A/N: This is fiction, so expect some fictitious content. There are words you won't be seeing in this story, words that don't blend with male character or grown ups. Words like: Pout, pouted, pouting, I simply hate them word so you won't be seeing it.

Also I never got a chance to say it, but here goes: I DON'T CLAIM TO OWN WHAT ALREADY HAS AN OWNER, simple.

Uh….R&R?

CHAPTER NINE

"What the hell was that back there Itachi?" Kisame fumed. First Itachi had ruined the whole plan by playing catch-up with the Jinchuuriki, their order had left no space for misinterpretation-capture the nine tails, as if that wasn't enough, a spandex-wearing eyesore (who surprisingly had incredible strength) had ruined his plan of snacking on those three Jounins. The two akatsuki were well on their way out of Konoha now.

"We wouldn't have been able to capture him even if we tried, Kisame" it was only right if he explained his actions back at the village.

"So you are finally ready to drop the hat, didn't you see his academy stats?" Kisame didn't think it possible but it appears Itachi's sickness was brain-based.

"His academy stats remained non-existing until recently" Itachi replied ignoring the intended pun, "either he was never a ninja of Konoha or he was enrolled just recently"

"That still doesn't explain your incompetence"

Itachi wasn't in the least insulted, "Kisame, you seem to have forgotten what we saw of his actions during the Chunnin exams. Do you think someone of his caliber deserves such insulting stats?" Itachi's statement was as a result of their presence in the village long before they were discovered. Itachi had picked a loud mouthed civilian who was busy recounting his escapades during the chunin exams and how he came face-to-face with the New Kiroi-senko in action. His narration of him being saved by a yellow flash had caught Itachi's attention; it turned out the man didn't have much to boast about when his brained was turned inside-out with the Sharingan. His attestation was only a couple of bright flashes which was enough for Itachi, it was a memory, and as such, Itachi could control every bits of it with his Sharingan. Itachi had slowed everything to an indefinite pause, and even with almost all factors in their favor, all they caught was a yellow blur and the silhouette of a person who was unmistakably Naruto at its center. The most surprising however, were the pair of eyes that bore them to their cores. The eyes were unlike anything they knew related to Naruto, or unlike anything both ninja had ever seen in their entire life. Sure the blue still remained, Kisame was sure even Itachi was as equally floored, what with him being a possessor of a dangerous Doujutsu in its own right. Kisame had no idea how such an intricate pattern managed to fit in such a small space. The eyes were like deep wells, no, more like a deep bottom cylinder, with different structures distributed at even intervals in all of its proportion. The structures would appear merged at first sight but one would soon discover they weren't, slight inclination revealed them to be individual as they were aligned perfectly right over the other, such an arrangement should have rendered some if not all forms behind the first incomprehensible, but the transparency possessed by each allowed for clear view of what is behind, and in this case, other transparent forms. Kisame would later figure out each form was a Doujutsu in its own right. Itachi could almost get lost staring at intricated maze nested in the pair of orbs suspended right before him. If he hadn't known better, Itachi would say Naruto was the universal giver of Doujutsu, he could virtually see just all forms of doujutsu, the outlines were numerous. From Shisui's to Izuna to madara, to his own, even the concentric rings of Pein-Sama was present, Naruto may just be the only person able to use more than one doujutsu in the ninja history. Looking closely, Itachi realized his first impression wasn't farfetched as he could see a tiny volt of electricity coursing in a fixed pattern round the maze, it appear even the extremely slowed reality couldn't completely hinder its movement, which begs the question, how fast would the volts go under normal circumstances. The pattern the volts followed, from what he remembered, was supposedly the Byakugan, if its puerility was any hint. The closer view revealed some more details to him, the pattern the volts followed seemed thicker than others just by a fraction, which prompted Itachi to think the other forms were inactive. Further inspections were cut short when a strange Doujutsu seeped through the others coming to a rest on the surface. Its domination already stripped the byakugan of its volts. Itachi wasn't even allowed to express his surprise before the eyelid snapped shut, thus ending his Genjutsu with instant effect. Itachi would later wonder where and what Naruto had been exposed to in such a short time, he wasn't even seventeen yet. Itachi only knew of the Sharingan's prowess to grant and transform feeble beings to dreaded villain in the blink of an eye. Yet here was someone who defied his logic and with a more deadly and lethal combination in synchronism.

