The Blood Cult: Part I
Senju Tsunade had only been there for two days and already things were beginning to look up. The Third Hokage was up on his feet, most of the debris had finally been cleared and the Village lockdown had been lightened. The Sannin stayed for a few more days- and then a week- and then it didn't seem like she was going to leave at all. After the "Crater City Incident", Tsunade hadn't said more than two words to Naruto. She, like many others, had been working. While she had been there she had attended to the Hokage, restructured hospital wards and theatres (because when a grumpy S-rank Shinobi tells you to do something, you usually do it) and provided expert care for the remainder of shinobi still in critical condition.
With her arrival, the final death toll was known. Six hundred and eighty three were dead. A third of Konoha had been destroyed in the Blitz. Although that number only accounted for roughly five or six percent of Konoha's armed forces, when combined with the number of those injured and unable to complete missions it effectively meant that Konoha had lost ten percent of its strength almost overnight. It was a tremendous blow, one that had severe implications on their short-term recovery and their long term status as the most powerful Hidden Village in the world.
The Hokage had barely been up for a day before he disappeared behind locked doors, attending meetings and consultations with wide group of men and women. Representatives from the Village Hidden by a Waterfall and the Village Hidden in Grass met with the Hokage, no doubt talking about securing their side of the border against any possible movement from the Land of Earth. The Daimyo of River County had visited the Hokage as they negotiated over lifting tariffs for incoming support from the Land of Wind. Iwa, Kumo and Suna had all expressed their regrets over the terrible incident that had occurred and promised their support, but only Suna could really be counted on as one of Konoha's long-term allies. Relations with Iwa were professional but little else and it was an open secret that Kumo wanted to replace Konoha as the most powerful Village in the World and would probably offer nothing but platitudes.
The Hokage was extremely busy. Uzumaki Naruto, codenamed Ferret, assigned to Sigma Squad as the Hokage's personal aide, was probably the only other shinobi in the Village who worked as hard as their leader did during the month after the Blitz. The Hokage had said nothing to Naruto about Tsunade's timely arrival but Naruto knew that the old man knew, and the old man knew that Naruto knew that he knew- and there was probably some more 'underneath the underneath' stuff in all of that. Naruto had resolved not to say a word unless the Hokage bought it up first and so far the Third had been far too busy to do anything of the sort.
At the moment, he stood behind Sarutobi as the Hokage puffed on his pipe, occasionally letting out a noise that was probably interpreted as a sympathetic murmur but, as Naruto knew from experience, was more of a grunt of annoyance. Light spilled in from the windows as the Team One from ANBU's Alpha Squad hid in the shadows, extra protection against all the foreign dignitaries and visitors entering the Village. This time, it was a tall, thin man with extremely pale skin and pinkish-red eyes. White hair spilled from his cap and his tea-cup rattled in his hands as he pushed his case to the Hokage.
"I understand, Ambassador Basho," the Hokage murmured as the man paused to take a breath. He held up a hand, preventing the man from the Land of Hot Water from speaking. "But, given our circumstances, we cannot afford to send an entire division to guard a border that has been peaceful for the last seventeen years."
"You know what Kumo is like!" Ambassador Basho protested. He was sweating, Naruto realised. "They will have undoubtedly sensed your weakness and we both know that they don't like having the Land of Hot Water acting as a buffer between the Lands of Fire and Lightning. They might move in our territory while you're weakened!"
"They could, but I sincerely doubt it. My information sources are usually impeccable and they have alerted me that Kumo's interests lie elsewhere," the Hokage concluded confidently. He made a tiny motion with his hand and Naruto walked to the other side of the table. "Now, I'm very sorry to conclude our session but I have another appointment."
The ambassador squinted up at Naruto's masked face, looking decidedly unhappy as the blonde-haired ANBU gently- but firmly- directed the man away from his chair and towards the door. He opened it, nodding to the Jonin escort behind him. Ambassador Basho left the office, looking decidedly unhappy, and Naruto turned back to the Hokage. As soon as the door shut, Sarutobi slumped in his chair and rubbed his face wearily.
