Chapter 35 : Assignments(1)

I have no idea how to teach genin.

And I have no idea how to lead chunin.

Even working with jonin is foreign to me.

I think that's why the Lord Hokage gave me this assignment. It's time to keep my perfect completion record, and make a few friends along the way.

I really hope I can wake up soon, too. It's getting harder and harder to suppress the monster. And when he comes out, it better be an enemy that's in front of me, or god help the poor soul unfortunate enough to be in my sights. I still have time, I just don't know how much.

The jonin test had worked spectacularly. Naruto had gained the respect from the jonin of Konoha, and kept the already present bond with the ANBU. He still needed to prove himself, but he had at least got a chance to do so. He had their respect, now he had to keep it.

After the duel was over, Hiruzen and his shadow had retreated back to the Hokage office.

"Well done, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen complimented the blond. The Lord Third knew the outcome before the test even began, and he expected nothing less from his top shinobi, but it never hurt to compliment someone who was like family.

It was a small, almost unimpressive victory considering who he was, but Hiruzen wanted Naruto to know that he cared about him more than a tool. He was not like his cold-hearted rival; he loved all of Konoha's citizens, shinobi included.

Speaking of the old war hawk. "Jiji, I've uncovered the mole." Naruto said suddenly, causing the Hokage to become serious and narrow his eyes. He stayed silent, already knowing that Naruto knew to continue. "It was Shimura Danzo." He revealed, causing his grandfatherly figure to sigh.

"Of course it was…"

Hiruzen trailed off. If the old Sarutobi was honest, he kind of figured as much. His old rival was granted access, among others, to Naruto's ANBU profile when it became publicly known that the Kamikage existed.

The village elders didn't pull stunts like leaking information, so Hiruzen had crossed his former teammates off the list. Nara Shikaku, Konoha's Jonin Commander and head of the Nara clan was too smart to ever cross the God of Shinobi, so he too was off the list.

Kakashi always had access to anything he wanted about Naruto, unless it was classified as 'Hokage's eyes only,' but he was practically the boy's older brother, so he was never even on the list.

Yugao was in the same boat with Kakashi. She'd never purposefully sabotage his ANBU career. Her lover, Hayate, would have been discovered before the incident even happened if he was the mole, being around the Uzumaki so much.

Hyuuga Hiashi knew Naruto was the Bringer of Hope, but he respected the boy more than any other ninja in the village for what he had done for his daughter, so Hiruzen highly doubted that it was the Hyuuga Clan Head.

All of Ro-Han was exempt as well. If there was someone in his own team that was capable of doing this to him they would have been 'sniffed out' before they had the chance. But if they were a part of Team Ro, and they did try and sabotage his career, Hiruzen just might have promoted the operative. It would take balls of steel to defy their captain.

That only really left Danzo. The Foundations leader was the only man alive who knew enough about Hiruzen's shadow to know that he was the most deadly shinobi alive and still act against him. The thing that ticked the aged Hokage off the most was that the man probably thought that he was doing him a favor.

Danzo had, on many occasions, expressed his thoughts on how fear gained respect. If the other villages feared Konoha, they'd be forced to obey. He had successfully created Konoha's own little boogeyman to scare the nations into obedience by leaking the information on Naruto. It was a tactic all of the villages used, but he had acted on his own again, and intentionally, or unintentionally – it didn't really matter – ruined Naruto's life in one way or another. Again.

The man just kept digging a bigger grave all the time.

"Do you wish to take action?" Hiruzen continued, somewhat hesitantly. He knew of Naruto's desire to have Sasuke help him take the old man's life, and didn't really have anything against it, but couldn't tell if the blond could take any more of Danzo's radical moves.

"No." Naruto replied quickly. "Sasuke deserves to help with that scum's end." Naruto smirked, dying at the hands of an Uchiha; such poetic justice was appealing to the Jinchuuriki. "I can wait for as long as it takes." He continued. "This actually works out to my advantage.

" He chuckled.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Please, do tell." This ought to be good.

"Danzo just gave me a legitimate excuse to help Sasuke become strong enough to kill him faster." He chuckled again.

"He's helping me kill him."

The irony was almost too much to handle.

"I guess you have a point." The Sandaime replied. He didn't necessarily disapprove of Naruto's decision to kill his old rival, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy it as much as the boy did. He never judged his shadow, but he didn't always share his… interests.

It was hard to understand the way a monster thought, after all.

If it was anyone else who actually smiled at the thought of killing another Konoha-nin, Hiruzen would have them evaluated, and then thrown into prison. Naruto, however, was the one exception. He wore the title of monster proudly on his chest, never hiding what he was.

There were no secrets between the two, either. Hiruzen knew everything the blond thought and felt. The Lord Third was so confident in the boy that he was already selected to become the acting Hokage if anything ever happened to him. And the fact that his shadow never did anything without the Hokage's permission was also a factor.

If Hiruzen told him no, he would not act against his leader. He had absolute control over the Jinchuuriki, and it made the Uzumaki respect him even more that he wasn't treated like a slave. He actually had a say in what he did or didn't do.

"So, what now, Jiji?"

Naruto asked, eager to know what he was going to be assigned to as a jonin.

"Do I get to lead genin, chunin, or jonin now?"

He had absolutely no idea what he was going to do outside of ANBU, but he decided that he might as well give it a shot and be as optimistic about it as possible.

Hiruzen smirked, bringing his pipe up to his mouth.

"Oh, I have the perfect assignments for you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. His Jiji had a distinctive mischievous feeling about him, and the blond didn't like it one bit.

"Which is?"

he asked after the old man didn't reply.

"You will be given your assignments tomorrow, Jonin Uzumaki. Now leave my office, I have paperwork to get to."

Naruto growled at his commander, half playfully, half annoyed, but did as he was told.

The Sarutobi was up to something, and Naruto was not looking forward to the answer he would be receiving tomorrow. He could only hope it wasn't totally horrible.

Hiruzen chuckled to himself quietly when he knew Naruto was a decent distance away. His assignment wasn't actually all that bad, but he had wanted the boy to think it would be. Let it be known that Sarutobi Hiruzen could still pull one over on the Bringer of Hope.

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