This however, was exactly the problem for Kisame. He remembered everything vividly, while not having much insight on such situations, he knew someone with more than one Doujutsu was bound to be dangerous; he had living testimonies as comrades. People with Doujutsu always proved to be deadly opponents in a fight, which was why he longed for a fight with the Jinchuuriki, and Itachi had ruined that opportunity. Kisame had always loved battles which don't necessarily favor him just so he could take delight in turning everything around. His best choices were in the Akatsuki but Leader-sama forbade unnecessary spars in the organization. He of cause would automatically looked elsewhere for a challenge, and Naruto was right up his chart, yet…

Kisame just hope he and that bowl-cut weirdo would meet again sometime in the future.

Sumaru ran towards his village with all the speed he could muster, flying would have been his first thought but with there only hope gone, stolen, he wasn't sure how long the remaining reserves in him would last. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the item within the clutch of his finger, a glimmer of hope. He was almost there; the poison filled canyon was already in sight.

Akahoshi walked through the sparsely populated village; everybody was still grievous of the most recent disaster that had struck them unprepared. Each family had lost at least one person to that lightning technique, they just could not produce enough manpower to generate a shield for everybody, most of there Ninjas were also nailed. That simple stunt dealt them a heavy blow than the previous decades combined, he could tell the attack plan was well thought out. He continued on without a fixed destination, giving his condolence to those that bothered to look at him. There had been a good deal of burial in the last few days and the training dojo abandoned, sealed off from outside contact. It was decided the place just held too many painful memories, even before the blonde came along.

Akahoshi took another sharp turn and the giant pavilion came in sight, along an even more unusual sight. Sumaru was standing at the entrance when normally he would have barged in as his father was the previous leader; his whole face was painted with a look not seen in the village for a while now. Although he didn't notice, he had increased his pace slightly.

"What happened?" Akahoshi asked, coming to stop in front of Sumaru

"I got a lead" Sumaru replied. The tone with which he replied suggested that Sumaru had managed a pint of success since the fruitless search he started two weeks ago.

"Where?" Akahoshi asked, the previous animosity between them lay forgotten; the safety of the village is an utmost priority that should come before any other.

"See for yourself' Sumaru handed the item over to his uncle.

Akahoshi inspected the item with a critical eye, a Bingo book? Explains much. What other place would high level criminals be found? He flipped through the pages rapidly, his eye searching for a sole target-blonde hair- he found it quickly in the section for the new additions.

"Uzumaki Naruto" he voiced the first thing his eyes landed on. The boy's image was attached to one side of the page. There was no mistaking it; it was him, their stature matched too closely to be coincidence.

Name: Uzumaki Naruto

Country: Fire country

Hidden village: Konohagakure

Taijutsu: Average Chunin (guarded details)

Genjutsu: Unknown

Ninjutsu: Hiraishin and Kagemane (also guarded). Weird ripple jutsu

Sex: Male

Age: 13

Height: Approximately 5'5

Weight: Approximately 120 pounds

Birthdate: October 10

Chakra: Unknown

Bounty: 1 million Ryo

Other: Approach with caution as he tends to be everywhere at the same time. Better if not provoked

All the details seem lost to Akahoshi as all he allowed himself to see were: Uzumaki Naruto and Konohagakure. He just may be able to get that star for himself afterall. He returned his gaze back to his cousin and one thing was for certain: Konoha would be seeing new faces.

There was currently five occupants in the office of the Hokage and all were involved in a heated argument.

"Sensei, why did you even allow for such an idea into the council? I believe this is the third time someone would possess a workable Hiraishin in the Village, and I don't remember this same method being utilized during their respective time" Jiraiya argued, he hoped he would be able to drive his point home, although it seems likely, he still suspected Danzo must have masterminded the whole thing.

"Jiraiya, you must understand that he isn't the most stable of people currently in the village" Danzo said from his place, answering a question which wasn't directed at him.

"And your weapons are" Jiraiya countered, "and I don't remember asking you any sort of question"

"We are only trying to secure the safety of the village, don't your let close relationship with his parents to cloud your judgment. Honestly, the chunin exams showed us how much of a danger he can be." Koharu had spent the last few weeks horribly frightened, she had personally saw what outcome the Hirashin could inflict when in the hands of angered person. What if Naruto had choose that moment to end everything, to kill of everything that had ever wronged him. Everybody could have been erased in that moment in a spur of revenge, she spent that week, and the one after it, and the one after that fearing for the worse.

