"Naruto, Ibiki, and Anko, what do I owe this pleasure?" Hiruzen asked.
"Lord Hokage, we've got a serious problem." Ibiki said in a stern tone.
"I assume that this somehow involves young Naruto Uzumaki?" Hiruzen asked as he sighed.
"Go ahead, Gaki. Tell him." Ibiki said with a smirk.
"No problem, Scarface." Naruto said, causing Anko to chuckle. When given a stern gaze by her boss, she quickly apologized.
Suddenly, the room went cold as Naruto's attitude changed. This was something Ibiki noticed. "Lord Third, Orochimaru has infiltrated the village along with having planted spies. I also have reason to believe that he has an alliance with Suna." Naruto said.
Understanding the blond's tone, Hiruzen nodded. "Naruto, these are serious accusations. Please explain." Hiruzen said.
"Kabuto Yakushi. He's got information about nearly every single person, including me. He also knew my last name of Namikaze. I won't deny the fact that I haven't been so secretive. Even so, his information is something to look into.
Plus, Kabuto smells of snakes. Not that I'm against snakes because my lovely girlfriend is the snake mistress, but usually snakes are associated with Orochimaru." Naruto said.
Hiruzen nodded while Anko blushed. "I see. Yes, that is logical and has quite power in that alone. But I'm assuming that you have more information?" The Hokage asked.
"That's right. During the exam, I noticed one particular shinobi had a much higher chakra signature than the rest. Even if we had a sensory ninja like Yugao inside, my chakra signature would most likely through her senses off.
Thankfully, I'm a strong sensory type and I could tell the chakra was much higher. When I realized Orochimaru was behind me, I decided to let him and know. This caused a great disturbance. When I set off the smoke bombs, I was able to place my Hiraishin seal on him.
When we start the second exam tomorrow, I'll feel his chakra and know if my accusation was correctl." Naruto said.
Before anyone spoke, Anko smacked the blond in his head. "Ouch, what the hell was that for?" Naruto asked as he turned to face Anko.
"Don't you know who Orochimaru is? He isn't like Zabuza or anyone else. He's a monster. Naruto, how could you be reckless and attack him in a room full of genin?" Anko asked.
"While I won't deny that it was risky, it paid off in the end. In fact, it would have worked out for us either way." Naruto said.
"What do you mean, Naruto? Anko, let him answer before you kill him." Hiruzen said.
"I figured he'd most likely leave to avoid detection. However, in the event he didn't, I would have teleported myself and him to your office. This would keep everyone safe and allow for him to be backed into a corner.
It worked out perfectly. I not only marked him but I hurt his pride. Now, I've put together a few possibilities on why he would be here and I came up with a few." Naruto said.
"What did you come up with?" Hiruzen asked.
"He's most likely look for either Sasuke or one of the Hyuga clan members. If I had to beg money, I'd say Sasuke would be his target. The Sharingan is a powerful bloodline, but when it evolves into the Mangekyou Sharingan. It's a power without rival." Naruto said.
"Yes, that would make sense. Keeping the Hyuga in mind is also smart. But we can assume that the Sharingan is his target due to if he wanted the Byakugan, he'd could attack a young Hyuga wit on ease." Hiruzen said.
"Also, I've done research and from what I learned, he also has desires immortality beyond all. From what has been discovered, he's created a way to swap bodies and further extend his life." Naruto said.
"He's going to mark him." Anko spoke up, catching Naruto and Hiruzen's attention.
"The curse mark he gave me, I learned about it and it forces the victim to give into their darkness and hatred. From what I know about the Uchiha, his desire for vengeance will force him to draw on that power. In other words, by marking Sasuke, Orochimaru will be able to lure him in and take his body once he's been properly trained." Anko said.
"I see. Well, we've got one of two choices. Pull Sasuke from the exams and make his team fail, or let thigg N s continue on with a close eye. How about putting a few Anbu inside the forest?" Naruto suggested.
"Yes, it seems that holding off on acting might work out best. I'd like to see what Orochinaru is up to for sure before acting. Let's do this, we won't act for now." Hiruzen said.
"I'll keep an eye on the snake and if I can, prevent Sasuke from getting marked." Naruto said.
"Absolutely not! You aren't going to engage him and that's final!" Anko snapped.
"Anko, please understand." Naruto started to say.
"Look, that bastard has taken so much from me. I refuse to let him take away the only man I ever loved." Anko said before she realized what she said.
