Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Fuinjutsu ❯ Ghost ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 2.

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“Ano… Rei-san?”

Naruto twisted his head slightly in the direction of the speaker, careful to keep at least part of his attention on where he was going.

“Yes Obito?”

Obito turned his whole head to look at Naruto and barely managed to land on the branch he had been aiming for. After that incident and a few scolding remarks from his silver-haired team-mate, he was careful to keep his eyes on where he was going.

Naruto silently chuckled, but opted not to say anything, he'd been the same way when he was a genin, before navigating through Konoha's forest and tree-branches became nearly second nature.

They were travelling in the trees towards the Hidden Village. Minato had decided that considering the vital information they'd come across and the Iwa-nin they had captured (both dead and alive) it would be prudent to reach Konoha as soon as possible. They'd made a quick stop at the nearest border post to inform them of the situation (that there'd been a situation while they were patrolling and that the Hokage needed to know as soon as possible). The stop was also to inform the border post that someone else needed to patrol Team Seven's assigned area.

The unconscious Iwa-nin had also been placed in a holding cell at the border post. Minato had placed specific summoning seals on the nin before leaving. This way, the nin could be summoned when they'd made it to Konoha and Team Seven didn't need to worry about the nin attempting an escape. Naruto recognized the summoning seal as the one that had been used to summon Iruka when his team had finally made it through the Forest of Death in Naruto's first chuunin exam.

“What is it?” Naruto finally asked, reminding the young Uchiha that he'd been the one to initiate a conversation.

Obito looked embarrassed for a brief moment before he decided to simply spill whatever was on his mind.

“Um… I was wondering, about your ability to make seals when Sensei and Rin-chan said that your chakra-coils were ruined.”

Naruto gave the black-haired genin a quick look before he focused fully on where he was putting his feet.

“Hmm, I guess I first have to clear up a misconception”, he began. “My chakra coils aren't ruined. They are merely… well… not how they're supposed to be. They are tied up in a complete mess, hindering my ability to successfully focus and use my chakra outside my body.”

Obito frowned in deep thought before he finally said something again.

“So how does this play in on your ability to make seals… and even perform jutsu?”

The answer didn't come from Naruto though, but rather from a more surprising and arrogant source.

“Isn't it obvious baka? Seals, like the ones Rei and Sensei grafted, are made by blood or ink mixed with blood that has been infused by chakra. Since the chakra didn't leave Rei's body from his chakra-points, he circumvented the handicap that his chakra-coils present to him. It's obvious that he can focus and control his chakra as long as it's still tied to his body. When the blood leaves Rei's body, he looses the control and focus he had on it when it was inside him. This is where the seals come in. They work as a substitute for Rei's own focus and control and give the chakra infused blood a purpose. And when it concerns jutsu, I doubt Rei will ever be able to perform regular jutsu with the handicap he has.”

Frowning slightly in Kakashi's direction, Naruto couldn't help but see disturbing similarities between the young prodigy and the young avenger he'd grown up with himself.

“That's partially correct.”

Naruto decided to not provoke his future sensei outright, but rather try to point out the small mistakes in his reasoning in an attempt to get him to think more creatively.

“Your explanation of how I can graft seals was excellent, but it's not true that I'm completely unable to use jutsu. Jutsu which will only affect my own body should be within my ability to perform. At the moment I don't yet know of any such jutsu, but I am able to use chakra to augment my strength and speed. It shouldn't take me long to figure out some jutsu that'll work for me.”

Kakashi snorted in disbelief.

“You're telling me that you'll create jutsu on your own? The justu will have to be incredibly complex for them to only affect your own body. And any way, what use will they be if they can't affect your enemies or the area surrounding your enemies?”

Naruto was about to reply, but was interrupted by two voices before he could even begin.

“Be polite, Kakashi!” Minato commanded strictly. Kakashi muttered a sullen “yes, sensei” and turned away.

Obito voiced his own opinion. “If Rei says he can do it, then I believe him.”

Naruto was warmed at the support at the same time as he was somewhat doubtful of his own success. Kakashi was right in his assessment. Creating jutsu that would only affect the body and at the same time be useful in battle, would be extremely difficult and complex. Still, he'd never been one to give up just because something seemed impossible.

