The sun was finally starting to set in the village of Konohagakure, and very few people could be happier about that than Mitarashi Anko. There were several reasons behind her joy, the main one being that she could soon go to the Hokage to talk to him about something that seemed to concern Naruto and a council seat. The precautions that he took to make sure that only Anko saw the message that he had given her were enough to tell her that this was important, and in the wrong hands this information could cause chaos.
While thinking of that, she also wondered why Hiruzen had chosen her out of all people to watch over Naruto. She didn't even truly know why she had offered to become his guardian. As the day passed, she thought more about it, and believed that she was close to coming to a conclusion. The snake mistress was one of the few people who could truly connect with Naruto. She had felt the village's wrath much like he did, and knew what it was like to be alone. She saw a bit of herself in him, and didn't want for him to be corrupted by the village any more than he already was. She could see his mask as if it were a physical object, and she knew that underneath that mask was a hurt and tormented boy who was treated badly for reasons he didn't understand. All it takes is one well placed strike to shatter his mask and his soul to reveal the monster they took him as. If no one intervened, it was only a matter of time before the Kyūbi took over his body and decimated Konoha. She understood his pain, and she could put an end to it.
This had been one of the longest days of her life. While she did kill some time by buying food for both Naruto and herself, she had spent most of the day cleaning her house to the point where a single speck of dust wasn't on the ground, and waiting as patiently as she could for the day to pass.
Getting ready to grab some dinner for both her and possibly the boy she would now be raising, Anko heard a knock at the door. It could have only been a few select people, as nobody really came out to see her.
When she got to the door, the snake mistress opened the door to see her red eyed friend on the other side. She was dressed like the normally was, with her wild and long black hair going down her back and her dress mimicking the thorns of a rose. Judging by her slightly fatigued appearance, as well as the fact that she was lightly panting, Anko could tell that she had run from wherever she was before to Anko's home.
"Kurenai, what brings you over to my little neck of the urban woods?" Anko asked with obvious curiosity.
"A cat told me that you were becoming a parent." She replied with a rather bland tone of voice, but a small hint of something else was also in her voice. Anko couldn't tell exactly what it was, but she was sure that it was excitement.
Anko nodded slowly, cursing under her breath at Yugao. Yugao didn't gossip all that much, but when her friends were involved, the chances of her talking about something raised noticeably. With Naruto involved as well, the chances were raised even higher.
"What of it?" She replied simply, unhappy with Yugao at the moment. She was going to get her back, and she was going to get her back good.
Kurenai slowly showed herself in. She and Anko had been friends for so long that just appearing at one another's house wasn't uncommon. "A few things, actually." She said calmly. "I don't want to be mean, Anko, but are you sure that you can do this? You've worked so hard to raise people's respect for you, and you'd be back at square one –or even lower– if this goes through. Also, you aren't really known for being friendly to kids, or most genin for that matter."
The Ice Queen of Konoha was using her analytic voice, and she really wasn't trying to be mean to her friend. She was right though, on both points. If she were to take in Naruto, their combined reputation would be horrible, and she wasn't really fond of children. However, these were the wrong details to focus on.
Anko knew better than to take what Kurenai said directly. She might have been using her analytic voice, but there was always more to it than that when she was involved.
Anko shook her head at her friend, following her into her house and closing the door behind her. "I'll be fine, Nai-chan. And you're going to have to be more persuasive if you want to take care of him as practice before you get busy with Asuma." She finished with a smirk and a teasing voice.
With Anko's last words, Kurenai blushed lightly and shook her head at her friend. "That's not what this is about! Anko, taking care of a kid is a huge responsibility, and with all of the life threatening missions you take, every day you spend with him might be your last. Yes, if you go through with this, helping you take care of him would help me for the future, but everything you've done, everything you've worked for, will have been for nothing."
