The Silent Fox
Chapter 2 – Silence
It was past on the morning of 11th October, and the ANBU agent, 'Dog' was running late. He'd not slept of course. Festival celebrations over the defeat of the Kyuubi six years prior had bled into his routine morning remembrance of his teammates, and now he was late for duty. Sending chakra to his legs for yet another consecutive shunshin, he flashed across the roofs of Konoha at top speed. Oh how he wished he had the same flair for this technique as Owl, the smug little bastard.
As he dashed across the rooftops, something caught his eye, bringing him to an unexpected halt. In a heap next to a gate in one of the back-alleys, a small figure lay prone. Part of him wanted to brush it off as a useless drunkard, but he knew that figure was too small to be anything but a child. With a sigh, Dog leapt down from the roof and started walking over to the child. When he caught sight of the blood matted in the child's hair, he started moving much quicker.
The child was tiny. Emaciated and thin. He seemed to weigh nothing as dog rolled him over on to his back, although the child did not stir. The boy's clothes, at least he thought it was a boy, were rags, and he was covered in blood and grime. Dog scraped away as much of the muck from the boy's face as possible, and leaned in close with his ear, listening for a breath. It was faint, but thankfully, it was there.
Sitting back up on his haunches, and feeling for a pulse, Dog caught a proper sight of the boy's features for the first time, and stopped. It couldn't be. "Sensei." he breathed. The boy's pulse was strong, but the amount of blood was worrying. If this truly was who he thought, the Sandaime needed to know. Gathering the child up in his arms gingerly, Dog cradled the boy as gently as possible against his chest, and shunshined away.
TSF-TSF-TSF
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk and sighed. Dog was late again, and this time not just by a few minutes. Tiger had called Cat in as a replacement, but it wasn't a good look. Hiruzen knew that it was a difficult time of year for Dog, but it was for everyone, and if he wanted to make Captain he needed to be a little more reliable. Sighing once more, he looked back down at the paperwork before him. Between the civilian council and that damnable Shimura Danzo, he was hard pressed on all sides to maintain his authority. It had been that way since the loss of the Yondaime.
There was a brief flash of chakra and he looked up to find Dog kneeling before him. "Sandaime-sama" the ANBU agent intoned. Tiger, the captain of the team, dropped down from the rafters and stared at his wayward subordinate, his anger flaring visibly, but before he could launch into a reprimand, Hiruzen raised his hand to stop the man, having noticed the small form in Dog's arms.
"Who is this, Dog? I imagine this is why you were late?".
Dog nodded quickly and spoke, "Yes, Sandaime-sama. I found him outside the orphanage. He'd been attacked, bloody all over, and it looks like he might have a concussion." He looked up to me the Hokage's eyes, and continued in response to the unasked question he found there. "I think it's Naruto." His voiced hitched at the last, betraying more emotion than an ANBU agent rightly should.
The Hokage stood and moved past his desk in an instant, panic rising in his chest. He peered forward with concern, bending over to get a better look as Dog opened up his stance slightly so that the child he held in his arms could be seen. The Sandaime put his hand to the child's forehead as he studied his features, heart sinking. He knelt and took the child into his lap.
"It's definitely him." He spoke, checking the head-wound beneath the hairline as he did so. "He needs to be looked after. His cuts have already healed, despite the blood he is still covered in, but I'm worried about concussion. Dog, Cat will take over your shift here, take Naruto and get him cleaned up, and get one of the ANBU medics to look him over. When he wakes up bring him back here. Tell Mebuki-San to clear my schedule for the day on your way out."
At this, Hiruzen handed the boy back to Dog, and returned to his desk. As he regained his seat, Dog finally replied. "Yes, Sandaime-sama.". Dog stood, clutching the child close to him, laying his head on his shoulder as he walked away. Hiruzen could swear that he'd seen Dog's eyes watering through the holes in his mask.
TSF TSF TSF
Dog sighed deeply as he ran his hand through his hair. He didn't know how it could have come to this. His own Sensei's son. He'd been ordered to stay away, and like a good ANBU, he had followed orders. Now he wished he hadn't. He looked down at the tiny boy laying on his bed, fast asleep. He was now clean, although Dog had burned the sorry excuse for clothes he was wearing. He'd dressed Naruto in the outfit he'd been given by his father when he became a Genin; kept for sentimental reasons; which was the last gift he had ever received from the man. The worrying part was that Dog had been only 5 years old at the time, yet Naruto was dwarfed by them. It hit Dog hard to see it.
The Sandaime had told him to not have any contact lest he reveal Naruto's true identity with his closeness, which might lead to assassination attempts against the Yondaime's legacy. In hindsight, Dog thought it would probably have been worth the risk. The boy stirred uncomfortably in his sleep, and Dog reached down to brush the boy's hair out of his face.
