Danzou sat in his office, casually brushing calligraphy on pure rice paper. The dark blue ink swirled beautifully as he wrote his soft haiku.
Normally it was something introspective. Normally it was an old maxim he had scrounged up, and needed something to vent his frustrations through.
Today it went something like this:
"Harsh training should help
ROOT AnBu recall
Orange Naruto"
He had been very annoyed with his men, and after he had spoken with Sanketsu, Danzou had spent the rest of the evening drawing up new training schedules and practices. It had been well after midnight when the old warhorse finally retired, but he thought his ideas were well worth the sleep deprivation.
He had been initially surprised his men had needed it in the first place, but then had to severely chastise himself.
If anyone was mostly at fault it was him, and not AnBu who had pledged their loyalty to his causes. However, being Danzou, the man couldn't just up and tell them he was at fault. To most of his initiates, he was God, and if he committed any wrongs then he could very well lose his organisation.
He put a sign on the AnBu ROOT notice board about future training options.
"All AnBu ROOT members are required to sign up for and complete several classes on stealth, tracking, retrieval, and strategy. This is mandatory. Those AnBu who fail the programs will have his or her membership terminated."
Simple and direct enough that even the village fool would understand the disappointment Danzou felt.
Everyone else, however, would assume the fault lay with them; and that was just how Danzou liked it.
A careful knock on the door disturbed the man from his thoughts. He placed his bamboo brush on its stone pedestal, raised his head and spoke in a bemused voice.
"Enter, Sanketsu."
The rice-paper door slid open to allow a tired aide-de-camp entrance to the well lit room. He stumbled, deep rims under his eyes signifying the ninja hadn't slept over the past few days.
"I've brought you the information Danzou-sama. Everything is there, from the Ward Data down to last week's test grade. It's also all organized and categorized chronologically and by importance. The high priority notes are in a separate pink folder entitled Operation Orange; that includes the Kyuubi specific notes and Hokage-sama's interactions with the child."
Danzou's initial frown changed into a grin, and then a pleased smile as Sanketsu continued on.
"I also have here DNA samples and medical records in a separate file and medical bag. The file isn't as large as the others because most of the information has been placed in the pink folder."
Danzou flipped open the first set of folders, and skimmed the first page.
"Finally, here is a file containing an evaluation of the child from what I have seen of him, and also of any possible repercussions or political interference Hokage-sama can lay against you should he gain wind of this."
Danzou put the stack of papers he was looking at down, and steeled his gaze, looking Sanketsu directly in his eyes.
"I trust that will not be a problem, hmm Sanketsu?"
Sanketsu smiled, his eyes becoming even more tired.
"No Danzou-sama. In forethought of the possible ramifications, only you and I know of this operation. No other ROOT AnBu, or any other ninja or civilian for that matter, know of what I have done and what you are planning."
Danzou stood, turned, and walked away from the ninja out onto the adjacent walkway.
"Walk with me Sanketsu."
The ninja hesitantly rose, and joined the cyclopean man on the outside veranda. Before the man could continue, the AnBu ROOT member tugged at Danzou's hakama, his face radiating uncertainty and nervousness
"There was one more thing Danzou-sama – no, please hear me out – and this may yet work in our favour: yesterday, Uzumaki Naruto failed the Genin examinations for the third time."
**********
Sarutobi Sasuke, Konoha's 'Professor' and Sandaime Hokage, pinched the bridge of his nose.
He was sitting in his office, smoking his pipe, and wondering what he was going to do with Naruto.
Well, and Mizuki too for that matter, but that could be dealt with later and by the AnBu Interrogation Squad.
Now, more importantly, he had to find out a way to keep Naruto off the streets, entertained, and happy.
He couldn't put Naruto back through the Academy – the Council wouldn't let him – and he was too busy to train the blonde kid himself – what with being Hokage and all the paperwork he had to do that came with the post.
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again.
"What am I going to do?"
A knock sounded on the door. Sarutobi called for the person to come in, and his secretary poked her head around the door.
