Chapter 1
"Inu here, Hokage-sama. I've answered your summons." The dog mask-wearing ANBU announced as his body flickered into the Office.
In front of him, behind his desk, sat the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was holding a small, cloth-wrapped baby in his arms, rocking back and forth. The baby was blond, and his eyes were sky-blue. He laughed and played with the man's beard, showing no signs of wanting to sleep.
"Is that...Minato-sensei's..?"
"Correct. This is Uzumaki Naruto, son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. We manged to rescue this poor boy from last week's attack." He explained. Kakashi narrowed his eyes.
"Why has this been kept a secret, though? Shouldn't the boy be at the orphanage?" The silver-haired ANBU Operative proceeded, dragging a sight out of the Third's mouth.
"He should, and Minato would not have wanted me to keep him a secret. But let's be realistic, everybody knows that Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed inside him before his father died. If I send him to the orphanage and reveal he's alive, we both know he won't make it until next week."
Kakashi silently nodded. Even if Naruto was just a baby, he probably wouldn't be spared.
"But then, why did you summon me?" He asked, before his visible eye widened in shock. Hiruzen looked at him with a serious expression.
"It seems you've already figured that out."
Hatake Kakashi cringed as the Hokage confirmed his suspicions. No, for the love of Kami, please no!
"But Hokage-sama, I'm fourteen years old! I don't know how to handle something as fragile as a child! Besides, I have my ANBU duty!" He contested, earning a smile and a chuckle from the old man.
"Kakashi, you've lived by yourself ever since you were six, age at which you were promoted to Chuunin, becoming a Jounin only seven years later. I'm pretty sure you can handle Naruto. You'll also going to have additional staff in your clan compound. I'm not asking you to change diapers and prepare baby bottles. I'm asking you to raise Naruto, teach him in the shinobi way and give him the parental figure you never had." He explained, wiggling his left index and middle fingers above Naruto's face, making him giggle. Kakashi was still not convinced.
"But sir, surely there's someone more qualified for that?" He asked out of desperation.
"Kakashi, whom would that be? Gai? Who is not responsible enough to take care of himself, much less of a child? My son, Asuma? Who is too busy being a rebel and defending the Daimyo with the Twelve Guardians to even visit his family? You know you're the best choice for this, Kakashi, don't make it harder than what it already is. Do it for your mentor. Do it for this boy."
Kakashi stared at the baby, defeated and resigned as he nodded, taking the child in his arms. The little boy was a bundle of energy and heat, which made him smile behind his mask.
"I want daily reports on him and his growth. As soon as he turns three, you may start his elemental training. I trust you'll keep this a secret. Now, leave me!"
Kakashi nodded at the pipe-smoking man one last time before his body flickered, and he was gone.
Hiruzen smiled at himself as he pondered over the subject. If I am correct, this will patch a broken heart and save another.
…...
Far Away
The silver-haired Jounin was crouching, giving the blond-haired boy a look-over. There were few things he considered actually cute anymore, and even though he didn't like it, Naruto was one of them.
Especially because as he stared at him in the eye as if analyzing him, the boy stared back, giving him the exact same, calculating look as if he was capable of judging someone.
When Kakashi was satisfied, he rose taking a deep breath. He was too young to have a child, why the hell had the Kage given him such a responsibility?
"So...what are your interests?" He asked the baby, who looked at him with a very serious face.
"Glug-blah..." He wisely said in a very matter-of-fact way, making his new father smile.
"Yeah, I know, I love that kind of stuff too. Tell me, what do you think of this?" He responded, pulling the Icha Icha Paradise Episode 1 off of his night-stand and waving the cover in front of the baby.
"Prrrrbbbllrrr..." The baby batted his tongue repeatedly, spreading saliva everywhere as Kakashi laughed loudly.
"Don't worry, I too prrbllrred in excitement when I first became aware of these series. But Jiraiya-sama's genius is something for when you're older." He proceeded, putting the book away again before turning to the boy. As far as he knew, the baby was fed, clean and rested. What next?
