Hey again everyone! I hope you are all well and excited for this chapter. In response to a few reviews I have posted a short thing on my profile about why I have made certain decisions about some characters that I hope will answer a lot of questions.

~winnieflutters

I'm very glad for all the reviews I receive, particularly the constructive ones that let me know what's working well and what perhaps isn't. I started writing this story because I wanted to improve as a writer and I've received some great advice over the chapters as well as some harsh criticism, at the end of the day I cannot please everyone but I have been making an effort to consider working on the things in the feedback I receive and I hope that it has been showing as time has gone on.

So thank you again and I hope you enjoy Chapter 12!

It was considerably more prohibitive for Naruto to race through the village unseen when he had an unconscious woman slung over his shoulder but he somehow managed to stick to the shadows and reach Anko's apartment without interruption.

Despite the conveniences it presented to him, it annoyed Naruto to no end how easily someone could move around the village unseen. They were in the middle of a lock-down and even THEN the Anbu hadn't stepped up their game, Konoha had grown too complacent and the standards were slowly slipping.

"And that's saying something. Formidable as Senju Hashirama and his generation were, as a whole the shinobi of that era didn't have anything on their predecessors and it's been a near constant decline in standards ever since the hidden villages were founded. Clan on clan- that's where the excitement and prestige was."

"I can imagine. If I could go back in time I wouldn't bother with the founding of the villages and all that crap, I would want to be right in the heart of the chaos. I've seen enough battles won with pen and paper to know I belong on the battlefield."

"In a weird way it was a freer place. Certainly for me anyway." The Nine-tailed fox had his head on his paw as he cast his mind back to the good ol' days.

Naruto snorted as he rounded the corner to Anko's apartment.

"Tell me again how Uchiha Madara tracked you down and made you into his little bitch?"

He was a mere few feet from her door now and was just hoping she didn't wake up and hold him hostage there, she was in no state to go out and perform her duties and Genin weren't supposed to be out during a lock-down.

"Why don't I tell you what little bitches your parents were being when they got played by one man on the night of your birth?"

The young shinobi only chuckled in response as he reached out to the door handle.

"How about you just shut up and stop distracting me." Naruto ignored the Kyūbi's sniggering as he shifted Anko slightly on his shoulder, she was surprisingly heavy despite her slim physique and although he had carried her home on many occasions, it still confused him just how much she weighed.

He quickly keyed himself into the blood seal on the door and tossed the snake mistress unceremoniously onto the rug in the entranceway before turning to leave and report back to base, Danzō was undoubtedly pissed off that he wasn't there already and there was no way he was going to waste any more time tucking a grown woman into bed.

"Urghh, what happened?" The blonde froze as he heard his drinking partner groan and roll over on to her back. Glancing over his shoulder towards her, he could only give an exasperated sigh as he saw her reaching up towards the ceiling with a stupid grin on her face whilst trying to grab at something that clearly wasn't actually there.

Ignoring her as he slipped silently out the door, Naruto was finally able to clear his mind of trivialities and sped off towards headquarters with the ear splitting sound of the sirens serving as a reminder that he was a shinobi who had duties to his village.

Neji had been strolling through the village alone when the emergency sirens sounded off and whatever thoughts had been swirling in his mind were gone immediately as he focused on helping to evacuate the civilians before making his way to the academy. Genin were only permitted to be out in the village during lock-down until all civilians were safe and were to report to the Academy as soon as was possible.

So why had Uchiha Sasuke just shot past him, running in both the opposite direction to the academy and to his home, with an excited grin on his face?

His mind was telling him to leave well alone but he had a bad feeling in his gut that the self-righteous kid was about to do something exceptionally foolish and, without really thinking about it, he abandoned his duties to the villagers and made after the Uchiha boy.

He told himself it was because he wanted to make sure his "comrade" didn't endanger his life but really he just didn't want to feel guilty if his best friend lost a team mate to a situation he could have prevented, especially when Naruto had saved his cousin for him only that day.

Naruto sped along the deserted corridors of the underground base like a man possessed as he realised just how late he was in reporting to his superior. Summoning his armour from the seal on his arm whilst simultaneously activating the seal that flushed his hair into a deep red colour, he sped to a halt in front of the small door that would open out behind Danzō in the main hall where he would be debriefing the troops.

"Don't make eye contact with sensei. Don't make eye contact with sensei." He repeated several times to himself before pushing the door open gently, she didn't like tardiness and would certainly make it her business to instil a good sense of time-keeping back into him.

"Naruto. I see you finally remembered the protocol for village lock-down." Danzō didn't turn around in his chair as he spoke to the boy and waited to hear an explanation.

The now red-headed shinobi didn't miss as the man clicked his stopwatch off and stowed it away in his pocket. There would be hell to pay later on, of that he was certain.

"It won't happen again sir." The young captain responded in a monotonous voice, strolling forward to stand on his masters left he noted that even some of the undercover Root shinobi had been assembled to receive orders. Whatever was going on had to be big, would this day never end?

"No it won't." The old war hawk stated in a cold tone as he turned to stare into his prized shinobi's face. "We've wasted enough time waiting for you so I will keep this brief."

Naruto broke off eye contact with his commander and scanned the gathered nin for his squad, it didn't take long to find them as they were only 4 rows back knelt together. They weren't looking up though as it was custom for Root nin to keep their heads bowed at debriefings and lift them only when being addressed.

"Attention." Danzō said quietly, smiling to himself as the Root nin lifted their heads sharply as one.

"There has been a mass breakout at Konoha's Maximum Security Prison. Tatsuru-taichou will stand in as leader of the ground forces in tracking down and either retrieving or eliminating prisoners whilst Houou-taichou will take her Alpha squad to the prison to implement new security measures and assist the Anbu with the chaos currently taking place there. Understood?"

