"Very well, then, Daidai. I'll trust Shikaku, Anko and Kakashi, so you won't take the proper test. Instead, I'll have you spar against Hebi. No holding back."
Daidai showed no signs of complaints, though he did stiffen ever so slightly. He hadn't intended to fight someone head on, and though he was prepared he didn't think that fighting against the Anbu captain was a good idea. Kakashi and Shikaku has the decency to look somewhat surprised, though it was only through the form of a raised eyebrow and nothing else. It was Anko that decided to verbally express her opinion on the matter.
"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I don't think that it would be a good idea to have a fight between them full force. One or both of them could get seriously injured if they don't hold back. This is simply a spar to test if our candidate is worthy. I love blood and a good battle as much as the next ninja, and I wouldn't say anything if I didn't think it was important." She stepped forward, standing half in front of Daidai with an arm shielding the boy and one on her heart. "He is still only a child, there is no need to ruin his entire life before it begins."
Minato only scowled at her words, stepping forwards with silent anger clear in his eyes. "Last time I checked, Anko, I was the Hokage. If Daidai does not have the guts to fight against one of our own ninja because of fear of injury, he is not worthy to be in the Anbu no matter how great his skills supposedly are. He could be the holder of a supreme bloodline and and I still wouldn't take him in if that was the case. He will be my ninja, and I will choose what happens to him. Remember your place, before you're stripped of your ninja status."
His voice was soft and deep, and though Anko almost never felt fear she did now. His voice and the sheer hatred and anger hidden behind the cool and collected composure sent shivers down her spine. The killing intent was leaking out, the tension in the room thickening so that each person was more on guard than before.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," she squeaked, standing back in line, a little bit behind Kakashi and Shikaku who were more visibly shocked now and clenching their fists. She hated feeling this way, and had no idea what had happened to their kind and caring Hokage. None of them did.
"Anyway, now that's over, let's hear from Daidai-kun how he feels about fighting Hebi," Minato said sweetly, seeming to have taken a complete personality change. Not an ounce of the killing intent was there, yet everyone in the room was even more tense than before.
Daidai looked fearlessly into his 'father's' eyes, still hiding any of the emotions that he was feeling. Usually this would have killed him on the inside, to see the hatred and cruelty staring back at him, but not now. He couldn't allow his emotions to take over his rationality in such a situation as this. He was stronger than his father, he would move past him, because he had people who genuinely cared about him and would support him. He would make those people proud of him. "I do not mind who I fight, Hokage-sama. It is as you said, it is the job of the Anbu to serve you despite any fears we might have. Fear is a good thing in small amounts, it helps us grow and push through difficult situations if we do not let it get to us. I will push though my fears and complete any tasks you give me."
A cold chuckle escaped from their leaders lips, and the blond man clapped slowly. "Is that so? Well then, how about instead of Hebi, you fight me? I myself will be the sole judge on whether you deserve to be a part of my anbu. You might be strong and have the mindset of a ninja, but if you cannot pose a challenge to me then you will be no use on missions and you may as well be a normal ninja.
And something in your little speech interested me quite a bit. Facing fears, hm? Let's raise the stakes more, in that case, brave little Daidai. If you win the battle, you will become a full fledged Anbu. I will not try to force you out of the ranks unless there has been illegal activity on your part, or you wish to leave. On leaving, you will have the option to be instated as a Tokubetsu Jōnin, or take the Jōnin exams. Even if you wanted to, any other test of genin or chūnin, though I doubt you'd want to." He paused and smirked, beginning to write out a contract on a scroll and ink that he kept in a sealing scroll in case it was needed. He would get what he wanted, and it was a massive deal in his favour. There was no way an inexperienced child would beat him, and when he lost he would be his weapon to use as he pleased.
