A New Frontier

by Wickerstein

The strong devour the weak. That has always remained a fundamental law of nature. To think otherwise is farcical. For no matter what, there will always be a winner and a loser.

4. Fire IV

Disclaimer: All respective characters and settings belong to their respective franchises.

---

Obito…is alive…?

Kakashi sat slumped in front of the computer, a listless finger resting on the spacebar, eyes devoid of light transfixed on the chat box as the cursor kept going endlessly. He didn't care to keep count of the time, only that he had tried endlessly to badger the mystery figure to divulge Obito's whereabouts. Soon after, he resorted to all manner of threats, vowing to find and wring the information out of them himself, and; if they happened to be lying, death in the most painful, torturous method even a man like him found off-putting. Invariably, he had no real reason to believe it to be true. As a shinobi and veteran in espionage, it was stupidly easy to forge evidence, imitate voices and impersonate anyone.

It could just as likely be a trick to give them some modicum of leverage. It should have been simple to dismiss. Yet, his mind kept going back. Back to where it all began.

The prelude was his father's suicide.

The rest played out like something out of a tragedy. The defining moment was that fateful day where it all toppled down. Like a curse that clung to him out of fondness for how much the people he loved would be taken from him, one way or another. First, the man whom he regretted ever being ashamed of. Then, the boy he was now proud to call his best friend. Next, the girl, whose future he was forced to destroy.

Finally, the man who was like a second father to him.

Where is he?

Is it true?

Is he alive?

Those questions and the like bounced repeatedly throughout his mind and the living room walls, his tone going haggard and desperate for each passing minute of having to debase himself in front of a computer screen. He'd pause to catch his breath that hitched in his throat, resorting to typing question after question, badger after badger, enough to have at least composed half a book. His mind ran with him, and only started to phase out of his fugue when Anko laid a rousing hand on his shoulder, telling him that the Hokage had gone to pursue the tip-off on the location of the heir records while he was out of it. Her presence only occurred to him then and there, that he wasn't alone, an uncharacteristically vacant look to her.

"Wha-?" Hearing that should have been a welcome reprieve, a return to routine, to duty. For better or worse, his comfort zone. A shake of the head from the kunoichi dashed that.

"Tenzō's got it covered," she informed him, aware of what he'd liably do.

Shortly, Anko herself went out to procure some refreshments, figuring they were going to be stuck for a while.

Presently, he was waiting for her to come back, for once in a long time uncomfortable being by himself while the guards were outside. Right as he was now in such a state, he couldn't trust what he would do. Abandon his post to chase ghosts or something equally reckless, foolish. It was comical in a way. The first in a long while of vulnerability, and he was; frankly, babysitting the Fourth's son as he slept soundly with his new friends. In another world. The surrealism of it all was still giving him whiplash next to the possibility that his once thought deceased teammate may not be as he had previously grieved.

Releasing his hold on the spacebar, he ran a tacit hand down his now maskless face, save for the one he normally wore still adorning the lower half. He focused back on the screen, which reflected a far away look painted on his lifeless visage, eyes drooping, the blinking of the cursor on the chat box seemingly goading him. Slowly, his fingers moved on their own accord once more to fumble with the keys.

F1ref0x: Are you there?

He waited, then repeated the action. Again and again like earlier. No reply, no response. Unblinking, he asked once more in an exhausted, withered voice, his throat having gone dry.

"Is he…alive?"

If anyone who knew of his reputation got a load of him at that very moment, they wouldn't be blamed to be turned off from the hype. Incidentally, he no longer gave much stock over what people thought of him for years. Titles, reputation, rumors, gossip, epithets abound, like autumn leaves bobbing and weaving with the current of a light fall breeze. Young hopefuls hungering for glory could only wish to be awarded with a reputation that would give enemies pause. He's had his fair share.

Some stood out more than others. Murderer, hero, soldier, a loyal shinobi, and; more infamously, friend killer.

He wasn't particularly fond of any single one.

4ngelf4c3: Yes.

He didn't even react. No. More like, he couldn't. He was drained. All he wanted right now was to black out again, but the numbing curiosity forced him to press on.

"Where…?"

4ngelf4c3: I cannot tell you.

Kakashi snorted, but it lacked derision, slowly coming to terms that it was all he could do to not act drastically again.

"Please…" he half pleaded, half surrendering.

4ngelf4c3: Hatake Kakashi. I cannot dispense what I fully know as it might not agree with you.

"Meaning?"

4ngelf4c3: What do you think?

Kakashi was wholly unwilling to, which was the unyielding problem, lest he risked tumbling down into a bottomless rabbit hole.

Was he now a nūke-nin? That possibility shook him to the core. A more optimistic side voted that he was now living an unassuming life as a civilian somewhere. Honestly, that sounded completely fine to him. Better than the hardships and hazards the occupation demanded, for nothing would make him rest easy more than knowing Obito resumed his life in peace ever since.

Experience, however, being the merciless teacher he's come to both curse and appreciate, told him nothing was ever as it seemed.

He slowly released a heavy breath, heart bolting to his chest, hands going clammy as the words unwittingly spilled out of his lips behind his mask.

"I need to know," a long missing glint in his eye shone, albeit briefly, brow morphed into a determined glower that the figure on the other side did not fail to see.

A pregnant pause passed, before the chat box loaded again.

4ngelf4c3: I will leave you with this clue. However, I warn you to not disclose this to anyone. No matter what. Do you agree?

A compromise. It had to do, and was better than going blind. It was take it, or leave it.

"Very well."

4ngelf4c3: Tobi.

An alias. Outwardly, his features remained pensive, but inwardly, an emotion was budding from the dried out husk of a long thought dead seed buried deep within. Could he dare to? He now had a lead. If true, all the pain, all the suffering, all of the years he's had to battle with his guilt will have meaning now that he had a lifeline to latch onto. But, could he indeed dare to?

Dare to…hope?

Incidentally, why 'Tobi'? Seriously? Same old Obito. Couldn't he have gone with something less conspicuous? Unless it was some bizarre coincidence, he wouldn't hold his breath if his old friend cooked it up on the fly. It wasn't like he picked it up from somebody else, right? That'd be crazy. Or, a badly written plot hole in a book he once read.

Before he could ask anything else, the previous texts were deleted. He released another breath he had been holding in, narrowly missing what was flying at him before he deftly caught it. The cold and smooth metal of the coffee can was a welcome feeling to the sweat that coalesced on his palms.

"Before you say anything; no, I don't make it a habit to peek into other people's search history," Anko quipped with a knowing smirk. "I expect them to be responsible enough to clean up. Same goes for the browser."

She shoved a plastic bag full of snacks his way before taking his place in front of the monitor. "You did clean up, right?"

Kakashi averted her gaze and tacitly opened his can without a word, then took a swig facing away from her

Anko's lips pursed between a smile and a pout; always a tough nut to crack.

"Feeling better?"

A lone grumble from him served as her answer, followed by a final swig that drained his can.

"Did you get anything from bright eyes with your bitching?" Anko took a healthy bite out of her extra large serving of dango to go, pointedly directing at the monitor camera a spiteful smirk as she chewed with a big mouthful.

"No." It must have been how tautly he said it, sniffing the lie. Be that as it may, the kunoichi took it in stride, handing the ANBU captain his own dango.

"Whatever, not my business." Anko punched a few keys and moved the mouse on a small map on the bottom left border, clinching the polished end of her dango stick with her teeth. She clicked a spot and the two watched as the image on the monitor shifted into densely dark forestry. "Pretty sweet, huh? We can toggle the feed anywhere on the map. Makes for great reconnaissance if we can recreate it to help survey Konoha."

"We could, with the time and budget," Kakashi remarked from the corner of his eye, eating his dango, back still toward her. "Anything else?"

Anko flew the cursor on the 'Connect' button. "This, I can't seem to get working. Clicked it, but it kept saying 'out of range'. Out of range of what?"

Kakashi hummed, thinking back on everything he witnessed since Naruto's arrival, retracing every inch of the boy's actions step by step.

"And?" he pressed, dumping his trash into the bag.

"Not much," Anko studied the layout of the border, toggling through sections of the map to get a good framework of the land. "I bet this 'Scan' function is pretty fun. Oh! Wait, here we go."

Catching movement in a thicket, Kakashi observed the kunoichi scanning a queer looking bird or…lizard? It was difficult to tell, with its overall appearance he could best describe as an overgrown Pitaya Fruit with dark purple two-toed legs tipped with red claws, and a head that, oddly enough, bore a striking resemblance to Piyomon, only without the cowlick and a pronounced purple beak, or could it be a snout? It was currently bashing its head against a tall tree.

"What the hell is it doing?" Anko pondered, before running a scan on it.

Pomumon

Stage: Rookie

Type: Plant

Attribute: Data

Although it may look like a Bird-type, it is a Plant Digimon whose body is packed with juices with high sugar content like that of a fruit. For that reason, it has many natural predators such as Bird and Insect Digimon. Despite having wings, it is mainly active on land because its flight speed is so slow that it becomes defenseless.

Attacks

Rapid Seed - Spits out countless seed-like bullets to defend itself.

Fruits Rush - Curls up and speeds off as a means of escape rather than an attack.

"This thing is a living fruit? That looks like a bird?" Anko listed off flatly. "I thought Summons could get freaky, but I stand corrected. These Digimon are the definition of bizarre, and I've got a feeling we're just scratching the surface here."

Kakashi leaned in to closely examine the creature as it was now kicking at the trunk. "Is it training?"

"Getting a midnight snack?" Anko offered from her end. "Hello?"