"Oh, let's see, Hokage-sama asked to give a report on your growth and train you in elemental manipulation when you grow up. So, I guess I should check what your affinity is." He explained as he picked a piece of chakra paper from his ninja pouch.
That's when he stopped.
Since when do I owe a baby an explanation?
A lot of people say that parenting eventually drives you insane, but this was ridiculous!
The silver-haired Jounin eyed Naruto with a defying look as he neared him.
"You listen to me, I am a Jounin from Konohagakure no sato. I have struck fear and pain in the hearts of many greater, so much that their minds broke and they revealed all of their secrets to me. A mere baby such as you will not get the best out of me!" Kakashi declared, receiving a look from Naruto that simply said: "We'll see about that."
The ANBU blinked his eyes rapidly as he realized he had just tried to intimidate a week-old baby. And furthermore, the baby hadn't even winced!
I shall not be defeated by the likes of you!
With not further delay, he wiggled the paper in front of Naruto's face.
"Just take this, will you!" He demanded. Sure enough, the baby quite literally bobbed his head up and literally nommed the paper. As he was only a newborn, he couldn't move his arms and hands well enough, but his instincts were more than what was needed to grasp the object.
Kakashi rose an eyebrow at the scene.
"Not the most orthodox of methods, but I suppose that'll do." He commented as he saw the boy happily munching the paper, even though he had no teeth.
The saliva was one of the human body's fluids that were naturally imbued with chakra. There was no reason to this, excepting perhaps the control of the micro-organisms that could potentially be dangerous if nothing controlled them.
So, reacting with the spiritual energy, the paper immediately manifested itself.
It shriveled up quite badly, as if someone had folded it in every way possible before spreading it out again, something that surprised the Jounin. Konoha was used to Doton and Suiton users. And of course, to some extent, Katon and Fuuton manipulators too, which made Raiton the rarest affinity in the village.
Wait a second, I have the opportunity to mould this child into the perfect shinobi if I play my cards right. A perfect Ninjutsu user with assassination-focused techniques. If I plan it through, I have the power to train this child into perfection and produce a healthy, powerful agent for the village! All I have to do is keep my determination.
He looked at Naruto, giving him one of the widest, Cheshire Cat-reminiscing grins. It was so wide and sadistic that it could literally be seen through the black face mask that covered his mouth.
The baby opened his mouth in shock, letting the shriveled paper fall as he shook. He may have been just a week old, but he knew when something bad was coming.
Something very very bad.
"Oh, do not be frightened, you shall not be harmed. Much. I'm sure that whatever training regime I come up with is entirely safe. Probably. But you have nothing to worry about. A son of two of the most powerful ninja this village has ever seen can surely go through this unscathed. Likely."
For some unknown reason, the blond baby did not believe his new tutor.
…...
Twelve Years Later
A certain blond-haired boy sat cross-legged in the middle of his mostly empty bedroom. A brown dog with a forehead protector and a grumpy look sat on his head, as if supervising whatever was happening was a tremendous bother.
He had grown a whole lot in the last twelve years, as it was expected, standing above most of his class mates, while still remaining rather slender and incredibly muscular. Kakashi had made sure he stayed that way.
His outfit had also managed to impress as much as his physique, as it was composed of a black hoodie with orange linings. The cord that could be pulled to tighten the hood was also orange, and you could see it by the sides of the hood. (I have a picture on my profile for you guys to see.)
His pants were plain black, very loose combat pants with multiple pockets on the sides of the legs, and were only tied down by a belt, which had his forehead protector implanted.
For his feet, he used black sneakers, a type of footwear that was becoming rather popular in the Land of Iron.
He had a band-aid on the top of his nose, which served to protect a cut he had received in training. Apparently, it would also turn into a scar, so maybe the bandaid could be a more permanent choice.
To finish off, his outfit had metal in a lot of places, mostly in the form of spikes coming out of the clothing's shins, wrists, elbows and collar of hood. These served to channell his Raiton chakra more fluidly.
