AN: Alright! Chapter 5 is finally up and running! From now on, I will try to make the chapters a bit longer, within the 7k - 10k mark. However, my upload frame will be every 2 weeks or so. Sorry for those who enjoyed the fast updates, don't wanna get burnt out too quick, y'know?

To aGnamzer0, I applaud you. You managed to predict a few things that would happen in this chapter. As always, I appreciate every one of you that review, follow and favourite my little work of fiction. With that being said, let's get on with the show.

I don't own Naruto.

'95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100!'

"Aah!" A young boy exclaimed as he fell onto his back in exhaustion. Man, those high kicks were tough. Taking in loud gulps of air, half lidded blue eyes stared up at the midday sky.

It had been 6 months since his crash-course with Kakashi. 6 months since his training had begun. Six months since he'd started pushing himself harder and harder every day.

His new training regimen took some getting used to, but he eventually managed to find a good rhythm. Using the tips and advices in the scroll that the ANBU commander had left him with, Naruto had sorted every exercise into a weekly routine.

Every Monday morning, he'd wake up at 7:00am and run a few laps around training ground 7. Once he was sufficiently warmed up, he would then proceed to practice his kicks and punches on a wooden post by doing 100 punches on each arm and 100 high kicks on each leg.

After that was rock throw practice. Because he was too young to be handling sharp objects, he was stuck with practicing with decent sized rocks roughly the size of a golf ball. He'd draw a target on a nearby tree and tried his best to throw the rock as close to possible to the middle point. After each successful attempt, he'd go back a foot, doing so until he couldn't hit the centre anymore.

Tuesdays were his physical building training. First he would run a full lap around Konoha (man, that part sucked! Konoha was big as hell), and once he was done and his blood was pumping, he would proceed to do 50 sit ups, 50 push-ups, 50 squats and 50 pull ups.

Thursdays were his chakra control practice days. At around 9am, he would come to training ground 7 to meditate for an hour. The scroll that Kakashi had given him contained a few helpful tips in doing so. The idea of the exercise was to look within himself and get a better feel and understanding on the way that his chakra felt and worked, to visualize the amount that was contained within his body, know his limits and be able to differentiate which parts of his chakra were "good" and which ones were "bad".

Thursdays and Fridays were similar to Mondays and Tuesdays respectively. His weekends were used as rest days, where he'd allow his body to heal and grow stronger. Strangely enough, he'd never gotten any sore muscles the following day, always feeling as fresh as a daisy when he woke up. Weird. Instead, the scroll had instructed him to spend his Saturdays at a library and read everything he could about history and anatomy, making his sparse vocabulary a bit more distinguished.

Much to his consternation, more than 60% of his ramen stock had been thrown out and his fridge that was once mostly empty all the time was now full of different types of fruits and vegetables, with his little freezer containing frozen meats. Naruto could not believe the audacity of these ANBU. First they broke into his apartment, and now they took his ramen and replaced it with vegetables!? Just what was the world coming to, where a man couldn't enjoy the small things in life anymore? And if that infuriating henohenomoheji scribbled into the wall of his kitchen was any indication, then he knew exactly who the culprit was! Oh, he was so gonna make him pay in 6 months' time!

Even though the exercises were, in the small boy's opinion, 'boring and totally not ninja-like', he'd taken solace in the fact that he did notice some differences. He could now complete his sets in the afternoon without stopping half-way, and he could run faster and for a longer period of time. His kicks felt stronger, his punches faster, his chakra calmer and less erratic than it used to be. Even though he was doing great progress, he couldn't help but hope that next year would bring more exciting training.

Opening his eyes, the blond boy heaved a small sigh as he pushed himself back onto his feet. 'Alright, next up is rock throws. My best score so far is 13 meters, so all I have to do is-'

Crunch!

Naruto spun around in surprise and looked upon the bewildered face of a boy around his age with dark hair that spiked up at the back of his head. God, his sixth sense really was getting rusty now that he wasn't living on the street anymore. It wasn't his fault, no one usually came to this training ground!