"That man…" the Hokage mumbled in an exasperated tone, speaking to nobody in particular. "If they were truly worried about national security then they shouldn't have dissolved their Hidden Village."
Naruto busied himself making a cup of steaming tea for the Hokage while the old man took the brief respite to have a rest. These constant meetings were tedious on the both of them and when Naruto turned around, Sarutobi's head had dipped and he was snoozing. The ANBU carefully placed the cup of tea in front of his leader and pulled out the next manila folder on the pile. He opened it, studying the appointment schedule carefully.
"We have a meeting with a dignitary from the Land of Frost," he informed the apparently-snoozing Hokage. "They haven't given us a topic but…"
Sarutobi let out a loud snore and Naruto paused. The Hokage's hat had fallen down over his eyes and a little trail of drool was leaking from one side of his mouth, his pipe dangling uselessly on the other. The cup of tea sat in front of him, unattended, as steam rose from its surface.
"Hokage-sama?" He called loudly.
Sarutobi shifted in his seat, muttering something unintelligently, and Naruto sighed. He put the folder down and clicked his fingers. Almost instantly, a Chunin messenger appeared in the office, bent down on one knee and waiting for instructions.
"Tell the rest of them that Hokage-sama is not taking any more visitors," Naruto told the prostrate shinobi. In a Body Flicker just as good- or better- than anything Naruto could produce, the Chunin messenger disappeared and Naruto frowned, his arms crossed.
"Alright, there," he said snappishly. "There are no more bad meetings. You didn't have to fake a sickie to get out of it, you know." He turned back to the Hokage was not surprised to see him calmly sipping his tea.
"Ah, excellent work, Ferret," Sarutobi murmured. "I had the most refreshing of naps."
"Yeah, in the seven seconds you lazy-", Naruto was muttering something sarcastic under his breath and as such unprepared for the heavy tome that struck him in the head. He let out a cry of dismay as he was propelled to the floor, Sarutobi glaring at him from behind his desk.
"I wanted three sugars!" He snapped.
"Take what you can get, you old codger!" Naruto snapped back, rising to his feet. "And stop abusing your aide!"
"I'm the Hokage-I can do what I want!" Sarutobi thundered. From behind his mask, Naruto made a face as he picked up the book that the old man had just lobbed at him. "And stop making faces!"
Naruto froze, grimacing. He put the book away, sighing mournfully, and approached the Hokage's desk. There were piles of neat and tidy paperwork all over it, and barely any the table was actually visible. Naruto picked up a folder from the first pile and began to survey it carefully. After a few moments, he signed the bottom and placed it on a new pile. This continued on for a while, the Hokage quietly supping his tea and Naruto worked diligently through the stack of forms. There was nothing overly major in them, just some logistical requests for the rebuilding of residential Sectors of 13 – 18, and the Hokage was happy to allow his assistant to complete the work in his stead.
After a while, the Hokage finished his tea and stared contently out the window at the sombre faces of the Hokage's Monument. Naruto finished a stack of paper and clicked his fingers. Chakra pulsed, activating one of the transmission seals located in the office. It sent a signal that lighted up its receiver- a blinking yellow light in the Communications Office, and a messenger was there in an instant.
"Take this to the Missions Assignment Desk, please," Naruto ordered, unloading the stack of paperwork in the poor man's arms. "Then take this," he placed a scroll in the top pocket of the Chunin's vest, "to the Nara Clan House- for Nara Shikaku."
"Yes, sir!" the messenger bowed his head and disappeared with the stack of papers in his arms.
Naruto turned back to the table, idly pondering which stack of papers he would tackle next. The sun shone down through the window and a nice breeze blew in to the room. Sarutobi seemed content to laze in his chair as Naruto started on a new stack of work. A puzzled expression crossed as his face as he read one of them, pausing in his work to go and consult a thick tome on the bookshelf, then came back and firmly denied the request. As he was working, there was a polite knock on the door.
