AN: Let's be honest, 1k words never quite does it, right? ;)
Ibiki eyed the three reports in front of him. The analysts of T&I had worked overtime to produce them, tallying all the elements they had recovered from various investigations to feed to their predictive models.
Otogakure was a new, unknown village, deemed hostile by their action. The chance they were preparing an attack on Konoha was estimated at eighty per cent and rising. Their behaviour at the border between Rice and Fire was worrying and the projections estimated there was a high probability Oto was allied to a major power. The manoeuvres at the border were a tad bit too obvious and the model showed a sixty per cent probability that it was a diversion to allow an attack coming from elsewhere.
The only thing missing was an opportunity and there was a golden one coming soon. The chuunin exams. It was an international event held by Konoha and its "allies". Mildly hostile shinobi villages from various smaller countries were invited to display their strength against Konoha's best, in a well-oiled PR stunt. In three weeks, it would be happening in Konoha, which meant security would be strained thin as a multitude of guests would be welcomed in the village, allowing a good number of spies to slip in undetected.
Of course, there would be no direct assault. The perimeter around the village was simply too closely guarded for an army - even of shinobi - to close in undetected. Ibiki scoffed at the thought. No, if anything were to happen, it would be a terror attack. A bombing, targeted assassination, poison released in the village's water sources maybe. Something that would cause enough disarray for an army to begin invading Fire Country while Konoha was slowed down.
The only major village invited was Suna because a treaty had officially been signed between the countries of Wind and Fire. Ibiki had no illusion that this alliance wasn't even worth the paper it had been agreed on. He also knew Jiraiya-sama who was undoubtedly their best infiltrator and spy, had been redirected towards Wind in the hope he could uncover something. The analysts evaluated the implication of Sunagakure as fifty per cent, given their recent financial difficulty. The armies of Wind, however, the ninja of Suna included, had to cross River Country before entering Fire which meant Konoha would see them coming.
In addition, their moles in River had nothing on a possible agreement of free-passage for military troops.
The fact that the Gato Company had somehow its fingers in the pie was worrying. The company exact involvement was unknown but it included at the very least paying for an army's worth of food. The takeover of Wave wasn't understood yet but scouts had been dispatched already and the murder of one of Wave denizens in Fire was being investigated, even if Ibiki didn't have much hope: the corpse had been found far too late. The port of Funadamari was likewise under close watch. It still wasn't counted as a viable place for an army to disembark from ships - the pier was too narrow - but better safe than sorry.
The last problem was the implication of at least one of the lords of the Daimyo's court. Mukabe, lord of Funadamari, was obviously a part of the plot but the man could have been convinced to act by yet another party.
It was time his apprentice met a protégé of his, Ibiki decided. He just had to convince the Hokage it would be a good plan and a necessary step in Naruto's formation. Rising from his seat, Ibiki gathered the reports and played the conversation he was going to have with his leader as he exited his office, his gait purposeful.
As he made his way to the Hokage's office, Ibiki's thoughts went to his apprentice. To say he was immensely proud of the boy as far as shinobi studies went would be an understatement. In a little less than six months and with pretty much no basics to speak of, Naruto had grown in ways even Ibiki hadn't expected.
Their beginnings had been a bit rough but fortunately, the head of T&I had been properly briefed as to what were the boy's needs and expectations. Naruto was a kinesthetic learner and as such, prone to progress by trials and errors but it didn't mean the blond wasn't intelligent. He just needed filters, to understand how to prioritize one information over another. Then, Naruto had proven to take quickly to what Ibiki wanted him to learn.
They had grown close enough that Naruto had told him about his feelings towards the village. Had it been anyone else, Ibiki would have signalled a potential flight risk but the Hokage knew full well of the boy's state of mind.
Ibiki understood. Who would be fundamentally attached to serving and defending a place that treated them like trash? The village, however, couldn't afford to lose Naruto Uzumaki, and not only because he was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.
