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.

Brief Synopsis for Bug Boy (starting from the prologue through chapter thirty): To be added once I get it written.

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 31: Transitional Training

Satoshi knelt on a tree branch above Training Ground Sixteen and watched the eighteen young shinobi he was currently training fight a pitched battle that set six of them against the other twelve; his mind wandering occasionally. Four of the other five Jounin instructors that were assigned to the teams below (Maito Gai not a participant because he was also a division captain) were similarly perched in trees around the perimeter of the large training ground, each of them carefully monitoring the unfolding drama below.

Every Saturday and Sunday for the past two and a half months, like clockwork, the six teams would meet at Training Ground Sixteen to train together as a single fighting unit. The training simulations that Satoshi and the other Jounin would put them through varied from week to week in order to expose them to a wide range of mission scenarios that were designed to help them get used to working together. The first four weekends had been difficult as two of the teams that had been assigned to Satoshi were suffering from a lack of cohesive teamwork.

Satoshi had needed to bang more than a few heads together in order to get them to see passed their own superiority. He'd also assigned the least forgiving tasks and creatively humiliating handicaps to those that couldn't put their personal opinions and issues aside and chose instead to start fights. One such punishment had been binding Hyuuga Neji to Rock Lee by the hand and foot for an entire weekend and it had forced the two of them to learn to work together in order to accomplish their assigned task.

The worst part was that Satoshi had set the two of them against all sixteen of the other teens and preteens and told them they had to keep a secret document from falling into enemy hands. They had lost the document eight times in less than an hour and taken a thrashing in the process each time before they began to realize that the other boys and girls weren't going to go easy on them just because they were handicapped and were too busy fighting between themselves. They walked away with a new respect for each other's abilities that weekend and a healthy respect for Satoshi's threats and orders.

The other team was put through what Satoshi called Trust Training; he took away one of each boy's senses before throwing them to the wolves against the other five teams with a mission to 'capture the bandits'. Minoji lost his ability to see, Shibire lost his voice, and Tanzou's hearing had been temporarily removed which made it exceptionally hard for the three of them to communicate. They had needed to quickly learn to trust one another in order to overcome their handicaps to complete their mission; an uphill battle that ended with their 'deaths' more than a hundred times over the course of the two day training period.

The other Jounin had initially thought that Satoshi was being too hard on the youngsters until Satoshi sat all six teams down and had them watch a pair of memories from his days on both Team Four and Team Twelve. Specifically, he had them watch Team Four's successful capture of a small group of twelve mercenaries when Satoshi had just turned six (one where Kushina had mostly just observed) and the first half of the disastrous mission that had seen the end of Team Twelve when he was nine (leaving out everything that had happened after he'd secured the bandits' camp).

After that there was no more infighting between teammates or even between different teams or ranks and Satoshi introduced Kushina's trusting building exercise by challenging each person to tell each of the others something new each time they met for training. He also made it a point to have them meet outside of training and spend time together sharing their hobbies so that they could better understand each other.

The success rate of their training exercises had improved dramatically after that and it soon got to the point where it didn't matter who they were paired with for the exercises or who had been selected to 'lead' the mission. They were quickly approaching the point where Satoshi was considering approaching the Hokage for an actual mission for his squad as he no longer feared the mission could potentially fall apart because of a lack of teamwork or trust.

Training his new squad wasn't the only thing Satoshi had been doing over the past two and a half months; he had also continued to offer the chakra control workshops each afternoon (when he was in the village), took Team Four on C and B Ranked missions, worked on getting his physical condition back up to where it had been prior to the Iwa Chuunin Exams, continued learning the ins and outs of running the clan from his father, and spent endless hours learning what it took to keep the village running smoothly.

That last one was a kicker; an unexpected burden that was also a challenge that one day promised to be highly rewarding. He had been caught off guard when the Hokage had asked him if he'd be willing to accept a great a responsibility in order to safeguard the future of the village. Satoshi had been more than a little leery of the offer at first, distinctly recalling what the man had said about him seriously considering him a potential Hokage; a job Satoshi most certainly did not want.

It had taken most of the hour prior to the Council meeting for the Sandaime to explain what exactly he had wanted from Satoshi, what it would encompass should he accept, and what would be expected from him in the future should he complete the training. Satoshi had then spent most of the subsequent meeting twisting the idea back and forth in his mind, only half paying attention to the discussions going on around him; not at all worried about missing any of it because he had his Kikaichu monitoring everything going on around him.

He hadn't missed the various looks that had been sent his way by the others present during the meeting nor had he missed the way his father would occasionally scowl at the Hokage and the various department heads. When the meeting had finally been adjourned, Satoshi hadn't moved from his seat as he allowed his gaze to seek out those who would be his potential teachers for the foreseeable future.

In the end, he had agreed but with a stipulation of his own; that each department head ear mark the individuals that they considered their ideal successor, that those individuals and their teammates (if they were assigned to a team) were all placed in his division so that he could ultimately earn their trust and respect and teach them to trust and respect one another, and that they name at least three people that could fulfill their positions until said successor was ready to assume the position.

