I do not own Naruto anime, manga, or characters.
Please don't sue me...
The ANBU watched his charge, cloaked in the darkness that he had become so familiar with. He was a shadow, a wraith given life to fulfil only one purpose. He knew when he donned his mask that he gave up his previous life; that he gave up his very existence. ANBU did not speak unless ordered to. ANBU did not move unless ordered to. ANBU did nothing unless ordered to.
It was no wonder they were called The Hokage's Hounds.
Contrary to popular belief, this name was not taken as an insult. New members were often confused as to why civilians were allowed to get away with such blatant disrespect.
The answer was simple.
ANBU were the Hokage's hounds. No point arguing the truth. If the Hokage ordered an ANBU to kill, then they would kill. If a Hokage ordered an ANBU to die, then they would die. They were the loyalist of the loyal; the bravest of the brave.
And often, the most fanatical of fanatics.
The Sandaime had tried on numerous occasions to have the entire ANBU division of Konoha's military disbanded; but he had been rebuffed at every turn. ANBU had been in existence since the time of the Shodaime, founded by the fanatical Kenji Shimura. When Hashirama Senju asked for the Shimura clan to join him in his bid to create a shinobi village, Kenji had accepted.
With certain conditions.
Kenji believed almost religiously that fear is what makes a shinobi so powerful. To him, no amount of jutsu could compare with the power of fear. This belief is what he based the entire Shimura clan's shinobi forces from. The Shimura clan was feared as faceless, remorseless killers; often donning masks to increase the effect they had on enemy shinobi.
So, when the cheerful Senju clan head had come to Kenji with his idea, he was decidedly worried. He knew that joining Hashirama-while the most strategically sound option-would result in him being forced to completely overhaul his clan's way of life. With that in mind, Kenji accepted; as long as the Shimura clan was given permission to form their own division. Hashirama accepted; and the Ansatsu Senjusu Tokushu Butai-shortened in recent years to ANBU-was formed. Originally comprised of only Shimura clan members, ANBU had quickly become a name that became synonymous with fear. And when the Nidaime came to power during the First Shinobi World War, using his special war powers, he wrote ANBU into the Konoha Charter; effectively guaranteeing their eternal existence.
Despite Naruto's distaste for ANBU; given to him through the subtle influence of his caretakers, he could not deny that he was thankful for their existence at the moment. Civilians had always looked at Naruto with hatred; a few of the more prominent Naruto haters had even tried attacking him on occasion. Of course, they failed spectacularly. His faithful ANBU guards always dealt with any foolhardy civilians before they touched the blond; often times quite brutally. His guards had never truly been tested.
Until now.
The man had appeared seemingly out of thin air; his dark, stone katana whistling towards his head in a powerful horizontal slash that would have surely sliced straight through the five-year-olds neck. But before he could complete his mission, he was intercepted by the tanto of his guard; his outlandish spiky, silver hair and cheerful looking dog shaped mask contrasting with his murderous aura. The man pulled his katana back for another swing at his target, but it was already too late. Before he could react, his arm was severed at the elbow; the useless stump coming short of his target. The man screamed in agony as blood spurted out and drenched the small boy. Mercifully, the ANBU knocked the man unconscious. Still ignoring his young charge's frightful gaze, Dog used a minor fire jutsu to cauterize the would-be assassin's arm. Seconds after the initial attack, a squad of five more ANBU-led by a woman wearing a hawk mask-appeared before them. With a respectful nod to their comrade, they gathered the assailant and vanished.
Dog almost robotically grabbed his young charge and vanished in a swirl of leaves, reappearing in the office of his leader. If the Hokage was surprised by his most powerful ANBU appearing in his office with a blood covered blond child, he did not show it. "Report." He stated, emotion lacking in his wizened voice.
"Enemy shinobi appeared when he went for a walk." Dog stated, dropping to one knee in deference to his commander. "He was fairly skilled; wielded a stone katana." He added with a significant look. "No other obvious signs of village affiliation."