As one the gathered shinobi gave a quick response of "HAI!"

"He must be really impressed with your survival today if he's letting you command the entire Root force so soon."

"So it seems."

Naruto let his eyes drift to Danzō's far right where his sensei stood flanked by her team, who were partly obscured by the shadows. Kyoko met his inquisitive stare with a blank one of her own and it was enough to confirm that she was still not speaking to him after the revelation of his deal with Hyūga Hiashi.

"Now that is certainly an issue for another day." Kurama could see why the kid's sensei was pissed off with him- the boy never listened and now he had landed himself in deep water once more.

"Aah."

Feeling Danzō's eyes boring into him, the red head turned to face the troops and let Naruto's problems fade from his mind. He was Tatsuru once more and Tatsuru had men awaiting orders.

"Right. Alpha squad need to get to the prison so I will keep this short. We'll start with First Company; Beta squad led by Toru-taichou will assist Alpha in securing the prison, Gamma squad will resume their covers as regular Anbu captains and act as normal. Gamma squad dismissed."

He paused long enough to receive affirmative nods from Gamma squad before continuing as they departed the room.

"Delta squad led by Kei-taichou will take Fifth Company; squads Rho, Sigma, Tau & Upsilon towards the South East border. I remind you that it is crucial that you bring in the escapees that will have broken through the Anbu and are heading that way, some of our worst detainees hail from islands in that direction. Report in every half an hour. Understood?"

Satisfied with the sharp nods and chorus of "hai" that he received, Naruto dismissed the rest of First Company along with Fifth.

"Third Company; squads Iota, Kappa, Lambda & Mu will man the South West Border led by Nori-taichou of Iota squad. Report in every half an hour. Dismissed."

The red head briefly caught Danzo's slight nod in agreement of his plans.

"Fourth Company; squads Nu, Xi, Omicron & Pi will search along the North East border led by Sadao-taichou of Nu squad. Report in every half hour. Dismissed."

Now he had to make a tough decision, should he send out Sixth Company or keep them in the base? Sixth Company were the result of Danzō's most ruthless training regime which was a regime so intense that, despite it's ultimate success, Danzō had made the wise decision not to train the rest of his division in the same way. The current methods were brutal enough.

"Send them out. You need the entire Spearhead Battalion running the borders and you know you can't rely on any of the remaining lot bar your own Company to man the North West border. Don't be a fool Naruto. They're beyond ruthless but they get things done."

Naruto knew the Kyūbi was right but his main worry was how Sixth Company would interact with the regular Anbu. Now Root's existence was anything but a secret to the Anbu forces but word had never gotten out about Sixth Company or the Sandaime would have undoubtedly shut the Foundation down for real.

They usually kept the Sixth hidden away in the deepest depths of the main base because they were just too consumed by evil to be let out on regular missions. Some of the more sadistic captains like Kyoko-sensei would occasionally take them out but most Root captains didn't request them. Naruto couldn't blame them either- Danzō let Sixth feed on human flesh for Kami's sake! They were a very different kind of Shinobi.

"Ahem." Naruto's eyes snapped open as he realised he had been silent for a moment too long and that Danzō was giving him a small smirk. The Old Man knew exactly what he had been contemplating and was keen to hear his decision.

"Screw it. I know I'm going to regret this later but I'll deal with it when the time comes."

"Sixth Company will search and patrol the North West borders under my direct command. Squad leaders will be Yasu, Kenta, Aiji and Taisei. You will give a radio report on your locations and status every 15 minutes and all prisoners captured will be identifiable when you return them, though I do not care if that's dead or alive. Am I clear?"

They didn't respond for a few moments as they sized up the young boy that was giving them orders, the team leader by the name of Taisei was the first to respond.

"Crystal, Tatsuru." The man responded as he flashed his blood stained fangs in a mischievous grin at their "stand-in commander."

The entire Sixth Company began to salivate and their eyes popped out slightly at the monstrous killing intent that unexpectedly washed over them. They were shocked even further as they watched the red head stride calmly over to them until his face was inches from Taisei's, the kid was tall but Taisei still had a couple of inches on him.

"Kneel, Shinobi." His voice was sharp and had strength to it but it wouldn't be enough.

A low menacing chuckle spread throughout Sixth Company at the brazenness the kid was trying to pull off, not even Houou made such demands of them. Just who did this kid think he was?

"Why should I?" The man was shaking slightly in anger and Naruto could tell he wanted to attack him for the command but he could not and would not tolerate insubordination at a time like this.

"I will repeat the order only once: Kneel."

Taisei didn't move for a second and was about to respond when he saw the blonde's eyes turn from icy blue to red slits almost instantaneously, in those eyes he saw a raw and corrupted power pulsing within the boy. It made him remember what it was like to know fear- and he loved it. It was vile and oppressive and it was slowly choking the life out of him.

Gasping, he realised the blonde had his hand gripped tightly around his neck and that a burning red aura surrounded the boys arms as he slowly squeezed the life out of him. It didn't matter that he was being killed, he was being given the privilege to know a power greater and more heinous than his own.

No. He had to feel more of this power. Nodding as much as the boy's grip would permit he gasped once more as he was released and quickly dropped to his knees.

"Crystal clear, Tatsuru-taichou." He spoke quietly with a hint of reverence to his tone. The boy would show him that power again, no matter how much provocation it took.

He half expected the kid to have a satisfied smirk on his face but there was no reaction, gone was that beautifully monstrous power as a pool of cold blue washed over the boys eyes once more and the red aura vanished from sight.

The others of Sixth Company were astonished that Taisei would kneel to the child but they too had felt that killing intent and knew not to test the boy, not just yet anyway.

"Crystal clear, Tatsuru-taichou." They spoke in quiet unison, their own killing intent rising slightly as they gazed at the red head's retreating form.

Their captain gave no immediate response as he turned and walked back to the platform, all eyes in the room captured by each step.

