Hiruzen was, for lack of a better word, shocked. He had known that Mikoto was a genius, but he didn't know how far that went. He was monitoring the battlefield the entire time and not once did he spot her. Fortunately, his years of experience allowed him to maintain a calm façade.

 

"Ah, Young Mikoto. My thanks for bringing in Mizuki. What did you want to speak about?" Hiruzen lightly stroked his beard, the tension easing from his facial muscles.

 

"…Pretty decent reaction. Good, I can feel more comfortable bringing up what we're going to talk about. First of all, I don't want to deal with this guy anymore. Can you have someone take him away? He'll probably wake up and have a mental breakdown in about fifty minutes, after that you can question him." Mikoto tossed Mizuki's body forward and he landed on his back with a loud thump. His eyes were wide open and still pitch black. Hiruzen felt a familiar sense of unease when he looked into Mizuki's eyes but chose to ignore the feeling in favor of the problem at hand.

 

"Of course," without any movement from Hiruzen, an Anbu guard retrieved Mizuki, appearing and disappearing in a flash. Mikoto was unperturbed.

 

"Great, now that the trash has been disposed of, I want to talk about my place in the village. As I'm sure you know, I'm a child adopted by the Hyuga clan. What I'm sure you don't know however, is what else I am. I won't bore you with details, but I happen to have a few memories from previous lives and these have helped me out since my birth. They have also given me access to powers I wouldn't otherwise hold." Hiruzen's face became stern.

 

"Mikoto, if this is a prank, there must be better ways that you could go about it. You have just performed a great act of service to the village. You don't need to act out." Mikoto chuckled in response to Hiruzen's word's.

 

"I understand it's hard to believe. Allow me to give you a demonstration." With a snap, the light fled from the Hokage's office, leaving him trapped in the void.

 

"What?" Hiruzen was beginning to panic, preparing to use a large scale attack.

 

"Wait. I'm not going to harm you. Reach out, you can feel your desk." Mikoto gave him time to do so, and waited for Hiruzen to calm somewhat. "I'm doing this to show you what happened on that day, nine years ago. I understand that you may defend the Hyuga clan on basis of tradition, but I need you to understand why this event happened in the first place."

 

From the darkness a new scene emerged. It was a path in the Hyuga compound. It was the exact moment when Hiashi had attempted to cripple Natsu. Hiashi was forced to watch every second from Mikoto's point of view. Blood dripped from the corner of Natsu's eyes as she clawed at her head, tearing her hair out. After that, the world went dark and all that could be seen was Hiashi. Creatures came from the shadows and beat him, landing blows that left him covered in bruises. After some time, he was left on the ground, cowering as Mikoto rushed towards him. She did all she could to heal the damage that had been done. Eventually, she gained control of the shadows and was able to save both Hiashi and Natsu.

 

"The reason this affected the whole village is because I was unaware of my powers at the time. They awakened at this very moment, and I had to struggle to reign them in. I was barely able to do it, and I've been training them ever since. I apologize for the damage I caused." Mikoto bowed deeply before continuing. "I don't know if this is a new kekkei genkai or if it's something else, but I want you to know that I am willing to support this village using my power." The darkness disappeared and Hiruzen was back in his seat, contemplating the vision he just saw.

 

"I see. I'm very sorry that this happened to you at such a young age. The village would be grateful to have your service. I'm personally grateful that I can put that horrifying matter to rest now that I know the source of it. I will make sure that this secret is kept very tightly."

 

"Thank you very much, Hokage-sama. There is one more thing I would like to talk about though."

 

"Oh? What would that be?"

 

Red chakra began bubbling up from Mikoto's hand as her eyes turned red, her pupils became vertically slitted. For some reason, a portion of Mikoto's silver hair raised to form earlike shapes. Hiruzen was incredibly alarmed as he retreated from his desk and prepared to call for his guards.

 

"Once again, don't worry. I'm not going to attack you or anything. I'm just letting you know that I have the kyuubi inside of me. Prior to his final moments, I believe that the yellow-haired man who found me decided to seal the other half of the kyuubi within me. Watch."

The red chakra disappeared and Mikoto returned to normal, allowing the Hokage to breathe a sigh of relief.

 

"Thank you for telling me. However, why didn't you reveal this earlier?"

 

"I never had sufficient reason to meet with you. If I appeared randomly, I'm sure you would just have me escorted out."

 

"That is a fair assumption." Hiruzen nodded, chin in hand.

 

"Exactly. Now, I don't have any more surprises, but I do have a request."

 

"I do not have absolute power, but please ask it."

"I want to be in the same team as Naruto. I don't care if you replace someone, or if I'm an extra, I just need to be in a team with him. He faced neglect for his entire life. Do you understand the impact this has had on his mental state? He houses the kyuubi inside of him and his life has been filled with loneliness. Do you want him to turn that loneliness into hatred and direct it towards the village? One wrong move and he will become the greatest threat the village has ever faced. I want to make sure he grows in an environment that supports him. For better or for worse, I was born with a mind that resembled an adult's. I faced discrimination but that was only for a small window of my life. Outside of three people, myself included, Naruto has been despised by the whole village for his entire life. He truly is a child. He didn't know why he was hated, not until tonight at least. Naruto needs a support structure to keep him from turning on us."

 

First you lied, now you're manipulating again? For shame.

 

Whatever. Why tell the truth when lying makes it easier for everyone, and why should I bother waiting for him to draw his own conclusion? I'll draw it for him.

 

Hiruzen was silent for a very long time. He closed his eyes and thought, still as a log. If it weren't for Mikoto's senses, she would have assumed he had fallen asleep. He continued thinking for several minutes, leaving Mikoto standing at the center of the room. After some time, he opened his eyes.

 

"Okay. I understand what you're saying. I will do my utmost to put you on the same team as Naruto. Teams have already been decided, but almost as if a higher power was working in your favor, your two teammates have decided to decline their graduation and turn in their headbands because of all the commotion tonight- at least, that's what their parents told me. Perhaps we can fit you in on his team."

 

"That's great. Thank you, Hokage-sama." Mikoto looked relieved, giving Hiruzen a bright smile.

 

"Look forward to your team assignment tomorrow. Good night, Mikoto."

 

"Good night, Hokage-sama. Also, your Anbu guards should be awake the second I leave. Feel free to debrief them if you wish."

 

With a wave and a smile, Mikoto disappeared from the room. Only then did Hiruzen realize that his guards had been completed incapacitated without his knowledge. He broke into a cold sweat and decided to leave some of the finer details out of the debriefing with his guards.