Naruto: The Return of Darkness

by G3rMan

FemKaka The sacrifice Naruto's parents made was not in vain. The Sarutobi clan raised him to be a strong shinobi. Not all is well in the world, however, and a new power threatens to overtake even Akatsuki in its evil. To combat it, Naruto will need more than his chakra, his heritage, his burden; he will need love. Enter the village's most powerful jounin, Kakashi Hatake.

2. Birth of a Hero

Naruto: The Return of Darkness

Chapter 1

Birth of a Hero

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Speaking"

"Whisper"

'Thinking'

Writing/Text

"Jutsu"

"Tailed Beast/Demonic speak"

Welcome to the first real chapter of Naruto: The Return of Darkness. Here we will see the introduction of all major characters and the setting for Part I. A healthy reminder that this will be a slow romantic buildup so don't expect much romance until Part II. I want this to be as believable as possible since I have learned from my mistakes in Uzumaki Clan's Rebirth (I was disappointed with early romantic buildup).

One last thing, on my profile I have added two links to Kakashi pictures from deviantart. You could say seeing those gave me the final push to write this story. Neither of them are mine of course, all credit goes to their artists. Go check them out if you are interested on how my description of Kakashi might look.

Read on and enjoy.

000

Outskirts of Konohagakure

Kyuubi's Sealing

000

Hiruzen and two other shinobi stood outside of Kushina's chakra barrier, waiting impatiently for it to go down. They wanted to stand by the Hokage and help defeat the tailed beast but even the venerable Sandaime could not break through the barrier. Whatever Kushina and Minato were doing, they were doing it alone.

"Sandaime-sama, there must be something we can do!" One of the shinobi flanking him, a fellow Sarutobi, said in frustration.

"Not even the Yondaime can take the Kyuubi alone. We have to do something!" The other said, clenching his fist in anger.

Sarutobi understood their feelings as he shared them. There was a certain point that a battle would reach where events were out of your control that would affect the outcome. That situation was one of those events and they would have to deal with the aftermath. He knew Minato and Kushina and because of that he was afraid they would do something rash.

They watched as the Kyuubi growled and struggled in the chains that held it. It was as if any moment it could break loose, as the idea of a tailed beast being held down by simple steel was hard to fathom. The chains were not made of steel though, it was Kushina's chakra; the jinchuuriki that had held Kyuubi back for the past two decades, she would not falter now.

It was not long before an amazing thing happened, the Nine Tails shrunk in size. The Third had never seen anything like it. Before, it had towered over the treetops with ease; only bits of red fur and tips of its ears peeked out from the surrounding forest.

"What is going on in there..Minato, Kushina." Sarutobi muttered, the night was already bad enough. 'You have a son now, don't do anything rash.'

"Sir, the barrier!" They observed the bright chakra barrier start to break down, receding.

They could no longer sense Kyuubi, nor could they see it. Regardless they approached with caution as they made their way through the small forest and into the clearing. What they saw there would stay with them the rest of their lives; there the two parents lay near their child, positioned in such a way the Sandaime knew they had shielded the newborn.

The blood from their grievous wounds soaked the bed where Naruto lay. Despite the situation, the child could still smile through its tears. A seal that adorned the little blonde's stomach quickly told Hiruzen what he did not want to know, but needed to.

'So that was your plan , Minato..you really were thinking with your head.'

Behind him the two shinobi were still trying to wrap their heads around the situation. There was little time to waste if the Sandaime wanted to control the situation.

"Rito!"

He turned to look at the jounin he had known since the boy was in academy. With such a delicate situation, the only ones he could trust were those closest.

"Go get the Medical Corps, they need to attend to the Yondaime and his wife." Even in death, the two still deserved the best the village could offer.

"Yes, Sandaime-sama!" As soon as he left, Hiruzen turned to the other Sarutobi.

His brow was covered in sweat from the previous battle and stress of the night. The forehead protector that adorned his head covered his slick brown hair, trimmed short. At least a head taller than Hiruzen, he was a loyal family member that the old man could trust.

"Shin.." The young man pulled himself from the tragic scenery and looked at the former Hokage, waiting for orders.

"Yes, Hiruzen-sama." If the truth escaped about Naruto then nothing good could come of it for the boy.

"We need to get Naruto out of here. Can I entrust that to you?"

They looked at the little boy who had stopped laughing and now, more appropriately, was crying. Most likely, he missed his parents' touch.

"Naruto..you mean this boy?" Very few had been made privilege to Kushina's pregnancy, let alone the name chosen for the child.

"Yes. With Kyuubi sealed inside of him, he is the new jinchuuriki. Not only that but Minato's enemies might take this opportunity to harm him. We need to keep him safe and his identity secret."

Shin said nothing but nodded. The situation was grave and, although he didn't understand the full gravity of it, he knew the innocent child did not deserve whatever fate had in store for him. If there was something he could do to help then he would do it.

"I understand. Where shall I take him?" Hiruzen approached the altar and gathered Naruto up in the bed cloth.

With no small amount of care, as if the child was made of glass, he gave him to Shin. Accepting him into his arms, the young Sarutobi waited for further orders.

"To my home. Once the crisis has been properly dealt with Asuma and I will return and take care of him. Please, watch over him until then."

"With my life, Hiruzen-sama." He leaped away with the bundle held close to his chest, leaving nothing but a shadow in his stead.

Trusting that they would arrive safely, Hiruzen turned to look over the two fallen heroes. With a heavy heart he shifted them so that both lay on their backs. In that way he hoped they would be a bit more at ease. Despite himself, Sarutobi could not help but let loose a few tears as he gazed upon their faces.

'Even until the end, both of you..'

The two proud parents wore their smiles with pride. They died just as they had lived, together and happy.

000

Konohagakure

Hiruzen's Home

000

Just as was ordered of him, Shin stood near the bedside where he had let Naruto lay. He waited for Hiruzen and his son to return home.

