Chapter 5

There were very few times in life that Kakashi had purposefully set out to see the Hokage without being ordered to. This was one of those times.

Just thinking about the consequences unleashing the kyuubi would have on the village made him shiver in horror. If anything, he was the most accepting of the demon-turned-human. Most of the villagers, and even most other ninja, would happily have had him murdered when he was still a baby, not even able to walk or talk. But his experience earlier that day had cast a stark reality on him.

It was dangerous to allow Naruto to walk around unaccompanied. Anything could happen! He could lose control again maybe even kill someone!

Kakashi thought back about the recent animal attacks. 'Nah, couldn't be'. He dismissed the very idea. Naruto's only goal in life was to become a top-class ninja to protect the village, he'd even said so himself. There was no way he'd do a thing like that, even under the influence of demonic energy.

The image of Naruto's face, animal like and twisted in a feral snarl flashed before his eyes. He pushed it from his mind. 'No, definitely not.'

He reached the Hokage's office within minutes, not even out of breath. Of course it had taken him an hour longer than it should have, only because he had stopped to rescue an elderly man's pants from a crow that had taken a liking to them.

Approaching the secretary, a young chuunin with close cropped dark hair, he requested an urgent meeting with the third Hokage.

"I'm sorry, sir," he replied, shuffling a few papers awkwardly, trying to avoid the jounin's eye, "the Hokage has gone out of town for a few weeks."

Kakashi stared at him. Sarutobi never went out of town unannounced. In fact, he couldn't recall the last time he'd been out of town!

"Well where has he gone?" He tried to keep his tone level and friendly, so as not to make it any harder on the young secretary who was visibly sweating now under his gaze.

"Um… um… he said not to tell anyone, not even the messenger-birds know," he mumbled.

This was even more unusual. Not to even tell his ninja where to contact him? Most strange. Perhaps he was on a top secret mission… or was in hiding from an enemy. Both equally impossible. Besides, Sarutobi was no pushover, he was the third Hokage! He had responsibilities!

The secretary was wilting under his unblinking stare. He generally had this effect on people. That and his features hidden beneath a mask gave him quite an imposing face. He almost felt sorry for the guy.

"Where… is… he?" he repeated. Chopping off each word with a snap and leaning in closer, his hands resting on the desk. "It is very important that I get word to him."

The secretary was almost in tears. "I don't know, I don't know… he just said he needed a break!" he squeaked.

Kakashi breathed deeply and moved back. The guy didn't know anything and it was mean to torture him like that. He prepared to leave.

"He left Danzo-sama in charge though," the secretary gushed, glad to see the back of the jounin. Kakashi stopped dead.

"DANZO?!" he exclaimed, turning back in shock. If anything, that shocked him more. "He left Danzo in charge?"

"Yes sir."

There was no way in hell he would be reporting to that guy. Danzo had a bit of a reputation as a ruthless and formidable ninja. Despite appearing as a disabled old man, he was every bit as powerful as the Hokage, and much less forgiving. He had his own laws that he wished to enforce, and if given the chance, would enforce them with an iron fist. It had been Danzo, in fact, who had led the protest against allowing Naruto to live in the first place.

He wouldn't be reporting this to Danzo.

Naruto's fate would have to be determined when the Hokage returned. Until then, he would have to keep an eye on the boy himself, perhaps draft in a few trusted allies. He pondered on this for a while as he made his way back to the hospital, taking the long way round because a black cat crossed his path. It didn't hurt to be careful.

Danzo watched from his vantage point in the Hokage's office as Kakashi did a U-turn because of a black cat. Sometimes superstition was just plain ridiculous.

He smiled to himself as his plans came to fruitation. Soon his newest experiment would be ready for implantation and there would be nothing to stop him taking over his village. The current Hokage was a stubborn old fool, but not even Sarutobi could possibly hope to contend with a demon.

It had taken countless years to perfect the jutsu. Countless trials and errors. Countless petty demons destroyed before he had finally mastered it. The first successful one had happened just two weeks ago, but he had been impatient to implement it on its true target.

He was still testing the boundaries of it. It wouldn't be long now before he finally performed it on the demon-brat.

With the kyuubi under his control, he would be unstoppable.

He would take over Konoha.

The fire country.

Maybe even the world!

Perhaps that was going a bit far. He would settle for just the village. Already he could see it within his grasp.

Releasing the demon's memories had been just the first step. Soon he would be consumed by his original self. Without Naruto's patriotism getting in the way, it would have no qualms about destroying the resistance. Danzo chuckled to himself as he settled into the Hokage's chair. Sending the free tickets to a hot springs had been his best idea yet. No need to look over his shoulder now, Sarutobi wouldn't know what had happened before it was too late.

Victory would indeed be a very sweet taste.

