A/n: Edward is not Itachi. Even if he works for Danzo, his attitude will definitely be… different. I just can't see him as being the respectful type. In Edward's mind, it's 'as long as I get everything done, it should be alright', and Danzo also realizes that if Edward were to go through any severe emotional change, Hiruzen would notice.

Danzo is I think, in some ways the 'perfect ninja'. I don't think he'd take Edward's fight with him personally; that was one thing, but now that circumstances have changed, they can be allies (or boss-subordinate, I guess). Even if Danzo's flipping mad about Edward destroying his sharingans, he can't help but respect Edward. Anyway, it was fun writing him :)

Chapter 7- And In the Years that Passed…

Danzo's eyes scanned the gardens of the small house, taking in every detail. The field was large, and brunt hash marks of intense taijustsu training. Green grass grew everywhere but the lack of flowers told Danzo that the inhabitants of this house were not the ones who ensured the richness of the grass- no, that was due to Fire Country's own unique weather patterns.

The small house also told Danzo a number of things, chiefly among them that the person he was going to visit was rich enough to afford one. But then, Danzo already knew that. Apartments were plenty in Konoha, but houses were rare. They required much space, which Konoha's large population couldn't often produce. However, the house was small, which meant that the inhabitants didn't care much towards appearances, and were much more interested in being close to each other than privacy. Good, good, it was what Danzo needed to know.

With a smile that couldn't be called pleasant, Danzo walked up to the door and knocked.

The door swung open, revealing the shining yellow hair and tanned skin of the Naruto Uzumaki, the son of the Yondaime and the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. As soon as he saw Danzo, Uzumaki crossed his arms, glaring at the old man with a suspicious blue eyed gaze, "What do you want?"

Danzo felt his eyes narrow in spite of himself; ill mannered brat! If Danzo had his way with the Kyuubi, Uzumaki would be no more than a living weapon for Konoha right now. Nonetheless, he cooled his tongue, putting the same restraint onto himself as whenever he spied on the Hokage, "I am looking for your guardian, Edward Elric."

If possible, Uzumaki's eyes narrowed even more, "What do you want with-"

"Naruto." A weary sigh interrupted the blond, and a second later a black haired boy appeared at Uzumaki's side, making an apologetic bow towards Danzo. "I apologize for my companion's behaviour, it's simply that we get too many salesman whom we have no interest in and he suspected you of being one of them. Please, come in."

Ah, so the Uchiha had some manners then. Like brother like brother he supposed. Sasuke was shaping up to be as useful as Itachi was. With a satisfied nod, Danzo walked into the house, ignoring the glare Uzumaki sent Uchiha.

"What are you doing?" Uzumaki hissed, low enough that he probably thought Danzo couldn't hear it, "Why are you inviting a complete stranger into our house!"

"Didn't you feel him?" Uchiha demanded in an equally forceful but quiet voice, "He was obviously not just some random civilian. If I had to guess, he's here to discuss ninja business with Aniki. But even if that wasn't the case, would it kill you to show some manners?"

'Feel' him? Interesting choice of words. It could mean nothing, but Danzo was never one to take chances. Did Elric also teach his special ability to his charges?

"But I don't like him," Uzumaki whined, not even bothering to lower his voice this time, "He gives me the heeby jeebies. I bet he's some super pervert in disguise, and not like the nice ones like Gramps!"

Danzo was looking around the room, but he couldn't help but sneer in disgust at the Jinchuriki's choice of words. This was the son of the Fourth Hokage? Namikaze would be rolling in his grave if he could see the offspring of the Uzumaki witch.

"Naruto!" Uchiha whispered harshly, "Didn't you want to be Hokage? You can't go around offending everyone that comes near you then! If you-"

Just then, Elric walked into the room. Uzumaki and Uchiha instantly stopped talking. Elric glanced at the two, his lips thinning rapidly. Then, he glanced back up at Danzo, a steel fire behind his eyes. Danzo could almost feel the tension in the air.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Elric said stiltedly, as if the very words taxed him. "I hope my charges weren't too hard on you?"

Danzo smiled nastily. He could read the words behind the lines. Did you do anything to them? The old man shook his head, tsking, "They weren't the best mannered, no, though I suppose Sasuke Uchiha makes up for Uzumaki's impudence. Surely you felt me waiting outside?"

Danzo had come here to discuss certain things. It was the best way. Because of Danzo's power, Hiruzen could not see him using his crystal ball, whereas if Danzo sent any other Root operatives, he ran the risk of catching Hiruzen's eye. That was the last thing he wanted.

He and Elric did not have a chance to discuss much matters yesterday. Elric had spent a majority of the time after the fight giving Danzo his reasons for keeping Elric alive, and when Danzo had finally calmed down, he had agreed with many of those reasons. Danzo knew when to cut his losses and accept new gains; otherwise, he would not be where he was now. Yes, Elric had taken four years of valuable work from Danzo, but that was the past and killing Elric would not bring back Danzo's sharingans. No, Danzo could use a man who could defeat Izanagi.