Anko gritted her teeth in anger. Her friend meant good, but she wasn't doing any. She was insulted by her friend, the person that was supposed to be there for her when she needed her most. And now that she did, she wasn't there for her. "Then so be it!" She practically shouted. "He is a time bomb, Kurenai! He's smiled his way through every cruel and painful day, but what happens when he snaps? All of the anger that the village had showed him will be returned tenfold and with the rage of the Kyūbi to go along with it! I can't let that happen. I can't let him turn into what I almost was." She finished in a whisper, and her eyes were fixed on the ground as she thought back to when she had almost fully become the deadly and bloodthirsty woman everyone believed that she was. Of course, she was actually like that, but not to the extent that she showed everyone.
It was silent for a few minutes, and Kurenai simply stared at her best friend. After some time, Kurenai smiled at Anko put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't say anything, but her smile told Anko that she was going to help her however she could.
Kurenai saw the fire in her eyes when she spoke. Anko truly wanted the boy to be happy, and she was willing to give up everything she had worked on for his happiness. The Ice Queen knew that she and Yugao saved Anko from becoming an insane sadist. She had seen the boy a few times and every time she passed him she would always see him smile and walk through the streets like the glares and whispers didn't exist. Only Kami knows what would happen if he were to snap.
Even the Kyūbi would run when a good man goes to war.
"Asuma's going to be surprised in the future when he sees how well I take care of children." Kurenai said quietly, getting a smile from Anko.
"That's if you stop crushing on him and make a move." Anko replied with a smirk. She knew how her friend could be some times.
Kurenai sighed and kept her eyes locked onto Anko's. Her friend was truly willing to throw everything away for the boy, even though she had only just met him the day before. "You know, as a friend, I can't let you go through something like this half-assed. I needed to see for myself that you were truly willing to do this." She knew her friend well, and there were a few times that she had acted without thinking beforehand. She just wanted to make sure that this wasn't one of those times.
"Thank you. I'd love to talk more, but I'm expected somewhere soon. I'll see you later." Anko did want to talk more to her friend, but there wasn't really much else to talk about considering that not much had happened recently other than what was already said. Even if she did continue her conversation, she believed that she shouldn't speak about the Hokage telling her to meet her at the Hokage mansion to speak about secrets involving Naruto and whatever family gave birth to him. If the Hokage wanted this to be spoken in one of the safest buildings in Konoha, then anything more than what she already said shouldn't be spoken out loud.
Kurenai also wanted to talk a bit more, hoping to find out what Anko planned on doing with a child, especially one as young and impressionable as Naruto. Hopefully the boy wouldn't turn out as crazy as her now-stepmother, but it was completely possible. The tone that Anko used told the genjutsu mistress that, while whatever she was doing was important, and should probably not leave the mouths of the people discussing it, Anko would bring it up to her is she really needed to. If she didn't then she would learn in time along with the rest of their friends.
The two young women walked out of the house, and Kurenai waited for Anko to lock the place down before speaking up.
"Well, I'll see you later then." She said, giving her friend an honest smile. "You'll be that boy's world, you know." She said as she walked off, only barely being able to see the honest smile that her friend gave back to her before she headed off as well.
Minutes later, Anko arrived at the Hokage mansion. The building was not far off from the Academy and the Hospital, and looked quite similar, in fact. The main thing that stood out were the two guards who stood in front of the place. While normally the Hokage's residence would be under the protection of seals and the Hokage him or herself, Hiruzen lived in the Sarutobi clan house, and not the mansion. He needed the forbidden scrolls to be watched at all times, because he was not normally around.
Upon reaching the gates, Anko was faced with two ANBU guards, who both wore armor that, while build exactly the same, was colored different to make them stand out among others. These were special ANBU who guarded the Mansion, who were above the usual cut and were tasked with guarding the secrets of Konoha.
As she walked up to the two of them, both ANBU stood perfectly still until she was only a few feet away from them. Once she was close enough, they both moved to the sides of the front gate and opened it for her. She didn't even have a chance to speak, as they talked first.
