Uchiha Itachi walked through the village, for once unsure of what the day would bring. He was the kind of person who made sure he knew what he wanted to do in a day, sometimes for days in advance. There were things he knew he couldn't plan for, such as missions, but he did his best, and was rarely surprised.
But this business with the Kyubi had thrown him way off. It had been three days since the Kyubi's attack, and the village's shinobi were constantly on the move, whether it was taking extra missions to keep up the village's reputation, or just cleaning up the mess left by the Kyubi. While the demon hadn't actually reached the village, one of its attacks had gone astray, causing a fair bit of destruction.
It was because of this that Itachi was unsure as to why the Hokage had summoned him. 'I just hope it's not another cleanup mission.' He thought to himself. He reached the Hokage tower, and proceeded inside. He made his way up the stairs and to the waiting area outside the Hokage's office.
The secretary gave him a smile, which he returned, and he knocked on the Hokage's door. "It's Itachi." He spoke. After a moment he heard a call of, "Come in!" from the other side. He pushed open the door, closing it behind him.
Sarutobi was sitting at his desk, busy filling out paperwork. Itachi cleared his throat, and the Hokage looked up. "Sir, if you have so much paperwork, why not just have shadow clones do it?" he asked. (1)
Sarutobi chuckled. "I've honestly never thought of that. I always wondered how Minato could have so much free time. Anyways, you're probably wondering why I called you here." Itachi nodded.
Sarutobi held out a white mask. "Welcome to the ANBU." He said with a smile. Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Sir?" he questioned. "As you know, we lost many good shinobi in the Kyubi's attack. Many of them were ANBU. And I couldn't think of anyone more suited to the task I have for you." "What task is that?" Itachi asked. "You'll find out in just a minute." Sarutobi replied.
Just then, they heard a knock on the door. They looked towards it to see Sarutobi's secretary poking her head in. "Uzumaki Kushina is here to see you." she said. Sarutobi smiled. "Excellent. Send her in." The secretary nodded, and Kushina walked in a moment later with Naruto in her arms, greeting Itachi with a smile, and Sarutobi with a glare. "What did you call me for?" she asked. "I had to carry Naruto all over town because I was afraid to leave him alone."
Sarutobi had the decency to look ashamed as Kushina reminded him of his mistake. "That's exactly why I called you here. Kushina, I'd like you to meet our newest ANBU, Uchiha Itachi. He'll be watching over Naruto from now on."
Kushina raised an eyebrow. "This kid's ANBU level?" Sarutobi smiled. "I assure you, your skepticism is entirely unfounded. Itachi is our village's brightest prodigy." Itachi bowed his head in thanks for the praise. Kushina watched Itachi carefully. "Does it have to be an Uchiha? I know how Fugaku feels about my son."
"I do not share my father's admittedly…narrow-minded views. I will guard Naruto with my life, if need be." Itachi spoke. Kushina looked into his eyes, and finding only honesty and conviction, smiled. "Thank you, Itachi. That means a lot."
"Now that that's taken care of, we can move on to other matters." Sarutobi said. "Preparations have been completed for Minato's funeral. The villagers are already gathering." Kushina's face became somber at the mention of her late husband. She nodded. "Then let's go. Is it all right if I leave Naruto here? I don't want to take him near the villagers."
Sarutobi nodded. "That will be no problem. Itachi, this is your first assignment as an ANBU. Make sure Naruto stays safe." Itachi looked hesitant. "Actually, Hokage-sama, I had hoped to be able to attend Yondaime-sama's funeral." Sarutobi smiled. "Very well, I suppose I can't deny you that." He snapped his fingers, and two ANBU appeared seemingly from nowhere. "These two are my personal bodyguards. I trust them with my life. Is this satisfactory, Kushina?" She nodded. "Alright."
Sarutobi smiled. "Excellent." He turned to the two ANBU. "Keep this child safe." He ordered. The two saluted. "Yes sir!" they chorused. Kushina set Naruto down in a crib that Sarutobi had placed in his office for emergencies. She kissed him on the head, and said, "Be good, Naruto-chan. Mommy will be back soon."