"What are you doing?" asked the boy with black hair.

Naruto looked at him uneasily. "Training…" He replied cautiously. "What are you doing?"

The other kid's thoughtful frown morphed into an excited smile. "I'm hiding from my nii-san!" He ran to one of the many trees that were within training ground 7 and placed his hands on the bark, looking up high into the canopy. "He's off duty today, so he agreed to play hide and seek with me."

"…" The blond boy remained silent as he watched the unknown newcomer start climbing the length of the trunk. Once he reached the first set of branches, he looked back down at Naruto and placed his index finger in front of his lips in a shushing motion. "Shhh, don't tell him you saw me!"

"Sure…" Naruto slowly turned back towards the pile of rock he was about to use for his target practice. The other kid wasn't doing anything wrong, and he seemed friendly enough. He just wasn't used to training while someone else was there, it messed with his concentration! 'Ugh, let's just get this over with.'

He picked up a few rocks and walked 10 meters away from the target carved onto the tree. Placing down the rocks at his feet but keeping one in his hand, he took his throwing stance and glared at his mark.

With a small grunt, he threw the rock and watched it sail through the air, impacting the tree bark with a dull thunk. So close! He was within the target, but he was still a few centimeters off the middle. He threw a couple more. Two of them were a bit closer while one was a bit further than the rest. He let out a frustrated sigh. None of them had hit the center yet. He got into his throwing stance once more and pulled his arm back, getting ready to throw the rock again.

"Your arm isn't straight enough."

"Aah!" Naruto spun around in surprise for the second time that day, his hand that had been drawn back continuing the throwing motion despite his sudden shift in movement. The blond watched on helplessly as the rock flew towards the newcomer, though his fears were for naught as said newcomer didn't even flinch, his hand effortlessly shooting up to catch the rock.

The new person looked like an older version of the kid from earlier, though his hair was longer and tied into a small ponytail, line marks adorned his face starting from under his eyes and reaching past his nose.

Naruto took a cautious step back, being instantly unnerved by the guy in front of him. Earlier, he hadn't expected anyone to enter the training ground, so it was understandable that someone had managed to sneak up on him. But this time, his guard had been fully up, and the newcomer had still managed to get past his senses.

"Wh-Who are you?" He silently cursed himself for the slight tremor in his voice.

The man just smiled back pleasantly at him. "Itachi." He replied simply. He gestured towards the target with a nod of his head and repeated; "Your arm isn't straight enough; it's flailing around too much, and your overall stance is too rigid. You need to relax a little."

Naruto stared at the man in uncertainty. When Itachi saw that the boy wasn't about to move, he walked closer until he was a few meters away from him and crossed his arms. "Go on, try again."

The Uzumaki gulped slightly and slowly turned back around. Well, it's not like he had anything to lose. Getting back into his stance, he relaxed his body slightly and held his arm straighter. He pulled his hand back, getting ready to throw but was interrupted once more.

"Wait."

"Huh?" He looked back towards Itachi.

"Your leg." The man said "Bend it forward a bit more."

Naruto did so and looked back towards him for confirmation. Seeing him nod, he stared ahead at the target once more and threw the rock at it, making sure to keep his arm straight.

Thunk! Well, it didn't hit dead center but it was still much closer than his previous attempts. The blond allowed himself a small smile as he turned back around to face the older man.

"Thanks, um…Itachi." The Uchiha elder just nodded and walked towards the tree that the younger boy from earlier had climbed up.

"Sasuke," He called out looking up into the canopy. "Come on down and introduce yourself."

All was silent for a few seconds before a branch on the tree rustled and out popped the head of the younger boy, who's face now sported a small pout. "Man, how did you know I was here?"

