AN: Sorry for the long wait for the update. I've been stuck in a slight writer's block, and being a first generation college student, I've been up to my neck in research and other crap.
2:25 am Konoha Hospital
The room was bathed in semi-darkness, lights blinking from monitors regulating the patient's health, and the only sound was the continuous beeping of the heart monitor confirming that the patient Uzumaki Naruto was indeed alive and well. On the crisp and clean pressed sheets of the hospital bed laid an unconscious Naruto who happened to be suffering from the side effects of soldier pill overdose a normally lethal condition that left our favorite blonde out of it for the past twelve hours.
Our of respect for his privacy, or more likely the snarling form of a very angry Anko, the infamous mask of hunter-X remained on the comatose blonde's face. Anko herself was currently fast asleep, bent over her chair that she had pulled up to her younger brother's bedside. Her head rested comfortably on her arms which happened to reside on the bedside of the patient who currently was oblivious to the living world.
The small stream of drool pooling under her full lips would bring a cry of distress from the poor nurse who had to clean all manners of unpleasant stains from the normally clean and spotless hospital covers. These ranged from urines and feces, to the possibly more disgusting sex stains left behind by long term male patients who got "bored".
Outside the semi-dark room however, two low voices conversed urgently. "Dr. Shimazaki please reconsider your action! This is madness!" The small outburst belonged to a petite nurse with dark chocolate eyes. Male patients referred to her as "the rack" due to her very well endowed set of mammary glands that the male patients greatly appreciated. And trust me, they appreciated them every chance they got. Her hair was tied in a small bun, a shade of deep purple, almost black, that left the more perverted patients with one question in their dazed minds. 'Do the carpets match the drapes?'
"You don't know what it was like Misato. You weren't old enough to remember what it was like." The normally smiling man was currently snarling like an animal with a predatory gleam shining evilly in his dark eyes. "I can't let him leave that room. I have to do this! For my wife and unborn son." The last part was whispered so softly the nurse had a hard time catching it.
The purple haired woman trembled in fright as her long time mentor and friend pulled out a vile of dark liquid. Her hand leapt involuntarily to her mouth as she recognized the liquid inside. "There's enough mercury and cyanide to put down a small herd of elephants." An insane smile spread across the unshaven face of the doctor.
"Even he won't survive this" he whispered softly. Putting the needle into the vile of poison, he watched in morbid fascination as the dark lethal concoction creped up the needle and into the syringe. This went against all his moral codes as a doctor, not to mention his oath as a medic, but his hatred for the demon that took away his wife and unborn child overrode any hesitation he may had had.
Turning around to enter the room, he found his arm being held back by his favorite student. Glaring at her until she let go, he couldn't help but notice the small buildup of tears in the corner of her eyes. Softening his gaze, Dr. Shimazaki reached out his free hand and patted her shoulder. "You're a good girl Misato, with a very bright future ahead of you. I don't want you involved in what's about to happen. No doubt the Hokage will have me executed for my actions." A soft chuckle escaped his dry lips. "You best leave if you don't want to join me."
His eyes hardened and became cold once more as he headed off into the room. The young nurse felt tears spill uncontrollably down her face as she watched her sensei walk to his death. Pausing over the sleeping form of Anko and Naruto, he held his breath while observing the prone blonde. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he stood over the unaware hunter-nin. 'He would have been your age.' Steeling his will, he let out a soft almost inaudible breath. 'This is for you Yui, and Shinji!'
The needle dove down point first for the unconscious blonde's exposed arm, the poisonous mixture dripping from the small opening at the tip. Centimeters from the vein, doctor turned assassin felt his arm being clamped down in an iron grip. He stared helplessly into the uncompassionate eyes of a smirking Mitarashi Anko.
"You really shouldn't breathe that loud near a kunoichi." Faster then the eye could follow, the doctor found his arm being twisted and held back in a painful arm bar. The needle was twirling playfully in the sadistic woman's free hand. Another shiver ran down the doctor's spine as a soft almost seductive voice whispered into his ear.