She was a medium sized woman, plain of face, neither too thin nor too fat, she was just plain ordinary. She had medium length brown hair and brown horn-rimmed glasses which continually slipped down her nose. Her skin, while soft, was of a light tan colour and clashed with the waves of freckles that dotted her face.
Her clothes were simple: a short blue miniskirt filled out a professional white buttoned up blouse.
Her name was Mikyo, just plain old Mikyo thank you very much, and she liked movies, chilled green tea, and sleeping on the soft grassy hills in the Green Meadow Park on Sundays. She was slightly clumsy and had had to work diligently in order to keep her post as keeper of the Hokage's schedule. If you had met her anywhere, you would have instantly taken her for a mousey timid sort of girl, the type that screeches every time she sees a mouse or someone sneaks up on her from behind.
Mikyo was also one of Sarutobi's most accomplished and loyal ninja.
"Ah, Hokage-sama? There's a little tyke here to see you. He says he's got an appointment, but I didn't see him in your schedule. You are free now anyway so," she pushed her glasses back up her nose, "would you mind seeing him?"
Sarutobi, sighed, stretched himself, and stood up. He smiled nodded at Mikyo.
"Is it Uzumaki Naruto?"
Mikyo paused.
"He's short, blonde, and wearing an orange jumpsuit, of course it's Uzumaki Naruto."
Sarutobi ignored the jibe the woman had sent him and visibly deflated.
"Send him in please."
He began pacing the room and was staring out at the Hokage Monument when Naruto entered the room. For once in his entire life, the kid was quiet – unnaturally so. Sarutobi was worried that his successor's legacy would remain that way, for the old man so enjoyed the life and enthusiasm the young boy displayed.
The old man turned round and noticed the openness of the child's complexion. The kid was confused; he probably thought nothing was wrong or maybe the Hokage was going to lecture him again.
However, Uzumaki Naruto had failed the Academy and there was no going back.
His life was shattered, his dreams had lost momentum before he could even begin to shine, and the poor guy had no idea what had happened to him or what he was going to now do.
"Naruto, I have some very important information to share with you today. I am not sure what you have been told or how much you already know so I shall sadly begin with the most severe topic of our discussion."
He gestured Naruto to sit in one of the plush chairs that sat in his office, while the old man moved to his own seat. He waited until Naruto was sitting comfortably before continuing.
"Naruto, you should know by now that the academy has a certain policy when it comes to examinations. You have failed the Genin exams three times and that means you no longer are able to graduate from the school and become a ninja that way."
Naruto looked blankly at the Hokage. Sarutobi sighed.
"It means no more ninja – for now. It means you will not be joining a Genin team in the near future – if at all. It means it will become nigh on impossible for you to become Hokage."
Naruto stared at him, completely silenced and perhaps not yet comprehending the revelations cast upon him. The Hokage leaned forward.
"Naruto, listen to me. You can't become a ninja. You might have some of the skills, but if you don't master the basics, you will never amount to anything other than a liability. I know it must have been hard living on your own without anyone to constantly care for you; I, too, could maybe have spent more time with you, time teaching you but were it not for my duties as Hokage."
"However, you could have helped prevent this situation by being more diligent in your training; I know for a fact you have spent a grand total of 6 weeks in school the past 4 months. The time you spent on pranks could have been much more wisely spent on mastering the basic henge, kawarimi, and bunshin techqnies, or working out the kinks in your taijutsu."
Comprehension was beginning to dawn on the young boy's face, his confident swagger and arrogance chipped away with each word Sarutobi spoke. The old man leaned forward, voice rising with every syllable uttered.
"Had you come to me for advice I most certainly would have been able to lend you a training scroll or teach you a kata, but, well, there's only so much I could have done without your support."
The Hokage paused and fell into his seat. 'Good grief' he thought, 'this is not comforting him, if anything it's isolating him from me. Ugh… I'm too old for this job.'
He rose out of his chair and walked round the table to where Naruto sat. Laying what meant to be a reassuring hand on the boys shoulder, he looked him in the eye.