"Very well," the old man said. "You are dismissed Dog; and well-done." The ANBU nodded, and with a small glance at the blond child he had saved, vanished. The Hokage finally turned his attention to the blood-covered boy standing in his office. Before he could speak however, another ANBU appeared, already kneeling. "Sir," the woman stated, "The man is a confirmed Iwagakure shinobi; Miyagawa the Stoneheart, B-class with a bounty in Kumo for the assassination of a Kaminari no Kuni noble. A Yamanaka preliminary scan reveals that Iwagakure does not know of the targets status as Jinchuuriki, only his... origins." She stated, voice transforming with wonder as she finished.
If possible, the Sandaime's face became even grimmer. "Understood. You are dismissed Hawk." The ANBU nodded, vanishing. Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he regarded his surrogate grandson once more. "Naruto," the man said. "Do you know what just happened?"
Naruto nodded, slightly hesitant, "Someone from Iwa tried to kill me." He stated, voice lacking the fear and nervousness a boy his age should possess in his situation. "But why would Iwagakure go out of its way just to kill me? I've never even met anyone from there."
Hiruzen looked at the boy in front of him sadly. Being the pariah of his home caused the energetic little boy he remembered to transform into the almost emotionless, morose boy in front of him. Even giving him permission to join the Shinobi Academy next year did nothing to change this. "Naruto, Iwagakure did not send assassins after you because of something you did," he said, voice becoming firm as he resolved to tell Naruto the truth. "They did it because of your father."
Naruto blinked in surprise,"My...father?" He asked, voice brimming with curiosity. "But you told me that my parents were killed by the Kyuubi." Hiruzen's eyes became sad as he regarded the now hopeful boy in front of him. "I'm sorry Naruto," he began, "But your parents are dead. But when they were alive, especially your father, they..." Hiruzen trailed off, contemplating how to tell the young boy that his father was one of the most notorious mass killers to ever exist. While the Yondaime was beloved by his friends and family-and Konoha in general-that sentiment was not shared by the rest of the world; Iwa in particular. During the Third Shinobi World War Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, butchered over a thousand Iwagakure shinobi singlehandedly. That battle came to be known as The Massacre of Stones, and marked the downfall of Iwa in the Third Shinobi World War.
Hiruzen sighed, "Naruto let's just cut to the chase," he began, "Your father was Minato Namikaze, The Yellow Flash, and Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato."Hiruzen continued. "And before you ask," he added quickly, seeing Naruto about to speak,"The reason no one knows is because of Iwa. I feared-correctly-that if they discovered your existence that they would attempt to kill you." He finished grimly. "But at this point it no longer matters who knows. Iwagakure has confirmed your existence, and the other villages will probably discover the truth shortly."
"But I don't understand," Naruto began, "Why do the villagers hate me so much? Is it because of my father? Or my mother? Or-"
"The villagers hatred of you has nothing to do with your parents Naruto," He cut off quickly. "That is because of the Kyuubi."
"The...Kyuubi?" Naruto asked, voice brimming with curiosity. "What does the Kyuubi have to do with me?" He continued.
"Perhaps I should start at the beginning," Hiruzen said,"Your mother was named Kushina Uzumaki; she came from the now destroyed village of Uzu. She came here in order to become Konoha's new Jinchuuriki."
"Jinchuuriki?" Naruto asked, not recognizing the strange word. "What is a Jinchuuriki?"
"A Jinchuuriki," Hiruzen began, "Are people with Bijuu sealed inside of them. In the case of your mother, she became the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the strongest of the Bijuu." Seeing Naruto's stunned face, Hiruzen continued, "Kushina met Minato in the academy, and after a the war the two fell in love and married. Then, a few months before the Kyuubi attack, Kushina became pregnant, with you. They were so happy Naruto, I wish you could have seen them." Hiruzen stated, fondly remembering the young couple.
