AN: Yo! So this was supposed to a be a challenge of sorts to myself, as I see many stories that are based around a single change, or variable. (For example: Kurama being a female, Naruto being a puppeteer, Naruto having his parents, etc.). And I wanted to see just how dramatically I could change canon with a large set of variables. Not only that, I wanted to make the world feel a bit more.. Alive, and realistic. As such, I want to give a lot of characters a bit more depth, and make them less two dimensional. Not only that I'll also alter the power-scales a bit to make the story more interesting.
Sure, Naruto casting a thousand shadow-clones, and having them learn all manners of techniques before letting Naruto wipe the floor with most of his opponents can be amusing, but it's not very interesting. As such, my Naruto will be stronger, but not godlike. In fact, most of his power will come AFTER the time-skip (As much of a cliche as that is, I'm terribly infatuated with seeing characters grow in short amounts of time.)
Also, please do keep in mind that the title refers to a technique that Naruto will develop and use later on, rather than Asura Otsutsuki
As for some of the changes! Stronger Naruto, Fem Sasuke, Colder/Stronger Hinata, and a generally more rough, grey world. Orochimaru will also be much, much stronger in this fic, and much more sadistic, for that matter. (Even though his revival vodoo bullshit won't be included)
Never in his eight relatively short years of life had the young boy been so afraid. Perhaps afraid wasn't the right word. The boy was downright terrified. Scared for his very life.
Every nerve, every cell of him was exhausted and throbbed in pain. His own blood felt like liquid lava as it rushed throughout his veins, and yet, he couldn't stop running. His mind pushed his body far beyond it's limitations. His aching muscles were a temporary pain, something easily fixed with rest. But there was no knowing what would happen to him if he had stopped running.
He looked behind him, his young cerulean eyes scanning over the four men with gleaming red eyes, and deep blue uniforms that were chasing after him. The young boy was never the brightest, but even then, he could tell the blood thirst in their eyes was dangerous to him. Hell, he could Feel just how much they wanted to hurt him.
"PLEASE HELP ME!" He screamed out loud, his eyes looking for somebody, anybody that could help him… It was a fruitless effort. He knew that people weren't exactly fond of him, and if they were around, they'd be more likely to help the men rather than him.
His scream wasn't for the civilians, but rather, the masked men that usually spanned the rooftops, the men that protected him. The men that were currently nowhere to be seen.
Naruto could hear them getting closer, as the steady, but barely audible thudding behind him drew closer and closer.
After all, it didn't matter how fast he was, or how well he could scale the back-alleys of Konoha. An eight year old boy could never hope to out-speed a Chuunin, let alone a group of Jounin from the Uchiha police force.
The blond heard laughter behind him, and the sound of metal clicking softly against metal. The sound made his blood run cold. In a desperate attempt, he began changing about his movements erratically, zigzagging in hopes that he'd able to find the throwing weapons that they were sure to be tossing at him at any moment.
It didn't matter, of course, his speed was probably trivial to the Jounin, they were toying with him… The fact that each of the four held a set of fully-matured Sharingan only made the fact worse.
With a flick of the wrist, two weapons were thrown, and two weapons hit their mark. The shuriken slicing along the back of the boy's heel mid-jump. The boy landed, ungracefully rolling onto the floor as his own feet failed to support him.
The blond didn't know when he had started crying, but he saw tears falling onto the ground as he desperately attempted to crawl away… Much to his horror, he didn't move an inch.
He looked back, only to see one of the men- The largest – stepping onto the back of his knee, holding his body to the floor.
He screamed again, the boy frantically waving his arms, fingernails and skin being torn off against the asphalt as he desperately attempted to tug away from the group.
His attempts only served to amuse the men behind him.
Before he could do as much as beg for his life-Which he was certainly going to- the man leaned forward, and smashed the bottom of his foot against the back of the blond's head, staining his platinum locks a deep brown with the mud that caked the bottom of his soles.
The boy screamed in pain yet again, black dots beginning to fill his vision, his head wavering about as he attempted to cling to consciousness. Another kick was sent his way, smashing his head against the ground, breaking his nose, and knocking him out, Naruto's head falling limply to the ground.
The man let out a small chuckle before moving off the body of the passed out child.
"Tch" The youngest of the group grunted. "And why exactly can't we kill the Demon, Aniki?" He questioned impatiently, his concern more towards quickly completing his objective, rather than for the life of the boy that his elder brother had just knocked out.