"So out to off my brother huh? Goes to show you can't even trust the fucking doctors in this village anymore." The last sentence had been hissed out with more venom then the vile contents of the needle. The raven haired kunoichi's eyes darted over to the frozen nurse by the doorway that had fallen onto her butt.
"Your little accomplice?" she whispered sweetly. Killing intent flooded the room paralyzing the already terrified medic near the door.
"Please," whispered the doctor frantically. "She had no part in this. This was my plan, she just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Anko's eyes narrowed as she considered the man's words. "Coincidence is far and few between in the world of the shinobi." The girl was whimpering on the floor having never faced such an awful feeling in her life. It was as if the very breath was being slowly and meticulously squeezed from her oxygen starved lungs.
The sweating doctor turned around painfully so he could partially see his tormentor. "Do what you will with me, but I beg you spare Misato!" The trench coat wearing kunoichi measured his words for a moment before nodding in acknowledgment.
"Wish granted." The syringe stopped its hypnotic spin. The razor point of the needle dove in for the exposed neck of the treacherous doctor.
'Huh. It's almost like a mosquito bite' he thought dazedly. Anko's thumb pressed relentlessly down on the plunger sending another small spurt of toxic poison into the unfortunate would be avenger's neck.
The nurse watched in fascinated horror as her mentor's expression became calm and peaceful for a moment, almost as if he had seen his fate and accepted it knowing it could not be changed. Then his pupil dilated before contracting to unnaturally small pinpoints. His mouth fell open in a silent scream of pain. Blood slowly dripped out of his nose as his sweat glands began to ooze red. The cruel kunoichi released her hold on the dying man's arm as his entire body began to jerk and shake wildly.
Falling to the ground in a passable prayer position, the already dead man continued to convulse and bleed; staining the white lab coat he wore. Anko whistled appreciatively as she examined the still bleeding corpse. "That's some potent stuff."
The part time interrogation kunoichi sat back down on her seat and brushed a stray strand of blond hair lovingly from Naruto's masked face. Turning about slightly to face the frozen nurse, she sighed softly as she saw the first signs of shock set in. Tremors ran up and down the purple haired woman's body as she gazed upon the still bleeding body of her former superior.
"Clean that up and we'll call it even." The callous statement was enough to shock the nurse out of her stupor. Not even waiting for an answer, Anko gently rested her head by the bedside and closed her eyes. Soon, she was fast asleep. She managed to sleep through the nurse's quiet sobbing as she cleared out the man's body, trembling with every step she took. Even the soft scrubbing of a towel as the nurse erased any evidence of blood on the usually clean floor. Even when the nurse opened the window by the bed and jumped off the third floor.
There had been no scream, so Anko couldn't really be blamed. Add in the fact that she had not really slept much the past week due to her terrifying dreams; it was understandable why such a normally skilled kunoichi slept through the beautiful nurse's suicide. And even if she had been awake, it would have been highly doubtful whether she would have tried to stop the nurse. She was cruel like that.
9:17 am Konoha Hospital
The Third beamed slightly as he watched the food vanish from the plate. 'Just like Kakashi.' Sarutobi chortled silently to himself as he watched his young friend eat.
One could see Naruto move his chopsticks, but in a blink of an eye, the food would have vanished and you would be left staring at his masked face moving rhythmically indicating chewing.
The Hokage watched in interest as the meal seemingly disappeared into thin air without Naruto once removing his ornamental mask. 'I'll have to ask Kakashi if they're somehow related' mused the Third. Snapping out of his thoughts, Sarutobi allowed himself a soft chuckle.
"Best eat up there Naruto. You're a growing boy and you need your energy."
The boy grunted softly before speaking. "Anko said she'd come back with ramen later." The wizened Hokage benign laughter shook his shoulders gently.