"What happened then old man?" Naruto asked, breaking Hiruzen out of his memories. "If My mom was the Jinchuuriki then how did the Kyuubi get loose? How did it attack?" Hiruzen sighed. "I don't have an answer to that question Naruto," he admitted. "So much of that night is still a mystery to me. Minato and Kushina were both remarkably skilled at fuinjutsu, and with both of them there the Kyuubi should have never gotten loose. But there is evidence that suggests that the Kyuubi attack may not have been some freak occurrence." Sarutobi finished grimly.
Seeing Naruto's curious gaze he continued, "My wife was the one that delivered you." He said sadly. "Both she and the ANBU squad in charge of your protection was found murdered. Not by the Kyuubi," he added, "It was definitely a ninja."
Naruto was stunned. "So someone deliberately released the Kyuubi?" He asked incredulously, unable to fathom someone deliberately releasing such a monster. "Why would someone do that? Who would do that?"
The Sandaime's gaze became cold, "I don't know Naruto...but if I ever find out..." He said, trailing off in an unspoken threat. "Anyways," Sarutobi said, trying to get off the topic. "Why the Kyuubi was released hardly matters at this point. What is important however, is the consequences of the attack. You have to understand Naruto," he said, seeing the confusion in the blonde's eyes. "Bijuu are not like people; they are made up of pure chakra. Because of this they cannot truly be killed."
"But I thought the Yondai-...my father killed the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked in confusion. "How could he have killed something that can't be killed?"
Hiruzen sighed, this was where things may get a bit emotional. Naruto was a calm child, a very calm child, but even he had his limits. "Naruto, your father didn't kill the Kyuubi...he sealed it. Not in an object," he said, cutting off the child before he could make this harder than it already was. "No object was powerful enough to hold the strongest of the Bijuu, so he took the only choice he had, and sealed it in an infant. One that was born the day of the attack. One that he could trust such amazing power to." Sarutobi said, eyes growing sad as he saw realization dawning in the blonde's eyes. "His son."
"Me?" Naruto whispered in shock. "I hold the Kyuubi? Me? Is that why the villagers hate me? Is that why-"
"Enough Naruto." The Sandaime said, "I know you're surprised but you have to understand. He had no other option. As Hokage it was his duty to put the needs of the village above all else. I know that may seem harsh-"
"No," Naruto interrupted, "I understand...he had no choice." Naruto said, still overwhelmed by all the knowledge he had come to learn. "So I'm a...Jinchuuriki then? Does having a Bijuu stuck in me have any benefit, or does it only get me the hatred of the villagers?" Naruto asked, bitterness in his eyes looking out of place on his youthful face.
Sarutobi sighed. Denying the villagers hatred would do nothing other than irritate the boy now. So instead he decided to ignore the comment. "I don't know the case with the other Bijuu, but the Kyuubi normally gifts it's Jinchuuriki with an amazing healing factor. In the case of your mother, she was able to recover from most injuries with a good night sleep. Only truly severe wounds could keep her down for long and even then, only a fraction of the time it would take an ordinary shinobi to recover. " Naruto's eyes widened, immediately taking in the benefits of such an ability. "With training you should also be able to use the Kyuubi's chakra as your own. In fact, there are some cases of Jinchuuriki being able to completely transform into their respective Bijuu." Naruto stared at him in shock, stunned at the realization that he could potentially become as powerful as the Kyuubi itself; a being strong enough to destroy entire villages effortlessly.
"But that would take years of training," Sarutobi said, cutting off the blonde's imagination. "The only cases I've heard about of a Jinchuuriki achieving full control is in the case of the Yondaime Mizukage- Yagura, the Hachibi Jinchuuriki Killer Bee, and the Nibi Jinchuuriki, Yugito Nii. Two of them-Killer Bee And Yugito Nii-are Kumogakure Shinobi. This tells me that they may have some method of training Jinchuuriki that the rest of the villages don't know. Unfortunately," he began, seeing the hopeful look in Naruto's eyes, "Kumogakure is not an allied village at the moment. They are sending a representative to come and negotiate a treaty with us, but even so it will be a long time before Konoha can trust them with our Jinchuuriki." 'A long, long time,' the Sandaime added mentally. No matter how close their villages became, the chances of either side entrusting the other with their Bijuu was close to zero.
