The Hokage Hates Himself

In the right hands, any object was a deadly instrument.

In Specter's hands, the sharpest kunai might not even serve him to spread butter. But that would soon change. He would train and apply himself to become a great leader, and with the help of Ishi and Goto, the three of them would lead Konohagakure onto a brighter future. And right now, as the future ruler of the Fire Country, he held… a ruler. Wooden, with markings along its spine where it showed the inches. On the other side there were different measurements, two small 'mm', whatever that meant. He held the wooden spoon as though it were a sword, swinging it against an invisible redhead, before collecting himself and standing tall, with his hands behind his back and the ruler held along his spine.

He looked at his group; his new proteges, the cubs of the wolfpack, minds ready for the molding and skills ready to be sharpened. Today's skill: following orders. On his face, the expression of disappointment was reflected by the faces of the children, mirroring feelings of uncertainty at the present of this young adult. He exhaled through his nose harshly and suddenly, in an act of determination, before facing the children.

"Listen up, runts'', he started, his tone monotonous as if to inspire a sense of leadership, something that did not come naturally to him. "The enemy is at our gates!" Cries filled the air as the children panicked momentarily. "No, no -- not literally, figuratively!" One of the children asked him what figuratively meant with watery eyes and a shaky lips. "It means, like… shut up! Ok, the enemies are NOT at the gates!" He repeated, with strong emphasis on his wording and a broad gesturing of his arms in an arc. "BUT! They could be." Cries once again rang out, one child actually breaking into tears. "Oh, come on! Listen, all I'm saying is you gotta know how to act, right? If an adult tells you to do something, like where to hide or how to hide, you need to be able to listen!"

The children started to mellow out, one of them offering a tissue to the cry baby. "Now, the Hokage has asked me to make sure you can follow orders. See this ruler?" The children recoiled. "Don't pull back, I'm not gonna strike you. I'm gonna make you cut grass." The children looked at him confused. "You see, all this grass needs to be--"

"SARUTOBI."

The voice rang out through the grounds; Gendo Hyuuga walked towards him in a fit. "I asked you to look over the younglings, not to have them do your missions." Sarutobi mumbled and gesticulated trying to figure a way to answer the intimidating man. "Save it", he barked out in anger. "Now get to cut the grass, hokage." The words felt like venom when spat out by the elder man with a disgusted look in his eyes which measured him up and down, pulsating harshly against the psyche of the phantasmal one. Why did he have such disdain for Specter? As he walked away with the students in tow, Sarutobi's face twisted into a grimace, and he got to his elbows and knees, put the ruler to the ground, and started cutting the grass with the scissors.

Those tiny numbers were so hard to read through water coated eyes.