Amazingly, the trip had been without incident and no one attempted to stop him. For that he was thankful, he would rather not have to do any more fighting that night. Too many of his friends had been lost, too much blood had been spilled in the streets for him to lift his kunai to another.

Despite everything Shin knew about children, he could not understand the young Namikaze. When he should have been crying and thrashing in his sleep, Naruto remained quiet their entire trip. Indeed, the infant was smiling as he lay comfortably on the bed.

'It seems he has inherited his mother's cheerfulness.' Although he did not know her well, Shin had encountered Kushina on occasion.

A bit odd, the woman always seemed to have something to smile about. He realized now that it was a blessing she had bestowed upon her child. It would be interesting to see whom the child would resemble more, the Yondaime or his wife.

The door to the home opened and Shin heard two people enter. Both were talking very loudly so he did not have to strain himself much to hear. It seemed Hiruzen's youngest son was arguing about something with his father.

"Why did you ask me to come back here? We still don't know what happened to mother!"

"Asuma, please. There are shinobi everywhere trying to track down your mother and the rest of those who are missing. Right now I need your help with something." The exasperated elder was clearly having trouble keeping his son under control, understandably.

From what Shin understood she was one of the closest confidants during the pregnancy. Biwako must have fallen victim to whatever plot released the Nine Tails. It was a loss that would be hard for any of the Sarutobi to recuperate from, let alone her youngest son.

"What could possibly be more important than-"

The bedroom door opened and the dark room was illuminated by the hallway light. Shin bowed in respect as Hiruzen and Asuma entered, their eyes on the bright blonde baby.

"Hiruzen-sama."

"Well done Shin, thank you." With that, the guardian excused himself; surely he had friends and family he needed to attend to.

Asuma did not understand what was going on and looked to his father for guidance. Who was this kid? He did not look like a Sarutobi with his bright blonde hair and whisker marks.

"This is what I need your help with. What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room, do you understand?" His son nodded slowly, dumbfounded by the situation.

"From now on, this child will be your younger brother. It will be up to you to teach him what it means to be a shinobi and to watch out for him."

Hiruzen knew he was asking a lot from Asuma. His wife he was afraid was surely deceased and that kind of impact would hurt their family greatly. There was no doubt that their strength and loyalty would be tried as they juggled rebuilding the village and caring for Naruto.

There was one thing that the seasoned shinobi knew though, and that was that they could not allow the Yondaime's sacrifice to be in vain. If there was any other way, Hiruzen knew that Minato would not have sealed the Kyuubi inside of Naruto. Whatever plan he came up with, it was their duty to make sure it was carried out to the end.

"Tou-san..I know I said that having a little brother would be nice but..this is the Yondaime's kid right? Shouldn't they be-" Hiruzen looked at his son, his face told him why that sentence should not be finished.

So that was the price Konoha had to pay in order to defeat the Nine Tails. This child was their legacy now, what kind of guy would he be if he refused?

The older Sarutobi watched as his son's face hardened into what he knew was determination. He placed his hand on Asuma's shoulder and silently thanked him.

"We will talk more about this in the morning. For now, I want you to stay with Naruto while I organize the search efforts."

With his father gone, Asuma was unsure of what to do. Alone with Naruto his strength and earlier confidence was sapped. He knew next to nothing about babies, being the youngest of the Sarutobi.

Holding back a sigh, the now older brother unzipped his flak vest as he made his way to Naruto. Gently, he sat next to his sleeping form in an effort not to wake him. Unsure of what to say, he just watched Naruto's little chest go up and down in tune to his breathing.

"Hey..little guy.." He scratched his head, trying to alleviate the awkwardness. "Guess I'm your big brother now..Not sure exactly what I have to do but..I promise I'll do my best."

Naruto stirred and Asuma was unsure of what to do. When he did not cry, Asuma figured that maybe his voice was keeping him calm. True or not, it was incentive enough for him to continue.

"Maybe this is not the best time to introduce myself but..I'm Asuma Sarutobi. Nice to meet you, Otouto."

As a joke he held out his hand above Naruto, for him to shake. It worked as Naruto let loose a high pitched giggle breaking the tense atmosphere. The Chunin was thrown for a loop when Naruto reached up with his little hand and gripped one of his fingers, completing the shake.

Always one to adapt to the situation, Asuma smiled and finished the shake by gently holding Naruto's hand in his own.

"You and I will get along just fine I think."

000

A few weeks later..

Hiruzen's Home

000

"No Kurenai, wait up!"

"Now is not the time for secrets, Asuma!"

The young Chunin raced to the front door of the Sarutobi residence. Hiruzen was taken aback as Kurenai, one of Asuma's closest female friends, came bursting through the door with an out of breath Asuma not far behind.

"Sorry Tou-san.." The teen tried to catch his breath. "But she was too fast."

Kurenai was not known for her rebellious nature, at least to those who weren't her father, and she quickly bowed to the Hokage. She was not prone to such outbursts of energy as she generally preferred a calm, methodical approach to problems. But Asuma had been too frustrating and tight lipped about whatever was happening at home; having to skip their lunches early, shopping for little kid clothes, her intuition told her something was off.

"My apologies Hokage-sama..but I would like to ask you a question." Hiruzen already had a sneaking suspicion of what it was and he began to wonder if he could turn this in his favor.

Since the aftermath of the Kyuubi's attack he had returned to his place as Sandaime Hokage. In that time, both he and Asuma had been busy ensuring the village at least appeared normal to outside eyes. He picked up the slack in paperwork as quickly as he could and Asuma went on the great many missions that were piling up, their clientele having no idea that Konoha's ninja strength had been halved.

In that time, just as Hiruzen had predicted, their attention was forced from Naruto. In the time he needed them the most, they could barley afford the time to care for his basic needs. Perhaps if they had a woman's help, even that of young Kurenai, they could begin to properly support Naruto's growth.

