Chapter Two: Revealed
The sun had set. Night was once again upon the village of Konohagakure no Sato.
Naruto and Sakura were successful in their battle against Kakashi that evening. The fight seemed straightforward enough. Naruto used his bunshins, while Sakura used her excellent chakra control to destroy the training ground. Being an experienced jonin, Kakashi easily evaded all of the traps and attacks that were set for him, only losing because of a clever bluff from his old students. Straightforward, but a ninja must always look beneath the underneath.
Something was odd. The day had been filled of excitement and joy, but the night was eerie in its silence. Ninja are familiar with the quiet night. Under the gaze of a full moon, assassinations occur without a noise and secret meetings occur without any proof of existence. It is in the shadow of the day that some of the greatest hunters lurk. There had been peace for too long. An inaudible echo filled the village with a message. To many shinobi and villagers alike, dusk ushered another period of peace, but to a few, the hidden message forewarned of change.
The Gama Sennin could feel the night's omen. That inking suspicion of being watched crawled up his spine. He didn't like it. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Naruto was connected to it. Every step he took closer to the Hokage's office spelled a sense of struggle. Now was not the time to let his fear unease him. Troubling times were ahead, now was the time to minimize the damage.
He began thinking back to his students performance that evening. Naruto, what am I going to do with you. You did well to hide your strength, but Kakashi is an excellent ninja. I would be disappointed if he believed that act. Jiraiya was unsettled by this, but Kakashi understood his place. The sannin allowed himself to relax; Kakashi could be trusted with the most deadly of secrets.
With the Hokage Tower looming above him, Jiraiya slipped into the building. Tonight was not a night for games, well at least not for surprising Tsunade through the window. The Gama Sennin fell deeply back into thought as he navigated through the tiny halls. A few heads were turned by the sight of the Sannin in his typical thinking pose—his right hand cupping his chin. Lost in his consciousness, the white haired man didn't notice Kakashi walking out of a mission report filing room. The two accidentally ran into each other.
Shaken out of his mindset, Jiraiya muttered an apology. The silver haired ninja shrugged it off, saying an apology as well and turned to leave. Deciding that now was better than later to fully explain the situation, the Sannin called to the jonin.
"Kakashi, if you would please come with me; I have something to discuss with Hime and I would like for you to be there as well."
Knowing that he'd get his answers, the man with a single Sharingan followed the Gama Sennin to the Hokage's office. The Hokage's secretary had left for the night so the two shinobi went straight the Hokage's door. Jiraiya lightly tapped the oak door. A slightly slurred "enter" was heard and the two let themselves in to office.
Tsunade had a saké dish on her desk, but Jiraiya had a suspicion that she was neglecting to use it. More than likely, Jiraiya's fellow sannin was going ahead and drinking straight from the bottle in her hand. Jiraiya sighed. Out of all the times for Tsunade to be drunk, now was one of the worst.
"You better not be drunk Hime. We have much to discuss," Jiraiya stated as he walked to the center of the office.
The Godaime's office was a relatively empty space. With the ability to hold at least forty people, the room seemed extremely bare. Shelves were lined along the sides of the room and there were a few chairs located around the room. Most people were expected to stand in front of the Hokage as of respect, but every now and then chairs were need for others of equal status. The most captivating parts of the room were the photos of the Hokages. Lined in numerical order, Jiraiya found himself caught in the gaze of the Yondaime. The elder man smiled at the photo. How much trouble would his pupil's death cause?
The past was over and the Godaime brought Jiraiya back to the present.
"I'm fine," the blond woman slurred. "I can hold my liquor better than you anyways, Gama."
Jiraiya sighed again. The Hokage was loose, but thankfully, she wasn't drunk.
"We need to talk," the male sannin said.
Gaining some composure, Tsunade did as suggested and looked Jiraiya straight in the eyes. "Is this about the bell test? From what I've seen, you're right he's improved. He's probably a chunin."
The Gama Sennin snorted at the comment about Naruto, causing the Hokage to narrow her eyes at the older man.
"What's so funny?" she asked with an angry tone. She was not about to be mocked.
"I'm just surprised you didn't notice it," the Godaime was confused by what her fellow sannin implied.
"Did you notice it Kakashi?" the man continued.