It was a risky request, as some of their choices would undoubtedly be older than Satoshi and they could well have an issue following him; but that was the point. He needed to know that those he could potentially end up training could listen to his orders and accept what he was teaching them. They accepted far faster than he'd thought they would and he figured that they must have suspected he would ask for something similar and been prepared to concede should he ask.

He also learned that he wouldn't be taking his lessons completely alone; each department head already had an assistant or a second in command that was learning the ins and outs of their positions and he would be working closely with each one. In some cases, it would be those aides and deputies that would be teaching and training Satoshi; allowing him a chance to get to know and learn how to work with the people that would step into the place of their superiors if the worst should happen and help him train those that would eventually take over the position.

At the same time it would test those people to see just how well they knew the protocols and see how well they could train someone to take over the position. Satoshi actually preferred it that way; knowing that he wouldn't be the only one holding such a wealth of knowledge and that there were people he could go to when he had questions.

Jiraiya had been the first one to start teaching Satoshi; the Sennin for once acting completely serious as the two of them sat down with hundreds of maps (nary a mention of research or women outside of those that were his contacts). The white haired man had then proceeded to list the names of his contacts, the establishments where they could be found, the best time of day to find them there, the type of information each one could provide, and how he compensated them for their information.

He listed these individuals city by city, starting with those inside of Hi no Kuni; methodically giving detailed descriptions of each person, the names of their family and friends, and the passwords he'd set up to allow each contact to verify the authenticity of any emissaries he sent to them in his place. He also made it a point to describe and name those people in each city that could cause problems; the petty criminals, the unscrupulous officials, spies from other nations or organizations, and those people that would sell their own mothers just to make a quick buck.

It was a considerable amount of information to absorb and Jiraiya often quizzed Satoshi at the start of each session on what they had covered the previous time in order to make certain that he'd missed nothing.

Satoshi had found himself respecting the older man on a whole new level after those lessons, seeing a side of the man that Jiraiya had buried deep in order to mislead people into thinking he was nothing more than a harmless old pervert. In his mind, the face that Jiraiya presented to the world was no different than the alternate personalities that Satoshi had created in order to protect his identity when he was part of the AnBu. Knowing that, the last of the reservations that Satoshi had had about allowing the man to take Naruto out of the village on a two or three year training sabbatical were put to rest.

So when Jiraiya suggested allowing Naruto to sign the summoning contract with the toads early, Satoshi merely shrugged and said he was fine with it before asking Jiraiya if the man knew where he could find a few other unused summoning contracts lying around. When Jiraiya asked him why he wanted more contracts, Satoshi explained his desire to see each of the children with a large enough chakra reserve signing a contract in order to give them a trump card and help strengthen the village (by bringing those new contracts into the village). The Toad Sannin offered to see what he could do but made no promises.

After two intense weeks of lessons with Jiraiya, the man left the village once more after making arrangements to send Satoshi additional material once a week. Satoshi then started taking lessons alongside Shizune beneath Furofuki and the Hokage; both of them learning everything there was to know about running the Hospital and training new medics in addition to learning the administrative duties that were required of the Hokage. Satoshi had bluntly asked Shizune why she was attending those lessons with him when he knew that Tsunade was still seriously thinking about leaving.

Shizune confessed that she felt Tsunade was looking for a reason to stay in Konoha and that she, Shizune, had personally missed the village that her uncle had loved with all his heart and had no desire to leave again. Satoshi had smiled and thanked her for her honesty before asking if she wanted any help in finding a reason to keep Tsunade in the village; citing his desire to keep the temperamental woman around for Naruto's sake – they were family after all, even if only distantly related.

Conspiring together, Satoshi and Shizune had spent hours together plotting and planning in addition to studying the various books and scrolls that Sarutobi and Furofuki had given them to read. Satoshi even allowed the kunoichi to read through a number of his texts on magical healing after spending an entire day with Shizune and Kanpou going over Shin's medical history and walking her through the process he'd used to cure the young man.

The rather talented young medic had forcibly dragged Tsunade to Satoshi's house after reading through just a fraction of the first book that Satoshi had let her see and demanded that Satoshi show her his books. Instead of complying, Satoshi had introduced both women to Hermione (who also had a copy of the same magical healing texts that Satoshi had) and informed the two kunoichi that Hermione and her husband could brew all of the healing potions. He also let them know that a qualified magical healer would be joining them in the summer and that she would be able to help them understand what magic could and couldn't heal better than he could.

Not long after introducing the two women to the Boots, Tsunade began sitting in on the lessons that Satoshi and Shizune had been taking; most notably those with Furofuki, though she did occasionally join in when they were discussing village protocol with Sarutobi as well. Shortly after Tsunade started joining them, Sarutobi's old teammates and long time advisors (Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu) started participating in the lessons that the Hokage was giving Satoshi and Shizune.

Homura and Koharu took extra care to coax Tsunade into participating in the lessons and Satoshi suspected that they were working towards getting Tsunade comfortable with the idea of becoming the Godaime Hokage. Sarutobi's secretive smiles only reinforced that idea in Satoshi's mind and allowed the eighteen year old to relax during those lessons as he felt far more comfortable knowing there was far less of a chance that the Hokage was grooming him to take the Hokage position if the man was actively maneuvering his former student into the position instead.