"Go on." The old man gestured for her to continue, his hands clasped in front of him as he sat at the kitchen table.

"Has Asuma been..seeing anyone recently?" Both of the Sarutobi were put off by that question as it was a very..intimate way of asking about a child.

"Kurenai! What is that supposed to mean?!" Asuma harshly whispered in her ear, but he was ignored.

"Not that I know of..why do you ask?" He responded with an innocent smile.

It was cute to see the younger generation handle their love problems without even realizing it.

"It's just that..Asuma has been leaving early from all of our meetings. I even saw him.." The girl was clearly embarrassed to say something "buying baby clothes. So I thought that-"

Hiruzen held up a hand, barely holding back a chuckle. He had heard enough and his son was plenty red in the face, it was time to salvage the situation.

"We have a baby in our home, that is why Asuma has been so busy. You see, he is now the older brother and has to take care of him when I can't."

Kurenai's eyes widened in understanding; she had been right that something had happened. She thanked the Hokage for telling her and, as an afterthought, mumbled an apology to the still red Asuma.

As if on cue, Naruto began to cry. Asuma cursed under his breath and ran to check on him with Kurenai following behind, curious. They entered the makeshift 'baby' room, a hastily converted guest bedroom with Asuma's old crib and toys laying about.

Naruto must have heard the shouting and was showing his dissatisfaction. The two shinobi stood over him, looking down at his frowning face. As the older brother, Asuma did his best to calm him down by talking but it was doing no good.

Kurenai had been ensnared by Naruto's cuteness, at first unable to respond. Pushing the clueless boy aside, she gently took the infant in her arms and cradled him close to her chest.

Hiruzen watched from the doorway as Kurenai rocked him back and forth back to sleep. The two men were amazed when the boy stopped crying and started to smile. Fascinated by her long hair, the blonde twirled it around in his fingers as he fell into a deep sleep.

Asuma could not help but blush at how Kurenai easily handled the baby. She made it look so easy when he was clueless. More so, she even seemed happy dealing with the crying child.

"Nicely done, Kurenai-san." Awoken from her stupor, she turned to see the Hokage watching her.

She did an impromptu bow in thanks, unsure of what came over her. It just felt natural to hold him in her arms for whatever reason.

"Kurenai..you are amazing." Asuma whispered, making the girl blush.

"It is nothing, really." She tried to assure the both of them, still holding Naruto close.

"Perhaps it is not my place to ask something like this of you Kurenai-san, but Asuma and I would appreciate any help you can give us. We are trying to take care of him without help, but it is too much for the both of us. With a woman's touch perhaps..you could do more good than we can?"

Kurenai had no reason to accept other than it being a request from the Hokage. She was not even sure who the baby's parents were, or what his name was. That much work coming to see him everyday would surely tire her out.

But..he was cute she had to admit. Any girl would fall for those whisker marks and bright blonde hair.

Blonde hair..

Her eyes widened, suddenly she had a better hunch of who that baby belonged to. There was no need to say so though as she assumed that his presence there was some sort of secret.

As if to acknowledge what she just figured out, Hiruzen approached her. He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him with her crimson eyes. They needed to make sure she understood the situation.

"It goes without saying that we have been trying to keep him secret. We would both appreciate it if you did the same. If the wrong people discovered that he existed, there would be trouble."

Kurenai nodded, understanding somewhat. The Yondaime was a great man but even he had his enemies. Looking at him again, she had to ask herself what kind of person could want to harm this little one?

"I'll do what I can Hokage-sama..but can I ask a question?"

"Of course."

She looked back down at the young child that slept in her arms, he seemed so peaceful now. There was just one thing she needed to know before she signed up for the task.

"What is his name?"

Hiruzen and Asuma both breathed a silent sigh of relief and smiled. With a bit of pride only a grandparent could give, he announced the name of the village's future hero.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

000

Konohagakure

Ninja Academy

000

"Are you sure about this, Asuma-nii?"

"It's finally time for you to get out of the house and go to school, Naruto. Tou-san and I both agree on it."

Asuma and Naruto stood in front of the school gates as the first day of academy was starting. The new students were all saying goodbye to their parents and heading inside. There were a few like Naruto who were apprehensive, but they were soon dragged along by friends. Unfortunately, Naruto didn't have anyone like that so it was up to his older brother to get him inside.

"But why do I have to leave?"

"You need to grow up to be a shinobi like me and Tou-san. They will teach you how." He gestured toward the instructors who were welcoming the children by the entrance.

"Why can't you?" Asuma laughed and got down on one knee to be at equal height with the young jinchuuriki.

Naruto was sporting a simple black top with beige shorts, his blonde hair still spiky and free. He had done a lot of growing up the past few years with Kurenai and Asuma watching over him. Really, it was amazing the progress he had made, but he was doomed to stay an introvert if they left him at home.

Naruto needed to meet people and have a solid training foundation before Asuma was willing to keep him all to himself. His father had appointed the older brother in charge of Naruto's training outside of the academy and honestly, Asuma could not wait to teach him what he knew. But if it was for Naruto's sake, he could wait.

"These guys are much better teachers than I am, besides, here you can make friends your age."

Naruto still did not seem convinced so Asuma tried something different. He untied his headband protector and held it close to Naruto's face for him to see. It was the symbol of graduation, proof that a person was finally ready to start down the path of shinobi. Everyone who met Naruto knew how he secretly coveted it, how much he wanted wear one himself.

"If you want to have one of these for yourself, hurry up and pass all the tests they give you. If you can do that, then I promise I will teach you everything I know. How about that?"

Naruto gave him a skeptical look, raising an eyebrow. Even at the age of five, Naruto was becoming a shrewd negotiator.

"All I have to do is pass their tests, then we can train together?" Asuma nodded, and Naruto smiled.

Without warning he turned around and started running for the academy. He called out behind him, getting his older brother's attention.

"Hold onto that for me! It'll be mine soon!" Asuma looked at his forehead protector and laughed, watching Naruto enter with a smile.