"Sixth Company dismissed." His back was still turned to them as he spoke so he missed the collective smirks they all briefly displayed before disappearing from the hall.

As he allowed his eyes to roam over the remaining shinobi, Naruto noted that bar his own Company he still had 40 Kōhai, 16 undercover nin and 8 supplementary teams awaiting orders. That totalled 88 shinobi or 107 if you counted his Company. They really needed to get recruiting.

"Okay here's how we are going to do this; the Kōhai will divide into groups of 5 and each group of 5 will assist a supplementary team in patrolling the streets of the village, you do not have to cooperate with the general forces, stick to the shadows and work quietly alongside the main Anbu. Two enhanced squads per quadrant. Team leaders step forward."

Naruto brushed a bang out of his eye as he fixed the men with a hard stare.

"It is imperative that you do not make your presence too well known to the general forces that are currently operating in Konoha. We don't have the same relationship with the Jounin and Chuunin that we do with the main Anbu, you are all in Anbu cloaks and will be masked so they shouldn't approach you anyway but that doesn't mean you should not be cautious."

"Understood, Tatsuru-taichou." The men responded in a deep chorus.

"Good. Takuo & Nao your teams combined with 10 Kōhai will be called 'Bravo Platoon' and you will patrol Quadrant 1. Enya & Ukita your teams again combined with 10 Kōhai will be called 'Echo Platoon' and you will patrol Quadrant 2. Ataru & Yuito, same again except you will be called 'Sierra Platoon' and you will patrol Quadrant 3. Lastly, Mirai & Kaita will lead 'Zulu Platoon' and patrol Quadrant 4. General reports every 45 minutes. Am I clear?"

"HAI, SIR!" Naruto nodded in approval at their enthusiasm.

"Good. Dismissed."

Now it was just his company and the undercover nin. Glancing over at the clock he realised it had been 10 minutes since he had began dishing out instructions, he had to wrap this up quickly.

"Now, the rest of the plants must be wondering why I've kept you all here so long, I know you need to get back to your covers so I won't beat around the bush: I want as many prisoners dead as possible. I know I never gave those specific orders to everyone else but frankly we can't risk Root looking any worse by slaughtering hoards of men tonight, prisoners or not. The prison was getting full anyway so this really is a blessing in disguise if you think about it."

He paused briefly to glance at Danzō and was pleased that the man did not interrupt or seem displeased with his tactics.

"Your objective is to encourage the general forces to kill as many escapees as possible, engineer the situations however you must but don't blow your covers for the sake of the objective. Just bear that goal in mind. Understood?"

He was satisfied with the sharp nods he received and quickly dismissed the men before turning to address his own company.

"Okay, we're almost done. Second Company, we will be maintaining the forest immediately surrounding the village. The other companies are manning the borders but they cannot possibly secure the entire area between the village and there so we will patrol the half closer to Konoha."

He stepped down quietly off the platform and moved to stand directly in front of his Company.

"Kayuu, you will lead Zeta squad in patrolling the North East sector. Gyousei will lead Eta squad in the South East, Itsuya will lead Theta squad in the South West and my squad, Epsilon, will take care of the North West. I'm counting on you not to let any escapees through, all dismissed."

The only people left in the room now aside from himself were Danzō and the old man's bodyguards.

"Any further orders, Danzō-sama?" He inquired as the two locked eyes. The man held his gaze for a moment before nodding his head slightly and taking a sip of water.

"Do not disappoint me."

The red head dipped his head slightly in submission and turned to leave the room with a wicked grin tugging at his lips.

The hunt was on.

Koharu and Homura stood with grim expressions on their faces as they looked down at the sleeping form of their one time team-mate and once great Kage; Sarutobi Hiruzen. The medic nin reported that he was improving in health but would need plenty of rest before he would be ready to return to his post.

It would not do.

"When he wakes up we must encourage him to choose a successor, the village needs a new leader." Koharu murmured in an annoyed tone.

Both pairs of eyes flickered to the life support machine and they found themselves thinking the unthinkable, though neither would say it out loud.

How easy it would be to switch it off for a few minutes. The Sandaime might have suffered a heart attack but the medics reported severe issues with his lungs and other minor issues that only cemented their belief that he should be put down.

Konoha was strong and it's leader had to be strong also. What use was an old man on his last legs, no matter how influential he was once upon a time? Neither would do it though. High treason was very much frowned upon in their village and it would be too risky anyway.

A knock on the door jolted them from their thoughts and they took one last look at their old friend and in many ways foe before slipping out the door into the hallway.

A young dishevelled looking woman was stood staring back at them with a large stack of papers in her arms and was giving them a soft smile. After a few moments of silence it was Koharu that finally broke the silence.

"Speak! What do you want foolish girl?"

Realising her error, the Hokage's secretary bowed deeply in apology to them before delivering her message in a quick breath.

"The Full Council has gathered in the meeting chambers and await your arrival ma'am."

Not bothering to grace the young woman with a response, Koharu turned and made her way down the hallway towards the exit with Homura only a step behind.

The secretary found herself shaking under the masked gazes of the Anbu on guard and was starting to sweat anxiously before the sound of her name made her jump and drop all of her papers on the floor.

Homura had stopped halfway down the hallway and turned to give her a dirty look.

"Machiko. Are you planning on doing any work or are you just going to stand there all night shaking like a bloody idiot? Hiruzen never should have hired you, stupid girl, even a rabbit would have been more suitable."

Tutting at the sight of the girl trying to keep herself composed as she knelt on the floor and reached around for her paperwork while the Anbu stared down impassively at her, Homura turned around once more and made after Koharu.

"There are too many things that need to go around here."

Sasuke had overheard a Chuunin reveal that loads of men had broken out of prison and had not stuck around to hear any more after that.

