Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose lightly as he stared down at the mission report resting lightly in his hands. In front of him, stood three of the utmost trustworthy ninja in the Konoha ANBU ranks, as today, was a day of treason and treachery.
"Hebi, Itachi, you are totally sure that everything in this report is 100% accurate?"
The two young nin nodded their heads. This spelt bad things for the Konoha military. If it was so easy for someone to infiltrate their forces and remain undetected for so long, Sarutobi no longer knew how trustworthy his forces were. At least the three in front of him could be counted on.
"So let me get this straight; the recently promoted Chuunin, Mizuki, made contact with Orochimaru for the first time whilst on mission code FC1189. Incidentally, the third teammate of the Genin squad assigned to the mission died, and Mizuki returned as a loyalist to Orochimaru's rebel movement. Since then, he has avoided contact in order to prevent suspicion and had only now made an attempt to procure new orders?" Sarutobi frowned. Something didn't quite add up.
"Hai, Hokage-sama. We received a tip-off at 1800 hours last night from Chuunin Iwashi Tatami. He noticed Mizuki approaching an off-limits area that he was assigned to patrol duty. You'll find the details in the mission report for FC2767. ANBU squad D was called and we observed Mizuki making contact with an unidentified ninja. He had no credentials to support him being of another village; however he carried standard Shinobi equipment. We overheard their conversation, the details of which you can find in the report." It still amazed Sarutobi how Itachi managed to say all that without any change in either volume or tone.
'Poor boy, no-one should be forced to grow up so fast,' but then again, the Hokage was being faced with a similar problem with regards to a certain blond-headed pariah.
Turning back to the report he quickly scanned the page to find the conversation he was interested in, and narrowed his eyes at what had been discussed.
"Here are your orders, don't reply, don't attempt to make contact and most of all don't tell anyone about this conversation. Orochimaru-sama will not be pleased if you fail in your task, so do not hesitate to remove anyone that stands in your way. Your objective is to obtain the 'Forbidden Scroll of Seals' located in the Hokage's office under a Genjutsu on a shelf to the left-hand side of the room. Once you have secured the scroll, move to sector 5 and await reinforcements. I cannot stress how important it is that you make no attempt to establish contact. If you get there, we will contact you..."
Not good, not good at all. There were definitely other elements besides Mizuki acting with impunity here, but the whole thing definitely stank of Orochimaru. Few people knew where the scroll of seals was located, and although an A-class Genjutsu was used to hide it, the nature of the Genjutsu was such that only if you didn't know the location, it would be effective.
So definitely Orochimaru then.
It hit the venerable Hokage then what was making him uneasy. Why would Mizuki switch sides? What was his motive to join an infamous missing-nin like Orochimaru? He would find out, but right now, national security was at risk.
Striding to the aforementioned book shelf, Sarutobi released the Genjutsu on the scroll and moved it to the Yondaime's safe. Signalling the three ANBU to listen, he spoke in hushed tones.
"Inu, Itachi, Hebi, code 54 red. You know which Genjutsu that is, so apply a triple layer on the scroll before I shut the safe."
The three ANBU were inwardly shocked that Sarutobi had enough trust in them to place a Genjutsu on an object so important as to warrant a place in the Yondaime's safe. Nevertheless, they quickly made the handseals, and whispered in unison.
"Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu," the air above the scroll swirled until it was replaced by a folder. Sarutobi shut the safe and sealed it with his blood, before covering the door with a Genjutsu sheet.
"Now that that is out of the way, we need to neutralise this threat before it has a chance to move. Hebi, Itachi, your mission will be to eliminate the traitor Mizuki at once. He is not to make contact with anyone outside his home. I want him taken out before sunrise. You will also need to make sure he cannot escape from his house. I'll leave you to think up the most appropriate method." Next to them, the ANBU in the 'Inu' mask twitched slightly.
"It seems like you have something to say captain," the Hokage's senses were still very sharp after all.
"If I may make a suggestion Hokage-sama," at Sarutobi's deft nod, he continued. "I recently witnessed Uzumaki Naruto use the chakra beacon technique in a very unique way, and think that he would be the ideal solution to confining Mizuki."
Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at that. What could Naruto offer for this situation that the ANBU couldn't?
Taking that as his response to continue the elite ninja spoke again. "During my patrol of the Academy District last week, I encountered a large surge of chakra. I immediately noticed that it was the chakra of Uzumaki Naruto, as did you, Hokage-sama, and a few ninja who were on patrol nearby. It was not this that shocked me though. When I arrived on the scene, I noticed a phenomenon that I had never encountered before. Naruto was practising with the Chakra beacon technique and when he had let out the pulse, he managed to spread the beacon widely enough that I was unable to place his exact location. If he were to do this when Mizuki attempts to escape, the traitor will be hard pressed to guard his back and we should be able to eliminate him without trouble." To say that Sarutobi was surprised would be a gross understatement.