That wasn't so hard, he thought as he retied the band around his head. He headed out to tell the Hokage that Naruto made it there safely. After that, maybe he would find Kurenai and see if she was willing to pick the little guy up from his first day of school.

000

Konohagakure

Hiruzen's Home

000

Naruto sat on the edge of his bed, shifting uncomfortably in response to the yelling happening outside. It had been like that for the past few weeks, even the most insignificant conversation could set them off. Throughout it all, the blonde had no idea what to do or say, so he just stayed in his room.

Asuma and Hiruzen were in the middle of a shouting match over what to do about Biwako and her killers. Although they had known since shortly after Naruto's birth she had died during Kyuubi's attack, it was only until recently that information was found that implicated certain shinobi in the orchestrated attack.

Hiruzen sought a cautious approach to the situation as the information was in no way reliable. Asuma on the other hand believed that they should follow it up aggressively. He wanted to get those bastards back for what they had done to his mother, to his village! This was the first time they had a major disagreement with each other and it was tearing their family apart.

"How can you just sit there and let them get away with what they did?! They are right there in front of us!"

"This village can't afford to go on another witch hunt Asuma, not after the Uchiha." Hiruzen referred to the blame placed on Uchiha for the Kyuubi attack, which had since been found to be false.

That didn't stop the growing animosity between the Uchiha and the village, but that was a different argument entirely. His son wanted to divert resources from something he truly believed to be nothing more than a wild goose chase.

"What if it is true? Are you willing to let my mother's murderers go free?!" Asuma was enraged that the village was forsaking his family just to keep up the illusion of peace.

"Biwako was my wife and I love her dearly. But I will not waste lives just to discover the truth behind a rumor. Your mother wouldn't want that."

Naruto began to cry as the yelling got louder and the argument grew. A cold draft fell over the room as the window was opened and a slender figure entered. She had gotten used to making quiet entrances since those terrible arguments began.

Kurenai sat next to Naruto and wrapped him in her arms, trying her best to comfort him. She knew that, regardless of whether it was their business or not, the fights were hurting others close to the Sarutobi. Not even she was immune to it and she feared today would be Asuma's breaking point. That was why she came, to make sure Naruto didn't do anything rash.

Naruto had done everything right, just like his brother said to. He graduated at the top of his class only a year after entering the academy. Soon after, Asuma started to train him with Kurenai and Hiruzen supporting him. Everything had been going fine until that so-called evidence turned up. She stood with the Hokage, it was too rash to run off and try to act on the second hand information.

But Asuma was stubborn, his feelings had been pent up since the day of the attack. His mind was waiting for a moment like this to let everything out. Now his family and friends were on the receiving end.

"What do we do Kurenai nee-chan?" Naruto asked her, the headband he inherited from Asuma covered his tear stained eyes.

"There isn't anything we can do Naruto-kun." She told him sadly, the worst thing they could do is get in between the two Sarutobi.

They continued to hold each other as Asuma loudly declared he was leaving and slammed the front door shut. The house became deathly silent as Hiruzen must have tried to collect himself from the argument.

"I thought..i-I thought that everything would go ba-back to normal..why is Asuma-nii leaving?" Naruto rocked himself, crying into Kurenai's bosom.

They were supposed to train today. Then they were going to go out to lunch with Kurenai and Anko. That night the Sarutobi's were going to see their new nephew and grandson, Konohamaru.

Why did it have to turn out like that?

Kurenai was at a loss for words, still trying to come to grips with the situation herself. As tears came to her eyes, she could only hold onto Naruto tighter. Their relationship had grown incredibly close the past few years since he became a genin; Naruto was like a younger brother to her and that was why she could not stand to see him cry.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun..I don't know either."

It hurt her to be at such a loss for words, but even she couldn't fathom why Asuma was willing to leave everything behind just for some vendetta.

000

Konohagakure

North Gate

000

Naruto and Kurenai waited with bated breath as a lone figure walked down the road. Just a few days ago they received word that Asuma was returning home from his journey. Both made sure they had time to prepare for his arrival, both by putting it into their busy schedules and by thinking of what to say.

"Here he comes.." Kurenai said with a little bit of annoyance, like a mother waiting to greet a son who stayed out late.

"He looks like a mess.." Naruto said matter-of-factly, as the man got closer it was clear he had not received a proper haircut or shave in a while.

Not only that, but he looked out of place without his flak vest and headband. It was at that point that both of them would use the term 'bum' to describe Asuma, although they would never admit it.

Lucky for him, the village had been thriving even with his absence. Naruto and Kurenai both had been doing well by using each other as support. With Hiruzen's encouragement, Naruto even got to go on a few missions with Kurenai to keep his skills sharp. Due to Naruto's sensitive position, he was left out of a genin squad. The Third had something special planned for him, Kurenai assumed.

With Asuma's return, perhaps that plan would come to fruition.

"Hey guys.." Asuma addressed his small welcoming party, glad to see them.

Just now noticing how close he was, the two struggled to find the right words. Naruto recovered first and, with little warning, punched Asuma hard in the gut. He remembered how Kurenai and even Hiruzen had said they wanted to 'knock some sense' into Asuma while he was away, and he figured he would do it for all three of them.

The power behind the punch was enough to make the older ninja double over, the air ripped from his lungs. It also served to wake up Kurenai who had to fight herself from going to help him. She had to stay angry, if nothing else for herself.

"That was for making Kurenai cry." Naruto, now eleven, had outgrown his cute brother and sister titles he had given the both of them.

Even then, he still had his trademark smile. Naruto couldn't stay angry for long as he helped Asuma up with the strength he had been developing from his individual training. He was truly becoming a powerful shinobi.

"Remind me.." Asuma took a deep breath, hands on his knees. "Never to do that again."

He looked at the woman in question and saw her in her usual angry stance; arms crossed, red eyes locked on target. As usual, he thought, that he be the object of it. This time he rightfully deserved it for leaving them.