His older brother shook his head, a large, bloodthirsty grin creeping upon his decidedly pale features.
"We don't need to... Not when we can control the Demon with our Sharingan"
Naruto's Mindscape
Naruto woke up with a small jolt. His eyes opened momentarily, blinking rapidly as tears began to fall yet again. Unable to contain his emotions, the young boy began to sob.
Scared… He was so scared.
One moment he was going home from a nice, hearty meal at Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate his birthday. The next he was being chased down by a group of the Uchiha Police Force for no apparent reason.
They called him a demon, a monster-Which he was used to, as practically everybody did it-But it didn't stop there, they began chasing after him.
They wanted to hurt him. What did he ever do? What was he so guilty of?
But the men didn't seem to angry at him for Doing something. They seemed to be angered by his very existence. Just like… Just like everybody else.
Sure, The villagers never went out of their way to physically Hurt him, but. Their words had cut deeper than any wound could.
Ostracised from when he was young.. His only two friends being Hokage-Jiji, and Kakashi-Aniki.
Sure, They were like family to him. He appreciated them, honestly. But a part of him knew that they also weren't enough, they were busy more often than not; after all, the old man had the entire village to run, and Kakashi had told him he was a.. A Nan- Nin- ANBU! Kakashi told him he was some sort of special ANBU, which apparently made him that much busier than other ninja.
Sure, Teuchi-Ojisan was nice, but they didn't really communicate much aside from when he went to order ramen.
Nobody talked with him, for that matter, let alone try and befriend him. If the thought of speaking to the 'Demon' disgusted them enough, why would they ever allow themselves to be associated with him?
Which was his current predicament.. His isolation. His loneliness. It only scared, and saddened him further.
His crying increased in it's intensity, the sobs coming incessantly, straining his young vocal cords.
A deep, guttural voice boomed across the clearing.
"Naruto." His eardrums thrummed in a dull pain. How was what called his name so loud?
Curiously enough, from what he picked up from the tone, the owner of said voice held no animosity to him. If anything.. It seemed concerned?
He raised his head from the arms he had been crying in, sniffling, and wiping at his eyes in an a desperate attempt to make the tears stop. They didn't, still cascading down his sun-kissed cheeks. Although, wiping some of them off had allowed him to see more clearly.
The young boy was flabbergasted, never before had he seen something so.. Massive! To say that the creature was gigantic would be an understatement.
Before him, stood an orange-colored.. Thing. Naruto couldn't immediately recognize what the creature was. It seemed to be an odd, interesting hybrid. A fox, and.. Something? Most of it's body greatly resembled the canine it seemed to emulate, but there was one glaring difference. It's upper torso greatly resembled a human, nearly identical to it, in fact.
While it's forepaws resembled a fox's own, it's upper body greatly imitated a human's the creature's own skeletal structure seemed to change halfway through, his animalistic legs giving way to a more human-looking torso, and large, human-looking arms and it weren't for the fact that the creature's upper head looked distinctly vulpine, and the fact that the orange fur remained consistent throughout the creature's frame Naruto would have had a very hard time deciding what the creature was.
A fox, he decided. A fox would be most appropriate.
The blond seemed mesmerized for a few short moments, staring in awe at each of the nine tails that swayed, and swished around the fox. They seemed large enough to topple buildings, hell, they were so big that they dwarfed the Hokage tower!
It only took a few minutes for the boy to get over his amazement, his senses fully coming back to him, and his young body locking up yet again, staring at the creature in fear.
The fox stared at him sadly, concern dancing around in those red, slitted pupils. "You have no reason to fear me, Naruto."
Naruto swallowed nervously, a hand reaching up yet again to wipe away at the tears that still fell from his cerulean eyes.
The creature gestured to him, one of those large, clawed hands motioning for him to come closer.
"Come, my boy." The fox uttered, his words commanding, but his tone pleading. "I will keep you safe." It's features twisted, and the maw of the creature shifted into a small, paternal smile.
It was a smile that Naruto had seen on only two people, Hokage-Jiji, and Kakashi-Aniki. A sincere, warm smile, a comforting smile.
Naruto didn't know what overtook him, but he suddenly ran forward, his short-legs making surprisingly quick strides towards the fox, his young, and small body pressing firmly against the creature's side.
His tears ran down his features yet again, he couldn't help it, his sobs overtook him, the blond crying loudly against the creature's-Very fluffy- fur.