'Never should have showed him how to eat ramen.' The old man's eyes drooped sadly. 'Just like his father.' A smile spread across his wrinkled face at his next thought. 'And no doubt his mother would be screaming at him too.' Shaking himself from his daydreams, the Hokage turned his attention back to his bedridden subordinate.
"So how do you feel Naruto?"
The blonde concentrated on his commander's words for a moment before answering. "I am at an optimal level of functioning. My chakra capacity is refilling steadily, now past the fifty percent mark, and my torn muscles are healing up from my journey back from Cloud. I still feel a hint of pain in my legs, but nothing I can't ignore. And yourself?"
Sarutobi smiled sadly at his report like answer. "I'm fine Naruto, and you'll be happy to know that the Hyuuga's have received the scroll containing the head of Himura Hyuuga." The Hokage shook his head and a smile of disbelief stretched across his lined face. "I still can't believe you managed to keep that scroll in your stomach for a week."
The blonde shrugged back. Sarutobi chuckled at the young shinobi's lack of answer. "You'll also be happy to know that Hiashi has transferred a very impressive amount of money to your account. You could live comfortably for the rest of your life without lifting a finger if you keep it in the bank, not taking your other funds into account."
The blonde shrugged uncaringly as he placed the tray onto the table next to his bed. The Hokage stood up to leave; after all, paperwork didn't wait. "Naruto, a delegate from Cloud will be arriving the day after tomorrow to explain and repent for their actions, and hopefully sign a treaty. I will need your report a.s.a.p. tomorrow latest. The bed-ridden hunter-nin nodded. '
Paperwork was nothing new to him. "You best rest up Naruto. I want you to be one of my body guards at the conference." Blond eyebrows shot up in disbelief underneath the faceless mask.
"Is that wise ji-san? I don't think my presence will be at all welcome." The Third let out a short barking laugh.
"No, they will not welcome you with open arms by my reckoning. But the presence of the Butcher of Cloud will no doubt curb their more outrageous demands."
"Ha! They call you a butcher!" cackled the demon deafeningly. Noticing the look Naruto was giving him the Third elaborated.
"Word of your deeds has reached as far as Sand village. Nothing has really been confirmed, but there is no doubt that the title Butcher of Cloud is attached to your name now Naruto." Stopping by the doorway Sarutobi turned around and gave a genuinely happy smile at the brooding blonde. "And Naruto…" The masked boy turned his soulless gaze onto the Hokage. "Welcome home."
Council room 11:23 pm
A stunned silence had fallen over the normally loud and shrill members of the council following the verbal recital of Naruto's no nonsense report. Nobody could quite comprehend the amount of damage one shinobi had managed to inflict on a village guarded by ninja. Thoughts began to turn towards what he could possible do to their village should he feel the need to leave without permission. Many nervous expressions began to grow on the councilor's faces.
An echoing bang snapped the dazed councilors out of their deliberation. Danzo had sprung up from his seat after slamming his remaining hand onto the table. "We should attack now while they are still weak! They won't be able to defend properly if the damage is as extensive as X claims!" He slammed his clenched fist onto the table to reinforce his point. Mumbled agreement swept though the room punctuated by heated arguments over the pros and cons of attacking the weakened cloud village.
"Silence!" bellowed the Third with authority. His powerful voice brought order to the meeting once more. "We will not be taking any actions until after the negotiations with Kumo. And war should be the final option we would consider." Danzo, ever the war hawk, was on his feet in seconds.
"But Hokage-sama! If X's report is accurate, they don't even have a Raikage! God knows how many shinobi that monster took out-" A glare from the aged Hokage brought Danzo's rant to an abrupt halt. Even those who hated the demon vessel knew better then to voice their opinions in front of the Hokage.
Rewording his argument quickly in his head Danzo continued speaking in a more controlled tone of voice. "All I'm trying to say is that we should consider the possibility of a preemptive strike now that we have the advantage knowing that Kumo is weak. There can be no better chance then this. We'll have X lead the attack. The sight of their hated "Butcher" may even be enough to get them to surrender without a fight!"
