Naruto was a simple minded child, most kids his age were. Like most of the kids his age, the world his senses registered was not the same his mind comprehended.
His world view was simple, in a way that was only possible when one is carefully shielded from things considered unsafe to their well being. His judgement was monochromatic, in a way that was only possible when the ugly shades of truth are washed away and the blurred lines left behind are carefully rearranged to fit a narrative, leaving the world black and white and with a clear division between "Good" and "Bad". His thoughts and actions were predictable, in a way that was only possible after years of meticulous grooming.
Yes, Naruto's "upbringing" was a carefully planned project of the Sandaime Hokage. One that had to go through several...amendments...after the unfortunate events of the years that followed Naruto's birth, but a well thought out plan nonetheless.
As the son of the Leaf's Yellow Flash and the Leaf's Last Uzumaki, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Naruto, if given enough time, would grow to be one of the most powerful shinobis to ever walk the Earth. Add to it the fact that he was the Jinchuriki of unarguably the strongest Bijuu out of the nine, and Naruto's era-defining strength became not a possibility but a promise. Power that no doubt, would see those he held dear survive and transition into the future under his protection, and those he scorned be reduced to ashes and left behind in the past as mere footnotes, worth momentary interest at best and irrelevant at worst.
The kid was a walking time-bomb and all those who were smart enough to see his potential, influential enough to control his life from the shadows, and were ambitious enough (or were duty-bound) to try and sway the boy's loyalty to their goals, spared no effort in plotting, executing and clashing with others seeking to do the same.
The well being of the child and giving him the life his late parents wanted for him, was unfortunately a secondary concern for everyone involved.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, for all the affection he held for the kid and the pity he felt whenever he saw a glimpse of Minato or Kushina in their son, was first and foremost the Leaf's Hokage. As Hokage, his job was to ensure that Naruto became the perfect shield for Konoha. Hiruzen's idea was to let Naruto grow up with others his age like any other kid and to control his movements and experiences from the shadows through his ANBU agents, so that overtime he could develop bonds of love and friendship towards the village and use those bonds as a motivation to push him to the peak of his power. Hiruzen knew the bonds of love were the strongest and while his methods would lead to Konoha's Jinchuriki not blossoming fully till his early adulthood, he considered it a fair trade for getting a much stronger defender in the long run.
Shimura Danzo, for all the airs of indifference he put up and the emotionless facade he maintained, held an unshakable love and devotion for Konoha (his idea of what it should be) and reverence for his role of the sturdy unseen Root of the great tree that was his hidden village. As the first, of the unseen ones that supported Konoha from the depths of the earth, he wanted to ensure that Naruto became the perfect sword for Konoha. Danzo's idea was to induct Naruto into his organization and to train him early and extensively into the perfect ROOT operative, so that overtime his emotions, the one thing that the bijuu inside him could use to turn him against Konoha, would be eliminated. After that, he could easily instill a single minded loyalty to him and by extension Konoha, in his mind and train his body to the peak of his power. Danzo knew that Jinchuriki were weapons, worse they were unstable and they can only be bound by chains of single minded devotion and unshakable sense of duty. He knew his methods would certainly lead to Konoha becoming a pariah among the other hidden villages, but it was a fair trade for having a Jinchuriki under his control, one he could use to end problems before they even grew to realize their potential. The age of war was swiftly approaching after all, and unlike his rival, he could see the writing on the wall.
Their plans being so cross with each other's did Naruto no favors. But even when they coincided, it wasn't a good news for the kid.
Case in point, the unequivocal and swift rejection of the request to adopt Naruto. A request made by Naruto's Godmother and the wife of the Uchiha clan's current head, Uchiha Mikoto.
There were few in the village who did not knew of Kushina and Mikoto's friendship. Both Hiruzen and Danzo knew that Mikoto was among the few who were aware of Kushina's pregnancy, something Kushina did much to Hiruzen's annoyance and Danzo's displeasure, but it was a clear sign of trust between them. Further, Naruto's future as the step-brother of the Uchiha clan's heir was set to be so much better than anything the village elders had planned for him that one might think it was too good to be true.
For the Konoha elders, it was indeed, too good to be true.
Hiruzen was neither a stranger to the Uchiha clan's way of being nor their perception in the eyes of the village. He knew that the Uchiha were a proud bunch, more often than not, an arrogant bunch and despite his efforts and those of his predecessors to integrate the Uchiha into the village's hierarchy, they still saw themselves as a vassal of Konoha rather than a part of it. Not to say they they didn't work well in teams or didn't care for their fellow villagers, but over the years Hiruzen had observed a pattern of Uchihas following an asymptotic path towards isolation, control and ultimately madness. To his knowledge, only a few overcame this fate, and that did them no favor when it came to their reputation in the village, especially after the Kyuubi attack. The Uchihas were always feared for their power, hated for their Sharingan's ability to steal techniques, and scorned for their inflated pride. But now, for the first time, they were being looked down on. After the Kyuubi attack, the village had labeled them cowards for not showing up when they were needed the most and the Sharingan in Kyuubi's eyes led many to conclude that they were the perpetrators of the attack.
Hiruzen could not hand over the Jinchuriki to the Uchihas, lest he too walks their dark path and shuns the village altogether when it's hatred towards the Uchiha inevitably envelops him too. To him, Mikoto was akin to the Hachishaku-sama, trying to lure away the hero of his making onto a path of darkness and inevitable destruction.
Danzo had never loved or trusted an Uchiha other than Uchiha Kagami and knew that the way he had manipulated the events ensured that none in the village would either. To him, the Uchiha were a sticking nail in dire need to be hammered down, if not completely uprooted. He had made sure to manipulate the Hokage into forbidding the Uchiha clan from entering the battlefield that night with the help of Homura and Koharu and made sure the 'rumor' of the Uchiha's cowardice would spread to everyone form shinobi to civilian in an bid to attack their over inflated pride and to set them up as a target of village's scorn in case his intuition for the future course of the clan was correct.
Danzo would not hand over the Jinchuriki to the Uchihas, lest he becomes a weapon of their will and harms the village as one of them when the hatred of the Uchiha inevitably envelops the village. To him, Mikoto was akin to the spark that would light the powder keg that was his weapon and blow the whole village up.
None of them saw Mikoto and Naruto for what they were. A grieving woman who wanted to honor the last promise she made to her closest friend and a literal baby who needed a family to grow up happy. Both of them took one look at Mikoto, Naruto, and the situation and decided it would be against their plans to give Naruto the luxury of a mother's love. Not just 'this' mother's love...'any' mother's love, though both had different reasons for it.
