Disclaimer. I do not own Naruto. Obviously. Also, it has been awhile since I've watched the anime, and most of my ideas and thoughts come from fanfiction. So if something is not canon…well I guess you'll just have to deal with it! Love y'all!

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply as he stared into his crystal seeing ball, his unlit pipe resting in one hand while his other pulled his hat down slightly.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" He asked, regardless that there was no one to answer him. He watched as a blonde-haired boy ran through the forest, hopping from tree to tree, with a large scroll perched on his back. Giving himself a moment pause, he breathed deeply once more before flaring his chakra slightly. The barest amount, but instantly he was surrounded by three shinobi, all kneeling in front of his desk, their faces covered by animal masks. He observed them for a moment before gesturing with his pipe to the one in the center.

"Neko, take your team and recover Uzumaki Naruto and the Scroll of Seals at once." The shinobi nodded, before vanishing in a small cloud. Once more alone, the Third Hokage turned his attention back to the child in his crystal ball, a frown on his brow. He could hear in the distance the loud voices as no doubt the council members and as well as several of the prominent clan leaders were on their way, each anxious to hear of the reason for the alarm that had echoed of the Hokage Tower minutes ago. Hiruzen detached his chakra that kept the ball active and steeled himself as the door slammed open.

"Hokage-sama! Is it true-"

Several miles away, deep in the forest surrounding the Hidden Leaf Village Konoha, a boy leaped from one tree to the next.

HAHA that was so easy! Thought Naruto, Jiji never even saw that coming! Sexy Technique! Kage Killer hehehe.

Naruto grinned as he continued to run from the alarm that had sounded in his absence. His mind focused on his goal, the little abandoned cabin, where Mizuki said he would meet him and test to see if he learned one of the jutsu in the scroll, his last chance to become a shinobi. As he jumped from one branch to the next, each one closer and closer to his destination, his mind began to jump to what his next jutsu would be.

Oh! Something with fire and explosions! Yeah that'll show that teme! Oh no wait! What about lightning! That would be so cool!

His mind continued on and on as he finally reached the agreed upon spot. He looked around the small clearing for moment, but thankfully Mizuki-sensei had yet to arrive. An even bigger grin then before grew on Naruto's face as he whipped the scroll around placed it on the ground in front of him and placed his hand on it to begin unrolling it, before pausing. He tilted his head to the side for the briefest of moments.

Why did they sound off the alarm if they knew I'd be here? But when he couldn't come up with an answer he simply shrugged and unrolled the scroll and was greeted with…

Kage Bushin no Jutsu

"Aw man! Another clone jutsu? Seriously I can't do the clone jutsu at all!" He bit his lip and rolled the scroll a little more.

Shuriken Kage Bushin no Jutsu

He read it a little and loved the idea of sending thousands of shuriken at his enemies but after coming upon the fact that it was derived from the Kage Bushin, he released he had to move on.

Come on there HAS to be a cool jutsu here I can use! But it only got worse after that. The next jutsu wasn't even ninjitsu, but fuinjitsu! And Iruka-sensei said that sealing took ages to learn! Naruto kept unrolling and unrolling as new jutsu kept showing up, and each one he'd disregard. Sure some sounded really cool, like the Shiki Fuin, but after reading each one for a moment it was obvious they were too complex. He barely understood the text underneath. Naruto groaned as another jutsu was uncovered and he still couldn't make heads or tails of the meaning. Edo Tensei? What does that even mean, like zombies or ghosts? He shuddered slightly at the thought of ghosts.Naruto looked back over the scroll, that almost scaled the whole clearing, it's secrets laid bare, he could see the Kage Bushin back at the beginning, almost calling his name. He looked down, there was still at least half of the scroll rolled up, he could keep looking. But then he realized he still has to learn the jutsu, and these were all so freaking hard! He looked back at the Kage Bushin and made to stand up, but then paused.

One more. Let's look at one more.

