A/N: I can't believe this chapter came in under 4000 words, but I have never been one to keep going just for padding. The chapter is done when it's done, no matter how many words it has. I'm not really sure why I decided on this particular meeting of characters, but the idea popped in my head, and I decided to run with it. That's how I write, though; bare outline of a plot in mind. Get an interesting (to me anyway) idea in my head and change the course of the damn plot.
"The Hokage will see you now," a chunin assistant told Hiroto.
After returning to Konoha, prisoners in tow, his patrol team had gone its separate ways. Ebisu had gone to report to the Hokage since he had lead the patrol, and Mizuki graciously offered to take their prisoners to ANBU head quarters. Hiroto had used his seniority to order Iruka to the hospital to make sure he hadn't burnt out his coils.
That left Hiroto alone with dark thoughts. He had seen what he could have been... a wild dog, on the run from everyone. Even during the ambush where the nukenin had outnumbered them, he had seen a desperate fear in their eyes. He briefly wondered how many of them were like himself. Leaving behind their home because they could not reconcile their beliefs with those of their village.
His thoughts were interrupted when an ANBU wearing a weasel mask appeared from a shunshin to inform him that the Hokage requested his presence. Now here he was, standing before the old man as he packed his pipe full of tobacco.
"I was impressed by Ebisu's report," he paused to light and take a few puffs off the pipe, "I was quite surprised to hear him praise your decisive action."
Hiroto let out a sigh of relief. He had worried that the uptight Ebisu would try to paint him in a bad light.
"I did what needed to be done, Hokage-sama."
"You saved your patrol's lives and then proceeded to keep the nukenin off balance until reinforcements could arrive," Sarutobi summarized, "According to Ebisu, you should be leading these patrols."
"I don't think that's such a good idea..." there were still some lingering trust issues amongst his fellow leaf nin. He didn't really blame them. He knew exactly how he would feel about a traitor from another village being allowed to wear the hitai-ate.
"Hmmm... Well you can't sit back and let others lead forever, Hiroto-san," the Hokage admonished, "You are far too good to be wasted as a grunt."
"I cannot force them to trust me, Hokage-sama," Hiroto countered, "And neither can you."
"True enough. True enough," the Hokage gnawed on his pipe, thinking, "Perhaps if I released the information on your part in the Hyuga Affair two years ago."
"Please do not do that, Hokage-sama," Hiroto pleaded with him, "I have few people to shield me on the council, I would rather not lose my strongest one."
The incident had been a political nightmare. The representative from Kumogakure had attempted to kidnap the eldest daughter of Hyuga Hiashi, managing to kill a few branch members in the process. Some lingering doubt about his old village had Hiroto spying on the man constantly. He did everything he was suppose to be doing up until the attempt.
Hiroto had intercepted the kidnapper, but hadn't stood a chance against him. He had been a jonin, and an experienced one, but Hiroto had delayed long enough for an infuriated Hiashi to arrive and slaughter the poor fool. Hiashi's word that night were burned into his memory, 'You saw nothing tonight. You were not here. This is a Hyuga matter. Know this, though, Ryouko Hiroto: any doubts of your loyalties are washed from my mind.'
Hiroto shivered at the memory of the man's eyes, filled with fury and grief, so different from his public persona, "No... please do not release that information."
The Hokage shook his head with a small chuckle, "Very well, Hiroto. Earn their trust in whatever way you see fit, but know that I have bigger plans for you. You are dismissed."
Hiroto bowed and left the office. At the base of the tower, a familiar face greeted him.
"Hiroto-senpai," Iruka called to him running up.
"How are you feeling, Iruka-san?" Hiroto asked in a friendly tone, "Clean bill of health?"
"Docs say my coils are fine," Iruka confirmed, "Ordered me to take a few days off, though."
"That's good news," Hiroto told him, and was about to leave. He stopped on impulse, "Say, Iruka-san. How about I buy you a drink to celebrate your first successful mission as a chunin?"