From the shadows, another creature emerged. It looked to be a bipedal great horned owl, with a small beak, red markings around its piercing yellow eyes, brilliant dark body feathers and purple chest feathers with two shuriken patterns that shone under the moonlight, giving a striking impression of a mesh vest. The tips of its brow feathers in addition to its claws were purple, as opposed to its tail feathers and the markings dotting the ends of its wings being instead a crimson red.

"I'm guessing they're not buddies out for a nice evening stroll," Anko commented warily. Kakashi agreed, recalling Bokomon explaining their world's own stock of shinobi. "Fukurō?"

"Let's scan it and see," Kakashi recommended coyly, earning a stink eye from the kunoichi.

"I was just about to do that," she grumbled, fully pouting this time, clicking on the owl.

Falcomon

Stage: Rookie

Type: Bird

Attribute: Vaccine

A subspecies of Falcomon whose wings have developed to allow it to fly freely in the air, in contrast to its counterpart, who possess powerful leg strength. Despite its ability to fly, it seems to be obsessed with making its appearance from above by flying in on a kite, like a ninja.

Attacks

Scratch Smash - Scratches at the foe with the claws on its wings.

Shuririnken - Throws a barrage of shuriken made from its hardened, razor sharp feathers.

Uchitake Otoshi - Throws explosives made from bamboo.

Fūjin no Jutsu - Launches wind blades at its enemies.

Falco Rush - Tramples the opponents head while midair.

Genwaku no Jutsu - Uses a form of high level programming to create illusions.

Kuchibashi Attack - Pecks the enemy.

Anko let out a whistle. "Damn, pretty balanced lineup. We sure these guys aren't just some other order of Summons?"

"They don't have chakra, Anko," Kakashi elaborated.

"So, their moves are more like programs in how they interact with their own reality," she nodded in understanding, marginally surprising the ANBU Captain at how quick she was on the uptake.

"What's with these 'Attributes'?" Kakashi questioned, further testing her.

"Most likely the kind of code they're composed of," Anko deduced. "You know, like computer viruses and vaccines. Data attributes seem to only be neutral code."

The Pomumon stopped once it caught sight of the encroaching figure, its green eyes locking with yellow. Silently, the both of them stared the other down, the Falcomon rooted a few feet apart, as if one was waiting for the other to make a move.

"Get lost," the Pomumon finally spat out, annoyed and more on guard than the dark owl, who kept perfectly still with an unreadable expression, oscillating its head seemingly in curiosity. The disarmingly blank gaze it held stuck to the Pomumon no matter the angles its neck stretched and bent, nary making a sound, which unnerved the fruit Digimon and the humans watching the encounter unfold, causing it to break out into a sweat.

"Are you deaf, or do you want to get loaded?" the Pomumon threatened, although the two could pick out the quiver of fear in its voice, winding its body back. "Last chance."

"Welp, he's dead," Anko shrugged.

"Ah," Kakashi nodded, perceiving the outcome.

'Fruits Rush'

Swerving opposite of the Falcomon, the Pomumon made a mad dash to get away, its empty threats a mere ploy at intimidation having failed. The moment he saw who it was that intruded on his nightly training, he knew he couldn't fight back. Had he the strength to evolve, it would have been short work for him, but as it stood, he had only gone Rookie months ago out of his entire bunch. There was only so much Baby stages could give in code that it was frustrating.

Luckily, he wagered his leg strength was enough to nick him a speedy escape, and maybe-

The Pomumon dissolved into a swarm of data before it went far, too late in dodging a razor sharp air current that tore into its hind quarters. The code that once composed its body hovered through the air before it converged on the still Falcomon, who was picking at its left wing with its beak.

"Fast," Kakashi remarked, his trained eye narrowly spotting a scrap of movement.

"Forget fast," Anko started, an anxious smirk lining her features. "That was an instant kill. The buzzard wasn't even trying."

"And, that's without chakra," Kakashi reminded, already running a scenario of encountering such an adversary. "It may be a Rookie, but it's obviously experienced."

"It's absorbing the leftover data," Anko watched in fascination as the last vestiges of the Pomumon were fully integrated into the shinobi owl. "You think it's racking up a kill count?"

"No," Kakashi deducted easily. "It didn't care about that Pomumon in particular. It's there for another reason."

"It looks like we're about to find out," Anko concurred, scoping out another Digimon who soon joined it.

It wasn't displaying any hostility, denoting it as the owl's comrade, though it still sported a smidgen of agitation. It was a bipedal gray canine with long lapine ears, three long black claws on each of its forelimbs and a long, distinctly feline-like tail, wrapped with three belts. Its sharp red eyes were regarding the owl with something close to exasperation.

"I told you not to fly off like that," it berated in a deep, annoyed voice. "We're supposed to be discreet. You'll mess it all up if they see you."

Kakashi narrowed his brow, his intuition aroused upon hearing this.

"They?" Anko cocked a brow at him.

"Let's listen in."

The Falcomon gave no indication that it heard the canine, its gaze audaciously glued to space. The momentary silence allowed Anko to scan the other Digimon.

Gazimon

Stage: Rookie

Type: Mammal

Attribute: Virus

A Mammal Digimon with large, sharp claws. Rare even amongst Mammal types; its forelegs likely evolved to be used as arms, therefore resulting in its bipedalism. It has an extremely aggressive temperament despite its small size, and it seldom warms up to anyone. Although the claws on its forelegs are very effective at attacking, they are also surprisingly suited to digging holes, which it always does as it enjoys watching other Digimon fall into its pitfalls due to its mischievous personality.

Attacks

Paralyze Breath: Breathes out a poisonous gas.

Pitfall: Burroughs into the ground to lay out traps, or set an attack from below.

Gazimon Claw: Attacks with the sharp claws on its hands.

Kakashi rubbed the underside of his chin, ordering Anko to alternately scan the two. She too took note of what he was contemplating.

"These two are a combo," he concluded. "They're not acting on their own. Together, they possess a very specific set of skills to cover aerial and land logistics, and to clear out any obstacles or interlopers. A search mission by the looks of it."

"For what?" Anko prodded.

"I wonder," Kakashi hummed to himself. He gestured for them to keep listening.

The Gazimon scratched at his temple irritably when the Falcomon didn't respond, letting out a tired breath. Kakashi, having cared for ninken, could see how scruffy and haggard the state the canine was in. "In any case, we got 'em right where we want 'em. Remember the plan?"

At this, the Falcomon gave a nod, satisfying his partner.

"By tomorrow," the Gazimon continued, a curl of anticipation gleaming in his eyes, "after shadowing that egghead for months, he's finally gonna lead us to the shrine."

Alarm slowly crept up the contours of Kakashi's spine. "Shrine?" Anko inquired.

"Later," the ANBU captain forewarned, realizing what and who these two might be after.

"Don't fuck it up, or so help me, Lord Etemon is gonna have our heads if we come back empty handed!" the Gazimon hissed, grabbing a fistful of the owl's chest feathers, which didn't so much as faze it.

"That does not sound good," Anko muttered gingerly, wondering who this 'Etemon' guy was.

Kakashi seconded the sentiment, worried for his mentor's son. It was a good thing the Hokage wasn't here. Lord knows the last thing he needed was a heart attack.

---

Hiruzen felt like he was going to have a heart attack as he burned through the box of scrolls about the two clan heirs. Copies of their medical records, academic records, list of known jutsu, their physical and sparring records. Mizuki was even able to somehow jot in their favorite foods. The disgraced Chūnin was nothing if not thorough.

An ANBU wearing a cat mask was standing diligently at attention before his desk, with long brown hair that pooled down to the small of his waist.

Hiruzen massaged his temple once he was done with the Uchiha scrolls, an overbearing urge to go down to TI and order the faculty in custody to be stripped of their positions as instructors and status as shinobi revoked.

"It was just where you said it would be, Hokage-sama," the ANBU said evenly, having refrained from speaking while the village leader was busily verifying the contraband that he had confiscated from the laboratory where ROOT would conduct their research on corpses; enemy and ally alike, kekkei genkai, weapons and other means to fortify Konoha's military strength. Danzō himself oversaw many of these projects, integrating only the most useful into his own personal repertoire.

"Was there anything else of interest there, Tenzō?"

Tenzō shook his head. "Yours and Danzō's own operatives took turns in cleaning everything out. What was peculiar was that the box was resting on a desk right by the lab door, as if it was placed there deliberately by Mizuki to seize at his leisure. Like he didn't expect anyone else to find it."

The ANBU didn't know what to make of it, but the older man seemed hardly taken aback. "Naturally, since it was sealed off. No one was supposed to be able to enter the base. Hence, why I provided you the formulae to disable the security seals to allow you access in case they were still up."

"Indeed they were, Hokage-sama," Tenzō acknowledged. "Which begs the question of how Mizuki was able to break in and reapply the seals to avoid suspicion. I doubt he has any skill passing the simple basics, so the only explanation was that he had an accomplice, one with actual knowhow in fūinjutsu. When I arrived there, they were all in perfect working order."

Hiruzen had a sinking feeling he knew why, but should have been highly improbable. He had their fūinjutsu formulas held within a secured enclosure that was heavily guarded at all times. Only he and one other who was their resident expert on seals had proper clearance, and they were off doing their own duties well outside of the village.

Unless his precautions were compromised. It wouldn't be the first time, and would never be the last so long as it was him.

He could never take back the foibles of the non-intrusive clause they agreed upon, which his old friend saw fit to abuse and work around to run roughshod over his more clandestine operations, such as an attempt on his life years ago, and one of his greatest moments of weakness that cost the village dearly.

Mizuki's treachery was no doubt only the tip of things to come if he was bereft of the onus to act, and Naruto being off-world exacerbated the burgeoning vulnerability of the village. A moment to collect his bearings, Hiruzen bore into his operative with a hard as stone glare. "Can I trust you, Tenzō?"