Almost as if the fox knew he needed comforting, one of those massive tails shifted, moved to wrap around his body in a comforting embrace.
"Do not be afraid." The creature uttered surprisingly softly for having such a deep voice.
"Never again shall I let filth harm my precious container." The tone rose, the fox was angry, it was clear in the way he spoke, his tone promising unimaginable pain to whatever crossed him.
Naruto didn't mind.. If anything, his words were surprisingly comforting.
A laugh echoed throughout the group once more… But it didn't come from any of the Uchiha's lips, instead, it came from the downed body of the boy.
Deep. Mirthless. A chuckle befitting what they had labelled the boy as, a demon.
No sooner than the chuckle ended, a deafening amount of Killing Intent blasted across the small roadway, which brought three of the group to their knees, unable to do so much as breath as they turned their eyes to the boy, the Sharingan in their eyes flickering in and out of existence, the demonic presence alone making it hard to breath, let alone maintain a steady flow of chakra to power their Dojutsu.
The oldest man, the only one that was able to stand on his own two feet-If only barely- turned his gaze towards Naruto, his Sharingan blazing, the three tomoe spinning in exertion as the male cast intricate Genjutsu after intricate Genjutsu at the downed boy. He threw everything he could at the demon, everything from Hypnotism Genjutsu, to binding Genjutsu.
He was a Genjutsu specialist, Kurayami No Mako, one of the most accomplished in the Uchiha clan, his illusions rivalling those of the famous Itachi Uchiha, who was an Uchiha that was said to rival the great Madara himself in potential.
Sweat trickled down the back of his neck, the stillness in the air making him believe he had succeeded in subjugating the demon to his will, and powerful illusions.
But before he could do as much as let out a relieved sigh, a blast of crimson chakra escaped the boy, knocking him a few feet away.
Much to the Uchiha's amazement, and horror. The chakra began coalesce around the boy's figure, taking shape around him. The aura around the small form turned a golden shade forming a protective cocoon of sorts around the relatively small body.
Naruto, even while unconscious, tensed, his body curling into the fetal position as the chakra surrounded him. After a mere moment, his body visibly relaxed, the golden chakra alleviating his pains, and even beginning to heal the wounds that the boy had sustained.
Four crimson limbs formed at the edges of the protective shell of chakra that the boy was encapsulated in, the edges of the limbs digging into the ground, and hoisting the boy off the asphalt path. Red chakra poured from the boy much more furiously, finally coalescing to form a rough effigy of the beast that the boy contained; The Kyubi no Yoko.
The chakra construct was large enough to match a horse in size, and it's presence only seemed to amplify the Killing Intent in the area. Each pulse of it's demonic chakra producing large cracks across the ground.
It stalked forward in large strides, quickly making it's way over to the downed men. The head of the creature moved, breaking apart, and then melding together continuously to emulate the movement of a jaw.
"HOW DARE YOU LAY A HAND AGAINST MY CONTAINER, YOU FILTHY UCHIHA?!"
The men gagged on nothing but air. Betrayed by their very own lungs as fear coursed throughout their veins.
"And you…" The construct turned his head in the direction of Mako, the leader of the small squad.
"YOU THINK A CREATURE LIKE ME WOULD EVER BOW TO YOU, YOU PATHETIC HUMAN?" A tendril of crimson chakra burst forth from the creature, slamming into the man, pushing him off the ground, and slamming him against the wall of a nearby building, binding him to it.
The effect of the demonic chakra was immediate, the area gripped by that clawed hand forming harsh, angry welts, the skin peeling and burning from just how corrosive the Kyubi's chakra truly was.
Before he could do as much as struggle, the chakra around Naruto formed a jagged spear, a spear that shot forward, and impaled clear through his abdomen, slicing through flesh and bone alike with minimum struggle.
The stoicism which the Uchiha clan was famous for all but disappeared as the man screamed in horrific agony.
His upper body writhed, the pain so intense that the man couldn't even control his motor functions, his muscles shivering, his arms quivering as his system was invaded by the essence of the demonic creature.
His lower body remained oddly still, the only movements of his legs coming from the disturbances that his torso had caused. The Kyubi had, after all, pierced clear through his spine, the man only being held together by his quick corroding flesh.
The area was disturbed by yet another scream, one that came from the youngest of the group. "Aniki!" The young man screamed hoarsely, a loud sob echoing out as he stared at the scene before him.