“Did you use chakra in your limbs when you achieved the speed to kick that Iwa-nin's kunai out of his hands?” Rin asked after a moment of pensive silence.

Naruto looked mildly surprised. “No, that was just speed.”

“Really?” Minato asked curiously. “And when you managed to get me to a standstill, was that only speed too?”

Naruto frowned slightly, not really knowing where Minato was going with his questions, and not really liking the suspicion he was picking up.

“Yes… or, at least I think so.” He finally settled on. “At the moment everything happened so fast. Why do you ask?”

Minato risked a quick glance at the blonde enigma running behind him.

“It's just that I've never been stopped or been noticed before while using the technique I did at that moment. Not unless it was already too late for the enemy to react at least.”

Naruto didn't answer at once, thinking about the implications and the strange instinct he'd noticed later on when Minato suddenly appeared out of nowhere to take the Stone-nin down.

“There was… something I noticed when you did whatever you did.” He finally said. “The problem is that even I don't know what it is. Maybe if you told me about the technique you used, I'll be better able to give you a satisfactory answer.”

Minato didn't answer, but his frown deepened. He had thought his technique to be perfect. To find out now that there might be a flaw he hadn't noticed before… the thought was both aggravating and damning to his own ego.

“Maybe…” he finally muttered, too low for anyone but Naruto to hear.

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As Konoha drew nearer, Naruto began to feel somewhat nostalgic.

It would be strange to return to his home without any of his friends being there. Sure, the Sandaime was there, but he wouldn't know or recognize Naruto. It was kind of depressing, but then Naruto couldn't help but be somewhat happy that he'd be able to see the kindly old Hokage once more. Maybe, once he'd figured out what to do with his situation, he'd be able to develop a friendly relationship with the old man similar to the one they had.

He couldn't help but admit to himself that he'd like it if that possibility came true.

“Where will we go first?” Naruto asked as the gates finally came in view.

They'd emerged from the forest a couple of hours ago and now they were walking along the main road. It was a show of courtesy and peaceful intentions to approach a Hidden Village while walking in plain view. Anything else could be taken as a hostile action or a warning about a nearing crisis.

“We'll register yours and my team's arrival at the gate's pass-control, and then we'll go directly to the Hokage and set up an appointment. Hopefully we'll manage to get a closed meeting with him as soon as possible.” Minato answered.

Naruto nodded his agreement and understanding.

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The gate-guard proved to be more troublesome than any of them had expected.

It seemed that the hostility and suspicion circulating between Konoha and Iwa had worsened in the short week that Minato's team had been out of the village. Naruto rightfully deduced that this had something to do with the chuunin-patrol team that had undoubtedly arrived before Minato's team and Naruto. Rumours were probably already circulation about the suspicious blonde that had been captured by Minato at the border.

The guards nearly refused Naruto's entrance into the village and one of them was even insinuating that he should be brought in for interrogation when Minato finally used his higher rank (the guards were chuunin) to insist on Naruto's entrance. Even then, he had to promise and sign a paper that stated that he wouldn't leave Naruto's side until the Hokage had cleared Naruto's stay in the village.

As they walked into the village proper, Naruto used his time to look around. Konoha was disturbingly similar to how it would be in the future, but it was the small differences that solidified Naruto's belief about having travelled to the past.

The new people he'd never seen before. Shops that had been replaced by the time Naruto was old enough to notice them… Oh, who was he trying to kid? It was glaringly obvious that he wasn't in his own time when the Hokage Monument only sported three huge depictions of Konoha's Hokages after all.

When they reached the Hokage Tower, they were subjected to yet another pass-control similar to the one they'd had at the gate. Naruto began to find the whole debacle frustrating, but Minato and his team simply seemed to take it in stride. Even Obito refrained from voicing objection, something that led Naruto to believe that maybe the pass-control at the Hokage Tower wasn't a new development.

Strange; as far as Naruto could remember, they'd never controlled the entry into the Hokage's Tower before.

