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The Duty of a Hunter

Chapter One

A burning, white seeped through the boy's eyelids, stirring him awake from the dark swells of unconsciousness. He could neither see nor feel where he was. The last thing he remembered was his dark-haired friend, his brother, jabbing him with a crackling fist-full of lightning.

Sasuke had betrayed him.

But what made it worse was not the fact that his brother had used his assassination jutsu to kill him. The last straw was that he'd used it to sever all ties between them. All ties with Konoha. He'd used it to kill, ultimately burning the final bridge that led back to Konoha. And that bridge was himself, Naruto knew.

And it worked, right? So why did he still feel alive? How could it be that he could still breathe? Smell? He smelled lavender and something akin to the ventilated, sterile smell of a hospital. Scents that he'd smell every time he was close to Death's beckoning doors. But he knew he wasn't in a hospital. Where were the voices of his teammates? The overprotective shouts of his Baa-chan? Wherever he was, it wasn't home.

Upon opening his deep pools of blue, the boy was surprised at what he had found. Looking around slowly, Naruto found himself in a large room. He'd guessed that the comfortable mattress he was currently lying on was a bed, but did not expect the one he'd found to be fit for a king. Maybe even two.

Nice digs, he mused.

A grand table sat as a centerpiece in an otherwise lonely room, littered with plates, forks, and knives, but no food. His eyes shifted up and found a high ceiling. Across him two windows reached from the roof to the floor; light permeated through them brilliantly, solely illuminating the entire room with sharp shards of light. The weird thing about the room was that everything, even the eating utensils sitting on the table, was white in color. And no shadows, impossibly, not a single string of darkness. Aside from him, everything was silent and still.

He stood up, realizing that he could not feel any pain, despite the climactic fight which seemed to have happened only moments ago. He touched his hair in wonder, but felt no sensation. Surprised, he sat up, touched his cheeks and found that he couldn't feel softness or warmth. He wasn't just numb. It was as if he had no body, no tangibility. Hell, he couldn't even feel the floor beneath his feet. He told himself that this was just a dream and that he would wake up in a hospital. But, out of instinct, he walked towards the white windows, hoping to find out where he was.

What he found, unfortunately, was an endless sea of light.

Impossible.

He felt small, powerless even, as his knees quivered under the bright ocean. His blonde, little head began to ache at the sublimity of his predicament, at the never-ending source of white, at his sudden spiriting away from his home, and at his friend's betrayal. When he found he could take the light no longer, he turned around and walked towards the table. He picked up, dragged, and sat down on a large oaken chair that bore intricate designs from an unknown origin. Possibly a language of sorts. He leaned into the white dining table, propping his head into his crossed arms, expecting for himself to wake up from some weird fox-induced nightmare. In his dream-scapes with the fox, he'd still wear his regular attire, but now was apparently not the case.

No, he wasn't dead. He was in a dream.

That's it, a dream. There's no way this can't be a damn dream. I need to wake up! I need to get that Bastar- ! Ugh!

Suddenly, the memory of the traitorous Uchiha piercing his lungs had rooted itself in his head, reminding him of the pain he felt he'd been pierced by that white-hot, chirping hand. The shock caused his legs to buckle, forcing him to rely on the sturdy table for support. He was numb a moment ago, so why was he feeling pain now? Instinctively, he inched his right hand towards his right shoulder, the place where Sasuke pierced his Chidori, readying himself for the pain. But what he experienced was not pain or the hole of the wound, but the smoothness of unblemished skin. Weird. Even if this was a dream, the wound should've still been there.

Shouldn't my memories have manifested into a dream wound or something?

He pulled down his collar, revealing no visible wound on his shoulder. Bewildered, he unbuttoned his white pyjama top and lifted his shirt to reveal no seal on his stomach, as well. He knew not whether to feel happy or sad for the disappearance of the fox. But, one thought came to his immediate attention.

This wasn't a dream, or illusion. He was dead.

