The Silent Fox

Chapter 6 – The Root of the Issue

Dog settled into his spot in the rafters above the Hokage's desk. Fox was attached to his side like a limpet, which was kind of cute, if slightly inconvenient. It had taken a couple of months, but Guy had finally returned from his mission, and the previous evening, they had moved Fox into his new room, adjacent to Dog's. It wasn't all that much, an eight by fifteen foot box room which combined a bed and a kitchen, with a small adjoining toilet and shower; but plenty of space for the boy to call his own.

In hindsight, they hadn't really explained to Naruto in advance that he would be staying alone. The boy hadn't made a big deal when Dog left him for the evening after getting him settled, but when he went to wake him in the morning, he was immediately tackled by a small ball of anxiety and tears upon opening the door. It had taken half an hour to fully calm the child and explain what was happening, and get Naruto to agree to staying separately; and even after agreeing, he hadn't let go of Dog's arm since that morning. The time taken for the explanation had severely cut into the time for Dog's daily remembrance at the memorial stone, only having time for a short fifteen minute visit, but strangely, Dog found that his daily ritual was becoming less and less important to him.

Guy himself had insisted on helping Fox move in, and hadn't been particularly good about masking his curiosity about the boy. He had quickly recognised him is the tiny ANBU that had fallen from the rafters a month or so prior. Naruto, however, was too shy, and too unfamiliar with the overly loud Jonin to really interact with him at all, and hadn't even signed to Guy directly, even though Guy was able to read sign language, and in all honesty, Dog was grateful for it. He really didn't want Naruto to be infected with that kind of youthfulness any time soon, or at all, if he could help it.

TSF-TSF-TSF

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk pensively, eyeing the latest proposition from the civilian council. He'd let them have far too much influence on the Ninja Academy curriculum in the past, and now he would have to take a stand. As part of some negotiation over military budget, he had agreed a few years ago to having one afternoon per week dedicated to separate classes for Kunoichi, which consisted of housekeeping, flower arranging, and other similar activities. It had seemed harmless at the time, and had in fact been of help to some young Chunin and Genin women who had married within a few short years of graduation, and retired from Shinobi life in order to start a family. It seemed that now, however, war had been absent for long enough that the civilian council was forgetting itself. Their new proposal was to have every afternoon dedicated to separate classes for Kunoichi. He wasted no more time in marking it as rejected, he would have to have a serious conversation with his advisors regarding how to forestall any future attempts at demilitarisation by the civilian council.

As Hiruzen reached for his next order of business, he heard a familiar set of footsteps making their way slowly towards his door. A few moments later, and Shimura Danzo stepped through the door, not having bothered to knock, nor even to make an appointment. As he entered, the room became utterly silent. Owl and Crow in particular seemed to be attempting to stare a hole through the back of the man's head. Danzo walked forward laboriously, a cane clutched in his bandaged arm, and came to a stop a few feet from the desk. "Hiruzen." He said, inclining his head slightly.

Hiruzen took a moment too compose himself; placing his elbow's on his desk, he allowed his fingers to form a peak in front of his mouth. "To what do I owe the pleasure Danzo, the council meeting is not until tomorrow evening, as I'm sure you're aware." Hiruzen leaned forwards a little now, his eyes meeting Danzo's with a hard stare.

"I'm here to talk about promises Hiruzen. Promises that need to be kept." At this, Danzo glanced exaggeratedly up at the rafters above the Hokage's desk.

Hiruzen sighed. He had been dreading this. Both common sense and morality were on his side. Unfortunately, Shimura Danzo was renowned for neither, at least among those who Hiruzen valued. Not to mention that he was likely volatile enough to really rock the boat if he didn't get what he wanted. "I think you'll find Danzo, that no promises have been broken. You made your ultimatum, but it no longer applies, so you have no grounds for quarrel." Hiruzen spoke calmly, but his tone was harsh. He had learned the hard way that Danzo could not be given an inch, voracious a negotiator as he was, lest he reach for a whole mile. Although in Danzo's case, his habit was more in the region of 10 miles, metaphorically speaking.

Danzo, brought his hands together, meshing his fingers, as he tapped his cane hard against the ground between his feet. "I can't see why it wouldn't Hiruzen. Your age is clouding your judgement. Do not think you can go back on our agreement just because a little time has passed. We fought hard to come to an accord, can you bear the consequences of abandoning it?".