Naruto looked up, a frown on his face, and a Jonin entered the room. He wore a green bandana across his head and appeared to be sucking on a senbon.
"Excuse me, Hokage-sama," he drawled, looking completely unconcerned at his interruption. "Tsunade-sama is asking if she- oof!"
Tsunade hadn't even waited for the man to finish before she barged in, her apprentice trailing behind her. The Sannin was scowling fiercely as she confronted the Hokage. The old man's hat was covering his eyes and he was snoozing rather unconvincingly. She paused in her step, her golden eyes raking over Naruto, and a curious little smirk crossed her face. Naruto held back a sigh and waved the Jonin away. He nodded, looking pretty amused, and closed the door.
"OI!" Tsunade barked at the Hokage. Her arms were crossed and she looked unimpressed by the old man's little nap. "I know you're not really sleeping, so unless you wake up…"
The Hokage suddenly snorted, his head rising. He grunted, moving his hat and blinking rather blearily. His eyes came to rest on Tsunade and he blinked.
"Oh, hello!" Sarutobi greeted rather enthusiastically. He looked puzzled. "Were we scheduled to have an appointment today? I can't seem to recall…" He trailed off.
Tsunade snorted as she took a seat opposite of the Hokage. Her assistant came to stand behind her, but she kept staring at Naruto as the Sannin and the Hokage began to talk about introducing new hospital safety procedures. Naruto only half-listened as he was drawn into a staring contest by Tsunade's assistant.
From what he had heard, her name was Shizune and she despised him.
Apparently what Naruto had done to Tsunade had left a bad impression on the older Jonin. He had only encountered her briefly, no more than a few minutes at a time as he went about his duties but every time he had seen her she had been glaring at him angrily. This time she wasn't holding her little pig and continued glaring at Naruto as he put down the paperwork and went to stand behind Sarutobi.
"Ah, yes," Sarutobi murmured. He gestured at Naruto. "Have you met Naruto yet?"
Tsunade's eyes came to rest on him and she slowly smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "Yes," she answered simply. "Yes I have." There was much unsaid in her sentence but Sarutobi apparently didn't pick up on it as he nodded genially.
"Excellent!" He said, practically beaming. "He's my apprentice, you know. I'm actually quite proud of him. He's an excellent shinobi, adheres to the Will of Fire and works extremely hard when attending his duties. I couldn't ask for a better apprentice."
"Oh?" Tsunade cocked an eyebrow. She gestured at Shizune. "And have you met Shizune before? She's my apprentice," Tsunade stressed, giving Sarutobi a rather significant look. "She also works hard and is one of the best medics I've ever taught. She's definitely earned her Jonin rank and saved countless lives."
Both Shizune and Naruto preened under their mentor's words. Sarutobi was still smiling but his eyes narrowed imperceptibly.
"Then they have something in common," Sarutobi said lightly. "Did you know that Naruto here delayed the second invasion of Konoha? After that, his team singlehandedly encountered the enemy leader and destroyed the weapon that was going to destroy Konoha. He's to be praised, indeed."
Tsunade put back hands on the table. "Well, Shizune just spent a week healing over one hundred shinobi!" she countered, her voice beginning to rise. "What's more, she's also reorganised the hospital storerooms and volunteered her services in the Children's Ward!"
Naruto's smile had frozen behind his mask and Shizune looked very strained as their mentors glared at each other.
"Naruto can make tea!" Sarutobi countered
"Shizune can wash clothes!" Tsunade growled.
"He washes the dishes and gets Konohamaru ready for training!"
"She looks after Tonton and fetches my booze!"
"He does my work!"
"She lets me sleep in!"
The two were glaring at each other, their hands on the table as they leaned forward. Shizune looked like she was despairing and threw a dirty look at Naruto, whose mouth dropped open. He silently pointed at himself and shrugged. How was it his fault? Shizune ignored him as she gently placed her hands on Tsunade's shoulders and tried to calm her down. Naruto gritted his teeth and quickly picked up Sarutobi's pipe. HE filled it with tobacco and presented it to the Hokage, who snatched it away and popped it in his mouth. At the same time, Shizune had presented a flask from somewhere and Tsunade took a gigantic swig of it, swallowing a mouthful with an audible sigh and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Both assistants sagged in relief as the tempers of their respective mentors seemed to die down.