Behind his mask, Tenzō's features remained neutral, but internally, he was curious as to what brought this on. Ever since he was pulled from ROOT to directly serve under the Hokage, he had been nothing but loyal. Unlike his previous superior, Sarutobi Hiruzen was a man of honor, whose integrity was admirable even amongst shinobi, where trust was a luxury an anorexic few could afford. He would give his life for the man sitting before him.

A wordless answer from him was the removal of his mask. Underneath was a plain, almost unassuming face that one could easily forget. The single oddity were his eyes, which were strikingly wide, but no less spirited.

"What do you suggest, Hokage-sama?" Tenzō posed, awaiting orders.

"Do all you can to track Danzō's movements. Gather as much evidence as you are able. It may seem unwise to place such a daunting task on a former subordinate of his, but it is precisely because you have worked under him that you are most suited," Hiruzen instructed. "It would seem one of my worst fears has come to pass. He has allied himself with Orochimaru."

Tenzō closed his eyes. "Understood."

With a puff of smoke, he vanished, leaving Hiruzen alone with his thoughts.

"No more."

He had tolerated enough.

---

Naruto sniffed the delicious morning air after exiting their tent, then sucked in a big gulp as he did a stretch, basking in the rays of the new glorious morning on his second day in the Digital World.

His face then twisted when he caught a whiff of something he stepped on underfoot, releasing a jumble of curses as he hopped hurriedly towards the river. After washing up, and washing again, he helped Bokomon with preparing breakfast by starting a fire with the scholar's loaned fire piston, which he achieved after a few clumsy attempts. Piyomon was still asleep, no doubt tired from their spar the previous afternoon.

Naruto watched as Bokomon was rolling three oblong shaped rocks near the fire pit, perhaps thinking it needed more to help with the cooking. He shrugged and darted his gaze around in search of their food.

"What are we having today?" the boy asked, scratching the crown of his head.

"What's in these rocks," Bokomon replied calmly, gesturing to the ones he kept shuffling closer to the flames.

"I'm not even going to ask," Naruto said with a pitched hand upfront, electing to just roll with this world's weird food.

Determining they were cooked long enough, Bokomon carefully removed each rock from the fire and gave them to an awake Piyomon, who pecked them open with her beak. Inside the rocks were yellow cores that were fluffy to the touch, and to Naruto's astonishment, he recognized what they were when he took a careful bite from an improvised spoon he carved for them out of branches, mindful of the still hot rocky shell.

"This tastes like eggs," he said, digging into his meal.

"They're called 'Creggs'," Bokomon replied. "Good, huh?"

"Best eggs, uh, 'creggs' I've ever had," Naruto beamed.

When their breakfast was done, they broke camp and started on their journey once more, bent on arriving at this mysterious shrine Bokomon was so excited for.

"Alright!" Naruto yelled to the air, pumping a fist high. "Let's get to that shrine!"

"Yeah!" Piyomon echoed next to him, both wings raised.

The energetic blonde immediately broke into a sprint, when he stopped halfway as he realized - he didn't know where he was going. His embarrassment drew mirth from his companions, who caught up to him at a more languid pace. Bokomon sauntered ahead of them to lead the way, leaving Naruto and Piyomon to tour the forest as they resumed on their journey. Teeming with life, the sounds of small fauna rang all around them. Birds, the normal kind he was used to, were chirping in a cacophony of bustling activity, the few he spotted hopping from branch to branch and flying away when they sensed their party passing by, accompanied by the noise of roaring rivers, the rustling of lush green leaves contrasting the dry being crunched beneath their feet next to the snapping of twigs littering the loamy soil, while the mossy terrain was slippery with each unhurried step they took when they crossed over a log bridge.

The air itself became heavier and crisp with the scent of vegetation. Being the tallest, Naruto helped guide Bokomon down heights and boulders, while Piyomon flew every now and then to help exercise her wings.

"I can't fly that far yet, so I want to work on how much I can cover before I get tired," Piyomon explained to him. "It's part of the training we Piyomon go through to develop our bodies."

They would stop occasionally for breaks, with Bokomon giving commentary about the flora, both normal to him and native to the Digital World. One such was under a enclosed part of the forest, where the canopy clumped together that ended in a thick understorey, he showed them a flower called 'Solar Stars' that thrived and glowed brightly where there was little to no sunlight. So bright that Digimon without night vision would use a bunch of them as lanterns to help them see at night. The field of flowers shimmered and sparkled like jewels under the dimness, and they would only grow brighter in the later hours, absorbing what little ultraviolet rays seeped in.

"Too much sunlight, and they whittle though," Bokomon demonstrated by bringing one out into an open section that flared out into a small clearing, the smooth white petals in the shape of a star wrinkling dry.

"Those would be useful if we could cultivate them here," Kakashi commented.

"Hey now!" Anko said abruptly, a hand over her widened eyes. "Who's that? Gasp! It's Hatake Kakashi, holding some kind of glowing flower thing like a moron! Good thing he did, otherwise we never would have spotted him. Let's take him out!"

"I was referring to home use," Kakashi deadpanned, not looking at her.

"Sure you were," she teased, patting him on the waist with the back of her hand.

Hours went by, and the group briefly stopped once they reached the summit of a tall cliff. Before his very eyes was a vast swath of the dense forest put on display, utterly mesmerized by its splendor. He framed the scenery in his mind, the abnormally patterned sky giving it an ethereal quality as it seemed to stretch endlessly. Streams of white lights in the distance stood as columns that dotted the landscape, emanating from what he could vaguely make out was a large globe or celestial body presiding over the world below.

Overhead, Naruto spied a few birds flying by, eliciting him to happily wave at them with both arms as the wind whistled past their party. For the first time in his life, he had never felt so free.

---

Kakashi observed the boy furtively. "He…looks happy."

"Yeah," Anko sounded. "You know what that could mean, right?"

Of course he did. One that any shinobi of Kakashi's caliber would find disconcerting. It'd be more of a surprise if Naruto refused to stay in the Digital World. A new place where nobody knew who he was save for the friends he'd made. In a way, it was the kind of life the kid deserved after everything he'd been through. What he hoped to give Naruto long ago when he offered to adopt him. Hiruzen was only too kind to steer him away from what would prove an upbringing mired with difficulty. While he no doubt had nothing but the best of intentions for the boy, his…flaws couldn't rightly be ignored. Kakashi was many things, but he capitulated to the reality that he could never be a parent. It was why he was always impartial to settling down.

Him? A family man? A father? He drummed himself tirelessly into the service to get his mind away from such an uninviting perspective, with the fitful day off when he got to relax with his Icha Icha Paradise volumes.

"Don't doze off on me now, Cyclops," Anko advised with no shortage of concern, catching him staring off into nothing, mindful of his earlier behavior.

"Yeah," he nodded stiffly, snapping out of his funk. "Good thing the Hokage isn't here to see it."

"See what?" Hiruzen voiced behind them, no better; or worse, time that he could have popped in unannounced.

Crap. Well, at least Naruto wasn't about to yell at the top of his lungs at that exact moment that he-

---

"Bokomon, Piyomon, I've decided!" Naruto exclaimed. "I don't want to go back to Konoha. Not anymore. I'm going to stay. Right here!" he declared with a wide flourish of both arms in a celebratory fashion, the light of the noontime sun casting him in a spotlight, scintillating his features as he finished in a loud voice. "You hear me, Digital World?! Uzumaki Naruto is here to stay!"

---

Double crap. Well, at least he had faith that their level-headed superior wasn't about to-

A distinct thump from behind alerted the both of them to act, finding Hiruzen doubled over and clasping his chest with both hands.

Minutes later, the elderly Hokage swore that he was fine, and that it was a false alarm brought about by the shock of hearing Naruto's announcement. Or, so they prayed was the case.

"Yeesh, just how much of a sob story is this kid that he actually wants to stay there?" Anko wondered aloud to herself, causing the two men who knew the most about the circumstances involved to bristle, perturbed. "I was being rhetorical. Was it really that bad?" She as well had gone through her own brand of being ostracized as a former student of Orochimaru, but she liked to think it wasn't too severe since anyone who so much as messed with her would be getting the business end of a dango stick shoved up their rear. "Okay, not that up to speed on the kid, and I'm damn ambivalent about prying too much out of a hunch that it won't be pretty. Foster care?"

"Kicked out of the orphanage when Danzō leaked his status as the Jinchūriki," Kakashi revealed crossly. Anko didn't need to be told twice who that was, the man's 'reputation' preceding him amongst their ranks. She was with TI. No way were they in the dark to what ROOT once was. She and Ibiki intermittently collaborated with a number of their operatives some odd years before its official disbandment. To Hiruzen's memory, since he was the one who signed on it, the matron was appropriately punished and replaced for such an act, but Naruto could no longer return lest his situation with the other children and; most especially, the staff, worsened.

"Caretakers?"

"Never developed any attachment to them, and the feeling was very much mutual."

"Oh boy," Anko thrummed her fingers across her forehead protector, a fluster of annoyance spread across her neck and face. "I'm gonna regret asking this, but does he even have any friends? Associates? Acquaintances? Preferably those of his age?"

She was inundated with nothing but awkward silence, supplemented by Kakashi coughing into his hand, averting his gaze.

"Seriously?!"

As if to save some face, Hiruzen imperceptibly perked up. "He's being tutored by Shikaku's boy."

Rather than finding out through his crystal ball, or one of his agents assigned to Naruto, the Jōnin Commander himself personally broke the news to him. Needless to say, both of them welcomed it. Naruto socializing with and helped by one of his peers, and Shikamaru being more active in his studies. It would have, potentially, done wonders for Naruto's esteem had this not occurred of all times, but alas.