The one eyed man nodded at Jiraiya. Having fought against Naruto, he could tell that something was off. Naruto would pull some of his punches and leave his clones completely open for attacks. To any on looker, these mistakes seemed negligible, and the whole battle looked hard fought, but to an experienced shinobi as himself, he could tell that Naruto was not trying to the best of his ability.
"Hime," Jiraiya said, taking his cue from Kakashi, "Naruto was holding back."
"Nani?" the surprised Hokage asked. There was no way, she would've noticed such an attempt by the boy.
"It's true." Jiraiya smirked. "Before I continue though, I believe it would be best if we kept this conversation private." Tsunade nodded. The Godaime signaled her ANBU guards with a chakra spike, alerting them to leave and seal the room. With that task accomplished the Hokage wordlessly signaled Jiraiya to continue.
"Naruto is easily the level of a jonin. I'd guess he's pushing kage level."
Both Kakashi and Tsunade were surprised by that. It was almost impossible to go from the level of a genin to kage in two and a half years. Even true geniuses struggled with that pace. Naruto may have been a dedicated worker that would never quit, and no one doubted that he would become a fine shinobi—worthy of the title of Hokage. It was just too soon.
"How?" Tsunade demanded. Now was not the time for Jiraiya's games.
"Kage Bunshin," the Gama Sennin answered mirthfully.
Kakashi almost jumped off the wall when he heard Jiraiya. That was ingenious, if not incredibly risky. For an average user, chakra exhaustion could kill the person, but with Naruto easily able to create a hundred clones, the time that a certain training needed could be fractionated.
"What all does he know?" Kakashi asked. He was curious as to how far his old student had come on his trip.
Jiraiya slyly grinned at the jonin, "With ninjutsu as his forté, Naruto has learned nature manipulation. Therefore he can cast a at least a few of the five elements. With his ability to summon, Naruto has also been working with the toads to create collaboration jutsu. Naruto has also begun to learn more advanced Fūinjutsu. He's no where near my level, but Fūinjutsu presented a unique opportunity for Naruto."
"What opportunity?" Tsunade questioned, her tone expressing a slight annoyance. The man shows up at her office at this time of night, claiming he has something important to talk to her about, and then he's purposefully vague. Tsunade, one of the Densetsu no Sannin, wasn't going to stand for such nonsense, but Jiraiya still wasn't done with his gimmick.
"I think it'll be better to demonstrate," the old man smiled. After biting his right thumb, Jiraiya utilized the blood from the cut to summon a little toad. The summon had red-orange skin, and, on his cheeks, right below his eyes, there were two lines that met right below his chin. On his back, there was a pack to carry messages that was secured by a rope around the creatures belly.
"What do you need Ero-sennin?" the little thing asked.
Jiraiya gave an annoyed, angry look at the toad while Tsunade burst into full out laughter—Kakashi had the decency to smile under his mask and keep quite.
Crouching down, Jiraiya stared at the little toad. The creature didn't become intimidated, which prompted Jiraiya to sigh. "You've been seeing Naruto too much Gamatichi."
The little toad smiled at the sannin, but quickly changed his tune when Jiraiya ordered him to go find Naruto. "Why do I have to go?" Gamatichi whined.
"Because you're a messenger toad now," Jiraiya explained. The little creature sighed, excepting his fate. "Now, when you find Naruto tell him come to the Hokage's office by using that justu. I'll have everything set up by then."
The little toad looked questionably at the Gama Sennin. What was that supposed to mean? After delivering the message he wanted to send, Jiraiya stood back up and opened the window for the toad. Jiraiya cocked his head to the side, ushering the toad to go. Gamatichi did just that.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair. It would take time for that gama to find Naruto in Konoha. "Okay Jiraiya, talk; tell us everything," she said. If Jiraiya was going to play games, he could at least give some more explanation as to what the hell was going on.
"Very well," the sannin said, taking a seat in one of the chairs against the wall.
"Knowing Orochimaru, he would train Sasuke very rapidly to prepare the boy as his new vessel. Sasuke, being a genius and having access to the Sharingan, would, without a doubt, become very powerful. If Naruto continued at the rate of growth before our trip, he would've been no match for Sasuke. Therefore, I had to result to such drastic measures. Naruto took very well to the physical training, but I had to force the boy to study at first."
"You were able to get Naruto to study?" the Hokage laughed, "I don't believe it."