Hiruzen had planned on depriving Naruto of parental figures and family at large throughout his formative years. Instead, he would be the one to take the 'grandfather' role, thus getting the village to treat Naruto the best they could (with him being the Hokage's 'grandson'), all the while influencing Naruto to fill the family shaped hole in his heart with this idealized view of Konoha. Hiruzen considered it to be a generous plan, it could even be called kind if the underlying manipulation were to be ignored...but one that ultimately did NOT come to pass due to the interference of his old friend, Shimura Danzo.
Danzo, after the firm and somewhat aggressive denial of his bitter rival regarding the Jinchuriki's induction into the ROOT, had done the one thing he could to raise the odds (no matter how small) of his wish coming true while not outright going against his Kage's wishes. He secretly leaked Naruto's Jinchuriki status through rumors and half-truths, and made sure it was spread wide through the actions of his trusted operatives. He was particularly happy on finding out nobody could trace the leak back to him (though those who mattered already knew it was him) and that people were busy making mountains out of mole-hills. The last part was hardly a surprise to him, the average shinobi's knowledge of the sealing arts was basic at best, and for the civilians the bar was well below the ground...them taking the idea of the Kyuubi being sealed in Naruto's still developing chakra coils and coming to the conclusion that the fox demon was all that remained of what once was a child, it was inevitable.
Danzo had some important people on his pay-roll (the orphanage staff, a few key merchants, some landlords, and few more people that he deemed necessary for his plan to properly work) to make sure Naruto's childhood was as MISERABLE as possible. The orphanage staff was paid to mistreat him and turn all the orphans his age against him, the merchants were supposed to harshly and loudly deny sales to him (with any luck and a little sweet talk, the other shops would be sure to follow), the landlords were supposed to deny him a home whenever he came of age and spread this idea to others of their trade, and these were just a few examples.
He had wanted for Naruto to grow up hated and abused so his mind and personality would break and he would lash out with the vile powers of Kyuubi. Danzo could then heroically swoop in and save the day by guaranteeing that Naruto's emotions would never endanger the village again, by adding Naruto's name to the list of his barely-human drones, for the good of Konoha of course.
It was a cruel plan, one that would have surely worked if not for Hiruzen masterfully adapting his own plan to not only counter but to further take advantage of Danzo's actions, showing that he wasn't called The Professor for nothing.
After it was clear to the Hokage that the chances of Naruto being accepted by the village were less than those of the 5 great shinobi nations forming a united army, he had given up on Naruto ever experiencing a happy childhood...so he decided to use the hate and scorn that would be thrown his way to further his plan. He decided that being a loving grandpa figure to Naruto was no longer in the village's best interest. If he showed any overt favoritism, it would send a good chunk of the shinobi council and almost the entire civilian council into a frenzy.
Ever since the day the first petition was submitted to the Hokage, courtesy of the civilian council, to imprison Naruto forever, Hiruzen had changed the way he approached Naruto. He would no longer present himself as a jovial old man coming to spend time with him, but as a busy old man who was always fretting about his job and the village. It pained both Naruto and Hiruzen whenever he would cut their meetings short after a calculated time had passed, long enough that the boy wouldn't forget the old man but always short enough to keep the kid starved for affection and positive interaction so that the kid would come to rely on him more than anyone else in the village. Whenever Naruto asked why their time together was getting shorter and shorter (and he often asked, especially at the start), he would make sure to casually tell him about his job, his duties and his obligations. Of course, the words he would speak were never actually casual. They were meticulously prepared to rouse the kid's curiosity about being a shinobi, being a Kage, idea of the Village, and many such things Hiruzen figured would need to be said to properly program Naruto.
Danzo's plan had ended up helping Hiruzen in the end. Since no one wanted to associate or even be found 10 ft from the kid, Hiruzen was the only one who held a great influence over him. It pained him to use this influence to essentially teach the boy to ignore the real threats and attacks hurled at him by the village, but he did it anyway. Further he used it to slowly plant the idea of not attacking the village (that rightfully deserved it) but instead showing them that they were wrong all along! He was aware it would lead to the kid growing into an idealist who held a romantic notion of right and wrong, but he was sure the shinobi life would beat it out of him. Even if it didn't, it would be better than having an unstable Jinchuriki on their hands (if the news delivered by his spies in Sunagakure was anything to go by.)
Thus, for more than 2 years, Naruto was brainwashed by the Hokage's will and according to the Hokage's wishes. It had made him the kid he was now, one who could bear even the most vile of offenses that the villagers subjected him to on a daily basis and walk away without righteous anger on his brow, without too much self-loathing in his heart, and without questioning why they called him a 'demon'.
It would take something truly jarring or something unforgettably impactful for Naruto to begin opening his eyes to the truth.
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(Naruto's P.O.V.)
Naruto ran away from the place he had his encounter with the 'mask guy', but his mind barely paid attention to the direction he followed or the fatigue that built up in his leg muscles.
His mind was busy connecting dots that were always there but were just out of his reach, the events of today being the final dot that let him paint a bigger picture. The dark revelation that followed had stunned him to the point of being silent enough to be a ghost, were it not for the sounds of the teardrops that rolled off his cheeks and onto the ground below.
"They were right! Everyone was right!", he thought as the memories of the village folks' hatefully glaring at him and averting their gazes with disgust as he ran past them played in his mind.
"I thought they hated me because I was always playing pranks on them...that's what Jiji told me!", he remembered the discussion he had with the Old Hokage when the latter visited him after he got his arm broken by some chunin when he asked him for a smoke bomb for one of his pranks.
Naruto never saw that Chunin again, but he remembered his face twisted with disgust, his breathe that reeked of cheap alcohol, his eyes hollow and angry that pierced through him as if looking inside him rather than at him, and the words he called him when he crushed his forearm in his vice like grip.
"Demon! Demon! DEMON!...that's what they called me everytime!"
He had always wanted to know why he was hated so much but now that he had finally tasted the forbidden fruit, the bitter taste of truth left him hyperventilating. More memories of abuse, neglect and prejudice flashed in front of his eyes and his world shattered around him.
No, it would be better to say that his life was flashing in front of his eyes because in his panic he couldn't see his foot tripping on some roots and by the time his brain focused, he was already midway through falling on a sharp looking stone.
The stone pierced the tender flesh between his collarbone and shoulder and kept going till the first bone it met stopped it from piercing further. Pain shot through his nerves and his mind went still for a moment as the warm red leaked out of him and seeped into the cold white below him.
