A/N: Sorry for the much shorter chapter, this is merely an in-between to set up the rest of the story. Think of this as prep and a taste of what's to come.

Anyway, normal warnings:

-This is AU, things are different

-I like to introduce, the come back and explain concepts later

-This will have some cliffhangers

Uchiha Itachi was a truly singular shinobi. No one that knew him would dispute that. His record was perfect, his accomplishments numerous, and he had not yet reached his prime. Hokage candidate, ANBU captain, youngest graduate of Konoha's Ninja Academy, youngest ANBU inductee, the one with the most flawless passing of the ANBU entrance exam, and the one who had just murdered the Hokage's grandson.

Truly a singular shinobi.

And so he stood in his singularity, alone before the man he wished to surpass, about to give him some supremely bad news. All while his team hid-not-hid behind him.

"Mission report, Weasel." The old man rasped.

He bowed, head parallel with the floor, before rising.

"Of course, Hokage sir-"

"I said report, Weasel." The Hokage said, not wanting any delay.

"Mission Successful. Missing Nin Uzumaki Naruto has been successfully eliminated. Presumed dead."

The Hokage's soul shattered. Nothing about his visage changed, but Itachi could see it within the old man's eyes, feel it in the air. But there was still a bit of hope there, a fire yet to be quenched, and a question upon his breath.

"Presumed?" Hiruzen asked, more than a drop of want within the question.

"We pursued for eight days, catching him on the ninth. My squad was without sleep for the previous twenty-four hours by then, we tried to surround the target. He successfully evaded both my squads attempts at physical restraint and my attempts at genjutsu. In his evasion, we managed to land two non-lethal blows to his back and shoulder with a shuriken and kunai respectively, as well as a cut along the back with a tanto. He seemed to become incensed at this point, and his speed caught Beetle off guard, incapacitating him instantly with a singular hit."

No one laughed, though for briefest moments he believed the ghost of a smile graced Hiruzen's face.

"He made a break for the ocean. We pursued. He successfully made it over a cliff- estimated height, 27 meters -and I managed to land a kunai into his left orbital socket. He was unconscious and presumed dead-on-impact. We were unable to retrieve the cadaver without risk and without entering Mizu No Kuni."

And there went the hope in the Hokage's eyes. A fire extinguished, replace by anguish and guilt.

"You are no longer to take orders from Lady Shimura. Nor any of the Elder Council. This has been a grave time for our village, and we have lost a great son of Konoha." The elderly Hokage said firmly, hanging his head in shame. It was clear to all that this had deeply affected him for some reason. He had seemed close to the boy, but for what reason?

Itachi, on the other hand, locked his superior in a questioning gaze. Eyes bore through his mask and into the skull of the 'God of Shinobi.' There was a secret here: something that the old man didn't let anyone know. And Itachi… Itachi suspected what it was.

"Question, Weasel?"

"I do not understand: You are acting as if this was a grave loss. How was the orphan boy important to our village, beyond your passing infatuation? His death is unfortunate, but he clearly betrayed Kono-"

A fist crushed the desk before him, and Itachi went silent. Anger rolled off the Sarutobi Clan Head in waves, ire and guilt in his eyes. All uncommon for the normally composed man. It was clear the events of late had deeply wounded the old shinobi, enough to unsettle his iron composure. Enough to push him over the edge.

"He… Weasel, he was innocent. Academy assistant Mizuki was a traitor acting under the guidance of my former pupil Orochimaru. He misled Naruto, who didn't realize he could be misguided by someone he trusted dearly. He was a determined, strong, loyal young man. I called him my grandson… Yet, even I abandoned him… He spent his life being mistreated, every turn led to scorn and pain. And then- as if to twist the knife within his back- even in death we have betrayed and defiled him. He was to be one of our best. I knew he would be Hokage, even when others saw only a monster. He was more than the beast sealed within him."

Everyone froze with the statement, realizing what the Hokage had just revealed; eyes widened as subtle gasps echoed through the room. The knowledge of Naruto's status as jinchuuriki was heavily concealed. In total, less than twenty knew of it. And for good reason. There was a commonly known fact about the act of sealing the Kyuubi within a living vessel; a common fact that would be very telling of the boy's heritage. In an instant every shinobi in that room came to a terrible realization. Some had suspected it, others had dreaded it, but know they knew.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. He had believed the rumors of him being the fox incarnate came from the whisker-like scars on the boy's face. Cruel rumors spawned from hatred all the time, and the boy had been born on the night of the attack. But this…

"How?"