Daidai watched apprehensively, talking it over with Kurama what was known to them about the deal, as Minato had been writing out the first part and stopped talking. He immediately turned to the older male when he began to speak once more. "However, if you lose this battle, you will enrol as a student into the academy. You will graduate at the nearest exam, becoming a tokubetsu chūnin, and you will join the team with my children on it so that they can keep an eye on you as fellow Uzumaki. When that happens, Kakashi will be replaced by my wife, as clearly he cannot be trusted not to give you favour over my children. You still get to be a ninja and you may be an Anbu in the future. It's a good deal, no?"
Daidai looked up at Minato, still thinking over it in his head. He had no clue what to do, because this was direct confrontation. Minato had lost any type of true composure and had openly showed this side of him to the other people in the room. He had directly asked to fight him, he had created a contract and wanted to make a deal. He had never in a million years expected something like this. He may have been smart, but he was young and he didn't know what was the best course of action in this situation. He was getting stressed even though he was hiding it, and more of Kurama's chakra began to surge through his chakra coils. He kept it contained, but something was clearly wrong.
"Naruto, you need to calm down. You could risk everything if you mess this up now, you need to focus. He wants you to play his game, he wants to bait you. Just say no and move on, you have other ways of learning and becoming strong. We can find a way around this, please-"
'Shut up, leave me alone. I can do this on my own'
Kurama was frantic in speaking and calming him down, but his words just seemed to do the opposite of his intentions. It made the boy more distraught, to the point where he blocked out the nine tailed fox so that he couldn't speak to him anymore. Daidai wasn't usually a violent person, he didn't seek fights unless it was a spar to train. He didn't let his emotions get to him, he relied on the people around him to help him focus on what was important. Shizune and Tsunade and Shikaku, even Anko and Kakashi and Gai, they had all shown him that there could be a life ahead of him. He didn't need to let his past hold him back, it might hurt but he could still be a great ninja and protect his precious people. He knew this very well, but at that moment his clear perspective seemed to be cloudy.
The demon chakra coursing through him was hot and powerful and oh-so-tempting. Kurama wasn't evil, but his chakra still had some negative effects if it wasn't controlled. And Naruto? He'd had enough of his father treating him like dirt. He didn't know what it was about him, but his father and his mother always seemed to hate him. Knowing that chewed away at him and had been hurting him for so long, and now his chance at a new life was already compromised because he was wanted not as he was but as a weapon. He didn't care if he was doing something stupid, he wasn't thinking at the moment. He wanted to let out his anger on Minato, he wanted to fight and win and prove that he was a strong ninja and worthy to be an Anbu. That he was worthy to be his son. So he grabbed the scroll and signed his name in his own blood.
"We're fighting," he said, his voice thin and deep from the overwhelming emotions. Dark chakra was visibly emanating from the boy, but it wasn't demon chakra. None of them knew what it was but Kurama, who was equally as surprised but couldn't do anything but watch since he as blocked out. As Minato came near he seemed to be even more angry at him. The disgust was evident on his face, he couldn't even hide his hatred at the chakra and his nose scrunched. Minato signed too, chucking the scroll to Hebi.
The group could only watch as they took their positions, since even Kakashi wouldn't be able to beat Minato, none of them would be able to. And since Daidai had signed, Minato was legally allowed to fight him. There was no stopping it, not without severe punishment for whoever tried. That had already been proved with how Anko had been treated by him, he had threatened to strip her of ninja status. This seemingly new Minato was an unknown, and they had to tread carefully or else there would be no way to safely get out of their predicament. Like it or not, the Hokage had gotten much more power recently, and there was no standing up to him unless they were certain to win.
Neither of the combatants moved, the chakra surrounding Daidai going wild before gathering around his lower back near his tail bone. One black and one silver chakra chain swayed behind him like two tails, the black one surrounded by flames at the tip, and the silver one seeming normal to the naked eye. They intertwined before bursting into flame, a golden flame. Minato's eyes widened, but he didn't seem to be worried. He was the Hokage, after all, and no matter what advantage his opponents seemed to have he would find his way around it. Especially chakra chains, which he knew well because of his wife and children. This boy might be special, but he would be no match.
(A/N) Sorry for the long wait between updates. I hope you are all doing well in these tough times and I hope to post more often from now on.