There was no sign of scarring or bruising, but that was only to be expected given Naruto's tenant. It certainly didn't make Dog feel any better, since it only made it impossible to tell how much the boy had truly been abused. Dog felt himself staring off into the distance again, until a knock at the door broke him from his reverie. Reaching over to the side table, he replaced his dog mask on his face, and went to open his door. On the other side, he was greeted by a plain white masked ANBU medic.
Dog stepped aside, motioning for the medic to come in, who did so in silence, making efficient strides across the room. Dog looked on dourly as the medic performed a number of diagnostic jutsu, and after a long fifteen minutes, the medic coughed to regain Dog's attention.
"He seems fine. From what I can tell, he did have a minor concussion, but it has rapidly healed itself. I performed the same test at the start and end, and found that the swelling around his head has drastically reduced already. I imagine he'll wake up within a couple of hours at this rate."
Dog nodded in reply, and the medic tactfully left. Good news and bad once again. He'd healed from something this bad on his own, who knew if things like this had happened before.
It was another tense hour and a half of waiting before the tiny child stirred from his sleep. He sat up, rubbing his eye with the sleeve of the relatively oversized shirt he was wearing, before seeming to realise all to abruptly that he didn't know where he was. His eyes scanned the room in a panic, quickly finding Dog, who had not taken off his mask again since the visit from the medic.
Naruto back pedalled across the bed on his hands, quickly backing up into the corner of the room, eyes wide. As Dog slowly came closer, and stretched out a hand, the boy winced, screwing his eyes shut and turning his face away, pressing himself to the wall. Dog inched closer, but the tension was broken slightly by the loud growl coming from the boy's stomach. Dog frowned, realising that Naruto must be starving, and quickly made his way across the room to his cupboards. There wasn't much in the way of food, pretty much just the ration bars he would carry out on missions. Not quite a soldier pill, just normal food really, but they wouldn't have side effects from living off of them. They weren't flavoured at all, and were actually quite bitter, since nutrients and energy were the only things a shinobi real required from food, but Dog hoped that the boy wouldn't be too picky given how hungry he seemed to be.
Turning back, it seemed that Naruto had noticed Dog leaving, since he was now looking at him curiously, no longer pressed against the wall. Dog reached up and took his dog mask away from his face, placing it down on the kitchen counter. Holding out the ration bar tentatively ahead of him, Dog approached cautiously, and this time, Naruto only drew back a little. This time, Dog reached up with his other hand and lowered his face mask as well, trying to show a comforting smile. The child seemed worryingly perturbed at the sight of the expression, but reached out to take the ration bar all the same.
"You eat that Naruto, and we'll go and see a friend okay?" Dog said slowly, keeping his voice as calm as possible. The boy stared straight back at him in silence. After a moment or two, he opened his mouth, only to begin chewing softly on the newly acquired ration bar. It was hard tack, so the little boy would probably have to work away at it for a little while so he could take a bite. Despite the food though, Naruto didn't take his eyes away from Dog at all.
Dog reached out again towards the boy, who froze, and stopped chewing. Although he didn't shrink away like last time, Dog could see tears welling in the boy's eyes as he got close. Gingerly, he took a hold of the boy, and lifted him into his arms, before taking a seat and depositing him in his lap. Dog hugged him close as the tears began to fall, and just sat, waiting patiently. Eventually, he felt the movement of Naruto's jaw against his shoulder as the child began to eat once more. "Okay then, we'll get some sandals on you, and then we'll go, you just keep eating and leave the rest to me.".
Dog turned the boy around in his lap and reached down for the child sized sandals that had been a part of his genin uniform. Thankfully, they were adjustable, so their size wouldn't be so much of an issue as it had been with the clothes. Still moving gently so as not to provoke a panic, Dog finished strapping the sandals to the boy's feet, and picked him up, once again cradling him against his shoulder as the boy continued to work his jaw on his tough fare. Reaching down with his spare hand to grab his dog mask from the kitchen counter, Dog made his way out the door.
TSF-TSF-TSF
It was just past noon when Dog shunshined back into the Hokage's office. It was relatively quiet, all meetings having been cancelled for the day, and mission assignments being solely handled by a team of chunin and advisors in another area of the tower. Sarutobi Hiruzen watched with a heavy heart as Dog placed the now conscious little boy down on his feet, but had to physically turn him around so that he would look towards Hiruzen, who now saw that he was munching away on the remnants of what looked to be a field ration bar.
"Hello Naruto, I haven't seen you since you were three, but do you remember me?" The old man asked softly, leaning forwards and smiling at the little boy, who didn't seem to really acknowledge that he'd been spoken to aside from a slight glance in Hiruzen's direction. Hiruzen now looked to Dog, "Has he spoken to you at all?"
Dog shook his head sadly. "No, Sandaime-sama, he hasn't said anything, and I think he only looked at me when I spoke because he was scared of me.". True to Dog's words, Hiruzen could see that the boy was shaking a little as he finished the last of his food, and wiped the crumbs from his mouth with his over-long sleeve.