"Hokage-sama ordered for us to let you in when you get here." The one to her right spoke. She opened her mouth, but was cut off by the one to her left.
"It'll be just you and him talking. Other ANBU will put multiple seals around the room and the rest of the house so that nobody can listen in." The other one spoke. Anko nodded her head and opened her mouth once more, only to get cut off again.
"When it concerns Naruto-san, Hokage-sama is willing to go to great lengths, as a way to apologize for how he's been treated in the past." She nodded once again, and didn't even mother opening her mouth, as she expect for them to talk again to answer the last question in her head.
She stood there for a full minute, not uttering a single word; the ANBU did also.
She believed she was safe, and opened her mouth again.
"Body language and common sense, Anko-san." The ANBU answered together, both wearing unseen smiles on their masked faces.
Without a word, Anko simply huffed and walked through the gates, hearing the masked nin trying to hide their laughter from her. She was sure that they thought that she was going to do something to them, and they were right.
As she stepped into the building, two screams could be heard behind her, as well as some inhuman hissing.
Anko hadn't been in the Hokage Mansion before, or the Sarutobi clan house. She hadn't had any reason to visit the Hokage or his family in his own time. The building itself was clean and dustless. It was odd considering that the Hokage didn't use the place all that much unless he was going through one of the forbidden scrolls, which never happened, to the place was untouched, with the exception of the ANBU who didn't leave any traces of their presence.
The main room was what she expected. Rather large with space to fit a few people from each of the main clans at once. It could almost be considered some sort of a party or meeting room, due to the space and the seating.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was sitting down at one of the end seats, sipping on what could have been either Sake or some sort of really dark tea. The old man looked up upon hearing Anko walk in, and kept a soft gaze on her as she took in the area. Once she processed his presence, he smiled at the young woman and stood up, placing the cup down on the table in front of him.
"Hello Anko, I see the guards are keeping themselves entertained?" He asked rhetorically, knowing by the screams of pain he had heard only seconds ago was her doing.
Anko smiled and chuckled nervously, all while scratching the back of her head. "They're pretty good at their job. I'm not usually an easy person to see through." She said, respect for them hidden in her words as she glanced behind her.
Hiruzen chuckled as well, and motioned for her to follow him while he went into another room. She wordlessly nodded and followed, watching as the old man took long and calm strides to wherever they were heading to.
"So, can I ask what this is all about? I mean, the paper the lett-"
"When we activate the seals, then you can begin your questions." The Hokage cut her off, not even looking back at her as he led her through a maze of hallways, ending at a room that was at the end of a hallway.
Hiruzen slowly opened the door and walked through it, motioning for Anko to come through as well. He didn't need to, but it acted as a signal to tell her that they were where they were supposed to be at. As predicted, she followed and entered the door before he did, allowing him to close the door behind them both.
There was a small pause between the door closing and the Hokage actually speaking. During the pause, a small pulse of chakra was emitted by one of the ANBU to tell him that the seals were in place and he could talk freely to Anko without worry of people overhearing their conversation.
Breaking the silence, Hiruzen started first.
"Anko, what I am about to tell you is of the upmost importance. Until it is revealed to the public by myself, you are not allowed to tell anyone about anything that it spoken about in this room, do you understand?" He used a tone of authority that he didn't use often, showing the true ninja that he still was inside of an old man's body.
Anko nodded to the village leader and stayed silent, allowing for him to continue speaking.
"In the paper that you signed, signing over Naruto-kun over to you, it stated that you will be given a seat on the council. I have no doubt in my mind that section of the paper had been running through your head, at least for a little while." At this, Anko just continued to nod.
"It also stated that he will get all of his clan items once he reached the rank of Chunin or reaches the age of consent, if he does not choose to be a ninja." Hiruzen highly doubted that Naruto wouldn't be a ninja, as it was in his blood to do so.