Naruto reach out and rolled it out a little more. Then leaned back in slight shock. Because in front of him, there wasn't a jutsu…but a seal. Naruto tilted his head and looked back over the spread of jutsu's he had already looked over, each one a similar style. First at the top it said the jutsu name, then described it, before finally showing the hand seals. He looked down in front of him at the spiraling kanji. What it said was way out of his league, but underneath was an odd description. The jutsu before simply stated what each did, this one, was much more personal.

After the attempt on the First Hokage's life, I could not simply do nothing of the threat Taki now posed. Hashirama claimed that the assassin would not be a danger any longer, but I could not risk it. I may not share in his Will of Fire, but I will protect this village. I witnessed the abilities of this weapon, even watched as the assassin took a portion of the Core for himself and escaped, and I have come to the realization that this weapon is simply too powerful-

Naruto paused in his reading. A powerful weapon? I mean it's not a jutsu…but what if it's super awesome?! He continued on.

-therefor I have decided to steal it and seal it in the Scroll of Seals. It requires a host, however thankfully it seems that if it is separated from the Core it will be a mutualistic relationship, however the Taki shinobi deny the Core chance to become fully integrated, for concern that it may be a parasitic relationship instead-

What the heck does that mean? Naruto thought. Para-what? Shaking his head Naruto kept reading.

-If there comes a day when this Core is needed and Konoha decides to use it, I pray for the rest of the world.

Naruto's smile grew massively. This could be it! He definitely needed it, so that makes it okay right? I don't really get what he means by praying…but this has got to be the best choice!

After consulting the bottom where it showed two simple hand signs, each followed by one command, Naruto realized this was it. He was going to get this weapon, impress the heck out of Iruka and Mizuki and then Sakura would like him and teme would admit that he's the better shinobi and then- Naruto shook his head and cleared his mind. All of that later, lets get this weapon out and see what it is! I bet it's a super awesome katana Naruto thought gleefully. He placed his hands in the horse seal first.

And shouted, "Fuin Kekkai!"

Then quickly moving to the ram seal and a swift, "Kai!"

And Naruto was immediately graced with a poof of smoke. A small poof of smoke. Naruto frowned as the cloud cleared away to reveal….a ball.

"What the heck is this!?" Naruto shouted, feeling betrayed by the build up the scroll gave.

He glared down at the ball in front of him and leaned in too look at it angrily, "It's just a freaking ball? It's not even metal! Its…its…IT'S A BALL OF YARN!"

Indeed, unsealed from the scroll sat a little black ball of threads. Naruto groaned as he realized his search for jutsu would have to continue. He frowned again at the ball, before reaching out and poking it, a cloud of depression hanging over him. However after he poked it twice…he noticed something.

"Huh? What the…?"

The ball…began to move. A single thread rose from the ball, slowly swaying back and forth. Naruto watched, entranced, as more and more of the ball began to move. One thread here, another there, the ball began to move in front of him.

"Whoa," Naruto whispered quietly, his quiet exclamation sending a soft breeze over the ball. Then the ball shivered violently as it seemed to feel the air. It's tendrils, which had been in constant motion, froze. And suddenly, deep in his chest, Naruto felt something uneasy. Something in his gut, it warned him to back away, a deep-seated nagging sensation, that only grew as the tendril that had spread out before, began to turn in his direction. Naruto didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. He leaned back and slowly put his hands down to climbed to his feet.

That's when it moved. If Jonin had been in that clearing, they would have said it had been pretty quick. To a Chunin it would have been called rather fast. To a Genin, they would barely be able to keep track of it. To Naruto, it was instantaneous. In one moment, it was slowly facing him. In the next, the coils were in his chest. Naruto's mind shut down as his eyes followed from the ball to the threads that were extended to him. To where they were shoved into his chest. Right where his heart is. In that moment, Naruto was impaled. In the next, his body realized that there was pain. In the next, Naruto screamed.