"In time, the boy found an aptitude to study as well," the sannin continued to explain. "He would even study while I went out to scout the area."
Tsunade snorted at the last comment. "Scouting, like I'm supposed to believe that?"
"No one asked you Hime!" Jiraiya yelled. After calming himself down, the Gama Sennin continued, "All in all, Naruto has taken most of his parents better qualities."
That caught Kakashi's attention. "You know Naruto's parents?" he asked.
"Jiraiya, we shouldn't discuss that," the Hokage scolded.
"You knew too?" a surprised Kakashi asked. Naruto was an orphan. What orphan wouldn't want to know who his father and mother were? How could they keep such a secret from the boy? It was unfair.
"It doesn't matter Tsunade. Naruto knows," the Gama Sennin admitted.
"You told him?" The Hokage yelled.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because as his godfather, I couldn't watch him suffer anymore. He had become strong enough after the first year to protect himself. He deserved to know. At first, he went into a fit of rage after I told him. He almost lost control; fortunately, I was able to suppress the Kyūbi no Yoko before any real damage was caused. It was cruel to keep that information away from him. He should be furious with all of us, but that boy has one of the purest souls. He's forgiven all off us for our foolishness and he even understands our reasons."
Tsunade was ashamed. Jiraiya was right. They had no right to keep that information from Naruto. Only three people new of the boy's lineage. Now one of them—the Sandaime—was dead. How much longer could Jiraiya and she look the boy in the eye and not tell him anything?
Kakashi was still quite confused at what was going on. More pieces had been added to the puzzle and some were starting to come together, but the complete picture still eluded him.
"That's in the past though," Jiraiya said, his somber tone quickly disappearing. That sadness and regret was being filled with hope. "We need think about tomorrow instead."
Kakashi did not like being left out of the loop. Until the part of Naruto's parents were mentioned, he had been able to fully follow along with the conversation. Everything about the two sannins' conversation was esoteric. Why did Jiraiya bring him along if he was going to be left out? So the silver haired jonin decided to fix that.
"Excuse me, Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama; who were Naruto's parents?"
Jiraiya looked to Tsunade for approval. She gave it to him with a nod of her head; still, she didn't think it was her right to do so.
"Naruto's mother was Kushina Uzumaki. She was a refugee from Uzu no Kuni that immigrated to Konoha during the war. As for Naruto's father—"
Jiraiya stood up from his chair and moved to the center of the room. The Gama Sennin reached into his robe's inner pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. The older man placed the paper on the ground and backed away from piece of stationary. Kakashi's single eye went wide at the sight of the seal painted on it.
"But t-that's—" the one eyed jonin managed to say before getting cut off by Jiraiya.
"Precisely."
"I never knew."
"You were only about fourteen back then," Jiraiya explained. "It was meant to be a secret, but as you guessed, Naruto's father was the Yondaime Hokage."
Konohagakure no Sato has the benefit of being located in a sub-tropical region. Many warm and humid days are followed by pleasantly cool nights. This causes many people to go out and enjoy themselves in the after twilight hours. Bar and restaurants make sure to keep their lights on to attract any hungry or thirsty patrons, but not even sight can stand up to smell when dealing with a person's pallet. For a blond haired shinobi, cursed to be the jailer of the Kyūbi no Yoko, but benefited with enhanced senses, the smell of Ichiraku Ramen was heavenly.
Having sniffed out the little ramen bar, Naruto was about to enter when a large toad tackled him by jumping on to the blond's face. Due to the momentum, Naruto was knocked onto his back. Sitting up, he gingerly pulled the toad off of his face. The red-orange toad only laughed—along with any passing villagers—due to the little red marks that had formed from the toads grip on the blond's tan skin. Naruto narrowed his eye's angrily at the creature, causing it to only laugh harder.
"What do you want Gamatichi?" Naruto growled. Most of the time, Naruto enjoyed the toad's pranks; the toad reminded the blond of himself, but to disturb him now—right as he was about to get ramen—was completely uncalled for.
"Scratch that," Naruto quickly added. "How'd you get here anyways?"
"Naruto," Gamatichi chuckled, still teary eyed from laughing so hard. Taking a deep breath, the toad composed himself. "Ero-sennin summoned me to tell you to meet him in the Hokage's office, but to use that jutsu to get there. I don't understand what that means. What's going on?"