Besides, Satoshi knew that Naruto dreamed of one day becoming the Hokage and the last thing the magical shinobi would do was steal his honorary little brother's dream out from under him.

During his nightly lessons with his father, Satoshi had insisted that Shino and Torune be included in the lessons since there was no guarantee that Satoshi would live to take his father's place as the head of the clan. Torune however, actually declined, stating that it wasn't his place to lead the clan but Satoshi suspected it had more to do with the fact that Torune was host to the Dokumushi and worried he'd be unable to sire an heir because of the venomous bugs.

So it was that only Shino joined Satoshi each night as their father continued his lessons; Satoshi spending time with his brother to teach him everything that Shibi had taught him earlier so that Shibi wouldn't have to repeat the older lessons. Those nightly lessons actually saw the two brothers growing even closer together as it was one of the few times that Satoshi spent with just Shino (none of the other children around vying for the older teen's attention); something that had rarely happened through the years.

It was also a chance for both boys to spend time with their father and hear more stories about their absent grandparents and their mother.

Being busy from the moment he rose until the moment he crashed each night meant that Satoshi had little time to spend with Saki; though he did consistently make certain that he ate each meal with her every day without fail. Saki didn't take to well to the separation in the beginning; his daughter long used to Satoshi's constant presence but she slowly adjusted as her attention was drawn by the various individuals around her.

Each morning, after breakfast, Satoshi would drop her off at the daycare that Hannah ran in order to expose his daughter to other children and help her develop socially. Pinny would follow along and help Hannah keep an eye on the children during that time and keep an eye on Saki (the dainty elf's main job was still to protect the littlest Aburame). While she was at the daycare, Satoshi would also cut the amount of chakra he was feeding her coils in half in preparation for the day when her Kikaichu would be implanted and so it would be less of a shock to her chakra network when the day came for him to cut the connection completely.

Lunch would see Satoshi or one of his clones picking her up so they could share a meal at the park, or on rainy days at home, where Satoshi would play with her for an hour after the meal while his swarm continued reading through his various lessons. Once Kanpou released him from his medical restrictions (after his body stopped aging at an accelerated rate and his core was no longer stressed) he would switch out his swarm for a shadow clone to do the extra reading. Until that point, the only thing Satoshi would be able to do safely was transform into his animagus form or create a few Mushi Bunshin since the bug clones were formed entirely by the magic and chakra that his swarm ingested (the clones tied to him by only the thinnest threads of chakra).

After playing with his daughter and making certain she was fed, Satoshi would deliver his daughter to the Genin or Chuunin team that had picked up the babysitting mission he filed for the afternoon (much as his father had once done for him). Saki would then spend those four hours running about the park, playing games at one of the indoor recreation centers (on rainy days), or in the Aburame Compound.

Each team allowed to take Saki's babysitting mission had at least one shinobi or kunoichi that Satoshi had personally trained or worked with over the years; that familiarity with at least one member of the team allowing Satoshi to trust them with his daughter. The chakra connection he shared with his daughter was also fully opened during that time; so that Satoshi could find her no matter where her current babysitters ended up taking her for the day. Additionally, Pinny and one of his other elves would keep an eye on Saki while she was with the team.

Satoshi would reclaim his daughter around supper time and take her home for a bath before sitting down with the rest of the family to eat. The rest of Saki's evening would then be spent playing quietly on the floor of Shibi's office with Pinny or Dobby while Shibi gave Shino and Satoshi their evening lessons or told them stories about the past. Shibi would then spend an hour cuddling and playing with his granddaughter before tucking her into bed while Satoshi spent time with all seven boys (and occasionally a handful of their teammates). Telling them an assortment of stories about various missions he'd been on that he hadn't been able to share with them sooner because they hadn't been shinobi at the time or giving them English lessons (Shino, Naruto, and sometimes Hinata helping since all three of them had been reading, writing, and speaking the language for years now).

When Team Four took missions outside of the village, Satoshi took Saki with him (placing a silencing charm on his jacket to prevent someone from hearing her) unless he knew there would be fighting. During the missions where he expected trouble, he would leave Saki either with his father or with her godparents and make arrangements for Ko to check on her twice a day to monitor her chakra network since there were times when Satoshi was too far away to maintain the connection between them (his current limit roughly one hundred miles).

Eventually, both Kakashi and Shibi would start taking over the connection during those times (Kakashi's Sharingan helped him quickly determine the proper amount of chakra needed and Shibi had prior experience after dealing with Satoshi's weak coils early in his life – he just couldn't maintain the connection as long since he didn't have the same level of control that Satoshi had gained) once it became clear that the Sandaime was living up to his promise to assign Team Four more difficult missions. Thankfully, they were also fairly short term missions, usually lasting no longer than a week and they were usually assigned no more than one or two such missions in a single month.

