AN: Thanks to isee4, ddcj1990, Exleader75, and Ceralyn for their reviews, and thanks especially to Exleader for your comments and advice. Thanks also to all the faves and alerts, your attention keeps us alive.
For all the readers that might be curious, Naruko has Sporadic Eidetic Memory, and a form of Synethesia called Lexical-Gustatory Synesthesia. The former means that she has perfect and total memory of certain, random events and things. Unlike someone with Eidetic Memory, she cannot remember everything with perfect accuracy. Lexical-Gustatory Synesthesia means that, as I'm sure you've gathered, Naruko can taste sounds. Both of these are real things, Google them if you don't believe us.
ROOT
All That Glitters
"So..."
Naruko looked up from her seat to find Sakura Haruno standing over her. The class had emptied, the jonin sensei of the other teams had long come and gone.
"You're ANBU?"
Naruko blinked languidly. Curiosity. The taste of miso soup. Fascinating. "Yes. Though I am only a trainee, I've never left the village."
The Uchiha broke his silence, his voice was laden with barely concealed fury and despair. Blood and ashes. "You must be skilled. You're already in the ANBU at this age." There was jealousy in his voice. A sour taste.
"You must have graduated early...right?"
Naruko shook her head, enjoying the sensation of Sakura's curiosity before she spoke, "I was never in the Academy. I was raised by my sensei. I'm an orphan you see. I never knew my parents."
"Can you teach me?" Sasuke's blood and ashes voice cut through the air like a blade. Naruko cringed.
"Maybe. We'll have to ask Hatake-sensei. Even then, I'd only be able to show you basic things without consulting with my superiors in ANBU. I have the feeling they wouldn't mind. After all, you're the reason I'm here."
Sasuke frowned, and his voice was flavored with confusion, a faintly bitter taste. "What does that mean?"
Naruko shrugged, "You're the last Uchiha in Konoha. You possess a powerful and valuable kekkei genkai. I'm supposed to do my utmost to ensure that you gain mastery of said bloodline, and keep you from falling into enemy hands."
The door slid open, and a man with messy silver hair, a mask covering the bottom half of his face, and his headband pulled down over one eye walked into the room. In his hand was a bright orange book. His single eye peeked over the book and took stock of the room's occupants. His brow furrowed as he recognized the uniform of Danzo's ROOT ANBU on the blonde.
"My first impression is-"
"I love that book!" The blonde practically shouted, and clapped her hand over her mouth. Clearly, Danzo's conditioning wasn't effective on this one.
"-I hate you all. Except for you Blondie. You have good taste in literature. Be on the roof in five minutes." With that, Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves, reappearing on the roof.
With the blonde standing right next to him.
"Slow Kakashi-sensei. I expected more of the infamous Copy-nin." She smirked, and Kakashi glimpsed the tip of a canine tooth. "You must have a small-"
Kakashi cut her off, all to aware of the bizarre things younger members of ROOT often said. "So, why did Danzo send you?" Mentally, he kicked himself. He saw the glimpse of black on her tongue when she spoke, meaning that Danzo's seal was present. Not only would she be unable to talk about her master, or his orders, she would be paralyzed from the attempt."
"Danzo-sama has ordered me to ensure the activation of Sasuke Uchiha's Sharingan, and keep him from falling into enemy hands."
Kakashi blinked. Perhaps he was mistaken, and the girl didn't have Danzo's seal on her tongue.
"You have no ill intentions towards my team?"
The girl smiled, "None at all Kakashi-san. I live to serve Konohagakure. On that note, Sasuke-kun has requested that I teach him what I can from my training. An understandable request, seeing as despite my official ranking, or lack thereof, I am roughly on par with a upperclass Chunin. I told him that I needed to obtain your permission. After all, you are the Jonin sensei of this team, and, despite not being an active ANBU, your ranking was higher than mine, and I will therefore defer to your judgment, lacking orders from Danzo-sama."
Kakashi blinked once more. He wanted to say she sounded like a machine, like that speech was programed into her. It probably was. That didn't change the fact that it sounded genuine, almost earnest. Perhaps that was Danzo's doing, or perhaps she really was genuine. She certainly had more of a personality than Danzo's typical lackeys. He couldn't help but wonder just what skills she did have.
"You have my permission, on the condition that you clear everything with me before showing him."