"You..." His fingers dug into the earth, scratching pitifully in an attempt to move.
The chakra-effigy turned its head to meet the downed human, watching in fascination as the Sharingan in the boy's eyes morphed, each tomoe changing into a swirl reminiscent of the Uzumaki-clan symbol, the three spirals connected at the very middle of his eyes, forming a pupil.
"You killed him!"
The chakra-construct's jaw shifted, the creature forming a large, mocking grin.
Within microseconds, the young man's deep adoration and love for his older sibling morphed much like his eyes, hatred and rage coursing throughout his veins and reinvigorating him just enough to stand on his own two feet, and to channel chakra to his eyes. His tears turned to blood as he uttered a single word.
"Amaterasu!"
Unfortunately for the younger man, the effigy of chakra disappeared from his sight. It was his elder brother's form that caught on fire, more screaming sounding out from the dying man's lungs as the black flames consumed him.
Before the pain could as much as register within the younger sibling, the effigy appeared before him yet again, his freshly acquired Sharingan allowing him to track the movements, but his feeble body not being quick enough to do anything about it.
A small ball of chakra was already formed at the tip of the creature's muzzle, a small-scale Bijūdama being used to destroy the Mangekyō user's head, making it explode in a small shower of gore. His body lifelessly dropped to the floor, looking eerily similar to a puppet with its strings cut.
The Kyubi effigy turned to the two remaining men, only for a third Ninja to jump in between. The ninja was clad in black ANBU Armor, his wolf mask only sporting one eye-hole, an eyehole that held the Sharingan beneath it.
But unfortunately for the Black Ops ANBU member, he was easily recognized due to the mop of spiky, silver hair that stuck out quite flamboyantly from his head.
The Killing Intent in the area noticeably lessened, the two remaining Uchiha catching their breath, and immediately getting to their feet. They made their way towards the ANBU member.
"Inu-san! We were running a regular surveillance run when this demon attacked us!"
Inu kept his apathetic expression, his Sharingan quickly scanning over his surroundings. The two corpses-One of which was practically Ash- the two remaining men, and the glowing entity of chakra that stared at him expectantly.
"Highly unlikely."
His icy tone made their blood run cold.
"The boy's apartment is practically on the other side of the village, and for the past four years, there have been no sightings of him wandering the streets during the festival."
The ANBU's eyes briefly gazed over the entity, before turning back to them.
"One of these men was murdered with a fire technique. The boy, Jinchuriki or not, doesn't have the knowledge, or control to perform a fire technique."
The two scrambled to interrupt him, but he raised a hand, leaving no room for words.
"Their bodies, besides their sustained injuries, do not show any sign of struggle, neither do yours, for that matter. You expect me to believe that, you, a group of Uchiha Jounin were blind-sided by an eight year old boy?"
The two men were silent, sharing a discreet glance between each other. Their bodies tensing as they prepared to make a run for it.
"Attempt to escape, and you shall be executed."
Their teeth clenched, and they promptly turned around, breaking into a frantic run, and splitting up into two different directions in hopes that one of them would be able to escape.
The ANBU wordlessly summoned two Kage Bunshin, A Chidori forming in each clone's hand before they promptly took off, chasing after the Uchiha.
The real Inu turned his gaze back to the entity to see that it had shrunk completely, all but disappearing, except for the golden aura of chakra that wrapped around the boy, rapidly healing his injuries.
"Kakashi…" A growl came from the unconscious boy, even though the sound didn't come from his lips. "Your inability to protect the boy disgraces his father's memory. " The silver-haired man could only look down in shame, guilt flooding his system.
"Come, and take the boy. Fail to protect him again, and I'll make you wish that you had a swift death like these filthy Uchiha."
With that, the golden shroud of Chakra that surrounded the boy dispersed. Kakashi took quick steps, leaning down, and softly wrapping his arms around the boy, cradling him to his chest. It was at the exact same moment that the small blond stirred in his arms.
Those cerulean eyes fluttered open, frantic, and frightened, at least, until the boy recognized who was currently holding him. Kakashi used a thumb to slip his mask up, allowing Naruto to look at his features.
The boy gave a wide smile, and Kakashi returned the quirk of his young lips with a warm, paternal smile.
"Kakashi-Nii…" Naruto uttered happily. He yawned, and his eyes quickly began fluttering shut. "Tired.."
