Blood. Corpses. The stench of death hung in the air like a heavy mist as a solitary figure stood atop the compound walls looking down on their handiwork. Between the bodies so mangled and twisted that it was near impossible to tell what limb belonged fo whon there was one figure curled up in a fetal position. They were crying and pleading with the corpse of a dead woman to wake up.
"Wake up!" the boy screamed shaking the corpse that stared sightlessly at the moonless sky.
"Mission accomplished." Two words and the figure on the compound walls vanished without a trace. Even if the boy caught sight of him the boy would not remember more than a nightmare. His mask was decorated in a fashion to be so grptesquely demonic it would only leave nightmares and the memory alteration seals carved into the exterior would make it so the boy saw an enemy ninia from a different village murder his clan. Reappearing in the Hokages office the person went to a knee. "The deed is done Hokage-sama per your orders" the man said with an empty tone of voice.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, The Professor and longest reigning Hokage in Konohas history, grimaced turning his chair to look upon the kneeling figure. Unlike his regular this young man was special in ways he had always wished that he wasn't. "Remove your mask Chimera" he ordered steepling his fingers. The young man did so and before his very eyes the young man was replaced by a vision of a nine year old boy soaked head to toe, save for his hair, in blood with a blank expression on his face. Blue eyes that should be full of life and laughter looked at him with cold soul piercing emptiness. "Report."
"The intel we had received was right and with such unfornate matters I was forced to conduct the slaughter you had every hope of avoiding. There is one survivor besides Crow, his younger brother Sasuke. The boy knew nothing of the plans for the coup. When I left he was a mess crying, shaking and pleading with his mothers lifeless body to wake up" the young boy said without batting an eye or changing his tone of voice. "He will require trauma conseling without a doubt and this will certainly warp his personality but for the sake of the village the diseased limbs must be removed before the sickness spreads. I was unseen by any soul but the victims before they died."
Hiruzen grimace darkened immensely at the report given to him. He had tried every conceivable way to head off the unrest of the Uchiba clan but nothing had worked. Sending Chimera to see just how bad things had become and report that the genocide was neccesary was unsettling. "You were humane in the executions I hope" he said. The 'for the childrenc went unspoken and he knew the boy understood what wasn't being said.
'Of the children and womenn yes. Their deaths were quick and humane but the men put a fight and as such were not quite as humane as you would have liked. The traitors were dealt with as per your orders and the village laws dictate." The young boy pulled a blood stained scroll and stood offering it to the older shinobi. "This scroll contains some damaging information you may find useful to finally have your former teammate Danzo arrested and executed for Treason. It was seized off the corpse of the former Uchiha Clan head Fugaku Uchiha."
Hiruzen took the scroll and unravelled it beginning to scan its contents. His eyes widened immensely and narrowed in rage at the same time. In it was a summary of a plan, in Danzos handwriting no less, to have the Uchiha Clan men overthrow him from the Hokage seat aided by ROOT ANBU. Once he was successfully ousted from the Hokage chair Danzo would pay the Uchiha Clan straight out of the village coffers under a false label of an 'experimental ninjutsu test facility' to be built and overseen by Uchiha overseers. "Bring me Danzo Shimura now. Dead or alive, preferably alive so he may amswer for his crimes" the Sandaime said with a hiss. "Not you Chimera."
The young boy, already having redawned his mask and the illusion of the young man back in place, looked questioningly at the Sandaime as the other ANBU in the room vanished. "Do you require more of me Hokage-sama? Danzo is not a man to be taken easily" he said fingering the hilt of his sae toothed katana.
"I have a new assignment for you come dawn forward" Hiruzen said with grim seriousness in his voice. "The Academy begins in one weeks time and I need an internal set of eyes to keep an sye on the clan heirs entering. With your true age it won't be suspicious to anyone."
"I am a killer. I am a thief. An interrogator. I sow death with a wave of my hand and you wish me to play babysitter to a bunch of...children" the boy said tone breaking with a microseconds worth of disgust creeping in.
"It is not a matter of want but need. In but a handful of years time, four years to be precise, the Chunin Exams will be held here in the village." Hiruzen held up a hand stopping the comments he knew was coming. "I know that will be the same year this group graduates and clan heirs will be pushed by their respective families to compete. At most they will all have six months real experience under their belts, you being the obvious exception, and no real context to understsnd what real combat is like. I need you to keep an eye on them. This will be marked a long term A-rank infiltration and recon mission."
The boys hands clenched slightly with a near invisible tremor. "My patience threshold for incompetence and ueselessness is non-existent Hokage-sama. You are sending me into a den of it for four years. Someone is bound to die or be injured by me during the window of time. You so realize this correct?" he askee evenly.
"I am fully aware of that Chimera and have preppare accordingly. Hence when the Academy is not in session on holiday breaks and the weekends I will be allowing you the freedom to continue doing missions to reign in that bloodlust of yours" Hiruzen said measuring his words carefully.
For a moment the boy did not move or speak weighing the Sandaimes words. "My rank and file, what will become of them?" he asked.