Jiongu

That was the name given to it. It did not know this. It did not know of the pain it had caused. It did not know of the dozens of seal masters who had tarried at its creation. Or of the hundreds of humans and creatures that had been sacrificed to bring it into existence. The being knew little. While it in a way could have been called alive, it did not understand the concept. It knew only two things. That outside was bad. And inside was good. And so when it sensed the other beside it, it moved. The creature had no sense of memory, the seal masters at the time unable to grace it with any concept like that. They had found that the creature assimilated with the heart best. And they ingrained that into its creation. And so that is where it struck. The creature did not remember the times it had been used in the past, or how after striking, it would be followed by something swift blocking the other before it would be sealed back up. No, the creature simply followed what it was created to do. As its parts worked their way into the other, it exposed the only part that was not the soft. This was the hard. The Jiongu did not know that this was it's core, only that the hard was outside. And it needed to be inside.

If the Third was looking into his crystal ball, or if any of the pursing Anbu were watching, or if Naruto was able to pause his screaming in agony, they would have been able to watch a truly horrifying sight. The Jiongu ball slowly began to open up, unravelling more and more threads, growing larger and larger as they opened up to reveal…a tiny grain of sand. The black grain barely indistinguishable from the threads surrounding it. But it was not iron or coal or any other dark material that made this bead as dark as it is. It was ink. The ink of thousands of seals. Seals of consuming. And in that one moment, current day seal masters would have stared in both awe and fear at the being. But in that moment, it was out and out was bad.

Naruto had never felt pain like this. Not when the villagers yelled at him or threw garbage. Or when he was left alone every night. Compared to this, that was nothing. His mind did not register as more and more threads pierced his body, working their way into his flesh. It could not comprehend as a singular one pushed its way into his chest, holding a tiny black bead. However, an animalistic side at that point realized that the pain changed from stinging, to burning. The bead was pushed into his chest, and as it worked its way past his skin and bone and muscle, it ate. The seals pulled in chakra and skin and tissue. Eating Naruto alive. Naruto's eyes were clamped shut in agony but if they weren't, he would have watched as the threads shivered again, growing in length and in number. Then those same threads that had grown by feasting on him then began to follow the Core into his body. However, they did not simply go for the heart, they went everywhere. They pierced his arms and his legs, worming their way into his flesh. The attack forced Naruto onto his back, laying down, screaming for help, for safety, for the pain to stop. For death. Anything to make it stop. But nothing came. As the bead finally pushed its way into Naruto's heart, claiming it as its own, it glowed slightly as seals never used finally activated. Thousands of kanji solely dedicated to one simple concept. Consume. And consume it did. It sucked in Naruto's heart and blood, feasting on its new host. As he was absorbed from the inside, the threads still on the outside continued to grow, they began working their way into every inch of Naruto's flesh. A horde that rapidly worked their way past his neck. The screams of agony were muffled as the mass worked its way into his mouth and down his throat. That action caused Naruto to do something he would always regret. He opened his eyes. And stared up at the threads posed above him, and could only watch as they lunged forward, right into his tear filled blue eyes.

Deep inside a seal Naruto didn't even know existed, a large fox opened his eyes.

"Well, seems the warden is having a bit of trouble." The Kyuubi laughed to himself. He rose on his great legs and stretched his tails behind him. He could feel the life force of his jailor fading, and even with the advanced healing his presence gave, there was no way to save the boy.

"Now to get out of here and rain hell upon these sava-" Kurama stopped. And stared. Unknowingly copying Naruto from just moments before, as little black threads began to work their way into the seal.

"What is this?" He could only watch as the threads spread and spread. And everywhere they touch slowly got pulled into them, as if absorbed. Then they reached the seal. And Kurama's grin grew as he watched them eat at the seal, brief flashes occurred, no doubt safety measures left by that brat that sealed him in here, but they too were eaten by the swarm of threads. (A.N. Yes the Jiongu just ate the spirit of his parents. Yeah sorry everyone!). Kurama's grin grew even more as the threads ate at his bars, he didn't know what his salvation was from, but whatever it was he was eternally grateful. Then the moment occurred, the seal broke. He could feel it. He was finally free!