Hiruzen stood, slamming his palms on the desk. "Don't you dare to threaten me Danzo. You should remember just who you're talking to. Besides, your ultimatum no longer applies, since I've acquiesced to your original demands.". Danzo tilted his head questioningly at this, although his body language was still aggressive. Hiruzen continued, a small smile beginning to form. "You insisted that the boy be trained by ANBU, and now he is being. You have nothing to complain about since you got what you wanted."

Danzo bristled, "I insisted the weapon be trained by my ANBU"...

Hiruzen cut across him sharply, "All ANBU in Konoha answer to the Hokage, although you may feel free to argue that particular point with the shinobi council if you dare to. Besides, you may refer to him how you will, and I shall do the same.". At this point, Hiruzen had practically climbed onto his desk, and Danzo looked like he was about to raise his cane and attack, before he managed to get a hold of himself.

"As you will, Hokage-sama." the man spat out through gritted teeth. Then, Danzo spun on his heel and strode from the office, not even making use of his cane, which he held tightly in both hands.

"Dog,", Hiruzen said softly, "Keep a closer eye on Fox for a while.".

TSF-TSF-TSF

Naruto seemed overjoyed at the fact that Dog hadn't forced him to sleep separately again since that first night. After the incident with Danzo, Dog had taken the Hokage's warning to heart, and now Naruto's new room would be left empty for the foreseeable future. That was still an improvement on having Guy living next door and shouting loudly in the early hours of the morning.

The entire ANBU squad refused to let Fox out of their sight even for a moment. Owl and Dog would even take turns in escorting him to the bathroom when he needed it. The atmosphere did have a silver lining, however. It had brought a new intensity to Fox's training. Both Tiger and Crow had begun to push him harder and harder, and despite taking a few hits here and there, Fox's Tiger form and his tree climbing ability had begun to improve much more quickly. Owl had also been present at each training session, and, true to his namesake, had been watching out into the encroaching night every evening, worried that Danzo would make some kind of move. Dog had been making sure to take care of any chores; grocery shopping and the like; during the time that Fox was busy training with the rest of the team, so that he would be ready to meet the boy after he had finished his training, and would keep a constant watchful eye for the rest of the evening, before falling asleep holding the boy protectively in his arms.

Danzo was a terrifying beast that hid in the shadows of Konoha, and Dog knew it. Both Tiger and Cat had warned him in the years following the Yondaime's death that Danzo's operatives had attempted to make contact with him on multiple occasions, but he had been kept so busy with external missions by the Sandaime that they hadn't had chance to properly recruit him before Dog had been assigned to the Hokage's personal guard detail.

Being a personal guard to the Hokage made them privy to a plethora of secret, if mainly peripheral, information. Although it was the night guard detail that was able to listen in on the weekly council meetings, if anything urgent happened during the day shift, the ANBU guards were in the know. Through this, all four of them were painfully aware that there was some partisan fragment of Konoha's military force that answered solely to Danzo, who himself was never afraid to set himself opposed to the Sandaime politically whenever an opportunity presented itself. All in all, it was a tense situation, and as the weeks went by, they all felt as if they were waiting for the axe to drop.

TSF-TSF-TSF

A month after the Danzo incident, Fox had finally mastered tree climbing to Crow's satisfaction. The boy was now able to run up and down the trunk of a tree pretty much indefinitely, and was even able to jump from tree to tree and stick each landing. It was an important milestone, and had only been made harder by the fact that Fox's chakra reserves seemed to be growing in real time. Dog thought that it wouldn't be long before Fox's reserves surpassed his own. Granted, Dog didn't have overly large reserves himself, and got by with impeccable control instead, but he was still an elite ANBU.

Fox didn't wallow in his success, however, and had almost immediately started pestering Owl to continue teaching him the shunshin once Crow had agreed that he had mastered the exercise. With a few months of knowing each other, Owl felt that Fox was comfortable enough with them to be teased, which he was, to some extent. It had resulted in balled fists and a cute little pout, but Owl had wisely(arguably) given in before a full blown temper tantrum occurred. Dog was pleased that Fox was finally showing enough confidence in them to ask for things, and even begin acting more like a normal child; but Tiger, as ever, had reservations, worrying that they were beginning to spoil the boy.

Coming back to the shunshin, having spent a couple of months mastering a control exercise, Fox showed immediate improvement. Although partially through sheer force of chakra just as much as it was from control, Fox was able to perform a shunshin that would make any Genin proud. Owl, however, thought there was something they could do to improve this further that wouldn't be too difficult. So it was that Fox was found sitting up to his neck in a small pond in a clearing in training ground three, with Owl sitting atop the water next to him. Tiger, although also at the training ground, waiting to give Fox his next lesson once Owl was done, had retreated into the foliage in order to give the two some space.