Satoshi was pulled back to the present when a weight settled beside him on the branch he'd been crouching on and he glanced up briefly to smile at Kakashi, his Kikaichu had warned him who it was before he'd even finished registering the new presence. The two of them silently watched the end of the battle below (the two teams that had been sent to capture the 'bandits' had successfully captured two-thirds of their targets while the other third had 'killed' half of the 'good guys' before escaping). Satoshi let out a sharp whistle to call an end to the exercise before he gave Kakashi his full attention.

"The Hokage sent me to tell you he needs you to join him in his office in an hour so that you can be introduced to the Jounin that will be assigned Genin teams tomorrow. He wants you to bring your captain's cloak but he said to keep it out of sight until he introduces you because he wants to see the reactions of the other Jounin," Kakashi explained. "There were thirty-one Genin that passed, meaning that we've got one man out who'll automatically get a pass as he or she will be assigned to team up with a pair of Chuunin who recently lost their sensei and third member on a mission during that nasty rainstorm we had a few weeks back."

"Are you going to take a team this year?" Satoshi asked even as he nodded an acknowledgment in response to the summons.

"Hai, Uchiha Sasuke finally passed the exam or rather he was finally allowed to take the exam," Kakashi replied, a frown marring his brow briefly. "They are worried about his obsession with getting revenge but have no valid reason to continue holding him back because he is talented despite his flaws."

"Joy," Satoshi deadpanned as he jumped down and headed towards where his squad was gathering in the center of the field. "I suppose I'll see you in about an hour or are you going to fashionably late?"

"I'll be there on time," Kakashi replied with a pout.

"He threatened your collection of signed Icha-Icha books again, didn't he?" Satoshi inquired with a knowing smirk.

"There's no need to rub it in, gaki, nor is it a laughing matter," Kakashi growled as he reached out to slap Satoshi in the back of the head, only to miss when Satoshi ducked at the last second.

"Oh I don't know… it would certainly explain the S Class mission that Neko told me the Hokage was holding for the Kawarimi Twins at the Mission's Desk."

"Nani!?"

Satoshi laughed and Shunshined away from Kakashi when the older man attempted to tackle him. The eighteen, almost nineteen, year old then joined his squad as they spent the next twenty minutes discussing what they'd done wrong or right and challenged them to figure out how they could have done it better. Normally, he'd spend far more time going over the entire exercise but because he'd been summoned by the Hokage, he cut their discussion short and set them a research assignment to complete during the course of the week; to find and document three different historical instances where a small force had successfully overpowered a significantly larger force and the methods they used to win.

Satoshi then dashed home to shower, change, and collect his daughter from her current minder early before heading to the Hokage's Tower. Kakashi met him outside of the tower and glowered over Satoshi's earlier crack about a mission for a full minute before he chuckled as the two of them walked up the side of the tower to enter the Hokage's office through the window; Saki squealing in merriment from her perch on Satoshi's shoulders.

Surprisingly, they were not the last ones to arrive for once as that honor was given to Sarutobi Asuma (the Hokage's youngest son) who walked in some five minutes after them. The older, bearded Jounin nearly swallowed his cigarette when Satoshi pinned the man with an emerald glare from over the top of his sunglasses that promised a slow a painful death for daring to smoke in the presence of his daughter. Poor Asuma didn't have a clue as to what he'd done to piss the shorter Jounin off until Saki let out a happy squeal from her perch on Satoshi's shoulders when she finally caught sight of the Hokage (whom she treated as a favorite older uncle slash grandfather).

Once the cigarette was put out, Satoshi stopped glaring and set his daughter on the floor so she could run up to the Hokage and give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Satoshi couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Sarutobi secure the lid on the open bottle of ink and placed both ink bottle and pen inside of his top drawer and lock said drawer before he picked Saki up. Ever since the time that Saki had gotten a hold of a bottle of ink, the Hokage took pains to make certain there was nothing on the desk that the little toddler could get into.

"Keep laughing and I'm going to assign Team Four to clean out the sewers each day for the rest of the month and make certain the three children know that you are the reason they were assigned such a wretched task," Sarutobi threatened even as he pushed his chair further back from the desk and settled Saki on his lap after she'd given him his hug.

Satoshi's laughter cut off but those standing beside him could still see the small smirk on his face as they glanced down at him from the corner of their eyes. While the Hokage was occupied, Satoshi took a moment to study the various Jounin that would be taking teams this year. Aside from Kakashi and Asuma (the latter known to the teen only in passing due to the man's relationship to the Hokage) there was Yuuhi Kurenai (whom Satoshi occasionally still trained with when time allowed), Shirakumo Hayama (friend and teammate of Mokume Kunugi, Jounin Instructor for Team Two), Yamashiro Aoba (Team Twelve's former instructor), Shiranui Genma (Shibi's teammate and Satoshi's honorary uncle), Tatami Iwashi (Satoshi's old friend), and five people he didn't know.

By the time he finished his perusal; Saki had finished visiting with her 'grandpa' and had made her way over to Kurenai to visit with the kunoichi who was something of an aunt to the toddler. Satoshi watched the kunoichi swing her up into her arms before he returned his attention to the Sandaime as the man addressed the group.