That moment of clarity made him remember what he had recently tired to push down and bury into whatever part of his head was unreachable even to him. The hiss of the steam that rose off of his wound as the flesh, sinew, and marrow rapidly knitted itself close was all he could hear as the events of the evening played out in his mind, especially those after he had almost choked to death.
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He remembered waking up in a big room, bigger than even the Hokage's office or the entire Orphanage, flooded with shin deep stagnant stinking water, and a metal gate bigger than even Konoha's main gate with a note stuck on it which he couldn't read because Kanji was too complex for him. He didn't like the room at all, it smelled bad, the lighting was dim and sad, and worst of all was the almost solid darkness that the gate seemingly held back.
He hated it there and he was scared too, his senses made him painfully aware of it. The water felt cold and gross and smelled bad, the place looked sad and rotting, the air tasted metallic and stale like under a freshly peeled scab and he could hear heavy...breathing?...coming from the darkness.
But worst of all was the awful, angry and painfully hot chakra he could sense somewhere inside the darkness. It was his first time here but somehow he knew he was NOT welcome here and whatever lurked beyond the edge of that abyss, wanted him dead. No, it wanted him to suffer before he was dead. It wanted his body, his mind, his thoughts, his very essence...and it wanted to use them to cause further suffering.
He was scared enough to cry but the fear and the massive chakra had paralyzed his little body. So he did the only thing he could do, peer into the darkness with his wide open eyes and pray silently inside his head to whoever would listen, for the nightmare to end.
Somebody did listen to his prayer, but it was not anyone Naruto wanted to notice his existence.
A pair of bright red orbs, bigger than a man, brighter than the sun, and angrier than the entire village combined, stared him down from behind the darkness. No words were spoken and Naruto couldn't see anything other than the red orbs, but he instinctively knew that they were eyes. Someone, something was assessing his worth from beyond the edge of the abyss and he could tell that it found him wanting. There was anger in those eyes and hate too. All directed at him.
It was enough for him to conclude that they were the eyes of the being whose chakra was currently holding him captive. He wanted to run away but he couldn't. He wanted to turn around but he couldn't. He wanted to scream out in fear but he couldn't. He wanted to at least close his eyes as a final defense against such disproportionate aggression but he couldn't.
He kept fighting against the pressure that held his eyelids open. He didn't knew if it was the entity...the demon that kept him from closing them or if it was his own body rebelling against him and surrendering itself to base animal instincts due to the fear he felt, but he did his best to move the muscles on his face to will his eyelids close.
And suddenly they did. His eyelids snapped shut and the pressure that threatened to crush him into the ground and grind him into dust went away. His body gave out a shudder and he let out a breathe he didn't knew he was holding. He didn't open his eyes for a few more moments and ignored everything around him, enjoying the sensory deprivation and the calm it brought him.
But the longer he stayed that way, the more he felt like there was something terrible he was failing to notice. Then he remembered the fight he was engaged in with the Mask Guy before he went to that awful place. Naruto figured that the Mask guy must have ran away while Naruto was...wherever that place was, given he was no longer on the ground, asphyxiating slowly.
Feeling good about the turn of events and burying away the strange vision of the 'Wet place' deep in his mind, he smiled and opened his eyes.
And everything, starting with his smile, fell apart from that point onwards.
The Mask Guy was sitting with his back to the tree and had...tears...TEARS!...in his eyes, and his leg was bleeding heavily. Naruto couldn't wrap his little yellow head around this turn of events and stood frozen. It had him shocked to the point where he could experience the world but couldn't act on the experiences till his mind was done sorting out the mess he was in. He tasted the crisp winter air, saw the Mask Guy's crying and heard his words, even felt the wetness and smelled the coppery scent of blood on his hand, but he just couldn't move!
"Wait a second...blood on my hand? I never got a cut! I didn't even get injured during the scrap...then how?...", slowly he moved his gaze and saw his hand covered in already cold and sticky blood. There were bits of skin, flesh and fabric under his nails and on his fingertips but none of those were his.
He wondered who those belonged to and a sudden, sick realization invaded his mind like a snake entering a bird's nest. All the gore on his hand was once a part of the one who was currently dying in front of him! "How did that happen? I didn't do it! I never wanted to kill him!...WHY did this happen?", his thoughts raged as he heard the Mask Guy speaking again. His brain simply remembered whatever it could hear but Naruto couldn't act on it because of the panic that had gripped him and the shock that had arisen due to the absurdity of the situation.
He kept wracking his little brain for whatever answer it could come up with but it was in vain, because the answer came to him in the form of a sudden influx of memories that were undeniably his but at the same time not quite his own. The memories of him not only defeating but dominating his opponent, relishing in the despair he caused him, and the way he mocked him seared into his mind and caused him no small amount of pain.
But worse than pain, he felt shame and fear. Fear because he subconsciously realized that he had crossed a line today that he would NEVER be able to go back to, and it was NOT for the better. Shame because of the sadism and brutality he displayed.
But worst of all, he felt hopeless because no matter how much he tried to deny it, deep down he knew. He knew that the hellscape that the demon had tormented him in, was inside of him. And the same demon who had shown him enough contempt to crush him under it's weight was the one who had possessed him and whatever actions it took, were the ones that led to him standing where he was.
He remembered what the Mask Guy had called him when he was still in his 'demon' form and burst into tears of shame and sadness. "He called me a 'Real Monster'...No! NO! I'm not a monster! Believe it!", that last 'believe it' was more for getting him to believe in himself than anything else.
Naruto tried to show his sincerity through the tears of his regret and trying to help him but he was harshly denied. He then tried to force the fact that he wasn't a demon onto the Mask Guy through angry words but he was equally angrily shut down...he was even told that he was hated! Finally Naruto tried to reason with him, by rightly telling him that he wouldn't survive with a broken leg but this time the hateful words had made it clear to him he was not wanted here.
All he could do was turn away and run. Run with tears of self-loathing and sadness marking his trail.
For Naruto it was the first time when he had made someone hate him due to his own actions and he hated himself for it. He hated the demon inside him and he hated that he was too powerless to do anything but stand still and cry. Apologizing could never bring someone back to life and helping someone doesn't make up for harming someone.
All he could do was run away, to the one place he always ran away to when things got hopeless. He ran away to the Hokage's office to be at his Jiji's side. The Hokage could help him, punish him, save him, could do whatever it was he wanted to do with him. But to Naruto, whose world was crumbling around him...the stability that the Hokage, the one unshakable pillar on which his world rested, would give was more than worth any trouble.
He did what any other kid in his position would do, he ran to the old man he considered his grandfather.
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(Naruto's P.O.V.)
He finally finished reminiscing and looked down at his injured shoulder.