"I understand your anger, Weasel, but I must remind you to watch your to-"

"Few have bodies resilient enough hold the Kyuubi in their infancy. Senju, Uzumaki, Uchiha… maybe a potent Akimichi. So how was Naruto able to do so, Hokage-sama?" The question was calmly asked, but the weight was palpable. Everyone in the room could feel it, Hiruzen most of all. It was the question that had sprung to everyone's mind. And though it remained yet unanswered, it was clear to all there what the solution was. But some clung to hope. Hope that it wasn't true, that the tragedy that had just occurred was not so bad as it was. Hiruzen debated with himself, fought over what to say. They technically didn't know anything about Naruto's heritage, only suspected it. He couldn't reveal what he had hidden away. It would ruin him. He could pretend Naruto was the child of some random descendant of the Senju or an unknown Uzumaki survivor. But what did he really have to lose anymore? Nothing.

"His name was not just for show. He was an Uzumaki."

"There was only one Uzumaki left and everyone knows she had-"

"He was Kushina's child."

Silence filled the room, only broke when Inu silently disappeared out the door, and an eerily calm Itachi turned to do the same.

"I am making the official move from the ANBU into the public ranks of Jounin, Hokage-sama. My fifty missions are complete now. Perfect record." The young Uchiha said, voice remaining neutral, "Permission to leave for a weeklong hiatus?"

"Understood, Weasel. A Silencing Order is put on the status of Naruto as our Jinchuuriki, along with his status of being deceased. A search party shall be sent out immediately to follow up on any chance he is alive… Permission for weeklong leave, granted."

The Hokage stared ahead as the boy who very well might succeed him left the room, his faith in the aged Hokage shattered. Hiruzen knew that Itachi understood the secondary meaning to Naruto being Kushina's child. He knew that once word made it out, he would be politically ruined. Naruto was officially the godson of both Jiraiya and Uchiha Mikoto. With Jiraiya being unable to take care of him, he was officially a ward of the Uchiha Clan. Obscuring his status as such was, well, a bad idea. Numerous laws protected members and especially wards of clans. Since Naruto was also the relative of a Hokage, who happened to be a national hero, and the last living heir to a clan, a founding clan at that, he had a ridiculous number of protections. And Hiruzen had violated every single one of them. As much as many people hated some of the archaic protections, especially when Tsunade used them to avoid paying gambling debts, this was well beyond anyone's level of forgiveness. If he was not Hokage, he might well have ended up being executed over this.

But he was Hokage, and so at worst he would be scorned and hated for the rest of his days, and then have his grave vandalized a bit after he died. He found it fitting. He deserved it for what he did.

He could only ask for Kushina's forgiveness in the afterlife and hope he did not become an angry Uzumaki's eternal punching bag.

It was indeed a terrible thought on a most terrible day.

Naruto calmly walked into his new office, high-collared cloak flowing behind him. He activated the seals in the room, looked about at every hidden ANBU, and then made his way to his desk at the opposite end of the room, handing a paper out to Kusabi, who stood beside his desk.

"Relay this to my ANBU... the most loyal amongst them, please. It is a list of… unsavory individuals within our ranks, those who need to be monitored. And gather both Lady Ameyuri and Lord Jenin along with your father. I am calling all loyal swordsmen to a meeting." He said calmly, steeling himself against the feeling of guilt that came with possibly ordering someone's death. He was not a naïve boy; he knew better than most what it took to lead a nation of killers. After all, he spent most of his time with the one who just might be the most politically savvy Kage to ever live. And currently, he had an age-old beast within him, guiding his actions at every step. Though the fox was…

He banished the thoughts from his head. They weren't worth it. With his recollected poise, he walked behind the Mizukage's desk as his assistant vanished in an instant, and with a wary sigh, he dropped into the ornate seat behind it. For a few moments, that was all that happened. He sat, lost in thought. ANBU surrounded him, hidden in the shadows of the room. Waiting, watching. Then, slowly, he reached his hand towards the messy desktop, specifically reaching for a white, oval shape that rested on top of a stack of papers. He rubbed his fingers across the convex side of the smooth, almost porcelain form; let his single eye gaze upon every detail and marking. It was a mask, a blank ANBU mask, specifically. He'd been working on it as a project, seeing as it used some elementary seals which formed the basis of Fuuinjutsu. The tiny, invisible markings on the inside of the mask allowed the wearer to both breathe and see through the mask without the need for openings on it.