Naruto sighed. "I know exactly what it means, you can return to Mount Myōboku."
"C'mon tell me. What's the secret?" Gamatichi pleaded again.
"I'm sorry. I can't tell you yet. Besides, it's supposed to be a secret. If I told you I wouldn't be keeping it a secret would I?"
The toad seemed to except that answer. Nodding to Naruto, the toad used the Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu and returned to its home leaving behind a plume of white smoke. Now that the toad was gone, Naruto picked himself up off the ground. He brushed off some of the dirt off his jumpsuit before looking back at Ichiraku. Naruto wondered what Jiraiya wanted. It must have been important, if it meant the risk of exposing himself.
Before Naruto could turn to leave, an arm snaked around his back. Surprised, Naruto immediately looked around to find the arm's owner. Iruka Umino was standing next to the blond. Naruto's old sensei was smiling, obviously happy to see the teenager after his two and a half year trip.
"I thought I'd find you here," Iruka smiled. Letting go of Naruto, the older shinobi walked towards the bar. "Well let's go in, my treat."
Naruto scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Sorry Iruka-sensei, but I have to go. Maybe some other time?"
Iruka was a little saddened, but more importantly, he was confused. "I understand, but it's not like you to turn down free ramen."
"I know, I'll see you later sensei."
Naruto turned around and took off down the street all the while silently cursing Jiraiya. Why the hell did Jiraiya want to see him, especially now of all times? He was about to get treated to ramen. Damn it. Jiraiya had better have a good excuse.
Sakura Haruno was enjoying her night. In fact, she was treating herself. After working under Tsunade for the past two years, she was able to get a bell from Kakashi, with Naruto's help of course. Still, that was quite an accomplishment for a chunin. Finishing up her bowl of anmitsu, the pink haired girl noticed Naruto running past her. Strange, she decided, I thought he would be at Ichiraku. Since she decided that what he was doing wasn't important, she raised her bowl in the air, yelling out that she wanted a second helping.
Naruto continued to run down the crowded streets looking for a secluded area. It was too damn busy tonight. Turning around a corner, Naruto smiled at his good fortune. Halfway down the block was a tiny ally that contained a huge blind-spot. Running down the tiny space, Naruto spiked his chakra, letting it flow out of his body with a practiced ease that didn't even require the use of hand seals; he disappeared. If anyone had been lucky enough to look down the ally, what they would've seen seemed impossible. Most would've dismissed it as a figment of their imagination, but some would've found the justu that the boy used oddly familiar to a justu used by a hero during the Daisanji Ninkai Taisen. Even then, those few would've dismissed the notion. It was just too impossible, right?
Jiraiya backed away from the seal he placed on the floor. It was almost time for Naruto to receive his message. The Gama Sennin leaned on a bookshelf in the office. The only thing that the three in the room could do now was wait. The rooms occupants continued to stare at the seal placed in the center of the room. Tsunade and Kakashi wondered if this was some sort of trick by Jiraiya. Sure, Naruto was the son of the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō, but surely Naruto hadn't learned a jutsu that powerful?
"Naruto should be here soon," Jiraiya commented.
"Define soon," Tsunade remarked, taking a large swig of her saké; the action caused her to look away from the seal.
"Now," Jiraiya merrily replied.
"Nan—" Tsunade started to say as she noticed the blond shinobi standing in front of her desk.
"What's going on?" Naruto asked as he looked around the room. He first saw a surprised, maybe drunk Tsunade with a bottle of saké still in her mouth. He then noticed Kakashi who looked just as astounded as Tsunade. Turning around, he saw his newest sensei as smug as he could be leaning against a book shelf. Deciding that Jiraiya had set all of this up, Naruto questioned him, "What's so important that you would pull me away from Iruka-sensei, especially since he was about to treat me to ramen, not to mention authorizing my use of the Hiraishin?"
"Gaki," answered Jiraiya, growing serious once again. "I decided that now was the best time to show Kakashi and Tsunade your true strength."
"Couldn't you have just told them Ero-sennin?" an irritated Naruto replied.
"I am the Legendary Gama Sennin Jiraiya! Don't question my actions Gaki!"