Excited babbling filled the room again as the councilors considered their next action. The Third smiled as Danzo unwittingly helped his hated leader. "Exactly why I will be bringing Naruto to the conference tomorrow." An unnatural silence fell over the room and Sarutobi wondered if he had suddenly gone deaf.
"Have you finally lost it?!" The outburst came from Tsume Inuzaka, sending the room into a frenzy of yelling and livid protests.
"Silence!" This happened to be the Hokage's favorite word. As the room piped down again Tsume continued her argument.
"I respect Naruto as a shinobi, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is one of our best Hokage-sama, but you should know that he can't negotiate worth beans! He negotiates with his fist!!" Hiashi stood up besides the Inuzaka clan leader.
"I'm afraid that I must agree Hokage-sama. Negotiation is not X's strong suite." The Third sighed and nodded his head in acknowledgement at his assessment.
"Yes, I am well aware of Naruto's…" Sarutobi searched about for the right word, "lack of finesse in regards to negotiating."
"Then why?!!"
"Let me finish Tsume-chan." The Inuzaka blushed scarlet as councilors aimed their glares at her.
"Naruto will not be negotiating. He will simply be acting as one of my guards." Aburame Shibi raised his eyebrows as he considered his leaders words.
"This plan is either shear genius or complete madness." Everyone settled down as the normally mute Aburame spoke up. "On one hand, Uzumaki's prescence will act as an intimidation factor by reminding them of what we are capable of, yet this could also push the negotiations to the back of the delegates mind once he or she sees him"
The Third nodded from his seat at the front of the council table. "Hopefully it will not be the latter." The Hyuuga clan head stood up from his seat and faced the Hokage.
"Lord Hokage we must consider the security risks for tomorrows so called delegates" he spat. "They have tried to use this tactic before to gain the Byakugan, and it cost my brother's life." Sarutobi raised his hand to halt the man's rant before it could build up any more steam.
"I assure you Hiashi, that they won't be trying anything that foolish anytime soon." The Hyuuga nodded tersely before returning to his seat besides Inuzaka Tsume. "Now we must move on to the more important issue of what we should ask for during tomorrows negotiations." Shouts and demands erupted from every corner of the room causing the elderly Hokage to bury his face in his hands and groan loudly. It was going to be a long night.
Streets of Konoha
The orange haired jounin waved his hands and planted a false cheery smile as his guards escorted him through the crowded streets of Konoha. Every corner of the streets was filled with people to the point where they spilled out onto their path, all waving and cheering. Of course, none of them knew about the truth of why the Cloud delegates were actually here. Only the shinobi population was privy to such information at this point in time.
In the civilian's eyes, the Cloud negotiator had been sent here to talk about peace after years of open hostility with Konoha. Of course, the truth of the matter was that the Cloud delegates were here to ensure that Konaha would not seek further retaliation on the weakened lightening village at any cost.
The orange haired man and his group of escorts continued through the crowd until they had arrived at the Hokage's office where the elderly Konoha village leader stood smiling and waving at the lightening negotiators. This too was also just a show for the civilians to maintain the false image of peace between the shinobi villages.
The Lightening delegate knew that inside the crowd were dozens of alert jounin and chunnin in disguise, waiting to pounce if they made a single wrong move. The masked Anbu littered the rooftops of nearby buildings, watching and fingering their weapons, ready to react in an instant at the first sign of trouble.
Walking up to the Hokage, the dark eyed man smiled through clenched teeth. "Hokage-sama I hope I find you in good health?" Sarutobi smirked back indulgently having played this role countless times in the past.
"I am well, and I too hope I find you in good health?" Grinning horribly, the ginger haired man forced a laugh through his strained mouth.