Elric stiffened, turning his head away. Ah, a sign of annoyance. "I did, but I was hoping that if I ignored it you would go away."

Danzo's eyes became lidded as he inwardly seethed at the blond's choice of words. The insolence! He wanted to maul the research jounin for that, however… however, it would be counterproductive to his plans if Elric were harmed. Besides, Elric was not in Root, and if Danzo did anything too obvious Hiruzen would notice. Hiruzen may have stood for all of Danzo's previous actions, but Danzo knew that if he were to even touch Elric, Hiruzen would kill him. Danzo was not stupid; he knew the looks Hiruzen sent the young blond, almost as if Hiruzen were regarding yet another son.

And Hiruzen would regard his family's life beyond all else.

That was his weakness as a Hokage. Sure, the Sandaime would try to be impartial, but his subtle actions alerted Danzo about Hiruzen's weakness for his family. It was almost a subconscious thing, but even subconscious things were dangerous for a Hokage. And what made it even more perilous was that Hiruzen didn't know it, and one could not guard against things they didn't know. Danzo had tried to warn him of course, but the Sandaime had simply waved off his concerns, believing that the Hokage was in reality unbiased.

The fool.

One only had to look at the Kyuubi Container's situation to see the truth. Konoha's Jinchuriki should have been trained as Konoha's secret weapon, their greatest power. Instead, the Sandaime looked at the demon and saw Minato, and of course the Hokage couldn't bear to use his favourite student's son as Konoha's sacrifice.

"Well then," Elric sighed, turning his back on Danzo and walking briskly towards a room Danzo could only assume to be the study, "Let's get this conversation over with."

Danzo felt a brief flash of annoyance. How dare the Elric brat turn his back on the Root Commander? But then, he reminded himself, it was he who had the advantage. It was he who controlled everything. Elric's manners would be corrected soon. Calming himself, Danzo followed the blond sixteen year old, noting that behind his back, Uzumaki and Uchiha were now both glaring at him balefully.

Danzo ignored it, and walked into the study. He noted that the walls were three inches thick; anything that was said in this room would not be heard outside, even if the eavesdropper was standing right outside the door. There was a round table in the center of the room, with six chairs arranged symmetrically around it. Danzo took a seat.

With a huff of annoyance, Elric closed the door, before finally taking a seat himself directly opposite that of Danzo's.

Danzo slid an arm on the table, making a show that he was comfortable here, despite... "This is reminiscent of Inoichi's design."

Elric's eye twitched, "Yes, I got the idea from him."

"So you don't want Uzumaki and Uchiha to hear this conversation?" Danzo said dryly, "Well, I suppose you have some subtlety. Do tell, are you trying to turn them against me? That could end up... very badly for you."

"Part of our deal was that if I work for you, you'd leave them alone." Elric countered, his mind as sharp as his taijutsu. But then, Danzo had expected that. Still, he had hoped that Elric would be as malleable as Itachi had been. "So it shouldn't be out of order for me to make my dislike for you apparent. I don't want to give them the illusion that you're pleasant to deal with."

Danzo felt his hand spasm, but told himself to control it. He was the one who had control, after all. The old man cooled his voice, looking at Elric as if he were a lower life form, "And do you suppose being hostile towards me would prove to be a real solution? Do you not think it would be more problematic if Uchiha and the Jinchuriki would not listen to one of Konoha's high council members when they become ninja?"

Elric glanced down, muttering. "I was hoping by that time you'd be-"

Suddenly, Elric's expression tightened. His eyes were narrowed in pain, and beads of sweat were forming on his brow. Danzo couldn't see his hands, because they were beneath the table, but he would bet anything that Edward Elric was clutching his left leg right now.

Danzo felt a smirk spread across his face, "What was that?"

"You- the seal-"

"Yes," Danzo crossed his legs, a superior glint entering his eyes, "The seal. The seal I placed on you after our fight will not allow you to feel rebellious towards me. This whole time, you've been feeling a twinge of pain, have you not?"

Elric leant forwards, his hand gripping the edge of the table and an expression of alarm on his face, "That was-?"

Ah, so Elric had figured it out then, if his expression was anything to go by. All the better. Danzo felt a smirk spread across his lips, "Correct. And if you try to articulate those thoughts, the pain will become a hundred times greater."

And to betray him- a thousand times greater.

So really, it was quite impossible to betray him. Not that anyone would have the mind to, anyway. In Root, everyone was a mindless drone, and they knew no one outside of Danzo besides. Still, just in case the odd someone decided that they had found something more important than Root- Danzo's seal on them was set to give them enough pain that they would die on the spot.