Now was his chance to measure his strength against that man's, that man would have undoubtedly put a lot of the escapees in there so if Sasuke could defeat a few of them then he would know he was getting closer in strength.

"Shouldn't be much longer now." He was in the forest immediately surrounding Konoha so surely he would run into some criminals soon? The prison was only meant to be a short distance away.

"Uchiha! Stop!" Sasuke spun round and was surprised to see Naruto's Hyūga friend appear behind him.

"What the hell are you doing out here Hyūga? Were you actually following me!?" Sasuke's tone was bitter as he paused to glare at the slightly older boy.

Neji almost gaped at the smug look on the Uchiha's face. Naruto was right, this was not the sort of person he had been before. This was something else entirely.

"Yes I was and that should be your first hint that you are not fit to be out during a lockdown. You are a Genin! You should be at the academy, what the hell are you playing at Uchiha?"

Sasuke's smirk was enough to tell him he would have to fight the kid to get him back to the village.

"I don't need to explain myself to you. Go run back to the village like the baby that you are and leave me to my own business."

"You are crazy if you-"

"-I think we've heard enough now."

Both boys were unable to move as a heavy killing intent spread out over the clearing, pinning them to their spots. Neji counted as 16 Anbu appeared on the branches surrounding them but he was not relieved to see them, something was different about these Anbu. Shooting Sasuke a quick glare, he spun round as one of the masked men let out a menacing chuckle before dropping down off the tree and striding towards them threateningly.

"So you kids want to play with the big boys eh?"

Sasuke desperately wanted to speak but he had never felt such an oppressive power, not even Zabuza had managed to shake him up that much.

"Taisei." One of the men still in the branches called out to the approaching man. "We need to get to the North West borders, let us not waste time with these children."

The man now identified as Taisei bared his blood stained fangs as he stood over Sasuke and breathed in the scent of his fear as the boy shook slightly in his place, sweating freely at the killing intent that washed over him.

"Do you want to join us brat?"

Traumatising Genin would only be the first step in provoking Tatsuru-taichou to show him that power again.

"I still cannot believe you sent out Sixth Company! They are going to fuck shit up, I cannot wait to see what they bring to the current mayhem."

"Shut up Hyō." Naruto was not in the mood to dwell on his recent decisions, he had led his Company to the North West sector of the forest closest to the village and divided them the shinobi into their sub-teams to rotate around the area. What currently annoyed him was that he had only crossed 2 Anbu patrolling so far.

2! It was vital that the North West was well manned for 3 reasons; 1. Earth Country was to the North West and many prisoners would be intelligent enough to head that way as opposed to their other neighbour Wind Country, of which Suna was an ally. 2. The Blood Prison was to the North West and an attack on it was not easily ruled out. Lastly and most importantly 3. The Konoha Maximum Security Prison was IN the North West so an attack on Konoha would come from that direction! Why wouldn't most the men be here ready to protect the village!?

"Tatsuru-taichou! The Anbu Commander is in a clearing up ahead." He heard Tera call from his right.

"Good. I have a bone to pick with him. Hyō, Jun & Takeo will stick to our patrol route. Tera you will come with me."

Naruto broke off from the formation with Tera on his heel as he sped off towards Fox's location.

The dark, candle-lit room was silent as the 3 aged shinobi slowly entered, their shadows lengthening as they passed the torches that aligned the walls. Once they were all seated it was Mitokado Homura who spoke first.

"You were not present at the emergency council meeting Danzō. We demand an explanation for your absence."

A few moments passed as Danzō turned his head to his right where Homura sat so as to better pin him with his uncovered eye.

"I was debriefing my men before they went out to assist the regular forces. Forgive me if I chose to think of border security before the Council's insufferable tendency to sit around stating the obvious." He drawled out with an annoyed frown marring his features.

"Do not think that with Hiruzen currently disabled that you are free to disrespect your superiors. We stand in his place while he is unable to perform his duties and you will show us the same respect that you would show your Hokage."

At the sound of Utatane Koharu's crisp voice Danzō had lowered his gaze to the table where a map of Fire Country was laid out before them. He knew better than to make an enemy of these two, they may just be the Hokage's advisors but their backing could mean the difference between success and failure where village politics was concerned.

"My apologies Koharu-san, I am merely concerned for Konoha's reputation. Despite the success of Operation Snakehead in the Capital, today has been rather embarrassing for Konoha. Our Kage is about to kick the bucket and we have had a mass breakout from our Maximum Security Prison, with the Chuunin exams coming up this is a terrible image for the village to have."

The two aged advisers shared a brief look before Homura cleared his throat and addressed the Root Commander once more.

"A terrible image indeed and what we would like to know is how you plan to rectify that Danzō?"

The Shinobi of Darkness leant back in his chair as he considered the question.

"Is Sandaime-sama so critically ill that you are actually seeking my advice on village matters instead?" He inquired with a barely concealed smirk.

She had let him off the last time but Koharu was anything but a tolerant woman and as she stood up and slammed her palms down on the table he was reminded of the fiery temper she had in her youth.

"That is not your concern! The Root serves to protect the Great Tree from the shadows, busy yourself with that. We are vulnerable and weak at this present moment and-"

"-And that is the fault of our so-called Fire Shadow! Our Shinobi get weaker and less intelligent as time goes on because they are not trained for war. It was our precious Sandaime that brought in the 'Peace-time training regime' that caused our forces to get complacent, that caused other villages to stop fearing us and that ultimately led to a weaker security system. You should be focusing on electing a new Kage rather than concerning yourself with my plans. I will do what I have always done- everything possible to protect Konoha and her interests and you can be damn sure that I will not fail in my plans."

By this point Danzō had also stood up and slammed one palm onto the table while his other hand firmly gripped his staff as he banged it on the ground to reaffirm each point.