The control required to pull off the chakra beacon was practically non-existent. Shinobi had been using the technique for years as a useful locator on the field, and any ninja who had been present in the third Shinobi war would be able to pull it off without any trouble whatsoever. All you had to do was push your chakra out of your body as hard as you can and bingo, immediate beacon for any ninja, friend or foe, within the vicinity.
The thing about the technique though, was that you could not control your chakra once it escaped the body. In this way the Hyuuga were able to push their chakra out of specific points of their chakra circulatory systems, but that required a huge amount of control. Similarly it was possible to slow the flow of chakra to such speeds that you became invisible to surrounding Shinobi. But what Naruto had supposedly done, was to spread his chakra to every chakra pore in his body and release it at the same intensity as that of his chakra flow, and so in effect, cause Shinobi to become confused as to where his body was.
This was to say the least, very impressive. Seems like he had earned a few more techniques on his next meeting with the Hokage.
Smiling, Sarutobi nodded his head. It was a good plan. Even if Mizuki saw Naruto, he wouldn't be able to pinpoint where the beacon was coming from and it was very unlikely that he would suspect a 6 year-old child of being responsible for such a feat.
"OK, that's a good plan. In that case, Inu, you are responsible for this operation. Hebi, you are to find and recruit Naruto without letting him know of your true intentions. DO NOT allow him to find out that this is a mission. Make something up, I don't care, but he is not to find out that he is being used in such a way. Understood? Move out!"
With a crisp "Hai, Hokage-sama!" all three disappeared from the office. Sarutobi sighed. If Naruto found out...
It would not do at all.
XXXXXX
Naruto smiled happily. He couldn't believe his luck! That Snake-masked ANBU had said that she wanted to test his chakra beacon and tree walking abilities. And he knew it was a woman. No man had such a high voice!
He was giddy, and he knew it. He knew it would affect his performance in the upcoming test, but he just couldn't help it. He had been practising so hard in the half year or so since Hokage-Jiji had given him the 2 scrolls. To think that the Hokage had given him the very skill he wanted in the tree climbing control exercise, was the icing on the cake. He had swiftly learnt how to channel his chakra to his feet and run up walls. He enjoyed it so much that it was a common sight to see the blond-haired Jinchuuriki jumping from rooftop to rooftop as fast as his small legs could take him.
Shaking himself, Naruto remembered that he had a test to pass. It wouldn't do to mess this one up. The ANBU had told him to sit on a bench outside one of Konoha's Shinobi residence areas. It was one of the few places that Naruto had hardly ever been to within Konoha, and he couldn't help but notice how the buildings were far better than his apartment.
'Maybe there are good things about being a Konoha ninja...' Before he could think further on it though a puff of smoke announced the arrival of his 'examiner'.
"Alright kid, this is how we're gonna do things. I'm gonna be hiding up there and when I give the signal you're gonna use your Jutsu and I'll evaluate it." The masked nin pointed to a tree that was heavily shadowed about 10 meters from Naruto's position on the bench.
"Remember, you have to remain sitting on that bench and act as if you're not the one doing the technique. You understand my explanation for why that technique is so unique right?" Naruto nodded. He had been informed that by spreading his chakra he was, in effect, making it harder for ninja to be able to sense him. He already knew he rocked!
As the ANBU disappeared, Naruto couldn't help but think that he wasn't being told something. Why would this ANBU suddenly want to test him? It wasn't as if ANBU went around testing everyone they thought could do something 'unique' did they. Weren't they supposed to be like the super ninja in Konoha?
'Ah well, better keep my eyes open!' And with that, he plopped himself down on the bench and turned to stare at the living quarters in front of him. It was almost as if the ANBU had chosen this bench so that he was facing that building when he did the technique...
He quickly shook himself. It wouldn't do to fail this after so much hard work!
XXXXXX
Mizuki was scared. Scratch that, he was downright terrified. The first clue he had that something was very wrong was that he could sense 3 chakra signatures outside his apartment, and they didn't seem to be going away. Now usually that wasn't a cause for concern, it was a Shinobi residency area after all, but the thing that alerted him was that 2 of the chakra signature were definitely ANBU. ANBU had their own living quarters separate from the other residential areas, so that if any of them flipped out and went on a killing spree due to the stress of their missions getting to them, it was easily contained.
He had decided it was too risky to stick around, so without further ado, he gathered as much of his essentials that he could move on short notice, and prepared to leave.
Then everything went to hell.
XXXXXXX
Mitarashi Anko, Tokubetsu Jounin, codenamed 'Hebi' in the ANBU black ops, sat waiting for Itachi's signal. She spied the blond kid out of her peripheral vision as she watched the apartment door, senses stretched to their maximum.