"Oh, well, heh, that's just fanfuckingtastic!" Anko tittered before her tone shifted low. "Isn't this kid supposed to be the container of something that can crush a goddamn mountain?"

Silence.

"... do you…ever wonder to yourselves what'll happen if someone harboring that much power is gonna, doh, I don't know…get mightily pissed?"

Silence again.

"Has it…ever crossed any of your smooth brains that our most powerful military asset should be nurtured to be expressly loyal to the village in the first place? As I recall, being regularly subjected to abuse, neglect and persecution doesn't exactly inspire any of that. Unless all this time I've been living in a perpetual state of opposite day and my name is actually Karen."

More silence, accompanied by a visibly severe wince from both men.

"Has it ever occurred to any of you that the first genuine form of positive influence this kid receives, he'll cling to it like white on rice?"

Even more silence.

"Or, was that your intention from the start?" She eyed them suspiciously for any break in composure.

At that very instant, Hiruzen wished that were the case. "No," he answered, dipping his head low.

Anko didn't even need to raise her voice to bring her point across, the looks from them enough to know that she had gotten through. "Now, to be fair, I'm certainly not one to shoot my mouth off on account of not having anything to do with the kid myself, and that's true. I have no connection with him whatsoever. Plus, I've got my own life and obligations to lead, what with being at TI, not being the Hokage, not being his legal guardian, not being the Hokage, not being with child care services, not being the Hokage. Did I mention that I'm not the Hokage? The highest authority in the entire country that's only second to the Daimyō himself? Did I?"

She shrugged. "Oh, wait a minute. I did interact with him a few times. Yeah, I even treat him to dango when I have the time ever since I found him knocked on his ass by some bozo he wanted to buy a mask from. Funny how that works out."

As if a large veil draping his perception had been lifted, Hiruzen's heart sank to the bottom like lead, head falling into his open palm.

"Dear lord…"

"Don't beat yourself up over it, old man." Anko's casual smile didn't leave, but there was a gentleness to now. "You had a lot on your plate, I get it, and Cyclops here's a mess; no offense-"

"None taken."

"-so, yeah, we all get dealt a bad hand, but…" She paused to glimpse at a smiling Naruto, seeing the happiness radiating off of him in waves. "Just…look for yourselves."

And, indeed, Hiruzen didn't-couldn't recall a time ever seeing the child with such a huge ear-to-ear smile threatening to rend his face in two, as if mocking him for violating his promise.

His mind inadvertently flashed back to that night.

The night Kushina entrusted her son to him with her dying breath, and how he shamelessly vowed to make good on that.

Kakashi himself was forced out of another funk by the kunoichi's words, staring at a Naruto that could have been as he was flanked by his friends, the sun casting him brightly.

Sensei…

---

At the same time…

Bokomon stiffened his jaw when he heard Naruto's sudden announcement. "Are you sure? You…really don't want to go home?"

"Yeah," Naruto affirmed wholeheartedly, beaming still with his newfound confidence. "I like it here. I mean, I really like it here. For the first time, it feels like I'm free to do whatever I want, be myself and loads of other stuff that I couldn't in Konoha."

Bokomon bit his lip at Naruto's naive assumptions about the Digital World, but there was a part of him that understood where he was coming from. "But, isn't Konoha your home?"

Like a switch had been flicked, the boy's demeanor wavered, his expression tightening into a bitter scowl, turning away with his eyes furrowed, both hands balling into fists.

"Konoha was never my home."

Naruto letting the words fall out was like a great weight had been shoved off his chest, giving him ample breathing room to think about his life for as long as he remembered within Konoha's suffocating walls, the abuse he suffered from the villagers, the bullying, the neglect and…what little he ever got in the way of those who came to his defense. He didn't think, or wanted to believe they were his friends. He didn't want to end up burned again like with Mizuki.

"Dad…about our rent…"

"Ayame, not now!"

"But-"

"It's fine…it'll be fine. Just trust me."

A sunken feeling caved in his chest, smothering that exchange back to the recesses of his subconscious.

Iruka, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji? They'll probably abandon him, if not shun him for being the son of criminals all the same. Whatever crime they committed must have been that severe for him to earn so much hate and scorn. A stark contrast to how Bokomon and Piyomon accepted him. Maybe this is where he could indeed start over and make a life for himself. Free from persecution, free from the stigma. What would be so wrong about it? It's not like he was doing what the villagers didn't want to happen. He'd finally be out of their hair and he was fine with that. In fact, why did he ever waste his time trying to ingratiate himself to them for so long?

Of course, because he believed he could. Belief that things would get better if he tried hard enough. That their treatment of him would change if it didn't get him down, and for a while, that mindset seemed to be working. Reality, however, could be merciless, and that he was just ignoring what little food he had, and when he didn't, it was expired or rotten. How his clothes were hand-me-downs at best, or rags at worst, ripping and tearing not long after getting them.

How he was always alone in the end.

Then, this happened to him of all things. Like an answer to a silent prayer. Must have been someone watching over him. That weird old man. It must be. But, who cared about any of that anymore? Him? Nope. That was all behind him, a whole world behind, and he was ready to leave it that way. A chapter in his life ending, paving the way for a new one.

He felt something hard coil around his fist, and found it was both of Piyomon's claws gently grasping his unfurled hand, looking up at him with kind eyes. His other hand errantly reached up and felt moisture trailing down his cheek; he had been crying. The tears didn't even register until he was pulled out of his stupor.

"Naru-chan, you…you don't have to go home if you don't want to."

Naruto sniffled, rubbing a forearm across his face. "I'm not going back, Piyomon. I'm here to stay. With you and Bokomon. You guys…you guys are my friends. Is…is that okay?"

Bokomon said in a consoling tone, "Of course it's okay. Why shouldn't we be friends? I just wanted to be sure because…it might not be as liberating as you think it to be. Naruto, you haven't seen what this world has to offer, believe me. I'm telling you this right now because I'm concerned for you and the decision you're making."

"Then, just teach me!" Naruto exclaimed pleadingly. "Make me an assistant, a student, I don't care. I…I just want to live a life where the moment I'm in a crowd, they don't break away from me like I'm diseased or…I did something wrong. A life where I don't have to hear adults saying I'm better off dead or out on the street. Where…" he bit into his lip tightly. "Where I get to actually eat a full meal that isn't ramen all the time!"

His head arched forward, hanging low as more tears threatened to flow, his face screwed in indignation. "I hate them…"

"Who?" Bokomon asked.

"My parents…" the boy gritted out tautly.

"You shouldn't say things like that," Bokomon gently warned him.

"But I do…" the young man growled angrily, tightening his fists again that worried Piyomon, who still held onto him gingerly.

---

Hiruzen had long torn his eyes away from the screen throughout Naruto's tangent, the lad's words cutting into him sharper than any kunai could, his subconscious berating him for so much he had overlooked, lapses of judgment that many over the years had criticized him for, and mistakes that could have been avoided. Even his own son, who heavily contested this passivity of his, ended in their rift. They were still on speaking terms, but it was more formal than familial now.

Had he governed with a firmer hand, could he have overseen the future of his ward better? Could he have averted past misjudgements?

Perhaps it was precisely because he wasn't looking at Naruto as a weapon that he didn't…no. Not even at his worst could he bring himself to think in league with Danzō. That being said, he was well aware of his own flaws. He had flourished more as a shinobi, as a soldier, as a General leading his forces in battle.

As a politician? The results spoke for themselves.

"Things will work out."

Asinine, puerile, impotent, pathetic. It was the guiding principle that he had based most of his tenure on. That he could place his faith and trust in people, borne from how he had built a camaraderie with his fellows that allowed such a mindset to fester in him. That civilians could understand the intricacies of their world. That he could expect…

What did he expect? That they had failed to meet the very best that he and Minato had set on them. His age saddled his mind with wisdom; or so he liked to think, but also fear. Fear of corruption, of the same dark path so many others had tread down.

He wasn't able to sway Orochimaru, nor avert Danzō from their respective darkness, and if Naruto hadn't been spirited away, the same mistake would have been repeated. A cycle that he was now working to break.

But, would it be enough? The very hour he went back to his office, representatives of the merchant guild were already waiting for him. Each and every one of the businesses Naruto frequented that the ANBU gathered from their accounts of having shadowed the young Uzumaki, and interrogating the rest for those unaccounted for. These were merely the immediate bunch that could be called upon on such short notice.

In varying degrees at first, many of them were only too eager to cooperate with whatever they were gathered for, toadying up to him, while some were right to be anxious, as the atmosphere in the office became increasingly constricting as he kept his back to them, quiet as a grave at night. Very quickly, their mouths bolted shut, as if speaking out of turn would see their tongues severed, invisible hands ready to squeeze their necks to deprive them of life-giving air. For each miserable second that transpired, it became clear the longer they stayed rooted under his roof for whatever error they were foolish enough to commit, only pain awaited. He didn't even dignify them with an entrance through the door, slipping in like the shinobi he was when they least anticipated.

In no uncertain terms did he lay out to them what would happen if they continued to act brazenly, and enabled behavior that bordered on treason for impairing the development of their village's Jinchūriki. He didn't expect them to actually like the boy, as that would be tantamount to forcing them to hug and kiss every man, woman and child that came and went. What he explicitly explained in agonizing detail that was conveyed in a deceptively civil tone of voice was that Uzumaki Naruto was to be treated with the bare minimum of courtesy, the same extended to all who gave them business.

They were promptly dismissed afterwards.

Even a braindead monkey would instinctively detect that they were mere inches away from death, a few of them scampering to their homes with the ever present sensation of eyes still on them. They only had as much clout as the real power afforded them to have, the consensus being that the shinobi government was fully capable and within its rights of making things…difficult for them in the foreseeable future if they were found acting out of bounds. There was a chance that they'd sabotage the economy as retaliation, or some other cockamamie scheme for rebellion, but that was an overestimation of their influence. They could be replaced, with their competitors opportunistically capitalizing on whatever void left behind. Such was business in a shinobi village.