Sighing as he laid some paperwork down on the table, Homura waited a few moments before addressing the two fired up veterans.

"Both of you need to calm down and sit down, we have much planning to do." There was no room for debate in his usually calm tone.

Both veterans resumed their seats.

Leaning back in her chair as she took another sip of her sake, Tsunade let the memories wash over her. She remembered all the times her and Dan would come to The Empress just to get away from shinobi life for a bit and how they would sit on the mezzanine quietly observing the interesting clientèle that came and went from the place.

If there was one place she had missed in her time away from the village it was The Empress, no matter what happened the place never changed and was never silent. Even now as the alarms sounded out across the village, the tavern was still 'business as usual' and they had merely locked everyone that wanted to stay in while the drama in the village simmered down.

As she ordered some Edamame to share with Shizune, who was sitting in the corner of their booth and staring out cautiously at some of the less than savoury patrons, the sound of the piano being played on the far side of the room finally reached her.

That was the thing about the Empress, it's beauty was in the small details; the soft tinker of the piano keys amidst the noisiness of the patrons, the unobtrusive scent of musk and vanilla that seemed to swirl around the room and stroke your nose at unexpected times, the dim candles that flickered gently on each table in a hypnotic dance that created a warm atmosphere in the dark establishment and lastly the laughter, it was so hard not to smile in such a place when everything about it drew your mind back to happier times. It was as though Dan and Nawaki were there with her, quietly enjoying the evening.

Shizune was surprised to hear a low chuckle from Tsunade and as she turned slightly to face the woman she was frozen to the spot by the warm and genuine smile on her face as she gazed out at the going's on around her.

Clearing her throat she waited for the Sannin to turn towards her.

"Tsunade-sama, why aren't we reporting in to assist with the lock-down? Something big could be happening."

She half expected the hazel-eyed woman to snap at her but instead she received an amused grin.

"Ha! It's unlikely to be anything we need to concern ourselves with, those weren't the alarms for an attack so it's probably just a drill. Relax, Shizune."

Sipping her drink once more, Tsunade sniggered as she pictured her sensei fully clad in his armour, stood atop the Hokage Monument barking out orders. He had stepped down at the right time, if only Minato didn't have to go and die then Sarutobi-sensei wouldn't have to keep pretending he wasn't quickly apporaching the end of the line.

Minato. That was part of the reason why she had returned to her estranged home, Minato & Kushina's son Naruto. So caught up was she in her grief that she hadn't even thought twice about the boy's fate in the village, it was only 3 days ago that she had seen a red-haired woman walking down a dark street in Port City, who looked disturbingly like Kushina, that the boy had popped into her mind.

Her and Kushina had been great friends once upon a time and it did not escape Tsunade's thoughts that had she been there to deliver the woman's child that things might not have gone the way they had. Kushina had shown her kindness when she felt she had no one to lean on, she owed it to the woman to at least check on her son. So here she was, in the village she had sworn she wouldn't return to, trying to do some good by her Godson.

There was no rush though, she would enjoy a few drinks tonight and find Naruto in the morning. It's not as if finding a barely trained pre-teen would be difficult now, was it?

Tera watched on in amusement as his captain argued with the Anbu Commander, it made for an interesting sight to see a man of Fox's stature receiving a harsh talking down to.

"Do I need to spell it out for you Commander? You have the majority of your men in the South when the prison is in the North. Preventing the escapees from leaving Fire Country is a secondary goal to protecting Fire Country's inhabitants, you need to pull some men back and spread them out to create a barrier between the prison and Konoha."

"Listen to me kid, I've been in this business a lot longer than you and I am telling you that is easier to have my men surrounding all the inhabited locations and guarding the borders with just a few scouting the forest to prevent escapees from-"

"-Don't be stupid. If the forest was saturated with our men the prisoners would not get anywhere near inhabited areas and we could deal with this a lot faster."

"As I am sure you are aware, Konoha has a clear defensive strategy laid out for this exact situation and I am sticking to it."

"Defensive strategy? That is bullshit. The best defence is a good offence and we-"

Tatsuru was cut off as an unstable source of chakra suddenly spiked from nearby. The tension was gone as all the men present sped off towards the vile chakra source.

As Fox appeared behind a bush next to the cause of the disruption he was shocked to see a beastly looking creature that was some sort of hybrid between man and tiger growling out orders to the Legendary Stupid Brothers who were staring amazed at the transformation of their apparent leader.

"Fūjin, Raijin, today is our day! Observe the great power that my master has bestowed upon me! First we will head to Konoha and kill the Fox Demon then we will steal the Scroll of Sealing and leave this wretched place!."

"Ugh I remember this guy." Naruto spoke in a disgusted tone to his tenant.

"Isn't he that creepy academy instructor that got locked up for stealing the Scroll of Sealing?"

"The very same. I don't have time for this crap."

Catching Fox's attention, Naruto signed that he was leaving this to him and disappeared with Tera on his 6 without waiting for a response, though he could feel the Commander's annoyance in the atmosphere behind him.

"Tatsuru-taichou aren't the Legendary Stupid Brothers said to have a strength that could match Tsunade no Sannin's?"

Tatsuru chuckled as he leapt off another branch.

"Yep."

Kyoko was just finishing up on a large seal design that she was painting on the humongous steel doors that opened up into the main hall of the prison when agent Doho from her squad appeared behind her.

"Houou-taichou there is something you might want to see in one of the cells."

Painting on the last character and sealing the entire formation in place, she smiled satisfactorily as the widespread seal glowed brightly before burning into place on the door.

As the two walked along the 9th floor, they were stopped just before reaching the relevant cell by a man wearing a large red cloak and and elaborate ceremonial uniform-the Prison Warden.

He was an old man but stood proudly in his decorative wear and had two Anbu flanking him that Kyoko recognised as Uzuki Yūgao and Yamanaka Foo.