He had never felt so foolish, as the head of Konoha spying and counter-spying agency what's more, as when he had realized just who exactly Naruto was. Before, he had never taken any interest to the boy. Naruto was nothing else than the resident prankster and it was easy to forget he was also the guardian of the village's worst bane.
It had taken all of thirty seconds after seeing a photograph of the boy. The village-wide case of myopic stupidity was incredible and Ibiki had felt shame. Not because of who the boy's parents were, no, or at least only partially. Giving the orphaned boy parents made him real, somehow. It made him a young boy unjustly mistreated and ignored by the village. It made him impossible to forget, to dismiss. It made it cowardly to dismiss how Naruto, with each of his breaths, kept the village safe.
Of course, the Hokage had noticed and quickly forbidden him to mention anything to anyone.
So Ibiki endeavoured to help Naruto the only way he could think of: to let go. Of his desperate need for attention and acknowledgement. Of his anger and resentment. Of his fears and wariness. He had encouraged the boy to focus on what he had and can have rather than what he didn't.
He had obtained mixed results. Naruto had found good comrades among the teams of his generation and Ibiki had more or less sold him the idea that it wasn't him who had to prove everything to the villagers. They had to do their part. The problem was that Naruto didn't seem to know when to stop; when enough was enough and more was a wasted effort.
And Ibiki understood. The village had to recognize him, acknowledge him like any other shinobi of Konoha. Otherwise, how could he justify laying his life low for them? Things could not, however, continue like that.
Integrating the memories of his shadow clones was an interesting exercise for Naruto in that he had to stay focused on whatever he was doing when the memories assaulted him. He had experienced numerous time pouring tea over himself because he was suddenly distracted by memories that were his without being his. It was weird and painful. Anyway, after nearly six months of doing it so much, plus Ibiki-sensei explanation on how to weight various stimuli against one another - he would have enjoyed knowing that during the Academy -, it led to him being able to basically follow three conversations at once.
He had heard men were bad at multitasking, well whoever had said could go suck it. Ha!
"Naruto-san, are you even listening to me?" Shino Aburame asked the blond, a twinge of impatience in his voice.
"Yes, Shino-san, I'm very much listening to you," assured Naruto with a smile. "I'm not sure about the snake sign either but I appreciate the input on the boar sign, that's something I've never heard," Naruto continued, his nose deep in a scroll about chakra moulding theory. Hand signs were a complicated topic. The blond then moved a piece on the shogi board, checking Shikamaru.
"You. Are. Troublesome." The Nara sighed, one hand combing through his black hair, from his forehead to the top of his pineapple-like ponytail.
"I immensely enjoy being troublesome to you, Shikamaru. Someone has to keep you sharp." The blond retorted, not departing himself from his good-natured smile.
"Asuma-sensei works us to the bone since you won our spar. I don't need someone to keep me sharp."
"Yet I keep winning these shogi games of ours and you have yet to figure out how. Wouldn't you agree it's proof Shikamaru isn't sharp enough, Shino-san?"
"I believe I would," answered Shino. "Now the thing I do not understand, is why you require my help regarding that new jutsu of yours."
Naruto smiled wider. "Because your chakra control is leagues above mine, you actually understand what I'm talking about and you could be the one to test it."
"You know I'm a crook, Naruto-san. What would I get in exchange?"
Naruto laughed at that before he eyed the Aburame boy. "Fair enough I suppose. Isn't the jutsu enough payment in and of itself?"
"I can, like most members of my clan, achieve pretty much the same result without it," Shino answered with something in his voice Naruto didn't like. It felt like bitterness.
The blond looked at Shino, slowly discarding the scroll to his side and absentmindedly moving another piece on the shogi board, checking Shikamaru again. Intently, Naruto kept his gaze on the Aburame who only returned it. Maybe. Shino always wore glasses so it was pretty much impossible to tell.