"Hai, hai, whatever you say," the blond dismissed, serving to only further enrage Jiraiya. The white haired sannin was about to chew out his pupil, but Tsunade had heard enough from two bickering shinobi.
"Enough," ordered the Hokage. "Both of you need to offer me an explanation now!"
"Why me?" Naruto half-whined.
"You just demonstrated use of an S-rank Jikūkan Ninjutsu. What the hell are you two thinking? Did either of you consider how I'm supposed to respond to this?"
Kakashi smiled behind his mask. This was becoming very entertaining. At first he was surprised that his sensei even had a son. Now, the legacy of the Yondaime had just demonstrated the use of the Hiraishin no Jutsu, one of the most powerful jutsu ever created, and was then shocked to silence by the ferocity of the Godaime. Minato-sensei, your son has become a fine shinobi. I just wished I had noticed sooner. He's just like Obito. You'd be proud. Kakashi just continued on his musings as Jiraiya tried to end the Godaime's ranting.
"Hime, I have a plan."
Tsunade stared at her fellow sannin. "Well Jiraiya, let's hear it."
"Tsunade," he began, "I want you to register Naruto and an ANBU."
"Nani?" Tsunade answered with surprise. Kakashi was even ruffled by the Gama Sennin's comment. What could Jiraiya be thinking? This meeting wasn't supposed to be some huge joke. ANBU have to deal with the darkest parts of the ninja world. They were the elite; Naruto seemed to fit the bill in terms of strength, but Tsunade couldn't help but think of Naruto as a son. She wouldn't condemn the boy to the life of an ANBU; he was only fifteen.
"That's foolish," Tsunade decided, much to the relief of Kakashi.
"Here me out," Jiraiya pleaded.
Tsunade didn't say anything, but the Gama Sennin knew she would listen. Knowing that didn't change the sickening feeling he was getting from her stare though.
"I'm not asking you to completely integrate Naruto."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this. What was that old gama thinking?
"We have a nukenin on our hands. I think it would be best to take a page from Kirigakure's bingo book and make Naruto an oinin."
Tsunade softened a little bit at Jiraiya's plan. He was smarter than he looked, but the Hokage still had her doubts. "So you want Naruto to track down Sasuke?"
Naruto and Kakashi both stiffened at the Hokage's question, but didn't offer any other reactions.
"Precisely," Jiraiya smirked, Tsunade was catching on. "Sasuke has no doubt become a powerful shinobi. That alone would make it difficult to return him to Konoha, but Sasuke also has the benefit of the Sharingan. The only person fast enough to counter the power of that specific Kekkei Genkai is Naruto. Unfortunately, Naruto needs to use the Hiraishin. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but currently the political climate is unstable. Naruto's identity was kept a secret for a reason, that is why Naruto needs to be an ANBU. The councils can't interfere with the ANBU, nor would they want to for political reasons."
The Hokage nodded. Jiraiya's plan made sense. It wasn't without flaws, but it was the most viable option considering the alternatives. There was political instability within Konoha, and the tensions between the Shinobi Godaikoku weren't much better. Tsunade was within a rock and a hard place.
"Very well," the Hokage had made up her mind. "Kakashi, Jiraiya, please leave."
The two did as they were told. If Kakashi could place what he was feeling, he'd probably say lucky. He just heard classified information. The one-eyed jonin felt a bit of pride as well. One of his students had become a very powerful shinobi and was more than likely about to be promoted. Well, that was that. It was time to get back to his new book.
"Naruto!" the Hokage called.
"Hai, Obaa-chan."
Naruto nearly dodged the bottle of saké thrown at him; he decided it would probably be best to show respect now.
"I mean Tsunade-sama."
The Hokage smiled contently at the boy's answer. "Congratulations Naruto, you're getting promoted. Normally for you to be promoted you would have to recognized by the shinobi council as competent shinobi concluding the Chunin Exams and the Jonin Exams, but this is a sensitive situation. I'm going to bypass the councils and will have you submitted into the ANBU, if you accept your position. As I'm sure you know, the ANBU operate directly under the orders of the Hokage. Neither the Shinobi nor Civilian council's have authority. It is under this given jurisdiction that I am able to promote you. Understood?"
Naruto nodded his head. The politics were a little confusing, but that never stopped him before. Why would it now?
