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-------------------------------------------Shattered Illusion : Copy Of a Ninja : Chapter 07
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Haku stood calmly before the stately figure seated behind the weathered mahogany desk, paying careful attention to every word that was said. He was being given a chance here, an opportunity that he had never before contemplated. He could make a life for himself, live on his own terms, and he would no longer have to kill to do it. The village leader knew his history, his former position. Despite that, the man was still prepared to take him in.

The only requirement, loyalty.

Reinstatement to the Chunin rank, accommodation so he could build his own clan, a position of respect within the community, it was far more than he had hoped for. Apprentice healer, it was a position that he could become proud of, he had never liked killing, he had seen to much destruction in his short life.

Now he had a chance to build.

In a daze, Haku acknowledged the dismissal given by the old man, murmured his heartfealt thanks, and turned to leave the room. As his hand made contact with the metal doorhandle, he heard the quiet request.

"Make sure to send Naruto in"

Nodding, Haku opened the door, he was greeted to the not unexpected site of Naruto leaning relaxed against the hallway wall, or so it seemed. The minute tensing and relaxing of the young mans muscles belied Naruto's readiness. Feeling his own shock begin to fade, Haku greeted his new friend.

"It's your turn."

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Naruto kept his eyes focussed on the leaf village symbol mounted on the door to the village leaders office. The group had been in town for two days now and finally he had received the expected summons.

It was time to meet with the third.

He had been here many times before, and truth to tell he considered the hokage almost a second father. Growing up the man was one of the few people that showed genuine interest in his development. He had always felt comfortable in the presence of the old man, and even now, with such a pivotal issue at hand he was not worried.

What is there to worry about? Just tell the truth.

It was what Naruto had decided to do. He still planned to become hokage one day, and with the suspicion that the villages held him under some of his new abilites just may provide them with an excuse to get rid of him. Having the support of the third was vital to his continued role in the village.

Still deeply immersed in his own thoughts, Naruto did not notice the door open. So he was startled to hear his friends sudden greeting.

"Well, there is no time like the present, wish me luck"

With a final wave to Haku, Naruto walked in to greet the village leader.

He told him everything.

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As had been the case for the last few days since their return, Sasuke and Sakura found themselves alone together, waiting for the other team members to arrive. In itself this was very strange, as usually Naruto would be the first one there, if only to greet Sakura.

There had been a decided change in the boy during the last mission.

Were before it was hard to get him to focus, and he would constantly complain. This new Naruto would quietly perform his assigned duty, keen too end it as quickly as possible. When queried about the change the blond haired Genin just calmly explained his opinion.

"Why waste time on activities such as this, the faster it gets done the faster I can do other things."

His attitude toward the two of them had changed also, he was always polite, but no longer seemed desperate to become part of their lives. They supposed part of that could be attributed to Haku, but the truth of the matter was that it unnerved them.

The physical changes were very strange also, he would not tell the pair what had caused them either. Sakura found it hard to look the boy in the eyes anymore, his newly slitted pupils always gave her the impression that she was looking into the eyes of a giant predator, one that would not hesitate to tear her apart should she make the wrong move. It was silly, she knew, but there it was.

She was shaken from these thoughts by a hand on her shoulder, Sasuke she found a moment later.

Kakashi had arrived.

"Yo, Naruto won't be joining us today, he has an appointment with the Hokage. Lets get going."

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Hours later, Naruto found himself walking down the main street of Konoha.

He had detected Konohamaru and his friends following him some time ago, but had decided to let them have their fun. Spotting a small cul-de-sac off one side of the street, Naruto led the group there. Raising his voice, Naruto made his voice as obnoxious as possible.

"Hmm, what kind of rock is square with two holes. I see right through that."

He did not have to wait long, Konohamaru was quick to reply to his jibe.

"Now that's the man that I view as my rival."

Multicoloured smoke suddenly billowed from the "disguise" and three coughing children were revealed. They had obviously been watching to many sentai shows as they all went into poses and introduced themselves. Covering his eyes, Naruto groaned.

They wanted to play, Naruto had not seen them since arriving back in town two days ago. He supposed he had the time, he could make it useful too, give the lot a mission and place himself as the enemy. An exercise in fine control.

He didn't get the chance though as Sakura came wandering in.

"Why would a ninja "play" ninja."

It quickly deteriorated from there. Allowing himself to play along with team konohamarus light-hearted jibes, Naruto found himself running after the fleeing forms of three children. This didn't last long though, Konohamaru suddenly plowed into the lower body of a stranger.

Instantly alert, Naruto studied the two people revealed. Sand Genin eh. Well, so long as they did not hurt Konohamaru Naruto could care less. Though a fight would be interesting, the pair had chakra levels only slightly below that of Sasuke.

The man picked up the sprawled form of the Hokages grandson.

Naruto grinned.

Perfect.

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-------------------------------------------Done. Comments Welcome.