Yo! Time Shadow is back with another chapter of The Specter Chronicles. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters and attacks in this story except the ones that I created.

"Speech"

'Thought'

"Sumnmon, God, and other beings Speech/attacks"

'Summon, God, other beings thought'

Naruto awoke to a bright light. At first he thought that he was finally dead and was probably in heaven and that all the stuff that happened in his mindscape was just a dream. But then his eyes adjusted to the bright light and he realized he was in the hospital once again. The sterile air, the old man sitting in the chair next to his bed, and his whole body feeling sore being further proof that he was indeed alive. Seeing as the old man, Hiruzen the Sandaime hokage, was asleep in the chair and thus hadn't known of his awakening yet Naruto thought about what he should tell him and what he shouldn't. Deciding on acting like his old self, he closed his eyes as if asleep and rolled over thus waking up the old man. Then when he was sure Hiruzen was fully awake he opened his eyes squinting and rubbing them as if he had just woken up to the harsh glare of the morning sun.

"Jiji!" Naruto said happily as he wore one of the bright fake smiles the old him would've wore.

"Naruto my boy how are you feeling." Hiruzen said with concern in his voice.

Naruto could tell that the concern was just as fake as his smile. This tiny bit of information made man more things in Naruto's head click. Such as why he almost always saw the same people during the beatings even when ANBU arrested them. Why the ANBU would only show up when someone was about to kill him. And why the beatings always seems so organized. With all this new information in the span of a second, Naruto only had one thought

'Well there's another person I'm adding to my shit list.'

"I'm fine Jiji, but can I ask you a favor?" Naruto said.

"Anything my boy, anything." Hiruzen said.

"I want to join the ninja academy so I can be a ninja hero like you and the ones in those stories you used to read me." Naruto said.

"Are you sure, my boy? The path of the ninja is long and dangerous." Hiruzen said.

"I'm sure Jiji. I want to learn to protect myself." Naruto said.

"Very well, Naruto." Said Hiruzen as he stood up.

Now that he was standing, Naruto could make out more clearly what he looked like. Hiruzen was light-skinned and grey-haired and stood at about 5'8. He was wearing a red full length kimono that was tied with a white sash and the customary hokage hat and haori. His face, worn with age, had pronounced cheekbones, a long and thick goatee, a few wrinkles, and a wart near his left nostril. What most caught Naruto's attention however was that his eyes were shining with a hidden glee.

'Probably at me wanting to join the academy so I can be his loyal weapon.' Naruto thought as his mind once again processed these things at inhuman speeds.

"Come and see me at my office when you've been released from the hospital. We'll see about getting you into the academy when it starts next week. Rest well, Naruto." Hiruzen said.

"Okay Jiji see ya later." Naruto said.

With that, the Sandaime left leaving Naruto to his thoughts. Though he wondered why he had a foreboding feeling and felt as though he should watch his back in the coming years. It was probably just him being paranoid. It wasn't time to be worried about nothing. Now was the time for him to report his progress with the Kyubi and call of the beating scheduled for when the demon was released.

And done. Hope you enjoyed,

Ja Ne