"I don't see why you should worry yourself, unless you have done something that deserves retribution. And how are you even sure that it's going to work and not making an even worse enemy than the current one" if anything, Jiraya was sure Naruto would not take it while sitting down, he must have known already.

"If push comes to shove, we can always banish him." Homura said.

"Or I can just banish the both of you right now" Hiruzen replied fiercely, he should make it clear that banishment wasn't an idea to be discussed in the council, much less agreed upon.

"Hiruzen, you are loosing sight of the future, you can clearly see the boy lack the will of fire" this time it was Koharu who spoke. What was wrong with Hiruzen anyway, he upheld the will-of-fire the most, yet why couldn't he see the boy was a danger to not only the higher ups but the whole konoha populace in general.

"You say this even after he saved you from an invasion that would have claimed your lives few weeks ago" Hiruzen almost growled, almost.

"And whose fault is that, Orochimaru was your student, your responsibility" guess who said that.

"How do we even know they didn't initiate the whole invasion together? For all we know he still has an ongoing deal with that snake. Maybe he went against Orochimaru so he could preserve our lives for himself" Koharu again.

Jiraiya watched from the Hokage to the two old bats to Danzo. Sensei had pretty much accepted the idea if he already welcomed such a risky suggestion in the first place. He stood up abruptly; he would not wait here while they plot against his godson, Naruto may have meant them harm, they rightfully deserve every bit of contempt they get in return for their less than innocent action.

"I'm leaving Sensei" Jiraiya said turning his back on the meeting.

Every body stood silent while walked out. Soon Danzo spoke up, "I hope your student won't be foolish enough to complicate things further."

The conversation/argument carried on for a few more minutes before Danzo, the ever knowing in situations of distress, once again suggested a solution that would benefit everybody and ensure the success of their plan.

Danzo took a deep breath before starting, "A request was sent to you from Kiri fairly recently, am I correct?" he quickly held up a hand to halt the inquisition that would surely follow on how he knew of the secret request, Hiruzen would soon see his reasoning anyway.

"Explain"

"I believe this request is of the kind that we would not be able to provide assistance for under normal circumstances, but with Naruto now in possession of that technique, we might just be able to bring things in our favor" Danzo explained, hopefully he won't have to highlight everything before they would catch on

"While tempting, I don't plan on pitting a team of my ninja against an army in hopes that Naruto will be weakened by the time he gets back; besides, I don't think anyone would want to team up with him, much less go against Yagura." Thing just looked hopeless and he was not going to be sacrificing a few of his ninjas just to get the job done. He wasn't like danzo

"You misunderstood me Hiruzen, I never suggested a team, only Naruto would suffice" he continued, lest allow someone to interrupt him. "From recent happenings, we know Naruto can keep himself protected while still dealing devastating damage to Yagura's army. While everything may seem in his favor, he would have to face Yagura at some point.

Everything may seem in his favor in terms of Ninjutsu, however Yagura was widely known for his stamina. His fight with the sand Jinchuuriki showed Naruto also possessed some lasting resilience, but even he can't resist fatigue. Yagura is an experienced Kage while the sand kid is only a Genin"

Each person in the room could clearly pick out a discernable detail; Danzo didn't come up with the decision only just. He had everything well thought out before this meeting; he only waited for the right moment to introduce it.

"This meeting is adjourned" everyone understood the silent dismissal.

"You can only prolong the inevitable for so long, Hiruzen" Does it even matter who said that.

Ino walked through the village with a destination in mind, a week ago Gai-sensei had offered to train each and everyone of the rookie teams, except maybe Naruto, his main reason being to involve them in a rigorous training in order to harness their hidden potentials, what birthed that idea was partly because of the invasion and mainly because of Naruto. Gai had stated it plainly that Naruto was leaps and bounds above them if combined together, but still continued to encourage them that with enough training they could live to achieve great things as their flame of youth burn brightly with the fiery passion of a thousand suns.

She trudge heavily into Training ground ten, Ino slowly raised her head expecting some kind of reprimand about how it took her a whole week before she could decide. The sight that greeted her however, was unexpected at most, at first, she was fairly sure she would not be the only one to chickened out, the sight before her says otherwise. Now she was definitely sure she was the only one save for Naruto and maybe Sasuke. Everyone of her teammate were present, each involved in one kind of training or the other, either individually or in groups. Even Chouji was busy doing sit-ups, there was also Sakura.