Jinchuuriki made up a lot of a village's military might. In fact, the only reason another village hadn't attacked them with their own Jinchuuriki was because of the sheer amount of powerful shinobi Konoha possessed. With four powerful S-rank shinobi-himself, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Danzo- and other borderline S-ranks such as Might Guy, Kakashi Hatake, Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha; Konoha had more raw talent than any other village. S-ranks-like Jinchuuriki-also made up a large portion of a village's military. With their ability to kill entire armies of enemy shinobi, they were invaluable pieces in any war, and excellent tools to dissuade others from trying anything. After Konoha, Suna and Kumo came in second with three S-ranks each. The Yondaime Kazekage, and the honoured siblings-Ebizu and Chiyo-in the case of Suna; and The Sandaime Raikage and his sons-A and Bee-in the case of Kumo.
Kiri and Iwa only possessed one each; their respective Kages. Iwa in particular was beginning to get desperate for a powerful young shinobi to replace the aging Sandaime Tsuchikage.
'Will I get any training then?" Naruto asked hopefulness shining in his eyes. Sarutobi looked at him sadly and was about to respond until he recognized the spark in his eyes. Naruto was finally beginning to come back out from his shell. If he refused him now then he would revert to how he used to be. Sarutobi didn't want that. 'But I have no idea how he can train his Bijuu...' he thought. Konoha had never trained their Jinchuuriki before. They had never had to. But the Sandaime sensed trouble on the horizon. He was getting older. He was still more powerful than any of his students, but in a decade, he would not be so sure. When he passed there would be a power vacuum. He had no clear heir for the seat of Hokage. While Danzo may suggest himself, there was no point in replacing one aging Kage for another. His preferred choices-Jiraiya and Tsunade-would refuse without a doubt. Kakashi was not ready to become Hokage; and personally he doubted that he ever would be. The deaths of his team mates had scarred Kakashi deeply. He simply did not have the capability to become Hokage with such issues outstanding.
Itachi Uchiha was an option, but Itachi did not possess the charisma necessary for the position. The young Uchiha-while powerful-was not meant to lead the village. Not to mention his father had far too much influence on him. The only candidate left was Might Guy.
Enough said about that option.
As he thought another idea came to his head. 'If a candidate doesn't already exist, why don't I just make one?' Jiraiya had reported rumors of The Tsuchikage taking on an apprentice in order to groom him for the Kage position. The boy was apparently making quite a name for himself with his unique explosion release kekkai genkai. 'But who to choose...' he trailed off deep in thought.
Naruto was ordinarily quite patient, but he had been waiting ten minutes for the Hokage to answer. When it looked like the Sandaime wasn't speaking up anytime soon Naruto grew slightly annoyed. "Oi," he called, trying to get his attention. There was no response, so he tried again. "Oi, old man." Still no response. "WAKE UP YOU OLD FART!" he finally yelled, running out of patience. The Hokage jumped in his seat as he beheld the angry blond child in front of him.
'Could it really be so simple,' he thought. 'A decade of personal training and the Kyuubi should get him more than enough power, and even if his personality doesn't fit, Konoha gains a powerful shinobi...and the Mizukage was only fourteen when he was chosen...' With that in mind, Sarutobi came to his decision.
"Naruto Uzumaki," he began, voice completely serious. Naruto froze in the process of winding up for a kick and scampered back to his seat. "From this day on you will be my apprentice. I will mold you into one of the most powerful shinobi in the world; even without the Kyuubi. But to do so," he said, cutting off the excited boy, "you will have to give up going to the academy. You won't have any time with what I have planned. So," he said, with a smirk at the boys attempt to fight off his smile, "do you accept?"
Naruto smiled, the first true smile he had worn in months. "Try and stop me you old fart."