Elric blinked, then lowered his head, a bitter chuckle escaping through his lips. "I see now... this is how you control everyone, isn't it? Clever, really clever."

"Well of course; otherwise, how else could I ensure loyalty?" There was no need to mention that Root was almost guaranteed to never betray him. After all, it was how they were conditioned- the members of Root did not know any alternatives, and Danzo would see to it that it remained that way.

"Well I don't know," Elric said dryly, "Maybe try earning it? But your sealing trick- you haven't been straightforward, have you? The people you've used this seal on... At first, they might see you as the enemy, but slowly, because they're not allowed to think bad thoughts about you, they'll start to think of you as a legit ally, won't they? The mind is also a tool that can be fooled. How your seal works isn't to ensure that anyone who thinks of betraying you will die... it's to ensure that nobody would want to betray you in the first place."

"Yes," Danzo replied, his voice equally as dry. He was surprised by Elric's quick deduction —the blond had been one hundred percent correct— but he wouldn't show it. It would lose him the edge in this game, and he did so much like being on top. Of course, he was on top anyhow, but he needed Elric to see that as well. "Still, knowing that will do little to help you."

Elric's grip on the edge of the table tightened, his knuckles turning white with strain. He made an odd, choking noise, but his next words came out quite clear. "You are an old man."

...what?

Elric looked up, grinning. His face was strained, and his voice tense, but his golden eyes burned with an unmistakeable 'screw you'. "I was hoping that by the time Naruto and Sasuke became ninja... you'd already be dead."

Danzo's smirk slipped off his face.

Elric looked as if he were about to scream in pain, but the words had come from his lips nonetheless. It suddenly didn't matter that Elric was panting as if he had received a mortal wound, it didn't matter that Elric wouldn't be able to talk for several minutes- Elric had just proved that Danzo's seal wasn't all-perfect. Was it possible that... no, there was no way Elric could beat the seal. After all, making a personal comment was very different from outright rebellion. Still, it galled Danzo that Elric now thought he had some control. He did not. And Danzo would have to make him realize that.

"How scary," was Elric's first words when he could speak again. A wry smile spread across the blond's face, "I can't even think bad thoughts about you."

Danzo returned the smile, although his was far nastier, "Why would you want to think bad thoughts about me? You aren't by any chance, planning to betray me are you?"

Elric stiffened, turning his head away. But Danzo could see by the set of Elric's jaws that the blond was gritting his teeth. "Of course not."

Not with the current stakes, no. While Danzo was still alive, and while the Kyuubi brat and the last Uchiha were still in Konoha, Edward Elric would never reveal him. Yes, Elric was defiant, but in the end the blond would not betray Danzo's expectations. Elric would fight, and perhaps Danzo would even let him rebel a little, as a parent would let a disobedient child rebel, but Elric would never be in control.

No, it was Danzo who had the leash. The old man leant forwards, placing his elbows on the table and twining his fingers in a manner reminiscent of the Sandaime. "That is good to hear. Then, shall I start on the reason I came here?"

"You mean it wasn't just to taunt me?" Elric muttered.

Danzo felt a flash of annoyance, but quickly pushed it down. Elric's attitude was of no consequence; the blond would regret his behaviour later. "My Root operatives, as you know, are excellent for assassination, but unfortunately they do not blend into society very well. There are some missions that they could never do, but you..."

"No!" Elric's words were out before the blond could possibly even think about it. "I said I'd do some things for you, but I will not assassinate-"

"And I will not force you to." Like a wild dog, Elric had to be handled gently. Elric had hit right-in-one when he said Danzo would rather change a person's way of thinking than force them to do something. Of course, his method for changing a mindset might not exactly be ethical, but still... "All of your missions will not be something you find distasteful. Even I would not force you to do something against your morals."

The last part was said sarcastically.

Edward Elric, Danzo concluded, was as like Hiruzen Sarutobi as Itachi was like Danzo. Elric may just be suited to be in the sun, the balance to the darkness and secrets that people like Itachi and Danzo were accustomed to. Dealing with Elric was wholly different from dealing with Itachi, and perhaps Danzo should not even have tried. Perhaps Elric should not be dragged into the shadows at all.

"There..." Elric's voice was wary, but there was a degree of compromise in there. "There will be no missions which I cannot refuse?"

"Even better," Danzo hummed, "You could change the parameters of a mission. You will be given more freedom than any of my Root operatives; you will be given the ability to conduct the mission as you see fit. Think about it, you could save the lives that you so value. If my Root was to go on a retrieval mission, they might end up killing all witnesses, but you will be able to get away completely undetected."

Elric was swaying to his side, Danzo could see it.

"You're handing me a lot of trust."

"I gave Itachi the same. I may not like you Elric, but even I have to admit your talent. However, you'll have to agree that if you mess up even once, implicate Konoha in any way, all your freedom will be stripped from you. You may still choose the missions you do, but you will not be able to change the instructions. Do you accept these terms?"