The girl shrugged, "Understandable. Um..." She was fidgeting. It was somewhat adorable.
"Yes?"
"I have a personal request...well...two."
"They are?"
"I understand that I have a skill level greater than the average genin, but my skills are still...unrefined. I would request that you teach me as you would any other student. Also...do you have volume two of Icha Icha?"
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "Of course I do."
Kakashi was, again, hours late, so Naruko sat silently atop a training post at the designated meeting place. Sasuke sat languidly beneath a tree, and Sakura fawned over him like the overbearing fangirl that she was.
Despite his shortcomings, Naruko had no doubt that Kakashi would prove to be a skilled teacher, and would likely round out her skill set. Danzo had focused largely on assassination techniques and infiltration. She could move unseen and kill a room full of people without any of them noticing, but she didn't have a prayer in an open combat situation. Realistically, she knew that many of the techniques she had learned were perfectly applicable to open combat situations, but ROOT didn't encourage creativity. Linear thought doesn't allow for much room for improvisation. She simply didn't know how to use her techniques in a direct offense. Kakashi was known for his ability to improvise and adapt. Naruko wished, above all else, to add that to her skill set.
Sakura Haruno was all brains and no brawn. Truthfully, Sakura remined Naruko of Hanaka. Without the redeeming features of being useful and adorable. Hanaka could have thought circles around Naruko, having somehow been too intelligent for ROOT's trend of linear thinking to trap her. Combining that with her impressive skills with her shadow techniques, Hanaka and Naruko were, in her opinion, the perfect team. But Sakura had no impressive shadow techniques. She had no redeeming features aside from an impressive memory and above average chakra control, and that control was a result of a below average chakra pool. Perhaps Danzo would allow Hanaka to teach Sakura how to be a proper kunoichi, if Naruko recommended it...but no. Hanaka was in no position to teach anyone.
Sasuke Uchiha. The boy was melancholic, to say the least. She sympathized with him though, he had his family ripped away from him, nobody should have to go through that pain. That aside, his personal issues needed to take second saddle to team efficiency. They needed to mesh together well in order to complete their future missions in an effective and timely fashion.
"So, did you finish volume two?" Despite the suddenness of the voice, it lacked the presence needed to startle the blonde shinobi.
"Not yet. I'm barely on chapter two, after all, Danzo-sama doesn't really approve of my reading such th-" Naruko paused, and sighed. "How did you do that?"
"I'll never tell." Kakashi sounded smug. Coming from him, the taste wasn't unpleasant, not like when Fu was smug. "Time for the test to see if this team will even stay together. Although, I'm sure you have orders to make sure that it does?"
"Danzo-sama never mentioned anything of the sort. However, if this team doesn't pass, undoubtedly I'll be punished. It's in my best interest to prevent that." Kakashi noted that the blonde's fists clenched. He couldn't see her hands beneath her black gloves, but undoubtedly they were scarred, if the marks on her arms were anything to go by. Odd, Danzo wasn't much for invasive indoctrination. Scars could hinder mobility. She stood smoothly and looked towards her inattentive team. "Sensei is here! Form up!"
Kakashi imagined Naruko's idea of forming up is an orderly formation, executed swiftly and silently. What she got was Sasuke's indifferent amble towards the training posts, accompanied by Sakura's incessant chatter. Still, the blonde took charge and explained that they would be participating in a sort of survival test, the result of which would decide whether or not the team would be allowed to remain together, or if they would be sent back to the academy. She then dropped down from her perch and stepped into line with Sasuke and Sakura.
Kakashi nodded sagely, his face still hidden behind his book and mask. "You task, is to get these bells from me." He held up two dented bells, and tied them to his belt. "There are only two bells, so that means that only two of you can pass." Naruko cursed under her breath, and Kakashi couldn't keep himself from grinning. "Of course, to get them from me, you should come at me with the intent to kill. You have until lunchtime. Good luck!" With that, the cyclopian shinobi vanished in a swirl of leaves.
Sasuke and Sakura moved to dash off, only for Naruko's hands to latch firmly onto their shoulders. "The point of the mission is teamwork. We have to work together. I'm more skilled than the both of you, and I've got no hope against someone like him on my own. There are two bells. One for each of you. Regardless of anything else, you two need to pass. After all, you're Team Seven. I'm just your quirky hanger-on, right?" The pair looked at her like she was crazy. "Will you work with me?"