"Now do you accept your promotion to ANBU Naruto...what am I supposed to say for your surname?" Tsunade wasn't sure how Naruto wanted for his surname. Did he want Uzumaki or Namikaze? He was of course a Namikaze, traditionally the father's name was passed down, but Naruto had been called Uzumaki his entire life. Tsunade didn't know what he wanted, so she asked him.
"Can't I just have both?" he replied.
The idea seemed overly simplistic, but that was Naruto for you. She played around with the names in her head. They fit together pretty well either way you put them. Still, she decided that Uzumaki-Namikaze rolled off the tongue slightly easier.
"Alright, do you accept your promotion to ANBU Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze?"
"Hai," Naruto answered nonchalantly, but on the inside he was ready to explode with excitement. He had gone from being a genin to and ANBU in a single day.
"Do you, as an agent of ANBU, swear loyalty to Konohagakure no Sato and the Hokage?"
"Hai," Naruto curtly responded. His excitement faded a little as he was being sworn in.
"Will you follow all orders given to you by your Hokage and protect your village, even at the cost of your life?"
"Hai," the shinobi responded, but Naruto still felt that it was pointless of Tsunade to ask. He would've done that regardless of whether he swore to or not, but I guess there was no point arguing with regulation.
"Very well," Tsunade said. She leaned onto her desk and stared down the new ANBU. "Naruto you will be a captain. This will give you the authority to not be questioned in the chance that you should encounter other ANBU. In the event of an emergency, you will also have the ability to command any ANBU of lesser rank. Your first assignment will be the tracking and eventual capture of Sasuke Uchiha. You will be undercover with Team Kakashi, showing minimal strength until you can engage the nukenin without blowing your cover. Understood?"
"Hai Tsunade-sama."
"Good," the Hokage said standing up. She walked over to her bookshelf, before turning back to look at Naruto. "It is now time for you to chose your mask. The design on the mask will indicate your codename. You will wear your mask at all times while in uniform."
Tsunade pulled open a drawer on the bookshelf. She was surprised by what she found. She had forgotten that she had so many ANBU on active duty. There was a lone mask sitting in the cabinet. It was dusty; the particles probably collected from years without use. Picking it up, she blew off all of the dust that had built up on the porcelain.
"Sorry Naruto, but you don't have much of a choice. It seems the only mask left is the kitsune. I guess the hatred of the Kyūbi no Yoko is so strong in the village that even ANBU won't wear the mask," Tsunade replied nervously. This was embarrassing. Tsunade knew that most of the villagers were no longer vocal in their opinions of Naruto. Some had even started to accept the boy, mainly the shinobi population, but there were still those few that hated the boy. The attack was almost sixteen years ago. Couldn't they give it a rest already?
"Don't worry, it's fine. I'm kind of glad I'm the one to receive it," Naruto grinned at Tsunade. He slipped the mask on. It fit perfectly as if it were made for him.
"Okay Kitsune. Your mission begins as soon as Team Kakashi reports for their first briefing. From there on out, you will look for clues regarding Sasuke Uchiha."
"Hai," Kitsune replied.
"One last piece of information. There is an ANBU member, codename Karasu, undercover with the Akatsuki," Tsunade added. Even with his mask on, Tsunade was able to see the visible surprise shown on Naruto's features.
"Who?" Naruto asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer. There was a spy within a criminal organization trying to capture him, none of the members he met so far seemed all that pleasant. They weren't people Naruto would call comrades.
The Godaime sat back down in her chair. She really wished she could have a drink, but this had to be done. None of the others knew of Karasu's assignment, and it would be dangerous to send in Naruto, but he was the best option she had right now.
Taking a deep breath, the Hokage answered, "Itachi Uchiha."
"Nani?" Naruto yelled in surprise. "There's no way. He tried to kidnap me. He attacked Sasuke right before my eyes!"
"I know. It's hard to believe, but I came across it in one of the Sandaime's files. The Uchiha clan was planning a coup d'etat. The council, against the wishes of the Sandaime, forced Sensei to order Itachi to stop the attempt by killing his entire clan. Itachi fulfilled his mission; killing everyone, except Sasuke. He then went undercover in the infant Akatsuki to stop them from harming Konoha."
"That's not possible!" Naruto protested. It couldn't be true. Sasuke fell down his twisted path because of his brother, but if Itachi was just following orders; Naruto didn't want to think about it.