Elric finally turned to look at him, golden eyes filled with distrust. But also, Danzo noted, a hope to be able to believe. "How do I know you won't purposely mess up one of my missions so that I'll follow all your rules?"

The old man chuckled dryly, "My, my, you're really a paranoid boy. It would be counterproductive of me to disrupt your missions. I do not want Konoha to be in trouble, and I do not care how a mission is done as long as it is done properly. You, I believe, have the ability to do that."

Elric looked at him for a long time. Then— "I still don't trust you."

Danzo smiled.

Sasuke knew something was wrong with his Aniki.

Ever since the old man had come to visit, Aniki had not been getting any peace. Oh sure he still pretended, and most of the time he succeeded, but Sasuke would catch the moments when Aniki would wince and clutch his head, seemingly for no reason at all. He'd asked Aniki about it, only for it to be waved off as a common headache. Sasuke knew better though; Aniki had never had those 'headaches' in the past.

But… Sasuke was cautious.

Unlike Naruto, Sasuke was very observant to the small details in everyday life (how Naruto managed to be such a genius in fighting Sasuke had no idea). He noticed how assured the old man was of himself, and how nimble his movements were. Sasuke knew that Danzo was dangerous.

Not only that, but influential too. He'd done his research; with a few pointed questions at teachers and requests from fangirls, Sasuke was able to find out exactly who the council member really was. Sasuke was raised as a clan heir after all; he knew political influence when he saw it. Danzo had that by the spades.

So… it was no wonder that even Aniki would be bogged down by the man. Still, even the Hokage treated Aniki respectfully! What right did stupid council member Danzo have to be treating one of Konoha's best ninja so badly?

But the fact was, Aniki was being treated badly, and there was nothing Sasuke could do about it. He wasn't stupid; he knew that some problems couldn't be solved by barging in and demanding a fight. As much as he hated to admit it, he simply wasn't strong enough. He still lost to Aniki each and every time, even with Naruto's help.

If he went against Danzo now…

"Hey Sasuke…" Naruto's voice brought Sasuke out of his thoughts. Sasuke turned, giving a Look to the normally hyperactive blond. They were sitting side by side on a large leather couch, the television yammering aimlessly in the background. It looked like Naruto hadn't been paying attention to the program, either. "Hey Sasuke, Edward nii-san's always so tired all the time now…"

Sasuke actually froze. Really. Had the orange-obsessed idiot figured it out? If so, then the situation was direr than Sasuke could have imagined.

"…do ya think we could help him a little?"

Sasuke blinked, not expecting that. "Help him how?"

"Hm… I know! Let's do his paperwork for him!"

Sasuke relaxed; so Naruto wasn't talking about Danzo. Of course not. Naruto had only been around Aniki for a little over a year after all, so the orange-clad idiot didn't know the older blond's moods. Of course he couldn't see through Aniki's well guarded facades; Aniki was a genius after all, and it was only in rare moments where he actually actively tried to hide something. Naruto not only had to catch Aniki in those rare moments, and then he had to realize that the genius was hiding something. Unlikely to happen.

Of course, Sasuke could always just tell Naruto what was happening, but… but Naruto was exactly what Sasuke was trying to avoid. Naruto was definitely the type of person to just barge in and demand answers, and Sasuke had a feeling that would only make the situation worse. Besides, Sasuke wasn't even sure if he was right, and wouldn't it be embarrassing if he was wrong all this time?

Still… Naruto did have one good point. There were other ways of helping Aniki other than annexing Danzo. But… "Idiot, what if we mess it up? This is the Hokage's important paperwork! There's a reason Aniki was chosen for this!"

"The Hokage? Well, there was no changing my mind now. It was perfect training for when I become the Hokage in the future!"

The black haired boy humphed, then smiled ever so slightly. It actually… wasn't such a bad idea. They could always get Aniki to check their things at first, before they slowly got used to the work. "Whatever… let's get researching then…"

Yes, this was all he could do for Aniki now, but it wouldn't be like that forever. Sasuke would get stronger, and then he'd do something to the old man who'd dared do something to his Aniki.

Mizuki smirked as he slipped into the forest, seeing his now favourite pupil frantically reading the scroll. Ha, Naruto was too easy to manipulate. All Mizuki had to do, was switch up a few test papers, blunt a few weapons, and even Naruto's jounin level shadow clones couldn't pass the exam. And apparently, that jounin teacher that the Kyuubi brat lived with, as well as the true Rookie of the Year, couldn't cheer him up. When Mizuki had come swooping in with an alternative to graduate, Naruto had jumped at the chance. This was too easy…

Just then, Iruka showed up, "I've found you!"