"Yes! Finally!...what?" His glee turned to confusion. Why was he still here? He was free? Shouldn't he be out of the seal then? Then he felt it. He turned and looked down at one of his legs, a single thread wrapped around one of his ankles. The Nine Tailed Fox rose to his full height, no simple cord was going to keep him here! He breathed in to prepare his strongest attack…then felt one of his tails get pulled. His head snapped to the offending thread. And his eyes widened. A literal wall of threads was approaching. He looked back to where the front of his cell had been and was greeted with the sight of another wall. He looked from side to side for an avenue of escape. But they were everywhere. He was surrounded. Another tail was grabbed.

"If you think I am going down without a fight you are mistaken!" He pulled in a Tailed Beast Ball and shot it at the thread wall holding his tails. The massive ball of chakra slammed into the wall, producing a massive shockwave. But then the demon Nine Tailed Fox, the strongest of the Tailed Beasts, felt a fear like none other as his corrosive chakra was simply sucked into the threads. And from that impact, grew even more threads, powered by the chakra they were just attacked with. Kurama took a step back in fear as more threads appeared. One grabbed another foot, and he tried to rip it away, but then two more grabbed his tails. And Kurama's fear only grew as he felt his body slowly getting absorbed. Even his past jailors could only seal his chakra, his power, whatever this was, it was eating him. And the more it ate, the more threads came into existence. He lunged and pulled and clawed, but his attacks were useless. For each thread he destroyed, one hundred more took its place. Then Kurama screamed as he felt one of his tails get ripped off, something he didn't even realize could happen. His body collapsed, panting. Only one singular slitted eye stayed open, watching the descending swarm of threads.

Iruka had only paused for a moment when he had felt the surge of chakra. It had a malicious tint to it that was all too familiar, but regardless of the fear he felt, he persevered. The fact that chakra appeared meant that Naruto was in some sort of danger, and Iruka vowed he would be there for Naruto. He leaped again, his feet instinctively finding spots that would support his weight. Then something strange began to happen, the foul chakra in the air began to dissipate. Not all at once, but the weight that had pushed him down slightly and made it harder to breathe slowly left him. To most people that would be a good sign, but Iruka frowned as his mind started coming up with reasons for why this was happening, none of them good. Finally his eyes noticed a break in the trees, and he leapt from his branch and landed in the clearing. His head swivelled back and forth as he tried to take in everything. The Scroll of Seals was spread out, it's kinjutsu laid bare. Regardless of its importance, Iruka continued to look for Naruto. Then he saw what he believed to be him. Iruka took a step back as he stared in horror at the swirling threads that had encompassed something, the only thing visible? A head of bright blonde hair, that was slowly getting pulled into the mass.

Iruka shook his head rapidly before running over, "Naruto? Can you hear me?" He shouted.

However when he placed his hand on the threads to attempt to pull them off, he barely had a moment to defend himself when a large tendril detached from the binding and swung at him rapidly. He placed his arms in front, but when he was hit he was launched backwards. Iruka winced at the pain in his arms, but in his mind he was thinking rapidly. The threads hadn't attacked him until he had tried to remove them. Even now, the coil that attacked him had simply returned to continue wrapping around the prone child. Iruka had no idea what was currently writhing around the boy, but the lack of motion from Naruto and, even scarier, the lack of demonic chakra, did not comfort the Chunin.

A chakra blade should be able cut through anything...right? Finally set on a plan, Iruka pulled out a chakra metal kunai, and approached the threat once more. In fact it was only the fact he drew a blade that saved his life, a slight whistling in the air caught his attention and he quickly used the blade to deflect the Fuma Shuriken that was on the path to his head. The blades clashed violently before the giant blade fell to the ground with a loud thunk.

"So this is your doing," Iruka said with a dark glare, "Mizuki."

The silver haired man chuckled, unfazed by the glare, "Well I did tell the little monster to steal the scroll, didn't think it would kill him though." Mizuki tilted his head as if thinking, "Not that I'm complaining, saves me the trouble."

Iruka watched as Mizuki slid another Fuma Shuriken from his back, and debated mentally. He weighed the value of the scroll versus Naruto in his mind, which one was more important, and he knew the answer.

"Leave Mizuki."

The traitor paused, ….that was unexpected. "You're just going to let me go without a fight? Just like that?"

Iruka snorted, "I have no doubt that Anbu is currently on your trail, and when they find you, which they will, they will put you down easily."