"It is!" the Hokage fired back. "I didn't want to believe it either. It is a shameful moment in Konoha's history, but it happened. If you can, set up a meeting with him and exchange information."
"H-hai," Naruto stumbled out. The Hokage was right. It was in the past. Now all he could do was face the future. Still, he couldn't help but feel bad for Itachi.
"Good. Now go get the rest of your uniform from down stairs. You won't be receiving a tattoo just yet; it's too risky at this point. After you finish your first mission, we'll discuss it. Kitsune, you're dismissed."
"Hai Hokage-sama," Kitsune said as he disappeared in cloud of smoke, off to get his uniform and standard supplies. It had been a long day. He needed some rest.
The Hokage just stared at the plume of white smoke as it disappeared. He knows the Shunshin as well, she thought. Just what have I gotten myself into? The Godaime opened one of her desk drawers. Inside was a fresh bottle of saké waiting to be opened so she could drink away all her problems, but before she indulged, Tsunade had one last thought. What am I going to do with you Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze?
Glossary:
Kage Bunshin- Shadow Clone, Kage Bunshins differ from normal Bunshins because Kage Bunshins are solid. The users also gains all the memories of the Kage Bunshins; this makes them great for intelligence gathering and for training. Naruto is able to create hundreds of Kage Bunshins, shortening the amount of time he needs to train.
Fūinjutsu- Sealing Techniques, these are jutsu that seal objects, living beings, chakra, along with a wide variety of other things within another object.
Densetsu no Sannin- Legendary Three Ninja
Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (ANBU)- Special Assassination and Tactical Squad, the ANBU are under the direct authority of Hokage. The system varies for depending on the village. Most are under the direct control of the Kage, but it is uncertain if the details are true. A known fact is that Kirigakure has a special division of ANBU known as oinin, the purpose is for hunting down nukenin from Kirigakure.
Gamatichi- An original character, Gamatichi is a gama summon. Due to his young age, Gamatichi is being used as a messenger since he is still not yet old enough to fight. He also has a very playful nature, this is characterized by the pranks he likes to play. Naruto has taken a liking to Gamatichi, because Naruto sees a bit of himself in the gama. Since Naruto and Gamatichi have a budding friendship, Gamatichi has taken on some of Naruto's old habits, such as calling Jiraiya, Ero-sennin.
Uzu no Kuni- Land of Whirlpools, no one is quite sure of the fate of the Uzu no Kuni, it is widely believed that Uzu was destroyed during a conflict during the Daisanji Ninkai Taisen, but no one is exactly sure of when or how the tragedy happened.
Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu- Reverse Summoning Technique, this jutsu is mainly used by summons to return or bring back something to their home.
Daisanji Ninkai Taisen- Third Great Shinobi World War, not all the details on the war are known. It appears that mainly Iwagakure and Konohagakure were on the opposing sides. During the war, Minato Namikaze became a war hero for Konoha and a hated enemy for Iwa.
Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō- Konoha's Yellow Flash, the nickname given to Minato Namikaze during the Daisanji Ninkai Taisen.
Hiraishin no Jutsu- Flying Thunder God Technique, the Hiraishin is a Jikūkan Ninjutsu that allows the user to travel almost instantaneously from point to point. The jutsu first requites a seal to mark the destination, then, much like a summoning, the user creates a rift in space-time to move to the seal. The Hiraishin does have hand signs, but with practice, the user might not need them. Minato Namikaze developed this jutsu either a short time before the Daisanji Ninkai Taisen or during it. The jutsu also earned Minato his nickname.
Jikūkan Ninjutsu- Space-time ninjutsu, these jutsu deal with the manipulation of time and/or space.
Nukenin- Missing Ninja
Kirigakure- Hidden Mist
Oinin- Hunter Ninja
Shinobi Godaikoku- Five Great Shinobi Countries, The Five Countries are Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Konohagakure, Kumogakure and Sunagakure.
Kitsune- Fox
Karasu- Crow, Karasu also serves as Itachi's ANBU codename. Originally Weasel was the planned named, but Itachi means Weasal. Karasu was picked due to Itachi's use of crows in his Genjutsu and Ninjutsu.
Author's Note: Please inform me of any errors, regardless of how big or little. Does any else think this story has too much dialog?
Updated: 1/7/11