Naruto looked up from the scroll, a jubilant expression on his face, "Iruka-sensei! Never mind that though, I've learned a really cool jutsu! If I do it, you'll let me graduate, right? Mizuki-sensei said if I got this scroll, then showed you a skill from it, I'd definitely graduate. So watch closely, Wind Release-"

Mizuki decided it was time to intervene. After all, Iruka was getting suspicious. Rolling the numerous kunai in his hands, he suddenly let them fly, all aimed towards the blond haired brat. Iruka pushed the kid out of the way just as Mizuki had expected him to, getting slammed into tool shed by the barrage.

Mizuki jumped down from his perch on the tree, landing gracefully with one hand, "Nice job finding the moron!"

Iruka glared at him hatefully, causing Mizuki to feel a tinge of sadness. After all, they had been teachers for many years together, and he had come to like the brown haired ninja. Not enough though, to spare his life. Mizuki would do anything, for his quest of power, "Naruto! Give me the scroll!"

"Hun what?" Naruto scrambled to his feet, rolling up the scroll and sealing it as he shot a confused look at the two instructors, "What's going on here? Hey?"

"Naruto!" Iruka shouted, staggering towards the blond, "Whatever happens… don't give Mizuki the scroll! That's a dangerous scroll that has forbidden ninjutsus written inside it. Mizuki used you… to get his hands on it!"

Mizuki laughed softly, also making his way towards the blond, "Naruto… there's no point in you having it. I'll tell you the truth…"

"N-NO! DON'T!"

"12 years ago… you know about the demon fox being sealed, right? Since that day… a special rule was created for this village."

Naruto looked up at him with wide eyes, "A rule?"

"But," Mizuki continued, smirking, "This rule was never meant to be told to you."

"Not to me…? What is the rule? Tell me! What… kind of rule?"

Mizuki started chuckling. Really, he couldn't help himself. "An S-class secret on the pain of death… the rule is that nobody is allowed to talk about the fact that you are the nine tailed demon fox."

"…what?" Naruto stumbled backwards, falling down yet again, "What do you mean?"

"STOP IT!" Iruka shouted.

Mizuki paid his old friend no heed, "It means that you Naruto, are the nine tailed demon fox… that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed the village. You were sealed up by the Hokage you admire and…"

"STOP IT!" Iruka shouted again, but this time there was a flicker of high chakra that accompanied it. Odd, but not overly concerning, so Mizuki continued.

"…you have been lied to by everyone! Didn't you find it odd how everyone hates you? Iruka is the same! He also hates you! If Sasuke and your jounin caretaker knew, they'd also hate you! Nobody will ever love you!" Mizuki charged, unbuckling the two large shurikens from his back and throwing one at a speed that no academy student could deflect, no matter how talented. "That scroll was used to seal you up!"

The humongous shuriken suddenly veered off-course, slamming into a tree trunk. Iruka was leaning over Naruto, looking like he was prepared to take the hit for the brat, so it couldn't have been him. Mizuki's eyes followed the shuriken's path, and saw that laying near his weapon, were a small kunai. His eyes widened; no way, directing something so large so severely off course with only a single kunai would require monstrous precision and…!

"That's quite enough, Mizuki."

Mizuki whipped his head towards the voice, and he wasn't the only one. Iruka and Naruto turned as well, the blond brat's eyes widening in recognition. Mizuki narrowed his eyes. A sixteen year old blond jumped out of a tree, landing with only the slightest bend of his knees. He flipped his braid over his shoulder, and eyed Mizuki with hard, golden eyes. This was the jounin who had visited Naruto during the graduation exam.

A moment later, another figure jumped out, this one landing in a crouch. Brushing the dirt off his clothes, the Uchiha straightened, giving Mizuki a condensing glare. What..? A jounin Mizuki could understand, but how in the world had an academy student managed to conceal his presence?

"Edward nii-san! Sasuke!" Naruto spluttered, his voice surprised. In a moment though, it turned despairing, "Were… were you there the whole time?"

"Tch," Sasuke smirked, "You really are bad at sensing chakra. Why sound so miserable, idiot? Are you upset that we got to see you get beat up so easily?"

"But didn't you… didn't you hear…"

"Oh, you mean the Kyuubi stuff?" Sasuke shrugged, "Well if you really are the Kyuubi, then I can't understand why the Yondaime would seal you. If there's one thing you're good at, it's not being evil."

"I don't… Sasuke you…"

"Naruto!" Iruka shook the blond's shoulders, as if trying to shake sense into him, "You're not the Kyuubi! You're just the container! You're a hero for holding back a monster like that! Don't listen to Mizuki. To me… you are one of my excellent students!"