"I've never thought you were invisible, Shino-san." Naruto began suddenly, his voice solemn. "I know I was loud and many thought me annoying when I was younger. I won't apologize for it, I'm an orphan and no one ever told me it came off poorly. I never approached you because you were calm and silent and I thought you'd never want to…" The blond's voice pitched in unease before he cleared his throat. "Never want to be my friend." Naruto breathed deeply. "For that assumption, I do apologize." The blond said, bowing his head slightly and feeling both lighter and yet strangely nervous.
Shino eyed him for a long silent minute, Shikamaru keeping to himself as he observed the two boys. Naruto began to fidget and redden under the Aburame's gaze - he was certain Shino's eyes were on him.
"If you-"
"I would be honoured to call you friend, Naruto-san. Even if you are still a loudmouth. Though we might disagree on some points, you're a valuable, talented comrade. Friendship is advisable and I've no doubt it would be fruitful."
Naruto was stumped. Advisable and fruitful sounded a bit calculating but he knew Aburame were like that, speaking from - almost - pure logic. And was that humour from Shino?
"I feel left out. I can come back later if you want?"
"Don't be an idiot, Shika. I'd like to call you my friend too." Naruto retorted immediately with a growing smile before it dimmed and the boy scratched the back of his head in mild embarrassment. "I've to warn you though. I've no idea how this friend thingy is supposed to work."
Shikamaru Nara, the heir to the Nara clan, was a boy with an above-average I.Q. In spite of his ever-bored demeanour, he was observant and always had been. So his inside twisted at Naruto's words because he knew them to be true.
He had never been one to spend an excessive amount of energy on anything but shogi. The rest was troublesome, the word he had elected to use instead of boring, to not insult people.
Some things, of course, were truly troublesome, in the base sense of the word. Shikamaru's mother was troublesome. Asuma running team ten in the ground was troublesome. Naruto being stalled in the Academy, bullied by their very teachers and always alone was troublesome. But again, Shikamaru had little energy to spare and approaching Naruto then would have forced him to spend it in excess. The Nara heir liked to take the path of least resistance.
Naruto not knowing what friendship was like was wrong.
"Troublesome," muttered the Nara. "I'll be friend with you Naruto." He said out loud. "At least you play shogi."
"I even watch the clouds." Naruto offered with an extended hand before he shook it in a so-so gesture. "Sometimes."
Shikamaru smirked and shook the blond's hand.
"I'm in your care," said Naruto, eyeing both Shikamaru and Shino alternatively.
"Actually, Naruto-san, I do not know much about this friendship thing either," admitted Shino. "I believe Shikamaru's inclusion to be advisable and I'm sure it'll be fruitful."
"You're both troublesome. Do you want to go cloud-watching somewhere? I'll bring Choji and we'll have snacks." The Nara boy offered, moving a piece on the shogi board absentmindedly.
"This seems like an advisable idea and I'm sure it'll be fruitful," Shino repeated with something that could have been mirth seeping in his voice.
This made Naruto and Shikamaru snort before both were shaken by silent laughter under the silent gaze of the Aburame.
"That doesn't really answer what I owe you, Shino-san," Naruto said eventually.
"I believe we have reached a sufficient accord."
"I see. Thank you… Shino."
His jounins were out to get him, Hiruzen was convinced of that.
"You want to pair Anko Mitarashi and Naruto Uzumaki as a team for counter-intelligence purpose?" The old Kage asked his head of T&I for the second time, unsure he had understood every nuance of the man's plan.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"And it is a good and reasonable idea because?"
"Hokage-sama, tokunin Mitarashi is one of my best element. Considering my own workload at the moment and seeing as sending Naruto on yet another C-rank with his peers would be wasteful for his development, pairing him with tokujo Mitarashi for an internal investigation would teach him key skills in counter-intelligence process while exercising his mind to become even sharper. I do not expect Naruto to solve anything per se and I've full confidence Anko would be enough anyway. It will be an occasion to shadow and learn."
"An admirable sales-pitch, Ibiki, but Anko, while I've no doubt about her loyalty… She has a chip on her shoulder, much like Naruto. I don't know if it would be wise for those two to be seen together."