Kakashi ruffled his hair. "Sleep then, Otouto." The boy gave a sleepy nod, and shut his eyes. Drifting off into a peaceful slumber in the man's arms.
He was grateful for the boy falling asleep, for no sooner than he had, two simultaneous screams of pain came from two different directions. His clones having completed their missions in killing the Uchiha.
The ANBU member adjusted his grip on the small boy, his hands moving awkwardly to perform the single seal required for the Kage Bunshin, another three clones popped into existence around him.
He extended a single hand out, using it to communicate in handsigns with his clones.
'You' He pointed at one of his clones, and tossed him a small storage scroll that he procured from one of the pouches that were sewn to his belt. 'Seal the corpses here.'
The other two clones were tossed similar, empty storage scrolls. 'Each one of you seals a corpse. Be careful to not damage their eyes… We might be able to harvest their Sharingan.'
Each clone gave a nod, and quickly set out to do their assigned task. The original Kakashi quickly disappearing in a Shunshin.
Kakashi's Apartment
A simple puff of smoke announced the man's arrival in the relatively small apartment, Kakashi immediately carrying the sleeping Naruto to the large couch that occupied a large chunk of his living room. He gently slipped the boy onto the couch, and took a brief moment to gaze around his apartment.
His eyes wandered over the living room, the ANBU member carefully checking for his surroundings before both his eyes narrowed. He slipped a hand towards his Kunai pouch, two blades being sent to the air with a simple toss, before quickly catching both of them in a reverse grip. Somebody had gone through his apartment while he was gone. The chairs surrounding the dining table had shifted, and the cushions of a nearby chair were ever-so-slightly bent out of shape.
Whoever had gone through his apartment, it was very recent. They probably were still here, for that matter, waiting to ambush him.
SLAM. The door that led to his bedroom slammed open, and he quickly tossed both of his Kunai the moment the door swung open.
Only to hear a feminine, and very recognizable shriek. "What the fuck, asshole!?" That was a voice of a very surprised, and a very-much bleeding Anko Mitarashi, Konoha's infamous Snake Mistress.
The woman had forgone her lengthy, billowy trench-coat, instead opting to remain in her short orange skirt, and fishnet body mesh. Her forehead protector was also missing, and her characteristic pineapple-like bun of hair had been undone, leaving those spiky purple locks to cascade down her shoulders... She also had a bag of take-out in her hand, Dango, most likely.
She was cupping the right side of her face, her fingers stained with crimson liquid. She was also very, very pissed. The glare that she sent Hatake had made adult men wet themselves with fear. But even then, the man's body seemed to visibly relax. He raised a hand up, momentarily running through his hair sheepishly before he took off his mask, and let it clatter onto a nearby table.
Even though the entirety of his face was exposed to her, he still gave her one of his famous eye-smiles. (It had become a habit by now). He lazily raised a hand up, giving the angry woman a small wave. "Yo."
That got her even more angry. "Don't 'Yo!' me, prick! I went out of my way to get and get us some food-" She raised her hand, holding up the plastic bag for him to see."-And sneak into your apartment to help you relax and de-stress after your mission, but no! Instead of a "Thank you"! And a kiss, I get a fucking Kunai to the face!" She pulled a hand away from her cheek, showing the deep-grove that he had accidentally cut into her skin. The wound was still bleeding.
The eye-smile never left his features. "Maaa, do you mind cooling it down a bit?" His eyes shifted towards the boy that was currently sprawled out on his couch. "He needs rest."
"I-"
Anko's lips parted, the woman intent on berating Kakashi some more before she reluctantly closed her mouth, and pursed her lips. "..Fine." She uttered, much more quietly this time.
Kakashi crept forward, using one hand to slip the bag out of her fingers, and the other to grasp at her chin. He gently raised her chin with his index finger, making her stare up at him. The few inches between them were quickly closed, courtesy of Kakashi, as he kissed her for a few seconds before breaking away. He smiled, his lips curling pleasantly as he stared at her. "Thank you."
The anger in her eyes gradually receded, and she quickly leaned up to give the taller man another quick kiss.