"Iruka-sensei…" Naruto sniffled slightly, giving Iruka a grateful look. But then, he froze, turning with dread towards the jounin, "Nii…"

"Psht," The jounin snorted, giving the demon brat a devious grin, "I've known you were the container for the Kyuubi since the first day I've met you. But since it was an S-class secret, I couldn't tell you. I've been trying to figure out a way to let you know for a long time… It's kinda nice that Mizuki here has gone and told you everything…"

"You- you-" Mizuki spluttered; he had been played a fool, "You planned this!"

The jounin shrugged lazing, fixing Mizuki with a deadly golden glare, "So what if I did? It's no worse than your plan. But to tell you the truth, I didn't plan on you telling Naruto about the Kyuubi, that was just a nice plus. I only planned on revealing you…"

"Wh-what?"

"Did you think I wouldn't notice? When I compared Sasuke's information on the tests with Naruto's, there were gaping holes. I knew one or both of Naruto's instructors sabotaged him, but I didn't know for what purpose. When Naruto told me what you requested him to do, I knew it was you, but the question was… was Iruka in this too? Plus, we still had to get definite proof, and you gave us enough of that tonight. Don't worry, you were never in any danger of obtaining the real scroll; we'd switched it with one of my training scrolls."

"What?" Naruto gasped, "You mean this was all a trap?"

The jounin shot a slightly apologetic look at the demon brat, but it was Sasuke who talked. The dark haired Uchiha snorted, shooting Naruto a smirk, "You suck at acting. You would have given it away."

"That's- that's-" Naruto huffed indignantly, crossing his arms, "Just because I have a healthy admiration for the truth…"

No… no! This was not going according to plan! It had never been meant to be like this! Mizuki gritted his teeth; no matter, he'd achieve his goal. After all, even jounin had weaknesses, didn't they? Especially since, the golden eyed boy looked like a greenhorn. Mizuki had years of experience over the blond. He leapt towards the sitting Naruto, shoving a surprised Iruka out of the way as he gripped the blond, putting a kunai near his throat, "Give up, or the kid dies!"

The jounin's eyes hardened, "You really don't want to do that."

"I'll do anything!" Mizuki shouted crazily, "Don't underestimate a madman!"

The jounin sighed, putting his hands on his hips in a slightly exasperated manner, "It'll be a good battle experience, I guess."

He knew it! The jounin was nothing more than a greenhorn with no battle experience! Yes, he could do this… he could get out of here alive…! And then, the jounin made a hand signal. Mizuki tensed, awaiting a technique from the jounin, but nothing happened. The jounin smirked, and pointed below him, directly at…

"Hehehe…" Naruto's voice was utterly demonic, "You never did find out what jutsu I learned."

"Retake it!"

"What?" He had spent painstaking hours thinking up of the perfect pose for the graduation picture, and now the old man wanted him to retake it?

The Hokage sighed, probably guessing his thoughts, "And where is your forehead protector?"

"I'm saving it for tomorrow's ceremony. I don't want to scratch it." Finally his dream of becoming a ninja had come; he didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize a fresh start.

"This ninja registration book, list all the ninja of this village, and their abilities-" What a lot of bull. Edward nii-san had told him that only the Hokage knew the full extent of every ninja's abilities. Otherwise, if an enemy village got a hold of one of the numerous registration books, all of Konoha's secrets would be out. "-this is a very important document, so what's with the face?"

"I thought it was cool…" Naruto grumbled.

Just then, the door creaked open, and a little kid with a ridiculously long scarf jumped through. He landed on one hand, launching himself towards the Hokage, "Fight me Old Geezer!"

Naruto was already in front of the old man, his body in a fighting stance. Sure, the kid's movements didn't seem particularly graceful or fast, but perhaps it was a deception to get the Hokage's guards to underestimate him. After all, somehow the kid had managed to get past all those ANBU, and the old man's face actually looked somewhat worried. That meant that the kid had to be strong right? Well then, as Naruto's first act of being a ninja, he would protect the Hokage!

And then the kid tripped.

…

"Oh no! Not again!" A man with large sunglasses suddenly appeared at the door's entrance, looking slightly haggard. He had a Konoha forehead protector on his head. "Ah!"

"Owww!" The kid moaned, pushing himself up ever so slightly, "Damn it! Who set a trap?"

"Are you alright?" Sunglasses asked worriedly, and then his attention turned to Naruto. Naruto stiffened ever so slightly at the cold glance Sunglasses gave him. Ah, so it was one of those people. The people who hated Naruto for what he contained. The people who Naruto would force to acknowledge him!

Suddenly, the kid's attention turned to Naruto, "Hey… I know you were the one who set a trap!"

What? Naruto had the kid by his scarf in a second, "You tripped over your own feet, you idiot!"

"Hey Naruto!" Sunglasses shouted, "Let him go! He's the Hokage's grandson!"

Naruto looked at the kid, who suddenly seemed a lot more confident despite being in a death grip, then used all his force to bonk the kid on the head, "You really think I give a damn, idiot?"

