AN: It gets graphic at the end. Viewer discretion and all that.
Sitting atop the carved head of the Yondaime Hokage, Naruto was looking at the village of Konohagakure without truly seeing it. His mind was churning with countless thoughts but one felt especially invading, looping and whirling inside his cranium like some sort of fiendish yokai.
Friendship, he had just been told during a long conversation with his surrogate grandfather, could be unconditional. Sure, all friendships weren't the same and many relationships could be qualified of "acquaintance" but true friendship was supposedly unconditional in much the same way love was.
And that was an absolutely terrifying thought, as far as Naruto was concerned.
For all thirteen years of his life - nearly fourteen now, he realized as an aside - he had considered every relationship like a transaction. A positive relationship was maintained through the continued exchange of goods or services, each participant of the deal somehow benefitting from it.
He had never really questioned why the Hokage would pay for ramen if he behaved. That was just how things were. It was a deal Naruto benefitted from so obviously the Hokage somehow did too. The fact it was overwhelmingly in Naruto's favour simply meant it was love.
The blond hugged his knees and rested his chin on them, gathering himself in as small a ball as he could. Was he a freak for not knowing what love truly was? Naruto sighed.
How could he trust and call anyone a friend if it could change from one day to another? After all, unconditional meant whatever spark made two people friends or lovers could be snuffed out at any time without warning. How could he ever find love if there wasn't anything he could exchange for it? If those things were unconditional, how could he ever hope to obtain them? Merely offering his love or friendship held no guarantee it would be answered in kind and if it were, it could always stop, ebbing away like life from a grievous wound and die like a faded flower.
Tomorrow, the one Naruto called his grandfather could very well tell him that the well of his love for Naruto had run dry and decide he didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. And no matter what Naruto would do, it wouldn't fix it.
That such bonds even existed in the first place was miraculous to Naruto. The idea that the Hokage would have still paid for his ramen even if Naruto hadn't behaved, that Anko could just teach him for the sake of her appreciation of him, that Shino and Shikamaru could just enjoy being with him, all of it simply because it was him and not someone else; it was overwhelming.
How fragile it all seemed, the blond wondered silently. Could he preserve what he had? Was that even possible? Did the heart of men know its own reason that he could decipher?
Naruto was startled out of his thoughts by the soft steps of Anko he could hear coming behind him. Unwilling to break the silence, the purple-haired woman simply sat next to him. The two ninjas observed the village sprawled below the Hokage monument for long minutes without uttering a word.
"A ryo for your thoughts," offered Anko, breaking the silence.
Naruto smiled crookedly and cleared his throat. "That'd be your loss. They are a mess."
Anko smiled. "I'm a pro at solving them."
The blond hugged his knees tighter, his gaze lost somewhere in the grain of the naked rock they were sitting upon. Suddenly, he took a deep breath. "I thought… I thought it was good you know. I was making friends. I thought that as long as I was useful, I would keep them." Naruto breathed deeply once more to squash a sob. "But it doesn't work like that." He whispered fearfully. "Will they still be my friends tomorrow?"
"Yes," affirmed Anko immediately, her voice firm and strong. She looked at Naruto with eyes almost burning with conviction. "These bonds are strong Naruto. They might be few and far between but when they are true, there's nothing that can break them." She squeezed one of the boy's shoulders. "You've seen I'm not well-liked because of my past association with Orochimaru. The few true friends I have, they stayed with me high and low."
"How do I know they are truly my friends? How do I know they value our bond the same way I do?"
Anko sighed. "A friend, in need, is a true friend indeed." The purple-haired woman shrugged. "Some say you can only know your friends when shit hits the fan. Some others pretend you can tell when you share something special."
"What do you think?" Naruto whispered.
Anko shrugged again. "I'm not sure I think anything. What will be will be, Naruto. It might sound perilous but the only way to be trusted is to trust. You need to jump for someone to catch you." Anko sighed. "And sometimes it's a miss." The purple-haired woman gave the blond a strange, almost sorry smile. "Most of the time, I would even say."