"I am well. Shall we?" The Hokage nodded and indicated the way into the tower before stepping inside. Giving one last wave to the enthusiastic if a bit naïve civilian population, the lightening delegate and his four guards walked in after the Hokage. All five of them froze when they recognized the short blonde figure standing besides the elderly Kage.
There was no mistaking that mask with its very identifiable cross shaped scar etched smoothly into its otherwise spotless ivory surface. The dark eyed man glared at the Hokage's companion as his guards drew their weapons with ferocious snarls and scowls.
"What is the meaning of this?" thundered Jinzo. The Third blinked innocently as dozens of Anbu dropped down around the hostile group of Lightening shinobi. Sarutobi raised his hand to halt the advancing Anbu and placed his other hand onto Naruto's tensed shoulder.
"What is he doing here?!" demanded the Jinzo.
"Naruto is one of my most trusted subordinate, and so naturally I would have him here to guard me from any…surprises if you will. I hope you do not find his presence…" the Third searched for the right word, "distracting." The glare he received would have shaken even an experienced jounin, but he was not known as the god of shinobi for no reason.
As the Hokage stared down Jinzo, Naruto spoke up softly. "I have been meaning to ask you this." Jinzo broke his staring contest with the Hokage in favor of glaring at the one who demolished his village. "It seems I misplaced some of my exploding tags, I hope they did not find their way back into your village." His sincere tone of voice only served to further infuriate the delegate and his companions, as they were forced to remember the explosion that had claimed the lives of 2 shinobi and 6 nearby civilians.
Grinding his teeth together, the delegate took a steadying breath to abate his anger. "A simple mistake anyone could make I'm sure." His face contorted into a twisted smile. "Let us continue to the conference shall we?" It had taken everything not to lunge forward and strangle the little brat, but he reminded himself that the welfare of the village lay in his hands.
The Third Hokage smirked slightly before continuing his casual stroll down towards the conference room 2 floors below the tower in a reinforced steel bunker.
4 hours and 32 minutes later
Jinzo felt a throbbing headache building up slowly; not the slow rhythmic pounding of a migraine, but the sharp stabbing of a dull kunai trying to break through his skull. So far, the negotiations had gone entirely in the Leaf village's favor. Already he had to concede 25 percent of all mined minerals to the Leaf village, give up three of their minor trade routes and one major one. Plus he had to agree to forking over some of the missions they would not be able to complete due to their decimated shinobi force.
Nearly one fifth of their forces had been out right killed in the fight with the berserk hunter-nin following the death of the Raikage. Scores had been injured and incapacitated while trying to subdue X. But the real problem had been the fires Naruto had set off with the explosive tags during his daring escape. Nearly a third of the remaining shinobi forces had been injured of killed trying to put out the fires and saving trapped civilians. The ninja of Cloud were not very proficient with water jutsus due to the lack of water in their environments. Every single fire had been put out either with man power, or they had simply died out when nothing could fuel the flames any longer. The windy conditions following Naruto's village wide arson did not help the situation at all.
The civilian population had suffered greatly during the now coined "Two Days of Hell Fire", but it wasn't until after the smoke died out that they realized how deep in shit they were. Literally. The sewage system had been completely destroyed leaving the village with no way to efficiently remove the human waste that was building up as the time passed.
Farming was a near impossible task on the rocky terrain the village had been found on, so most of their staple had been traded in and kept in storage houses. Most of them had been burned down leaving the surviving villagers to slowly die of starvation. Almost all of the wooden buildings had been burnt beyond salvation, leaving the majority of the population homeless.
So far there had been no outbreak of disease, a miracle in itself seeing as people were forced to sleep next to the hundreds of dead bodies left unattended to in the aftermath of the fires. But it was only a matter of time with the buildup of human feces not to mention the hundreds of dead bodies that lay rotting and decaying in the street and buried under burnt piles of ruble.