***Near the Valley of the End***

Running and jumping, Kakashi and his summon, Pakkun bounded for the Jounin's two students. They were also accompanied by a team of ANBU, the group flying atop the canopy of trees peripheral to the Valley of the End. They all ignored the rain, but Kakashi felt as if the sky was punishing him for his imperfections as a teacher, as the unrelenting torrent continued to weighten his normally gravity-defyin hair. The rain, which had quickly consumed the land, felt like lead balls colliding with his skin. He applied chakra to his feet to gain some much needed traction.

It was then that Pakkun spotted a group of Genin. Their genin. Kakashi himself was glad to see that they were all alive, though barely. Chouji, one of Asuma's kids, seemed to be badly bruised and unconscious.

Possible concussions, he observed.

Neji had a large gash on his torso, and, judging by the exit wounds, was pierced by a large ballistic weapon at a high velocity. He needed to be treated immediately. Kiba and Akamaru seemed to be sleeping, but both looked battered enough to pass as dead. Kakashi sighed in relief when he spotted Shikamaru, Temari, Kankuro, Lee, and Gaara rise from their hiding places in the surrounding brush, their weapons drawn in desperation.

Had they intended to ambush anyone trying to attack their vulnerable friends? Smart, he noted.

Color drained from his face, however, when he did not see his two students. Either of them.

"Relax", Kakashi raised his gloved hands up, signalling that it was safe. Only the other ANBU noticed that his hands were shaking. "Can you report, Shikamaru-kun?"

No answer.

The Nara child seemed to be shaken and perturbed about something, as well. They all had. Even Lee, who was now collapsing under the heavy rain.

"That's okay." The cat-masked female ANBU sheltered Shikamaru from the rain. Her voice played like a violin against a storm of brass. "You all had a hard time. That, we can understand. But I expect you all to report to Tsunade soon."

She then nodded to the scarecrow.

Wordlessly, as if he'd never left the Anbu, Kakashi hand-signalled for most of them to escort the tired Genin to the hospital, and, if they were unharmed, to the Hokage tower. Once the ANBU left, only Kakashi, Pakkun, and the cat-masked female were left to continue the search of Kakashi's students.

As they leapt from tree to tree, Kakashi couldn't help but look at Yugao's graceful steps. She was a women with equal measures of beauty and deadliness. A women he had the pleasure of working with before on separate occasions. He was thankful for the way she soothed the kids, though they had yet to find his.

It was minutes later that they'd finally arrived at the Valley of the End. The two Jounin were very surprised to see the amount of carnage and destruction inflicted upon the land as they did now. At the very least, high-chunin techniques were used here. More surprisingly, they could both still feel the Kyuubi's demonic chakra eating away at the land's life force; the flora had already begun to rot due to the demonic power. But to Kakashi's horror, there laid his orange-clad student in the middle of the broken battlefield. In a tangled, bloody heap growing wetter and heavier and darker in the rain. From afar, both ninja could tell that the blonde was gravely wounded. And thus, they wasted no time in taking him to higher ground, lest they had wanted him to drown.

The valley will flood soon, he could tell. The heavy rainfall allowed for the waterfall's flow to intensify, causing the flood plains to fill.

Now safe from the rain, under the forest's thick canopy, Kakashi placed his favourite student's head atop his lap, praying to all the spirits of Kami that his sensei's son would not die. He wasn't religious. He'd never questioned himself, or his hokage, but his prayers were clear: Please do not take my student. Not before I!

Tears began to fall from Kakashi's lone eye, though Yugao couldn't tell if the droplets were his own or the rain's. Opening the broken boy's soaked jacket, Kakashi saw a tremendous puncture wound placed on Naruto's shoulder. The silver-haired Jounin's scowl deepened when he saw burn marks surrounding the open flesh, signalling that it was exposed to lightning, to a Chidori. Kakashi, despite his anger rising like a tempest, sobbed at this fact.