Mizuki's frown turned into a glare the more Iruka spoke. He unfortunately agreed with Iruka, with the Scroll of Seals stolen, the Hokage would have no doubt sent out his top agents to recover it. And as good as he was with the Fuma Shuriken, he would stand no chance against the specialized team. And while a battle with the scarred Chuunin would be fun, to finally show Iruka how much better he was, it would only delay his escape.

Mizuki chuckled darkly, "Alright! I didn't realize what a coward you are, Iruka, but I'll take it!"

Iruka watched with narrowed eyes, a firm grip on his kunai, as Mizuki hopped down from the tree. The traitor placed a hand on the wooden centerpiece, and with a single flash of chakra caused the scroll to spin rapidly, retracting the spread of opened secrets. When the scroll was once again completely closed Mizuki grinned once more at Iruka. He opened his mouth to say something, when a howl broke through the silence of the forest. Both Chuunin's heads snapped to the direction of the sound, both thinking the same word. Only one was in relief, the other was in fear.

Anbu!

Mizuki chose to use his time wisely and escape. With nary a second look, Mizuki took to the trees, away from Konoha, and rapidly disappeared in the darkness of the forest. Iruka sighed deeply, releasing the air he had been holding. As much as he would have liked to say he could have taken Mizuki, he was not a specialized fighter. His skills laid more in the perfection of the basics, which was not as helpful in a fight as he'd like. Shaking his head he cleared his thoughts, Naruto was more important. He quickly moved back to the boy. However when he got to his side, Iruka's concern grew. The threads had stopped moving. Frowning, Iruka took his kunai and gently poked the bundle of threads. Besides a slight shiver, the bundle remained inactive. He reached out slowly and touched the threads, moving his fingers over the fabric, raising an eyebrow at its softness. He shook his head again and figured that whatever was holding Naruto had finally stopped, he grabbed a portion of the threads, ignoring it as it jolted, and began to dig into the pile. Spreading the woven threads, Iruka dug deeper...and deeper...and deeper. And with each inch his concern grew.

...Where...where is Naruto?

And when Iruka finally saw another color underneath the expanse of black, he did not feel relief. The green of the grass underneath his fingers filled him with nothing but shock. He stopped moving slowly, and began to grab both sides of the threads and push them out, forcing chakra into his arms to strengthen them and make the process easier. But no matter what direction he looked, there was no sign of the boy.

It was the whisper of a drawn blade that alerted Iruka that he wasn't alone. He looked up and the blood drained from his face as he looked upon the Anbu squad in front of him. The five masked shinobi were spread around the clearing, no doubt surrounding him and treating him as a threat. And Iruka would bet his life savings that there was at least one more hidden from his eyes.

"Chuunin Iruka Umino. Drop the kunai and surrender for questioning." Iruka had no idea where the slightly muffled voice came from, but he followed the instructions immediately. The kunai made a soft thud where it landed in the ground by his knees. He raised his hands above his head, and flinched when he felt a blade against his neck. The same five shinobi still stationary in front of him.

"Where is the Scroll of Seals and Academy Student Naruto Uzumaki?" This time Iruka could clearly tell the voice came from behind him, but still answered quickly.

"Mizuki has stolen the scroll and has escaped that way," Iruka said as he gestured in the direction Mizuki had fled. Iruka had no idea if the Anbu believed him, but when the five shinobi took off, with only a rustling of wind to accompany their departure, he sighed in relief. However his attitude jumped back to fear when the blade on his neck pressed harder into his skin.

"And Naruto Uzumaki?" And regardless of the fear clutching his chest, Iruka could only frown and look down.

"He...he was right here," Iruka said softly, gesturing gently to the bundle of threads. Only silence greeted his comment, no doubt the Anbu wondering what on earth that meant. Thankfully something in Iruka's voice must have convinced the Anbu, as they walked in front of him, sheathing their blade as they joined Iruka on the ground.