Jinzo's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the Hokage's two guards. One was Hunter-X, the one responsible for the Cloud village's current situation. The other was the famous copy-ninja, said to have copied over a thousand techniques, including many Cloud secrets. The former Anbu commander was currently reading a small orange book which had him giggling and blushing in the most unprofessional manner. Naruto standing on the left of the Hokage was the exact opposite of his fellow guard.
Unlike his slouching partner, the blonde stood rigidly with his back straight and his arms crossed stiffly behind his back. He had barely moved at all since the beginning of the negotiations, only a slight twitch of his head every time Jinzo was about to make a demand. This had unnerved the man slightly, but he had plowed on each time, if in a less impressive manner then he had hoped.
The Hokage had agreed to send in the Leaf village's surplus of food, not exactly a generous offer considering the fact that each season tons of food was left to rot simply because Konoha couldn't consume or trade as much as they produced. The elderly man had also pledged the Cloud financial aid, and also a company of carpenters to help rebuild their village providing that Cloud was willing to pay the carpenters.
All in all, Jinzo knew that the Hokage was being lenient, and could have demanded much more. But the war time alliance Sarutobi was now asking for was simply asking too much so soon after such a tragedy wrought by one of the Leaf"s own shinobi. It would be many years, long after Naruto had died, before Lightening could truly forget the Two Days of Hell Fire.
"I am sorry Lord Hokage, but we simply cannot even consider such an alliance." His pointed glare at the blonde standing behind the Hokage made his point quite obvious. The Third sighed audibly.
'I knew that was asking for too much, but it was worth a shot I guess.' "Very well then, would you consider a pact of neutrality at least?"
Jinzo tapped his chin thoughtfully. In the shinobi world, a pack of neutrality was basically a staring contest. Both sides would remain motionless staring that the other making sure they too didn't make any suspicious moves. Of course as soon as someone blinked shots would be fired and the call for war would soon shatter any alliance they may have had.
The orange haired delegate narrowed his eyes as an idea formed in his mind. A sinister smile grew unknowingly onto his face. "Very well Hokage-sama." Sarutobi blinked in surprise. This was very unexpected. He had been prepared for at least a few hours of argument coupled with a few subtle threats of war before such an agreement could be reached. "I will sign your pact of neutrality on the condition that he," Jinzo pointed an accusing finger at Naruto, "is handed over to Cloud custody."
The Third close his eyes in exasperation. 'Should have seen that one coming.' "No." Undaunted Jinzo nodded, also expecting that answer, but prepared to argue.
"You do not seem to understand Hokage-sama," Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, "he has utterly destroyed our village. We are still counting the number of people killed by his actions." The hate filled glare spoke volumes on the opinion Jinzo held for Naruto.
"Nothing short of his head on a platter will ever smooth over the relation between Cloud and Leaf." The Third sighed and rubbed his temples slowly. Narrowing his eyes, Sarutobi glared at the Lightening delegate before speaking in a low and very dangerous voice.
"You are in no place to make such demands Jinzo-san." The aged man's threatening presence had even Naruto taken aback. "You seemed to have forgotten that Cloud is at our mercy, and it is through our kindness that you are even here negotiating. I could very well end this negotiation and announce war." The old man's piercing gaze seemed to bore holes into Jinzo's head. "Trust me when I say that your country will not win."
Jinzo's resolve seem to wilt before the Hokage's angry gaze, and he took a moment to compose himself. Mulling over Sarutobi's words, the dark eyed jounin realized that they held a certain truth in them. Cloud would be in danger from other village's seeking this opportunity to invade the weakened village. If Konoha was to outright declare war, there would be no fight. It would be like attacking a comatose cripple with a club.
"You must understand Hokage-sama, his continued existence" spat out Jinzo, "will be an insult to my dead people's memory.
"Oh?" questioned Sarutobi. "Naruto here is the container to the Nine-Tailed fox as I'm sure you know, and even though our village was devastated by its attack, we still have yet to hang Naruto to ensure the death of Kyuubi." 'Not that they didn't try.'