Sakura looked to Sasuke for guidance, and the Uchiha nodded.
From the looks on their faces, Naruko gathered that the smile on hers was quite fierce.
"Sit."
"Danzo-sama?"
"Please, would you kindly be seated, Naruko-chan."
"Yes Danzo-sama."
"Good."
"How have your sessions been?"
"They hurt."
"The seal?"
"Everything. The fox rebels against it. It doesn't want to allow these things."
"You are the master. Not the Kyuubi."
"And you are my master."
Saccharine sweetness.
"Danzo-sama. Why do you allow that man so much independence?"
"He is useful."
"What about Kabuto-san? Do you intend to go through with it?"
"Do you have an opinion on the situation?"
"You say he's gotten too effective. Does that diminish his loyalty?"
"What are you-"
"If Koi gets too effective, will you have her eliminated? What about me? Fu? All of us? We serve you, we serve Konoha, but we are alive. We are loyal to our last breath. What gives you the right to decide when we're no longer of use? When we're too effective to be controlled?"
"Be silent."
"I will not!"
"Would you kindly take your seat and be silent."
The taste of flowers, a cottony feeling inside.
"Good. You're expected to report for another session. I understand he's made progress in enhancement seals. Your resilience to the...negative effects make you the perfect subject for initial trials."
A cottony feeling inside.
"I see you don't object. I apologize for any pain the application process might cause you, but it is a necessary evil. You are dismissed, would you kindly report to his labs?"
The taste of flowers, a cottony feeling inside. "Yes Danzo-sama."
"They're chasing Tora, Hokage-sama."
The Hokage sighed, that cat was the most hated thing in the village, bar none. There were, however, more pressing matters that needed his attention. Namely, the sudden reappearance of Naruko Uzumaki, clearly a member of Danzo's supposedly disbanded ROOT organization.
"What do you think Kakashi-kun?"
The jonin rubbed his chin, "Unlike everything we've seen of Danzo's pet weapons, she seems very much like her parents. More subdued than either of them, but similar. She very clearly said that her codename at ROOT is Kin, but that her name is Naruko. She knows who she is. She's very clear that unless Danzo gives specific orders on an issue, she'll defer to my judgment, or lacking that, will follow what she feels to be the best course of action."
The Hokage nodded thoughtfully, lighting his pipe as he did. "Do you think it is intentional on Danzo's part? Or is she simply that strong?"
"I'm inclined to believe the latter. Any child of theirs would definitely be stubborn as a rock."
The Hokage cleared his throat, in an attempt to cover his laughter, then scowled. "The council moves behind my back yet again Kakashi." The old man sighed. "I'm far too old for this Kakashi-kun. What am I to do?"
"Show that you are not an old man to be bullied by bureaucrats and merchants. You are the Professor. The Sandaime Hokage. And you are the very best of us." Kakashi's voice was even, icy.
"If I am the best of us... then what is Danzo?"
"The very worst." The reply came quickly, without hesitation.
"I disagree...I have never approved of his methods, but he has, and ever will be, Konoha's loyal servant."
"Only if he gets to decide how he should best serve Hokage-sama."
"All too true."
Kakashi stood silent as the Hokage puffed on his pipe.
"Tell me, Kakashi-kun. How does one stop a dog from tugging overmuch on the leash?"
"I've never been one for leashes, to be honest."
"I have noticed that."
Kakashi sighed. "I think, Hokage-sama, that the answer is to give the dog a longer leash."
"But with a longer leash, the dog can turn and bite his master."
"Then a longer leash, and a muzzle."
"How would I lengthen his leash Kakashi-kun, when he has slipped it entirely."
"Order the formal reestablishment of ROOT, and make it answer only to you."
The Hokage nodded slowly, a small smile creeping across his lips. "That is the leash. What of the muzzle?"
Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know Hokage-sama."
"You will take position alongside Shikaku Nara as one of Konoha's Jonin Commanders, and will take position as the head of the ANBU. You are the muzzle Kakashi-kun. We will give him a longer leash. We just need to keep him from biting."
AN: So, I kinda wrote the last bit of the chapter while I was watching Game of Thrones, don't know if that sort of bled into my narrative. In any case, review and comment please.