But it also allowed him to obscure his appearance and voice. He was an adult, sure, but he was barely so. Even more was that he was quite infamous in Konoha. His form needed only a few changes to appear as someone beyond his years, but his voice… He was rather poor at such intricate, low chakra genjutsu, and so obscuring his voice was nearly impossible for long periods of time. But with Fuuinjutsu, he could upkeep the façade without any chakra control on his end. Over time, his skill with genjutsu would improve, and his voice and body would naturally mature beyond their remnants of youth: but he couldn't age up a decade or so in less than a day.

You see, he wanted to meet with the Shinobi Council. Who, while theoretically without political power, still wielded enough clout within the village to make a poor impression with them an outcome he wished to avoid. And so, he needed to become someone else. Naruto needed to end, and the Godaime Mizukage needed to be crafted.

The mask raised to his face, cleanly fitting over his head, the seals keeping it stuck there without string. His attire was made to mimic the Nidaime Mizukage- someone that Zabuza said he had a passing similarity to. With his naturally blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin, and his Bijuu Chakra allowing him to mimic near any technique, even bloodlines, Naruto could easily pretend to be the Nidaime's descendant. Especially since, after the rebellion, the once massive Hozuki clan had been wildly splintered. No one existed to dispute his claim, and the Nidaime was a good model to emulate, along with being quite the useful 'relation' for his clan status and prestige within the village.

In that moment, he was no longer Uzumaki Naruto, the boy from Konoha. He was Hozuki-Uzumaki Fuugetsu, descendant of the Lord Second, and the current Mizukage of Kirigakure no Sato.

"ANBU, my first official order as Mizukage... seek out the remaining clans and scour the dungeons. Bring me anyone with a Bloodline Limit not yet in their adult years that you can. Afterwards, send a missive to the known rebellion headquarters within Reed Village, on the border." The Godaime commanded, his voice now fit for a man much older than himself, "And send a team to search out Lady Senju Tsunade... offer her anything you must- use my true name if you must -but bring her here. I have a project to finish."

Shimura Danako had faced defeat. She knew the bitter taste of failure distinctly, having had it stain her tongue more times than she could remember. This though, was a failure that hurt beyond all but a few other occurrences. She had vastly underestimated the skill and tenacity of Uzumaki Naruto and the efficiency of Uchiha Itachi. What should have landed the village jinchuuriki in the palm of her hand had instead gotten the boy killed, costing Konoha its bijuu and a powerful bloodline. Had she not been so necessary to the function and continued prominence of Konoha, she would have committed public seppuku for such a disgusting blemish upon her record.

As it was, she had lost her position as public head of ANBU operations, and ROOT was now forced to send reports with more frequency and detail to Hiruzen. In other words, she had lost any hope of gaining the position of Hokage. She could accept that; it was punishment for her disgraceful performance and failure as a kunoichi of The Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Her plan to deal with the Uchiha would have to change as well. Konoha could not lose another asset. The Uchiha Clan would have to be appeased. She would be fighting against her former friends Homura and Koharu on this subject, but she would be pushing for Hiruzen's appointment of Uchiha Itachi to the position of Hokage. Itachi was, much to Shimura's chagrin on this latest debacle, an efficient, effective, motivated, and loyal shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. He was, though the thought dredged up the remnants of her sensei's hatred, the best choice for successor.

It didn't hurt that he had long worked for and with her, and that he was willing to accept her ROOT ANBU without much issue. Such were mere boons before his other achievements and capabilities.

She would learn from this failure, reassess her position, and return herself to prominence from this disgrace. As she always did. As was the way of the Shinobi of Darkness.

A/N: Sorry for the unsatisfying ending. Again, this is just set up.

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Thank you!