"Houou-taichou. I am pleased that Danzō has sent you to help rebuild security, this incident was most unprecedented, what do you propose for the future?"

The red-head nodded politely at the aged man before responding.

"I suggest we place tags on each detainee that will permit us to trace their locations at all times thus making it easier to retrieve them in a situation like the current one. I will be happy to discuss the details with you in your office when I am done up here sir."

The war veteran nodded sagely as he brushed past the two Root Agents and continued on his way.

"Yes very well, I expect you will not leave an old man waiting."

Kyoko rolled her eyes as she turned away from the man's retreating form, he didn't look as though he could dress himself anymore let alone run a prison. It was any wonder there had been a breakout on his watch, there would be a lot of work to do on implementing new security measures around here.

Following Doho into the cell her annoyed frown quickly turned into an amused smirk. Adorning the walls were numerous drawings of her blonde-haired student, all of which showed him being killed in some violent manner.

"This cell belonged to Ebina Mizuki-"

"-The sub-par Chuunin and unwanted follower of Orochimaru no Sannin accused of attempting to steal the Scroll of Sealing. So he's out to get Naruto eh? What are the odds they will cross paths tonight?"

Grabbing a particularly well drawn image of Naruto with the body of the Nine-Tailed fox being beheaded by a chibi Mizuki and shoving it into her pocket, Kyoko strode out of the cell with Doho on her tail chuckling amusedly to himself.

Neji was beyond pissed off. The strange Anbu had offered the two Genin the chance to tag along with them and just as he had been about to point blank refuse their offer and haul Sasuke's self-absorbed ass back to Konoha the Uchiha boy had agreed! Neji's instincts told him that leaving the Uchiha alone with these Anbu for a prolonged period of time could only end badly so in the end he had agreed to go along also to try and convince Sasuke to turn back and to keep an eye on the Uchiha heir's behaviour.

"What's the matter Hyūga? Afraid you'll get hurt?" The Anbu he now knew to be named Aiji whispered to him in a sinister tone as he pulled back closer to where Neji was running.

"No. I'm just wondering to myself why Anbu would permit Genin to go to the Northwest border during a lock-down, Aiji-san?" He narrowed his eyes at the man as he fell into step with him.

Aiji grinned slightly at the boy's cool demeanour despite his evident annoyance with the other brat.

"Hehehe, we were trained differently from most Anbu kid. Hiding in the village won't help you to grow stronger it will only impede you. We live for the excitement of hanging our lives over the edge and so should you."

"What about the rules? Do they mean nothing to you?"

Aiji kinda liked this kid, he had an icy exterior but a good head on him, the other kid was clearly too hot headed and he would enjoy opening his eyes to their world. This kid though, this kid was slightly more enigmatic and would have thrived in their training program.

"The rules are what you make them. I'm sure that explains what you were doing out in the forest in the first place? Bending the rules?"

Neji tried to ignore the knowing smile the man was giving him, it was true. He was not supposed to be in the forest but he had gone after a comrade and looking out for comrades was a sort of unspoken rule in Konoha, even though he had to break the rule set aside for Genin to do so.

He found himself thinking back to the day Naruto had first defeated him, something the blonde had said about fate standing out to him.

"You are hindered by your own fate because you choose not to deviate from the path set before you."

The young boy was about to respond when Aiji lifted a hand to silence him and signalled for him to stop moving.

They all hid in positions where they had a good view of the path up ahead and Sasuke felt excitement welling up inside him as he waited for the enemy to appear.

He heard a rustling and snapped his head around but it was a just a squirrel running up a tree, he ignored the smirk Taisei was giving him as he continued to scout for enemy presence.

After the initial meeting with the Anbu they had let up on the killing intent and were somewhat less intimidating as the group went on. He was starting to feel as though this was where he belonged! He was just as capable as Itachi had been at his age and he knew it, the Hokage had just been holding him back. He would show them, he would show them all.

A group of men soon appeared on the path and Sasuke slipped a kunai out of his holster, now was his time. All he had to do was wait for the signal.

The signal never came.

As one the Anbu swept out from their locations like a gale force wind and began attacking the men with great enthusiasm. He couldn't move as he saw Taisei slam his elbow into the crook in one man's back before snapping the man's neck. His eyes spun wildly as he saw that not one of the Anbu was showing any mercy, some of the men were trying to surrender but were slain nonetheless, eyes bulging as blades were slashed across their necks and limbs were snapped.

What was this?

Neji watched on impassively with his byakugan activated, he watched as the blood of the enemy sprayed over the leaves and flowers and listened to how the curdling laughter of the Anbu rang out in the area.

He had known something was off with these Anbu from the beginning, he didn't know what division they were from but he could say with the utmost certainty that they weren't the same as the ones tasked with patrolling the village. He was beginning to question whether these lot were even allowed in the village.

Glancing over at Sasuke's stunned form before sighing and meeting eyes with Aiji, who was giving him another knowing look, Neji dropped down from the branch were he had been watching the carnage unfold and walked forward to join the Anbu as they discussed where they should split up to now they they were closer to the borders. It was evident that the option to go back to the village had expired, better he just embrace it for the night.

Naruto and Tera had almost caught up to the rest of Epsilon squad when the Captain signalled a halt all of a sudden. Naruto signalled for Tera to use his shadow seeker technique in a particular direction and waited for a response.

There were 4 enemies a short distance away.

The red-head grinned and nodded at Tera, they were going to engage alone. Slipping a shuriken out of his holster, the blonde took a deep breath before launching it through the trees with perfect precision.

It was caught by a man who the red-head knew all too well, he stood at 6"7, weighed about 250lbs, was heavily tattooed, completely hairless, exceptionally vain and had one of the worst attitude problems the young Captain had ever had the misfortune of encountering. They called him "Axel."