"Ouch!"

"No way!" Sunglasses.

Naruto huffed, throwing the kid to the floor and turning to the Hokage with a level gaze, "Fine, fine, I'll retake my photo. I get it. See ya later old man."

With one last wave, Naruto skipped out of the office and towards home free home. He passed by an attendant who was rushing towards the Hokage office and muttering something about 'stone', 'chuunin exams' and 'promotion', which didn't quite make a whole lot of sense to Naruto, but then, he didn't really care. The day was perfect and he was going home! Except… someone was following him. Ugh he had enough! "Stop following me, and you aren't fooling anyone with that!"

Honestly, Naruto had done better disguises when he was five! This kid was an idiot!

"Hehe impressive to see through my cover-" What cover? The wood coloured cloth that the kid was using to conceal himself was hardly effective while constantly moving. It only worked when one stayed still; even civilians knew that! "-it seems the rumours about you are true… Hey, I'll make you my boss! And in exchange… please teach me that 'sexy technique' which you defeated gramps with! Please boss?"

People were starting to give him weird looks. Naruto sighed, and beckoned for the kid to follow him. He really didn't want to ruin his reputation by having a bizarre kid follow him around. They walked for a while, until they finally got to a more secluded area.

Naruto began before the kid could. He really didn't want to listen to another rant about seemingly nothing. "Why are you going after your grandpa, all this time?"

The kid kicked at a stone, nearly stubbing his toe, "Grandpa gave me the name Konohamaru… I'm named after the village. And even though everyone knows my name, nobody ever calls me that. When someone is talking about me or calling me… all they see is the Hokage's grandson. No one sees me as me… I'm sick of it. That's why I want the Hokage title."

Naruto felt a trickle of annoyance. "Idiot… who would acknowledge a brat like you? The Hokage title isn't something a little brat could take. It isn't kids' play, moron. You have to be dedicated, hardworking, and willing to put your life on the line. Are you really willing, kid? Plus, being Hokage isn't just being able to beat your grandpa, you have to know politics, organization, and show a constant charismatic face even when you don't want to. Edward nii-san has taught me that much, but can you really do it?"

"I can!" Konohamaru said determinedly, "I will! I will succeed and- wait, did you say Edward nii-san? As in Edward Elric?"

"Yeah?" Naruto asked confusedly, wondering who the heck the kid knew about his nii-san. Perhaps Nii-san was just that awesome?

Konohamaru instantly deflated, "Actually, there is one person who does call me Konohamaru, except instead of seeing me as the Hokage's grandson he sees me as my mother's son. I can tell. He used to visit a lot, but I didn't want to see him anymore. That was… your Edward nii-san."

What?

Naruto hesitated, "No way! Edward nii-san wouldn't see anyone other than who they are!"

Konohamaru glared, "Oh yeah? Wanna bet? Your 'Nii-san' ain't perfect. He treats me just like the rest of the stupid villagers!"

"You're lying!" Naruto shouted, "He took me in when the rest of the villagers wouldn't even look at me! How's that consenting with the norm?"

"I never said he was consenting with the norm!" Konohamaru shouted back, "But every time he came to see me all he could talk about was my mother! And he'd always have this guilty look in his eyes, even I could tell! Do you know how uncomfortable it is to be with a guilty person? Do you?"

Naruto instantly opened his mouth to retort… but couldn't find anything to say. Truthfully, Edward nii-san didn't talk much about his past, and it was that one disaster with the seals when Edward nii-san really said anything. And that anything was enough, quite frankly. Edward nii-san's past sounded bad, and Naruto hadn't really wanted to hear much more of it.

Still… now Konohamaru was making Naruto realize how little he actually knew about his nii-san. He didn't even really know all of the older blond's techniques. Sure, he'd seen quite a few, but he knew that Edward nii-san was always holding back on him. How much… did Naruto actually know about his self proclaimed 'nii-san'?

Naruto shut his eyes, and then snapped them open again. What the heck was with this hesitation? It wasn't like him. The past was the past, and that was that. Edward nii-san was with them now, and that was what mattered. "Pst, don't try to change the topic. I'll talk to Nii-san if that's worrying you. But first… if you want the title of Hokage that badly… then you have to beat me!"

"Ha! I've finally found you!"

Naruto looked up; it was Sunglasses, with his hateful cold gaze. Naruto had learned to endure that gaze, especially with Edward nii-san and Sasuke to help him, but he couldn't forgive what bull Sunglasses was telling Konohamaru. Naruto narrowed his eyes as Sunglasses told Konohamaru about shortcuts to being a Hokage; there were no such things as shortcuts!

Naruto stepped forwards, his hands already in a familiar 'transform' seal. Yes, Naruto could think of a number of ways to fight Sunglasses jounin or not, and Naruto knew that he would eventually win. But… but how much more humiliating for the ninja would it be if… "Sexy Technique!"

