My Brother's a Jinchūriki!

Chapter Eleven- New Friends, Old Friends, and Secrets Part Two

Natsumi's eyes widened and she stared up at him. She opened her mouth and then quickly closed it again. 

The ANBU?! He wants me to join... the ANBU?"

She swallowed and clenched her hands tightly into fists. 

But, I'm just a kid! I'm not qualified for that! This is... crazy.

She kept her hands on her lap to hide their trembling but she did not reply. The Hokage sat in silence and he glanced over to Kakashi, who was looking at him questioningly.

Hiruzen reached into his robes and retrieved a stack of papers and passed them to the Jonin.

"What's this?" Kakashi asked, unfolding them and beginning to skim them over.

"The final reports from her evaluations." The Hokage answered simply.

Kakashi looked them over and his eyes widened slightly. "These stats... Ninjustu... three. Taijutsu... two and a half. Intelligence... four. Force... two and a half. Speed... three and a half. Stamina... four?" His gaze rose to look at the girl, who sat speechless in thought and shock. "She's quite advanced for someone her age... although her score in Genjutsu is practically nothing. Besides that, she's exceptional."

He studied her further and continued to read the report. "She might have the skills required, but, if she doesn't have the right mindset..."

Kakashi returned the pages to the Hokage, who laid them out on the table before the girl as he cleared his throat.

"Y-Yes?" She glanced up at him and bit her lip. There must be some kind of mistake. I'm just a kid.

"Your skill evaluation, as determined by your performances in Hidemi's, Kotetsu's, Izumo's, and Kiri's tests. If you believe I have made an error in my decision, you can see for yourself that you are highly qualified."

Natsumi swallowed and reached forward, carefully controlling her trembling and she held up the first sheet and stared at it. This is... this is how they ranked me? She looked to the Hokage and then back down to the page. Am I really this good?

"If that does not convince you," He retrieved another small stack of papers from his robes and laid them on the table. "Here are no less than thirteen different letters of recommendation from current ANBU members, all requesting your admission."

Her mouth opened and she quickly grabbed them, looking them over. No way! She flipped through and stopped as she recognized a name. This is... Kiri? And... Sena? She reviewed the last sheet and read the signature at the bottom. Even Hidemi-sensei is in the ANBU?!

"As you can see by the dates, we have been very interested in your progress and your recruitment for some time now." He chuckled. "I have even instructed my best agents to test you before, and without even realizing it, you were able to become untraceable to them all. Your stealth is unusually high for someone your age. It's quite impressive."

Natsumi lowered the papers and set them down gently before her. "You mean... you've had me followed? For how long?"

"No need to worry about it; it was only on a handful of occasions." He released a puff of smoke, closing his eyes briefly as he paused. "And yet, you were able to cause them all to lose your trail, break into my office without detection, and even read the Forbidden Scrolls without anyone's knowledge. Ordinarily, you would be punished severely for such actions..." He met her eyes and let out a breath. "However, I believe it would be in everyone's best interest if we utilized your talents instead."