Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters that belong to it. I only own the idea and plot.
Summary: One some spur of the moment thought, Naruto finds himself helping a shinobi of darkness. Through this one encounter of life-saving events, Naruto and this man grow closer through a family-type of a bond. Awaiting the two are great adventures and many challenges.
Previously on Heir of ROOT
"…Are you sure that you want to be trained in the way of ROOT?"
Naruto took a deep breath, seriousness falling over his face, "Yes."
Danzō let the grin spread on his face, "Fine, then. Meet me here tomorrow at five in the morning. Bring nothing. I hope you know what you're doing, Naruto, because your life is about to change." With the words said, Danzō disappeared with a swirl of leaves.
Naruto stared at the leaves and smiled, "I know what I'm doing."
Naruto stood there, staring like a moron at where Danzō had been before he disappeared. Tears started to rise in his eyes, bubbling up. He turned away, walking towards his apartment. His heart thumped wildly in his chest, the hammering continuing its way towards his ears. Naruto found that he couldn't hear much except the constant pounding ringing in his ears. The tears still lingered even as he entered his home. They didn't start falling until he had flopped onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Hands clamped over both of his eyes to stop the waterworks.
"W-What am I thinking?!" He exclaimed to no one, "I j-just met this guy! I don't k-know who he is, what he's going to do, a-and… why was I so sure that I'd be able to handle it… Do I really know what I'm doing? Maybe I should have thought this through…" Naruto wiped away the tears, going back to staring at the ceiling. He sighed, "No… I know what I'm doing… I think… wait…" He gave a huff, curling on his side and closing his eyes. The blond-haired boy stared at his hands, "I can never be Hokage… That was the only way that anyone would ever acknowledge me… Am I sure that I want to do this? Do I really want to give up my dream to train under Danzō?" Naruto sighed, sitting up, not feeling tired right now.
Standing up, he walked towards the kitchen for a glass of water. He pulled out a glass, "I already said I would do it… It'd make Danzō feel bad if I were to just bail out of nowhere… but, I wonder if he'd understand if I told him that I… No…" He turned on the faucet. Placing his glass under the faucet, Naruto watched the water fill up the glass. "I never go back on my word… I technically gave him my word, so… that means that I can't go back." He took a sip, staring at the sink with lost eyes, "What do I do? Do I stay who I am and become Hokage by any means… or do I… do I go tomorrow to meet up with Danzō and get training? If I go with the first option, I would have to wait even longer to get trained by anyone. I'd have to wait till I graduated from the Academy in a few years to even get close to getting some advanced level of training." He took another guzzle of water, emptying the rest back into the sink. Naruto ran a hand through his hair as he went back to his bed, the moonlight shining through his window. "However, if I go with the second option… I wouldn't be able to be Hokage… I wouldn't be able to achieve my goal… but, I would get trained faster and better. I may not be able to be Hokage but that doesn't mean that I won't be acknowledged by the village." He tapped his chin, "Maybe Danzō can help me with that? He seems pretty nice…"
He let out a nice, long yawn, blinking his eyes tiredly. Naruto pulled off his pants and t-shirt, climbing under the covers with only his boxers on. A blissful dream of acknowledgments filled his mind as he slumbered.
Danzō gave a grin, watching the six-year-old boy climb in bed after ranting to himself for almost twenty minutes. He didn't mean to be so curious about someone, it's just that this was a someone that would be joining his ROOT organization. He shunshinned from the boy's apartment, appearing inside of one of the ROOT's many meeting rooms. Oh, he can't wait to see Hiruzen's face when he tells him that Naruto wanted to work with him – to be trained by him. Not the academy. Him.
It would be a sight to see.
A/N – I know it's short, but I just couldn't think of what else to put in here. Next chapter will be better, I promise. As Naruto taught me, you never go back on your word and I will live by that so long as I keep writing fanfictions.