Were it not for the blood that shaded crimson the white snow under him, or the fact that the memories of the pain the injury caused were still fresh in his mind, he wouldn't even know if he were injured in the first place.
The wound was closed, the skin was one, and there wasn't even a scar. Based on the injured Mask Guy, Naruto knew that an injury that bled as heavily as it did should take a long time to heal, and it should render him immobile and helpless in the meanwhile, but he was not only able to move but the injury had healed without a trace too!
"I really am a demon...the villagers were right! That's why they hate me! That's why nobody wants to be my friend!", his tears flowed freely again as he remembered all the times in the past when the speed of his recovery had astonished the hospital staff, the Hokage and even himself.
"No! I am not a demon! I'll show it to everyone! I need to save Mask Guy...if I do, he'll have to forgive me!", he picked himself up. The simple pep-talk he had given him seemed to have worked, it was something he had taught himself over the years of his solitary and sad existence. Something to pick himself up from the lowest of the lows he had experienced, lest his sanity shatter under the weight of the darkness it was subjected to over the years.
"Hokage-jiji knows everything! He will know that I'm not a demon! I just have to ask him and he will tell me! Yes, I just have to ask him for answers", a plan was finalized in his mind and he could finally see a way out of his hopeless situation.
"I WILL NEVER GIVE UP! I WILL SHOW EVERYONE I'M NOT A DEMON AND THEN I'LL BECOME HOKAGE ONE DAY! BELIEVE IT!", he shouted out to no one, he shouted out to himself.
His resolve strengthened temporarily, he made his way to the Hokage's office as fast as his legs would carry him.
Every second wasted could spell death for his victim and he had already lost a lot of time thinking.
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(Hiruzen's P.O.V.)
Hiruzen looked out of the window by his desk, over the mounds of paperwork that had accumulated around him, and saw Konoha's skyline against the dark winter sky.
He wondered what an old timer like him was doing away form home in his crummy office and surrounded by ANBU guards less than half his age at the oldest, but the answer was already clear to him.
"The paperwork has piled up high due to the influx of trade and people for the winter season, the situations with the Uchihas is getting worse and since Biwako's passing there is no one waiting for me at home. I can't even leave the office on the pretext of meeting my kids...my Son is busy playing "Guardian Shinobi 12" at the Fire Daimyo's court and my Daughter is on that mission I arranged for her to go on with her...Boyfriend...ugh just thinking about it makes me mad! I hope for his safety he doesn't know of her status as my ANBU, because if he has seen her ANBU captain tattoo then that would mean he has seen more of my daughter's body then I as a father can allow anyone to see!...Why do kids have to grow up so fast!...", his musings were cut short when he felt a rapidly approaching, agitated chakra signature.
"That's Naruto-kun! Why is he so distressed, was it an attack again...Dammit! why can't people just learn from examples. I know the shinobi have learnt but I guess it's too much to expect from the civilian masses, people are smart but crowds are dumb after all.", he signaled the ANBUs with ranks Chunin or lower to leave the room and for the remaining ANBU bodyguards to stand at east and hide their presence.
Soon, as anticipated, a dusty and panicked looking Naruto busted into his office and Hiruzen quickly noticed the look of helplessness and despair in his eyes and internally braced himself for some bad news.
"That...has never happened before! He looks like the world is about to end...that is NOT a case of typical abuse by the villagers...No, this is something much worse. He looks unharmed, that's good! But why is he so shook then, almost like he got into a big fight! God, I hope he didn't kill anyone or injure some kid with influential parents!", he internally prayed and readied himself to get every bit of information out of whatever Naruto had to tell him.
"Welcome Naruto-kun, what can this old Hokage do for you?", he prompted Naruto to speak after seeing him hesitate for a good 5 seconds.
"Jiji...I-I did something really...b-bad! I didn't mean to I promise!", Naruto stuttered and Hiruzen frowned. "Indeed a case of fighting then, one that went too out of hand if his expression is to be believed...God! Danzo is going to have a field day with this", he groaned internally.
"Did you pick a fight with someone Naruto-kun, I told you to not engage in such activities and report them to me instead!...Please tell me, how badly did you injure your opponent?", Hiruzen said, his mind already coming up with contingencies for every scenario he could think of.
"IT WASN'T ME! I DIDN'T DO IT JIJI!...I-IT WAS...the red eyed demon i-inside me.", Naruto declared the first part loudly as an attempt to prove his innocence, but said the last part out barely louder than a whisper out of shame.
Hiruzen missed none of it. He had NOT anticipated his evening...no...his LIFE going this way, and even he found it hard to fix his composure.
"WHAT THE F*CK!? THAT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! NOT SO SOON! NOT LIKE THIS!", he choked on the smoke and coughed loudly for the first time since he had picked up his pipe all those years ago. He could feel his ANBU giving away their positions because of the panicked spike in their otherwise tranquil and subtle chakra flow but he didn't...couldn't blame them because suddenly, the chances of them melting to a painful death along with the whole village under the flames of Kyuubi's chakra had just risen above 0.
The Professor, true to his name, was wise enough to start thinking of solutions and leave panicking silently and in vain to the young ones. "Above 0, but by how much? In the first place, what could even cause the fox to...emerge? The Eight Trigrams seal is an Uzumaki masterpiece so I am inclined to believe that the fox getting loose was an intended feature, not an error...", in the moments it took him to follow this line of thoughts, he registered the distressed and ashamed face of the kid in front of him and the agitated chakra signature of his bodyguards.
"Dammit, he is not yet properly equipped to deal with the truth! He is too young for this!...HELL, I'M TOO OLD FOR THIS!...I can taste the tension in the air, one wrong move or one wrong word is all it would take for my grand plan to crash and burn!". While thinking of a plan, he subtly flared and dimmed his chakra in a particular pattern which his ANBU knew was the code for "Stand at ease", "No Hostile actions" and "No Provocation". Instincts took over, panic subsided, hands moved away from ninjato hilts, and fingers relaxed before seals could be formed.
"Good...can't have these youngins attacking the kid out of fear. Already too deep in this mess and I don't want another...As for the plan, I must project the abstract onto the mundane so I can break this problem into goals that can be achieved through action...", He chakra signaled all but one ANBU agent to leave him alone and slowly rose from his chair.
"If only Tsunade were here...she and Inoichi could have sealed away his memory and made sure no health related side-effects would follow. Even her necklace could have helped...I could have put Cat on protection and pacification duty...can't be helped now, no use crying over spilled milk.", He slowly walked over to Naruto who stood there with his face wet with fresh tears and his head hung low.