"How about a little challenge then, Tsunade?" Sarutobi suddenly mentioned as he puffed on his pipe, "Your apprentice against my own."
Tsunade frowned. Naruto and Shizune stiffened.
"We could, of course, make a small bet on it."
Those were the magic words and the Sannin's eyes lit up greedily. She took another sip of the flask and leaned back on the chair, her green jacket flapping and falling away, exposing some of her cleavage. Naruto tried very hard not to stare (too hard) as Sarutobi beamed.
"What are your terms?" Tsunade asked confidently. "Whatever they are, I'm sure Shizune can handle them easily."
Shizune looked like she doubted that but one look at Naruto seemed to strengthen her resolve and she gave her younger counterpart a challenging look. Naruto just shook his head at the stupidity of it and crossed his arms, determined to stay out of it.
"Seem as how it's almost lunchtime, what do you say about having our lovely apprentices here go and fetch us a meal?" Sarutobi suggested. He puffed on his pipe, sending a cloud of smoke billowing into the air. "We can give them, say, ten minutes to make us our lunches. The best lunch, naturally, wins the contest."
"Sounds dumb," Naruto deadpanned rather loudly.
"I'll do it!" Shizune said at exactly the same time, making a fist.
"Well, she's already beating yours on attitude." Tsunade smirked. She leant back in her chair. "Still, what more could you except from a little brat like him? He doesn't look like he makes a very good apprentice. Are you sure you made the right choice?"
Naruto twitched at the rather obvious use of emotional blackmail. He shook his head despondently and didn't say anything else. Sarutobi seemed to take that as a sign that he had agreed to participate and nodded.
"Very well, then," the Hokage said. HE clapped. "Off you go, then. I'm very hungry."
Shizune bowed, while Naruto was just shaking his head. Together, they walked towards the door and out of the office. Naruto sighed as the door closed behind them and turned to look at his counterpart. She was staring at him rather determinedly, the challenge blazing in her eyes. Naruto narrowed his eyes and stared back. A fierce blaze of determination began seep into his body as he clenched his fists.
Oh, it was on.
For a moment, both apprentices were still. Then, in a flash, they were moving. Naruto felt a pang of surprise as Shizune launched forward with incredible speed, moving much faster than he had been expected, and he struggled to keep up with her as they dashed down the hallway. Other shinobi and well-dressed men and women cried out and flinched as the two apprentices came bolting around the corner. Shizune was gritting her teeth as she dodged and weaved through a crowd of unaware obstacles, her Medic Nin evasion training assisting her, while Naruto merely leapt to the roof, flipped upside down and bounded over them.
Shoulder to shoulder, both puffing loudly, they turned the last corner and approached the kitchen doors. They burst through them with ease and wood splintered as the doors were knocked off of their hinges. Luckily, the kitchen was empty and Shizune immediately grabbed the nearest available bench. Naruto took the one next to her and they pushed and shoved one another on their way to the fridge. The door was yanked open and both apprentices grabbed whatever they could, leaping back to their benches and dumping everything down. Naruto's hands were moving as a blur as he chopped a lettuce and sliced a tomato in seconds. He grabbed a wrap while throwing up a block of cheese. It soared into the air, slowed and then began to fall. Naruto had already lined the wrap with the salads something glinted in his hand. The kunai blurred through the air as Naruto sliced the cheese expertly, allowing it to fall on his wrap. He grinned, throwing a look at Shizune.
Shizune ignored him as she finished putting a plump cherry on top of the icing. Naruto gaped at the frosty cake that she had somehow conjured in the last minute as Shizune threw him a triumphant look.
"They said lunches!" Naruto protested loudly, his hands still blurring as he started slicing up rolls of cold meat and throwing them onto the platter he was making.