After another fifteen minutes of haggling with the chuunin at the entrance, they were finally admitted entrance when an ANBU came to escort them to the secretary's office and the waiting area. There the ANBU left them to wait for the Hokage to give notice when he could see them. Naruto wasn't fooled into believing that the waiting area was under any less surveillance than the rest of the tower. Doubtlessly, there were at least one ANBU in each corner of the office, somehow concealed from view.

No-one said anything while they were waiting, though Obito, Naruto and Rin fidgeted once in a while.

When two full hours had gone by, they were finally admitted into Sandaime's office.

Naruto couldn't help but feel excited.

As Team Seven and their sensei walked forwards to report their return from their patrol mission, Naruto kept unobtrusively to the background as he intently studied the Kage in front of him.

The Sandaime looked at least twenty years younger from when Naruto had last laid eyes on him. He was less wrinkled. His eyes were sharper and he excluded an aura that demanded absolute attention and obedience. Seeing the third Hokage now, Naruto could admit to himself that the Hokage would mellow quite a bit over the years it took for Naruto to be born and grow up.

“Sandaime-sama, Team Seven reporting back from patrol mission with vital information.” Minato said straight forwards in a no-nonsense voice.

The third Hokage nodded his acknowledgment to Minato's words as he shifted his piercing eyes to Naruto's figure. Minato seemed to understand what the Hokage wanted and turned slightly to wave Naruto to the front.

Naruto took the few steps required until he stood next to Team Seven and their sensei.

“And who might you be?” The Hokage asked with no noticeable inflection in his voice.

Naruto barely managed to keep from wincing at the unfamiliar tone from the person he'd once thought of as a grandfather.

“Mumei Rei.” He answered without preamble.

The Hokage nodded thoughtfully.

“That is not your real name”, he deduced finally.

“No.” Naruto had no reason to hide that his name was a pseudonym. It was better to lie as little as possible to those he thought of as allies.

The Sandaime only nodded again, accepting the truth of his made-up name as easily as Minato had. Many people, both shinobi and civilians, found new names for themselves for one reason or another. For the most part - as long as you weren't a criminal trying to escape - people didn't really care.

Shifting his attention back to Minato and his team, the Hokage finally asked about the news they brought.

The explanations took some time. Minato told about their first encounter with Naruto and how Naruto had willingly given himself over without bloodshed. He told about their first conversation and how it had ended with leaving Naruto as bait for the Stone-nin, both to see if the enemy nin recognized Naruto as an ally and to trap and catch the enemy unawares. The Hokage was told about how Naruto tricked the enemy into revealing vital information about possible high-ranking spies in Konoha and lastly, he was told about Naruto's strange seal and the ability he had concerning sealing.

The Sandaime listened closely to everything that was said. Only rarely interrupting to ask a question when something wasn't clear enough for him.

Naruto waited through it all and added his own version of things when the old man asked it of him.

When everything was said and done, the office was consumed by silence as the Hokage thought about everything that had come to light.

Iwa was after the destruction of Konoha. To reach this goal they were prepared to decimate and maybe even steal Konoha's greatest strength.

But what was Konoha's greatest strength?

The Sandaime very much doubted that Konoha and Iwa had the same definition of what made a village strong. It bore further thought, he finally decided, but for now he had to deal with the blonde stranger that Minato had decided to bring before him. Still, it would be prudent to get Minato's opinion without the blonde mystery in the same room.

“Thank you Team Seven for your help.” He signed a couple of papers and put them away as focused his attention on the younger members of the team. “I hope I need not remind you that whatever you have heard in this room today is classified information. Talk of it to no-one. Not even amongst yourselves. Is that clear?”

“Yes Hokage-sama.” The trio dutifully replied.

The Sandaime smiled congenially then. “Good. Then you are dismissed. Pay for your mission will be made available to you through the usual channels. Have a nice day.”

Recognizing that their time in the office had come to an end, the three students dutifully bowed and left the room. Naruto dared a brief glance after them before he focused his attention back on the man in front of him.

“As for you Mumei-san…”

Naruto stood to attention at the commanding tone.

“I need some more consulting before I can decide what to do with you. Will you consent to wait outside while I confer with Namikaze-san here?”

Recognizing a polite way to dismiss him from the room (and it really was polite, the Hokage could've gotten a squad of ANBU to throw him out if he so wished), Naruto bowed too as he left quietly.