Jinzo continued to glare at the blonde for a good minute before he relented. "Alright then I want him to at least be removed from the list of Leaf shinobi. And he is to never be allowed to return to active duty." Sarutobi considered for a moment before he smiled. It was not the friendly one most people were accustomed to.
"Agreed." Kakashi nearly dropped the book he was holding.
"Lord Hokage! You cannot seriously consider removing Naruto from the shinobi forces!" Said blonde clamped his hands onto the cycloptic ninja's wrist in a firm hold before shaking his head at the man's look of disbelief.
Already the Hokage had written down the condition on the treaty sheet. With a quick flourish, he signed his name and passed it over to Jinzo. The dark eyed man stared down hard at the passage, looking for any loopholes. Finding none, he penned his name down in satisfaction thinking he had put an end to Hunter-X's short if illustrious career. "Done!"
Shinobi lounge
Murmurs ran through the crowd. Rumors were running wildly about ranging from Konaha taking over Cloud to Naruto being taken in as the new Raikage of Cloud. The most prominent one however was that Hunter-X had finally been discharged and would not be allowed to continue his career as a shinobi. The loudest rumors tended to lean towards the truth, and a very agitated Anko was tapping a foot impatiently waiting for either her brother or the Hokage to arrive.
When Naruto finally appeared in a puff of smoke, the provocatively dressed young woman rushed over followed closely by Asuma and Kurenai. The other ninja's backed away from the blonde. This guy had wiped out the Cloud shinobi forces by himself, same village or not, nobody wanted to get too close. "Is it true?" the assembled shinobi force quieted down to hear the blonde's reply. "Are you being discharged?"
For a moment there was an ominous silence as all the shinobi present leaned forward to hear his answer. "Yes." A slight uproar swept through the lounge as chaos broke out over the mob. Opinions were mixed ranging from anger on Naruto's behalf, to smug looks that said "I told you so". But what everyone felt was apprehension. After all, if X could be the sacrificial goat for the village, any one of them could be next.
"They can't do that!" hollered Anko as Asuma sucked at his cigarette furiously and Kurenai shook her head. "He can't just take you off like that after all you did for this damn village!" Anko seemed to be channeling any outrage Naruto wasn't showing because the killing intent rolling off her body had even seasoned veterans like Gai and Kakashi edging away; slowly of course. Nobody wanted to attract her attention with any sudden movements.
The ever impassive Naruto simply shrugged before looking away. "Have a little faith Anko. I'm sure our lord Hokage has a plan" Asuma snorted. "And even if he doesn't," continued Naruto, "I will comply with our lord's will." All three jounin sighed at their young companion's blind unfaltering loyalty towards Sarutobi.
A blossom of smoke clouded the center of the stage, and the old regal Hokage stepped out as the blinding cloud faded. Immediately the crowd began firing questions at their leader. Wavig his hand for silence, the Third waited for the shouts to die down before speaking. 'Wish it were this easy with the council.'
"As I am sure you have all heard, we have signed a treaty with cloud." He went on to explain all the benefits Konoha had gained and all the things they had promised to send to Cloud. A great cheer broke out from the crowd and Naruto received more then a few hearty slaps to his back. The cheers down after a few minutes, and the throng of ninja became silent once more to listen to the Hokage.
"And as I'm sure you've also heard, our pact of neutrality did not come without a price." Sarutobi's face turned solemn as he looked over to Naruto. "Naruto you can no longer carry on your duties as a hunter-nin." Cries of outrage spread through the crowd, but loudest of all was a certain green clad taijutsu master.
"HOKAGE-SAMA! Surely you will not let Naruto-kun's flames of youth die out so early!" Maito Gai's proclamation would not be the way most would word it, but there were many nods of agreement from the gathered shinobi.