"This is a lunch!" Shizune snapped back. She was delicately cutting the cake into thin slices, arranging each slice neatly on the plate in front of her.
"That's a dessert!" Naruto growled. He was squeezing the mayonnaise bottle as if his life depended on it. "And how did you make that so quickly?"
Shizune smirked. "Please. I've been doing this for two decades! You've got nothing on me, kid!"
They both finished up at roughly the same time. Shizune glared at him. From behind his mask, Naruto glared right back. Then, they both grabbed their plates and flew from the room, jumping over the shattered remains of the door. Naruto was in front at first but Shizune darted past him as they turned a corner. Something jabbed him in his ribs and Naruto grunted. Shizune used his distraction to take the lead, a victorious grin on her face. Naruto growled and caught up to her. He yanked on her hair and she shrieked, faltering in her steps.
This went on for the next minute, the two apprentices pushing and shoving and tripping each other as they fought to reach the door to the Hokage's office first, each precariously holding onto their tray of food. They turned the last corner, barely avoiding bumping into an administrative officer- Naruto ducked and Shizune side-stepped- and raced for the door. Naruto's heart was pumping, his lip curled back and his teeth bared. The adrenaline and rush surged through him as he reached out for the door- just as Shizune did. They turned on each other, whacking and slapping and jabbing at each other's debilitating points as they fought to open the door before the other.
Then the door opened for them and both Naruto and Shizune fell in. Both assistants cried in unison as they toppled into the Hokage's office, their plates flying up in the air and its contents become dislodged. A moment late the food came crashing down right on top of them. Naruto's mask was blurred as salad, wraps, cake and fruit came smashing down on it. He used a hand to wipe the food off of his face and shook his head dazedly, looking around.
A tall, thin man stared down at him in bemusement. His head was covered by an elaborate headdress, made of feathers and satin, which had the symbol of the 'Land of Fire' emblazoned on it. He wore a sash of silk and fine cream robes, ornate symbols sewn on up the seams. He loosely held a fan in his right hand and was fanning himself absently. Behind him, Sarutobi had palmed his face and Tsunade was outright laughing.
The Fire Lord, ruler of the Land of Fire and perhaps the most politically powerful man in the world, had just watched Uzumaki act like a complete fool. For a single split second, Naruto was completely and utterly mortified.
"Fool!" Sarutobi thundered.
"Idiot!" Tsunade yelled.
A thick tome and a silver flask rocketed through the room. The book collided with Naruto's head, the flask with Shizune's, and both apprentices- who were struggling to get up- slammed back into the ground under the force of the throws.
The Fire Lord let out a shrill, noisy giggle and fanned his face majestically. "Oh, how amusing!" he cried out. "How very amusing indeed!"
Minutes later, a very apologetic apprentice prostrated on the floor feeling very sorry for himself. Tsunade had taken Shizune and left- although Naruto was certain that he had heard her boisterous laughter the moment the door had closed. Above him, Sarutobi and the Fire Lord sat around the Hokage's desk, eying the despondent apprentice with varying degrees of amusement. Sarutobi just looked exasperated and grumpy, his eye twitching as he regarded Naruto, who tried desperately to sink into the carpet.
"Oh, yes, you have a very interesting apprentice, Hiruzen," the Fire Lord exclaimed. His voice was rather high-pitched and it almost had a whiny quality to it. The fan in his hand never seemed to stop moving, either. "Oh, yes, very interesting indeed!"
"My apologises," Sarutobi grunted. He folded his arms and gave Naruto a specific look. "He also apologises. Don't you?"
"I apologise, Daimyo-sama!" Naruto repeated quietly.
"Oh, yes!" the Fire Lord chuckled. "He's very young- very young indeed!"
"Young and foolish," Sarutobi agreed.
Naruto bit his lip, wanting to remind the Hokage that not ten minutes ago he had been praising Naruto up and down. However he held his tongue, recognising the look on the old man's face. It was the look of somebody just looking for an excuse to make a poor, abused aide's life miserable, not out of any specific grievance but because the old bastard thought it was incredibly hilarious.