"Hello Kurenai.." She just gave him a nasty look before walking off, the cold shoulder making him feel absolutely frozen.

'Well..guess I did deserve that punch.'

"Don't worry, Kurenai is always like that when she is angry." Naruto seemed to know this as well as he did; within the next few days she would be back to normal.

"Yeah, that would be our Kurenai." Asuma looked at Naruto and saw him starting to dress more properly for his age.

Naruto was wearing one of Asuma's dark blue long sleeve shirts and a pair of blue pants with his black sandals. All that was missing was his flak vest, Asuma wondered if he had been promoted yet. The red swirls of the Uzumaki proudly adorned his shoulders, although he might have been none the wiser to their significance.

Hiruzen said that until Naruto was ready to take up his parents' mantle, they could not tell him the truth. For now they had played a game of cat and mouse with Naruto's questions that kept him guessing. If they were not careful in how they answered, the young boy could get the wrong idea about his heritage that they might never be able to fix. If they told him too early, the responsibility would be too much for him to handle.

"Come on, the Hokage said he wanted to see you." Naruto led him to the large red building in the center of town.

Asuma shouldered his pack of belongings before following behind. Although he hadn't been gone for more than a few years, the village felt so different. Maybe the trip gave him a new appreciation for the tranquil effect it seemed to have on him.

Not a day went by that he did not think of his family in Konoha when he left. He almost immediately regretted leaving, but his stubborn pride refused to allow him to return until he accomplished something. The rumors of his mother's killers turned up with nothing and he was left wandering the countryside. That was until he received an invitation to join the Twelve Guardian Ninjas of the Fire Daimyo, who had heard of his previous exploits in the village.

He learned and experienced a great many things while in service of the Daimyo. Possibly the most important one was appreciation; whether it be people, objects, or feelings, to be able to have any of those things should be enough for anyone. The trip also taught him what betrayal felt like to be on the receiving end; he wondered if his father felt something of what he felt when they had their last argument and Asuma walked out.

They entered the red building after receiving some hellos, most still didn't recognize Asuma with how he looked. There was a moment when the man wanted to rush out and get a haircut and change into something more proper, but then he realized that his father wanted to see him immediately for a reason. He wanted to know what this trip had done for him, and to him.

"Come in." Naruto had already knocked on the door to Hiruzen's office, giving Asuma little time to prepare.

They entered quickly to find the elder Sarutobi hard at work with paperwork, as usual. There was little rest for the Hokage even in peace time. Even with his son returning from absence for the past three years, the Hokage would not afford himself a break.

"Ah Naruto-kun, I see your mission was successful." Naruto bowed to the Hokage and then moved out of the way to present Asuma.

"Yes, I picked him up just like you asked."

'That was a mission, sneaky little..' Just when he thought his little brother was nice enough to make time for him, Asuma watched as the blonde received his payment for the completed mission.

"Perfect, now I can treat Kurenai tonight." Hiruzen smiled, glad to see Naruto was not letting himself stray even when Asuma returned.

They all needed to show Asuma that the world continued to revolve, with or without him.

Just when Naruto was about to dismiss himself, Hiruzen stopped him.

"Wait a minute Naruto, what I have to say to Asuma affects you as well." Suddenly his good mood soured as Naruto took his place next to his older brother.

Taking the moment of silence as his chance, Asuma bowed deeply.

"I'm very sorry father. I made a bad judgment when I chose to follow my emotions rather than your advice. Please forgive me."

The room remained silent as they gauged the others reaction. Would his father cave or would Asuma realize his apology would not work?

"Who was right and who was wrong does not concern me now, Asuma. What concerns me is your brash decision to leave the village, against orders. We will discuss that later, however, as I assume you will be rejoining the regular forces?" Hiruzen sought to steer the conversation and Asuma was more than willing to let him.

"Yes, if you would allow it."

With a nod to Naruto, Hiruzen gave an important signal. From Naruto's waist pouch, he pulled out a very important forehead protector he had been taking care of since Asuma's leave. Thrown to the ground inside of the Sarutobi's home in anger, Naruto had since restored it to its former sheen. They had been waiting to give it back to him and this seemed like the perfect moment to do so.

Asuma took it gratefully, marveling in it for a moment before tying it tightly around his forehead. With that out of the way, Hiruzen brought up the most important part of the meeting. It had to do with Naruto's progression as a ninja and how it was in danger of failing.

"Asuma, as you know, Naruto is the Nine Tail's jinchuuriki." Shortly after he came into the Sarutobi family, Asuma was made aware; he was reminded during their early training sessions for safety concerns. "This has led the council to being careful in how they allow him to progress as a shinobi."

Because of the importance the jinchuuriki holds in a village's military power, the Hokage could not make decisions involving it alone. That left the council with a certain amount of power to better control Naruto as they saw fit. Much of the pressure was no doubt from Danzo attempting to keep the blonde from becoming too powerful or influential in the village's processes.

Asuma had feared something like that might happen, but he had hoped Hiruzen would be able to close off their protests. It seemed as though it was impossible for him to do alone though.

"Now that you have returned, I can finally start moving forward with Naruto's training. I am going to put him under your tutelage and, because your rank is already jounin, there should be no trouble you taking him on missions. These missions will count toward Naruto's mission count and gain him valuable experience. Eventually, we should be able to work out a way for him to become a Chunin, depending on how well you two work together."

Asuma nodded, he was willing to do whatever it took to get his younger brother where he deserved to be. It was the least he could do for missing out on some of the most important years of his life.

The Hokage turned to Naruto who had been silently listening to the conversation, having already been made aware of the political machinations of the council in previous meetings. Naruto was more mature than the council suspected, no doubt shown in his amazing progress as a shinobi and the robust schedule he had created for himself.

Juggling his social life with the older ninja like Kurenai, Anko, and Shin with his training was more than most his age could attest to.