Konoha was not tyrannical in how it ran things; that much was true, but to have its civilians believe that they could walk all over the men and women who were gambling life and limb for them to be able to afford everyday comforts; oftentimes taken for granted, was an idea that would have any self-respecting shinobi think twice before escorting caravans of supplies, a mine that needed to be secured for its ore, or guarding high profile merchants conducting foreign trade summits. They could take their case to the Daimyō, but that would simply be an unnecessary waste of resources that the man wasn't foolish enough to indulge in for the sake of what was in hindsight a trivial matter. Naruto was, by all merits, a citizen of Konoha long drafted into the service; aside from being a political boon in the right hands, with all the rights and privileges entailed.

Hiruzen wasn't foolish enough to be complacent in his reputation alone, given his advancing age, but in the off chance that the Daimyō felt even a tiny bit bold, the latter knew full well that any civil unrest would prove detrimental long term relative to the scale. The man could be foolhardy, but he wasn't a hapless idiot.

---

"What are…parents?" Piyomon asked delicately.

Bokomon felt hesitant to meet her eyes. "Parents are…people who care and nurture a child, that's usually their biological offspring, but they can also adopt. It all depends."

"I…don't think I've ever had one of those," Piyomon said, gaze falling to the ground.

"That's because, as Digimon, we don't reproduce biologically," Bokomon explained to her. "We come into being from a universal system of data that's regularly recycled and merged to form us. But, it's fairly common for family units to emerge out of a need for relationships, connections, or more typically, survival." Though, there were rare cases of two or more borne of the same kernel, resulting in siblings. He knew of a particular duo that resided in the Folder Archipelago.

"What about you, Naru-chan?" Piyomon directed at the blonde.

Naruto shook his head, mollified, eyes pasted down at the forestry. "I never knew them."

Piyomon blinked. "Are they…bad people? You said they…did something wrong."

Naruto bit his lip, responding with a stiff nod of his head. "They…abandoned me, and they probably did a lot of other bad stuff, too."

Piyomon's brows fell, sad for her friend.

"So why…"

"Why…what?"

Naruto clenched his teeth tight enough to break them. "Why…did I…have to suffer because of them? Why?!"

It must have been the shading of the noontime sun, but Bokomon thought he saw Naruto's rich blue eyes redden for a second. "Naruto, I don't claim to understand how bad it must have been back in your village, but, believe me when I say that I can relate."

Bokomon sighed in quasi relief when Naruto paused, glimpsing down at him. "Relate how?"

The scholar shuffled past them to stare out at the forest near the precipice of the hill. "That I know what it feels like to be treated like you don't belong, to be looked down on, like you're less than. In my case, it's because I'm not strong or refuse to evolve. I can't tell you how many times I've been threatened or close to being loaded because I'm weak."

The other two listened intently without a word, inclining him to continue. "Most Digimon prey on weakness, especially those who can't fight back, and there are those who disapprove of someone like me staying the way I am, calling me a coward, worthless or crazy." He snorted, slowly hiking his head to look up at the sky. "And, maybe I am, but like I said…I could never bring myself to harm another even if I could."

His head dipped down. "Thousands of years ago, I…"

Both children waited for the rest of what the scholar was going to say, but he sighed, deflating with a cryptically somber smile over his shoulder at them. "Naruto, weak Digimon like me regularly become fodder for the strong. Many like me suffer and die at the hands of those who will stop at nothing to grow in power. I've never once doubted that just around the corner, one of these days, it'll finally happen. Everything that I was, or ever will be, gone in an instant. I've lived a long enough life, and I've come to terms with that."

Naruto's mouth opened and closed, blinking owlishly, never having heard anyone sound so…resigned over their impending fate. Or could it be calm acceptance? He hammered down the lump that clogged his throat. "What…what does that have to do with me?"

"For you to keep on living."

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

Bokomon fully rounded on him. "Life is a struggle, Naruto. You can be lazy, you can be hardworking. You can be rich, poor, tall or short, but being alive itself is the actual challenge. Yet, we still have to live. It can be hard, it can be taxing, but that's the point. The very thought that no matter what comes your way, you can't just give up. It's a blessing as much as it can be a curse. Otherwise…it's over without ever having tried."

"You think I haven't tried?" Naruto shot back witheringly. "I have, for as long as I've had to wake up everyday and tell myself that it'll be different, that it'll get better. That…that I shouldn't give up, because…" Flashes of his old life sped past his mind's eye, laced with scorn and apathy, of disappointment and a disjointed sense of belonging. "Because I thought that I could earn people's approval if I just sucked it up, acting like a moron who smiled through the pain, but that only made them angrier and their treatments worse! Like something about me being happy, even when I was faking it, pissed them off. After that, I started doing stupid pranks. I don't even like pulling pranks, but at least it hurt less that I gave them an actual reason to not like me, rather than not knowing why in the first place. I can't trust people anymore, and thinking about Konoha makes me feel like shit! What's even the point of it all?!"

Bokomon nearly recoiled in worry from Naruto's swelling temper, flabbergasted that one so young could have gone through so much. "That wallowing in despair and anger won't accomplish anything or make things better. You're in a rut right now, but it's a must for that to pass. You have to move on. Crawl, bite and claw your way out of it if you have to, but I'd rather live on my own terms to the bitter end and go out satisfied, and that what others think of you when you know you haven't even done anything wrong shouldn't matter. Because, when it comes right down to it, the only one whose approval you'll only ever really need in the end, is your own."

The boy's features perked up a notch.

"On that note, how did you even get it to your head that you could have earned people's approval like that?"

The clearest recollection that immediately stood fresh in his mind was that one night the old man came to him in the middle of the woods, forced to fish for his own food after his stipend was reduced to a few measly coins that a mere loaf of bread was out of his reach. It was the first time he ever became acquainted with the man, and from then on, was the one who personally dropped off his monthly allowance. That was the night he was first told about the "Will of Fire", and gave way to his dream of becoming their village leader. He suddenly remembered what helped him endure the abuse for so long; that the village was supposed to be his family to love and cherish.

Hiruzen was actually impressed that Naruto repeated what he imparted to him word for word of their village's great creed, and internally smiled in approval.

After Naruto was done recounting that night and the creed itself, a stony look drew itself on Bokomon's face, like he had just heard something painfully unbelievable.

"That sounds dumb."

Hiruzen, Kakashi, barring Anko, gaped in incredulity, their jaws hitting the floor.

"An entire village is supposed to be your family? 'Cuz it sure doesn't sound like they are from the way they treat you. Even then, it's kind of hokey. This 'Will of Fire' you're talking about just sounds like brainwashing. Not very good, I might add."

"...Brainwashing?" Naruto's face furrowed uneasily.

"Yeah," Bokomon nodded to him. "You know. Like in a cult."

---

Hiruzen felt like he was going to have another heart attack next to a stroke, sputtering, "Th-This is…this is-"

"What? Blasphemous? Sacrilegious?" Anko smirked at the elderly man, who went flush as he pulled at the rim of the conical hat that wasn't there out of reflex.

"I was meaning to say, Anko, that this scholar is harboring a gross misinterpretation of Shodaime-sama's credo," the Hokage voiced defensively. "Konohagakure's very foundational belief."

Anko stared at him blankly. "Old man, have you ever heard of Jashinists?"

Hiruzen stiffened in slight fear.

There wasn't a shinobi alive from his era that was ignorant of the Cult of Jashin, which previously went by the erroneous Harmony Restoration Movement. It was supposedly built on a philosophy of pacifism and peace following the Third Great Shinobi War, and quickly exploded in membership composed of those who were orphaned and destitute after the war, but it soon came to be known that their ideals were fraudulent, and a front to what it really was. A dangerous cult that practiced the art of Jujutsu (Curse Techniques).

The members would be subjected to inhuman amounts of torture and mutilation, "training" their bodies to withstand pain and punishment for their techniques. When a joint report was made of their practices from spies across the Five Great Shinobi Villages due to the peculiarity of their activities; a few of said spies becoming indoctrinated in the process, it was more than enough to make Kirigakure reconsider their own barbaric customs.

Even when they were exposed, those who survived their rituals proudly proclaimed their devotion to Jashin, reduced to a third of their early numbers, and for their blood to be a sacrifice to spread their teachings in the eradication of all life. A twisted form of "salvation" where there was peace in death.

The cult was eventually purged, with Hiruzen himself leading the charge of his own faction in the culling of such an evil. Those who managed to avoid their fate were scattered and forced into hiding, cutting off their influence and leaving only small enclaves that were declared a "purge on sight" order.

"Did you know that they subject new and young members to ritualistic abuse? And, by that, I mean beating them bruised and bloody, cutting them up, burning them, all the while being told that they're worthless, have no value, that their lives are hopeless and meaningless. No matter what, they're expected to love and devote themselves to Jashin, to the cult, and what's worse is the ones doing it to them are all smiles, like they're happy with being sick sacks of shit doing god knows what to kids not even old enough to be weaned. That's right, old man, even infants aren't spared."

"I'm well aware, Anko," Hiruzen sucked in a breath to compose himself from both her accounts and ghastly memories resurfacing. "That is far from what Naruto has had to endure."

"So would you care to tell me why the hell did you fill his head with moronic bullshit about loving this place despite all the crap he goes through?"

"That's-" Hiruzen's throat rumbled. "I did not intend for him to go that far." At least, that's not what he meant for the lad to believe. "Whatever you may say of the Will of Fire, it has stood as the strength of our shinobi, our people since the founding of Konoha."

"I don't believe in it."