"That sounds great," Iruka smiled, "I know this great bar not far from here."
Hiroto awoke the next day with a mild hangover. It was a far cry from the monstrous ones he normally had from his sketching and drinking binges. Iruka had turned out to be a fun guy to hang around, and had loudly declared to anyone trying to give Hiroto a hard time that the former Kumo nin had saved his life.
Hiroto dragged himself from his bed. He had the day off, but needed to replenish his supplies. The desperate flight and subsequent running battle with the nukenin had depleted his kunai and shuriken.
A quick shower and a little food had him feeling good as new, and he was soon out in the streets meeting the glares of untrusting civilians with a big smile. To his surprise, a fair amount of his fellow shinobi were giving him respectful nods as he passed them. It seemed word of his previous mission had gotten around. He had to wonder how much of a hand the old man had in that.
He was brought from his musings by a blond haired boy careening headlong into him. The boy, no more than five by Hiroto's guess, bounced back and landed on his butt. Hiroto was struck by the odd whisker like marks on his cheeks. He was about to help the kid up, but was interrupted by some angry shouting.
"There it is!" a big man with greasy hair and watery eyes called out, "I found the little monster!"
A couple of younger men, looking somewhat like the first followed him up to Hiroto. He stopped short when he saw who was standing over the target of his obvious ire. The civilian council had made a point of spreading nasty rumors about Hiroto.
"Heh. Look at that, boys," the big guy called to his compatriots, "Looks like the cloud traitor is good for something."
Hiroto allowed a bit of killing intent to leak out. It was the most he could do, though. Attacking a civilian was grounds for immediate dismissal from the ranks and possible execution depending on the circumstances.
"Tell me, then... sir. How have I been of service?" Hiroto asked with cold courtesy, "In the future I'll try to avoid doing it again."
His words coupled with his aura of malice had the intended effect. All three men seemed nervous now. Hiroto noted a small crowd had formed around the incident, and he could see ANBU in positions on nearby buildings. They seemed content to watch for now, though.
"That little beast there," the big man pointed at the kid who was getting to his feet, "set off a bunch of stink bombs in my store."
"That true, kid?" Hiroto looked down at the boy.
The boy looked back, and Hiroto was amazed by the play of emotions that passed through his bright blue eyes. He saw fear and sadness, then defiance and a bit of mischievousness.
"Yea!" the boy shouted, "Well he wouldn't take my money or sell me anything!"
"I got a right to refuse service to anyone!" the greasy shop owner shot back.
"That is true, kid," Hiroto said reluctantly.
"Maybe..." the blonde allowed, "But he didn't have to throw me out."
The emphasis on the word 'throw' indicated there was more than just a bit of rudeness going on. Hiroto looked up at the shop owner with a venomous glare, "What does he mean by 'throw?' You didn't..."
The nervous look the man gave him was all the answer he needed, "You literally threw a child out of your store!?"
"Well the boy is a menace!" the man ran a chubby hand through greasy hair, "You know what he..."
He was interrupted by one of the other men, who whispered in his ear. Hiroto had keen ears and managed to make out the words 'foreigner', 'doesn't know', and 'Hokage's law.'
"What about the damage to my shop? It will take some serious cleaning to get that funk outa my store" the grease ball complained, abandoning his former train of thought, "Who's gonna pay for that?"
Hiroto whipped out his check book. He didn't want to help the guy in any way. Hell... he would have preferred to give each of them a kunai to fill an eye socket. Instead he filled out the check for 50,000 ryo, tore it out, and threw it at the man.
"That's for your damages you piece of shit. If I hear about you abusing children again I will personally slit your throat."
The threat had the man scrambling away after he had retrieved the check. Hiroto saw a couple of the ANBU hop away. He figured they would be reporting to the Hokage about this. He didn't give a damn. Anyone who would treat a child like that deserved far worse than what he threatened.
"You okay, kid?" he asked the blond. When he looked down at the boy, he was met with a look of disbelief, "Ummm... do I have something on my face?"