"Kakashi," Yugao's lovely voice sorrowfully spoke after she checked for the boy's heartbeat, "I'm sorry. Naruto-kun is dead."

It was then that Pakkun, who had remained quiet until now, began to whimper, accompanying Kakashi's soft, bitter cries. Yugao, who hadn't previously met the boy, placed reassuring hands on both her comrades. Her heart wrenched at seeing the two stone-hearted ninjas' fragile hearts breaking.

Kakashi was, in all his life, never one to cry. When his father, the great White Fang, committed suicide, he didn't bat an eye for he knew that it was for the sake of his father's honour that he died. He came close to crying once, when his teammate, Obito, had sacrificed his life to save the entire team. Nearer, still, when his other teammate, Rin, supposedly became missing in action. No, instead of crying, the scarecrow buried himself in missions. Another time in which the last Hatake nearly cried was when the last of his friends, Minato, had passed away. The entire village mourned for the death of the Fourth that day the way Kakashi did every day.

But now, it was different. The death of Naruto, his sensei's son, had truly hit Kakashi hard. It seemed that years of pent up emotion had coursed throughout his entire being, manifesting into trembling and tears. His prized student had fought and killed his, by far, most beloved student, who was the last tie he had to his late teacher, his first team, like an orange ribbon connecting him to both his shame and his happiness.

He did not know what to do with himself now that his precious ribbon was lost.

Yugao, still trying to comfort both ninjas, waited for Kakashi's orders. She herself felt like crying, after hearing Kakashi's short, laboured breaths.

"Yugao," he said softly, after about an eternity, his eye still on his apprentice, "please take Naruto-kun to Tsunade."

Though she was hesitant to leave his side, she complied.

"And Yugao," he hesitated, now not caring about compromising her identity, "please be careful. With Naruto, I mean."

Nodding her head, she smiled sadly beneath her mask. "I know."

She then disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Pakkun." Kakashi finally straightened himself.

"Y-yes?" The ninja pug sniffed.

"Get it together, please. We are ninja of Konoha," He tried monotonously, gripping his gloved fists in anger.

"But you're not handling yourself well, either." The dog tried to joke.

"Pakkun-"

"Alright, alright." The ninja dog then growled animalistically. "We have an Uchiha to find!"

Leaping in one bound, Pakkun had almost grew ten times in both size and ferocity. He now stood a whopping twelve feet on all fours. Not wasting anymore time, he galloped towards the scent of the traitorous Uchiha. Now that his summon was big enough, Kakashi shunshined atop Pakkun's back and rode him gallantly.

They had a mouse to catch.

Sasuke shivered under the cliff overhang that he and Kabuto stayed under. Though he was suspicious of the Sound med-nin, the brunette had been smirking for the past hour. He'd finally proved his superiority over Naruto and Konoha!

No one could stop him now, or so he thought.

His smirk grew at the thought of learning under the best, and eventually, being the best. That would mean that he'd finally have the power to finally killing his older brother.

"Sasuke-kun," whispered the purple-clad, gray-haired med-nin, "I sense a Jounin coming. I believe you know him."

"Sharingan no Kakashi." The boy spat. "The fool doesn't deserve the bloodline or the right to face me. Kabuto, you fight him. Show me the strength that Orochimaru promises me."

The Sound nin could only scoff at the Uchiha's insolence. The boy was a coward. The overhang was stationed only ten feet above the valley's flood plain. He had to make this quick before the flood waters would rise.

"Kakashi-san," Kabuto stepped out from the protection of the overhang and jumped below to Kakashi's level, "I see your summon is of more use than I previously thought. No matter. I won't let-"

"Earth release: Diamond-like Hardening, you little shit!" Pakkun growled, his claws elongating, becoming as hard as diamonds, taking the shape of sable daggers.

The monstrous dog galloped towards the medical ninja, his claws ripping and kicking up the valley floor in stride. Behind Pakkun, Kakashi stood still, rooting himself into the ground. He smirked, almost, confident that his comrade would exact his revenge on the poor medical-nin and succeed.