"I want you to know Naruto, that the reason I am trying so hard to have you receive this promotion is not some emotion or favoritism. You have great potential and you deserve a chance to be a shinobi this village can count on, regardless of what the council thinks."

"I understand, Hokage-sama. Thank you." Naruto bowed, truly grateful.

Everyday he saw how politics of the village wore on his grandfather. Sometimes he blamed himself for it, only to be scolded by Hiruzen. None of it was Naruto's fault, if anything it was his own for not being able to reel in Danzo from his political schemes.

"After this, be sure to get yourself cleaned up. You are representing Konoha again, you know." Naruto stifled a laugh and Asuma agreed.

They were dismissed for the rest of the day, allowing the two brothers to once again be with one another. With one arm around the blonde's shoulder, Asuma promised that day was the start of something great. Maybe he was right.

000

Shortly after the two left Hiruzen's office, another figure appeared for an audience. They had a slender figure, covered with gray armor and tight black cloth. Their face was covered by a porcelain mask that took the shape of a dog, red and black markings running along the face and eyes. Long silver hair reached down the middle of their back, with a few strands that fell idle over the left side of her face.

The ANBU did not wait to be addressed before beginning to speak. They knew each other well enough to know how to speak comfortably. Even then, her place required her to be as formal as possible when speaking to the Hokage.

"You wished to see me, Hokage-sama?" Her light, dull voice easily betrayed her boredom.

Not even the ANBU were immune from long breaks between missions, especially so considering the work they had to do. She had joined the prestigious organization at a young age to try and lose herself in the work, to forget about the war. It worked, for a time at least, but even ANBU could not escape their past. Still, she was doing good work for the village so she pressed on.

"Yes Inu, I have a new mission for you."

She waited for the details; another tracking and assassination of a missing-nin. There seemed to be more and more of those since the Uchiha clan's destruction. Whether they feared for their own lives or decided the village had changed in some way they did not like she did not know, however, there was no escape from her ninken.

"Understood, we will begin immediately." The ANBU turned to leave.

Hiruzen asked her to wait a moment as he had something else to ask her. That was not usual in their conversations, they were generally very business-like.

"Inu, remove your mask." With a bit of hesitation, she complied.

With the animal mask off, her soft and well defined face was on rare display. It was one of the few times she did not have her face mask up as she had just finished eating and was not expecting to have to show her face. A long scar ran down her closed left eye where the sharingan was implanted, but it had stopped bothering her a long time ago.

Her soft, pink lips remained in an unamused frown and her right eye likewise stayed half closed. Even if she was totally revealed, her cool demeanor still remained.

"Kakashi.." He finally used her real name, something she rarely heard during her time in the ANBU. "Have you given any thought to retiring from the ANBU?"

That was an odd question that the Sandaime had not asked her before. She wondered what his interest was, as she had nothing but a stellar record during her tenure in the organization. Had she done something wrong?

He quickly sought to remedy her confusion by following up his original question with a proper explanation.

"You see, a new batch of genin is being prepared by the academy as we speak-"

"I can't Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen sighed, he was afraid she would respond like that. It seemed she was still not ready to face the responsibility of handling genin of her own. Until she handled that familiar sense of failure she garnered during the war with the loss of her team-mates, Kakashi would continue to feel the ANBU were her only safe haven. In truth, taking on a squad of genin would probably be her best therapy.

"Very well Kakashi, I won't push you. Return to your duties."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." She pulled the cloth mask up over her face, followed by the porcelain one.

Inu returned, then bowed, and proceeded to leave without another word. Her partner, Tenzou, leaned against the wall waiting for her to get done. It had taken a surprisingly long amount of time which was unusual, but their masks prevented any obvious emotion from being portrayed.

"Anything wrong, senpai?"

"No, the mission details took longer than expected. Let's go." They disappeared in a blur to make preparations.

Kakashi was still on the run from her past, but how long would it take before it came back to bite her?

000

Yuki no Kuni

Kazahana Castle

000

Kakashi made her way through the long, lavish hallways of the Kazahana family estate. She had been summoned by the daimyo, Sousetsu Kazahana. It was her guess that he wanted to thank her for the work she had done as her mission would soon come to an end.

As a military adviser from Konoha, it had been Kakashi's duty the past year or so to train the Yuki ninja in an effort to strengthen relations between the two villages. They had been surprisingly receptive, adapting traditional methodology to modern shinobi techniques that only a major village like Konoha could have experience in. Another mission that would go off without a hitch, it would seem.

Because of the sensitive nature of the mission as well as the pacifistic nature of the objectives, she was sent alone. Though she thought little of it during her mission briefing, in the event of an attack she would be at a disadvantage. She had already examined the shinobi of Yuki and was thoroughly unimpressed; even with her training they received, she knew that none of them would be a considerable threat to her.

That was why in that past year while she had been staying in Kazahana castle, she had allowed a fraction of her guard to fall. She would sorely reprimand herself for this later in life.

Kakashi passed a few maids making their way to Koyuki Kazahana's room, the heir to the throne. They did not interact much, but the silver haired shinobi had answered a few of her questions about Konoha. She seemed amazed to hear about the seasons of spring and summer, where trees had green leaves growing from them.

Shortly after she entered into the throne room through a large set of wooden doors that required two men to open. Inside lay the throne room where, on the other side of the room and up a flight of stairs, lay a platform where the throne sat with Sousetsu occupying it. The ANBU walked forward until she was at the steps where she bowed in respect.

The man adjusted his glasses and smiled, happy to see her. It was bittersweet as he knew her time staying with the family had come to an end, but it was always pleasure to meet someone new.

"You may rise Kakashi, I've told you that before." She rose from the bow, slightly adjusting the dog mask.

"Apologies, Kazahana-sama." Somehow he questioned whether she meant that, but he ignored it.

"I just wanted to thank you for your work, as well as ask you to send the same thanks to your leaders in Konoha. We could not have made it this far without you."