Hiruzen gaped at the blatant admission. "Anko…"

"Ever since Orochimaru, there've been knuckle draggers who thought I'd be next in line to follow in his footsteps, or that I'd tag after him like I was his bitch. Puh!" Anko scoffed, stealing her gaze back to the screen. "The only reasons why I haven't left the village in disgrace is because I'm nothing like him, I fucking hate his guts for not only turning his back on me, but making me into a guinea pig for his cursed seal, and let's not even get into his other wildly unethical experiments, which I had the displeasure of reviewing every goddamn detail of as per my job with TI. I sure as hell wasn't gonna take crap for any of that!"

Kakashi's shoulders fell, knowing how obstinate discord within their ranks could get.

"Why the hell do I have to care about these two-faced idiots?" Anko growled. "I don't know what you're huffing old man, but the people of Konoha aren't exactly worth the blood and sweat we shed at the worst of times."

"Anko…"

"That isn't really fair, Mitarashi," Kakashi said neutrally.

"Oh really? Was it fair for you, Hatake?" Anko rounded on him, glaring. "I've heard the rumors."

"Oh?" Kakashi tilted his head forward with a gruff exterior. "About my father?"

Both of them barely caught the elder with them flinching at the mention of the man.

Anko pitted her killing intent against his own. "Can you honestly say with a straight face after your old man took his own life that you care about them?"

"No," Kakashi answered unabashedly to the other two's surprise, his killing intent waning. "I love the ideal of the village, the symbol that those who came before us strove to protect with their lives. But the people? They're just here. Only a select few I actually care about also live here. I live here. It isn't that complex."

"Kakashi…" Hiruzen pinned a betrayed stare at the ANBU Captain.

"For what it's worth, the 'Will of Fire' as a philosophy sounds good on paper, but applying it to the very letter isn't at all practical," Kakashi expanded. "It certainly didn't do my old man any favors when even his own squad, who he saved in the mission that destroyed his career, thought they were better off dead. I respected those men, Hokage-sama. Only later down the line did I realize they weren't worth anything more than a passing thought." It disgusted Kakashi to no end when one of them was assigned to work with him years ago in a mission not so dissimilar to his father's, the chance of success hinging on him and Tenzō being included as a lesson Konoha learned from that blemish.

The coward ended up begging for his life as he was blown up by a Kibaku Fuda (Explosive Tag). Kakashi could still feel the muscles of his legs burning for every hammering footfall to timely reach him, but was stopped by these trembling words that spilled out of the panicking man's spittle drenched mouth, welding his feet to the beaten down terrain where they were ambushed.

"Please…please help. I…I don't want to-"

Hiruzen swallowed. "But, the villagers-"

"The villagers?" Kakashi echoed drily, cutting Hiruzen off. "A lot of them seem to think that they can just walk all over us. We're not slaves or tools that they can order around or do whatever they wish with. That honor incidentally falls solely to you, Hokage-sama."

"I understand that, but in the name of fairness and impartiality, I have to take them into consideration," Hiruzen retorted, fearing where this talk was headed. "Everyone living within these walls is family, that includes both of you. Naruto as well, especially. The reason why we as shinobi exist at all is for the safety and security of those who can't fight for themselves."

"That's precisely part of the problem. They don't have a clear picture of what we put on the line, and unfortunately, there are shinobi who think the same. They fucking glamorize our line of work, getting all kinds of wrong ideas. Look, I'm not really averse to protecting the village, but the whole family part? Yeah, that's gonna be a hell no from me, chief," Anko groused. "I don't hate Konoha, Hokage-sama, and Cyclops here doesn't either, but expecting us to actually give two shits about people who made our lives a hell of a lot harder is already asking for too much. We're not saints, neither are you. So don't expect us to act like everything's peachy when they're clearly not."

"I…" It was like two aspects of his son bearing down on him, the Hokage at a loss for words.

"About that guy the kid tried to buy a mask from?" Anko continued. "I went back to his place and showed him exactly why he shouldn't do that to one of our own, especially if they're still in the Academy."

"You threatened him?" Kakashi asked her lazily.

"Please, you should know me better than that, Cyclops," Anko smirked at him. "I bought the mask, gave it to the kid, and he ended up playing a wicked prank with it." She paused, then shrugged her shoulders, a trollish grin stretching the corners of her lips. "I may have given him a few pointers along the way."

"Let me guess, you had him impersonate an ANBU and he ended up giving the guy a scare."

Anko smiled proudly. "Yep. Good guess."

"I try," Kakashi shrugged, accepting the faux compliment, then the menacing aura returned. "Don't ever do that again."

"Will do!" Anko saluted at him, leaving Hiruzen to recover from the near fallout that would have occurred.

It seemed he had his work cut out for him if he was ever going to redeem even a fraction of his shortcomings.

The village is family, huh?

"..."

Does that mean you see me as…a brother?

Hiruzen brought a hand to his forehead, touching cold sweat.

No wonder you're so soft.

He tightened his jaw, trying and failing to stifle his last meeting with Danzō, the man's dressing down worming its way into the back of his mind. He was so long accustomed to their little routine that any scathing quip, cutting remark, or petty jab tended to wash over him like a light shower.

It only so happened that this was fairly recent. Not a day longer after Mizuki's flight.

Tell me, it must have been painful, then, when you personally saw to a son like Hisashi fulfilling his role as a sacrifice.

"..."

And Minato, whom you placed all your hopes and dreams on, only to be taken away so soon.

No, that was wrong. Minato was a hero who gave his life for the village. He could never-

You could never raise your hand against family, right?

His gnarled skin turned cold.

Instead, you're fine with others doing that for you.

No, he wasn't.

I didn't think we were that alike, Sarutobi. Are you perhaps simply waiting for the day when an assassin manages to slip into my room to plunge a kunai into my neck?

No…

Oh, but you will save me, correct?

He wo-…

…would…he…?

His stomach turned. Should…he?

Fool! You already have a family.

Ah…how rude of me. I didn't mean for that to be out of turn. Dear Biwako. May she rest in peace.

The glare he now sported wasn't as intense as the one after that was said. A game of shogi, tea, just one of their little get-togethers that became as infrequent as the last.

That isn't to say of your actual son who no longer respects you.

A stroppy brat of a grandson clinging to childish delusions.

Enough!

He could still hear that infuriating chuckle grating on his ears.

The Will of Fire? Can you be any more inane, Sarutobi? Shodaime-sama's creed is tragically misplaced. After all this time, after all these years, you want to keep standing behind that? You speak of strength as something arbitrary, but the man I knew you to be once grazed the battlefield with mountains of corpses left in your wake. Now, this is all you and I can do. Biding our time and playing our silly games until inevitability.

As if to add insult to injury, he won their last match, his only victory that was thrown for him as a spiteful gift.

I will give you this, old friend. You stick to your guns. I respect that. Not many in our world can claim to be a man of their word to the very end, and yet…there was a time that you and I once saw eye-to-eye. I do hope you haven't forgotten.

He didn't.

All our plans. The sacrifices we've made. Not least of all the good men and women who've given their lives to the very foundation of Konoha's prosperity, such is their nobility being a monument for others to follow by example. Look where it has gotten us. Konoha only grows richer. We were the true winners of the last war. We profited, we flourished. Our people aren't starving, industry is booming, and we have the backing of two Daimyō. Any invasive force that dares oppose us can only await to be consumed by the wrathful flames of our might.

He refused to meet the man's eye.

There's your "Will of Fire", Sarutobi. A searing blaze that burns away the unnecessary chaff, and the parasites that cling to the great tree. We both saw the writing on the wall. Only when you were busy twiddling your thumbs over how to best negotiate, the Uchiha became emboldened as the hour of their rebellion drew near. Nidaime-sama's compromises were at an endpoint, little more than stopgaps. We both knew that nothing could put a stop to such bubbling resentment. No matter what we did, they were simply too uppity to settle for anything less than complete control over the village. Did you ever once imagine it? What would life have been like under Uchiha rule? I simply did what other before us would have done, burning away a parasite to save the host. So, tell me, Hiruzen, what would you have done, had your little talks fell through. Hm?

The village leader, the veteran shinobi and the one who inherited the Shodaime's epithet, set his lips into a thin line.

It's not like you were ever that opposed to the only real plan we had.

That was before he realized he was reverting back to the man whose actions and decisions started a chain of ramifications that culminated in the Third War, ironically preventing another from spawning.

So many lives. Far too many lives.

As such…loathe he was to admit that Danzō had a point that the Uchiha needed to be stopped. A civil war of such magnitude would have weakened them, opening Konoha up for the other villages to bare their fangs and chip away at the spoils. The Uchiha, had they succeeded, would have plunged the country into a war out of their maddening pride.

The risks were simply far too great.

Fugaku, Mikoto, Shisui and Itachi may have aligned with his brokering for peace, but for how long? How long would it have proven effective?

He had known all of it. How Danzō conspired to steal Shisui's eye, ruining any chance for him and Fugaku to place the co-conspirators of the coup under their thrall. A backup plan that they devised as a last resort if all else failed. How, from his failure to act urgently, drove Itachi to seek out the Head of ROOT's approval to execute their final solution. All for the sake of securing the peace and order countless souls bled for, suffered for.

Those unforgiving days where the soil soaked in the entrails and fat of the dead, clumps of iron strewn across barren wastes that were caked in blackened blood, the stench of rotting flesh that the vultures and dogs feasted on that hung thickly in the air, screams of rage peppered with anguish, grief and fear vibrating the earth, as if the land itself was wailing in agony in concert with those robbed of their loved ones, their voices even now haunting every corner of the village.

Hell would be a mercy.

Why didn't you show that determination sooner?

It's too late now.

"Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen serenely glanced at Kakashi gently fishing him out of his reminisce. "Yes?"

The ANBU Captain's features were perfectly unreadable, contrasting the soft urgency of his tone. "I think it's best that we start preparing for a contingency in case-"

"No!"

The words dying; no, killed by Hiruzen's firm declaration made Kakashi balk.

"Naruto-kun will return. Have faith, both of you."

Anko glanced at the Hokage askance, sensing a sudden change in the man's once tentative tone of voice. A decisiveness to it that floored her, his authoritative aura flooding the room.

"He is a citizen of Konoha, a shinobi-to-be and who I see as my own grandson. He will come back, for here is his home."

Kakashi's eyes shot up, taken aback by his superior's resolute proclamation.

"I have failed many times over the years. Those who lost their way, straying from the right path as they fell into the darkness of this world."

He could still see Orochimaru's form slipping farther and farther away the night of his arrest and subsequent escape.

"I have made many mistakes, misjudgements and follies."

He was never able to change Danzō, and perhaps, that was for the best now. The darkness no longer held a place for him, and he lamented that he did not pull his friend out of it sooner. Had he done so, maybe they could have resolved the Uchiha crisis together differently. He could have chosen Itachi as his successor the village deserved, a man who was younger, stronger, and who had the dream for a brighter future that encompassed all who lived within their walls, and perhaps beyond.

The man who embodied the Will of Fire's true ideals, but at a greatly terrible cost.

"I failed to reach my hand out."

His eyes fell on his ward, the young man whose future was by the narrowest of margins stolen from him by his negligence, being comforted by dear friends, his old and worn spirit refreshed by the scene.

"And at the same time asked for too much, having burdened all of you, to shoulder responsibilities that we of the previous generation should have resolved. I lost sight of what I was supposed to do. To learn from past mistakes, where we went wrong, so that they may not be repeated. Now, I; we, must not waver. I-"

"Alright already, fine! We get it!" Anko cut him off gruffly, her bluntness tipping the old man over. She ran her fingers through her hair. "Of all times that you could have done an impassioned speech, you do it now? Really?"

"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi deadpanned. "Maybe save the speeches for after Naruto does come back?"

Hiruzen blinked, gawking at their pivot in demeanor.

Anko whirled back to the computer. "We're not a bunch of pussies, you damn geezer."

"No matter how we may feel, in the end, we chose to be of service to Konoha. We were born and raised here, so this is still our home," Kakashi smiled underneath his mask. "And like I said, there are people I still care about here. Minato-sensei loved the village to the very end, and I haven't stopped believing in him, so I'll believe in his legacy as well."

Anko glared over her shoulder, a vicious smirk tugging at her lips. "And what's with the smooth act? Don't think I don't know what you get up to around the block in your free time, you lecher."

A flustered Hiruzen grimaced, bringing a fist over his mouth as he cleared his throat with a healthy touch of red adorning his withered countenance.

"Uh oh."

Kakashi's gaze sharpened on the kunoichi. "Have they made their move?" he asked briskly.

"Right there," Anko directed a finger at a treeline a ways away from the trio, the resolution more than clear enough for her to have picked out a slip of unnatural movement from angling the feed.

"What?" Hiruzen exclaimed with a start. "Explain!"

"Damn it," Anko cursed, her fingers hammering the keyboard as Kakashi briefed the Hokage. "Hey, dipshit! You listening over there?" No response. "Hello?! Asshole! Answer me!"

4ngelf4c3: Don't worry. I already have it covered.

"The hell's that mean?" Anko snarled, a cursory glance between the chat and monitor.

4ngelf4c3: She should be arriving shortly.

"She?" the three echoed in question.

---

"Brainwashing…?" Naruto repeated to himself. Was…was that true? Could it be possible that all this time, he was brainwashed to love the village despite his treatment? At the Academy, during the weekly general assembly, they were given a speech about the Will of Fire. Everyone in the village was family and should be cherished as such. That they shouldn't be divided by any barriers whatsoever as they lived under a single banner. He seldom paid it much heed before, but he'd been lending his ear more to what he needed to hear lately. "I…no, that's…that's not…"

"Guess I shouldn't have jumped to that conclusion right off the bat," Bokomon thought regrettably as he watched Naruto's conflicted reaction. "I don't know enough of the full picture to make a complete judgment on his circumstances, but he has been presenting common symptoms brought about by abuse. Depression, hyperactivity, anxiety, poor social skills, and his body language is a bit controlled. He's malnourished, too. He either isn't eating well or his diet is unhealthy. Likely both."

Bokomon put on a rueful smile. "Maybe I spoke too soon. Naruto, was there anyone in your village that treated you well? Anyone at all?"

He asked the question in the gentlest manner possible so as not to set the boy off, but it only seemed to dishearten the latter further, causing Naruto to pause in morose contemplation. "The Hokage, Teuchi-ossan, his daughter Ayame-nee-chan." He stopped to take a breath, sighing. "Iruka-sensei…Shikamaru…Choji…Ino…"

His eyes shot up after a second. "Shikamaru's parents treated me well. They…let me have dinner with them, too. It was…it was really good."

"I'm guessing the last three are your peers?" Naruto gave him an odd look. "Kids your age. Your friends?"

Friends. A word that, not so long ago, was just as foreign to him as he was to this world.

"I…" Naruto's lips curled into a ghost of a smile, flinging his right hand to rub at his watering eyes. "I don't know. I'm not sure if I can even call them friends. I may not even be allowed to."

"They sure sound like they are," Bokomon rowed.

"No, you don't understand," Naruto shook his head. "They're clan heirs. In Konoha, there are shinobi families that stand as the elite of the village. Unlike civilian conscripts, being a shinobi is generationally ingrained as a lifestyle into their children, and their children's children, and so on. Someday, when they're all grown up, they're gonna be really important people after their dads pass over their roles as Heads. Which means, unlike them, I'll just be a nobody. That is if I was gonna make it as a shinobi at all. But, that shouldn't really matter anymore."

"I still think you shouldn't be too hasty with deciding that," Bokomon advised, when a familiar sensation washed over him. He inclined his head ever so slightly to glance at the treeline, making sure that whoever or whatever it was that was watching them, couldn't get a bead on his awareness.

Hiding under an overgrown tree root were the duo trailing after them yards away, the Gazimon having dug an indent to take cover in. Next to him, the Falcomon was sitting idly against the dirt wall of the pit, minding its own business. Irritated, the Gazimon glimpsed down at his partner with a hissed snarl. "You could be up there scoping them out right now, but no, Mr. Ninja's too stylish for that. I don't even know why I put up with you!"

He grabbed the owl by the collar. "Make yourself useful for a change, you retard!"

It was always like this. Whenever they were on a mission together, he was always the muscle, the one doing the heavy lifting, while the buzzard sat on his ass if he wasn't doing stealth and espionage.

When he fucking felt like it, the lazy shit.

His conduct was atrocious, to say the least, but for some reason, Lord Etemon was fond of the guy. Probably as someone who could stand to listen to the ape's narcissistic ramblings and not speak out of turn. Anyone else who did that without having anything of value to say were deleted.

He tugged for the bird to stand, but to his annoyance, the Falcomon barely budged, weighed down by the gear concealed underneath his feathers. "Fucking-" his canines gritted shut when his ears twitched at a new sound, one that wasn't from the wind or a falling branch, flicking a glance to and fro before sinking into a crouch. He quietly gesticulated to his partner with a thumb.

The Falcomon, sensing a shift in the air himself, pitched his left arm forward, tugging at wire that was tethered to a set of mirrors in strategic points that led to the cliff. The Gazimon stared squarely at the mirror in front of them, reflected on it the scene of their three targets being approached by-oh crap.

Bokomon squinted his eyes at something emerging from the shadows cast by the canopy, then recoiled in startling recognition. Naruto and Piyomon followed the frantic scholar's gaze, spying a creature whose features they picked up first were its long ears that reminded the boy of a rabbit's, with tufts of purple fur ending at the tips, but closer scrutiny marked it as decidedly feline with a long spindly tail sporting the same tuft, complemented with stripes, its piercing black eyes staring ahead at them. Its apparel consisted of a teal sleeveless hoodie. A logo of a black cat's head was stamped atop a visor sewn into the crook of the hood. Its paws; or could it be mittens, were a pitch black with sharp red stripes, tipped with black claws. Hoisted on its back and held with black straps was a red delivery bag.

Standing on its hind feet, the bipedal cat marched with an adorable gait towards the trio, stopping suddenly in front of Naruto, who grew intimidated by how it was drilling into him with a flat gaze.

---

The trio of humans regarded the newcomer with suspicion and caution.

"Is that the one pursuing them?" Sarutobi questioned his ANBU Captain.

"No," Kakashi answered. "Though, it might be one of them."

"They're screwed if they don't move," Anko said cagily, thinking quickly how she could possibly reach out to help them after failing to access the Digital World when Kakashi was out cold and the Hokage left. The code was insurmountably complex and was not of a language she had ever seen before. No matter what she did, it was like trying to chip away at a steel wall with a rusted pickaxe. She tried her arsenal of custom viruses, but the instant she plugged in the flash drive, it was fried by an electrical current, but the computer remained unscathed.

"Scan it," Kakashi ordered.

Black Tailmon Uver.

Stage: Champion

Type: Demon Beast

Attribute: Virus

A form of Black Tailmon that absorbed large amounts of courier service data that flowed into the Digital World in recent years. The hostile personality atypical of the species has been supplanted with a devoted and reliable duty to deliver, anytime and anywhere. It is so dedicated, in fact, that once it's been commissioned, it will not stop for anything until it completes a delivery.