"Okay Fox,", Owl said softly, "keep your eyes closed, and breath slowly. Feel the water against your skin. Can you feel the cold begin to seep through you. Your skin gets cold, and the blood in your veins begins to take that coldness back into you. Feel it spread through every inch of you." It was now out of winter and in the beginnings of spring, but the boy still shivered as the wind blew against his skin. He stayed still and calm though, listening to Owl's instructions. "Now imagine, instead of the cold seeping through you, its your chakra. Feel it permeate your whole body, making your heart beat fast, making your muscles strong.". Owl stood and drew back a little, as he sensed chakra rising within Fox's body. It wasn't quite visible, but the boy was giving off quite an impressive aura. "Do it now Fox, perform the shunshin!".

There was a whirl of wind, water, and leaves, and Fox dissappeared from the pool. Owl turned, and saw Fox smiling back at him. Owl walked over and patted his head. "Well done kid.".

It really had been an impressive shunshin.

TSF-TSF-TSF

Dog sat in the rafters above the Hokage's desk, Fox by his side. It had now been almost two months, and they were beginning to think that they'd been altogether too worried about Danzo. Fox had continued to improve his skills, and had polished his shunshin, although hadn't managed to reach the amazing level he had before at the pond if Owl was to be believed. Tiger had also finished teaching Fox the fundamentals of the Tiger style. He was by no means a master, or even particularly smooth, but he was able to use the moves of the Tiger form instinctively while sparring.

A cough from the Hokage broke Dog from his reverie. "Dog, take this message to Dragon. You needn't wait for a reply though.". Dog dropped down from the rafters, speaking his affirmation, and quickly making his way out of the door.

Owl and Crow stood either side of the door, hidden behind their usual genjutsu. Minutes ticked by in silence after Dog left. Owl reached up to scratch his head, before suddenly coming to a stop, not voluntarily however. His eyes widened in confusion, before flicking down to the ground. There, from under the door, a shadow snaked through, connecting with that of Crow and Owl, binding them in place. Kage Mane no jutsu, his mind screamed. "Attack!". He shouted aloud.

Tiger reacted quickly, turning to cover the remaining entrance, just as the window smashed; two white masked figures bursting through. Tiger forced chakra into his legs, as one of the figures rushed forwards, only to feel as if he'd been blind-sided by an iron bar to the skull. He felt an emotionless consciousness struggle against his willpower for control of his body. The other assailant must have hit him with the Shintenshin no jutsu! A blasted Yamanaka!

Fox had a felt a moment of horror as the window smashed. He watched as one of the figures rushed towards the Hokage, throwing a senbon, and then chasing after it, kunai in hand. Fox saw the Hokage try to duck back out of the way, but his seated position hampered his movements, and the senbon grazed his neck. In that instant, the Hokage seemed to freeze, as if paralysed, leaving himself wide open. It was at that moment Fox knew, he was the only one who could move.

The charging assailant was already a blur of motion as he shunshined forward towards his target. With a vague memory of his time in the pool with Owl, Fox forced his chakra outwards from his navel, permeating his whole body. He could feel his hair whip backwards as he blurred into motion at extreme speed with his own shunshin. Just as the attacker began to drive his kunai down towards the Hokage's throat, suddenly, Fox was there. There was an audible slap of flesh on flesh, as Fox caught the kunai wielding assailant's wrist in a clawed hand. Acting on instinct, Fox turned, and putting all of his weight and strength into it, he began to throw the attacker.

He was quickly pulled up short. This attacker was far larger, and far stronger than Fox. As soon as he pulled his arm back, there was nothing further that Fox could do, he would not budge. Fox turned, and looked up in horror into the pale white eyes behind the mask, as the attacker's other hand descended, two chakra covered fingers darting out towards his heart. Fox tried to draw back in terror, but the attacker had dropped the kunai from his other hand, and now grabbed Fox's wrist in turn, holding him in place. Suddenly, in a blur of motion, Fox's view was blocked.

Tiger roared in anger as he threw the unknown consciousness from his mind. He could see below him, as the other assailant's arm drew back, ready to deal a death blow. Tiger made use of the chakra he had already forced into his legs, and performed a shunshin forwards, travelling at his fastest speed. At the last moment, he appeared between Fox and the attacker, the incoming attack landing on his chest, only an inch to the right of his heart. In excruciating pain, Tiger coughed a mouthful of blood across the inside of his mask. That was a Juuken strike, and it had hit a major Tenketsu next to his heart. He had to end this fast.