"Ferret!" Sarutobi barked. "For goodness sakes, stop slacking off! Stand up and make some tea for the Fire Lord!"
Naruto was up in a flash, opening the jar of tea leaves and preparing the tea as the Hokage apologised to the Fire Lord.
"…not always his fault," the Hokage was saying as Naruto bought over the Fire Lord's tea. "I must confess, I have lobbed an extraordinary large amount of rather heavy items at his head. While his combat skills have not suffered, I do not believe it has done much for his common sense."
Naruto ignored the slight as he usually did- at least, as he usually did when the Hokage had company- and carefully lowered the cup of tea to the Fire Lord's face level. He allowed the Fire Lord to see all angles of the cup and then carefully raised it to his face. A small gap opened up on his mask, right near his lips, and Naruto took a careful sip of the tea, making a point of visibly swallowing it in front of the Fire Lord.
"Oh, yes!" the Fire Lord exclaimed as Naruto gently placed the now tasted and tested tea down in front of him. "He's been trained well, oh yes, trained well indeed!"
Naruto bowed his head in thanks and straightened. As he did, he noticed the documents and maps on the Hokage's desk. At the moment, there was a large map of the Land of Fire spread open and a route had been traced out with red ink. On top of that there was a list of provisions donated by the Fire Lord to the Village of Konoha- and next to that there was a mission request scroll tied with a crimson ribbon. This observation all happened in a second and Naruto didn't linger as he retreated to his position behind the Hokage and awaited his next orders.
"I'm glad to see that recovery efforts are going well, oh yes," the Fire Lord mentioned casually, as if he was talking about the weather. "It's such a shame about Gyanburu no Machi, oh yes, such a shame indeed. The Lord of Tea Country is most upset, oh yes, most upset indeed."
"As are we all," Sarutobi responded gravely. "One-hundred thousand lives, men, women, children- all taken in a second. I am to understand that the entire city is gone, turned into a smoking crater with very little left."
"Oh, yes!" the Fire Lord agreed. He took a sip of his tea, his face showing his approval. "Some were from the Land of Fire, many from Tea Country, oh yes! Including the Lord of Tea Country's favourite niece, oh yes. Such tragedy!"
"We feel for his loss." Naruto didn't know if the Hokage was being a tad sardonic right there but he certainly sounded sincere.
"I expect many angry letters from him, oh yes," the Fire Lord continued. He fanned himself idly. "If only you'd left some of the enemy alive, oh yes. But the Lord of Tea Country has nobody to take his anger out on, oh yes, nobody indeed, so I, of course, will take that burden."
"I apologise for the efficiency of our counterattack." Sarutobi's voice was definitely dry at that point. "However, I felt it was best that we remove the threat to the Land of Fire as soon as possible."
"Oh, yes!" the Fire Lord exclaimed. "You did well, oh yes, exceptionally well indeed!" He hid half of his face behind his fad and giggled. "In fact, was it not your exceptional apprentice that led the team that stopped that madman from destroying this village?
Sarutobi nodded gravely as Naruto straightened. "Yes, it was," the Hokage answered quietly. "He performed exceedingly well given the circumstances. The loss of Gyanburu no Machi was tragic, however, the situation could have been extremely worse. Every capital and every Hidden could easily have been destroyed in a single day."
"A powerful weapon," the Fire Lord said quietly. He fanned himself. "Oh, yes, a powerful weapon indeed." He brightened. "But we are forgetting something! You, ANBU!" He pointed at Naruto with his fan. "You have the gratitude of the Land of Fire and the personal thanks of its' Lord. Should you ever desire a reward, you only need to ask and I will provide it for you- such is my generosity! Oh, yes!"
"My thanks, Daimyo-sama," Naruto said gravely. "I was merely doing my duty."
"Oh yes, of course!" the Fire Lord giggled shrilly. "However, good work should be rewarded. Oh yes, it should! My reward stands!"