"Silver lining Hiruzen, atleast he was in village today and not on some other suicidal missions he has been going on since that day, He is the only trustworthy man under me that can even try to pacify the Kyuubi...this village really has gone down the drain recently.", he signaled his sole remaining ANBU to "Follow", "Observe", and "Hide" right before he ended his small walk and stood in-front of Naruto.
He extended an age withered yet battle hardened hand and placed it on Naruto's head, ruffling his hair. Naruto flinched away at the contact but soon gave in to the comfort it brought him, not denying himself the brief respite from the crushing weight of the reality that bore on him.
"First step, take control of the situation.", he went over his plan in his head and moved his hand from Naruto's head to his shoulder. "Naruto-kun, I can tell you have a lot on your mind. It would do us good to talk about it so I can learn what happened and help you appropriately, yes?", he waited for Naruto to nod his head in agreement and continued speaking. "Then let's continue our discussion away from this boring office room and at your favorite spot in the village. You don't even have to climb up there, I'll use ninjutsu to take use there, would you like that?" again he waited for Naruto to nod his head.
"Finally I'll get some answers, I know speculating would do me no good...specially not in my office that I have no doubt is bugged to hell and back by Danzo and his ROOT.", he thought as his grip on Naruto's shoulder tightened enough to firmly grasp him but not enough to hurt him.
He performed a quick Body-Flicker Jutsu and disappered from the office with Naruto in his tow, and reappeared on top of the Hokage monument. He stayed silent, not prompting Naruto to speak till he could feel the signature of his sole ANBU guard. "Hidden among the trees, out of smell and hearing range but has a clear visual on us, reading lips then...that will do. Let's proceed with step 2, gathering intel.", he decided and finally knelt down to Naruto's level in an attempt to get the kid to further open up.
"Naruto-kun, first of all let me assure you that whatever happened, I won't be angry. Instead, I will help you through your situation. I only ask that you tell me everything...and I mean EVERYTHING...that happened today, OK?", he spoke gently but firmly, comforting the kid but also letting him know that things are out of his hands now and it would be best for him to comply.
Naruto nodded once but didn't speak anything. Hiruzen decided it would be best for him to probe rather than let the child drive the interrogation.
"Lets start from the beginning, Where did you get into this scuffle?", he asked. "Couldn't be anywhere in the populated areas or near the Shinobi districts, or his little 'demon' stunt would have sent half the village into a frenzy...maybe some nearby patch of jungle surrounded by scarcely populated districts?"
"I was running around near the trees around the Orphanage district...I was hungry and smelled food and followed the smell to...", he froze as the memories of him relishing in 'his' sadism flooded his head again.
Hiruzen had not missed this detail. "Dear Minato and Kushina in heaven...YOUR SON IS A DUMBASS! Lured by food?...Into a forest?...When it's dark outside? Is he a squirrel?! Well...can't blame the kid too much, his mother never taught him to stay away from these situations and the words of this old man would only do so much in face of starvation. I have to remember he is not yet a Shinobi...I just see so much of his parents in him...I need to take him out for food sometime soon, after this mess is sorted out. Maybe to that ramen place...Ichizaku? No, Ichiraku!"
"Still...him freezing up tells me all I need to know. He either killed someone there under the influence of the fox and is disgusted by his actions...which would be the better outcome, compared to the other case where someone who specifically knew Naruto's Jinchuriki status ambushed him and tampered with his seal for some purpose...in which case, I would bet my hat that Danzo had something to do with it. He is the only one who stands to gain from Naruto proving himself unstable...Little one-armed scheming cyclops bastard always had a saviour complex!...Ahhh, no use wasting time now. I need more information."
"Naruto-kun, didn't I tell you not to wander off to such dangerous places after sunset? This wouldn't have happened if you had obeyed my words...", Naruto's head hung even lower after hearing this and Hiruzen knew he had subconsciously set him up so his next words would have maximum impact.
"...Still, I am glad you are OK.", he said and Naruto perked up a bit, his face got a bit brighter.
Hiruzen had made the right choice in first chastising him so he would remember to follow the rules set up for him more often, based on the association Hiruzen had established between his current sorrow and him not following his rules. And then giving him the words of kindness that acted as a ray of light in his darkest moment.
"I feel like a bastard micro-managing a conversation that obviously has such a deep meaning to him...but it is exactly because of it that I must do so. I'm already going to hell, this would not even make it in the list of my top 1000 sins."
Now that he was reasonably certain that Naruto wouldn't freeze with that awful 1000 yard stare mid conversation, he asked the next question. "Naruto-kun, please tell me about your battle and your opponent.", he asked and made sure he used 'cool' words like 'opponent' and 'battle'. He was certain Naruto would be more conducive to sharing all the details if he made his experience sound cooler than it actually was, if only to brag.
"Y-yeah...I followed the smell to some warm food near a fire...", Naruto started narrating and Hiruzen started to extrapolate information in parallel.
"No campers are out camping in the comparatively ugly woods around the Orphanage, especially when it was snowing the last few days...so either some homeless person or an ambush...let's not go with the ambush theory just yet."
"...I started eating and just before I was done, someone punched me on my head and I fell down and spilled it everywhere..."
"That...is not a good sign. Better to ask than to speculate though.", he thought and asked Naruto. "Your opponent seemed to have caught you off-guard then, that sounds like a rookie mistake for a warrior like yourself!", he said with a clear smile and waited for Naruto's response.
"...yeah...I-I couldn't hear him come near me at all, couldn't feel anything...", Naruto said with a hint of shame and Hiruzen's smile evaporated like water drops on a hot pan.
"If he can admit to getting ambushed even after I made it sound so unappealing...then he isn't lying...GOD! WHY CAN'T LIFE BE SIMPLE!...there really was some ninja out there that laid a trap for the kid...Am I not giving people enough missions because WHO has that much free time?", he gave himself the luxury of having a humorous thought before the gears in his mind again turned and showed him, concerning possibilities.
"The ninja in question could be someone from the village, trying to take their frustrations out on him...or it could be some ROOT operative, sent with the explicit orders to do anything in their power to get Naruto to flip out and rampage through the village...or...it could be a foreign agent, doing whatever acts of espionage and subterfuge their master paid them for. I will not assume the worst from the very start but...it always pays to be cautious."
"...and then we fought and he dodged and zapped me with his punch..."
"Hmm, further proof a shinobi's involvement...a Lightning release ninjutsu. Unfortunately, Lightning is a rather common affinity for our people after fire so we can't pinpoint the culprit based on that."
"...but then I got up and kept punching him and ripped his mask off..."
