Disclaimer: Naruto, character, names and related indicia are trademarks of and Ⓒ Masashi Kishimoto and Weekly Shōnen Jump. Naruto Publishing Rights Ⓒ Shueisha. I do not make any $$$ from the publishing of this story to any website.

The original FanFiction of Crimson Wind Red Dream is the concept of Tsukune08. This is merely a reproduction of their original story with the same title and some of my own original ideas. Please check them out and read their stuff.

Rated M for explicit language and trigger scenes!

Backroom Deal and Four Friends

October 17th, 7 AK

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Commander-Chief and Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, felt exhausted and emotionally spent as he sat at the large oak desk in his office. Stacked in front of him was the never ending nightmare of paperwork that the Hokage was required to sign off on. The venerable man pinched the bridge of his nose as he read through a daily report. Most of it was inconsequential and mind-numbing to read in the early morning hours. What was the most upsetting was that the report was linked to an investigation of an attack. The report itself barely skimmed the details of violence perpetrated against one Naruto Uzumaki by a group of Civilians. He did not know whether he was more upset that the boy had been attacked-or that it was purely a civilian matter as the boy was not a Shinobi.

He had spent several very long days speaking to the Council; he made numerous attempts to convince them to seek punishment against the accused. Nothing was ever accomplished-the Civilian Council members refused any and all motions regarding the boy if it was something in his best interest; such as finding the boy a permanent living arrangement. The Hokage had been questioned and several accusations were made when it came to light that he had allowed the boy to stay with him. Sarutobi was tired of the politicking and agendas of the Council members; every decision and proposal either forging allies or creating enemies. Today had been no different than any other meeting; most of it spent discussing where the young child was to be placed. There had been no change; was it a blessing or a curse?

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood from his desk and moved away towards the center most window behind him. It was late, or was it early? The moon was low and hidden behind clouds. He knew that he would have to forgo another night of sleep as he had yet to finish any paperwork. He never felt his age more than moments like this; spending countless nights awake and behind the desk in his Office as he signed or stamped paperwork. As he turned around to return to his desk-there in the middle of the room kneeled an ANBU Officer.

"You requested my presence, Hokage-sama?" The ANBU Officer kept his head bowed in respect as he maintained his salute.

"Yes, ANBU Officer Bat, I have a mission for you. One that I feel you would be best suited for with your Unique Abilities. This mission is to be considered an SS-Rank, and requires the utmost discretion. Do you feel that it is in your ability to undertake this mission?" The Hokage questioned as he returned to his seat, his pipe in hand.

"Hai, Hokage-sama, if it is an order than I will follow it," The ANBU Officer spoke. It was odd that he could not sense the Hokage's personal guard hiding within the shadows throughout the audience with his Commander-in-Chief.

"It is an Unofficial Order. There will be no paperwork or record of this mission ever taking place. If anything is to happen to jeopardize the mission in any way, shape or form-you will be branded a Traitor of Konohagakure no Sato and tried for Treason against Konohagakure no Sato and Hi no Kuni," The Hokage spoke as he lit the leaf within the basin of his pipe with a match.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the ANBU Officer responded, a moment of doubt filling his own mind at the severity of the situation.

"No one must know about this, ANBU Officer Bat. You will be disavowed and Death is the only option should you fail,"

"Hai, Hokage-sama. What are the parameters?"

"Before light breaks, you are to escort Naruto Uzumaki out of the village from the Civilian Hospital and take him to an undisclosed location within Hi no Kuni to be trained in the Shinobi Arts," The Hokage ordered. "Your new designation will be Tomori, a Konohagakure no Sato Jōnin, during the unspecified length of this mission," Before The Hokage was a dossier with identification paperwork and a falsified Shinobi History.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," The ANBU Official disappeared just as quickly and silently as he had appeared.

"Are you certain that this was the only way for it to be done? I feel as if I have made a pact with the Shinigami himself," Sarutobi spoke up into the seemingly empty room as he watched a figure step out of the shadows.

"Hai, you want the boy to be trained? I want insurance that he will remain loyal to Konohagakure no Sato and be utilized as the weapon that he is," The man spoke as he moved to sit on the couch in the office, a black wooden cane held between his wrinkled hands.

"Naruto is just a child, not some kind of Weapon, and to question his undying loyalty to Konohagakure is a disgrace to him," Sarutobi once more pinched the bridge of his nose. He simply was getting to be to old for a back room deal like this.

"Nevertheless, My Operative will ensure that he is properly trained and groomed for the service of Konohagakure no Sato. In the meantime, I will uphold my end of the Bargain and let matters settle within the Council. No one but you and I will be any the wiser that the boy is gone," The old man spoke quietly as machinations of his own began formulate within his own mind. "After all, it took you four years to realize he was no longer at the Orphanage,"

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched as the man got up from the could and left his office, the sound of his cane on the wooden floor was the only indication of his departure as The Hokage turned away from his desk and faced what windows looking over the Village Hidden in the Leaves. What had he done? Why had he made such a deal with Danzō Shimura, the Shinobi no Yami of Konohagakure no Sato? Had he just inadvertently made Naruto's life more difficult in order to ultimately protect him as his late father asked of Sarutobi?

The Hokage completely ignored the paperwork on his desk as he reclined in his chair to watch the early morning sunrise. He listened through an open window at the activity within the Village Hidden in the Leaves began to stir and start their own day. He could hear the last of the birds yet to migrate singing in the dawn light as he inhaled from his pipe. He was alert the moment there was another presence within his office.