Neko. Iruka thought as he stared at the mask, the only splash of color against the black Anbu uniform. Iruka watched as the shinobi's gloved hand glowed in a light blue chakra before resting it on the bundle of threads. The bundle shivered again at the contact, but the shinobi simply tilted his head, seeming to derive something from their actions. After a few moments the Anbu stopped and Iruka made to ask, but then the shinobi channeled more chakra, this time however, it was a green chakra. The color made Iruka pause, he knew that almost all jutsu with green chakra...was medical chakra. Iruka didn't understand any of it, and his confusion only grew when the threads moved again. This time, however, it was not the same jolting motion. Rather, it seemed as if the bundle...relaxed. The pile seemed as if all of the tension holding it together, simply gave away.

Neko pulled their hand away and stared at the pile, but had no words. Iruka stared at the shinobi before looking back at the pile before once more looking at Neko.

"Well? Do you know where Naruto is?" He questioned loudly.

Neko looked up at him, and spoke in a voice that couldn't hide the pure astonishment, "This IS Naruto."

I thought about ending it here...but I currently have been hit with the muse bug and this is the first time in a long time that it's back so I'm going to ride this thing as long as I can, so congrats you get more!

The Third Hokage stared at the medical report in front of him with his hands clasped underneath his nose, his eyes reading then rereading over and over. He ignored the arguing of the council in front of him in preference of confirming what he had in front of him. Each bullet point was horrifying and each point after was more so. He did not like this. He did not like this at all. He had given the medical team Tobirama journals after he recognized the descriptions of the threads. Jiongu. Tobirama-sensei had sealed something that involved that forbidden jutsu, and with every description, the medical team found too many similarities in Naruto. If it even was Naruto.

"Hokage-sama!" An incredibly loud voice interrupted his reading, and the old shinobi looked up from the paper and stared at the enraged members.

"What?" The council recoiled slightly at their Hokage's dark voice. The jovial and relaxed leader was nowhere to be found. Hidden in the back of the meeting, an old man narrowed his visible eye.

One of the council members recovered first, "Hokage-sama explain this! You allowed the demon to enter the hospital!"

In the ensuing silence, the same council member gulped slightly as the Hokage simply narrowed his eyes at him. No killing intent was released, nothing to suggest any form of danger, but the experienced ninja in the room straightened instinctively.

The Hokage looked at the council member, Shirashi Jiro. A civilian council member.

"And Council Member Jiro?" The Hokage questioned quietly.

One side of the room seemed to sputter slightly at his nonchalant question. One of the female members leaned forward to reply.

"But Hokage-sama! If this...is...is accurate, then surely you must agree it is some monster! You must have felt the Kyuubi's chakra! It cannot be allowed to live!"

Sarutobi looked at the woman, Nagai Natsumi if I recall correctly, what a fallacious name, "If the Kyuubi's chakra had even been released, then it was simply in defence of the Jiongu."

One of the council members, who's name Sarutobi couldn't even care to remember, jumped at that comment, "And this...Jiongu...it's...it's some kind of monster! You saw the photos the medics took! You must have it killed!"

Sounds of agreement filled the chamber, but when an unsettling wind rustled through the room, a room with its windows closed, the room once more became silent.

The Third Hokage stared motionlessly at the last council member to speak, and the man felt a cold shudder go up his neck at the emotionless look.

"Council Member?"

The man gulped, "Yes Hokage-sama?"

"Would you do me a favor?" The Hokage asked gently.

Another gulp, "O-Of course."

"Look out that window there," Gesturing to the large window, "What do you see?"

The council member looked around at his other members for a moment before looking out, "The-uh- Village, Hokage-sama?"

The Hokage hummed quietly, "A little more detail please?"

Looking back at the leader, before once more peering out, "Konohagakure? The Village Hidden in the Leaves?"

Nodding once, the Hokage addressed the man again, "And what is Konohagakure?"

Frowning deeply in confusion, "Uh-a shinobi village?"

Sarutobi nodded again, "A shinobi village. Led by…?"

An understanding look appeared on his face, followed by a nervous look, "Uhh- You? Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi smiled. But it was not a joyous smile, and not one fearful member in that room was comforted by it, "By me indeed."