"No one's ever done something like that for me..." the boy said quietly. The sincerity of that statement had Hiroto on his heels.
Before he could explore the meaning behind the child's words, an ANBU was there.
"Hiroto-san. The Hokage requests your presence," the cat masked woman told him, "You as well, Naruto-kun," she said to the boy.
Questions buzzed through Hiroto's mind as he waited his turn to speak with the Hokage. What was this kid to the old man? Why had so many ANBU been present at the altercation? What was that fat fuck's issue with the boy? Why the hell had a five year old taken precedence over a chunin?
Finally the door opened and the Hokage called him in. The boy, Naruto, was sitting in a chair off to the side looking morose, as if he had been scolded. That just caused Hiroto's curiosity to grow. Why was the Hokage taking time to scold children?
"I have heard from both ANBU and Naruto-kun about the situation," the Hokage began, "I would like to hear your take on this."
"With respect, Hokage-sama," the confused chunin started, "I fail to see why you need to get involved in this. A jonin could have easily determined my punishment for threatening a civilian."
"We'll get to that," the old man promised, "but I am more concerned with the events leading up to your threat."
The day was getting weirder for Hiroto. Now the Hokage was brushing off his subordinate's poor conduct.
He decided to just do as told, "I was of a mind to replenish my gear this morning, so I was headed to a local smith. The kid over there runs headlong into me."
"Sorry about that," Naruto piped in in an embarrassed tone.
"No problem, kid," Hiroto smirked at the boy, "I was pulling pranks and getting in trouble at your age, too."
Hiroto focused back on the Hokage, "Before I can even help Naruto-san up, some ass hat shop owner starts yelling about how the boy set off stink bombs in his shop."
The Hokage held up his hand, "What terms did he use specifically when referring to Naruto-kun?"
"Hmm..." Hiroto had to think for a moment. Long years of being a pariah had taught him to ignore insults, so the specific names directed at Naruto were fuzzy in his memory, "I believe 'beast' and 'monster' were used. I'm not sure if there were others."
"Why do they hate me?" the boy whispered. Hiroto caught it, and looked at him stunned.
"Hate you? What do you mean hate you?" he asked, "Is this common? Has that guy given you problems before?"
"Not him..." the boy seemed unsure of how to handle the questions, "Some people are like that. Most just ignore me, though. They won't say a thing or pretend I'm not there until I leave."
Hiroto just looked questioningly at the Hokage. The chunin figured there was a deeper reason for his presence; he just wasn't sure what it was.
"Naruto-kun..." the Hokage looked at the boy sadly, "Tell Hiroto-san when your birthday is."
"It's October tenth," the blonde said in a confused but subdued tone.
"Isn't that the night..."
"The Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked suddenly," the Hokage answered his unfinished question, "Naruto was not the only orphan made that night, but he was the only child born under the auspice of that tragedy."
Hiroto considered that. Certainly superstition would follow the boy everywhere, but it didn't seem to add up. Surely the people of Konoha weren't so foolish that they would collectively ostracize a child simply because of the poor timing of his birth. As his confusion and suspicion swirled, his eyes were drawn to the obvious scars on the boy's cheeks.
"Naruto-san. How did you get those scars?" Something was nagging at him. Something he saw once while still in Kumogakure.
"Umm," the boy looked as if he was wracking his brain, "I don't remember. Do you know Oji-san?"
"You have had those since the day of your birth, Naruto-kun," the Hokage answered.
The last piece clicked in place for Hiroto. He had once fought beside an unusual member of Kumo who went by the moniker 'B.' During the fighting, B had lost his ever present dark shades, and to Hiroto's surprise, the eye's normally hidden by those glasses hadn't been human. Hiroto later found out about the biju sealed into B and realized that his unusual eyes were a side effect. He didn't doubt the marks on Naruto's cheeks were similar.