Hiruzen nodded, as he stepped to the side of the room and dragged across a spare armchair to sit beside his own at his desk. "Okay, bring him over here", he said, patting the new chair, "I need to think about what to do from here."
Dog spoke his affirmative, and ushered the child forward, lifting him beneath the arms and placing him on the seat next to the Hokage. Hiruzen stared thoughtlessly down at the paperwork in front of him, and absently reached a hand across, placing it on the boy's knee in an attempt at reassurance. The boy froze for a moment, before relaxing a little, and beginning to look around the room curiously.
Around an hour passed like that in silence, the ANBU guards watching; with Cat having been relieved by Dog; Naruto looking around; and Hiruzen staring down at his desk, not filling anything out, or even attempting to for that matter.
It was at this point that one of the ANBU seemed to have gotten bored. Owl, who, alongside fox, was standing guard next to the door, hidden by a strong genjutsu as per regulations, had dropped said genjutsu, and was repeatedly making a hand sign for hello towards the little boy. Seemingly oblivious to the simmering gaze of his captain, Tiger, Owl persisted for about five minutes until the boy noticed him, and then for about five more of the boy staring straight back at his antics before he had returned the gesture.
Owl, forgetting himself yet further for a moment, clapped his hands in joy, the sound of which seemed to break the Sandaime Hokage from his thoughts.
"Dog, Tiger, come down, I'd like your input." At this, the two ANBU hiding in the rafters dropped down, kneeling before their Hokage, who continued. "We can't return him to the orphanage obviously," Dog tensed visibly at the mere thought, "but nobody close to Minato can look after him, its too dangerous for him if his birthright is discovered."
Dog looked up and spoke. "Sandaime-sama, given how he was treated, it might be worth the risk. I'd protect him with my life." Hiruzen smiled sadly at this.
"I'm sure you would Dog, but I refuse to take that risk."
Tiger spoke this time. "He could be raised secretly Hokage-sama, he is no stranger to isolation, and if nobody sees him, there won't be any connection to make."
Hiruzen was already shaking his head before Tiger had finished speaking. "I won't condemn him to that Tiger. I have already failed him badly already. There must be a way of ensuring his safety without resorting to such drastic measures." He sighed to himself. "If he were not so quiet, I would set him up independently with a place to stay and a stipend, but as he won't, or can't, speak, I don't think we can leave him alone."
Owl stepped forward from his place by the door, kneeling down. "There's no such thing as too safe Hokage-sama, even if its drastic, he could be raised secretly by someone close to one of his parents."
Tiger looked disgruntled once more at Owl's breach of protocol, but Hiruzen merely shook his head.
"If I may, Sandaime-sama?" Fox now spoke, kneeling down, as the now thoroughly annoyed Tiger stood to take a more watchful position, motioning for Owl to do the same, who, thankfully, complied. At Hiruzen's nod, Fox continued.
"Owl is correct, there is no such thing as too safe." Despite the Hokage's annoyed expression, Fox ploughed onwards. "However in this case I mean for you. It wouldn't hurt to have a fifth ANBU guard every now and then would it?" His voice sounded lightly amused, as opposed to his usual bored and neutral tones. The rest were stunned as, in a massive breach of protocol, Fox stood and removed his mask. He stepped forward towards the desk, and as he did so, the little boy beside the Hokage actually reacted to his presence.
Naruto looked across to see tired eyes, but a kind face of a boy around the age of fourteen or fifteen smiling across at him. "You can be fox now." Fox said, "I can be Crow, since that mask is free.".
Naruto stared back in to deep red eyes, three dark tomoe circling the pupil, and found no duplicity there. He reached out and took the mask, holding it up to his face, although without the application of chakra, it wouldn't adjust to him.
The stunned silence was deafening, but after a few moments, Hiruzen broke it with a booming laugh. "Good, good, very good." Hiruzen spoke with a big smile. "Crow, go and retrieve your new mask. I think you and Owl can take Fox under your wing."
Jutsu list:
Shunshin – Body Flicker Technique
A/N: So doesn't really like the formatting I used in open office since it stripped all of it away. I never bothered with microsoft office since I normally use scrivener for my writing, but I don't think this site can handle .scrivs, so we'll try some more caveman style breaks and see how that looks. If it's gucci I'll go back and reformat chapter 1. Realised a bit late that Chapter 1 was automatically labeled Chapter 2 thanks to the preface, have fixed that now so apologies for any confusion.
Honestly for ANBU names i'm using the english rather than japanese (i.e. Dog rather than Inu) because I feel like it might bite me in the ass later if I get too ambitious with the japanese stuff. Would like feedback on that in particular if anyone plans to leave a review, since I think the japanese version might sound better but yaknow. Do feel free to make guesses at who all 5 ANBU are that have been mentioned so far. 2 are obvious I guess, and another has a hint hidden away, but the other 2 maybe less so.
Also time for some acknowledgement. Some of the inspiration for this story came from From Academy to ANBU by theriku260 . A fic I enjoyed immensely. Would recommend.