"Now that's some useful information...a mask, an identifying feature. And he must have seen his face too, that's also a plus."
"...and then he started flipping out and started crying because he was ugly..."
"Crying huh, tears, emotions...I feel like I'm cutting my lifespan short when I say this but Danzo seems to be innocent here. No ROOT agent would leave his dungeon without their emotions removed completely."
"...and then he got on my back and pressed me down and I couldn't breathe no matter how hard I tried..."
"That sounds like a clever application of some Wind nature ninjutsu...2 changes in chakra nature, one being wind...that DOES NOT sounds comforting right now. Dammit I should just ask and be done with it."
"Wait, Naruto-kun. Did this person perhaps had a leaf headband? Or were they wearing the leaf symbol anywhere?", he asked and silently prayed to every god he could think of to let it be cases. There was already much wrong with his life and he didn't want the headache that came with a foreign agent operating with impunity withing the walls of his village.
"...No Jiji, nothing like that! I saw real good too..."
Hiruzen's left eye twitched visibly. "There is a foreign killer for hire running around in my village...one who is skilled enough to have 2 different change in chakra nature. AND ONE THAT NOW KNOWS OF OUR GREATEST SECRET!...the Kyuubi Jinchuriki's identity.", he already started planning out the manhunt that would follow after this.
"...and after that I went to sleep and woke up in a wet and scary place, and there was a demon there with big red eyes and he hated me...", a little squeak escaped his lips as he trembled slightly at the dreadful memory.
"A wet and scary place! Same as the accounts of Lady Mito and Kushina-chan. That confirms it...he really did come face to face with the fox. To come to face-to-face with an entity of pure malice at such a young age...I need to act and choose my words very carefully lest we make the same mistake Sunagakure did. If Naruto-kun goes down the path of Sand's Gaara...I fear I might have to surrender him to Danzo and his ROOT after all.", Hiruzen silently prayed for the kid and also prayed for strength in case he had to take some drastic steps.
"...I wanted to run away but I was stuck so I closed my eyes and when I came back...w-when I came back, there was b-blood on m-my hand...and the mask guy was crying and his leg was hurt...A-and...and then I...remembered hurting him. The memory just came back to me...and It was the demon who made me do it, Jiji...he even felt...good...doing it...", Naruto's voice shook like a leaf in the wind, the shock of that moment and the trauma that followed was too heavy for him to not react physically. His voice dripped with fear and disgust.
"That...THAT WAS A COMPLETE POSSESSION THEN, WASN'T IT?! The mere thought of it scares me! NO!...No!...That's just my nerves talking. I have studied the Eight Trigrams seal, it cannot be opened without the Jinchuriki himself unsealing the Bijuu. Then the possession was most likely an act of self preservation for the beast. Yes, that must be it...although Lady Mito and Kushina-chan were older than Naruto when they became the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki, none of them have ever reported a risk of possession or interference by the Kyuubi except in cases of severe distress...Yes, that must be it...him nearly dying put him face to face with the Bijuu.", Hiruzen tried to make sense of the situation and tried not to give in to panic and think the worst, but his expression darkened soon.
"I need to make sure, the Kyuubi's malice didn't twist the kid's mind too much...I hate myself for doing this...BUT I CANNOT AFFORD TO BE KIND...Not when the village's protection lies in balance...Dear Gods! Please do not force my hand...let his innocence survive this...I won't be able to face Minato otherwise.", with a silent prayer he prepared to probe Naruto to find out his mental state.
"Naruto-kun...how do you feel? How did you feel when you realized what you had done?", he saw Naruto's face scrunch up in a mix of shame and sadness and Hiruzen once again felt the crushing weight of his guilt. He knew it was too soon to ask this question, Naruto needed someone who could work with him to sort out this trauma but unfortunately for him...Hiruzen couldn't let, what could be a ticking time bomb, enjoy the luxury of a therapist's office. So he stayed silent and kept his eyes sharp and locked with those of Naruto's, silently ordering him to answer, and answer truthfully.
"Jiji..he...he called me a monster...he told me he hates me...I tried to say sorry...I tried to help too...but he was too angry, and hurt, and scared...he told me to go away and never come back...", the pain in Naruto's voice was heartbreaking and Hiruzen could clearly see Naruto's regret and shame...but he waited for Naruto to finish, he wanted him to put his feelings in words because it would make proceeding further much easier for both of them.
"I-I...NEVER...never...want to be called a demon! I think I know why everybody calls me that Jiji...but I don't want to be a demon!...I don't want to be hated and alone...I don't want to feel good when I hurt someone...I don't want to be a demon", he choked out between sobs.
"Good!...Very Good!...He is not lost to hate, the Kyuubi's influence has not yet infected his mind. It must have hurt a lot for him to recall the event if his sadness and shame are anything to go by...poor kid must have relived it in his memories too...In this state of mind, I doubt his answer was false or faked. He is too young and pure to fake his emotions to such a degree.", an invisible weight lifted off of the old man's shoulders and he let out a breathe he didn't knew he was holding.
Now all he had to do was to make sure that Naruto wouldn't fall for the fox's words and less importantly make sure that this event had a minimal impact on his life lest his grand plan around him be impacted negatively, atleast till the time was right. "Now...moving on to step 3...shaping narratives."
"Naruto-kun...I understand how you feel now. Please forgive this old man for his failure to protect you once again...but Naruto-kun, now that you, yourself have spelled out the events and how you feel about them...What is it you want to do regarding it?", Hiruzen had asked this question starting from a point of sympathy and acceptance in a bid to get Naruto to answer truthfully.
"Based on his answer, I might need to reinforce his line of thinking or come up with some believable excuses...I cannot have him knowing about the fox inside him in much detail lest the power corrupts him and poisons him against the village that is hellbent on antagonizing him for some god forsaken reason...Dammit Danzo.", Hiruzen schemed internally while wearing a neutral face and looking at Naruto's squirming form.
"I want to know what this demon is Jiji...why is it inside me...does that make me a demon too? I know everybody hates me...so why don't you?...Or, do you hate me too? You don't come around to meet me much anymore...so, did you start hating me too?", he rapidly shot off question after question but the last one was asked slowly and cautiously, almost as if Naruto didn't want to know the answer to it, lest it ruins what little he had. His fear was evident thorough his wide eyes, dilated pupils and slight trembling.
"Goddammit!...I never wanted to hear those words. This little boy, pushed so far by the scheming and actions of those around him that even the idea of being loved is foreign to him. I am not delusional enough to believe I am above such bastards...but luckily for him...and me...I can afford to show kindness now. I'll deal with the 'Fox-talk' after this", with that thought Hiruzen slowly walked over to Naruto, knelt down, and hugged him gently.