When Hiroto turned shocked eyes back to the Hokage, the old man cleared his throat, "Naruto-kun, please wait in the conference room," when the boy gave him a hopeful look he chuckled, "Yes you may sit in my chair."
Naruto ran from the room excited to act like his hero, even in play.
"That boy holds the Kyuubi, doesn't he?" he saw the old man wince at his accusatory tone.
"The beast could not be put down by ordinary means," Sarutobi explained wearily, "The Yondaime sacrificed himself to seal it in Naruto-kun to save our village. The boy should be seen as a hero."
"The boy should be seen as a person," Hiroto declared vehemently, "The way he is treated now, you may want to consider killing him before he grows to hate this place."
The Sandaime stared at his subordinate, aghast at the suggestion, "The boy has done nothing to warrant such measures."
"Yet," Hiroto added coldly, "If you will not grant him some small mercy and put him down, then someone needs to lift him up. Allow the child to continue as he is, and I doubt this village will survive the repercussions."
The Hokage leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, "I have tried so hard to protect him. I have tried to be here for him when I can, but I can only do so much."
"The council holds you back?" Hiroto made a disgusted sound at the old man's weary nod, "Politics. I fucking hate politics."
"What do you suggest, Hiroto-san?"
"I have a duty, Hokage-sama," the plain looking chunin said gravely, "To protect this village... with my life if I have to. I admit that killing an innocent child is disgusting, but is it any worse than the constant psychological torture he goes through daily?"
The Hokage's eyes opened to consider the man. He trusted Hiroto as he would any native of Konoha. In fact, he trusted the former Kumo nin more than some of his 'closest' advisers, "Give the boy a chance. He is stronger than any person I have ever met, and I believe he could grow to be a great man."
Hiroto sighed. The Hokage wasn't even ordering him to stay his hand. The old man was begging him, "I will stay close to him, then. He can at least be shielded some, though I doubt that will do much good in the end."
"You would do this?" the Hokage asked him.
"How can I not?" the bland chunin said quietly, "I have a duty to protect this village and its people. Until the boy turns," he saw the dark look on Sarutobi's face and went on, "If the boy turns, I will do what must be done."
Hiroto left the old man on those words. A short walk down the hall had him at the Hokage's conference room. He paused to school his features and thoughts and to listen in on what the boy was doing. Despite his harsh words, he felt no animosity towards the child. In truth, he was a bit disgusted with the ignorance of the village he had come to call home.
He wouldn't hesitate to slit the boy's throat if he felt that Naruto was slipping into darkness, though. He had seen the power of a jinchuuriki once and knew if Naruto decided to ever turn that power against those that abused him, it would be a complete disaster.
He could here the boy, through the door giving mock orders to imaginary subordinates. He smirked at that. If he could still play like that, there was hope that Hiroto wouldn't have to give the boy a kunai, blade first. He pushed into the room, and laughed aloud at the sight. Naruto had somehow gotten hold of a spare Hokage hat. The thing covered most of his face.
Naruto started at the laugh, "Oji-san?" he asked timidly, lifting the brim so he could see. His eyes grew fearful to see he was alone with the man from earlier.
"It's alright, Naruto-san," Hiroto tried to sound soothing. He wasn't sure it was working, though, "Your oji-san has asked me to escort you home."
The boy looked suspicious, "ANBU-san usually does that," Hiroto wondered if the boy knew there was more than one, "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, either."
"It's alright, Naruto-kun. Hiroto-san is one of my most trusted shinobi," Hiroto managed to stop himself from jumping. The Hokage had managed to slip in behind him undetected, "I have considered your words, Hiroto-san. While harsh, they hold truth. I won't release you from regular duty, but you may do as you see fit."
Hiroto raised an eyebrow, "Whatever I see fit?"
The Hokage surprised him with a smile, "I have no doubt that the worst case scenario will be avoided," he looked at Naruto whose face was screwed up trying to understand the adults' conversation, "He will surprise you."
"We shall see."