He was a strange one, that Uzumaki Naruto. He could do things other people couldn't and he was still very innocent, she was hard-pressed to understand what the villagers saw in him that warranted their ostracism. As she snuck another glance at the kid, she remembered Sandaime's warning.
"Hebi, you are to find and recruit Naruto without letting him know of your true intentions. DO NOT allow him to find out that this is a mission. Make something up, I don't care, but he is not to find out that he is being used in such a way. Understood?..."
Anko grimaced. If the Hokage had worries about Naruto's state of mind regarding Konoha she didn't think it was a wise choice to have him on this mission. She knew what it was like to bear the brunt of the villagers' hate, and he wasn't the only one who didn't want to help the village. They were both being forced into it.
The thing is, nothing ever went to plan with ANBU missions. The reason they were ANBU was because they could adapt to any given situation and still come out on top of their opponents. If something went wrong here, Naruto would very likely find out that he was being used. And she didn't know how well that would sit with the Kyuubi kid.
She didn't have any more time to ponder the situation though, as the mission finally got started. It was just after midnight when Itachi's clone popped up beside the purple-headed ANBU.
"Target confirmed moving for the exit. Proceed with stage 2 at your discretion." The clone popped out of existence as quickly as it had come. Anko sighed. Well it was damned if you do, damned if you don't.
XXXXXXX
Mizuki knew the game was up. The ANBU had appeared in the hallway of his lodging and booted the door off its hinges in an explosive show of strength. As the splinters zoomed everywhere, colliding with the walls, Mizuki heard the monotonous voice that emitted from behind the elite ninja's mask.
"Ex-Chuunin Mizuki, you have been confirmed as a traitor to the Hidden Village of the Leaves. As per order of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, you are condemned to immediate execution." The morbid finality of the statement caused Mizuki's anxiety to rise. He was already forming seals before the ANBU had finished speaking.
"Kawarimi no Jutsu!" Mizuki replaced himself with a chair in the hallway and immediately made a break for the front door. He couldn't sense the other ANBU, maybe they had decided he wasn't worth two ANBU? He would show them! He could still sense the small chakra levels of the other person, but they were too low to be anything higher than Genin. It was most probably someone who wasn't involved in his execution.
Mizuki almost stopped in surprise when the small chakra was replaced by a much larger one right outside the door! Worst still, he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from! It was like a hundred Chuunin had suddenly appeared and spread themselves evenly outside the apartment complex, but that was impossible!
He had been so caught up in analysing the massive chakra signature in front of him that he had almost completely forgotten about the one behind him he was originally escaping from. It was only luck that saved him as he snapped his head round, barely missing the standard-issue ANBU katana hissing by the right side of his head.
If the blade had hit home, everything would have been fine. Alas Anko's suspicions were correct. Mizuki backpedalled into the front door, forming seals as fast as he could. He could either fight this ANBU here, or face whatever it was that was outside. He'd pick 100 Chuunin over an ANBU any day of the week. Slamming his hands into the door, he called out the best technique he had in his arsenal.
"Doton: Doryu Dango no Jutsu!" Mizuki tore the chunk of wood from the door and hurled it at the masked Shinobi, before throwing himself through the hole that he had made.
Mizuki immediately began running toward the border of the village. He had to get out as fast as he could, since he had been compromised. As he ran, he glanced about wildly, trying to find the enormous chakra signature that was choking the air. It was like he was being surrounded!
As he continued running he spied a kid dressed in black pants and a dark blue T-Shirt sitting on a bench. It was the Kyuubi brat! That was probably the cause of the chakra distortion he was feeling, although it looked like he was just sitting there. In any case his orders were to get rid of anyone in his way, so he snapped a kunai into his hand and got ready to throw.
Just as the kid looked up, his eyes widening, the traitor stopped dead in his tracks. He glanced down to see the point of a katana poking out of the front of his chest.
He knew he was dead.
In his last few breaths in the living world, he raised his head up and stared at the blond kid that thwarted him, as blood pooled behind his eyeballs, trickling out of his nose and the corner of his mouth. As he slipped off the blade he whispered his last word to the stunned kid.
"Demon..."
XXXXXXX
Damn, damn DAMN! Anko cursed herself over and over as she leapt down to where Itachi had pulled his sword from the traitorous Chuunin's back, splattering the blood all over himself and the blond Uzumaki. The kid looked like he was hyperventilating, staring wide-eyed at the blood splattered on his hands. He was visibly shaking, and Anko knew he would soon go into shock. It was only then that the Tokubetsu Jounin found that there was a much larger problem.
Naruto was still spewing the beacon technique like a fountain of water.
Not good, not good at all.
ZZZZZZZ