"I will be sure to do that, Kazahana-sama." Before she could be excused, a messenger came rushing into the room.

He bowed deeply for disturbing but whatever was happening, it was too important to wait. The old man seemed white as a ghost and he tripped over his words so much that Sousetsu had to ask him to start over.

"My lord..the castle..it is under siege!" The daimyo immediately rose from his seat, in shock.

Kakashi had an outward appearance of calm as she stood there, waiting for more information. Inside she was not entirely too concerned; what worried her the most is that she never picked up on the intent of whoever dared to attack the castle. Her enhanced hearing allowed her to listen to samurai and staff run through the halls, preparing to meet the threat.

"What?! Who dares to-" Behind them, the door slammed open and the body of a samurai came launching toward them.

Kakashi angled her head out of the way as the body sailed past, making a wet crunch against the stairs. Three ninja entered the room, all equipped with the experimental chakra armor Kakashi had had the privilege to try out for herself. Unfortunately, it looked a lot more sophisticated since the last time she saw it.

Their leader was one she recognized, a prominent Yuki ninja by the name of Nadare Rouga. His long, lavender hair was tied into a ponytail and his pupil-less teal eyes stared at her with a hungry tint. She had avoided his pitiful advances since the beginning and she assumed his frustration would be enough to give up, apparently not.

"Sousetsu Kazahana and the infamous Kakashi Hatake, just the two people I wanted to see." He said in an arrogant tone, as if he already had control of the situation.

Sousetsu knew the shinobi and already had a sneaking suspicion of where his loyalties lied. His concern was elsewhere, for his daughter.

"Kakashi, please get my daughter out of the castle." The daimyo pleaded as Kakashi got into a fighting stance, knees bent and hand on her tanto sword.

"I will handle these intruders, Kazahana-sama. Please escape while I do." Underneath her mask, Kakashi released the sharingan.

The two shinobi on Nadare's flanks, a woman with pink hair and a large man with dark pupils, launched forward in an attempt to kill the daimyo. Kakashi launched forward in a blur, faster than any of them could see. Her image reappeared behind both of them in mid-air, her sword had already swung. Both the enemy shinobi saw cuts over their chest and fell to the ground, clutching themselves in pain.

Nadare revealed his own kunai and met Kakashi in close combat. Inches from each other as their blades met and sparked, the disgusting man mocked her by sniffing her hair.

"Ah, what a wonderful scent you have Kakashi." She overpowered his defense and prepared to slice through his armor, but an attack on her flank forced her to turn.

Mizore had launched his metal arm at her, hitting her right in the face. It sent her flying back and into the stone wall, punishment for letting her guard down. Her dog mask shattered, revealing her red sharingan eye tracking the three enemy shinobi, her mind already working on a counter.

"A cornered animal is the most dangerous, be careful." Rouga said as they approached to finish her off.

The Kakashi in the wall exploded in a cloud of smoke, revealing it to be a trick. A series of smoke bombs dropped onto the ground from the ceiling, preventing them from seeing. In quick succession, Kakashi used pinpoint taijutsu strikes to bypass the chakra armor of Nadare's comrades and knock them unconscious.

Before she could reach Nadare, the fire spread to their part of the building and more Yuki shinobi appeared. Kakashi knew there were too many even for her to handle easily. She leaped over Nadare's head, launching her leg back down where she slammed the back of her foot against his head. While he was dazed she landed and sliced her way through the ninja guarding the entrance.

Remembering Koyuki, she ran in the direction of her room. On her way she passed many bodies of servants she had learned the names of over the past year. She hoped Sousetsu was able to escape but as the blood and fire followed her, that hope shrunk.

With the sound of enemy ninja close behind, Kakashi slammed through the door that led to the princess' room. She stood there, alone in front of a vanity mirror. As Kakashi went to grab her, the man-made fire spread to the door and started to envelop the room, frightening the poor girl who saw the reflection in the mirror. The shouts behind Kakashi grew louder as she whisked the girl into her arms, the sword on her back preventing a piggyback.

"Hang on tight and close your eyes." Kakashi shifted her onto one arm and reached into her waist pouch for shuriken.

"There they are, get them!" Nadare's voice came from the door, but it was too late.

Kakashi dashed forward toward a large window, throwing a few shuriken to weaken the glass. With a less than graceful crash through the makeshift exit, the two girls were outside and running for their lives across the castle rooftop. Fire was everywhere forcing the ANBU to watch her step, screams and sounds of battle echoed all around but she pressed on with her precious cargo.

Once they escaped the compound, Kakashi used the shadows to avoid the Yuki patrols. They were catching any who tried to escape, generally executing them on the spot.

With a bit of work she was able to find a dog sled often used for travel in the region and placed Koyuki onto the back. She held up a gloved finger to her masked lips, signifying the girl stay quiet. Not waiting for a response Kakashi covered her the best she could with a beige tarp generally used to hold down cargo. As soon as she got the dogs awake and up, she began to use the reins to control them.

"Oi, who's over there."

Kakashi looked over her shoulder and realized that even with the blizzard overtaking the mountain palace, the Yuki shinobi were able to see their shadows. There was no time to eliminate them, she had to escape now.

"Let's go!" Kakashi shouted to the dogs and that got them moving with a harsh jerking of their collars, shooting off for a nearby mountain pass.

Behind them, the trailing Yuki shinobi became small shadows in a larger orange haze; Kazahana castle was burning to the ground. As much as Kakashi wanted to say someone had escaped alive other than them, she doubted it.

Koyuki could wait no longer and looked up from her hiding place after realizing they were moving. She looked up and saw her once beautiful home now on fire, her father still inside.

The situation was too dire for Kakashi to gather her coat, so she was forced to keep her upper body moving for warmth. When she looked behind to check their progress she noticed Koyuki sobbing.

"What are you doing?! Cover yourself!" Kakashi said harshly as the girl again let the tarp fall over her, albeit slowly.