"I must admit I am surprised to see you and your prison bitches out here Axel, I heard you were enjoying incarceration? Didn't you get your own completely mirrored cell and a monthly subscription to "Metro Man Magazine?"

Twirling the shuriken a few times before hurling it back to it's owner, the man hurled his head backwards and let out a loud guffaw as the red haired devil he hadn't seen in over 5 years appeared sitting on a branch a short distance away, giving him a small wave.

"I'm surprised you aren't dead yet Tatsuru! You have a knack for pissing people off but I suppose it must be some sort of poetic justice that I be the one to finally put an end to you."

The Captain drew his sword as he leapt down to face off against the man in the small clearing, not at all surprised that Axel had managed to get a sword off one of the prison guards on hiw way out.

"That's not how poetic justice works at all."

The man growled at him as he prepared to charge.

"I can't wait to see you draw your last breath Tatsuru, to see the life leave those pretty violet eyes." He swung the sword swiftly towards the red-head but the boy ducked at the last second and blocked from the side.

"I've been hearing that a lot these past few years, enough talking Axel, let's fight." He danced around the larger man, trying to disorient him as he slashed in seemingly wild movements.

"Oh I'm gonna rip off that mask just to see the expression on your face when you finally fade from this world. My pearly white grin is going to be the last thing you ever see brat! Mark my words Tatsuruuuu!"

He tried to pull a feint and spin round to catch the boy off guard but the young ninja was ready for the move and blocked easily.

"Consider them marked." In a split second the red-head had the upper hand and was forcing the muscular man backwards with a series of quick strikes.

Tera kept low as he moved behind the bushes to where Axel's 3 "accomplices" were stood watching the fast-paced battle fearfully. He remembered reading their reports and they were nothing more than Axel's weak followers.

Sending out his shadow he managed to capture them all in the Shadow Bind Technique and focusing his power he managed to snake his shadow around their bodies until the sharp tip was pointed at their throats with deadly precision.

This was known as the Shadow Striker Technique and was exceptionally effective when used with the Shadow Bind, stabbing each of them in the throat with his shadow he was slightly disappointed that none of them had shown any real resistance.

Was Axel really that bad a master? Opting not to dwell on it at a time like this, he glanced back at the sword fight once more before heading off into the trees to scout the area for any incomers.

Tatsuru-taichou could handle himself.

Axel was enjoying the thrill of the fight as the red-head continued to duck and weave his attacks, moving from one place to another at impressive speeds. His sword was bigger and heavier though and he was certain the boy would open up his guard soon enough.

It was a few minutes later when the speed of the battle really picked up and they were both panting slightly but at an unexpected moment the opportunity came where Tatsuru dropped his guard slightly and Axel swung his sword down on the boy with all his might.

It was a trap.

Tatsuru brushed the sword aside with his palm and leapt up to kick the man in his chest, sending him flying into the base of a tree. Axel was just standing up when his world went black, a sword was thrust through the back of his head and out of his mouth, ending his life almost instantaneously.

Tatsuru yanked his sword out of the man's head before wiping the blood off on the man's back as he fell to the ground in a thud. Looking up at the sky he realised there were only a couple hours until sunrise when the lock down would be called off and he would have to report to Danzō, tuning into his radio for the next update he sped off in the direction he had seen Tera go.

There was no time to waste.

Blinking his eyes open, the Sandaime took a moment to breathe deeply before heaving himself up in his hospital bed. He had hoped his son would be sat by his bedside but it came as no surprise that Asuma was not there with him. The boy was as stubborn as he and would probably go on resenting him to the grave and beyond.

Within a few moments one of his guard appeared in the room and knelt by his side.

"Hokage-sama, how are you feeling?"

"I feel nothing though I have trouble moving. What did the medic nin give me and have you been able to track Jiraiya?"

The masked ninja shifted nervously before responding.

"You were sedated a couple hours ago and we have had no luck reaching Jiraiya-sama but Tsunade-sama was reported as present in the village shortly before the lock-down sir."

The unfortunate man found himself at the receiving end of a powerful glare as the Hokage's voice took on an even more authoritative tone.

"Why has there been a lock-down in my village?"

Listening without interruption as the Anbu relayed the evenings events after his heart-attack the Sandaime stroked his chin once the masked shinobi was finished.

"Very well. It is bad timing but nothing the Anbu cannot handle. I will meet with the Council in the morning, in the meanwhile, bring me Uzumaki Naruto."

The Anbu bristled slightly at the name. The Hokage had not sent his Anbu to retrieve Uzumaki Naruto in years, occasionally to spy on him yes but not to retrieve him. He was simply too good at evading their detection.

"Uhh yes sir. I will find and escort Uzumaki Naruto here immediately." Nodding to his Kage, the man slipped out of the room and informed the other guards of his unfortunate mission before heading off to find the troublesome blonde. The kid should be at the academy with the other Genin so it shouldn't be an issue for once.

He just had a bad feeling the kid would not be there.

Naruto didn't bother slipping off his clothes as he fell into the bed in his apartment, he had changed out of his armour back at the base after reporting to Danzō but had decided to sleep in his apartment in case anyone like Kakashi, Anko or Iruka went searching for him in the morning.

Just as his head hit the pillow he let out a groan at the sound of someone landing gently on his windowsill. Rolling over to pin the masked Anbu crouched on his windowsill with a cold glare, he closed his eyes before murmuring in an annoyed tone at the man.

"What do you want?"

The man, who was relieved that the boy was in his apartment after not being able to find him at the academy, tilted his head slightly at the sight before heaving a sigh and answering the boy.

"Uzumaki Naruto you have been summoned by the Sandaime Hokage. I am here to escort you to him."

The man didn't react to the long muffled groan he received in response. He waited patiently for the boy to drag himself out of bed and slip on his sandals.

