know.
"Don't worry. She just wants to be your friend," she assured him as she approached.
"Come on, teme. Karin will figure out soon enough that you're an idiot," Naruto teased.
"Like you, then?" Sasuke hissed, snapping back to his usual self. Naruto winked at her behind Sasuke's back.
She left them bickering as they walked back home. When they arrived, they found Kakashi-sensei sitting in the kitchen, having a drink.
"Kakashi-sensei! You're finally back!" Naruto shouted.
"Hey, guys. Congratulations, Seina," Kakashi-sensei smiled. "Shikaku told me."
"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei."
"From now on, you're the same rank as me. I'm not your sensei anymore," he reminded her with another proud smile. "You can call me by my name now."
"Alright. Thanks… Kakashi."
"That sounds so weird," Naruto muttered. Sasuke nodded. "But it makes sense."
During dinner, Naruto brought up what had happened to her during the exam. Kakashi—Kakashi, not sensei—didn't seem very surprised, though she noticed a subtle twitch in his cheek thanks to her perfect vision. Seina groaned at having to recount the same story for what felt like the fiftieth time.
"We can talk more about this tomorrow if you'd like," he offered.
"Why don't I just show you? I'm tired of telling the same story 50 times," she sighed.
Kakashi nodded. She implanted the memories into his mind with a touch to his temple. Unlike using legilimency at a distance, implanting memories had an advantage: the other person could recall those memories as if they were their own. In other words, Kakashi would experience everything she had lived, felt, and learned—every word Kurama had said, every emotion, and every stolen thought.
When he came out of her memories a while later, he looked… angry. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke's explosive anger, Kakashi's was silent and restrained. He sat tensely, his expression grim, and his gaze was sharp and dangerous.
"I'm glad you're alright," he said finally, his voice carefully calm.
"And that you killed those clowns," Naruto hissed. She noticed a red tint beginning to creep into his eyes.
Sasuke kicked Naruto under the table to snap him out of his trance but didn't criticize his words. They finished dinner and then headed to bed. Seina was so exhausted from the two weeks of exams that she didn't even try to stay up and talk with Kakashi alone. She simply gave him a kiss on the cheek when Naruto and Sasuke weren't looking and went upstairs after her brothers.