Pakkun closed the distance, and then swiped his claws, only to hit the ground. The Sound ninja was smart. And fast. Kabuto knew not to fight with a person more than twice his height, and with more than ten times the lethality he possessed. But he'd do anything it took to win. Kabuto extended his scalpel to an impressive three feet in length and barely knicked the great ninja dog. He leaped back out of range just as Pakkun came close to cleaving his head off.

"Arghh!" The pug grunted, irritated at the other ninja's hit and run tactics.

Pakkun closed the distance yet another time, this time he landed a slash on the med-nin's shoulder. But, he also felt an impact to his side, which meant that he'd actually hit a replacement jutsu and he'd been hit by the real Kabuto. He noticed that the impact was Kabuto piercing his chakra scalpel into his hind leg. "Nice try, but I also have hardened my fur. It'll take much more than that little technique to defeat me!"

The rock-hard encasements added several tonnes of weight, effectively slowing the pug's movements down. But fortunately, his new form, combined with the way the armor cropped only around his vital areas, made him agile. This was bad news for his enemy. Now standing on his hind legs, the towering pug then brought his paws up and moved each individual claw to cast two jutsus. "Earth release: Mud river flow, Earth release: Mausoleum earth dumpling!"

The first jutsu throttled the surrounding mud, made by the rain, down into the center of the valley, covering the ground with slippery earth. This impeded Kabuto's movements, who wasn't very proficient in walking on top of mud to begin with, especially under the stress of battle. The next jutsu was the kicker. A house-sized earthen sphere formed from a rocky overhang, forcing Sasuke to evacuate the premises. Not caring for anyone's safety, the dog sent the large boulder towards Kabuto. Naturally, the Jounin escaped his doom by using a replacement jutsu with a nearby rock. The giant boulder of stone sailed through the clone and into the side of the cliff. A plume of dust clouded the area as the boulder exploded, raining debris into the muddy river.

Pakkun smirked, using the debris to his advantage, "Earth release: Stone lodging destruction!"

Instantly, all the rocks generated by his previous technique, big and small, rose high into the air. And with a flick of his razor-sharp claws, all the rocks began to shoot towards Kabuto, who immediately shunshined out of harm's way. He hid behind a large chunk of debris, trying to think of a strategy, but Pakkun did not allow him. He sensed a presence close behind him and dodged just as a chakra-hardened claw pierced the boulder like butter. Pakkun ripped his claws out, sending chunks of earth into the air. With a twitch of his claws he kept them levitating mid-air, ready to send them into the medical-nin's soft head. Pakkun growled vehemently in fury for his fallen friend.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had been sneaking away. He found himself far from the battle, sprinting quietly on the muddy terrain made by the cursed dog. He was dangerously close to the rising flood waters stemming from Valley of the End's waterfall. He growled quietly to himself, trying to quell his feelings of disgust. Disgust, despite just killing a tailed-beast's container, at how weak he was. Although he had gotten so strong, he was still running away from a clash between two powerful ninja. He tried reason with himself that it was the right strategy - he was tired from his battle, and he had no chakra left to spend - but he was an Uchiha. He was above cowardly retreats. He was above everything!

As he traversed the open mud, he felt water touch his ankles. He summoned chakra to his feet to walk atop the surface, hoping that Kabuto would live long enough to lead him to Orochimaru. His hopes were crushed however as he saw his old teacher, Kakashi, who surfaced from the mud using a mud stalking jutsu that he'd used to following him most likely since the beginning of Kabuto's fight. It was foolish to escape a veteran tracker so he turned around to face him, his body low and his hand on his holster. He looked around for any signs of escape.

There were none.

He chanced a look at Kakashi's eyes to see if the man was using the sharingan. He wasn't, which both relieved and insulted the Uchiha.

Instead, what he found was shame. Disappointment. There was no trace of humour in Kakashi's eyes.