Needless to say, he was a magnet to most kunoichi in the Academy's hearts, even though most did not interest him. He was there to train, not date, after all.
Currently, he was practicing his chakra control. Kakashi had insisted in the elemental training, which meant several exercises like electrocuting water, turning electrodomestics on and off from a distance and even shriveling up leaves.
That composed the beginning of his training. He later started on more complex things. Kakashi said that by the time he turned thirteen, he should already be a Raijin (Lightning God).
Unknown to him, this had actually inspired the boy, who then started to take on daily "meditation" sessions, in which Pakkun, their main summon, would also participate.
He'd try to channell his Raiton chakra out and attempt to create a sort of "aura". At first, there were no results, but that soon changed as the help of the dog's presence manifested itself.
Visible electricity crackled around the boy, two or three mini-strikes of lightning occuring around him every five seconds. Pakkun was impressed. Even Kakashi had never accomplished this feat.
Naruto kept it up for five minutes, before condensing his chakra further.
The result was abysmal. Every second that passed meant ten jolts around the boy, creating a sorts of minuscule storm around him.
He decided to end it, releasing all of his chakra around him, which resulted in a sort of reverse electromagnetic pulse, creating a few electrical burn marks on the floor and turning on the lights, TV, radio, and even his personal laptop.
"Yoshi." He said as Pakkun whistled.
"You're getting better and better at this, Naruto. What's your secret?" The dog asked as he jumped to the floor, while Naruto rose. The blond shrugged.
"Dad said he'd teach me Chidori if I managed to send an electromagnetic pulse without using hand-seals. Needless to say, I want Chidori."
"And sure enough, you're going to get it sooner than you expected. Naruto, hurry up and come on. Hokage-sama has a mission for us." Kakashi's voice came to life as he stepped inside the room.
The blond was surprised, but didn't contest. Officially, he was a Genin, but unofficially, he was a top-ranked ANBU, who frequently took on missions with his father under the name Norainu. (Stray Dog)
He took his mask, which was identical to his father's, except his dog was smiling, and quickly performed the Body Flicker Technique. The Hokage did not like to wait.
Kakashi followed his son's example, flickering out of the place, leaving Pakkun alone.
"Amazing how I always end up like this when I'm summoned. Left somewhere I don't belong, out of the action and too lazy to do anything at all." He muttered, spotting the dog food that Naruto always had in a small bowl by the door.
"I love my life."
…...
Meanwhile
"Inu, Norainu, as you may or may not know, the Mizukage in Kirigakure, Yagura has died." The Hokage explained, shocking both the ANBU Operatives.
"Yagura? Wow, that's quite feat..." Naruto commented.
"Who did it?" Kakashi asked, more composed
"We don't know. The only information they had was that two weeks ago, two individuals dressed in black cloaks with red clouds on them came, fought with him and then simply took him away."
"I see. Kirigakure likes to keep its "tough guy" appearance, and existing with no leader would not aid in that, so I guess they've already assigned someone as the new Mizukage?" The blond boy asked, receiving a nod from the Hokage.
"Mei Terumi is her name. Apparently, she's there to make a change. She's working towards ridding the village from Kekkei Genkai user discrimination and forming alliances with the other Hidden Villages. We received a letter from her requesting an A-rank mission. If we accept it and succeed in it, she's more than willing to forge an Alliance with us and also provide us with S-rank payment."
"So naturally, we're accepting it." Kakashi deduced.
"Exactly."
"Alright, Hokage-sama, what are the details?" Naruto asked.
The old man seemed reluctant in answering, which made both ANBU raise their eyebrows. Finally, he sighed and just gave in.
"We don't know for sure. Mei said that she didn't want to give out all of the details unless face-to-face, and she couldn't come here because of all the work she has to do at the moment. All we know is that the Seven Swordsman have split apart, and some are even rebelling against the new Mizukage, threatening to raze the village. She wants us to kill at least one of them. She'll give you further details when you meet each other if you choose to accept the mission."