"They are already classified as all ANBU agents are. A new file will be made to appear to reflect your work in the Academy and as you get promoted after you 'graduate'. Your true file and rank will remain intact and the only one to truly matter, its only change will reflect the missions you do from genin up since you will havs just been 'integrated in full' meaning your ANBU missions will continue to be added so your A to S and above rank missions will always outweigh the lower ranks ones but they will be added to your mission record tally" Hiruzen said.
A frown marred the boys lips under his mask. His lowest rank mission on his file was a single B-rank assassination, his fitst ever ANBU mission at age seven, and now because of this his mission record would marred bug multitudes of mindless labor jobs known as D & C-ranks. He could try to fight the Sandaime on finding one of the other early recruits, he was hardly the first, but something told him he would not have a choice in the matter. "Whether I want to or not you are making me do this aren't you Hokage-sama" he said rhetorically already feeling the answer in his bones.
"Its not a matter of want Chimera. Those kids will need a fighting chance and you are one of the best I have to offer for the job. The only other option is Mayuri and we both know she is more likely to use the kids for human experimentation for her poisons without their knowing of consent" Hiruzen said with a grave look in his eyes. "You have been trained linger then she has and have the restraint built in more fastidiously than she does. You are truly one of our best only second to Crow but this is of village wide importance so I must make you Chimera."
"Your will be done Hokage-sama. I shall set my affairs and speak to Neko-taichou to tell her I have been assigned to a mission assigned by your hand personally" the boy said bowing his head.
"Your mask Chimera" Hiruzen said pointing to his desk. "You will have it back but I cannot allow you to keep possession lest an unknowing circumstance reveal who and what you truly are."
The mask was removed revealing the boy once. "As you command Hokage-sama." After gently placing the porcelain mask the young boy disappeared in a moment like he had never been there to begin with.
Hiruzen took the mask and slid it into a drawer locking it with a blood seal before his eyes looked to the shinobi profile before him. Flipping it open he was met first with the image of a young boy no plder than nine decked out in clean ANBU armor with half his face hidden by a mask decorated in such a way deserving of his codename Chimera. Blonde hair fell to just under his ears against pale tan flesh. One glacier cold unfeeling blue eye glared at the photo taker as half a scowl was visible. Three whisker like marks marred the visible cheek.
Under the picture was the shinobi information that made Hiruzen feel ke he was aging ten years with every line stamped like an execution.
Name: Naruto; clan name abolished willingly for being abandoned by the Uzumaki
Age: nine years
Gender: male.
Eye color: heartless blue
Kin: Father-Minato Namikaze(Deceased) Mother- Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze(location unknown after her abandoment of Naruto due to sealing of Kyuubi into him)
Each line detailing pieces of information that painted more and more blood on his hands. By the time he reached the final page he wasn't seeing the papers anymore, with the amount of times he read it in sorrow he had it memorized cover to cover. Nine years old and already ANBU. It was not the life he knew Minato had wanted for his only son but it hadn't matter because of the masked man appearing when Kushina went into labor and used the Sharingan to rip the Kyuubi out of her. Minaton being the sitting Hokage at the time that nearly a decade ago, had been forced to seal the demon away for the safety of the village and the only capable of hold it was his newborn son. While the sealing a success it had cost Minato his life.
"Unhand me this instant! I am the Sandaimes teammate and advisor! You will obey me!"
Hiruzen was ripped from his sorrow colored thoughts and hid the file in a seal on his person before Danzo was shoved into his office in chakra binding cuffs. "I was given a very interesting scroll Danzo and I thought you might like to explain a few things to me" he said with a stony expression.
Across the village many of the shinobi awoke to the distinct of 'schink' of metal rending flesh reaching their ears.
Inside ANBU headquarters the young boy ignored the sound as the crazed rumblings of his demonic tenant tried to persuade him to let the beast go. These too went ignored as his sole possessions kept in the barracks, a barracks solitary pillow and blanket, were returned to the supply depot. They were never used since he would always go on a mission, train and be off not even in the village long enough to have a quick meal as he left on another mission. "Neko-taichou, a moment of your time if I could."
The cat masked kunoichi looked up to find the prodigal operative staring at her from the entrance to her office. "Something you need Chimera?" she asked.
"Hokage-sama has assigned me a long term A-rank infiltration and recon mission to keep an eye on the clan heirs beginning their education at the Academy in one weeks time. He has stated I am best to handle such a task. You needed to be informed so I am here" the boy stated matter of factly. "Until such a time that the mission is over I will not be avaible for missions if the Academy is in session as such off of operarional readiness for major missions. Hokage-sama has greenlighted mission operarional status for all times when the Academy is not in session. Such schedules shall be provided for you as soon as they are available to me."
Neko scowled behind her mask crossing her arms. Chimera was one of the heavy hitters kn her squad she needed but if the Sanadaime deemed Chimera the best fit she could not refute her Lords order. "What of your mission tonight?" she asked.
"Contradictory to the lunar calender saying tonight being a moonless sky, it was a blood moon" the boy said before bowing at the waist knowing Neko would understand. "I will leave you to return to your paperworm taichou." The boy disappeared in the same silent fashion as he had from the Sanadaimes office as he noted Nekos fist clench on the desk.