"I called each of you here this afternoon because you have all expressed an interest in taking a Genin team this year and were selected out of the thirty Jounin that volunteered to be assigned one of the eleven teams that will be created from this year's graduating class and a couple of Chuunin," Sarutobi began after knocking the bowl of his pipe on his desk to get everyone's attention. "The twelve of you were chosen because the skills you've developed through the years are the skills this year's graduates are best suited to learning; should they pass the final test that you will give them the day after tomorrow."

"If there are only twelve teams being assigned; then why is the pipsqueak here?" one of the unknown Jounin, an older man with a long, thin mustache and shoulder length pale lavender hair, demanded as he jerked his thumb in Satoshi's direction. "Everyone knows that he's still leading his first team around on his apron strings."

"Insult my otouto again and I'll cut your tongue out myself, Anano-san," Kakashi growled darkly as he smiled sadistically at the slightly older man through his face mask.

"Or I could just cut him off at the knees and let him see first hand what it's like to look up at everyone," Genma interjected as he spit out the toothpick he was always chewing on and pinned the man's sandal to the floor before pulling out a new toothpick and inserting it into his mouth.

"Bring it on, Cyclops," Anano spat back. "I can take you, the old geezer, and the pipsqueak too."

"Enough, all three of you," Sarutobi ordered as he slammed his hand down on the desk before gesturing at all three Jounin with his pipe stem. "I expect all of you to behave in a fashion befitting your rank." He then glared at the one who'd started the short argument. "And I'll thank you not to pick fights or insult your fellow Jounin in my presence."

"Sumimasen, Hokage-sama; it will not happen again," Anano muttered as he jerked his shoe free from the toothpick.

"See that it doesn't," Sarutobi growled before he sat back in his chair and stopped glaring at them. "Now, the reason I called you here today instead of contacting you first thing in the morning like I usually would is because I wanted to introduce you to the captain that most of you and your future teams will be serving under should they pass their final test."

Satoshi pulled out his white captain's cloak and settled it about his shoulders as he stepped forward to stand beside the Hokage's desk on Sarutobi's signal and the diminutive Jounin picked up the voice of the one who'd insulted him, his brother, and his team as the man cursed under his breath. Keeping his face void of all emotion, Satoshi studied the twelve Jounin lined up in front of the Hokage's desk; particularly the five that he'd never met before and Asuma since he'd technically never been introduced to the Hokage's youngest son either.

"This is Aburame Satoshi, captain of the Sixteenth Division," Sarutobi introduced for the benefit of those who didn't know Satoshi personally or who only knew of him by word of mouth. The Hokage then went on to name the twelve Jounin present for Satoshi's benefit. "I'm sure you remember Hatake Kakashi, Shirakumo Hayama, Shiranui Genma, Tatami Iwashi, Yamashiro Aoba, and Yuuhi Kurenai all of whom you've worked or trained alongside in the past."

"The others you've not met previously are Akame Iwana, Anano Mujini, Ito Tsubaki, Sarutobi Asuma, Ogawa Iyashi, and Yamanaka Santa. Barring Genma, Kakashi, and Asuma, who are all captains of their own divisions, each of you will join Satoshi's current squad alongside your teams (should they pass). I expect each of you to make arrangements with Satoshi to participate in his divisional training regime in addition to whatever training you have planned for your newly assigned teams."

There were several murmurs of agreement from all but two of the Jounin (Anano Mujini and Ogawa Iyashi; both of whom were obviously disdainful of Satoshi). Satoshi eyed them from behind his sunglasses but said nothing as he cordially nodded to each of the other Jounin before returning to where he'd been standing beside Kakashi. Saki wrapped her hands around the back of his legs a moment later and Satoshi silently helped her climb her way back up to his shoulders as the Hokage began passing out sealed packets to each Jounin (Satoshi's far thicker than the ones given to the other shinobi as he'd been given files on all of the Genin, two Chuunin, and the Jounin that would potentially be joining his division) and continued speaking.

"These packets contain everything you will need to know about your new students; their family background, their known strengths and weaknesses, their grades and tests scores from each of the years they attended the academy, what kind of trouble (if any) they have caused or gotten into during their academy years, and any known health issues they have had up to this point. I expect you to spend the rest of the afternoon reading through the information and trust that all of you will come up with an appropriate test for your assigned team."

"Team assignments will be announced at eleven sharp tomorrow morning and you will be expected to collect them from the Academy by one to introduce yourselves and pass along a time and place for their final test. Are there any questions? No? Then you are dismissed. Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Satoshi; if the four of you could remain behind for a moment, there is something further I need to discuss with you."

"There is no way in hell that I am passing a team if it means being reassigned to the runt," Mujini muttered under his breath to Iyashi as they walked passed Satoshi; the older man shooting the shorter Jounin a condescending glare.

"You and me both, bet the bug boy bought his captaincy as there's no way he's as good as the rumors say he is," Iyashi agreed with a sneer. "I don't know how a runt like that could have possibly passed the Jounin Exam in the first place unless he road in on the coattails of his team."