Silence took place as the two thought it over. The ammount of times shinobi were led to traps in history in this very way was innumerable, but still, if it wasn't an ambush, it could massively help Konoha. Kirigakure shinobi were nothing to make fun of, and as allies, you could have none better.
Naruto was about to answer when Kakashi interrupted him.
"We'll accept, but I have one condition, Hokage-sama." He declared, making the old leader raise an eyebrow.
"And what would that be?"
"I want to teach him his first killing technique and begin his assassin training, if that's alright with you. I also want to give him that. The Seven are no joke." The white-haired man explained, pointing to his left eye in a way that Naruto could not see it.
The Kage sighed, and eventually nodded.
"I guess it can't be helped. You have my authorization. Now go and do it as quick as possible. We need to be as fast and efficient as possible."
"Hai!" The two agents responded in unison, vanishing from the place as the old man took a puff out of his pipe.
He's grown so fast...
…...
"Dad, what did you mean by "that"? Something I should know?" Naruto asked him as they packed the weapons they expected they would need in the upcoming mission. Kakashi nodded as he resumed his duty.
"Chidori. Why do you think I can use it with zero danger to allies even though it's a one-shot technique that requires speed high enough to disable any kind of retreat from the user?" He asked
"The Sharingan your friend gave you?" Naruto answered as he zipped up one of his pouches, which was now filled with smoke bombs and paper tags.
"Exactly. The Sharingan allows for prediction of a close future, of an individual's movements and also for faster reactions and reflexes. That's why I've made it a rule to never teach anybody who doesn't own a Sharingan the Thousand Birds Technique. It's a matter of principle." Kakashi explained as he too closed his pouch.
"But you said you'd teach me. Are you..." He stopped dead in his tracks, looking at his father with disbelief.
"...are you giving me your Sharingan? You can't! That would completely end your career!"
The silver-haired man turned to him, giving him an eye-smile.
"Of course I'm not giving you my Sharingan. This eye is used up. I'm getting you a practically new pair."
The shock on the blond's face was big enough to make him laugh nervously. A new pair? Is he out of his damn mind?
"What are you going to do? Kill Uchiha Sasuke?" He asked jokingly. His father laughed, shaking his head with a quick pace.
"Of course not." He responded, pulling out a vial from the fridge. Two red eyes with two tomoe each were floating around in green liquid.
Naruto scanned the two orbs with his own eyes trying to make heads or tails of the situation, and was barely even able to mutter the next few words.
"Where did you get those?" He asked.
"My partner, Obito, had a sister. Her name was Nahime, and she was one of the most talented fighters of her clan. She died, along with the others in the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Her eyes were envied as the best, most well-developed pair in the whole family. Hokage-sama had me retrieve them before any scavengers could do so in the incident. I saved them for you all these years."
"Wow...I'm not sure whether to call that a fucked up decision or a wonderful act of parental love..." Naruto commented, still shocked. Kakashi shrugged.
"Then don't call it anything. Just accept the gift. You're going to need them."
Naruto took the vial in his hands, holding it religiously as if it was a poor, defenseless baby that couldn't be brushed with a feather.
"What am I supposed to do with them?"
"I'll transfer them to you after I'm finished packing. I want you to decide whether or not you want them. As soon as I transplant them into you, you'll have one big red target on your back, and we won't be able to hide your lineage anymore either."
The blond just stood there, closely analyzing the eyes that looked back at him. It was a simple choice. Either take the eyes, get power and finally become an assassin, or chicken out and continue the "clean" way.
Not even ten seconds later, he had his answer.
"I want them."
…...
The Next Day
"Wait there! Who are you and what is your reason for leaving the village?" Izumo asked the two cloaked, mask-wearing ninja who carried a backpack each.
Both turned to reveal their ANBU masks, making Kotetsu and his partner swallow in respect.
"Agents Inu and Norainu. We're leaving for a mission." The youngest answered, immediately turning again and walking through the gate.
One of the guards quickly nodded in approval, while the other stood, confused. He could have sworn he saw a pair of red eyes staring back at him through the mask.
END OF CHAPTER 1 "PROLOGUE"