The delivery bag on its back is capable of keeping anything warm or cool and in its optimum state, and since it can only be opened and closed by Black Tailmon Uver., it is safe even for confidential data. As for those that get in the way of its deliveries, it eliminates them with its Signature Moves "Neko Punch" and "Bakōnya", the latter of which it brandishes its very delivery bag as a weapon. Even if it deals great harm to the enemy with its "Bakōnya", the contents will not sustain damage whatsoever, as it is remarkably durable.

Attacks

Neko Punch: Throws a powerful punch or a swipe of its claws at lightning speed.

Bakōnya: Uses its delivery bag as a weapon. Because of its state of the art design, the contents inside remain perfectly intact no matter how much mutual punishment is dealt.

"It's…a courier?" Hiruzen voiced aloud with a sweatdrop, although he was nonetheless impressed by the Digimon's profile that didn't set it apart from a shinobi, albeit, one that was specialized in missions involving the movement of sensitive info. If her bag was indeed capable of such feats of durability and security, her services were no doubt invaluable. They could recreate a similar function with the Uzumaki Fūinjutsu, but it was a choice between practicality over ingenuity.

His train of thought hit a snag when something occurred to him.

Anko and Kakashi beat him to the punch.

"CHAMPION?!"

"DEMON BEAST?!"

His throat burned as the words burst out of his mouth. "Is Naruto-kun in danger?!" Was this creature an enemy or an ally?

"That's what a Champion level Digimon looks like?!" Anko questioned emphatically, having ran on the assumption that they were larger than Rookies.

4ngelf4c3: That's her, and Champion Digimon can vary in size and scale, but they are uncommonly small. It's unwise to base their strength on appearance alone, though. The Tailmon species and their variants are infamous for being sly and dangerous fighters.

Anko read the message. "Well? Don't leave us in suspense. The hell's she supposed to do?"

4ngelf4c3: Give that to Naruto.

"Give what to him, exactly?" Kakashi asked in uncertainty, cursing their helplessness.

---

"Wha-Wha-Wha-What are you d-d-d-doing here?!" Bokomon asked shakily, a sharp pang of anxiety coursing through him. Piyomon had been watching the feline Digimon in silent curiosity, a similarly intrigued Naruto standing nervously still as the courier kept her steely eyes fixed solely on him.

"Bokomon, who's this?" Naruto asked in a muffled whisper against the back of his hand, not taking his eyes off of the cat.

"Black Tailmon Uver," Bokomon answered warily. "Someone whose bad side you do not want to get on."

Ignoring them, the delivery Digimon unhooked her bag from her shoulders to place it on the ground, opening it with a smooth unzip before thrusting a paw inside, shooting the human child and the bird Digimon a tacit eye when they tried to steal a glance at the contents obscured by the lid and her head as she dug through the bag, a clear promise of harm behind it if they didn't back off. Soon, she fished out an all too familiar item that caused Naruto to point and gawk at it in disbelief.

"Ack! Why do you have that thing?!"

Not saying a word, the courier Digimon gestured for him to hold out his hand. After a long lack of compliance, the impatient cat pounced on the boy to pull at the collar of his jacket.

"What the hell?!" Naruto gasped for breath as he was brought down to her eye level, struggling to be released. "W-What are you doing?!"

"Naruto, just take it!" Bokomon pleaded. "Once a Black Tailmon Uver is set on delivering something, the recipient has to receive it whether they like it or not."

"W-Why?!"

Bokomon paled, as if that was the very last thing he was supposed to say.

"YEOWCH!" Naruto yelped, grabbing his foot after the black cat unceremoniously stomped on it. "Why you little-! The hell was that for?!"

She pitched the item towards him again.

"You think I'm just gonna-ARGH!" He grabbed at his other foot, bouncing to keep his balance. "Knock it off!"

"Just take it already!" Bokomon yelled at him, not wanting for her penalties to escalate, knowing from experience.

"Fine!" Naruto growled, holding his hand out while the other was still massaging his foot. The item was deposited on his palm, and the boy had to force back a snarl at the sight of the D-Scanner looking back at him mockingly before swinging it in front of the blasted feline in frustration. "Happy?!"

"Whoa!" Bokomon said in awe as he got a closer look at the hand-held. "Is that a Digivice?"

Naruto turned to him. "A what?"

Reaching into his haramaki, Bokomon pulled out his book and rapidly leafed through it, murmuring, "Gotta be here somewhere…aha! Here we go."

"What? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked quizzically, watching the scholar flip his book around on an open set of pages to present its contents. "Bokomon, do you know what this thing is?"

"I do," Bokomon answered tersely. "Or, at least I believe it to be a different model from back then. It's been a long time now, but there's no mistaking it. It's bigger than the last one, but that thing you're holding is without a doubt a Digivice. A legendary item that was once used by the first human that came here thousands of years ago."

---

All the humans hearing this revelation perked up in shock. "The first…" Hiruzen worked his mouth to trot out, nonplussed.

Kakashi picked up his slack. "This isn't the first time a human has been in that world?"

"Hey now," Anko grinned tensely, "this is starting to get a helluva lot juicier. Doughboy here's a regular fountain of bombshells."

---

Naruto leaned in to closely examine what was being shown. Written on the right side of the page were more scribbles of the Digital World's native script, rendering it unreadable to him, but what was on the left side managed to arrest his attention.

Illustrated on it was what appeared to be diagrams and schematics outlining a small, hexagonal design with circular patterns that wound in on the center in an orbiting manner. Scribbled around the border of what could only be the screen were more of the native text. Two small circles were positioned on the right side, while a third was nestling next to the screen on the opposite, outsizing the others. A small antenna-like protrusion jutted out of the upper left portion.

Anko had zoomed in on the page to better survey the illustrated artifact.

"If we could read their language, that'd be a plus," she said, earning a nod from Hiruzen.

"What's it do?" Naruto asked the scholar.

"Lots of things, but its primary function is supposed to help you form a bond with Digimon."

Hiruzen's brows knitted in curiosity. "A bond?"

"So it is possible to form a contract with them?" Kakashi said in opposition to his earlier hypothesis.

"Like having Virtual Pets?" Anko snickered. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

"Didn't those die out in popularity?" Kakashi recalled.

Anko made a show of shrugging her shoulders. "Company went down when 'Battle Summons' trounced them in the market. The novelty got old having to take care of something that wasn't as immersive as one would a live hamster. Waste of time that you had to check on it every few hours or it'd drop dead, and you had to hatch a new one from scratch. By buying a new one." She shook her head at the obvious money grabbing gimmick. Too bad so many kids; and a few adults, got hooked.

The only silver lining to the fad was that these days, dead V-Pet pocket players were valued as collector's items, and the transistors had trace amounts of metals like gold and copper from scrapping.

"Ah," Kakashi nodded. "I can vouch for that."

"You had a V-Pet?" Anko asked pointedly, arching a brow at him.

"Real live dogs, Mitarashi," he retorted a little too irritably. "My Ninken."

"...right," she quipped, grinning cheekily.

---

"Digivice…?" Naruto said in a daze, entranced by the diagram the longer he kept his sights on it.

"Nine, you say?"

A dull ache throbbed in his head, eyes blinking rapidly before clamping shut.

"Why nine?"

Righting his posture, his free hand flew to his left temple to massage it, teeth gritting, the dullness spiking up in pain.

"Ho? I'd like for you to try, little fox."

"Naruto?" Bokomon called, worryingly lowering his book to reach a hand out to the reeling boy. "Naruto, what's the matter?"

"I-'' the blonde fought to say through the pain. Fortunately, it subsided as suddenly as it arose. "Nothing." His nostrils flared as he sucked in some air. "So…this Digivice thing." He twirled the D-Scanner in his hand. "Can you-wait…THERE WAS A HUMAN HERE BEFORE ME?!"

"Uh, yeah-whoa!" Bokomon gasped out in a start as Naruto grabbed him by the scruff of his haramaki.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Naruto yelled at him, then whipped his head from side to side. "I thought you said there weren't any humans around here! Where?! Where are they?!"

"Didn't you hear what I just said?!" Bokomon spat back at him, squirming. "That was thousands of years ago! Besides, he went back home eventually."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, calming down a bit, then realized how he must have been acting as he put an unamused Bokomon down with an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"No problem," Bokomon said while adjusting his haramaki and patting away imaginary dust. "You could do to be a little more tactful. At least Hagoromo was more polite."

"Who?"

"That was his name. I have something to confess, Naruto, since I couldn't rightly trust you with such information, but…" Bokomon began as he picked up his book which fell to the ground after Naruto manhandled him. He flipped it to a page where a figure was drawn in crayon, the kind a toddler would do of a man wearing a white robe or kimono, white skin, light brown spiky hair, and small horns. The eyes, however, were done in red dots. "The first human who came to the Digital World was a man by the name of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo."

---

Anko and Kakashi both stared at the screen.

"Hey, Kakashi," she called to him stiffly.

"Yes, Anko?"

"When I turn around, I expect the old man to still be perfectly fine and dandy."

Kakashi sighed in disappointment, glancing over his shoulder at the Hokage doubled over once more, mouth hanging open in a silent call of anguish, desperately clawing at his chest.

"Well…"

"Nice." Anko let out her own sigh. "Fucking-"

---

Author's Notes: Yes, the "Will of Fire" does sound like brainwashing. To love and devote yourself to a country or cause at the expense of everything you are and have, and be happy about it. Take a look at Imperial Japan, or other historically despotic countries in the past. It also kind of sounds like something a child would think up.

Also, to those who don't know, Japan has a very big cult problem. The government in recent years has been cracking down on them, as they're little more than scams to launder money from people gullible or desperate enough (which Japan has no shortage of) to pay for some meaning in their lives. Some of the most innocuous, ridiculous, idealistic, and largely outlandish beliefs imaginable are cultivated in these cults.