"You wouldn't think of running away, would you, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke smirked dangerously back at his former teacher. "You wouldn't hurt me, your own student, right Kakashi?"

Kakashi's stare darkened. "You know, Sasuke, I could end you for killing Naruto, your teammate. Right here, right now. You remember what I said to you when we first met, don't you?"

"Teammates who abandon teammates are trash? What are you gonna' do, Kakashi? Take out the trash? I'm still your teammate, too, aren't I? Wouldn't that make you trash?"

Kakashi's gaze didn't falter. "I guess I neglected to tell you about those who abandon their village: Those who abandon their teammates are trash, but those who abandon their teammates and their village..."

"What's wrong? Don't know what to say?" Sasuke wiped away beads of sweat, hoping his teacher wouldn't attack him.

Suddenly, a rush of water cascaded down the valley. The torrential wave picked up rocks and mud in its wake. The raging river nearly knocked both ninjas. Kakashi was the first to react, jumping up and pumping enough chakra to float above the heavy torrents. Sasuke followed suit - possibly out of arrogance, maybe even as an act to prove to himself that they were equals - though he had trouble balancing, unlike the older shinobi.

Kakashi breathed a long, tired sigh, then strengthened his resolve. "No, Sasuke. What you did to Naruto, what you did to the village...It deserves no forgiveness. You are my student. And you killed another one of my students. Knowing Naruto, he probably gave you a chance to redeem yourself, didn't he? A chance at a normal life."

"A normal life isn't enough for me, Hatake. I'm meant to soar over the cage Konoha confined the great Uchiha clan with! We were meant to be legends! I am the last Uchiha, last of the elite! And there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

Growing tired of Sasuke's bravado, Kakashi sought to incapacitate his student with only two words: "Chidori Nagashi!"

Elsewhere, the ninja dog had been going to town on the decietful snake. When the torrential stream came, Kabuto leapt up and used his chakra to stay afloat. Pakkun, however, didn't give the water any mind, as the weight of his armor jutsu anchored him where he stood. His previous rock jutsu had been chasing his prey for nearly ten minutes now. He could very well tell that the medical-nin was growing tired due to the constant use of chakra in terms of dodging the hail of stones. Kabuto made a swipe towards the large pug's craggy plate armour, aiming at small openings between the plates. Pakkun ignored the small attacks, slashing his keen daggers at the ninja, who always managed to tumble away.

Having finished amusing himself, the ninja dog rushed the medic, working side-by-side with his long-range jutsu, which sent an assortment of stones, at break-neck speeds, towards the wide-eyed medic. Eventually, Pakkun, whose speed increased exponentially despite the large torrent of water threatening to swipe them downstream, landed a few strikes to the back of Kabuto's knees, forcing him buckle under his own weight.

Kabuto hissed out in pain, trying not to be swept away by the growing river, frustrated at being outclassed. It was like having to fight Orchimaru himself. But despite his situation, he chuckled madly. " I may have lost, but Lord Orochimaru will have his prize!"

Within a moment, a jagged shard of earth pierced his chest, spraying a red mist into the cold air. Kabuto's eyes widened, breathing his final breaths before toppling over and sinking into the water, his body jetting downstream.

Pakkun had other plans as he grabbed the cold ninja out from the muddy river with the curve of his claws and sliced Kabuto's head off to ensure his death. He sealed the body into a blank sealing parchment and tucked it in his collar. The dog breathed a sigh of blood-spattered satisfaction. He made a monstrous leap at a ledge above the valley, using his claws to dig into the walls and vault his way up the cliff and into the safety of a plateau.

It was over.

No doubt that Kakashi had succeeded in apprehending the traitor, too.

His thirst for revenge for Naruto's death, he smiled, was now satiated. It was time to move on.

But he cursed, "Shit. Orochimaru's gonna come for his pup."