Itachi didn't reply as he turned back towards Naruto while Sasuke slowly made his way back down the tree. "What's your name?" He asked, feigning ignorance. Everyone in ANBU knew who the blond boy was, he had become something of a fan favorite amongst the units, his antics being greatly amusing to the silent protectors.

Naruto looked down bashfully andbowed his head slightly. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, sir."

The teenager turned his head towards the younger boy that had finally made it down the tree and placed his hand on top of his head, much tohis displeasure. "This is my little brother, Sasuke Uchiha." Itachi pulled his hand away as Sasuke tried to swat at it. "And I'm Itachi Uchiha, it's a pleasure to meet you Naruto-kun."

Naruto looked up at the 12-year-old. "Uchiha…I've heard that name before."

"Of course you have!" Sasuke interjected loudly. "The Uchiha clan is the most prestigious clan of Konoha, everyone knows who they are- gaah!" He was cut off by his older brother's fist coming down lightly on top of his head.

"It's about time you went back home, Sasuke. Mother will get worried otherwise."

Sasuke huffed lightly but complied, running off towards the entrance to the training grounds. "Bye nii-san, see you Naruto!"

Naruto waved back at him awkwardly watching him leave as Itachi turned back towards the blond to observe him with a critical eye. "Naruto-kun, may I ask you a question?"

Naruto turned back towards the Uchiha. "What is it?"

Itachi paused for a second, as if considering what to say. "What drives you to be training at your age?"

Naruto blinked in bewilderment. "What drives me?"

The Uchiha nodded. "You train to be strong, correct? Why do you wish to be strong?"

He frowned and looked down at the floor. "It's more than just wanting to be strong Itachi-san. I need to be strong." He looked up at the prodigy. "If I don't become strong to protect myself, then who will?" He walked back towards the target, collecting his rocks once more. "Besides," he continued "I'm gonna become a ninja when I'm older, and Konoha needs a strong Jinchūriki. At least that's what people say."

This boy would become a great shinobi, Itachi was sure of that. His potential seemed enormous. Uzumakis in general were something to be feared, with their seemingly unending reserves and high longevity. Not only that, but he contained the strongest of the bijuu within him, and was already mature enough to understand what it would mean to become a ninja. All he needed was a guiding hand.

"You want to impress him, don't you?" Naruto froze at that and turned back towards Itachi as he continued, "you want to prove to him that you can become strong, that you are someone that would be worth training."

Naruto quickly turned away once more and went back to his stack of rocks. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Itachi smiled. "Naruto-kun" He called out, getting the blond's attention again. "Watch me closely."

The young boy watched on as the taller man laced his fingers together in some strange symbol, with his index and middle fingers extended. He blinked in wonder. Was this another one of those jutsu?

Itachi was gone. When had he left? He had no idea. He had blinked and suddenly he wasn't there anymore, vanishing like he was never there to begin with.

"This, Naruto-kun," He heard to his right as he turned around to see the Uchiha on a tree branch, 20 meters away from his previous spot. "is a move that a close friend of mine enjoys quite a lot and has perfected to its maximum capacity."

'Woah, so cool!' Naruto thought in amazement as Itachi hopped down from the tree and walked back towards him.

"By using this move, a ninja can travel short to long distances depending on your mastery of the technique and how much chakra you put in it. It's accomplished by using the tiger sign, which you saw me do earlier, to temporarily vitalize your body to move at extreme speeds." Explained Itachi. "Beginners who first use this move must use hand signs and a puff of smoke is usually accompanied with it. However, if you refine it until you don't need hand signs anymore and you can use it without making any smoke, it becomes quite the deadly move during a combat."

The whiskered boy looked at him in wonder. "Does it have a name?"

Itachi smiled back at him. "Everything has a name, Naruto-kun. People, animals, objects, techniques."

'Even demons?' Thought the blond boy curiously.

The Uchiha continued; "This one is called the Body Flicker technique. He gestured towards the smaller blond. "Now you try it."