Kakashi broke away, pulling away from Anko. He reached for his ANBU mask yet again, and simultaneously slipped the bag of food onto the table as well "I still haven't delivered my mission report." He said with a weary sigh. "I was making my way to the Hokage tower when I felt It's chakra, and had to make a run for it." His stance shifted, and his eyes grew serious, the Sharingan seeming to glow with his anger. "He was attacked and chased by a group of Uchiha, Because apparently our Hokage" Disgust was palpable in his voice as he spoke that word "-found it appropriate to not assign any other ANBU to him when I was unavailable." He was already going through the hand seals for the Shunshin "Eat, Anko-chan. I'll probably be late." He held onto the last seal, not yet activating the technique.
A puff of smoke came from behind Kakashi, and A Kage-Bunshin forward, three, full storage scrolls now in hand. Without as much as a word, the clone slipped them into the pouches of the original's belt.
Anko raised a delicate eyebrow, but all she got was an eye-smile from the clone before it dispelled with yet another puff of smoke.
Her eye twitched as the original disappeared as well, a small flutter of leaves left in his wake. She let out a heavy sigh, and plopped down onto the couch. She gave the boy a curious gaze, watching him sleep peacefully before she shrugged. She dragged the plastic bag filled with food closer to her, if Kakashi didn't want to eat with her, it was his loss.
Hokage Tower
The Sandaime Hokage was just in the middle of signing another stack of documents when- SLAM- The double-doors of his office slammed open. A phantom of a smile danced across the elderly man's lips, half expecting to see a blond boy with bright blue eyes tackle him, and scramble into his lap in order to get a hold of the large, red hat that laid atop his head.
But the loud, exuberant yell of "JIJI!" never came. Immediately, his head snapped upwards, the paperwork on his desk all but forgotten. Instead of a bright, giddy Naruto, the Hokage came face to face with the furious, and seething visage of one Hatake Kakashi. Inwardly, the man was disturbed, but he didn't let it show on his features. Instead, adopting a fatherly smile like he always did, he spoke, hoping to placate the ANBU member.
"Ah, Kakashi-kun! Your mission went well, I presume?"
Kakashi snorted, a careless sign of disrespect on his part, and tossed a sealing scroll towards the elder Hokage's way. Hiruzen caught it deftly, giving the silver-haired man a nod. What he didn't expect, however, was the three other three scrolls that were tossed his way. Scrolls that quickly sprawled open onto his desk.
"Those. Are the corpses of the four Uchiha that attacked Naruto." Kakashi spoke icily, the sharingan-eye blazing in fury.
The Hokage breathed in sharply, staring at Kakashi with wide, disbelieving eyes. Attacked? Naruto? Eight years.. Eight years without incident. Eight years that had lulled the old man into a false-sense of security, that the populace had forgotten the tragedy that befell their village. Sure, they had given the boy nasty looks, and glares before. But they had never resorted to physical violence... Which was exactly why he had found it acceptable not to assign another ANBU member to watch over Naruto while Kakashi was gone on his mission.
"What happened? Is he okay?" Concern was palpable in Hiruzen's voice. The worry, and slight undertone of guilt that his eyes carried were anything but fake. Kakashi knew that Hiruzen cared about the boy, and a lot, for that matter. But his anger got the better of him.
"What happened, Hokage-sama" The sarcastic, and vitriolic tone that the silver-haired man used when mentioning his title didn't go unnoticed. "Is that they had chased him to an empty part of Konoha, sliced the ligaments and tendons in his feet so that he couldn't run, and then proceeded to knock him out-" Kakashi's voice was getting louder by the second. "They would have kidnapped, or killed him if Kurama hadn't intervened, and protected him."
The Hokage swallowed, his heart sinking. "If his Chakra network had been any slower to develop.. I wouldn't have found the boy, or worse yet, I would have found his lifeless remains."
A small blue glow surrounded Kakashi's right hand, his finger's tensing and spasming as lightning chakra coursed throughout the man's hand. The ANBU was aggravated enough to start channeling a Chidori.
"Now, would you care to tell me why you didn't assign anybody" His voice grew louder in volume yet again "TO WATCH OVER THE JINCHUURIKI OF THE NINE-TAILS, AND ESPECIALLY ON THE NIGHT OF HIS BIRTHDAY!"
The Hokage's head lowered in shame, the older man unable to meet Kakashi's eyes. "I thought that they would have let go of their hatred and fear by now."
Cackle. The lightning in the palm of the ANBU Member began to coalesce. "You thought that the Uchiha would forgive the son of the man that had killed their clan head?"
Silence.
"ANSWER ME!" Kakashi demanded.