Satisfied, Sarutobi, Kushina, and Itachi shunshined away, reappearing in the village cemetery, where most of the village had gathered. Kushina and Itachi took their places amongst the crowd, and Sarutobi stood at the front, at the newly constructed memorial that marked The Yondaime's grave. On a table in front of the memorial were dozens of photos, all of people who had died in the Kyubi's attack.
After a few more minutes, when people had stopped showing up, Sarutobi cleared his throat and began to speak. "We are gathered here today to honor our beloved Yondaime, as well as those who gave their lives to defend our village against the Kyubi." Sarutobi began to speak about each of the people who had died, saying a small bit about each of them and a small prayer before moving on to the next.
ElsewhereA man stood on top of the Hokage Monument, looking out over Konoha. He wore a large black cloak, and an orange mask in a swirl pattern covered his face except for his right eye, which was red, with the pupil surrounded by three tomoe. His hair was short, black, and spiky.
"Konoha looks the same as it ever did." He said to himself. "Now to find the Kyubi." He closed his eyes and reached out with his senses, searching for the taint of demonic chakra that would lead him to the Kyubi. It took him only a moment to locate the unique chakra emitted by the Kyubi. "The Hokage tower. Well, time to start the fun." There was a distortion in the air, and he vanished.
He reappeared just outside the Hokage's office. The secretary was startled, but quickly regained her composure, being used to ninjas making sudden appearances. "Can I help you?" she asked politely. The man turned to look at her, and she looked into his visible eye, before slumping over her desk, unconscious.
He pulled out two kunai, and burst through the Door to the Hokage's office. Before either ANBU knew what happened, the man had dashed forward, stabbing the kunai into their throats. They collapsed, clutching at their wounds before lying still in a growing puddle of blood.
He walked over to the corner of the room where a small infant lay in a crib. The child looked up at him curiously with bright blue eyes. He scooped up the child in one arm, and smiled down at the child in his arms, though it couldn't be seen. "Smile, kid. You're going to help me make the world a better place." The red-haired boy just blinked up at him.
He formed a hand seal with his free hand, and several clones popped into existence. "You know what to do." He said. The clones nodded and went to complete their tasks. He vanished again, reappearing back on the Hokage monument.
A moment later, his clones dispelled themselves, letting him know that the preparations had been completed. He formed a hand seal, and the chaos began.
At the funeral"…And finally, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage. Though he was only Hokage for little over a year, his strength, courage, and dedication to Konoha will always be remembered, as will his sacrifice. He-" Sarutobi was cut off by the sound of explosion, and the column of fire that rose into the air from somewhere in the village. Immediately, the air was filled with screams as people ran around frantically.
"We're under attack!"
"The Kyubi's come back to finish us!"
Quickly, Sarutobi dashed off towards the source of the explosion, several others at his heels. Kushina and Itachi caught up with him, keeping pace by his side. "What's going on?" asked Itachi. Sarutobi shook his head. "I don't know!"
As they turned onto Konoha's main street, they froze. All of them stared with wide eyes at the smoking ruins of the Hokage tower. Kushina gasped. "Naruto!" she shouted, running towards the blazing building. "Kushina! Wait!" Sarutobi called after her.
Kushina slowed as she neared the burning ruins, the heat keeping her back. As much as she wanted to believe otherwise, she knew that no one who was in there could have survived the building's collapse. "Naruto….not you too…" she said softly. Her eyes teared up, and she collapsed to her knees as she began to sob.
As Sarutobi caught up to Kushina, he looked at her sadly, knowing that there was nothing he could do to console her. All around, the village was in a flurry of action. Squads of ANBU had begun to put out the flames with suiton and doton jutsus. People were still running through the streets, and amidst all the chaos, Sarutobi could only think to himself, 'Who could have done this?'
Suddenly overcome with a feeling of being watched, Sarutobi's gaze snapped up to the Hokage monument. There was no one there.
(1) Obligatory cliché time!
Second chapter done. Yay. Remember people, more reviews equals more updates.
Don't Fear the Reaper,
Kumo no Shinigami