Naruto grinned excitedly as he clumsily put his hands together in a poor imitation of the tiger sign and shouted; "Body flicker!" A big puff of smoke erupted around him and Naruto found himself barely a meter away…Upside down. "Ow!"

The dark haired ANBU smiled at the blond on the ground. "Clouds of smoke are signs of excessive use of Chakra. You did not need that much for the distance that you covered. Your hand sign was clumsy, and you did not need to shout out the technique. Thinking it has the same effect."

Naruto slowly stood to his feet as he watched the older man begin to make his way out of the clearing. "I want you to keep practicing it so that you can effortlessly use this move by the end of these six months with no hand signs and no smoke, that way you can give the commander a nice surprise."

Naruto nodded and smiled. "Thank you Itachi-san!" He turned back towards the training post and grinned to himself in excitement. He could now do two jutsus! The shadow clone -although he still needed a lot of practice for that one- and the body flicker!

He was gonna be unstoppable. The next match would not end the same way the last one had.

"How many times must you bother me before you are satisfied?"

A familiar scene was being played out inside his mindscape,a blond child sitting in front of the cage of a giant fox. Something has been niggling at his mind, ever since his conversation with Itachi.

Naruto looked up at the face Kyuubi. The fox hadn't blasted him with that weird pressure that time, and he seemed to be less angry and growly than before. He didn't know why, but he was acting different somehow, almost like he was too tired to fight him.

"I was wondering," Naruto ignored the slight snort of the giant beast. "Someone told me that everything had names, be it objects, animals, techniques." He looked up at the fox that was now watching him in suspicion. "Do you have one as well? Or is it just Kyuubi?"

Kyuubi narrowed his eyes. No one had ever called him by his name, save for his siblings and the sage. And there was a good reason for it, his name -besides his creation- was the only thing given to him by the one that had brought him into this world, the only man he respected and could call 'father'. It was a sacred thing to him and he doubted that he would ever be telling it to anyone else.

"My name…" rumbled the nine tails. "Is the one thing that I have from the only man that has earned my respect. It keeps me grounded and is proof that I am my own being, and not just a mindless beast or a weapon of destruction." He glared down at the blond. 'Kyuubi is merely a title given to me by you foolish mortals. You will never knowmy name, human. You have not earned the right, nor will you ever earn it."

Naruto frowned as his gaze turned back to the wet floor. "Your name must be pretty important to you, huh? But you do have one." A small grin made its way to his face as his eyes met with the fox's once more. "That must mean that someone cared about you enough to give you one!" His grin turned slightly mischievous. "And I'm gonna find out what your name is someday, one way or another. You better believe it!"

The nine tails snorted and closed his eyes, resting his head on top of his hands once more. Naruto pushed himself up onto his legs and walked a bit closer to the cage. "Hey hey, are there other nine tails? Or are you the only one?"

"There is only one of me, morsel." Growled out the bijuu, not bothering to open his eyes.

Naruto's eyes softened. "I see. That must be pretty lonely…"

A giant eye cracked open, a single red orb staring intensely at the much smaller human. Why couldn't this annoying human just leave him alone!? After a moment's hesitation, the nine tails decided to answer. "I have siblings, though they are different creatures, each having an increasing amount of tails. I am the one with the most."

The blond nodded slowly. "Yeah, I've heard there were other bijuus…They've all been sealed off as well." He frowned as an angry look appeared on his face, much to the nine tail's interest. "It's not right. Bijuus are living, breathing creatures, just like you. They don't deserve to be imprisoned; they should be free!"

All was silent in the cage, save for the continuous dripping of the sewers of his mind. The nine tails stared at the blond impassively as said boy shook his head to dismiss his thoughts.

"What's it like to have siblings?" The nine tails gave a small scoff that nearly toppled the jinchūriki over. Stupid, stupid fox. He was so doing that on purpose.