"I won't let him." Kakashi interrupted the dog's musings, causing the bear-sized pug to turn around. "You can turn back to normal now. No one needs to know you can actually fight. At least not yet. Besides, I can carry my traitorous student myself."

He motioned to the limp form of the Uchiha on his shoulder.

"You Hatakes. Always ones for surprises." He poofed back into his normal form.

Kakashi, after all that had transpired, had actually allowed a ghost of a smile to touch his masked face, "I like to keep secrets, remember? You should know that by now…"

And with that, they began their silent trek home.

"Hey, Kakashi, you think that we should cremate Naruto's body or just bury it?"

The masked ninja frowned at the awkward question.

"We'll try to bury him." He answered. "I'll ask Tsunade if we could bury him beside his parents."

"I doubt the council will allow that."

"We'll have to try." Kakashi set Sasuke on his shoulder. "We'll have to try."

He looked up into the sky, finding that, despite the unceasing rain, the clouds began to part and unveil the forgiving sun, who kissed the land with its triumphant, golden spears.

***Hokage's Office***

"No." A blonde woman began hugging the cold, lifeless corpse of Naruto Uzumaki. Her tears covered his abnormally pale cheeks as hers met his in a tight embrace. She hugged him, futilely trying to bring him back from Death's cold grasp. She knew that it was impossible, but tried anyways.

"This shouldn't have happened, he was supposed to live! Please, not again. Oh god, not again…" She muttered softly as sleep had began to claim her, fatigue from her previous display of emotion had begun to take its toll. "This is all my fault..."

Shizune had watched it all with Tonton, Tsunade's pig, clutched in her shaking arms. The clothed pig had not made a single noise the entire time, hoping that this horrible nightmare would end as well. The two medics had watched as Yugao burst into the office with Naruto in hand, screaming for help. Immediately, the fifth Hokage had began to work futilely on Naruto's already dead form.

Eventually, Shizune had to pull her master from the boy before her feelings would get the better of her, which would mean for very horrible things to come. The apprentice wouldn't dare try to imagine the cruel things the pig-tailed blonde would do to herself-and others-mourning over her loss. But then again the Hokage wouldn't resort to ending her own life.

Right?

No, she was the Hokage. She was too strong for that. She had to be. After all, she had an entire village to lead, and had a responsibility to the very same village that she'd grown to love again.

Carefully, Shizune softened Tsunade's monstrous grip on the boy's cold body, then quickly replaced him with Tonton. The small pig needed not to be ushered, for he'd already known that his owner needed the comfort. And then, with Yugao's help, Shizune carried Naruto to the village morgue, ignoring the happy cheers of the villagers for Naruto's death.

Very soon, Shizune knew, the news would spread. People would talk about the death of the village demon. The entire village would probably rejoice and celebrate in bliss. But still, the medic ignored their seemingly infinite ignorance, for this was the time to think of Naruto and remember all the times he'd touched them without asking for anything in return. It was a time for mourning, not hatred. In fact, it was because of hatred that this accident had happened at all. And Naruto wouldn't allow her, nor anyone to think otherwise.

After his arrival, the citizens of Konoha were enraged to see an unconscious and battered Uchiha on Kakashi's back. They didn't know who to blame, Kakashi or Naruto - even if the aforementioned was already dead. They'd either blame Kakashi, for being an inadequate teacher, or Naruto for merely existing. But anyways, Kakashi headed for the hospital with his faithful summon, Pakkun, by his side. They both strode with dignity, not caring if it had infuriated the villagers. They had a job to do, and not even the ones they had the responsibility of protecting could stop them.