The Hokage ignored the eccentric taijutsu user's outcry but instead beckoned to Naruto. "Naruto please come here." The throng of shinobi jostled about as a path was opened to allow the blonde passage to the Leaf Kage. The hunter-nin walked calmly up to the stage not once showing concern for the fact that he was going to lose his job.
Sarutobi faced his young subordinate grimly before speaking out loud. "As of today, Uzumaki Naruto you are hereby stripped of your rank of hunter-nin." An angry buzz fell over the crowd resembling that of an angry hornet's nest. "I hereby relieve you of all duties as a hunter-nin of the village of Konoha." The buzzing grew louder. "But I would not lose one of leaf's most promising ninja so easily." Confused muttering met the Hokage's statement. The noise died down after a few seconds and the Hokage smiled at the unmoving blonde. "I have signed you up for the genin academy." Questions spilled silently from gaping mouths at the unexpected announcement. The elderly man raised his hand to indicate for silence.
"Our agreement states that you are to be stripped of your title of hunter-nin and that you are never to return to active service list" here the old man's smile took on a more mischievous quality giving him impish look. "However, you were never a part of the active service list and as such; you will only be entering it for the first time when you graduate from the academy."
Whispers flushed through the mob as looks changed to elated or disappointed depending on the person's opinion of Naruto. "It is not a time of war, so I cannot simply promote you based on your skill level. I'm afraid you will have to work your way through the ranks like everyone else." People shivered as memories of horrifying D rank missions came to mind. "You will not be permitted to return to the hunter-nin task force until the treaty is broken or otherwise nullified by another agreement." Looking over at the still immobile blonde, he waved his hand at the crowd of ninjas. "Dismissed."
Chattering filled the small room as shinobi left the building in groups and pairs all talking about the recent turn of events with many chuckling as they imagined the stoic hunter-nin's reaction to D ranked missions in comparison to his perfect record of C, B, A, and S classed operations he was used to.
Anko pushed and elbowed her way forward as Kurenai and Asuma hung back only to be joined by the porn reading Cyclops and his fashion sense challenged self proclaimed rival. The Hokage looked down at the blonde and patted his shoulder in a fatherly fashion. "Meet me in my office at 0700. I'll have the papers ready by then."
Naruto nodded at his leader wordlessly committing the orders to memory. The Third shuddered slightly as he remembered his own list of D ranked missions. God knows he did not envy Naruto. The blonde now ex-hunter-nin leapt off the stage to meet his sister who promptly put him in a playful headlock. Staggering slightly and struggling to get himself out of Anko's strangle hold he growled slightly as he heard the soft chuckle of his sister's shinobi friends.
"You know what this means?" laughed Anko. Naruto grunted and continued struggling half heartedly. She'd let go once she made her point. "I get to pull rank on you!" The raven haired kunoichi gave her little brother's head a few more tugs before letting go.
Straightening out and trying to regain his lost dignity, Naruto shrugged his shoulders dispassionately. "Officially speaking, I never held rank at all in the shinobi system, so you were always of a higher rank then I was." The indecently dressed woman pouted slightly before laughing again.
"Yeah, but now it's official!" Lunging forward, she put him in another headlock and dragged his struggling form over to the chuckling jounins waiting by the door.
"Don't worry Naruto" the bearded jounin lit another cigarette whilst trying to ignore Kurenai's disapproving glare. "I'm sure you'll come to enjoy genin life." The jounins in the group shared a meaningful look.
"Good times" murmured Kakashi over his book. Everyone with the exception of Naruto burst out into laughter earning a confused look from the blonde.
'Wonder what they mean?'
The Kyuubi shook his head in despair when his host did not realize they were laughing at his expense. "I'm sure you'll understand real soon kit." 'You are intellegent Naruto, but dense as a rock when it comes to being human.'
AN: Well that was nowhere as good as I hoped it would be, but I seemed to be over my slight writer's block. Read and send me your thoughts. Next chapter will be about academy life, and of course the bell test if I can squeeze it in.