Naruto looked crestfallen at that. The idea that no matter how much he gave, some people would never truly accept him was like a blow to the guts. He had accepted it couldn't be all him, that people had to take his offered hand but he had figured that there was something he could do that would for sure make people accept it. An ultimate price of a sort, something that couldn't be refused. He just had to discover what it was and endure his treatment in the meantime.
But the result would have been people flocking to him for skin-deep reasons and he didn't want or need that. He didn't want fame or the popularity brought by good-looks or riches, he just wanted not to be alone. He just wanted people to be there with him and he with them through thick and thin.
"Some say you can choose your friends, Naru-chan but that's bullshit. It's a mix of chance, fate and you risking it. I'd say, take every opportunity and what you get, you cherish it for what it is: something incredibly rare and precious."
"How are you supposed to be happy living like that? When everything could go away in moments? Taken from you." Naruto shuddered, thinking of what Kakashi had told him the other day about his team, of Sasuke and his decimated family.
Anko opened her mouth to say something before she seemed to think better of it and closed it. Slowly, she scratched her chin.
"When I was young," she began eventually, "everyone loved me. I was so popular, being the only apprentice of the great Orochimaru of the Sannin. I won't lie, I enjoyed the attention." The purple-haired woman sighed. "Then what happened, well, happened and suddenly, I was like a taint you had to avoid at all cost. A disease."
Naruto stayed silent. He knew, even from so little time spent with Anko, that it was a touchy subject for her.
"I was mad at first. It wasn't my fault my master had turned traitor." Anko groaned and shook her head. "But being angry all the time is exhausting so I decided to try being happy. It takes efforts but it's much more rewarding. I learned to enjoy what I had to the max." She swallowed thickly. "I had already lost someone I loved," she whispered, "so maybe it was easier to accept it could go away without notice. That made it all the more urgent to appreciate whoever was there for me."
Naruto obeyed to a pure impulse when he took Anko's hand in his, uncoiling from his foetal position. The woman started before she gave him a wry smile. "Look at that, I'm the one supposed to console you and here you are doing it." She shook her head.
The blond reddened. "It-it just felt right, 'ttebayo."
Anko hugged him. "I know, thanks," she whispered. "You're not alone Naru-chan. You're precious to more people than you think."
"Really?"
Anko nodded. "Really, really."
Naruto wasn't sure why but he cried softly. He knew he wasn't supposed to cry, crying had never solved anything for him so long ago, he had promised to himself he wouldn't cry anymore. But here in Anko's arms, tears escaped him. From relief maybe, from knowing that he wasn't alone, that someone considered him precious to them. It was the first time he cried while being hugged as far as he could remember. It felt nice.
What he knew for certain, however, was that at this very moment there was no length he wouldn't go for Anko.
"Crocodile tears over?" The purple-haired woman asked after a few minutes with a genuine, albeit teasing, smile, letting go of the boy in her arms.
Naruto instantly missed the warmth of her body against his and whined silently before he wiped his tears with a sleeve and gave her a scowl that lacked real heat. He took a deep breath and returned a small smile to the kunoichi. "Thanks, Anko."
"You're welcome. I prefer the smile, it suits you better by the way. Now let's get back to work."
Naruto scratched the back of his head and nodded. "You're right. Let's get to it."
Following team Hamada for nearly two weeks revealed one thing and it was that Kabuto Yakushi was as least as good as a tokunin. The reason for Naruto's suspicion was that Kabuto had detected him as the blond followed the white-haired medic, in spite of his chameleon jutsu, his silent steps jutsu and his overall proficiency in stealth. It meant Kabuto was an advanced sensor. Hamada, his ex-jounin sensei, quickly confirmed that the white-haired young man had never displayed such ability.
The personal slight to Naruto's pride, however, was that Kabuto had successfully escaped his surveillance. Naruto wasn't a tracker but he was pretty good thanks to Kurenai's team, good enough to follow a chuunin without being shaken off.