Hiruzen looked up at him with tired, regretful, and jaded eyes. "I-..." Kakashi's glare intensified. The older man found himself unable to speak, only giving a shaky nod.
"Then you've grown Senile..." The Hokage's eyes narrowed, and so did the eyes of his ANBU guards that were in the corners of the room.
A strange pang of Deja-vu hit him. His past coming to him in brief flashes. It wasn't the first time that something similar to this had happened, but the last time that somebody was shouting at him for Naruto's sake was exactly eight years ago, and it was none-other than his student, Jiraiya. A long winded-argument that had nearly turned into a full-blown fight once Hiruzen had refused to let Jiraiya take Naruto.. His arm cackling with blue chakra, the man forming on the edge of forming a Rasengan. Much like Kakashi was at the edge of forming a Chidori.
"Your failure to protect him means that I can't leave the boy out of my sights." He uttered angrily.
"Be careful, Kakashi-kun..." The old man's tone was icy. "You may be understandably upset.. But insulting your Hokage to his face would be considered treason.." The man threatened, and the ANBU at the edges of the room momentarily dropped their camouflage Jutsu, their hands wrapped around their weapons, and their form tense, and ready to strike.
Kakashi let out a small snort, a small, sarcastic smile dancing upon his features. That smile never reached his eyes, which were still burning with hatred. "Do you honestly think I give a shit about the village?"
Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock, then quickly narrowed again. His mind ran at a thousand miles per hour, trying to figure out a possible solution to get Kakashi to calm down without having to resort to violence... Kakashi knew his personal guards wouldn't match up to the man, Kakashi was one of the best in Konoha-no, one of the best in the elemental nations.
The Sandaime thought back to Jiraiya, and his reaction.. The Sannin had rather reluctantly bowed down (Even if he did curse his name more than a few times). But he had to remind himself, Kakashi was not Jiraiya. Jiraiya shared the Sandaime's ideals of the will of fire, and a had a grandeur dream of uniting the elemental nations for an eternal peace. Kakashi... Kakashi was a whole different story.
In his time in the village, and as a Ninja, the silver-haired man had lost practically everything dear to him. He saw his own father commit suicide before his eyes, he saw his two teammates die before him (Hell, he had even been the cause of the death of one). Minato was the closest thing that Kakashi had as a father, as a precious person.. And once he had died, he had turned his affections towards his only son, Naruto. Kakashi not only thought of him as his adoptive father's legacy, but also as a brother to him.
The Sandaime let out a heavy sigh, and raised a hand, telling his guards to stand down. He knew just what he could use in order to get Kakashi to calm down.
"No." He accentuated his words with a shake of his head. "You care about Naruto."
Kakashi gave a sharp nod. "I will gladly kill you, and become a missing nin if it means Naruto gets a better life."
The Hokage inwardly smirked, he hated to use Naruto in such a way.. But he simply couldn't risk losing one of his best Jounin.. Especially not with what was about to happen.
"You will kill the boy's only family besides yourself, drag him away from his home, and wretch his dream of becoming Hokage away... You think that'll make the boy happier?"
Kakashi fumed, his jaw clenching uncomfortably. Hiruzen noticeably relaxed once he saw the lightning Chakra being channeled to Kakashi's arm slow down.
"Then let me adopt him!"
"..I.." The Sandaime let out a heavy sigh. "You know my hands are tied when it comes to that matter, Kakashi-kun.." The glare being sent his way intensified, the lightning-chakra once again coursed through the Jounin's arm. 'Not good' Hiruzen thought.
"It would-" Hiruzen started, but was swiftly interrupted. "-Raise suspicion.. You've explained before." Kakashi absently eyed the ANBU around the room. He knew exactly why he wasn't allowed to adopt Naruto. He was the spitting image of his father, not only that, his birthday lined up with the day that the Kyuubi invaded Konoha. The famous Sharingan No Kakashi suddenly taking interest in adopting such a child when the man's social life was practically nonexistent.. Well, that would would raise more than a few red flags for Iwa. Things were already tense between the two villages, and the Sandaime returning to his position only made the Tsuchikage more eager to attack.
If they knew the progeny of the Yondaime was still alive, an invasion would be unavoidable.
"But." Kakashi raised a brow, there was never a 'But' before. He leaned in closer. "But, if there was another person who took the boy in. A person with no relations to that man.. A person you were close to. That would cause people to grow marginally less suspicious... It will still be incredibly risky, but much like yourself, I care for the boy's well-being, and want to see him grow."