"Hokage-sama, forgive the intrusion but there has been a problem!" The man kneeled before The Hokage, almost completely out of breath.

"What do you mean problem?" The Hokage spun in his chair and took in the appearance of the man, his clothes were torn and the green Flak Jacket had a large diagonal gash across the front of it. Moments later the duo were joined by none other than the man whom The Hokage had spoken to only a couple short hours ago.

"What is going on here?!" Danzō demanded to know, losing the calm and calculating nature the man was known to have.

"It's Uzumaki, sir! He escaped!" The man took one last breath as his hand immediately went to his throat, a red line drawn across his throat as his hand became wet. Seconds later the man's body slumped forward, lifeless.

"This is most unfortunate, Sarutobi-san. It appears that the Child was not what you thought he was. You do realize this means this means nothing in regards to our Bargain. I will continue to uphold my end and you will continue to uphold yours," Danzō spoke quietly before he turned and left the office, and with a single snap of his fingers on his way out the door-the body in the center of the room was nearly instantaneously incinerated in a controlled blaze of fire. Not one shred of evidence left behind.

What had he done? What had happened?

"Naruto-kun, what have you done? Where did you go?" Sarutobi thought to himself in a moment of horror.


Three young women and a girl were currently resting peacefully in the early morning light in front of a shop that had only just opened an hour ago. These four friends were quietly sipping tea and enjoying the refreshing dumplings that one of them had demanded they get after a night of drinking. They were quite content with the peaceful silence before one of them spoke up, her brash attitude thick with the remnants of alcohol in her system.

"So, what are you gonna do, Nai-chan?" Asked the loudmouth purple haired kunoichi as a stick of fresh dango hung from between her teeth.

"I want to find this person. He is obviously very skilled and he saved me something terrible happening. I want you all to keep your eyes open and your ears listening for such a person while you are out on your missions, and I will do the same," Kurenai sighed as she responded. She had related the tale of her mission the night before and had been gauging how they would react when one of them had demanded they all go out drinking.

"Didn't he ask you not to look for him?" One of the other girls asked, a sword in her hand that she was currently wiping with a cloth.

"I don't just want to thank him for what he did, I need to know if he really only helped me out because he is a good person, like I believe he is Yūgao-chan," Kurenai answered, her own morning dumplings forgotten on the bench beside her as she messed around with her hair, a nervous tick she had never quite gotten over.

"Well count me in! He sounds so dreamy the way you described him, Nai-chan!" The first Kunoichi spoke up as she stealthy took another skewer of dango from Kurenai's plate.

"Anko-chan, The Hokage said he was probably using a Henge and he looked like a vagrant child that hadn't eaten in weeks!" Kurenai said as she turned to her friend.

"But you have to admit, Kurenai-san, whiskers and eyes that went from shocking blue to red like the Sharingan? The whiskers make me think he could possibly be from a Ninken clan like myself, or even an Uchiha," The youngest of the group spoke up.

"I don't think so, Hana-chan. If it was an Uchiha, you know they would be boasting all about it. Everyone of them is just so damn proud of their abilities just because they helped established the village," Yūgao spoke up as she set her weapon to the side. "I am just curious who he is, since you said he was a Kenjutsu user that cleaved an enemy in half from energy that came from him slicing his blade. I bet it is a legendary sword or some kind,"

"Thanks you guys, you are the best friends a girl could ever ask for. Who knows, maybe someday one of us will find this guy and convince him to stay in Konohagakure-especially if he doesn't have any ties to other villages," Kurenai grabbed each of the other three girls and pulled them into a tight hug as a group, careful to avoid the skewer that Anko was chewing on in the process.

Unfortunately, none of the women would hear anything about this mystery person for quite some time.


A/N: So this is an incredibly short chapter, especially compared to the last one and I do apologize. Initially I wanted to put this on the last chapter but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I wanted these two scenes entirely separate and to set up some important plot points down the road. Now the next few chapters will be deviating away from the original story but hopefully they will be received well as they are almost completely inspired by an amazing Fanfiction and personally one of my absolute favorites in the Category. Which one is it you ask? Well that will just have to be a surprise for next time, won't it? That being said-as this IS Fanfiction, I am messing around with some key points like individual ages. Some haven't been so skewed and others have a little more. As such, some events will take place out of order as they are in Cannon and that is mostly due to needed to work the timeline in a way that I have planned.

So, currently? As it has been stated already, Naruto is 7 years old. As are the Rookie Nine for the most part. They will show up in later chapters, I assure you. Kurenai is 14 years old, as I mentioned in the first chapter, as that is almost a word for word rewrite of the original story with some stuff changed around to make it flow better. Anko Mitarashi is the oldest of the group at 17 years old. Yūgao Uzuki would be the second oldest at 15 years old-and that leaves Hana Inuzuka as 11 years old.

Again, this is purely Fanfiction and ultimately, this story is vastly inspired not only by the original cannon story line but a few great Fanfictions as well. Later on there will be chapters that seem similar to other stories and while I apologize about that-it is purely because I am using those stories as a reference point to write the scenes that I want to write. I am not directly attempting to infringe on anyone's work or blatantly plagiarized it either. If anything-consider it a homage to their greatness that have stood through the years as Fanfictions have fallen to the abyss of the internet, almost never to be seen again once they are taken down from the website.

With ALL of that said and probably my longest A/N through the story? Read and Review!