I’m not really seeing how Kushina becoming a jounin-sensei for some kids would be better than the Hokage’s assistant. She’d her day with her husband which would be difficult otherwise, she’d be fairly high in the village hierarchy and a respected ninja to boot, she and Minato are partners so she’d be damn trustworthy and know how he operates, and she’d get to be close to family which I’d expect to be important to her after becoming a mother.
I don’t think Fugaku had much to do with Itachi joining ANBU other than general encouragement after he was considered for recruitment. A “make sure you do well and get in, Itachi. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge†type of thing. Who joins is on all the Hokage. Though if the recruits get a choice, Itachi might have been unwilling and Fugaku could have said that he should do it. Maybe without thoughts of rebellion, Fugaku might not push Itachi so hard in general but that assumes that he had anything to do with Itachi’s progress. Itachi could have easily have done that without his father’s encouragement, though Fugaku feels like someone who would have pushed him to be the best regardless. It’s pretty up in the air.
The difference may not be that he gives Itachi less attention, but he's less single-minded about it and gives Sasuke more attention to match. Though Sasuke would still be stuck in his shadow.
Question would be whether Itachi was recruited entirely on his own merits or whether Hiruzen wanted him for diplomatic reasons and/or so he could spy on the Uchiha. Then he might not get in here because there’s no reason to extend that kind of olive branch or spy on the clan, and Minato might not want someone that young in ANBU in the first place. In which case, he could only go through the regular ninja ranks or he could join ANBU when he’s older. He'd probably prefer the former but he makes for an ideal ANBU.
A Road to Ninja kind of the Sasuke was the one I was going for. More easy going and casual, at least on the surface.
Edit: Which would be better; the Sound Four (who I suppose wouldn't be called that here) taking the same position in canon as being collected by Orochimaru and turned into bodyguards, or having them all take different paths? Same with Juugo. Technically Kimimaro was the one who found him but that's easy to hand-wave away. Collected by Orochimaru and used to turn the cursed seal into its current incarnation, or does he go his own route? Or a mix of both where he's used by Orochimaru but leaves later on.
Edit 2: Whoa. Yami-nin get Jashinist-style immortality and then are branded with curse seal. 1/10 chance of success becomes 10/10 when victims aren't capable of dying from it. Scary thought.
I don’t think Fugaku had much to do with Itachi joining ANBU other than general encouragement after he was considered for recruitment. A “make sure you do well and get in, Itachi. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge†type of thing. Who joins is on all the Hokage. Though if the recruits get a choice, Itachi might have been unwilling and Fugaku could have said that he should do it. Maybe without thoughts of rebellion, Fugaku might not push Itachi so hard in general but that assumes that he had anything to do with Itachi’s progress. Itachi could have easily have done that without his father’s encouragement, though Fugaku feels like someone who would have pushed him to be the best regardless. It’s pretty up in the air.
The difference may not be that he gives Itachi less attention, but he's less single-minded about it and gives Sasuke more attention to match. Though Sasuke would still be stuck in his shadow.
Question would be whether Itachi was recruited entirely on his own merits or whether Hiruzen wanted him for diplomatic reasons and/or so he could spy on the Uchiha. Then he might not get in here because there’s no reason to extend that kind of olive branch or spy on the clan, and Minato might not want someone that young in ANBU in the first place. In which case, he could only go through the regular ninja ranks or he could join ANBU when he’s older. He'd probably prefer the former but he makes for an ideal ANBU.
A Road to Ninja kind of the Sasuke was the one I was going for. More easy going and casual, at least on the surface.
Edit: Which would be better; the Sound Four (who I suppose wouldn't be called that here) taking the same position in canon as being collected by Orochimaru and turned into bodyguards, or having them all take different paths? Same with Juugo. Technically Kimimaro was the one who found him but that's easy to hand-wave away. Collected by Orochimaru and used to turn the cursed seal into its current incarnation, or does he go his own route? Or a mix of both where he's used by Orochimaru but leaves later on.
Edit 2: Whoa. Yami-nin get Jashinist-style immortality and then are branded with curse seal. 1/10 chance of success becomes 10/10 when victims aren't capable of dying from it. Scary thought.