"Naruto does have a clan, Anko. In fact, he actually has two." The old monkey stated, causing Anko's eyes to go wide.
She assumed as much, considering that the part about the clans wouldn't be in the paper if he didn't belong to one. But she couldn't believe that he had TWO clans! With that kind of position, he could be as important as the Hyuuga clan or the Uchiha clan! Her hands clenched in anger as she looked at the ground, scowling fiercely at the hardwood floor underneath her. She couldn't believe it. He had the power of two clans and Hiruzen was making him leave off the streets!
"Why…" She choked out, trying to keep herself from lashing out at the old man, who just stood there, unchanging.
"Why are you LETTING HIM LIVE LIKE THIS!?" She shouted at her leader, unable to hold back the rage she currently had for him.
It had only been a day, but that boy had in fact managed to become her world. She didn't know how it happened, and she didn't question it. His image gave her clarity, power over the curse mark that echoed dark whisperings throughout her mind. He was her hope.
Hiruzen simply looked down; a frown on his wrinkly face as he thought about what the boy had been through.
"I will explain." He said quietly, lifting his head a moment later to look at the enraged and hurt Anko. She gave him the look that told him that she would attempt to kill him if he didn't start explaining.
"Take in Naruto's appearance and attitude. Think back on every moment you saw of him." He stated to her, his face going neutral once more. "Who looks like he does, and who acts like he does?"
Anko tried her best to calm herself down. She needed to think about this, think about all the times she had seen and heard Naruto. His sun kissed blond hair, his eyes that were as blue as the ocean, filled with curiosity and wonder. He shouted about becoming Hokage, and if he wasn't doing that, he was stuffing his face with Ramen noodles from the Ichiraku Ramen stand. He was as stubborn as a bull with the intelligence to match, but at times he could be unnaturally smart and understanding. He never stopped doing what he loved, and followed his heart. There were a number of people who had those characteristics, but one face made everything click in her head.
"The Yondaime…" She whispered, her eyes wide once more. It all made sense. He was married to Kushina, who shared the Uzumaki Name. Her clan had a spot on the council since Uzushio was decimated and brought to ruins. It didn't last long, as once Kushina died and Naruto took her name, the immediately removed her seat from the council to keep Naruto from getting his hopes up. Minato Namikaze's name was brought to clan status once he became a Hokage, as he wasn't a part of a clan beforehand.
Anko didn't know either of them personally, but she had talked to them on occasion.
Naruto looked just like his father, and acted like his mother. It was odd how nobody had noticed it before. Shikaku probably knew about it taking his intelligence into account, but probably didn't care when taking his laziness into account as well.
Hiruzen nodded slowly and looked at Anko with a small smile. He knew that she understood now, that he had reasoning behind not bringing Naruto's heritage into light. Being the child of the man who killed countless Iwa shinobi and no doubt many more, and the woman who was the remnants of a great clan and village of sealing-masters, who was also gifted with the ability to use chakra chains, there would be a high price on his head in the eyes of any shinobi.
The Hokage decided that this would be a good time to bring Anko back into the physical world, and began to speak. "He would be one of the most wanted shinobi in the world if that were to get out, which is why I never brought up his heritage to him before."
Anko's head snapped to face Hiruzen, staying quiet so that he could continue speaking.
"If I were to tell everyone about his heritage, especially at this young age, the entire village would be at his beck and call, willing to do anything for him simply because he is the son of the Yondaime. There is a great chance that it would make him arrogant, and use his family name as a means to get what he wants. The civilians of the village would throw themselves at him as a way to apologize, and most likely see you unfit for raising him. They do not see what I see, what most of the Shinobi on the council see. He is not a demon child, and he is not the Namikaze heir. He is Naruto Uzumaki. He is who he is because of what he has done and what he has seen, not because of whom he is related to. I believe that you will do well in helping him stay leveled when his heritage is revealed."
