---
"Sensei?"
Alaric turned his head towards the entrance of the Smoke Shop and saw Haku standing there.
"I see you've found me," Alaric smiled. He had sensed Haku's approach minutes ago, the boy's calm and cool chakra was a familiar signature now.
The ice-release user raised a brow, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "You said to meet at the village center at 9AM? It's already 9:30AM..."
Why did Haku call him Sensei? Well, it was because of a peculiar conversation that had taken place a week ago, in the dead of night, within the Hokage's office.
---Flashback, a week ago---
"Before that," Hiruzen had called out, his voice stopping Alaric, Zabuza, and Haku as they were about to leave the office. "I need to have a conversation with you, Alaric-san."
Zabuza and Haku exchanged a look before quietly exiting, leaving the Hokage and the blonde alone in the room, save for the ever-present ANBU in the shadows.
"Yes?" Alaric's brow rose as he walked back towards the Hokage's desk.
"With Haku being a genin, he needs to have a Jonin Sensei to guide him," Hiruzen smiled, a shrewd, calculating look in his old eyes. "Since you brought him in... how about you become his Jonin-sensei?"
"Jonin?" Alaric's eyes widened, his brows raised in genuine confusion. "Don't you have lots of Jonin? How about the Special Jonins? Mitarashi Anko? Ibiki?"
Hiruzen shook his head, taking a puff from his pipe. "Lots of Jonins, yes, but some are inactive and most already have their own genin teams. Special Jonins like them don't want students, they work in teams, not apprenticeships."
"Wait a minute," Alaric scratched the back of his head. "Can you even do that? You're turning a stranger into a Jonin? Also, don't Jonins need three Genins to make a team?"
Hiruzen chuckled, the sound a low rumble in his chest. "Don't you know who you're talking to? Academy students do need to pass the Genin exams to be a Genin. Genins need to pass the Chunin exams to be a Chunin. But I get to choose if someone becomes a Jonin or not. And also, Yuki Haku's case is special."
"...I mean, I don't mind, it's not new to me," Alaric admitted with a shrug. "Sure, not a problem..."
"Okay, you're hereby a Konoha Shinobi and are officially promoted to the rank of Jonin," Hiruzen smiled, a triumphant glint in his eye. He had finally tied this powerful anomaly to Konoha. He reached under his desk, pulled out a standard Konoha headband, and tossed it to Alaric.
Alaric caught the Hitai-ate and stared at it for a moment before chuckling. He looked up at Hiruzen. "Fine... but I won't wear this nor the flak-jacket."
"That's not a problem," Hiruzen smirked, then sighed, his expression turning serious again. "Let's talk about what you said about the Yondaime Mizukage." He gestured for Alaric to conjure the privacy barrier again.
Alaric, curious, did so without a hand sign. The milky white dome materialized around them. Hiruzen commented on how interesting the jutsu was, but Alaric just chuckled. "You curious?"
"Yes, but everyone has their fair share of secrets." Hiruzen admitted, then took a long drag from his pipe. "I have no recent news of Kirigakure. The village has been in a civil war for a while. Is Yagura's death related to the Akatsuki? I am willing to pay one hundred thousand Ryo for this information."
Alaric chuckled. "Yes."
Hiruzen nodded, his expression grim. "Do you know of the abilities of the Akatsuki members? I no longer have the funds to pay immediately, but I will officialize a budget to pay you. Konoha will be in your debt."
Alaric took a drag from his own cigar. "This information is truly expensive," he conceded, "but I won't ask for money." He leaned forward, a sly smile on his face. "I'll be generous with ya... just give Zabuza and Haku a house to live in, I'll tell you everything."
Hiruzen stared, surprised by the relatively modest request. A piece of land and a house, in exchange for intel that could save their village? He nodded immediately. "Accepted."
"Well… hm… First member, Hidan," Alaric began, his voice a low, steady murmur. "White hair, big scythe, mouth like a sailor. Immortal thanks to his 'Jashin' rituals. He draws a circle, links himself to the victim... hurts himself, you get hurt. However, he needs that ritual circle, and he's slow compared to real elites. Cut him up, bury him deep, and he's out of the fight."