"Can't he summon me in a few hours? It's like 4am!" Despite the question, Naruto knew he would have to go immediately. He had a bad feeling about why he was being summoned, the Hokage wouldn't just summon someone at 4 O'clock in the bloody morning to ask how they were doing.

As the Anbu slid the door open for him to enter the hospital room, Naruto was slightly unsettled by the stony look the Hokage was giving him. Had he slipped up somewhere? What could it be?

"Don't ask me, I've got no idea."

Hearing the door slam behind him, Naruto decided to break the silence. He was clearly going to find out very soon where he had messed up.

"I am glad to see that you are well Sandaime-sama."

The man was still giving him a hard look, as if he was trying to stare through him rather than at him.

"Take a seat Shinobi." It was a second before Naruto moved over to a nearby chair, trying to remain calm as he braced himself for whatever the Hokage had to say to him.

He watched on patiently as the Sandaime ran through several hand-seals- he was creating a privacy barrier around them.

"I take it most the prisoners have been recaptured?" The aged Kage asked conversationally, almost catching the blonde off guard.

"Excuse me, sir? I do not know-"

"-Do not play me for a fool boy. I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would keep you out of the darkness that plagues many shinobi and I see now that I have failed."

The blonde's eyes widened by a small fraction but he gave no immediate response as the man's eyes met his own.

"I know what you are Naruto and I know what you have done."

Naruto's eyes flickered to random objects around the room as he tried to think what he could say.

"Sandaime-sama I-"

"-Do not lie to me! I am your Hokage and you will speak the truth in my presence from now on."

Despite his semi-fragile state, the Sandaime unleashed an almighty killing intent that rattled the room and caused the usually collected boy to shake slightly.

"Well I'll be damned, they don't call him the Professor for nothing. He's got you cornered Naruto."

"That's putting it lightly."

"Look at me when I am speaking to you Namikaze Naruto."

The boy lifted his eyes from the ground and leant back in the chair in resignation. The action brought a bitter smile to the Sandaime's weathered features as he felt he was truly seeing the young shinobi for the first time. The Naruto he had always known was gone, replaced by the boy in the photograph. The assassin. The ruthless ninja.

"I look at you and despite knowing that you work for that rotten traitor Danzō I can see that you are still Minato's son. I know the real you is in there somewhere. Tell me who you are."

Namikaze Naruto's voice was as cold as ice when he finally spoke.

"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto aka 'Tatsuru', A-rank Captain in the ROOT division, Newly appointed Genin in the General Forces and loyal servant of Konohagakure no Sato."

The tension was heavy as they stared into one another's faces for what felt like hours but in reality was only a couple of minutes, the only sound in the room was that of the life monitor beeping at a steady pace in the background.

"You are no longer Danzō's pawn Naruto, from this day forward you will serve as a double agent for me and you will obey me above all. Do you understand me? This is a one chance offer and if I find out you have betrayed me, I will have you killed for treason."

The blonde felt a knot in his throat preventing him from speaking but nodded his head in concession.

"Good. You will have to work to earn my trust and I-"

The Hokage broke off in a fit of coughs and the young shinobi reached over to pour some water in a glass for him before waiting patiently for his leader to collect himself. A thought seemed to reach the man and he stared down into his glass as he spoke.

"Tell me Naruto, if I ordered you to kill Shimura Danzō tonight what would you do?" He searched the boy's body language for some tell of emotion but there was nothing.

Glancing back to meet eyes with the young ninja the aged Kage flinched slightly at the resolve in the boy's eyes.

"I would kill Shimura Danzō."

He took another gulp of his water and nodded in approval.

"Good. As I was saying, you will have to work hard for me to begin trusting you once more and I expect weekly updates on what is going on in the Root division. Am I right in assuming that you are closer to Danzō than most?"

"Yes sir."

"Tell me boy, how do I know that you are loyal to me now? Just like that?"

The Namikaze heir brushed a bang out of his eye, an action which for a split second made the Sandaime picture the Yondaime sat in front of him, before responding in a disinterested tone.

"You do not, that is the risk you take. I serve only Konoha and her interests, my previous master has grown selfish in his actions and now I am being given the opportunity to serve the village under a different master. I have no reason to betray you. I acknowledge that I am a valuable weapon to the village and will not cripple Konoha's power by getting myself killed for treason."

The aged Kage knew it was as good as he would ever get.

"You are dismissed. Report to me within the week."

"Hai, sir." The young ninja stood up and bowed to the Hokage as the man released the privacy barrier, as he slid open the door and was about to step out into the corridor Naruto turned his body slightly so that he was stood between the Anbu on each side of the door and gave the Sandaime a small smile.

"Thank you jiji."

The old man did not respond and merely closed his eyes as he lowered himself down to the pillow, feeling exhaustion take over him once more.

Naruto nodded to the Anbu before stuffing his hands in his pockets and strolling down the corridor with his head lowered.

The Anbu watched on in mild interest as the young boy stopped at the end of the hallway to stare out the glass windows at the Hokage Monument. They briefly turned to eachother and nodded as they could all recall a time when they had stopped to consider just how human the Kage were. They didn't know what the Sandaime had said to the boy but they knew he had always been fond of the Namikaze heir and had often cared for him like a grandson, perhaps he had finally told the boy the truth behind his actions all these years?

What they missed was the dark expression that passed over the blonde's features as he turned away from the window and disappeared from the hallway.

What they didn't know was that the Third Fire Shadow would be dead within the next 10 minutes.

So that's that! Now don't worry.. The action in the forest is not over.. You still have yet to see the Fox and his team vs Mizuki and the stupid brothers fight and how Neji and Sasuke are handling time with Sixth plus some update from the other Root Company's.

Here's a link to my profile if you want to read up on my decisions concerning some of the characters:

~winnieflutters

Please let me know what you think of this chapter.

Until Next Time!

Winnieflutters