Naruto hesitated and then bowed his head silently. It was hard to tell what the Hokage was thinking but there had been a flash of emotion behind his usually hard eyes, something fierce but fleeting. The Fire Lord snapped his fan shut and slapped it on his palm.
"Now, we must talk business!" the Fire Lord cried. "I have begun raising finds to help assist you in your repairs. Oh, yes! My son is levying the nobles back at the Capital while my daughter has gone on a tour of sorts." He made a face. "A tour, oh yes, something to inspire good will and motivate the nobles who live in the further regions!"
"That is excellent to hear," Sarutobi said quietly.
"Tell me, Hiruzen! What do you need?" The Fire Lord opened his fan and began fanning himself again for no particular reason. "After all, I cannot have my Hidden Village in ruins!"
Sarutobi motioned at Naruto and he left his spot behind the Hokage. He walked to some of the completed paperwork and picked up a pile of papers. He dropped them on the desk in front of Sarutobi, who took the first sheet off the top of the pile and handed it to the Fire Lord.
"Dismissed, Ferret," Saurtobi ordered. "Go and clean yourself up."
"Hokage-sama, Daimyo-sama," Naruto said with a bow.
He was glad to get out of that room. After spending over half of his life putting up with the Hokage's exaggerated tantrums and false moods, Naruto had developed a keen sense of when somebody was acting less than truthfully. With the Fire Lord- despite all of his eccentric mannerisms and quirky speech patterns- Naruto hadn't been able to get a read on him at all.
He was glad to get out of that room and away from the eyes that had barely left him.
The next couple of days were extremely awkward for Naruto. The Fire Lord, as a show of trust and respect for the Village Hidden in Leaves, had planned an extended week's stay in the village. A full contingent of samurai had been stationed outside the village walls- mostly a symbolic gesture than anything else- and the Fire Lord's personal guard had arrived. Wearing thick red sashes with the unique symbol of the Twelve Guardians, these elite shinobi apparently trusted nobody. There were six in Konoha at the moment and three never left the Fire Lord's side.
Despite Naruto's role as the Hokage's aide, they had expressly forbidden him to be within the Fire Lord's proximity without the Hokage's presence. Naruto would have taken it personally except that the rule apparently applied to all shinobi. It made the completion of his duties hard when the Fire Lord was touring the Hokage's Tower or wandering about curiously and there had been several times when Naruto had been kicked out of the tower. There was no use protesting and, honestly, he was glad to have an excuse to stay away from the Fire Lord. The unknown gleam in his eye whenever he encountered Naruto was disturbing and the poor boy briefly wondered if the Fire Lord had those sorts of tendencies.
He was working at the Mission Assignment Desk, sorting out the different repair orders for the squads of Genin that were scurrying about assisting with the rebuilding when the ANBU came for him. A flicker of movement caught his attention as a single ANBU member appeared in the office, a dog mask on his face.
"Ferret." The ANBU's voice was emotionless. "You have been summoned for a mission. Report to the briefing room."
There was the authenticity pulse through his tattoo and Naruto nodded. The ANBU member disappeared in a flicker of movement while Naruto put away the last of the scrolls and closed the filing cabinet. Then, he made a handing and disappeared in a Body Flicker. A little while later, he stepped into the Headquarters for the ANBU.
The entrance to ANBU Headquarters was located on the bottom level of Hokage's Tower and the facility itself extended underneath Konoha towards the Hokage's Monument. Several facilities called these catacombs home- the Torture and Interrogation Department, the Advanced Research and Developments Office and the General Intelligence Services Agency. Naruto's tattoo pulsed with chakra on his arm as he confirmed the correct passcodes and was granted access. Although he couldn't see them, he knew a full Combat Platoon guarded the entrance to these restricted areas at all times.