The silver-haired man's eyes widened. "Are you saying that-" This time, it was the Sandaime that interrupted him. "-That if Anko Mitarashi were to adopt the boy, I would have no problems giving her legal custody of him."
That would be, as the Sandaime had mentioned, incredibly risky. If he were to get Anko to adopt Naruto, it'd have to be very carefully planned. Because much like him, his girlfriend wasn't exactly the most sociable of types, especially not around children. Not only that, the fact that they were getting closer wasn't exactly a secret by this point.
He'd probably have to orchestrate a few meetings between the two. Have them get closer to each other gradually, close enough until Naruto would view her as an older sister of sorts. Then he'd be able to propose that she adopt Naruto. At the same time, he couldn't exactly ask her to move in out of the blue, and the fact that Naruto would be moving with her would actually raise suspicions as well.
His main (and only advantage, for that manner) that he was an ANBU Black ops member. Most of his mission records were classified, if not burned away entirely once he was done reading them. Nobody knew his identity as a Black-ops member, and while he kept watch on Naruto, his presence around him could be easily explained as "One of the most capable Jounin watching over a volatile Jinchuuriki."
And now for the most difficult part of this entire thing; Try to convince Anko to get into a stable, healthy, non-fuckbuddy relationship with him. It wasn't a secret to him how damaged the woman was. She was an orphan, and the man closest to a father to her, Orochimaru, was a manipulative bastard who threw her away like she was a dull Kunai. He inwardly snorted, as he knew he wasn't exactly the most functioning of people either.
If he was being honest to himself, he knew he had grown attached to her over the last couple of months, more attached than he should to a friend. It felt almost odd to the man, as he knew that there were a lot more perfectly stable, and just as attractive-if not more so- women than Anko that were willing to spread their legs for him- He was Hatake Motherfucking Kakashi, after all- But the only person he had grown attached (Since Rin, at least) was Anko.
It would be hard.. But it was worth it. Anko was worth it. Naruto was worth it.
While Kakashi stood there stiffly, contemplating the (Admittedly amazing) offer that was sent his way, the Hokage spoke once again. "As for the corpses.. Are the eyes still intact?"
Kakashi's eyes quickly locked with the Hokage's, and he saw the ANBU leaving the room out of the edge of his vision. Had Hiruzen ordered them out?
'Well, that snapped him out of it' Hiruzen mused. The Hokage's lips parted, but he waited until the door clicked shut, and the dull hum of the silencing seals echoed throughout the room before he spoke. "With the effrontery shown in regards to attacking young Naruto, and other recent developments. I'm afraid the Uchiha clan's long history with Konoha is about to come to an end." He uttered regretfully.
To Kakashi, it sounded like amazing news. After all, the only two Uchiha he had ever liked were Obito, and Itachi. Most of the rest were condescending pricks.
"Banishment?" Kakashi questioned.
The look sent his way had answered him. Worse, much worse.
"Which is why I asked for the state of their eyes. Losing the Uchiha clan will greatly weaken our Military, but a few implanted Sharingans will make sure our loss in power isn't too substantial."
The silver-haired man nodded, pointing at two of the scrolls he had thrown onto the table. "The eyes of these two should be intact, as they were sealed a few seconds after their death." He pointed at another. "But that scroll contains unusable remains. One of them was burnt to a crisp, the other's head is missing courtesy of a chakra blast, his eyes were obliterated."
The Hokage nodded. "I see." He idly reached for a drawer, opening it, and pulling out his trusty tobacco pipe. The stuffed it for a few moments, lit it, and began to take slow, deep puffs. Only then did his eyes raise back to meet Kakashi's, the young man was staring at him expectantly.
"Calm now?"
"More or less." He uttered with a nonchalant shrug.
Hiruzen nodded sagely, and took another puff of his pipe. "Very well then, dismissed."
Kakashi moved to leave, but was interrupted by Hiruzen speaking again. "Oh, and tell Naruto that I said Happy Birthday. " He smiled warmly, and tossed Kakashi two scrolls. The man caught them, but raised a questioning brow. "Presents. One from me, One from Jiraiya." He gave a stiff nod, and then disappeared in a Shunshin.
The Sandaime sighed heavily, and slumped in his seat. Puff after puff coming from his pipe, his lungs couldn't fill with smoke fast enough for his tastes.
He really was getting too old for this shit.