"I'd be happy to arrange a personal demonstration for the two of you if you doubt my skills," Satoshi loudly offered, his voice hard and cold as it cut through the office unexpectedly as he rarely ever raised his voice unless he was in one of his alternate personas. On his shoulders, Saki jumped in fright at the tone and volume of his voice; the soon to be two year old not used to hearing her father speak so loudly or so coldly.

"That's not necessary," Iyashi quickly stated as everyone turned to stare at the pair Satoshi had addressed.

"On the contrary, it is absolutely necessary," Satoshi countered just as loudly and just as coldly as he deftly removed Saki from his shoulders and gently tossed her towards her godfather without looking, knowing the older man would catch her, before he purposefully stepped closer to the pair. "You not only questioned my skills as a shinobi but my honor as both an Aburame and a Jounin-teichou of Konoha and I will not allow that to go unchallenged; especially after your earlier slights against my person, my family, and my team."

"We have Genin tests to plan…" Mujini started to declare only to cut off when the Hokage himself deftly extracted the sealed packets containing the teams he'd intended to assign the pair from their hands.

"It seems that I was mistaken in assigning the two of you teams this year; since you will no longer be taking teams, you are both free to participate in the demonstration and I will give you one hour to prepare yourselves and meet Aburame Satoshi on the field of Konoha's Stadium where I will preside over the match myself." Both men swallowed thickly before bowing to the Hokage and hurrying out of the office. Sarutobi then growled under his breath as he slapped both packets of information against Satoshi's chest as he turned to frown down at the still angry Jounin. "Inform Arashi and Aranami that they've just been selected to lead a pair of Genin teams, Satoshi, and then I expect you to be on the field in one hour to uphold our honor."

"Hokage-sama…?" Satoshi questioned uncertainly as he automatically reached up to grab hold of the packets before they fell.

"They cast aspersions my honor as a shinobi, my integrity as the Hokage, and my decision to promote you both to the rank of Jounin and again as a captain," Sarutobi stated as he glared towards the open door through which the pair had disappeared, the other Jounin in the office shifting nervously or quickly scampering out of the room to avoid getting caught in the line of fire of the Hokage's anger. "As Hokage it is beneath me to challenge them for such impudence so it is entirely up to you to uphold our honor. The most I could do, is assign them a few less than pleasant missions which wouldn't necessarily change their opinions about my decisions or your ability to lead a division."

"I understood that, Hokage-sama," Satoshi countered softly. "It was part of the reason I called them on it. I was actually a bit puzzled as to why you were assigning the Kawarimi Twins as Jounin instructors when I know for a fact that they had no intentions of ever taking a team."

"Most of the other Jounin that were qualified to take those two particular teams have already been reassigned, already have a team, are currently out of the village, or have already refused to take a team for various reasons; as the selection of this year's new Jounin sensei took place last week. I am confident that those two will have no trouble handling a team and I would rather allow both teams to be given a genuine chance to pass instead of leaving them in the hands of two Jounin that would intentionally fail them just to avoid being placed beneath a captain they can't respect because they choose not to look past appearances."

"I will notify them personally," Satoshi replied, though he was still frowning; he had no idea how he was going to train two fresh Genin teams on top of everything else he was doing and he knew that the Hokage knew that he couldn't turn time just to handle something like this because while he had completely recovered, he would be risking a relapse should he force his body to relive even one full day so soon.

"Good," Sarutobi murmured as he made his way back around the desk, reclaimed his seat, and addressed the other three Jounin still in the office. "I asked the three of you to stay behind as I suspect that the teams you have been assigned will be more likely to pass since Kakashi's and Asuma's teams both have at least two clan heirs on them and Kurenai has been assigned to take the two Chuunin that I mentioned earlier along with one of the older Genin that just graduated. I wanted to insure that the three of you will have no problems working with Satoshi in arranging for your teams to undergo additional training."

"About that… if Kakashi and Asuma are both captains of their own divisions, why aren't their Genin teams being placed under their command?" Satoshi asked curiously as he shot a quick glance at the two men in question.

"Three reasons," Sarutobi explained as he drummed his fingers on the desk. "First, Division Nine and Twelve were both established years earlier and the shinobi assigned to those divisions are all older, more experienced shinobi that have worked together for years and know what to expect from each other; throwing young, inexperienced Genin into those divisions would be like throwing sand into a bowl of dango mix – throwing everyone off and ruining the entire batch."

"Second, Division Sixteen is still undermanned and new; meaning that you need more people and those you have are young enough that they can adapt to new members far easier than any of the other divisions. And third, because both of their teams have at least one individual that has been earmarked as a future successor by one of the departmental heads and you specifically asked that those individuals be placed upon your team. On the whole, they're the same reasons why Gai is not part of your division; since Gai is the captain of Division Thirteen."

"Ah, I had completely forgotten that those particular individuals would be graduating this year," Satoshi murmured in understanding. "Will you be assigning any other older, more experienced individuals to my division as well? If you are, it might be best to introduce them at the same time as I introduce the new Genin because it would be easier to integrate them into the group all at once; rather than throw a wrench in the division's teamwork every few weeks with scattered additions."