"Naruto… do not forget what I said; just don't dwell on it for long. I… care for you, I truly enjoy seeing you full of life, and I will help you deal with this new situation. I, nevertheless, cannot aid you unless you allow me to help you, ask for me to help you, and prove to me I can help you without resorting to seditious behaviour."
"Ninja are supposed to be loyal, they are supposed to respect others, and they are supposed to be skilled and efficient. Above all, ninja cannot abandon others and this can be seen in many ways. On the battlefield, this can be seen as staying behind to make sure everyone survives, or helping each other through a difficult moment."
The Hokage grimaced. He motioned for Naruto to stand, and then guided him over to where the 4 Hokage portraits stood.
"Naruto, what I say is relevant – extremely relevant – is because you did not fail because of your lack of skill. You failed because you abandoned your classmates through the pranks you played on them and because you weren't disciplined enough to prove to Konoha you could follow orders efficiently and reliably."
Sarutobi kneeled down in front of Naruto, took him into his arms, and hugged him. Tears erupted from Naruto's eyes and the young child for the first time in his young life let himself cry; he let himself relieve the constant tension he had been living under the past several years, the first realisation only now coming.
Sarutobi did all he could to hold onto the kid, rubbing his back, speaking soft words of comfort into his ear. He doubted anyone else had done this to the kid, and what broke his heart the most was the fact that the child had been forced to become strong enough to endure the psychological barrage day in and day out. He hoped that someone would take pity on the boy, otherwise, well; he had no idea what he'd do.
He channelled a spike of chakra, bidding his secretary entrance. A curious Mikyo peeked round the Hokage door, and Sarutobi silently mouthed over Naruto's shoulder,
"Cancel all my appointments for today, I'm going to go out and spend some time with him."
Mikyo smiled, nodded, banged her head 'accidentally' into the doorpost, and skipped smartly to her post.
Naruto was somewhat cheerful by the time the two of them reached Ichiraky Ramen, Sarutobi was pleased to see. It seemed nothing could keep the good boy down for long, something he was sure would have been useful on a ninja squadron.
He stroked his beard, 'maybe I can send him some scrolls, and then see if any Jounin will take him on as an apprentice…should work, but not Gai. The taijutsu and discipline should be useful… but no, I will not have Naruto exposed to his 'Youth'.'
He was interrupted in his musing when Naruto let go of his robe and rushed towards the ramen stand.
There, at the Ichiraku counter, sat a dejected Iruka mulling over a full bowl of Ramen that was slowly, but surely, going cold.
"Iruka-sensei! What have I told you about letting Ramen go cold!"
The surprised Chuunin fell over his chair, splashing his Ramen onto the ground and nearby patrons in the process. A man garbed in the AnBu uniform moved out of the way and took up camp in one of the nearby booths.
Iruka quickly got up and turned towards the blonde boy, a rant already forming on his lips when he caught sight of the Hokage.
"Ah… Hokage-sama, what brings you here?"
Sarutobi chuckled.
"I'm sorry if Naruto-kun disturbed you, we were just going for dinner to cheer up his spirits."
Iruka's face fell.
He thought back to earlier, to the difficult task of being Naruto's teacher, only friend, and examiner. The boy in question was looking earnestly at the brown haired Chuunin, eager for his response.
"In that case, why don't you two join me, after all, the more the merrier; ah Hokage-sama, before you say anything, it's my treat, ok?"
Naruto gleefully sat down next to Umino Iruka, already animatedly talking with him in full force; Sarutobi Sasuke took his seat on the other side of the boy.
"Iruka, no need to be so formal with me; Sarutobi-san is fine. Ah, Naruto-kun, what will you be having?"
"A big bowl of Beef Ramen followed by the Deluxe Naruto Special."
"Iruka-kun?"
"Um… I guess I'll be having the Beef Ramen as well, ne Naruto-kun?"