Naruto went stiff at the contact...then shuddered...and then burst into tears. He leaned in on Hiruzen's shoulder and sobbed till his voice was sore and his tears ran dry. No words were spoken but the message was clear to Naruto...
"...Naruto-kun, I would never hate you. You are the future of this village and it's people. As Hokage, I am always busy for something or the other so I cannot visit very often but I have never hated you...", What Hiruzen said was true, but the words were chosen to set the stage for further conditioning.
"...I do not hate you because I know you will do your best to protect this village and it's people despite the difficulties you have faced and will face in the future. I can never hate anyone who wants to help his people and wants to become Hokage one day.", he said with a sad smile.
"I am sorry, I cannot tell you the whole truth child. I can't tell you of your connections to me because I cannot tell you of your parents...Despite my wishes I cannot be the kind grandfather you see me as, you will have to make do with a kind Hokage instead. I can't reveal the truth to you yet!...It hurts me too, to tell you to turn the other cheek when the fault is not even your own...but for the sake of the village, I must fill your head with such ideas...You can hate me when and if you learn the whole truth, but I must carry this burden regardless...for the village and the will of the fire I inherited from my predecessors."
"I...know of the demon inside of you, Naruto-kun. It was smart of you to find out his true nature in just one meeting...It is highly destructive, has a nasty personality and it brings destruction wherever it goes...", Hiruzen spoke in a grim tone.
"SO YOU KNEW!...You knew and you NEVER told me?...When I asked why the village hated me so much...you said it was because of my pranks and not because of the DEMON inside me? WHY? WHY HIDE IT FROM ME? AM I A DEMON OR NOT?", a medley of emotions danced on Naruto's face. Anger, Shame, Shock, Disbelief, and many more. His mind was breaking, he had not expected such deceit.
"Naruto-kun, I couldn't tell you of the demon inside you before today because...because you were NOT ready. You aren't ready even now, you are far too young and weak to know of the burden you carry inside you...", Hiruzen was cut off by Naruto's accusations.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT READY? I AM ALREADY HATED BY EVERYONE? EVERYONE KNEW EXCE...", before Naruto could continue further an angry glare mixed with some of Hiruzen's oppressive chakra forced him to be quite mid sentence.
"I am sorry Naruto-kun, but I must quell your righteous anger right here. I know you have every right to be angry but I cannot have you getting so angry that you start connecting me and my words to this betrayal in the future. I must set the narrative properly and establish myself as a figure you look up to and follow without doubting my intentions and weighing my interests against yours", he lamented internally and silently asked the gods for forgiveness...but externally he still looked furious.
"This is exactly what I meant by weakness. The demon inside of you, it feeds off of hate and anger...Is that not what you learnt from the aftermath of your fight today?...", he said and his face became neutral. "Now I must use his own anger against him...need to put it in his head that my actions were the best possible for him.", with this thought he changed his face into one of sadness. Any seasoned politician like him wouldn't be fooled by that fake expression, but it was enough to fool Naruto.
"...Look at you now, Naruto-kun. You are even screaming at me and accusing me, in anger! It has influenced you to a degree where you are lashing out at me...when you know I have only ever wanted and done what is best for you...", he said the last part with just the right inflection to make it sound profoundly heartbreaking.
Naruto's eyes widened in realization and he began to tremble and sob again. Watching this Hiruzen let out a small sigh and mentally kicked himself for gaslighting a kid into essentially becoming a pawn in his game. A pawn that would grow to be the queen of his little chessboard if all went according to plan, but a pawn nonetheless.
"...The demon came out for the first time today and it was to protect you, it's host, from a life and death situation. I had planned on telling you about it in detail once you reached a certain age, but I was still honest with you today, now that you encountered it. Was that the wrong thing to do?" Hiruzen asked in a tone that made it clear that the ball was now in Naruto's court. "I had to drop that protection part in there or he might be so scared of using the Kyuubi's power that he might never bloom as a Jinchuriki."
"N-No Jiji...you are right...I was wrong...I even got mad at you...I really am a demon!", Naruto choked out the words in between the new sobs of shame and regret.
"Good...we have finally reached a point where he will believe just about anything I say due to his regret and me establishing myself as a well-wishing figure of authority...I just hate the path I had to take to reach this point."
"Naruto-kun, you must believe me...YOU are NOT a demon. You have a demon inside of you but that doesn't make you a demon. Just like...", he produced a kunai and a sealing scroll from somewhere in the sleeves of his Hokage robes, placed the kunai on the sealing scroll and with a flare of his chakra, finished the sealing. "...this kunai sealed inside the scroll, doesn't make the scroll itself a kunai, like that you having that demon sealed inside you doesn't make you one.", Hiruzen said and waited for Naruto's inevitable response.
"But then, why do the villagers call me a demon? Why do they hate me?", it was a simple question...but one Hiruzen had to ask carefully, lest his 'lesson' falls flat at the final moment.
"They hate you because they do not understand, Naruto-kun. They do not know what I, and now you, know. And even if I were to tell everyone the truth, they wouldn't believe me...their hatred runs too deep", Hiruzen said, deliberately leaving out the truth of the Kyuubi's attack and the pain in left in people's heart and oversimplifying the situation.
"But will they ever stop hating me? If they don't even believe you, how will they believe me?", Naruto asked with growing concern.
"They will definitely stop hating you Naruto, one day they will. You just have to show them that you are not a demon...that is the only way.", Hiruzen said with a smile on his face, he had set the trap and laid out the bait...all he needed now was for Naruto to bite. "There is also the 'other way' where like the Kazekage's kid, he slaughters anyone who crosses his path...but with the nature of his seal, that won't be possible. Also the feelings of hatred and isolation borne of this would see him further fall in Danzo's grip...Also losing people would be detrimental."
"How do I do that Jiji?", Naruto asked, finally a spark of hope in eyes for the first time since his ill fated enlightenment.
"By being the way you have been till now...by being yourself. Be the kid you have always been, Naruto-kun. Play, interact, survive and shun your anger, hate or any such weakness to the best of your ability.", Hiruzen said with a smile. "After all, no one can believe that a bright and helpful child, one who is eager to serve his village by not just choosing to become a Shinobi, but by also aiming for the Hokage position, could be a demon for too long. They will definitely come around one day Naruto-kun. Believe it!", Hiruzen said it with a smile, even borrowed Naruto's catch phrase, just to drive his point home.