He walked through the hallways, his footsteps echoing loudly in the deserted corridors. The Genjutsu barriers were effective in cases of intrusion. Only those who knew the correct route through them could pass them otherwise infiltrators could spend days wandering the corridors without getting anywhere. He opened a seemingly random door and entered yet another dull and bland corridor. This time, it was a real one and occasionally he would pass another ANBU operative. Some of them nodded respectfully at him, others ignored him completely. There were some whose faces he knew and there were others who were completely unknown to him.
The ANBU were the Hokage's personal army. They conducted military operations, both domestically and internationally. They were the soldiers of Konoha, whereas other shinobi were the workforce of Konoha. The ANBU fought the enemy to protect Konoha and her interests. Shinobi fought the enemy to complete missions and make money for Konoha. That was really the only distinction between the two- ANBU would be sent on missions that generally had nothing to do with money while shinobi were more mercenary. As such, there was a higher level of confidentiality required within the ANBU, for security and safety purposes.
The identities of most ANBU were generally not classified. In many cases, the use of ANBU mask was partly tradition but mostly practicality. Many benefits came from wearing one, but the cost and labour spent making one meant that they were hardly ideal for mass production. The identities of those beneath the masks were not secret and the families and friends of many ANBU members knew exactly where they worked. For the most part, this was true. The exception was Konoha's two Assassination Teams and Konoha's First Combat Platoon- Alpha Team.
Alpha Team was the Hokage's most elite squad and were the exception to the rule. If you joined Alpha Squad, you never left. Their identities were hidden and classified to all but the Hokage. They were the most elite. They were the most dangerous.
As Naruto passed a member of Alpha Squadron, he silently reiterated his opinion that they were also the ones with the biggest sticks up their arse. He shook his head, rolling his eyes, as he strode through the corridor and approached the mission room. He entered and saluted the ANBU Commander, who stood behind a table waiting. Several other robed and masked figures stood around it and Naruto stepped forward to join the former members of Sigma Squad.
Naruto had been the sole member of the Hokage's personal squad, and that squad had only been expanded due to a clause in the Wartime Conditions Policy. After the alert level for Konoha had been lowered, each member of Sigma Squad had been reassigned back to their original squads. The last he heard, ANBU HQ was still trying to sort out the mess that Gamma Team had become and he hadn't heard anything about Kage's Recon Squad.
"Good. We can begin." The ANBU Commander was nothing if not to the point. He gestured to the desk, pointing at a map of Konoha. "There have been reports of raids and attacks in these areas here." He pointed to the region along the north-east border of the Land of Fire. "We assumed they were criminals and dispatched a Special Jonin and a team of Chunin for a simple policing job. They have not reported in."
Naruto frowned.
"Intel suggests that a noble has now disappeared on his way back to his villa. The Fire Lord feels very strongly about this sort of thing so we're sending you out to find out what's going on." The Commander pointed at Kage. "Kage, your Recon Team has point on this. Komachi, you will take what's left of Gamma Team's Third Squad and support him. Ferret is still attached to your unit and will join you. Find out what's going on. If it's a serious incursion, we'll send additional firepower. If not, fix the problem yourself. Questions?"
Nobody spoke. Naruto couldn't help the grin behind his mask as his swivelled his eyes, taking in the sight of his comrades. He would enjoy working with them again.
"A warning: the Fire Lord may have already hired a team of bounty hunters to the scene already. If he has, do not engage them unless they engage you first. He may have hired Kumo to make a point to Konoha and I do not want you starting a war with them. Understood?"
"Sir!" they all chorused.
"Dismissed."
The newly formed Team Kage filed out. The moment the door closed, Yuuka was on him, mussing his hair affectionately.
"Captain Cutie!" she squealed. She paused. "Well, not captain but still! Cutie!"
"Gerroff!" Naruto growled, although something lurched in his stomach and his protests and struggles weren't that sincere.
"It's good to work together again, Kage," Komachi said to Kage.
"Hey, boss!" Daichi greeted. He paused. "Ex-boss. Eh, you're all my boss. Everybody's my boss."
"Team." Kage didn't speak very loudly but when he did everybody fell silent and listened. "Gather your equipment. We leave from Mission Gate Four in thirty minutes."