The Third Hokage stood slowly, and walked around his desk, the only sound in the room the slight rustling of his clothes. He rounded his desk and faced the council.

"It seems I have been unclear these last few years in my actions and my words. So let me clarify. This council? This council is here to advise. You do not dictate my actions nor do you have the ability to demand anything from this hat or this office."

Several members rose at this, and Sarutobi could see several opening their mouths, to either argue his point or agree with his declaration, he didn't care.

"Quiet." The word was barely whispered, and in most situations it wouldn't have even been heard, but when it was said as Sarutobi Hiruzen, The Third Hokage, The God of Shinobi, released his full killing intent into the room, they had no choice but to listen. Experienced shinobi froze. Men who had been in countless battles, seen death right in front of them, froze under the pressure. Civilian members collapsed silently in fear as their bodies simply gave up. Sarutobi didn't move a muscle, he didn't need to, his message was delivered. Only one other person in the room didn't freeze in fear, but even then his eye widened at the killing intent that was pressing against him.

...Damn. He will not give in today.

Danzo could easily remember the last time he had felt this killing intent. When he revealed to Hiruzen the methods his members undergo for training, and just like last time, he knew he would not convince Hiruzen today. The study of the Jiongu Core would have to wait.

Sarutobi looked over the silent council, ignoring the piercing look from Danzo and the slight glares from Hiashi and the other clan leaders present. He nodded once more and released the pressure, to the audible relief of the council members. Sarutobi did not give them a moment's rest and spoke in a commanding tone.

"Naruto will not be killed. That is my first order. There is no point in arguing this matter," The Third put his hand up to stop any arguments, it was unneeded, the room was motionless, "Second, every single detail in these documents is declared a SS-Class secret. Any speaking of this matter outside of this room will result in immediate execution," a whimper was heard in the background, "Third, every single copy of this medical file will be returned to me at this time." The rest of council was unaware of the underlying message as they handed the documents to the Anbu that appeared in the room and collected them. As they approached Danzo in the back the Third narrowed his eyes at the single eye staring back, daring him to deny it. With a slight release of air, Danzo handed the documents in his hand to the Anbu, who failed to notice the stack was slightly bigger than every other one. Danzo looked away from the narrowed eyes, admitting his loss in the battle of wills. Nodding once more, Sarutobi addressed the council again.

"Naruto requires medical attention, as I'm sure most of you agree," He ignored the quiet grumbling, "However I can understand the concern the civilians have with him being in the same hospital. Therefore I will have him moved to Anbu headquarters and placed in their medical care," One of the masked shinobi's head snapped to the Third in surprise, but the rest of the council seemed slightly appeased by this, "In addition, I will be recalling both Tsunade Senju and Jiraiya, the two Sannin's knowledge would be invaluable in helping Naruto." Several council members jumped slightly at this. Never had the Third ever recalled the two Sannin, rather letting them roam on their own.

"Now!" The Third clapped, startling most of the members as they stared at his now jovial relaxed face and manner, "As you can imagine, I have quite a bit of work to do. So if you will excuse me, Shikaku, would you please accompany me?"

The Third Hokage walked through the crowd and a grumbled 'troublesome' was heard as Shikaka Nara stood and lazily followed the Hokage. Just before Sarutobi crossed the doorway out of the room, he turned back and looked over the council, making eye contact with as many members as he could, "Just remember, SS-Class secret, I have no desire to spill more blood."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stalked into his office, his mind abuzz. He could sense his Jonin Commander behind him and the four Anbu hidden in the shadows. His eyes narrowed as he was reminded how this whole debacle started.

"Monkey," he called out, and a singular Anbu stepped out from a shadow, a snarling monkey on their mask, "Summon Neko, I wish to hear her debriefing and the results."

Monkey nodded once before poofing into smoke. Sarutobi moved his attention to his commander, raising an eyebrow when he noticed the man was wide awake and standing at attention, before realizing his earlier actions may have affected the lazy man's attitude. He smiled internally at that before giving his orders.