Naruto's expression softens. "Anko, I promise, I won't let him kill me. But I promise you this, I will avoid him if I can. But if the event occurs and I've got to fight him to let Sasuke get away, then I will engage him." The blond fired back.
"Anko, Naruto is right. He's the only one that can properly act without causing any political issues. Tomorrow, I will station multiple Anbu in the forest. This should insure that we find out Orochimaru's location." Hiruzen said.
"Fine, I guess I can live with that." Anko said with a growl. Naruto stood up and hugged her right and whispered a few comforting words, causing her to smile softly.
"Now, what about Suna and Orochimaru? Why do you believe they are working together?" Hiruzen asked.
"The genin Gaara. He's the Jinchuriki of the one tails Ichibi, Shukaku. As you know about my situation, I'm able to read other Jinchuriki." Naruto said.
"This isn't good. To have a tailed beast and enemy ninja attacking our village, it's a recipe for disaster." The Hokage said.
"Don't worry, Lord Third. I will handle Gaara. In fact, I'm going to handle him before he has a chance to attack our village." Naruto said.
"Alright, I trust you. Well, that's all for tonight. Get some rest, I get the feeling we've got a busy couple of days ahead." Hiruzen said.
Naruto and Anko left the tower and decided to head to Naruto's apartment. When they arrived, Anko sat on the table. Naruto sat in the chair, directly in front of her.
"I'm worried. I don't want anything to happen to you, Naru." Anko said as she placed her arms on his shoulders.
Naruto looked up with a smirk. "I know, but don't worry. Not only am I more powerful than I was in the land of waves, but I'm also the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths. I'll have to face these obstacles eventually. Plus, being able to eliminate the man responsible for your bell. That's a task I'd volunteer for, even if it costs me my life." Naruto said.
"Naruto, please promise me you won't engage him unless you have no choice. The Anbu will be stationed in the forest. I'll know if you did so or not." The purple haired woman said.
"I promise, Anko." The blond responded as the two shared a deep kiss. Anko scooted her body directly on Naruto's lap as she pulled him into her. Naruto wrapped his arms around Anko's mid back and pulled her into him, causing a slight crack in her back.
"Come on, let's get some rest. We've got an early morning." Naruto said as he carried Anko to the small bed he head. Even though it wasn't much bigger than a twin size bed, the two of them cuddled up would be enough space.
As Anko rested her head on Naruto's chest and the blanket was over then, it was a feeling of comfort that she hadn't felt since she was a young girl in her parents' arms.
Naruto felt a similar feeling. However, thougbb on he never felt the warmth and comfort of having parents, the ability to provide comfort and protection to another, it out his mind at ease and made him wonder if his ideals and original mindset was right.
As the blond fell deeper into his dreams, he found himself sitting inside a sewer. "Where am I?" Naruto asked as he looked around.
"We're in your mind." Said a friendly voice. Naruto turned around and was in absolute shock. Standing before him, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage.
"Dad? What are you doing in here?" Naruto asked.
"During the night of Kyuubi's attack, I realized that unless I sealed some of my chakra inside of you. Of course, many things happened between them and now. But Naruto, I want you to know that I've been seeing everything and I must say, I'm really proud of you." Minato said with a warm, fatherly smile.
"Dad, I don't know what to do. I'm the one that's supposed to bring change to the shinobi world. But, it seems that no matter what I do, I end up feeling pain. Why couldn't you choose somebody else for this?" Naruto asked as tears filled up his eyes.
"I know it's hard. Nothing in life is easy, but I must say, I'm really proud of you. While I can't see the future, so I don't know an answer on what to do. However, I can tell you this.
As the Hokage and your father, I couldn't put the burden on anyone else. What kind of person would I be if I made somebody else do something that I wouldn't do? Naruto, I not only chose you because you were my son. Do you know why?" Minato asked.
Naruto shook his head. "I believed you would be the one to protect the village and keep Kyuub from attacking it. I also believed you would be the one to bring change and create peace like Jiraiya sensei always wanted." Minato said.
"Do you really believe in me that much?" Naruto asked his father.
"Yes, I believe in you and so did your mother. I'm sorry, but we're running out of time. I wanted to tell you that the Rasengan was a jutsu that isn't finished. It was meant to add an element to it. Also, The Hiraishin isn't complete. I have a few notes in regards to advancing the two jutsu inside the Hokage's tower. However, it isn't much.
But Naruto, I love you more than anything. Please stay strong, love the woman you have in your arms more than anything, and no matter what, never lose your will of fire. Farewell, my son." Minato said as he slowly faded into nothing, turning Naruto's mind into a true, empty sewer.