"You must also make sure to never reveal your status as the demon's jailer to anyone for your own safety Naruto-kun. When even you had doubts about you being a demon due to your circumstances, the others will definitely develop some doubts of their own on knowing your condition. At least keep it so, till I deem fit for you to learn more about your prisoner. Till then you must make sure to not heed it's voice and come to me if anything unusual happens.", with that Hiruzen had instructed Naruto to keep the situation under wraps.
"I know all that I said is too optimistic, idealistic and borderline impossible...but this is the only way for him to somewhat get over today's events and remove them as a factor from my plans...nobody wants unknown variables messing with their equations after all."
"So Naruto, let me ask again...what do you want to do now?", he asked but he already knew more or less what Naruto's answer was going to be.
"Jiji...I want to show everyone I'm not a demon...I want everyone to acknowledge me...I WANT TO BECOME HOKAGE!...", Naruto said with a confident smile and Hiruzen smiled too. "Hook, Line and Sinker...You are too pure child, a ray of brightness in this dark world...It makes me sad to know you too will one day be chewed up by it and spat out a ghost of your previous self."
Naruto continued, "...And I will start by helping the Mask Guy first!. I hurt him pretty bad and he will die without my help, I think?...Also he got angry because I stole his food so he must be pretty hungry too. I'll get him some food and drag him to the hospital if I have to!", his words were full of confidence, he was back to his bright self...the Hokage's had clearly succeeded in his attempts at brainwashing, yet again.
"I am sorry Naruto, but based on what you told me...this 'Mask Guy' is a highly dangerous foreign shinobi. Maybe Elite Chunin or even higher, based on the two changes in Chakra nature and stealth capabilities. You are NEVER seeing him alive ever again...hell, you won't even see him ever if I had my way...which I will because I am the Hokage...But, I can't ruin his mood when he is finally out of his slump, to do so would be to smash apart my own work with my own hands...No, I will let the kid have this.", Hiruzen sighed and groaned a bit on the inside.
"Say, Naruto-kun. I think you should rest for tonight...today has been a very long and difficult day for you after all. You can bring him some food tomorrow to make up for your actions. In the meanwhile, I'll send one of my ANBU to take care of this 'Mask Guy'. Rest assured, this ANBU is very skilled and he will take good care of him, you will never hear that 'Mask Guy' complain, ever.", Hiruzen said with a smile and used his best persuasive tone.
Naruto fell for it, "Yeah! You are right...I am pretty tired!...I'll go back to the Orphanage then. BUT TOMORROW EVENING I'LL DEFINITELY BRING HIM SOMETHING TO EAT OK?", he added the last part excitedly.
"That's a great idea Naruto-kun! I'll even give you some money to buy some snacks.", Hiruzen waved his open hand once and a few crisp currency notes appeared between each of his extended fingers, which he then extended to Naruto who gladly took them and put them in his pockets.
"Also Naruto-kun, you don't have to go back to the Orphanage tonight. For the next few days you can sleep in your own room! It even has bunk beds!", Hiruzen said with a smile, trying to make it as appealing as possible for Naruto. "Sorry Naruto, I can't have you going back to the Orphanage now. Both for your safety and the greater surveillance you will need from now on...I need to find an apartment for him, it's a few months too early for him to join the Academy but giving him an apartment now would not be seen as too out of the ordinary...Dammit! More work!"
Hiruzen flared out his chakra in a message to the only ANBU he had allowed to tail and observe him and Naruto. He acknowledged the instructions "Escort" and "ANBU Base 4" and appeared in front of the Hokage in a body flicker in the standard kneeling position, startling Naruto and causing him to yelp.
"Woah! Jiji this guy must be older that you! Look at all those Gray Hair!", Naruto exclaimed and tried to lean in to touch said hair but he was roughly stopped by the ANBU who held his arm in a vice grip. It didn't hurt him but it did scare him stiff, partially due to the bad memories of him getting his forearm shattered like this in the past and partially due to the frightening speed of the ANBU.
Hiruzen saw this and got a bit irritated but he hid it well and spoke out, "Naruto-kun, Mr. Wolf here will escort you to your new room. He might look...scary...but he will definitely protect you."
Wolf released Naruto's arm and placed his hand on his shoulder in preparation for transporting Naruto to his 'new room', a spare bedroom in ANBU Base number 4, through a body flicker but paused for a moment as he received new instructions from the Hokage by the chakra flaring code. He acknowledged the instructions, "Return" and "New Mission", and then body-flickered away.
.
.
.
Within 10 seconds, Hiruzen felt the familiar chakra signature behind his back.
"So he didn't even take a few seconds to help the kid set up properly...No rules, no small talk...No human interactions. Such a tragedy!"
Hiruzen didn't turn back, he knew Wolf would be listening with or without his gaze resting on him.
"Wolf, I take it you observed the entire situation and know of the entire conversation?", Hiruzen asked as a formality. There was no way Wolf wouldn't know, he was too obsessed with his job after all.
"Yes, Lord Hokage", came his short and curt reply. "Very on brand for the kid...would it kill him to lighten up a bit...still given the situation and his past...".
"Then what is it you think you must do now?", Hiruzen asked. "He has gone too deep into the darkness...Let's use this situation to get him out of his current mindset."
"Your wish is my command, Lord Hokage." came Wolf's simple reply. "I still remember the potential he had even half a decade back...now to cope with his grief, he has become this 'tool', he has given up on his humanity and thus his potential...his time in ROOT has really been detrimental. No, the village cannot afford to loose such talent because he chose to die in some ditch somewhere, unnamed and unremembered...that would be too sad."
"Wolf, your mission...is to 'deal' with this 'Mask Guy' Naruto spoke of. I believe, tracking him won't be a problem for you. The scent of the blood on Naruto's hand can easily make this task trivial for you."
"As you wish, Lord Hokage.", Wolf said and got up to leave. But before he could, Hiruzen grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.
"One more instruction, Wolf. You must complete this mission not as Wolf the ANBU but as a regular Konoha Jonin.", Wolf was about to ask the reason for this absurd request but Hiruzen answered before the question even left his lips.
"I need you to tackle this mission as per your own judgement...and once you have done that, I want you to come back to me and give me a detailed report of your thought process and actions. Only then, will this mission be considered a success. Am I clear?", Hiruzen explained and Wolf had nothing to counter his explaination.
Wolf threw down a smoke bomb and in the moments it took for the smoke to clear, he had already changed into his normal Jonin uniform and sealed away his ANBU gear safely.
"As you wish Lord Hokage, this mission won't be completed by the ANBU Wolf, but by the Jonin..."
"...Hatake Kakashi."