"Shikaku I want a team to meet with Jiraiya and give him a message and assign him the mission of handing another message to Tsunade. I want them both back in Konoha by the end of the month."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow at this, "Jiraiya is possible, but do you think we have any idea where to even begin looking for Tsunade? She avoids any sign of Konoha like the plague."

Sarutobi simply raised an eyebrow back, "Are you telling me that my Jonin Commander does not know where his subordinates are at all times?"

Shikaku narrowed his eye at the comment and a silent battle of wills commenced. Shikaku tried to hold it but the jovial look started to fade to another, the face of a leader.

He sighed, "There's a gambling tournament in a few years, she's going around several towns in hope to build up funds. Based off of the hotels she's been staying at, it hasn't been going well."

Sarutobi nodded, "Very well, predict her next stop and have Jiraiya and the Jonin squad meet her there." He sat down at his desk and quickly wrote two separate messages, "Have the squad hand these to the Sannin."

Troublesome. Shikaku thought.

Hiruzen sighed as he left the hospital and travelled with a team of Anbu and doctors, all surrounding a gurney covered by a white cloth. Through the city this group would have drawn all sorts of eyes, however, below ground, in the hidden tunnels few were privileged to see, they were only witnessed by the mice. The Third Hokage looked back at the gurney with a frown.

I'm getting too old for this.

"Neko," He called out quietly. A single agent stepped out of formation to walk besides the Hokage.

"Yes Hokage-sama." A muffled voice responded.

"Mission details."

Neko nodded then began, "Squad 1A and 2A came upon Chuunin Iruka Umino in the clearing in section 35SW. After his immediate surrender and declaration of Chuunin Mizuki Shinichiro's theft of the Scroll of Seals, which aligned with Baku and Ushi's findings, the remaining members were sent in pursuit. They encountered Mizuki at 45 SW and he was given a chance to surrender but made an attempt to use a Fuma Shuriken. He was stopped and taken into custody. He has since been released into Ibiki Moreno's custody. Ibiki has informed us that he 'broke' this morning and has since revealed that his plan was an attempt to bring the Scroll to Orochimaru in an attempt to gain protection from the Sannin."

Sarutobi glared at the space in front of him as his biggest failure came to light again. When would he stop hearing that name.

Neko continued in their monotone voice, "After subduing Mizuki,Tenzo and Baku accompanied Iruka and the...Jiongu that was declared to be Naruto to the hospital. Several trustworthy doctors were brought in. They have since given the results of their findings," Sarutobi said nothing during that pause, he too had no idea what to call what was on the gurney behind him.

Is it Naruto? Or is it this...core?

The pair walked in silence as the Third Hokage processed the debriefing given to him. Next to him, the person under the mask struggled to come up with what was asked of them earlier. A reasonable request...but after the experience in the council meeting was described to Neko, they were less than interested in making this request. However as a Squad Leader, it was one of their many responsibilities. Didn't mean they had to like it.

"Hokage-sama?" Neko said quietly.

Sarutobi's eyebrow rose, rare was it that Anbu spoke first, "Yes Neko?"

The hardened shinobi, gulped, "After discussing your orders from the council meeting, I have to declare one if not several complaints with your choice of moving Naruto into Anbu headquarters."

Sarutobi stopped. Behind them the whole group came to a pause as a dangerous wind filled the hall. The Third Hokage turned his head slightly so that a single eye could focus on the Anbu.

"...explain. Now." Cat shivered from the killing intent in those two words but followed orders as they were given.

"For the last several months it has fallen to Tenzo and Washi to keep headquarters hidden from Naruto, and he has gotten very close several times, always with liberal amounts of brightly colored paint. Several feel that just letting him in would be unwise."

Sarutobi paused and stared at this Anbu in shock. The sound of his laughter filled the tunnel moments later.

Alright. That's it. You guys might not realize it now. But it is currently 2 am. I'm exhausted but GAWD WAS IT WORTH IT! Yeah. I did it! I'm back baby! New computer, new me! Or old me. Cause I'm trying to write again. Yeah. Anyways! I love you all! I have some high hopes for this story and I'm hoping to play on some ideas that aren't cliche at all! I love you all so much! Okay BYE!