"Yes, there were a couple of Jounin and a few Chuunin that I was considering assigning to your squad. I'll put together a complete list for you by tomorrow and send them notification for them to contact you to make arrangements to join your weekend training sessions. Off the top of my head though, there are seven of them you already know and have worked with in the past; Okada Kanpou (since you currently don't have a medic assigned to your division), Shirakumo Hayama, Tatami Iwashi, Uzutsui Arashi and Aranami (whether or not the Genin teams they will be testing make the cut), Kamizuki Izumo, Hagane Kotetsu, and Umino Iruka."

"I'm not certain whether or not you know Touji Mizuki or Hashimoto Houshou; the latter of which is a Chuunin level medic – giving you two fully trained medics in your division in addition to at least seven potential medics in training (two of whom you are already aware of and training as such). I'll hold off on deciding who else to assign based upon the number of Genin teams that pass tomorrow since their numbers will greatly effect how many additional bodies I assign to your division."

"Wakatta," Satoshi murmured as he accepted Saki back from Kakashi and hugged her close as she automatically curled into his chest seeking reassurance after her earlier fright (when Satoshi's voice rose in anger followed by the abrupt shift into her godfather's arms).

"Now that that is cleared up, do the three of you have any problems either working with or working under Satoshi?"

"Iie, I put up with the gaki on a regular basis already," Kakashi unhesitatingly offered while Satoshi huffed and gave the man he saw as his older brother a half grin.

"I'm alright with it," Asuma stated lazily. "I know Aburame is talented and the Jounin already assigned or that will be assigned to his division could easily offer supplemental training to the Genin that I've been assigned in my place since there is a wide range of talent already assigned to his team."

"I'm fine with it as well," Kurenai replied after shooting a brief glance in Satoshi's direction.

"Perfect, then I will dismiss the four of you now so that Satoshi still has time to turn those packets over to Arashi and Aranami and prepare for the coming demonstration," Sarutobi declared as he pushed away from his desk and gestured for the four Jounin to proceed him out of the office as he notified his assistant that he would be gone for approximately three hours, give or take twenty minutes.

Satoshi disappeared in a swirl of leaves two steps beyond the door to the Hokage's office in order to take his daughter home and gather up a few of the experimental pranks that the Weasley twins had been asking him to test. He found the eight teens and preteens that lived with him (or practically lived with him in Hinata's case) lounging around the living room working on the homework he'd assigned to them earlier, all eight of them browsing through a dozen different history books and scrolls that they'd checked out from the library sometime after he'd dismissed everyone.

Satoshi dropped Saki into Hinata's lap as he walked by them, calling back over his shoulder as he disappeared in the direction of his room, "The eight of you have just been volunteered for babysitting duty so that I can uphold the honor of the Aburame Clan and the Hokage while I teach a couple of Jounin why it is unwise to insult me, my family, and the Sandaime Hokage."

"Nani!?" eight voices cried out in unison as they glanced at the still subdued Saki before turning to face the door through which Satoshi had disappeared.

Satoshi reappeared not ten minutes later wearing his wakizashi swords strapped across his back beneath his captain's cloak, his pockets bulging with prank supplies, and carrying a white, pink, and red diaper bag. As he walked passed the still confused children, Satoshi tossed the diaper bag at Naruto (who caught it reflexively, just barely avoiding being hit in the face with the bag). The almost nineteen year old addressed them one last time as he headed straight for the door without slowing down.

"Since I know that you are going to follow me, make certain you pick one of the better sheltered sections of the stands to watch from since you'll have Saki with you; just in case things get out of hand. Shino, you might as well send a Kikaichu to all of the Clan members currently in the village as they will wish to be present since the coming demonstration is a matter of clan honor; tell them to gather on the stadium floor near the exit so that they will be prepared to hear the formal apology once I finish with my lessons. I've already alerted otousan so you can let him know that I asked you to gather the rest of the clan though it is possible that he has already done so. They have exactly twenty-one minutes to get to the stadium if they want to witness the demonstration."

He was gone just seconds later, making a couple of shadow clones in order to let a couple of other individuals know what was happening (specifically Kanpou in case he is injured, Kasai since the man will chew his ears off if he didn't let him know what was going on, his former teammates, and the rest of those individuals in his division. He wanted to make certain that the lessons he was about to deliver were witnessed by as many people as possible and if he left out any of his personal friends they'd bite his head off for it later. His clones would then henge into his alternate personas once they'd finished passing along their messages so that the Uzutsui twins would be there as well.

He reached the stadium just six minutes later to find that there was already quite a gathering forming up in the stands and he suspected that more than a few of the people he sent his clones to track down were already present; the Jounin that had witnessed Satoshi calling the other two out had apparently spread the word about what was taking place. A quick face check through the memories of his swarm confirmed who was already present and he sent that information to his clones by forming a third shadow clone, giving it the message, and having it dispel to pass the information along.

Satoshi then made his way to the center of the field and began stretching out and warming up while he waited for the two Jounin that had insulted him, his clan, and the Hokage. By the time Mujini and Iyashi turned up, every single shinobi and kunoichi that was not currently on duty, laid up in the hospital, or out of the village on a mission had gathered in the stands along with a good number of civilians who had been curious as to why the shinobi were suddenly gathering at the stadium.