"It's like being stuck in a never-ending nightmare of fights, rivalry and continuous bouts for dominance. Especially with Gy-" He stopped suddenly, a frown marring his face as he caught himself before he revealed too much. He wasn't used to this, he hadn't had a long conversation like this with anyone in a while.

If Naruto noticed his abrupt stop, he didn't show it. Instead, he continued to smile wistfully. "Do you miss them?"

The nine tails closed his eyes once more in disinterest. "Why would I ever miss those blithering fools?" Even if he said that, the way the fox's tails subtly curled up behind him told the blond boy a whole different story.

The holder of the nine tails smiled knowingly. He didn't have any siblings, but he was sure that if he did, he would be missing them immensely.

"And that person who gave you a name…Is he still around?"

Kyuubi's eyes remained closed. "It's time for you to leave, human. You've overstayed your welcome."

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he held up two hands placatingly. "Alright alright, no need to snap."

He turned around and began walking away. Once he reached the middle of the room, he turned back towards the nine tails. "Hey, Kyuubi."

Kyuubi eyelids cracked open, watching his warden from the corner of his eyes. Said warden gave him a small smile. "I just wanted you to know, I forgive you. For killing my parents, I mean." At the fox's silence, he continued; "You were just trying to be free, and I would've probably done the same in your shoes. So, I can't really be upset."

"Your forgiveness means nothing to me." Growled out the great beast. Naruto shrugged and offered the fox a peace sign. And after mere moments, vanished from the mindscape.

The nine tails stared at the spot that the blond boy was in for a few seconds before closing his eyes and placing his head on his hands once more.

"Thanks, Midori-san!" A blond youth yelled over his shoulder as he ran out of the weapon's shop. Today marked the last day of his training regimen given to him by the mysterious bipolar commander, and to celebrate, he had bought himself his very first kunai. The now 7-year-old ran through the streets of Konoha, the midday sun shining its rays upon the populace of the village hidden in the leaves.

'Gotta get there in time!' He was cutting it close. He was supposed to be meeting Kakashi back at training ground 7 at exactly the same time that they had arrived there the previous year which was in exactly 3 minutes. But with his training, he was now able to travel at much greater speed than before.

Jumping out of the foliage, he finally arrived at his destination right as the sun was leaving its zenith, marking the start of the afternoon. Panting lightly and wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Naruto looked around for any signs of the one-eyed scarecrow. Strange, no one was here. He was sure that-

A foot crashing into his back interrupted his train of thoughts. The Jinchūriki yelped as he was pinned down onto the floor, the foot from earlier holding him down. Tilting his head slightly, Naruto was met with the snarling mask of ANBU commander Dog, who was staring back at him coldly.

"You weren't ready." He said stoically.

Naruto grunted and attempted to wriggle himself free from beneath the older man's foot. "How…The hell…Was I supposed to know…You would sneak up on me like that!?" He struggled to get out. "That's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair." Replied the ANBU commander. "The sooner you learn that, the better." Dog removed his foot from the boy's back and kicked him in his side, launching him into the same damn tree from last year, much to the Uzumaki's chagrin.

"Ow…" Naruto rubbed the sore spot on his ribs. Looking up, he saw Dog already in front of him, throwing a fist towards him. Quickly grabbing onto the oncoming wrist that had come dangerously close to his face with both hands, the young blond struggled with all his might to keep the offending limb at bay.

'Hoh? Interesting.' Dog thought intrigued, the boy's reflexes were impressive. Sadly, it wasn't enough. Quickly yanking his hand out of the boy's grasp, he spun around on his foot and drove his heel on the side of the blond's cranium, sending him flying away once more. Hearing a ruffling noise behind him, he spun around only to see…A second Naruto!?

The clone rushed at him, brandishing a deadly kunai from his pocket as it began to swing the sharp object at him wildly in an attempt to catch him. Dog easily caught the wrist of the smaller boy and twisted it, making it yell out in pain. Bending low, he delivered a straight punch into the doppelganger's sternum making it dispel.