Throughout the evening, the Sandaime was privy to a rare glimpse in Naruto's life. The child was talking with a member of the same generation that knew of the Kyuubi and there was only warmth and bonds of familial love.
In fact, the old man had never seen both Iruka-kun and Naruto-kun so animated and so full of positive energy and life that an idea started forming in his head.
As the dinner began winding down, Sarutobi took the opportunity to ask Iruka a few questions.
"Iruka-kun, you live on your own, right? Tell, me, do you have any, I don't know, people or pets living with you?"
Iruka was about to respond when a strange expression crossed his face; as he realised what the Hokage was leading towards he became lost in thought.
"Iruka-kun?"
Iruka turned toward Naruto. The boy was completely oblivious to the serious conversation going on that most likely would decide the boy's life; in fact the kid was having an animated conversation with Teuchi and Ayame – the owners and chefs of the ramen establishment.
"Hokage-sama… I think that's something we can't just decide right now. Naruto, well, yes, because of our parallel histories there's a certain bond we share… I can't be his father; I feel more like his brother anyway."
The Chuunin sighed.
"Hokage-sama, not to be rude or anything, but I can't adopt him. Yes, he's like a younger brother to me, but it wouldn't work out; we don't know each other well enough in order to live in the same house or for such a familial relationship to work."
Sarutobi smiled wistfully.
"Iruka-kun, I'm not forcing you to adopt him – in fact, I agree, it would be better for you not to. I want to know if he can stay with you; I want to know if you can take care of him, and fulfil your duties as a Chuunin simultaneously. I'm actually quite glad you are an instructor, being permanently posted at home would greatly help if you take me up on my offer."
Sarutobi reached into his robes for his pipe, but couldn't find it.
"Where's my pipe…? Never mind, I must have left it back at the office."
He glanced over at the now serious discussion Naruto and Teuchi were having, before resuming his talk with Iruka. He signalled Ayame to bring them sake, of which he poured one cup for Iruka and one for himself.
"You can even consider it a C-rank mission if you will, but I want someone looking after him. On his own, Naruto won't be able to function properly after a week, and I will not break my promise to Yondaime-dono any further. I can't take care of him, I need someone who appreciates him and cares for him as a person to do that, and you're the only one I can think of right now that's fit for the job."
"Hokage-sama… I'm sorry… it's a lot to take in… I'm going to have to think about it…"
The young Chuunin took a sip of his sake.
"When do you want my answer?"
Sarutobi sat back. He furrowed his brows, concentrating on Naruto and what an old rival would do if he ever found out what the old man was planning…
"Iruka, tomorrow, or the day after is fine. But do not take too long, for Naruto is still a ward of the state. Until they get the bureaucracy and paperwork marked and settled, the Council will not block any actions I may take in Naruto's name. The problem is, if we take too long, the Council will claim jurisdiction over Naruto and then he will be forever caged from realising his full potential."
He signalled old Teuchi for the bill.
"That, Iruka, is something I cannot allow to pass. It is also why I have asked you; had Naruto become a ninja, I would have retained full control and jurisdiction over the boy. Sadly, that is not the case."
Teuchi returned with the bill and an apprehensive smile on his face.
"Hokage-sama, Naruto's been telling me pretty interestin' stuff. I bin thinkin', if yer'll pardon me sayin', I kin offer the kid a bit o' work 'ere, mebbe teach 'im part time – or even fulltime – what o' I know 'bout Ramen. Jus' sayin' is all. Also, that'a way, methinks Naruto'll be able ta keep 'imself off'a streets 'en take care o' 'imself as well."
Sarutobi looked at Naruto.
"Ne, oji-san? Can I? Can I, please? I wanna have all the Ramen in the world."
Sarutobi and Iruka shared a look, the former chuckling and the latter sighing. Sarutobi stood up and motioned for the other two to join him.
"Naruto, we're going now. Teuchi, well, thank you for the offer, but Naruto and I will have to have a little discussion first – Iruka as well if other things take place."