A feral grin crossed Satoshi's face unseen behind the collar of his jacket as not only would the two Jounin be humiliated in front of roughly half of the shinobi currently on the payroll (or that were retired) they would also be marked as trouble makers due to their casting aspersions on the Hokage's honor and attempting to tarnish the Aburame Clan through its heir.

The Hokage arrived in his private balcony to preside over the match before Kasai and Hamaki walked out onto the field in order to referee the match just as soon as the Hokage took his seat. Silence fell over the entire stadium at that point as Hamaki loudly announced exactly what was happening to their larger than expected audience before Kasai stepped forward to give a very explicit set of rules to the three participants (basically stating that it was a no holds barred fight but that they were to keep it non-lethal).

Both high ranked Jounin then started the match before they removed themselves from the field so as not to get caught up in the battle.

"I will give you one chance to offer up a sincere and formal apology to me, to my family, to my clan, and to the Hokage for your insults," Satoshi loudly declared, his voice echoing through the oddly silent stadium, even as the other two men drew their swords and prepared to attack.

"It's too late to back out now, runt," Iyashi spat as he shifted to the left.

"I'm going to grind you into the dust and rip that cloak from your shoulders myself," Mujini added as he shifted to the right as the two men prepared to cleave Satoshi in half.

"So be it," Satoshi declared ominously before he back flipped out of the pincher attack and used a thread of chakra to drop his ankle weights.

The next forty-five minutes saw Satoshi systematically wearing the two Jounin down with taijutsu, kenjutsu, and an assortment of pranks. He chose not to use any ninjutsu because he wasn't going to risk his health just teach the two men a lesson and he avoided using his swarm to prove that his Kikaichu weren't his only strength. Those watching that had seen the memory of the thrashing Satoshi had given the Kamizuru clan in Iwa would quickly realize that Satoshi's current fight fell somewhat short of that three on one battle; the diminutive teen filled with mere determination and irritation rather than the absolute rage that had consumed him during that earlier battle.

It was a clear and concise demonstration that proved without a doubt that Satoshi had earned his rank through skill and effort. It was also a calculated battle designed to make utter fools of the two individuals that had questioned his skill and honor when they had never worked alongside him or even been formally introduced to him prior to that afternoon. The battle didn't stop until both older men begged for an end to the humiliation as Satoshi intentionally did not take half of the openings presented to him to knock either of them out; intentionally dragging the lesson out as long as possible.

Fight over, the entire Aburame Clan (including Shino who was holding Saki) lined up in front of the beaten Jounin in order to hear the apology the two were forced to give (to avoid the risk of losing face in light of their defeat). They were then required to give an apology to the Hokage who informed them that they would be restricted to two full weeks of D Ranked missions as further punishment. The two of them were then carried off the field by medics as they were suffering from chakra exhaustion, multiple cuts and bruises, and a wide assortment of magical pranks that would need to be sorted out magically as some of the effects would not wear off when they were supposed to due to the combinations used.

Satoshi bowed to the Hokage and the two gentlemen that refereed the match, picked up his discarded weights, and made his way over to where Kanpou was waiting for him. Other than a few scratches, a couple of bruises, and a mild case of exhaustion, Satoshi was unharmed; though Kanpou still ordered him to take it easy for the rest of the day and get some rest before congratulating him on the outcome of the fight.

The eighteen year old then joined his family and friends and headed home where he would clean and sharpen his swords before he ate supper. After the meal, he skimmed through the packet of files he'd been given regarding the new teams that could end up being assigned to his division, thoroughly scanned through the files of the two teams his alter egos had been tasked to test, and spent an hour soaking in a hot bath before he headed to bed; Saki curling up with him for the first time in months as she sought reassurance from him (the toddler still feeling rather insecure).

All across the village that night, money was exchanging hands as those that had bet on the outcome of the match either collected their winnings or paid out their losses while the nickname he'd been given by their Iwa escort after the Kamizuru battle, Konoha no Akai Akumu, was whispered back and forth with respect and awe or in some cases anger, concern, and fear.

Translations: Japanese to English

Gaki – brat
Sumimasen – I'm sorry (semi-formal)
Iie – no
Konoha no Akai Akumu – Konoha's Red Nightmare
Nani – what
Wakatta – I understand/understood

AN: Those of you who are also following the original version of this story will recognize that this chapter is almost identical to chapter 31 in the original posting of this story with the only notable exception being the inclusion of Kurenai as a Jounin Instructor and the addition of a twelfth team. And while it seems like such a small difference now, it ultimately affects the way this story unfolds. The next chapter will also be very close to the most recent chapter update on the original story with chapter 33 being the point where the first major deviation occurs.

I will be updating this chapter when I post the next chapter in order to add the synopsis of the first 31 chapters of Bug Boy (including the Prologue). I intended to have that written up prior to posting this chapter but I was having a bit of trouble writing it out and keeping it limited to a reasonable length and I didn't want to hold this chapter up for too much longer.

Anyway, the next chapter for this version of the story will be up this weekend. ~ Jenn