Edward grimaced as blood splattered across his mask, staining the pale green a deep red. This assassination was particular messy; after all, he had to make it look like the man died of an accident. Assassinations were sadly, Edward's specialty, because his vast medical knowledge allowed him to make the target look like they died from a natural cause rather than the horrifying truth.

He had taken twenty-five missions for Danzo since they had signed their agreement just over two years ago, and he was already feeling like it was twenty-five missions too many. But, like Danzo had predicted, Edward couldn't refuse. Even if he did not do the assassinations, someone else would, and they would often times involve innocent bystanders as well. Most people did not have Edward's medical intelligence, and had to resort to burning down a whole mansion with the servants and family as well as the target. Edward could not allow that to happen.

So, as long as assassinations were happening, Edward would be the one to do them. Until… until the day that he could stop the assassinations from happening altogether.

Still, he had no idea that Konoha took so many dirty jobs to build its foundations.

With a frown that never seemed to leave his face during these missions, Edward made his quick escape from the mansion, meeting his squad just outside in the nearby forest. Three shadows flashes, and in an instant Edward was surrounded by the other ROOT members.

Edward licked his lips, "You didn't kill anyone, did you Squirrel?"

Squirrel just stared at him with large black eyes, and then he finally shook his head. "No. Just as you ordered."

Edward breathed a sigh of relief, "Alright, let's go. I need to get back before dawn."

The three others nodded once, and then they were off, jumping through the forest and running through the night. It wasn't their first time working together, but it wouldn't be their last. After all, Edward was a secret Danzo wanted to keep. Still, despite the certain 'kinship' that the four shared, ROOT members weren't normal, and other than asking for clarification in orders, the others never talked to him.

Only Squirrel looked back at him, "You're an odd one, Snake."

Edward ignored him.

He quickly slipped back into his house as soon as he got home, making sure to keep quiet as to not disturb Sasuke and Naruto. They were in their beds now, having gotten used to his late-night missions and learning not to wait for him. His heart gave a little ping at that, but he understood the necessity of it. Sasuke and Naruto couldn't compromise their own health just for him to tuck them in, after all.

Besides, he no longer wanted them to wait for him.

Edward was afraid, deathly afraid of them finding out what he was doing. He did not want them to be disgusted at him, or worse, follow his example. He could not let them find out, no matter what. So, Edward was always super-careful whenever he came back from Danzo's ventures. He'd mastered walking quietly, and even Naruto's super-human senses couldn't pick him up.

Silently, Edward walked to his bathroom, and shut the door. It was air foamed just like his interrogation office. That had become a necessity.

Edward took off his snake mask and shook his hair out, staring blankly at his ghostly appearance in the mirror. His eyes were dull, looking like frosted pieces of chipped amber. Deep within them burned a pain that he knew would never ever go away, and quiet frankly, Edward did not want it to.

How many innocent people had he killed? And even if they weren't innocent, did it really give Edward the right to take their lives? His hand twitched, and the snake mask fell from his hands.

Medical knowledge was never supposed to be used the way he used it. He had perverted something precious and pure. Where there was supposed to be healing, now there was only death. Tsunade would kill him if she ever found out.

Edward closed his eyes, and let out a strangled yell. He leant his forehead against the cool bathroom mirror, feeling more than seeing his breath fog up his reflection. He knew that he had to do it if he wanted Sasuke and Naruto to live freely for now. Had to do it until they could defend themselves. Then— then— he would be free. It wasn't for forever; sooner or later things would change, and then Edward wouldn't have to stare into the lifeless faces of his victims and their questioning eyes which only demanded why, why, why?

He knew all that.

But sometimes, sometimes he fell into despair. Fell into the darkness of thought. Fell into that horrible, wandering depression where there seemed to be no end to this bloody tunnel.

A/n: Lol, what's Sasuke without revenge? On the subject of Sasuke: I don't understand why people always portray Sasuke as rude to people he doesn't know. Yes, he is closed off, but from everything I've read in the manga he is actually a very polite person (well, until he goes all traitor-bent-on-revenge-mode).

This is basically a chapter of wrap-ups. How cannon events would change with the addition of Edward, etc. It also shows where Konohamaru has been all this time; I actually did not just throw in that reason, I had it planned ever since Hikari died but I couldn't see a way to fit it into the story. A lot of you have asked about Konohamaru, and quite frankly I'm surprised that not one person guessed it. You guys are smart. When I read over your reviews, I get shivers thinking how far ahead you've guessed as far as the plot will go (yes, I do have the basic structure of this story planned out all the way to the end, though some things can still be up to change. I just hope cannon won't ruin it for me).

Next chapter will be funny… it was one I've been looking forward to for a long time. Hehe.

Btw, is anyone else thinking that 'Madara' might really be Shisui?