These two facts automatically confirmed Kabuto's status as a traitor as no one would hide such a capacity if they were loyal to their village. The problem now was to determine who the white-haired medic was spying for. Every time Naruto would find Kabuto's trail again, whatever meeting place the young man was visiting was empty of any hint. There was this smell that lingered behind but Naruto couldn't, for the life of him, identify it.
Which was why Team Kurenai was currently with Naruto and Anko on the last spot visited by Kabuto. Kiba, doing the Inuzuka proud, was humming the air much like his canine companion. The boy turned his dark, slitted eyes downward to look at the small white dog at his feet.
"Akamaru?"
The dog yipped. Kiba nodded. Naruto shrugged. Inuzuka people had a very special relationship with their dog. Akamaru barked again.
Kiba sighed. "Well, Akamaru and I agree, it smells strongly of whatever you can find in a hospital. But there is an underlying scent I can't identify." Kiba then suddenly gestured towards Anko. "For whatever reason, it is similar to the lady's here. Only, there's a slight difference but it's… Difficult to explain to nose-less people."
The light went on in Naruto's brain and he smacked his fist against his palm. He turned towards Kiba. "It's weaker on Anko, correct?"
Kiba threw him a surprised glance before he nodded. "Yup. The lady's scent is… Diluted? Yeah, let's go with that. Or old maybe," muttered the Inuzuka before he mumbled several different words, trying their meaning and shaking his head.
"My allies have informed me of an important chakra signature being here briefly. According to them, it wasn't human." Shino relayed matter-of-factly.
"Hum, there's this weird trace on the ground…" Hinata hesitated before she cast her gaze down. "I'm sorry, I don't know what it is."
"Could you describe it to us, Hinata?" Naruto asked the shy Hyuuga, who nodded.
"It's like a huge cylinder slid across the ground but at the same time, it was very light. The soil is almost undisturbed."
Naruto turned a questioning glance at Anko and was startled to see her face.
The purple-haired woman wore a murderous scowl on her visage, her eyes alight with something dark, a kind of all-consuming fire that spoke of death, not warmth or light.
"We go see the Hokage," spat the tokunin to Naruto before nodding to Kurenai and disappearing in a body flicker.
Naruto shouted his thanks to Team Kurenai and hurriedly followed after Anko.
"Naruto hangs out with weird people," remarked Kiba, scratching the red fang-like marking on his cheek.
"Naruto-san hangs out with me, thank you very much," retorted Shino.
Kiba paled slightly and flailed his arms around. "And I hang out with you man!" The feral boy chuckled nervously. "Haha, I like weird. Not that you're weird or , not at all, you're cool and-"
"Kiba?"
The Inuzuka interrupted his babbling. "Hum, yes Shino?"
"Pranked."
Kiba squeezed his fist until his knuckles became white. After three long seconds, he sighed. "Damnit. Sensei, I was calm, right? I didn't fly off the handle?"
Kurenai gave the boy a smile. "You did Kiba, well done."
Kiba turned towards Shino. "En garde," he challenged, barely living the Aburame a second to set up a defence before he lunged.
Hinata giggled. Boys were weird. She knew because she liked the weirdest of them all.
The debriefing with the Hokage was short.
"Kabuto Yakushi and possibly his teammates, work for Orochimaru," declared Anko with a snarl on her face.
Naruto's surrogate grandfather nodded, his eyes reduced to narrow slits. "Do you think you can take him?"
Anko nodded, not departing herself of her snarl. "I'll need an ANBU cell. There's no overkill as far as that bastard is concerned."
"Granted. You'll apprehend his teammates too of course. We can't risk anything."
"Of course. Hokage-sama, evidence suggests Kabuto was in contact with a snake summon. Something is going on."
"Indeed," acknowledged the Kage. "But we are on it. All personnel will receive relevant information in time, Anko."
The purple-haired woman twitched; the only indication of her reluctance but bowed. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
The Hokage took a piece of high-grade chakra paper and ran through a few hand signs. A seal bled on the piece of paper, written in purely chakra-made ink. The old man presented it to Anko, who took it respectfully.