They exited the establishment, Naruto glowing – having forgotten the earlier unfortunate events in all the excitement and ramen he had enjoyed. A few blocks from the restaurant Iruka left Sarutobi and Naruto, but not before hugging Naruto and wishing both of them well. The Chuunin left the duo with a bit more purpose and a problem to solve.
Unknown to the three of them, throughout the entire evening the unnamed and inconspicuous AnBu had been listening in on their conversations. The masked figure paid for its meal, shook its head and silently headed off towards the Hokage Tower. No one paid any attention to the figure as it slunk through Konoha, unusually keeping to the streets.
When Sarutobi and Naruto reached the apartments where Naruto lived the Hokage stopped outside and paused.
"Naruto, I know you have been handling yourself on your own very well, but I'm considering letting someone act as caretaker for you. That way, I can be sure you will always have someone around to look after you in the event I am not around.
Naruto blinked at the old man.
"But you'll always be around, ji-san."
Sarutobi whimsically sighed.
"Well, we'll see about that… Now, how about I read you a story tonight, to make sure you can fall asleep that much better."
xXx
On his way out from the apartments, the Sandaime Hokage nodded briefly to the AnBu guard on watch.
He would have a lot to do and think about these coming days. In that regard, he was quite lucky the council were still preparing for the big meetings with the Hi no Kuni daimyo that were to be held next week.
When Sarutobi returned to the Hokage Tower, he was baffled and slightly worried at seeing his secretary still working this late. As soon as the women noted his presence, she looked up from what she was doing and frowned at the Hokage.
"Ah, Hokage-sama, you have a visitor. I know it's quite late, but he insisted it was quite urgent. I believe he was with one of the AnBu divisions, and he showed all the proper documentation and knew all the correct pass codes, so he's right now sitting in the waiting room."
Sarutobi blinked, nodded, and ignored the women. His pipe was in his office, and that was the only reason he had come here in the first place. As he walked into the waiting room, the waiting masked AnBu nodded slightly in respect.
Sarutobi mentally frowned, he hadn't seen that AnBu mask in a long time, but where?
'No matter, this will only prove a slight delay.'
Hopefully the AnBu would soon leave and allow him the chance to collect and smoke his pipe in peace. Ah, a leaf, a leaf; a kingdom for his leaf.
As he entered his office, the AnBu followed behind. As soon as both had advanced into the room, the AnBu turned toward the aged man and removed his mask.
Sarutobi Sasuke just stared.
Sarutobi Sasuke noted who it was, and ignored him. If the AnBu waltzed in in a show of power, it meant he needed something from him.
Danzou stood in the middle of the room in full AnBu regalia. His political rival and onetime friend was decked out in the older, more cumbersome gear, but it allowed the man to hide most of his features. His AnBu mask was tilted at a slant on the top of his head, leaving only the man's face visible.
The Hokage waved a weary arm towards the chairs across from his desk.
"Please, Danzou, sit down."
Danzou turned away from the aging Hokage, his features grim and stiff – the man was obviously not here to play games.
"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Naruto at Ichiraku Ramen, Sasuke-dono. I know it's late but, well, this is something very important and I want to have as few people know as possible."
He guided the startled Hokage to his seat, and moved towards the other end of the desk.
"Before we begin, I want your full word this conversation will not leave this office."
He tapped the attaché bag he was carrying with his real arm.
"The concerned information is contained herein, and whilst copies have been made, only I know where they are. Also," Danzou leaned forward and lowered his voice, "this concerns a ward of the state – not a ninja, so technically I didn't have to come to you to go through with this operation. However, because of the sensitivity of this information and of the possible adverse reactions when I will realise – and I will be candid with you – I… regrettably… will need your support."
Sarutobi dazedly nodded. The old man pressed a button under his desk, and his secretary returned with two mugs and a steaming pot of coffee.
"Fine Danzou, go on, enlighten me. What is your big 'plan'?"
Danzou kept his stern face and took a seat across from him; the only indication of his excitement was the predatory look gleaming in his eye.
"Let's first talk business."