He continued, listing them off one by one, a calm, clinical recitation of their strengths and weaknesses. Deidara, the clay bomber, whose arrogance was his undoing. Sasori, the puppet master who was a puppet himself, vulnerable only at his core. Kakuzu, the immortal accountant with five hearts and a fatal love for money. Kisame, the monster with a chakra-eating sword that could be turned against him.
Hiruzen listened, his face growing paler with each description. When Alaric spoke of Itachi, a deep, profound sadness filled the old Hokage's eyes.
"Sixth, a shinobi you know well... the most genius shinobi Konoha has ever produced, Uchiha Itachi. His Mangekyo has fire that burns for seven days and seven nights," Alaric had said. "But he's sick. He won't last in a long fight, and he gets more and more blind the more he uses his Mangekyo Sharingan. Still, he can beat ten of your top Jonin right now."
'Well, aside from Gai,' Alaric thought. 'If Gai opens the eighth gate, he's by far the strongest shinobi in this village at this moment aside from the fact that he'd die if he does so.'
"Even weakened, he is still that strong... Itachi truly has the will of fire," Hiruzen had whispered, a flicker of pride and guilt warring in his old heart.
"I see the pun there," Alaric chuckled. "Anyways, you should find a way for him to meet Tsunade for a checkup... I don't know how you'll do that though." He then described Zetsu, the scout; Konan, the paper angel whose wings could be turned to ash. Then came Tobi.
"Orange spiral mask, one eyehole, acts clumsy like a fool," Alaric had explained. "Truth? That's Uchiha Obito, pretending to be Madara Uchiha to manipulate the Akatsuki. His Mangekyo Sharingan lets him make his body intangible. Weakness? He has to make himself tangible to attack. Time it right, and you can strike him. But good luck with that. He was personally trained by the real Madara."
"Wait... what!?" Hiruzen's shock had been absolute. The information was too shocking for him.
"Take it for what it is," Alaric had sighed, looking at the non-existing watch at the back of his wrist. "It's a very long story. It's already very late, man."
"But Obito was reported dead..."
"Hey, I'm just telling you the truth," Alaric had shrugged. "It's up to you if you want to believe it. You can even tell Kakashi. It might give him some purpose… or not."
Finally, he had spoken of the last, most terrifying member. "Last but not least... Pein. Orange hair, Rinnegan eyes. But you'll never face just one. There are six bodies, each with a different ability. Gravity control, summons, soul absorption... their true body hides far away, pulling the strings."
Hiruzen's pipe had nearly slipped from his lips. "The Rinnegan… the Sage of Six Paths' eyes."
Alaric had simply nodded. "He's on a different tier. If the five Kage fought him together, he'd still win."
---End of Flashback---
"...caught up with the beauty of this place," Alaric finished, a lazy smile on his face as he looked at Haku.
"Beauty?" Haku raised a brow, looking around at the shelves of tobacco products. "Cigars? You're late because you were out to buy cigars?"
"Yep, I apologize," Alaric nodded, completely unrepentant. "As a payment, I'll treat you to some Akimichi Barbecue!"
Haku just stared at Alaric for a moment, at his strange, casual power, at his infuriatingly relaxed demeanor. Then, a small, genuine chuckle escaped him. He had seen Alaric handle Zabuza, had witnessed his impossible teleportation, had felt the weight of his conversation with the Hokage.
To Haku, this man was a living legend, a force of nature. And he was offering to buy him lunch. Haku shook his head, a real smile on his face. "Fine."
---
The afternoon sun cast long, lazy shadows across the streets of Konoha. The initial, frantic energy of the midday rush had subsided, replaced by a calmer, more deliberate rhythm.
Shopkeepers swept their stoops, children played quiet games in the alleyways, and shinobi moved with a relaxed but watchful purpose.