Ibiki sighed. He had been prepared for this kind of argument so he squared his shoulders and soldiered on. "Hokage-same, I believe Anko can be good for Naruto in other ways. As loath as I'm to use her like this, Naruto could realize he isn't alone in being hated village-wide. I have no doubt about Anko's loyalty either so I'm hoping she could firm Naruto's own view on the village and help get a different outlook on things."
"A different outlook?"
"Hokage-sama, Naruto cannot hold unto his feelings for long. At some point, something will have to give and at best, the boy will go missing."
The Hokage looked struck but gestured for the man to continue.
"I don't hold it against him, hell, nobody could but I as see it, it's like that: either we have a promising shinobi going rogue or Anko can impart some of her wisdom to the boy."
"Her wisdom, Ibiki?"
The head of T&I took a deep breath and steeled himself. "That the village as a whole will never ever see him for who he is. I'm sorry Hokage-sama," said the jounin before his superior could interrupt, "but it's the truth. We allowed it. However, it doesn't mean Naruto cannot gain the acknowledgement and friendship of those who matter."
"Everyone in this village matter, Ibiki."
"Except Naruto? Because for twelve years, we certainly behaved like he didn't."
Once again, the Kage looked struck.
"I'm of the mind that the past is the past, Hokage-sama. If Naruto can be shown that he is forming connections as we speak and if he can accept the people's view on him will possibly never change, he will be the better for it."
"That is not the Will of Fire."
It truly wasn't. The Will of Fire was supposed to be shared by the entire village, not by a select few or only when it was convenient and the Hokage was supposed to be the embodiment of it. Everyone living in Konoha was valued and part of a community that helped its members equally.
"If we want it to be, Hokage-sama then it's a responsibility we all must share. Especially as the boy is convinced that he is not doing enough to gain their acknowledgement. It's time the villagers do their part. Or not, for all I care. But Naruto cannot continue to be saddled with this impossible task."
"He'll keep holding rancour towards the village, Ibiki. I cannot allow that."
"Even if he did, that would be his right and as long as he doesn't act on it, we cannot force fake sentiments upon him. That will earn us his animosity, Hokage-sama. Disdain is a better response than slaughter. Yet again, I believe Naruto to be capable of coming to term with it."
The Hokage sighed. "He never gives up, you know?"
"About what and those he cares, no, he doesn't. But if he doesn't care anymore, he'll let go of this foolish endeavour."
"Foolish? Is that how you see it?"
"It isn't particularly noble nor reasonable to seek the acknowledgement of people who hate and fear you, Hokage-sama. We are lucky his mind tipped this way. The alternative would have been… Unpleasant."
The old Kage winced. He hadn't assigned Ibiki to Naruto just because he trusted the jounin to be an excellent instructor for the blond. The man, head of T&I, was an expert psychiatrist, a master in seeing and decoding emotions and thought patterns in other people. Ibiki was as much a teacher to Naruto as he was a warden of the boy's psychological state.
"He is forming connections, Hokage-sama. He just needs to focus on what he has and can have rather than what he doesn't and won't get."
The Hokage sighed. "You believe Anko may show him how."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Very well. The mission is green-lit. Tokunin Mitarashi and genin Uzumaki will be teamed together for the next three weeks."
Ibiki had no time to allow his satisfaction to show. The door of the Hokage's office was suddenly opened by his colleague Inoichi Yamanaka. The mind reader looked panicked and short of breath and his face was marred by the sweat of strenuous effort.
"Hokage-sama," panted the cinder-blond jounin, "we broke the prisoner's defences." The man steadied his breath before talking in a white voice. "It's Orochimaru."
AN: Gai's prisoner finally cracked. Did you forget about her? No? I totally did. And I'm writing this! Alright, joke aside, I needed some time to think about what direction I wanted to go.
I think Anko is a good solution. I feel she has this devil-may-care attitude, happy with her friends and what she has and doesn't really care about the rest. Realistically, I believe this zen/stoic view on life is the best for Naruto to get.
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