Chapter 6

Surrounded by the members of the elders council, Hiruzen sat at the head of the table in the council room. Danzo, the founder of root, sat across from him, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

To the right of Hiruzen was Koharu Utatane, who wore a stern expression on her wrinkled face while resting her hands on her walking stick.

Homura Mitokado sat on the left of Hiruzen, with his usual stoic expression. They all awaited Hiruzen's words, eventually he spoke up.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I have an important announcement to make."

The council members leaned forward in their seats, curious to hear what the Hokage had to say.

"As you know, we have been facing a growing threat from outside the village. In order to protect Konoha, I have decided to take Naruto Uzumaki under my wing as an ANBU and train him myself."

Danzo's eyes narrowed as he spoke up. "Hiruzen, I must protest. Naruto Uzumaki is a known troublemaker and a liability to the village. He has no discipline and is too emotionally unstable to be trusted with such responsibility."

Hiruzen sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I understand your concerns, Danzo, but Naruto has not caused harm to the village in any way. If we play our cards right, we can turn him and possibly his brother into protectors of the village."

Koharu Utatane spoke up next, her voice cold and disapproving. "Hiruzen, we cannot risk the safety of the village on the whims of a child. Naruto's emotional instability and lack of discipline make him a liability, not an asset."

Homura Mitokado remained silent, but his disapproving gaze spoke volumes.

Hiruzen leaned forward, his eyes locking with Danzo's. "I understand your concerns, but we cannot dismiss Naruto's potential. He has displayed immense skill at the academy graduation, and with proper training, he could become a valuable asset to Konoha. We cannot let our prejudices cloud our judgement."

"Though, it's a pity I couldn't convince Menma." Hiruzen sighed in slight annoyance.

Danzo snorted in response, clearly dissatisfied with Hiruzen's decision. "Very well, Hokage. But mark my words, this decision will come back to haunt us."

Little did they know, Naruto had been listening to the conversation from the shadows, hidden from sight. Just in case he was seen, he cast a henge on himself so he would appear as a teapot to others.

"You are too paranoid Danzo," Hiruzen shot back.

Naruto watched silently, his mind already working on how he could use this new opportunity to further his goals. He knew that he would have to work hard to prove himself to Hiruzen and the village, but he was confident in his abilities.

As he slipped out of the council room and made his way back to his apartment he sported that same fake smile, hiding his true feeling just beneath the surface.

-.-

The next day, the Hokage summoned Naruto to his office.

"Congratulations, you are now officially an anbu." Hiruzen said with a smile.

Naruto grinned, "Thanks old man!" He said with his usual fake persona.

Hiruzen chuckled, "From now on your code name will be kitsune." He said placing a white fox mask with three red markings across each cheek and a red dot on the forehead.

Naruto observed the mask, 'I kinda like it.' he thought.

"What's there to like about that thing?" Kurama chuckled.

Naruto rolled his eyes internally, 'Hey, it's not that bad. Plus, it's just a mask. What matters is what's hidden beneath.' He replied, brushing off Kurama's comment.

"Now remember anbu is a special unit that requires a high level of skill and dedication. You will be tasked with carrying out missions that require discretion and precision. Do not take this responsibility lightly." Hiruzen informed.

Naruto donned a serious expression as he nodded, "Understood."

-.-

Menma joined Naruto in the hallway outside the Hokage's office. "So, how did it go?" he asked.

Naruto flashed his brother a grin as he raised his kitsune mask, covering half of his face. "I'm in. I'm officially an Anbu now."

Menma nodded, a smirk on his face. "Good. We'll be able to use our position to gather information and take our revenge."

Naruto's smile faltered slightly at Menma's words. He knew that revenge was important, but he also knew that Menma could sometimes be reckless and impulsive.

"Let's not rush things, Menma," Naruto said. "We need to be patient and wait for the right moment."

Menma rolled his eyes. "I know that, Naruto. Anyways, the first phase is complete. You will be gathering intel from the inside as an Anbu and I'll be working from the outside as a Shinobi. So it's not a stretch to say our time to act is near."

Naruto nodded. "But we also need to be careful. We don't want to get caught before we're ready."

Menma grinned. "Don't worry, little brother. I have everything under control."

Naruto sighed. He knew that Menma was confident in his abilities, but sometimes his arrogance got the better of him. Naruto would have to keep a close eye on him to make sure they didn't get in over their heads.

As they walked through the streets of the village, Naruto took notice of the way people looked at them.

'Even after all these years...' Naruto thought as his cerulean orbs scanned their faces, taking note of each glare filled with either hate, anger, spite and blatant disgust.

A wry grin became etched on his whiskered face, 'They still see us as demons...'

Naruto felt a familiar anger rising within him, but he quickly suppressed it. He had learned a long time ago that showing his emotions would only make things worse for him and Menma.

They continued walking until they reached their apartment complex. They lived in a small, run-down building on the outskirts of the village. It wasn't much, but it was home.

After a quick meal and a shower the two promptly headed to bed and rested for the next day.