'She must be experiencing shock..poor girl.' Kakashi bit back her emotions, she had to remain calm if she wanted to escape the country safely.

Konoha would not be happy to hear about the failure of her mission. Kakashi realized that she still could not protect anyone with her own hands.

000

Konohagakure

Hokage's Office

000

"Congratulations on another completed mission, you two." Asuma and Naruto informally bowed for Hiruzen's compliment.

"All in a day's work." The jounin said nonchalantly, scratching his growing facial hair.

The fourteen year old next to him just nodded. The mission had not been as difficult as the commissioner made it out to be, just a few bandits to get rid of on his property. Asuma had been nice enough to let Naruto do most of the work, it was nice a nice exercise for his muscles.

Naruto was still a genin, but Hiruzen said that with the next group of genin approaching, they offered a special opportunity. Neither of the duo were sure what he meant by 'special opportunity', but it was more than he had heard in the past three years in way of news toward his promotion. It was not that Naruto was seeking prestige or glory; he honestly was bored and felt like he could be doing a lot more for the village, like Asuma or Kurenai.

He could only leave when there was a jounin available to go out on a mission with, and they had to be a jounin the Hokage trusted. That left him with Asuma, Kurenai, and occasionally Shin Sarutobi. Although he had completed hundreds of missions since he became a genin, very few of them were more than simple chores.

"I will see you two later tonight, you are dismissed." The Sarutobi exited the room, allowing for the next appointment to enter.

In this case, a dog faced ANBU knelt in front of the table. She waited to be addressed as Hiruzen pondered the unexpected arrival.

"Inu, I wasn't expecting you."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I have..something I want to discuss with you." Kakashi seemed uncomfortable about something so he gestured she continue.

"I have given serious consideration to your offer of rejoining the regular forces. With help, I have come to realize that I am doing an injustice by not becoming an instructor for the future genin."

Sarutobi was surprised to hear Kakashi humble herself before him. Since joining the ANBU she had always kept up a cool, emotionless exterior in an attempt to hide her true feelings. It seemed something finally happened to change her mind. He could not say he was displeased with this announcement, however, as he knew she would make a great teacher.

"If that is what you want Kakashi, you may rejoin immediately. Come to me tomorrow for your first assignment, I have genin from the remedial class that are about to graduate that could use your..overview." Hiruzen sought the right term for Kakashi's test, he knew she would find the best way to handle it.

"Very well, Hokage-sama." She hesitantly grabbed and removed her porcelain mask, returning it to the Hokage.

In its place, she retied her headband over her left eye. Relatively unobstructed, her long silver bangs fell lazily to her left side, partially covering the protector.

"Thank you." She bowed and then disappeared in a blur.

Hiruzen waited a moment and then nodded to himself. He made the right decision after all, the answer he wanted was in her change of tone. Kakashi was already changing back to her old self, emotions she forced herself to hide resurfacing with the mask being taken away.

000

Konohagakure

Training Grounds

000

Naruto slammed his fist into the training dummy, shattering its frail straw form. That was the fourth one he had destroyed and he had only started to sweat. The night training was something he had begun recently in addition to the rest, it mainly served as a stress reliever.

Regardless of how supportive his family was, being stuck as a genin for seven years was frustrating. He knew he had to be patient, that his situation was 'delicate' as a jinchuuriki, but it still bothered him.

How much longer would he have to wait until he could finally show his potential?

Naruto stood there for a moment, collecting himself. He still wore a similar uniform to when he was younger, the standard Konoha outfit sans the vest. Since then he had added a pair of fingerless gloves that he felt comfortable in while training. Right when he was going to call it a night and return home, there was a flash of red in a nearby training ground that caught his attention.

Was someone using Katon?

He was decidedly curious and went in search of the person using the adjacent grounds. Fire release had always interested him since Hiruzen told him stories of the Sarutobi and their impressive use of the element. Thinking he could learn a thing or two, Naruto didn't think of much else other than observing the jutsu in action.

When he arrived it was a bit hard to make out the person, but he realized it was a woman relatively quickly because of her slender figure. With the moonlight aiding him, Naruto watched her stand on the water and do a few simple taijutsu stances to stretch.

She wore the standard Konohagakure uniform, but her shirt and pants clung tightly to her figure rather than the normal, loose attire. On her hands she too wore fingerless gloves, but they had metal plates on the back. At a certain point along her sandals, bandaged adorned them and covered most of her lower leg.

What stood out the most was her long, silver hair that seemed to capture all the light. It seemed to shine on its own. Naruto had never seen anything like it before.

Needless to say, Naruto was a bit smitten.

He watched her for a time from the forest, not sure who she was or what was on her mind. No, he was content just to watch, ensnared by her graceful movements and deadly strikes. So much was he preoccupied that when he realized how much time had passed, he stumbled to head home.

As her observer left in a hurry, Kakashi turned to see if she could catch a glimpse. Other than a bit of his blonde hair, Naruto Uzumaki had eluded her.

She had noticed him watching her from the start but didn't see any harm with it. In fact, she found it somewhat flattering someone took interest in her training, even if it was just a genin. Hopefully he learned something other than how to stalk a woman, she thought as a joke.

'Perhaps I'll have the challenge of teaching him one day.'

Kakashi wondered for a moment before returning to her training, she needed to be ready to meet the genin tomorrow. There wouldn't be any mercy thanks to her refreshing training experience that night.

000

First chapter is complete, I think I am pretty satisfied with this. It is one of my better introduction arcs I think. Can't wait to leap into the next one where we finally get to see some real interaction between the lazy jounin and the blonde chunin wannabe.

Reminder to check my profile and see the first link which properly displays Kakashi's attire as desribed in this chapter. This will most likely remain her look for the rest of the story, barring a few special occurrences perhaps.

Be sure to leave a review and tell me what you think about the chapter and story.

Unless I write the next chapter of this, expect my next release to be for Namikaze Assassin.