Two weeks later, Naruto and his team were due to go on another boring D-class mission. Unknown to his team, Kakashi had specifically requested easy, non-stressful missions in the hopes that it would keep Naruto from losing control again. It certainly seemed to be working; the boy appeared completely normal if it weren't for the faint traces of the disguise jutsu he always wore. But it wouldn't work for much longer.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke whined, "why do we have to keep doing these stupid easy missions? I wont learn anything doing this!"

It was true, this was doing nothing for them. He couldn't keep this up for much longer. If only the Hokage would hurry up and return.

"Have patience Sasuke. In time, you'll be assigned a higher class mission but you've only been doing this two weeks," he replied, "Ok, listen up, for today we…"

He issued them the mission to catch a runaway cat, which had been making a nuisance of itself. Naruto groaned inwardly. He hated cats. It was all because of Nibi, he believed. That damn demon had always been a pain in the demonic arse. As a less powerful Bijuu than himself, it had often trailed behind him in the hope that he would repel any attackers and spent the entire time making annoying wise-cracks about the size of his posterior… among other things.

The three genin were soon speeding across the rooftops in search of the cat. Naruto was not best pleased with this mission and neither, it seemed, was Sasuke. The boy had a perpetual frown on his face. Or perhaps that was just his usual expression.

An hour later they were getting nowhere. Naruto was getting impatient. He was hungry and wanted to end this quickly so he could get his ramen. A scent brought his attention quickly down to a roof a little way away.

Springing into action, he hurled himself to it and landed on all fours, nose to the roof tiles. Sakura and Sasuke were a little taken aback by his weird behaviour and took a few moments before they followed him. By the time they'd reached the spot he had already taken off at an astonishing speed, nose inches from the roof.

He recognised the scent. It had to be the cat, nothing else would smell this revolting. His animal instincts were taking over. He ran on all fours, concentrating only on the scent on the floor infront of him. He concentrated so much that his disguise jutsu slipped and his claws made scratching noises as they hit the tiles.

The transformation had been gradual until two nights ago. He had woken up that morning (in the middle of a tennis court) to find a tail emerging from his shorts. It was orange-red, just like his ears, and was actually surprisingly useful for holding things, he'd discovered. Like having a third arm.

Now it streamed behind him, helping him keep his balance as he sped, faster and faster, after the cat. It annoyed him that he had to spend so much energy on the stupid creature. He bared his fangs in irritation and growled softly.

In no time at all, he saw it.

The cat was sitting there, arrogant and mocking, in the alley below. He pounced, snarling at it. 'Stupid cat'.

Yowling in terror it darted away.

"Oh no you don't" he growled, and leapt to block its exit, hackles raised.

The cat was hissing and spitting; its back arched so much its hind legs threatened to leave the ground. He felt oddly content with its reaction. Feeling decidedly smug, he raised a clawed hand to strike his prey. It would make a tasty snack before his ramen.

"NO, Naruto!"

Naruto turned to see who was interrupting. Kakashi stood in the alleyway, looking flustered. The cat meowed.

"You mustn't harm the cat, Naruto."

He narrowed his eyes. Who was to say what he could or could not do?

"Listen to me, Naruto, you don't want to kill it, you were just meant to catch it," Kakashi took a careful step forward, "there's a good boy now, come away."

If looks could kill, Kakashi would have died then and there. Naruto did not approve of being told he was a 'good boy' in such a patronising way. But the distraction had rid him of his animalistic intent and he didn't feel like eating the cat anymore.

He restored his disguise jutsu and grabbed the cat (now scarred for life undoubtedly) securely by the scruff of the neck. At that moment Sakura and Sasuke caught up with him.

"Naruto you dimwit!" huffed Sakura, out of breath, "don't run off like that!"

He grinned sheepishly at her.

"Sorry…"

"As punishment you're buying us all lunch," Kakashi announced.

"WHAT!?" he exclaimed, almost smashing the cat (which he'd forgotten about) against a brick wall. Kakashi quickly rescued the feline before anything else happened. "But…but…"

They had already left.

Sighing, Naruto hung his head and shuffled after them, rooting around in his pocket for his wallet. This was going to cut a big hole in his savings.

It was finally Wednesday! Sakura could barely contain her excitement.

Today was the day. The day she turned 13 years old.

It was a momentous occasion; she was now officially a teenager. Smiling broadly, she admired herself in the mirror, trying to see whether she had got any taller. It was hard to tell.

For the past few months she'd been dropping hints to everyone. The hints got increasingly less subtle as the day approached, until finally yesterday she had told every single person she met that her birthday was tomorrow. In fact, she had even compiled a list of the presents she wanted. She was a very organised person.

What she wanted most of all though, was the hair comb she had seen in a shop window. She had spotted it while on a mission with Sasuke-kun and Naruto-baka. A beautifully crafted, emerald green hair comb. She wanted it so badly she had practically begged her parents to get it for her, regardless of its expensive price tag.

Almost shaking with anticipation, she arranged her hair and headed downstairs to her waiting family and presents.