"You've been granted requisition privileges for the neutralization of Kabuto Yakushi, protocol zero. Alive or dead, Anko."
"Hokage-sama, his knowledge could be precious. If we-"
The old man rose his hand, stopping the woman's protest. "If what we know is correct, we probably won't have time to obtain actionable intel, Anko. Alive. Or dead. Am I clear?"
Anko nodded and bowed again. "Yes, Hokage-sama." She hurried out of the office.
"Naruto, stay behind."
The blond, who had listened to the exchange with growing worry and had been ready to follow Anko, was startled by the Hokage's voice. There was none of the usual warmth in it. Naruto swallowed thickly.
"Hokage-sama?" The genin asked, opting the call his Jiji by his proper title. The situation seemed to call for it.
The old man gave him a weary smile before he ran through several hand signs. Naruto recognized the sequence needed to erect a security seal. Now on edge, the blond forced himself to stay straight and immobile. The Kage sighed.
"Naruto, my boy, you delivered splendidly on your mission. Your part in it is now over."
Naruto shook his head forcefully. "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I'd like to accompany Mitarashi-san." He said, challenging the old man with a look.
The Hokage smiled. "Your worry for your comrades honours you Naruto but trust Anko. She'll achieve her mission without a problem."
Naruto frowned but swallowed his retort. It was clear that the old man, in spite of his smile, would not budge on the subject.
"Very well, Hokage-sama. How may I serve?"
The old man sighed. "Naruto, my boy, I fear war is at our doorstep."
Naruto's breathing hitched and his eyes widened. War. The word was heavy, dreadful. It spoke of pain and death. It was a threat to those precious to him. The azure of his eyes turned ice-cold.
"My orders, Hokage-sama?"
"None for the moment, Naruto other than three recommendations: work hard, stay aware and sharpen your blade."
"I wish to fight, Hokage-sama." The boy protested.
"And you will, Naruto, in time. War may be coming but it has not started yet. Within the next few days, you'll receive a special kind of training and a set of instructions. You're central to my defensive plan, my boy. I'll be counting on you and so will Konoha."
Seeing the blond's face marred by a frown, the Hokage rose a hand to appease him. "It has nothing to do with the Kyuubi," assured the old man. "Keep your skill with the shadow clone sharp and work on your chakra control."
Breathing easier, the Naruto saluted. "I always do, Hokage-sama."
The Sarutobi smiled. "Well, do it more. Dismissed, for now, Naruto."
The blond bowed.
As an officer of Torture and Investigation, Anko had enormous power but ANBU were subjected to Hokage's orders only. To receive the special authorization to employ a squad necessitated a seal like the one Anko had been given. It was handmade, always, and integrated several security measures only the highest ANBU officer could decipher and validate.
A fake would result in immediate execution, no question asked.
The commander took the paper from Anko's hands and observed it for a few seconds from behind his mask before a burst of Katon chakra reduced to ashes. The ninja signed another piece of paper and gave it to Anko.
"Squad Ro is henceforth under your command until the mission is accomplished. You'll find them in tactical prep room six. The Will of Fire burns brightly."
"And consume those who threaten the Great Tree," Anko answered and saluted before exiting the office. With the speed and certainty granted by experience, the purple-haired woman immediately navigated her way through the complex housing the special ops. ANBU were the elite, constantly training and if it wasn't physical conditioning it was special tactics and operations. Prep rooms were simply classrooms of the deadliest kind.
She knocked and was greeted by the sight of four masked shinobi discussing something around a blackboard. A man with a tiger-themed mask turned toward her. "Yes?"
"Squad Ro is activated," answered Anko, presenting the captain with her orders. "Locate and capture if possible, termination otherwise. The target is Kabuto Yakushi, danger level red. Sub-targets are Misumi Tsurugi and Yoroi Akado. We need to hurry."
"Always ready."
Anko nodded and gave the masked shinobi a grim smile. Parting the greyish coat she had on - she had replaced her usual brown with one from T&I - she showed the man her weapon pouch. "So am I. Let's go. Just so you know, these guys work for Orochimaru."