After several weeks, the Uchiha prince had already woken up after the burial of Uzumaki Naruto. His funeral was very short, and all who were close to him, even Sakura, the one who'd used him, had been invited. The funeral had been taken several miles from the walls of Konoha, since the Council had refused to bury the boy beside his birth parents, despite Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade's wishes. The Council normally didn't have power over such affairs. But after having the majority of the village petition against Naruto resting with the all the other heroes, their decision was unanimous, leaving behind a very furious trio of powerful ninja. But after a while, all three accepted it, for they've found a more meaningful place to bury their favourite knuckle-head. They buried him at the very place where Naruto was first dubbed "unpredictable", the very same place where he had begun his ninja career. The very same place where Naruto had rescued his teacher, Iruka. The forest of fallen leaves. The forest clearing, they mused, was the place where his shinobi career both started and ended.

The forest had been a burial for many of Konoha's not very well-known heroes, such as most of the Namikaze clan, and the various shinobi who've immigrated there from the fallen Whirlpool Country. This was the perfect place for Naruto's final resting place, for it represented his beliefs. Though Naruto wasn't appreciated for his many deeds, he was okay with it. He chose to work behind the scenes. The blonde didn't fight to be famous or powerful, but to protect those that he loved. Instead of being immortalized by being buried at Konoha's ninja cemetery and having his name showcased at the Hero's monument, his friends buried him deep within their hearts.

It was during his quiet burial that Tsunade chose to break the Third's law and unveiled Konoha's deepest secret: Naruto's lineage. Only a select, trusted few were told. The Council had no knowledge of what had transpired on that sad, shameful day. Tsunade would later contemplate if the village deserved to know the truth as well. Only time would tell.

About a week after he had awoken, Sasuke had been drafted into Anbu, under the supervision of Konoha's war hawk, Danzou. But not before learning the truth. Just before being drafted, Tsunade chose to reveal to him and the village the truth. The truth about Kyuubi, and Naruto's true lineage. It wasn't that they deserved to know the truth, but it would be an insult to Naruto if she did otherwise. To say that the village was "shocked" would be a true understatement. But the most surprising detail in Tsunade's tribute was her emphasis on Naruto not being the Kyuubi itself, but the jailor. He was not the double-edged sword that the village tried to cultivate, but the shield that put it's life before the village, hoping to protect them from the demon lord's wrath. And he did, with every inch of his life, from whence he breathed his first breath to the day he was ultimately betrayed and killed.

That day, many villagers mourned not only for their loss, but for the error of their ways. Of course, the only one who didn't was Sasuke. As always, he had bottled away his emotions, preferring to isolate himself than sharing his feelings with others. The day he awoke, a train of emotions had rolled him over. He didn't know what to think, do, and feel, especially after learning Tsunade had surgically removed his cursed seal during his coma. This was all okay though, since being a ROOT agent under Danzou didn't require the use of emotions. The curse seal would only serve to keep him unstable, and Danzou had no room for reckless shinobi. At the end of the day, the Uchiha boy still had his eyes, though his eyes now belonged to Danzou.

The Rookie Nine had been hit the hardest. After recovering from the Uchiha rescue mission, they all bore a deep respect for the blonde Uzumaki-Namikaze. Hinata was naught but distraught. Naruto's first admirer hadn't even the chance to confess him her feelings. Ino and Sakura were both equally sad. The two, during their childhood, refused to give the boy the benefit of the doubt and didn't give him the chance to open up to them. They all were to blame, and yet, they all didn't know the affect they had on Naruto's life. They would never know how grateful Naruto was for simply acknowledging him and giving him a reason to fight. Never.

Truly, everyone, even Naruto's previous doubters, had felt true regret for the death of their saviour, and for never appreciating him for what he truly was: A ray of hope, a beacon of light illuminating an otherwise dark world riddled with vehemence and deceit.

"Lord Danzou." A tall shadow bowed before his master's own as they both occupied a dark room that served as their meeting place.

"What do you have for me, Thirty-Two?" The ROOT head addressed his underling.

"Our men in the hospital seized Kabuto's body inside and replaced it with a lookalike."

"Excellent. Anything else?" The taller shadow chuckled darkly as the rain, which had continued for weeks on end battered on the lonely room's stained windows.

"Yes. Our scientists have uncovered that the body we have is not Kabuto."