"You hungry kid?" It was about midday, and Hiroto was walking beside Naruto as the child led him to his home.
"I have food at my apartment," the blond answered nervously.
The bland chunin frowned, "Well I figured that. I was offering to buy you lunch."
"Wh... why would you do that?" he could tell the boy still had doubts about him, "ANBU-san never does that."
"Well ANBU-san is just doing a job," Hiroto answered with a grin, "I'm offering to be friendly."
"Friendly?"
"Yea... you know." Hiroto said a bit sarcastically, "Kind. Acting in a manner as one would towards a friend."
"You want to be my friend?" the desperate hope in that question had Hiroto wincing.
"Why not?" he asked rhetorically, "I promise I'm a great guy... I'll understand if you aren't interested, though. I mean... I am a lot older than you."
"Nonono!" the boy said frantically, "I want to be friends."
Hiroto was happy to hear that. Earning the boy's trust would go a long way towards keeping him on a good path, "C'mon. There's this great ramen place I know. I go there after all my long missions."
He turned them from their path to take them to his favorite food establishment, and Naruto followed.
"Hiroto-san," he heard the boy say tentatively behind him, "Can you tell me about your missions."
Hiroto laughed, "Sure thing, kid. I just got back from this one on the border. A tightwad named Ebisu was in charge..."
It didn't take long for Hiroto to have Naruto laughing and smiling despite the glares they received. He recounted his previous patrol with as much exaggeration as he could muster. The twelve nukenin had become a hundred, and the score of thugs had become a hoard. He had the boy hanging on his every word by the time they were at the ramen stand, Ichiraku's.
"Welcome back, Hiroto-san," a young teenage girl with brown hair greeted, "Your usual?"
"Sure thing, Ayame-chan," he said distractedly as he lifted Naruto onto a stool, "Start my friend off with a miso."
Ayame smiled warmly at the boy, "Aren't you adorable. What's your name?"
"Naruto," the boy said timidly, but with a smile.
Hiroto sighed in relief. Ayame was old enough to remember the attack, but apparently didn't know the full truth.
"Tou-san!" she shouted, "I need three beefs and a miso."
"Yea, yea," the proprietor said, coming from the back of the little shop. He stopped and stared a moment at his customers.
"Something wrong, Teuchi-san?" Hiroto asked idly, "I brought you a new customer."
Perhaps the ramen chef heard a warning in his voice, or he knew better than to listen to rumors. After his initial surprise he put on a smile, "Good to hear, Hiroto-san. Always happy to have new customers."
Their meal passed without incident as Ayame pestered Naruto. Listening to the boy answer her questions, Hiroto learned quite a bit about the boy. No known family, aspired to be a shinobi, wanted to be Hokage someday... Hiroto logged it all away. The fact he found a bit of irony in was the boy's hero: the fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
As the conversation wound on, Hiroto noticed that Teuchi lost the little hint of worry in his eyes. The chunin was glad to see his measure of the man had been correct. He had, after all, not once mentioned Hiroto's past; though, he must have known. They left with Naruto smiling brightly at his new found haven away from home.
"You want to be a ninja, huh?" Hiroto asked idly as the now energetic blond led him, "That's a tough life."
"That's what Oji-san said," Naruto replied, full of energy, "but, shinobi are the most respected people in the village. The Hokage is the most respected shinobi. When I'm Hokage, everyone will have to respect me and won't be able to throw me out or ignore me."
They weren't the noblest of intentions, but Hiroto supposed that a five year old wasn't much for altruism. He could identify with the sentiment, too. At least he was a fully trained warrior and could subtly bully people into selling to him. Naruto couldn't scare a rabbit.
"Say Naruto-kun," Hiroto interrupted the child's rant about how great a ninja he was going to be, "I could help you get ready for the academy."
"REALLY!?" the ball of energy gushed excitedly, "You would really do that for me, Hiroto-san!?"
"Sure thing, kid," he replied with a small laugh, "After all. Friends help each other, right?"