His speech made Anko feel a little better about the situation. As she wasn't from a council clan, she would be one of the best choices for being the parent of Naruto. He and Anko would have to worry about clan problems and things now, but they wouldn't be on his head until he was ready to take over. She could also bring a somewhat new perspective into the view of the people on the council. Half of the council consisted of Shinobi, so just about every perspective was already seen and considered, but her actions and decisions could be overlooked much more easily because she wasn't from a clan herself, and had no clan experience beforehand. In a way, they had Political freedom in most situations. She knew the rules and laws that applied to being a Konoha nin, and she had to abide by those like everyone else, but she didn't know or understand the unspoken political rules; she never and any want, desire, or need to know them. She was being placed on the spot as the temporary matriarch of the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans, and was to be given leeway in the political world because of it. Naruto was just a boy. He probably wouldn't be able to understand it even if he wanted to, and therefore was given freedom from politics as well.
There was another pause, but it wasn't Hiruzen who spoke next. With the topic of Naruto and the clans, Anko decided to keep with that and asked a related question.
"When will the public know?" She asked the Hokage, curious to know what his new plan for going about this was.
"I will tell the Shinobi council during their next meeting, not at the joint meeting where the council can have their say. The ninja clans will be much more understanding than the civilian ones, and they will know along with the rest of the public in a few months. That will give you and Naruto-kun time to get used to living with each other." At this, Anko nodded her head. She didn't know that the old monkey already had a specific date for revealing his heritage to the world.
For another few minutes, the room as deathly silent. The information that was given out had gravity, and neither of the ninja in the room could pull their thoughts away from it. Anko didn't know what else to say any more, but Hiruzen had one last thing to say to his now surrogate daughter.
"Anko. You know how important Naruto is to me, much more so now than before because of what was recently said. I'm not telling you as your Hokage, but I'm asking you as an old grandfather. Please, show Naruto the kind of love and compassion that they village has denied it. Kami knows that he could use it."
Anko smiled at the old man and glanced at the door. Like before, she didn't have anything else to say, and didn't think that she could say anything that wouldn't ruin what kind words the old man had told her.
Hiruzen looked at the door as well, and was sure that nothing more needed to be said at the moment. This was a hard pill to swallow, and after everything that had happened in the last two days, Anko needed some rest and time to think about everything, as well as prepare for the major change in her life that was already happening. Hiruzen sent out a wave of chakra to tell the ANBU to disable the seals, and only a few seconds later he felt a wave of chakra telling him that the seals were inactive. He walked over to the door and opened it, motioning for Anko to walk through.
She did as she was told and walked out of the room, weaving through the hallways next to the Hokage so that the two of them could head home and get some rest.
Once they reached the main door, Hiruzen and Anko were surprised to see a medic-nin standing at the door.
From her appearance, she was on edge about something, and had presumably just ran from the hospital to the mansion. She panted lightly as she held onto a clipboard of some sort, that was facing towards her body so that the Hokage and the Snake Mistress couldn't see what was on the other side.
"Is everything alright? You look a little winded." The Hokage spoke up, curiosity obvious in his voice.
"Hokage-sama. I have news about the Uzumaki boy that was left in our care. Something happened to him." She spoke urgently, knowing that the Hokage would want to know about this as soon as possible. People knew how he took watched over the boy, and anything concerning him would be brought to the Hokage first.
"What about Naruto?" Anko asked, now a little worried as well since it did involve the boy that she was now taking care of. Hers and the Hokage's eyes would only widen in shock once hearing what the medic-nin had to say.
"He's missing."
Hello once again, everybody!
I'm ending this chapter with another cliffy, so…. Kind-of-sorry-but-not-really-sorry about that. Hana will be included in the next chapter, so look forward to her. I also want to apologize for taking so long. This has been the chapter that I've edited the most, and I'm really happy with how it came out.
Reviews are appreciated as always!
Until next time!