Fatality
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Prologue
Hatake Kakashi stood outside one of the many rooms which housed patients in Konoha hospital. The situation which made him come here was not one that he liked. The room was currently occupied by a nurse, and a young boy who was to be his charge in the upcoming years. The nurse – a woman – appeared to want to be anywhere but here as she gingerly applied a damp cloth to the blood which coated the boy's arms and face.
He was barely even a boy at that, but there was a feeling that you could see when you looked at his eyes; a dispassionate tiredness, like he was already weary of living in this world. It wasn't a comforting emotion to see in the eyes of a child. Even though Kakashi himself had been turned into the ranks of a ninja at a young age; much younger then most, he could still remember the happiness of his younger years.
The ANBU captain didn't pretend to understand Hokages or their orders; even though his own genin instructor became one. Indeed, he knew their goal – protecting the village and the villagers' welfare – and as a shinobi of Konoha he too strived to achieve some semblance of that ambition. The boy had experienced horrors in his short life; the hate of the village, death in its varied forms… yet, to place him into servitude even at his own request – Kakashi bitterly thought at how far the village had fallen since the Yondaime's death and Kyuubi's subsequent defeat.
He wouldn't lie and say that he hadn't kept tabs on the kid, interested in his development considering the sacrifice that his teacher had given that was living inside the child. He was impressed to say the least. The boy had a lot of untapped potential. He had the ability to learn quickly much like himself when he was a child, and then he also held the determination which had been nurtured by hate and loneliness even at such a young age, which could be applied to training as well. Combined with a good teacher and a demon residing in your stomach - even though Kakashi had no idea what type of benefits that could bring – he could surpass every other ninja in history.
But that wasn't the point, he scolded himself, doing such a thing to a mere kid was unjust. He had read the reports on Naruto's mentality that the shrink had written. Following the incident from a few months ago he constantly had nightmares where he woke up screaming every night. Although not more was said about them the psychologist had given a brief description and in it, was the adjective 'disturbing'; for someone who had diagnosed several war-hardened ninja who had gone on psychotic rampages and then committed suicide… they bore careful monitoring. The boy also had bloodlust. It wasn't terribly uncommon, and was most probably a result of being the vessel of the Kyuubi. Although it could be suppressed, it too was a reminded of what the Uzumaki Naruto could potentially become with the wrong handling.
He stood to the side, allowing passage for the nurse who had just finished cleaning the child as she hurriedly scrambled out of the room with all the finesse of a frightened lamb. Kakashi looked after her figure with a frown - entering the room before the door closed. He managed a small smile at the boy who regarded him with serious eyes, moving to the window so he could look at something other then the boy who made him feel uneasy. The silence was heavy; suffocating the room with trepidation. The ANBU captain waited for the boy to query who he was, or even what he was doing in the room but no such question was formed.
He glanced at the blonde-haired youth, to find he too was staring at the faces of the Hokages which adorned the mountain-side. 'My name is Hatake Kakashi', he said; taking the initiative.
Naruto gave him a quick nod, showing he was looking, sparing him a contemplative look before turning his attention to the view again.
Forcing the urge to sigh in resignation he continued. 'I am here in response to your discussion with the Hokage about joining the ranks of Konoha ninja': his statement caused the boy to look at him again, but this time the scrutiny was unwavering. 'I am a captain of ANBU'; at Naruto's questioning look he expanded. 'We are a battalion of… specialized ninja under the direct command of the Hokage. All of our missions originate from them. The Hokage believes that you would function better with us then in one of the standard units. Not only will you oversee your training but we have been told that you will be living in one of the rooms in ANBU headquarters.'
'Why am I not to live in my old apartment?' he asked, voice soft.
Kakashi grimaced, trying to find a way to word what he was trying to say in a more delicate way, but found he couldn't. 'Basically, to keep you away from the villagers-'
'For whose protection?' Naruto questioned, cutting into his attempted explanation. Truly, it was a question that he himself didn't know the answer to which made it tricky to answer – so, naturally, being Kakashi he didn't.
'Anyway, that's not the point-', he said in lieu, ignoring the boy's scowl at his side-stepping of the issue. 'What is – however – is that we need to get to your old apartment so we can pick up your belongings and move straight into your new accommodation at headquarters.'
Exiting the room when he gestured for Uzumaki to follow him, Kakashi just hoped that a grave mistake hadn't been made. Yes, it was true that he would now be away from the hate of the general population but even so, in the process he could be moulded into a monster. The matter required precise handling, one that he wouldn't entrust to anyone but himself.
The point of calling a chapter 'prologue' is the general consensus: it is allowed to be short.