Turning around once more to face the original, he found him higher up the tree on a low-hanging branch, having used the distraction to get onto higher ground. Making the tiger seal, Dog took in a large amount of air and blew a medium-sized fireball at him.

Naruto gasped as he threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the giant ball of heat. Glaring down at the ANBU, he pulled out his kunai, the metal glinting slightly in the sunlight. He quickly wiped the blood dripping in his eye that had appeared because of the man's kick from earlier and crouched down low, pushing himself off the tree, and vanishing from view. 'Shunshin no jutsu!'

Dog wasn't one of Konoha's greatest shinobi for nothing however, his eyes easily keeping track of the blond soaring towards him. Using the back of his hand to knock away the oncoming kunai being held by the boy, his other hand went to the blond's throat, wrapping around it tightly and crashing him into the floor once more. His foot quickly came down on the boy's wrist, pinning his hand down and subsequently rendering his kunai useless.

Dog stared into the stubborn face of the young boy beneath him, meeting his glare unflinchingly. With a slight nod of his head, he removed his foot and stood up, walking back a few paces to allow room for the boy to recollect himself.

Naruto coughed slightly and rubbed his sore throat, slowly picking himself up as he watched the man in front of him remove his ANBU mask.

"You've improved." Remarked Kakashi as he lazily placed his hands in his pockets. "And picked up a few tricks as well, I see."

The man looked like he barely even broke a sweat, while Naruto was standing there, panting with drying blood on his face. He still had a long way to go. Kakashi inclined his head towards the wound apologetically, his eye curving up in a sheepish manner. "Sorry about that."

Naruto shrugged. "It'll heal." Kakashi nodded and sat down on the grass, crossing his legs as Naruto followed suit.

"Your reflexes have improved, and I see you've pulled off the clone jutsu and shunshin with no hand seals, well done. That's not an easy feat."

Naruto lowered his head bashfully. He wasn't used to receiving compliments. "Ah, thanks…"

The copy-nin reached into his pouch to take out a scroll, one looking identical to the one he'd given to him last year and tossed it to the boy. The blond caught it clumsily, fumbling slightly as his hands were still shaky from the adrenalin. Opening the scroll a quarter of the way, he caught a quick glimpse of the contents. 'Hand seals, tree-walking, fighting katas…'

"Now now" Chided Kakashi lightly as the boy quickly closed the scroll. "You can read through it later on. For now, let's talk about what went wrong during the spar."

'Some spar…More like a one-sided beat down.' Thought the blond sourly. Nevertheless, Naruto nodded and thought back to the fight. "I wasn't aware of my surroundings when I came here."

The masked man nodded. "What else?" At Naruto's silence, he pressed on. "You blindly rushed at an enemy that was clearly stronger than you were. While your guts were admirable, and you were armed while I wasn't, I am still a shinobi while you are merely a civilian in training. It would have been better for you to keep your distance and assess the situation."

Naruto sighed, but agreed with all of it. In the heat of the battle, he hadn't really found the time to fall back and think of a strategy. He was startled as Kakashi was suddenly in front of him, with a hand resting on top of his head. "Good work kid, I'm proud of you. Don't slack off with your training." With a small wave of his hand, the Shinobi disappeared.

Naruto didn't move for a few minutes, staring down at the grass as he let the nine tails work its magic on his wounds. Those words echoed within his mind, playing back like a recording.

Good work, I'm proud of you. A small smile appeared on his face as a warm feeling fluttered within his chest. Maybe that guy wasn't so bad after all.

The Hokage puffed on his wooden pipe as he stared out his window into the streets of Konoha, a futile attempt of calming his frayed nerves. Subtly glancing to his right, he looked upon the stoic as ever figure of his former teammate, Danzo Shimura, also known as the "Shinobi no Yami" because of his frequent unsanctioned actions.