"No?" The war-hawk replied without much surprise.

"We're positive. Our profilers deduced that either the man that fought Kakashi was never Kabuto to begin with, or Kabuto had replaced himself with a faux body prior to his supposed death. Both circumstances are within his range of abilities. We're confident that we are the only ones that know this."

"You're probably wrong," Danzou sighed. "Tsunade must have noticed it, as well."

"Then may I suggest something?"

Danzou stared at Thirty-Two daringly before allowing him to continue.

"We interrogate the Uchiha boy. The faster we find out about Kabuto's whereabouts, the harder it will be for Orochimaru to steal him away again."

"Negative." Danzou scoffed. "With Tsunade knowing about what really happened, she will have ANBU keeping a closer eye on the boy. And although our agents inside the ANBU are doing their best to stall them, an interrogation will not go unnoticed by them. We must keep the boy under our firm gaze. We must continue his training, as well as his mental conditioning. That is the only way we can prepare for when Orochimaru strikes next."

"But sir..." The young shadow interjected, "If Tsunade knows about what truly happened to Kabuto, then won't she notice that we replaced the fake body with a lookalike, as well? Should we undo what we did?"

"No need." Danzou smiled devilishly. "Knowing Tsunade, she has been working with Jiraiya for some time and they are both aware of both our intentions."

"That's impossible!" The young man exclaimed with a sudden bout of emotion, which was unusual for a ROOT agent.

"It is no problem. They won't do anything about us."

"Why?"

"We have leverage. We know the whereabouts of all the previous Hokages' inheritance."

"I see. What does this have to do with me, sir?"

"Your next mission. Though we know the location of this inheritance, we have yet to secure it for ourselves. You, as well as a team I have personally assembled, will receive letters in your home within a week's time. That letter will tell you the location of a dead drop. And that dead drop will contain the location, parameters, and timeline of the mission. You are dismissed."

"Sir!" The shadow then disappeared faster than a normal human could blink.

Danzou stared outside in contemplation.

Jutsu List:

Earth Release: Diamond-like Hardening AKA Doton: Kongounyoi
This is an earth style technique that transmutates anything the earth-user wants to have the hardness of a diamond, like the name suggests. Depending on the thing that the earth-user transmutates, it can be razor-sharp or extremely hard. Just because a diamond is hard, doesn't mean its impenetrable. It has ALL properties of diamonds. That means that it CAN melt.

Earth Release: Mud River Flow AKA Doton: Doryuu Taiga
This technique can cause the ground around the target to turn into chakra-enriched mud. This mud can cause the opponent's mobility to be sloppy, litteraly. Combined with another attack, this can cause some pretty nice fight sequences.

Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling AKA Doton: Doryuu Dango
Doryuu Dango is a Ninjutsu technique utilizing the Earth Element. After striking the ground with his hands, a person can overturn the earth into a large dumpling shape chunk of earth the size of a mausoleum. Using his immense strength, he can lift up the ball and hurl it at his opponent, flatening all in its path.

Earth Release: Stone Lodging Destruction AKA Doton: Iwa Yado Kuzushi
This technique allows the ninja to control nearby stone and rock. This can be especially useful if in a cave or a stone lodging. The technique can loosen the rocks and cause them to come raining down on whomever is trapped inside. You can also control the individual stones/boulders the way magneto(from X-men) does.

Chidori Nagashi AKA Thousand Birds Current
Instead of merely focusing the electrical force to his body, a person is able to extend it outside of his body and through objects which he is holding. This allows him to create a protective zone around his person. This zone of electricity can shock and immobilize his foes, presumably by attacking their nervous system. In canon, Sasuke made this. But in my story, Kakashi made it on the spot. He is a true genious, after all.

Well, wasn't that sad? I'm sorry to say that this is the end of my story, even if the potential is great...
Just Kidding! No, I'll continue this. In fact, I've already gotten to chapter 10 on good copy. Please R&R