The distance was far too short for a katana, so he reached to his side, pulling out his chokuto left handed. He pushed himself forwards, staring straight through the eyeholes of his assailant, and brought his arm up, pushing his chokuto against his enemy's neck. Tiger, a fierce grin hidden by his mask, made a slow drawing cut across the assailant's jugular. He stared into unnerving pale eyes, that seemed implacable, until the strength began to drain from the attacker's legs as he collapsed, and the eyes seemed to widen in fear at the last moment, realising he was meeting his end.

Tiger stayed upright long enough to see the presumably Yamanaka assailant turn and flee through the already smashed window, and heard door slam open, seeing a shock of white hair before he collapsed to the ground, coughing and spluttering. Fox caught him as he fell to the floor, placing Tiger's head in his lap, before reaching across and removing the mask from Tiger's face. The ANBU captain coughed up another mouthful of blood, which ran down his chin. Tiger's heavily lidded eyes met Fox's wide ones, before they shuttered closed.

Dog rushed towards the Hokage, who seemed stunned, only to be pulled up short as the Sandaime seemed to regain mobility all of a sudden, and held up his hand. "Don't worry about me Dog, it was just a paralysis poison, instantaneous, but very short term. Get Tiger to a medic quickly!".

Dog nodded and reached down, picking up Tiger. As he bent down, he met Fox's teary eyes.

"Don't worry kid, everything will be okay.".

Jutsu List:

Kage Mane no jutsu : Shadow binding technique.

Shintenshin no jutsu : Mind transfer technique.

Juuken : Gentle fist

Review responses:

Poseidon1702: Hey man, thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I'll take your advice regarding the jutsu list going forwards, although the common ones like shunshin won't reappear in the list after the first time. I'll try and get the title alignment sorted too, open office just doesn't want to play ball and I have no idea why its misaligning like that. I'm glad you enjoyed the "wanting to be a hero" part, although I think I should clarify a bit. When they talk about being a hero, what they're actually talking about is appearing on the memorial stone. Owl is a little conflicted, as he says he thinks he'll end up there someday, whereas Naruto doesn't really understand what it means, which I feel brings a satisfyingly melancholy tone to the end of that chapter when you think of it from that view.

A/N: Some more knowledgeable readers may notice I've changed some things regarding Dog (who I think we now all know is Kakashi, and I need to say who he is for this explanation anyway) and Danzo. Firstly, Kakashi was never recruited to Root in this story, since Hiruzen kept him busy and away from the village so that he couldn't see Naruto. I'm also not 100% sure on the timing of Danzo's attempt on Hiruzen's life, but I thought I may as well use it here because why not. Also, Danzo only has his arm bandaged at this point and not his eye, since he hasn't yet stolen Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan. I don't think he had his eye covered prior to that but do feel free to correct me. Also, it couldn't hurt to humour the boy, could it? ;p

Also also, I won't reveal yet who Tiger is, but if you have guessed, I made the executive decision to make him older than in canon. I thought it fit well with my intentions for the fic. I am most unapologetic.

Warning: Spoilers (kinda, stuff that would I would have left unexplained regarding Danzo, but you can read about his motivations more below if you so wish. Do feel free to skip this though since it's not necessary for the story going forwards.)

Also, more on Danzo's motivations, which I only hinted at lightly in this chapter. One person (who I shan't name) said to me via private message that the lack of checking up on the village's jinchuriki was not realistic. The backdrop to Hiruzen and Danzo's argument was that Hiruzen was forced to stay away as a compromise, which Danzo is happy to make, since although he can't train Naruto to be an emotionless soldier, but at least in my version of events, the forced Isolation does a damn good job of attempting to achieve the same thing, albeit without the attached shinobi training. Also, it's important to remember that the characters don't have the same knowledge of Jinchuriki that we do as readers and fans. Danzo doesn't know what's involved in a Jinchuriki mastering their power, so from his perspective, even if Naruto get's real screwed up, he can just use him as something akin to a supermassive bomb, and then reseal the kyuubi in a more pliable host afterwards. As for what made Hiruzen compromise, Danzo threatened to have Naruto killed. I believe it takes like 3-5 years or something for a Bijuu to reform in the wild, so if he had done so, then the Kyyubi would already be ready to be hunted and resealed at this point in the timeline, making it a very real threat in Hiruzen's mind. Also Hiruzen only found out about kakashi going to visit naruto because a Root operative came and told him since kakashi was under surveilance as a potential recruit at the time, he had actually abided by his promise to stay away, excepting for one time when naruto was 3, when he saw him as part of an official visit to the orphanage as part of his role as Hokage, which Danzo couldn't really fault him for.