They were the usual items. Clothing, shoes, makeup. But no hair comb. She was most disappointed.

But she wouldn't give up hope yet!

This evening she had invited all her team mates and closest friends to a birthday meal, even Kakashi and Naruto-baka. There was still the possibility that one of them would get it for her!

Smile back in place at the thought, she thanked her relatives properly and tried on her new shoes. Shoes definitely made her feel better.

Naruto had never been that fussed about what he wore, but today was different. It was Sakura's famous birthday meal and he was invited! He was never invited anywhere, it was definitely a major breakthrough. Maybe they would be friends. He smiled to himself.

The presence at the back of his mind snorted in contempt. It had been growing larger and more pronounced as the days went by. Naruto worried about it sometimes. What would happen when it grew too big? Now was not the time for that though, he needed to prepare.

He looked once again at the selection of outfits spread out on his bed. He wanted to look his best for this occasion, but what was best? The black and red? Orange? White and blue?

Not orange, he decided. It wasn't good to stand out too much.

He finally settled on a white shirt and blue pants. Nothing fancy, but at least he looked fairly smart. He pulled on a black jacket and checked the time. One hour to go.

It wouldn't take him long to get there, but being late was not an option.

Using his tail to grab his keys, he picked up the gift-wrapped item and stored it carefully in his pocket. It had taken months to save up enough to buy it for her; surviving on the bare essentials and skipping dinner for the past week. His only source of income was from the missions, and low level missions did not pay well.

The monthly allowance from the council hadn't come through this time either, which was strange. Perhaps, because he was a genin now and could make his own way in the world, they had decided not to grant it anymore.

Pausing only to restore the disguise jutsu, Naruto left his apartment, the emerald green hair comb in his pocket.

Sakura was getting increasingly frustrated. Nearly all her guests had arrived now and none of them had presented her with the comb.

Struggling to maintain her composure and not throw a childish tantrum in the middle of her birthday celebrations, she fixed her smile in place and opened the door to greet her next guests.

Fake smile immediately became real smile. It was Sasuke; dressed as though he had just walked past and decided to say hi. Everyone else had made an effort, but Sasuke didn't need to. Sasuke was Sasuke after all.

Next to Sasuke was Naruto. Smile disappeared. She hadn't wanted to invite the idiot, but it had seemed rude to invite Kakashi-sensei and not him. He had at least not appeared in bright orange.

"Hi, welcome welcome, come in!" she said happily, gesturing for the two boys to go inside. They did so. Sasuke, with hands in his pockets and a grim expression, mumbled something like "happy birthday" as he went past. She beamed at him.

Naruto almost skipped inside, his signature grin plastered across his face. "Sakura Sakura! Happy birthda…" he began.

She cut him off with a glare. "Shh, stop being so loud idiot!" Taking the offered gift from his hands with a "thanks" she stalked off to find Sasuke again. Anything from Naruto was probably worthless; she dropped it on top of all her other gifts, 'I'll open it later.' She didn't notice the hurt expression on Naruto's face.

The next half hour was spent chatting with all her guests, as she waited for Kakashi to arrive.

"He'll probably have some lame excuse like he got lost on the road of life or something," she joked.

Eventually they had to begin the meal without him; otherwise the food would get cold. Just then her mother burst in, face contorted in anger.

"What gave you the right to invite that brat into my house!?" she screamed, pointing at Naruto who had gone very pale and was attempting to blend into the wallpaper.

The room was silent. Sakura could feel her face flushing deep red with embarrassment. How could they do this to her? It was so embarrassing, she'd never be able to live this down.

Her father was there trying to usher her hysterical mother out of the room. She was still pointing at Naruto.

"Get him out! Get him OUT!!"

It was so unfair! He didn't do anything!

In a matter of moments after Sakura's mother had burst in, strong hands had grabbed him by the collar and thrown him outside!

Naruto nursed his bruised arm. He had landed awkwardly on the flagstones and it hurt. But nothing compared to the hurt he felt inside.

It was as though nothing he tried would ever make a difference.

He was still a demon, a monster, in their eyes.

There was nothing he could do to make them see there was something more. That he had feelings and wasn't as bad as they made him out to be. Right?

He huddled down on the front steps, head burrowed in his knees, as it began to rain.

Kakashi whistled as he made his way down the street. It had been an eventful day, but now he was ready to just sit down for a nice meal.

It had started to rain and a pretty young woman had offered him an umbrella. What could he do but offer his valuable services to her? Hence why he was late.

He rounded a corner and the Haruno house came into view. Already the party must be in full swing, he was late again!

It was as he stepped through the gate that he finally noticed the figure sitting on the steps. 'Naruto?' he thought. The boy looked thoroughly depressed, his face hidden in his knees, and completely drenched by the rain.

Frowning in worry, he made his way round him and knocked on the door. Something must have happened. He would have to check it out. As he stepped across the threshold he swore he could hear a soft sobbing sound from behind.