Alaric and Haku walked side-by-side through this peaceful scene, their destination was the tall, red tower that served as the heart of the village. After a satisfying lunch of Akimichi barbecue, a meal Haku had attacked with a quiet but ferocious appetite, Alaric had decided there was no point in delaying the inevitable. It was time to get to work as a shinobi of this village.
"Good afternoon," Alaric greeted the secretary stationed outside the Hokage's office, his voice a calm, polite murmur.
The woman, a chunin with a perpetually harried expression, looked up from the stack of scrolls she was organizing. Her eyes widened slightly in recognition. "Oh, aren't you the new Jonin?" she asked, her tone shifting from professional brusqueness to one of polite curiosity. She nodded her head. "Hokage-sama is available right now. You can go inside."
"Thanks," Alaric nodded back, pushing open the heavy wooden door, Haku following a respectful step behind him.
The sight within the office was, to Alaric, predictably amusing. The room was a study in contrasts. Near the window, basking in the warm afternoon light, sat Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, puffing contentedly on his pipe and gazing out at the village he loved. He looked every bit the wise, retired grandfather.
Behind the massive desk, however, was another Hiruzen, a perfect shadow clone, who looked anything but retired. He was buried under a mountain of paperwork, his brow furrowed in concentration, his brush flying across a scroll with a speed that spoke of long, soul-crushing practice.
The original Hiruzen turned his head as they entered, a calm, knowing smile on his face. "Alaric, Haku... a mission, I presume?"
"You should know already," Alaric raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk on his lips. "I mean, you always use that crystal ball of yours."
Hiruzen couldn't help but chuckle, the sound a low, weary rumble. "You got me... I have a couple of D to C-Rank requests."
"...Do you have a B-rank mission?" Alaric asked, walking forward and stopping before the desk, completely ignoring the still-working clone. "Haku doesn't need C-rank missions. He's done enough of those with Zabuza during their time as mercenaries."
Hiruzen stared at him for a moment, taking a slow puff from his pipe. He looked at Haku, at the boy's calm, composed demeanor, and the undeniable strength he could sense that surpassed even Chunins.
He sighed, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, there are no B-rank requests at this moment. Other than D and C-rank missions, there are only A-ranks."
"A-ranks?" Alaric's brow rose, but he nodded without a flicker of hesitation. "We'll take an A-rank mission then."
"...Okay?" Hiruzen said, a flicker of surprise in his old eyes. He had expected Alaric to haggle, to perhaps wait for a more suitable mission. But he thought nothing of it. He had seen enough of this man to know that normal expectations did not apply. "I have a couple of A-ranks on my table right now."
Alaric walked around the desk, leaning over to look at the four scrolls the Hiruzen had unfurled after replacing the clone for its seat. Haku stepped forward as well, his gaze curious but steady.
"Hmm... escorting a minor daimyo's daughter through bandit country... intelligence gathering near the Iwagakure border... investigating a series of disappearances in the Land of Tea..." Alaric read the mission descriptions aloud, his finger tracing the elegant script. He paused at the last one. "Subjugation of a bandit camp led by a rogue shinobi in the Land of Hot Water. One hundred sixty thousand Ryo... I'll take this one."
Hiruzen nodded, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. It was the most straightforward of the missions, but also potentially the most dangerous. He took the scroll and, with a few swift strokes of his brush, added Alaric's name to the official record. Ararikku Jonasan Kenwei. Alaric's eye twitched slightly at the familiar, frustrating transliteration.
"Here," Hiruzen said, rolling up the scroll and handing it to him. "Take care."
"Sure," Alaric smiled, taking the scroll. He turned to Haku. "Let's go."
Haku stared at the A-rank mission scroll in Alaric's hand for a moment, a thrill of excitement mixed with a healthy dose of concern running through him. He had faced A-Rank threats alongside Zabuza, yes, but this was different. This was his first official mission as a shinobi of Konoha. He looked at Alaric's calm, confident back, and his own nerves settled.
"Yeah," he said, his voice firm with a newfound resolve. "Let's..."
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