"I'm glad to see you finally decided to join us, Ino" she whipped her head around almost instantly, wasn't this Gai's idea? What was Asuma sensei doing here?

"What are you doing here, and what do you mean by 'us'?"

"The training was joint idea of us all (Jounins). We feel it is only right to train you all to better prepare you against the future as we don't know who might be planning to attack Konoha next. We only put Gai up to it knowing a few of you would back out cowardly because of Gai's renowned training method" Asuma explained, he was really glad Ino hadn't disappoint. "We tend to alternate between training instructors" he said when he noticed Ino directed her attention back to the group. "We realized it is better to educate you in all forms of combat instead of sticking to one specialty."

"I saw some strange ninjas on my way here" Ino said, "They had a weird headband and are dressed like they were ready for battle." This partly contributes to her presence here today as their presence in the village reminded her of the invasion and how hopeless she was during the attack.

"I'm sure they are under tight surveillance, we won't be caught by surprise anytime soon" Asuma assured her even if he didn't know who the strange ninjas were. "Meet up with Gai, he will give explanation on what to do"

Immediately Ino walked away Asuma vanished in a swirl of leaves reappearing later in the Hokage's tower

"You can not see the Hokage at this moment" the secretary said recognizing the approaching Jounin.

"Is he busy?"

"Yes, he's in a meeting with some emissaries"

"Are these emissaries by chance dressed kind of funny?" Asuma asked.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Nothing" Asuma replied, "thank you for your time" he added turning his back on the woman; it would seem the emissaries already found their way to the Hokage.

"Don't mention it, it's my job"

With the Hokage

"To what do we owe this…unsolicited visit?" Hiruzen asked, he didn't want to jump to assumptions.

"Hokage, I'm sure you are old enough to recognize our headband even if we aren't one of the five great Nations." Akahoshi decided it was best to act professional, brawling wouldn't get them anywhere.

"Indeed, but why are you here?" Hiruzen inquired, he hoped they too weren't here to request for some kind of help in an ongoing war, their outfits didn't leave much for him to conclude.

"Don't play ignorant with us, you already know why we are here" Akahoshi shouted getting to his feet; he had more to gain so it was only right if he took on the position of leader.

"I'm lost on you, can you enlighten me?" Hiruzen asked observing the man's reaction with a raised eyebrow.

Akahoshi began to get furious, the Hokage wanted to play ignorant and he could not allow for that, the safety and strength of their village was at stake here.

"About four weeks ago…" and so Akahoshi went into details. While narrating his story, he watched the Hokage's visage for any sign of acknowledgement.

He got none

"So if I understand you clearly," Hiruzen started when the ninja in front of him stopped ranting, "a blonde boy attacked you along with an accomplice, correct?"

"Yes"

"The date, from what you have just said, matched the day we hosted our Chunin exams. And the only blonde boy in the village was also a contender. I don't see how it's possible for him to appear in two places at the same time. In addition, the distance from your village to Konoha isn't a negligible factor if your days-long journey is any indication. How then would you explain his presence in your village when he was supposedly in ours?" HIruzen could just turn things against them provided not many people know of Naruto's ability to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time, but would it be worth it. Naruto did massacre over half the population of a village. A most under-believable phenomenon

"With all due respect…Hokage-dono, this boy is one of your making. It's exceptionally difficult to be a coincidence." They made it this far already, they would achieve there aim, even if it mean going behind the old monkey.

"You said your sources led you to believe he originates from this village. Where, might I ask, your sources got their Intel?" Hiruzen was sure of one thing; not many people know of Naruto's existence. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow when the ninja in his front pulled his hand into his flak jacket, he would not be foolish enough withdraw a weapon

Akahoshi withdrew his hand, bringing out the bingo book that prompted their departure in the first place

"In here" he placed the book in front of the wizened old man, another copy was hidden within his reach in case the old man decided to act funny.

Hiruzen flipped through the pages taking note for any sign of a trap. He visibly slowed when he got to the section for new entries. True to what the accusing man said, Hiruzen found a page dedicated to the boy who was supposed to be his protégé. The page had everything from his picture to his suspected height and weight, it made sense somewhat, since no one ever managed to get close enough to get an accurate measurement. He could see some missing details but who would have so much information on Naruto, he quickly skimmed through the statistics, his raking gaze clamped on a bold sentence written at the bottom of the page.