Tension spiked in the room. If before, the operators were ready to do their duty, now it was a personal matter.
"They'll have no idea what hit them. Briefing en route. Go."
Anko simply motioned for the four masked shinobi to follow after her and in under five minutes, the five ninjas were in front of the hospital.
Running through several hand signs before nicking her thumb against the blade of a kunai, Anko slammed her hands on the ground. In a large cloud of smoke, a long python-like serpent appeared.
"Misssstressss."
"Hebihawa, stay here. If you see a bastard with white hair and glasses, stop him."
"Yessss."
The woman turned to the ANBU. "He is under arrest but lethal force is authorized if resistance is met. Capturing him alive is only an option if we're presented with the opportunity. Shock and awe, protocol zero." Anko spat.
"Acknowledged."
Their gait tense and purposeful, the four ANBU and the torturer barged in the main hall of the hospital, scaring the soul out of the receptionist's body.
Chalk-white at the sight of the T&I garb, the woman rose from her seat and bowed hurriedly. "ANBU-san, how may I-"
"You may not." Anko interrupted her, going straight for the clinical examination department where she intruded without a care in the world in the head-doctor office.
"Kabuto Yakushi is under arrest. Where is he?"
The man sputtered indignantly and rose from his seat but before he could say a thing, Anko grabbed the man by his collar and narrowed her eyes, firing off a burst of concentrated murderous intent.
"You have exactly two seconds," she snarled.
"R-room seventeen!" The man squeaked, terrified.
"Go!" Anko barked.
The ANBU blurred away in body flickers and the purple-haired kunoichi followed them the same way.
"Breach!" Tiger bellowed, his fingers already locked in a half tiger-sign, the low-powered explosive tag stuck on the door glowing for a second before a sonorous bang blew it out of its hinges and inside the office.
Their tanto at the ready, the ANBU invaded the office only to see the window open, the curtains flapping softly in the breeze. A civilian, looking haggard and confused, was breathing harshly in the corner.
There was a second of tense silence before all five ninjas exploded in a flurry of motions.
Thrusting her hand like a knife above her head, a flurry of snakes escaped from Anko's sleeve and crashed against the ceiling, narrowly missing Kabuto who backflipped to the ground, only to have both his thighs speared through by two tantos.
The white-haired man only grunted and ran-through hand signs at a dizzying speed, unphased by the wounds on his legs. Suddenly, his hands glowed green and he took a swipe at the operators on each side.
The ANBU swerved away reflexively, not wanting to be touched by whatever jutsu Kabuto was using but immediately countering with a kunai which both bit through the white-haired man's forearms.
A third masked shinobi lunged at the young man, who struck his palm at the operator's chest, once more ignoring his wounds. The ANBU froze and Kabuto smirked in satisfaction before the corpse suddenly turned into a thorny bush of vines. Sharp as blades, the thorns bit in his flesh as the vines ensnared him.
In seconds, Kabuto was completely immobile and could only glare impotently. "So the experiment is here. Oh, and the failure too."
"Don't waste your breath now. You'll scream soon enough." Anko pointed two fingers at the boy's neck and smirked. "Good night, traitor."
She pulsed her chakra and Kabuto fell unconscious. "Eh, the bastard wasn't so tough." Turning towards Tiger, she pointed at Kabuto's hand. "Maximum security."
Tiger nodded and drew his tanto. "Prepare to cauterize the wounds."
Another ANBU retrieved a kunai and slowly channelled Katon chakra through its blade until it became white-hot.
"Ready when you are, taicho."
In a clean swipe of the blade, four fingers of Kabuto's right hand fell to the ground in a shower of blood. Without hesitation, the ANBU applied his burning kunai to the wound, burning the flesh, sealing the flow of blood and ensuring recovery was impossible.
AN: Before you ask, yes that was the real Kabuto. ANBU simply don't fuck around. They are spec ops, not grunts. To be "fair" to all parties involved though, Yoroi and Misumi will be a tad bit more competent than in canon. They are still ninja with ten years+ of experience and spies.
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