Danzo was an old man, about Hiruzen's age with short dark hair that framed bandages wrapped around his forehead and right eye. He had a scar in the shape of an X on his chin and wore a black robe that hid his right arm from view. The warmonger was a shinobi that liked things done in a…Particular way. Where Hiruzen wanted things resolved peacefully, Danzo wanted to take action with extreme prejudice. He was the Yin to his Yang, the shadow to his light. Their difference of opinion has caused a rift to form between the two teammates over the years, with neither of them ever seeing eye to eye.

Both veterans were waiting for the arrival of an extra guest, one that had piqued the old war hawk's interest ever since the beginning of the third shinobi war. Though, the subject of this night's meeting was about another of Danzo's person of interest, one certain Jinchūriki.

The door opened and both men turned towards the entrance, watching as a man in a dog mask immediately kneeled down in front of the old Sarutobi.

"Rise, Dog." Commanded the fire shadow. Dog did so and regarded both occupants of the room.

"Hokage-sama." He greeted. Tilting his head to the side, he gave a curt nod. "Danzo."

"Let's get into the matter at hand." The war-hawk said without wasting time. "ANBU commander Dog, you have been training Konoha's weapon, have you not?"

"I have been giving training tips to Uzumaki Naruto" He corrected, stressing out his name.

Danzo's single visible eye narrowed slightly as he turned towards the Hokage. "What is the meaning of this, Hiruzen?" He drawled out in a low tone. "I was told that the Jinchūriki wouldn't be receiving training in order to form bonds within the village and assure his loyalty. That was the reasoning behind you not allowing me custody of the child."

Hiruzen turned away from the streets of Konoha to place frigid eyes upon his teammate. "That is 'Hokage-sama' to you, Danzo." He said in a warning tone. "I may be old, but I am known as the God of Shinobi for a reason. Do not test me."

Danzo's face remained impassive, but he pressed on. "The Uzumaki child would thrive under my care, you know that he would. I can give him the training he needs to become the ultimate weapon that the leaf needs during these dire times. Konoha is weak, Hiruzen. The Sanin are gone, so is the Yondaime. It may not be long before Kumo and Iwa muster the courage to come knocking at our proverbial doors once more. Must I remind you that both of them hold two Jinchūrikis, as opposed to our one?"

The frown on the monkey summoner's face deepened. "I will not have you turn Naruto into a mindless drone."

A small sneer appeared on Danzo's face. "And what alternative do you propose?

Dog unclipped his mask from his face, drawing the attention of the two other occupants. A set of mismatched eyes glared into the singular black orb of Danzo's.

"Danzo, let's make one thing clear here." Began Kakashi in a low tone. "Naruto is not your property, nor is he an object. He is a citizen of the village hidden in the leaves, and is the child of our fourth Hokage." Kakashi's voice held an edge to it. Cold fury writhing beneath the surface, a stark contrast to his usual laid-back tone. "More than that, I have decided to become the boy's silent guardian. Protecting him from vultures that would seek the power he holds for their own foolish goals or ideals."

The young Hatake took a step forward, the tomoes in his red eye spinning threateningly putting the shadow shinobi on edge. "I am not able to be a real part of his life due to my duties as an ANBU. But that will not stop me from shielding him from people like you. Hear me Danzo, hell will freeze over before I let you come near him. If one day, somehow, you, or anyone else were to get a hold of him, then so help me I will raze this village to the ground. As long as I draw breath, no harm will come to the boy. No matter who the culprit may be, I will stop at nothing to protect my teacher's legacy."

Danzo frowned at the copy-nin. "Those words you speak are those of a traitor. Is this really the path that you would choose, Hatake?"

Kakashi met the warmonger's glare head on. "If that is what it would come to, then so be it." And he meant those words. He had nothing left to lose. Nothing except for this small boy who was given a burden too great to carry by himself.

Hiruzen glanced towards the teenager. "Kakashi. Remember where you are." He warned. "Danzo, this conversation is over. Speak no more on the matter."