CREDIT: OTOGAKURE

'Orochimaru' HIruzen thought, the snake Sannin was really out to get Naruto. Hiruzen sighed tiredly; other village would soon see the entries and it would once again cause an uproar. He knew a fair share of updates would soon be added to the bingo book, especially on the bounty. Such revelation would not sit well with villages that threw joyous parties when the page for the Yondaime was erased from the bingo book after his death. A new ninja who bare uncanny resemblance to the Yondaime, also from the same village and in possession of the Hiraishin just seemed too fishy. People would started questioning the validity of Minato's death had Orochimaru not boldly proclaimed Naruto as the son of the yellow flash.

"Now that you agreed we are right, we demanded the return of what has rightfully belonged to us for centuries." Akahoshi interrupt the Hokage's musing. The monkey had been cornered. His entourages were now grinning. Thing couldn't get any better.

"I'm afraid that is not possible at the moment" Hiruzen said composing himself.

"WHAT!" this time, the group chorused their surprise. that had been their last legal resort.

Hiruzen held up a hand to halt any other outburst. "While I may have heard your side of the story, I still have yet to listen to his. This entire ruckus may only be a well planned out treachery. So you will provided with a place to stay for today while I make confirmations. Tora" he called, and an Anbu appeared behind him instantly.

"What the fuck!" Sumaru exclaimed, jumping to his feet, a kunai brandished in his palm.

"He will lead you to your place of residence for today" Hiruzen continued, ignoring the kid at the side of the room.

Akashoshi could see the conversation was over and nothing much came out of today's 'negotiation'. Further prolonging would only allow the Hokage more excuses. "On second thought Hokage-sama, we would like to handle the situation our way. If you could just direct us to his place of residence…"

"Are you certain that is your wish? From what you narrated, the whole of your village couldn't raise a finger against him. I have to say, with this small army, is there something you prepared that I should know of, which could place the safety of my people in danger?"

"We only have business with him, not your people. Plus we may be a small village but do not underestimate us Hokage-sama. He succeeded only because he caught us by surprise." Akahoshi boasted, his arrogant side didn't allow for insults.

"Well if that is your decision…Tora, lead them to the warehouse." Normally Hiruzen wouldn't allow for such a thing, but this was Naruto. He couldn't be worried, Naruto would take care of himself, He always has. Maybe that was exactly what people couldn't cope with, a close enough reason for his dispute with the villagers. They just could not accept the fact that Naruto never came to them for help, never begged for assistance; he was a little too independent for their liking, and that makes him a mystery. Mysteries don't belong in Konoha.

"You are dismissed" Hiruzen spun his chair around to overlook the city below through the glass paned window of his office. Soon the four-man council would be at his door, Naruto might just have given them a more valid excuse to push their luck, and Hiruzen wasn't planning on putting it off either, he was tired. He hoped this would serve a good purpose for Konoha as his last decision as a Hokage.

"Inu, inform Naruto that his presence is required in my office tomorrow." Hiruzen didn't need turn to make sure his order was executed.

The next day found Naruto already in front of the Hokage's door. Before he could raise a fist to the door it swung open to reveal four occupants.

"Glad to see you could make it Naruto. Come in" said Hiruzen

Koharu shifted uncomfortably in her sit, being in the same room with the boy was enough to make her tense.

"You called for me"

Hiruzen decided to go with half the truth, "We receive a request for help from Kirigakure. As you know, they are currently involved in a war with their tyrannous Mizukage. In the letter, it was particularly highlighted that only your help was necessary, owing to your recent display of the Hiraishin prowess at the invasion. They thought you could cause large scale destruction to turn the battle in their favor." Hiruzen said, "know you perfectly have the right to reject the offer if you choose not to help, I only think it would provide you with experience and allow you to hone your abilities to the best of their capability. It's your decision."

"I accept" it came sooner than he anticipated, but it wouldn't matter anyway, it only means phase one has begun.

"Here is the scroll and the mission is classified S-rank, no one is to know of its existence except the five of us in here."

Naruto exited the building without another word, and the rest occupants in the room shared a collective sigh they hadn't known they were holding.

"That went a little too smoothly don't you think?"

NEXT CHAPTER: Kiri's Arc