Danzo's eyes narrowed further as he made his way to the exit. "I hope you know what you're doing, Hokage-sama." He said as he opened the door. "For the sake of Konoha. The village that our fathers have built." The war veteran stepped out and closed the door with a small click.

Silence consumed the office once more, neither residents moving or saying anything. With a small sigh, Sarutobi turned back towards the window, an action that always seemed to relax him.

"Kakashi" He said softly, getting the ANBU agent's attention. "I know where your loyalties lie. If it ever came down to the wire, I know that you would choose Naruto over the village." When he received no reply, he continued. "You are the leaf's strongest Shinobi right now. I cannot afford to lose you or to suspend you. For that, I have allowed you some leniency. But know this;"

Hiruzen turned towards Kakashi and locked eyes with him. "If the time ever comes, know that I will do whatever must be done to protect Konoha. If it comes down to it, I will put you down myself. Student of the fourth or not, protector of our Jinchūriki or not, I will not let another Orochimaru come to be. You have been warned."

Kakashi said nothing, choosing to only give him a small tilt of the head instead. His message was clear. Run if you must, do not fight Konoha. With a salute, Kakashi disappeared from the room, leaving the old Sandaime alone with his thoughts once more.

He really was getting too old for this shit.

"Hehehe…"

Itachi turned his head to look at his younger brother that was being carried onto his back. "How come the one who twisted his ankle is the one who's laughing?" He asked with a small knowing smile. "Or maybe you were just looking for a way to get out of walking home?"

A small pout appeared on the face of the 7-year-old. "That's not it. I just can't stop thinking about how I'm gonna start the academy tomorrow. Now I'll finally get the chance to catch up to you!"

As Sasuke was lost in his daydreaming, Itachi's smile disappeared and was replaced by a frown as he stared at the ground.

"Itachi, have you made up your mind yet?" Asked a man wearing a mask and a thick black coat. "If you haven't, then we will be forced to take action instead."

Itachi looked up quickly from his kneeling position. "No, please wait! I need more time!" He said frantically.

"It will be too late once things start to move." Said the man in the cloak. "The situation is dire."

A pained frown settled upon the face of the Uchiha. "I understand…I shall settle this with my own hands."

"Big brother?" Sasuke said as he saw Itachi lost in his thoughts again. He'd been doing that a lot recently.

Itachi glanced behind him and offered him a small smile. "It's nothing Sasuke."

"Hmmm." Hummed Sasuke. "I wonder if that blond kid we met a while ago will be there as well. He seemed nice."

"…" An idea popped up in Itachi's head. "Sasuke." His little brother snapped out of his reverie and looked at him. "Once you start the academy, I want you to become friends with him."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Itachi merely chuckled. "It will be good for you. You don't have any friends of your own age."

His gaze turned back to the road ahead as a small frown found its way back onto his face, ignoring his brother's indignant grumbling behind his back.

To all my readers, I'd like to tell you that I read every reviews and take them to heart. Even the critiques, even the ones that just express their thanks for the chapter, they all make me want to write more. I don't really reply to reviews because I don't want to inflate my word count and I want the story to speak for itself. But what I usually try to do is, if the question isn't too spoilery or if I feel like it will be revealed soon enough, I try to answer it through the narrative of the next chapter.

Please know that I read every single one of your reviews. More than once, it's happened that I come home and I'm tired, and the last thing I want to do is type away on the computer. But then I get a review, and my motivation is immediately rekindled. So please, if you enjoy the story, if there's things you don't like, if you have questions, if you want me to keep writing then leave a review below!

As for pairings...Yes, there will be one. Now before you burn me at the stake, I will say that the pairing will not be the main focus of the story, nor will there be any "lemons" or more than necessary displays of affection.

I will try to keep the story as realistic as possible. It will be light-hearted and comedic in some moments, and it will be gruesome and terrifying in others. What do you expect from an anime where people kill each other for a living?

Thank you for reading!