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As soon as the door closed after the blonde stranger, the Hokage fixed his full attention on the jounin in front of him.

“What is your impression?” He didn't have to elaborate on who he was referring to.

Minato thought it through only for a few seconds. He'd had the whole way back to Konoha to think about what he should say to the Hokage when he finally made it back.

“I think he is favourable to Konoha. He hasn't shown any untoward aggression towards any of Konoha's shinobi and he's tried his best to answer honestly. I can rarely sense any falsehood in him and when he talked about his devotion to Konoha, I could only sense truth. He is hiding something for sure, but I do not believe it to be detrimental to Konoha. Rather, I believe it to be something connected to the strange seal he carries. Other than that, he's a curiosity, particularly pertaining to how he managed to sense my arrival by the Flying Thunder God Technique.”

The Sandaime nodded thoughtfully, finding Minato's assessment to be close to his own.

“Do you think he'd be willing to subjugate himself to an interrogation Yamanaka-style?” He finally asked. “Only to ascertain his loyalty to Konoha or at the very least his intention to bring Konoha no harm.”

Minato thought it over. “It is possible Hokage-sama. Maybe even more so if you reassure him that Yamanaka-san will leave all other memories and feeling alone. It is an unconventional method of interrogation after all. The Yamanaka clan does not usually use their techniques for the purpose you are asking.”

The Sandaime nodded gravely. “That may be, but I fear war is brewing, and if Mumei-san really feels favourably towards Konoha then he'd be a useful ally to have. Especially if we have high-ranking enemy spies amongst our shinobi. “

Minato's eyes widened. “You mean to enlist him as a personal spy?”

The old man filled up his pipe as he gazed gravely on the jounin in front of him. “If he is willing… then maybe. I'd have to assess his strengths and ensure his loyalty to Konoha first. On the other hand, if it turns out that the man is a possible threat, he'll have to be eliminated.”

Sighing heavily, the Sandaime looked out the window as he continued to ponder the problems that kept stacking themselves up against his beloved village.

Minato kept his silence.

“At what level of skill would you assess Mumei-san to be?”

The Sandaime's question came out of the blue and Minato blinked, slightly perturbed before he answered. “It is difficult to say”, he began. “With the seal hindering him from using conventional jutsu, I'd say his capabilities are lessened, but with the speed he has and the ease with which he learns seals, he could be formidable. Other than that, he has an advanced form of healing and his other senses seem more advanced too. Lastly, he's the best actor I've come across in a long time. He is good enough that even now I doubt my own assessment of him. He could be playing us both to his tune without any of us knowing it.”

The Sandaime nodded. “Which is why I want Yamanaka-san to test him.”

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Naruto watched the blonde in front of him warily.

From being in the same class as Ino at the academy and later developing a working friendship with the dominating blonde, Naruto had a vague clue about how the Yamanaka's bloodline worked.

That knowledge didn't reassure him in the slightest as he was about to get first hand experience himself in a couple of minutes.

The Yamanaka in front of him and the Sandaime had both tried to explain what they would be doing and both had promised sincerely to only ask pre-agreed upon questions while Naruto was subjugated to the jutsu.

Naruto could understand why the Sandaime found this to be necessary, but he still really disliked the thought of another person rummaging around in his mind. The Kyubi had been one individual too many according to Naruto's opinion.

“Are you ready Mumei-san?”

Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Naruto nodded to the Yamanaka in a sign that he should proceed.

The jutsu was activated.

Naruto suddenly found himself in the long and stretching corridors of his mindscape.

For once he wasn't the only human there.

“You have a strange mind, Mumei-san.”

Naruto nodded vaguely to the blonde man in front of him. “I know.” There wasn't much to say to such a statement anyway. And even if Naruto had never been in another persons mind before, he'd always thought that there was something special (read; weird) about his own.

The Yamanaka smiled tightly and then he spoke.

“Very well then. Sandaime-sama and I have already explained to you why we are here. In a persons mindscape it is impossible to tell lies.”

Naruto nodded.

For the Sandaime to trust him enough to let him wander around alone in Konoha, he had decided that it would be necessary for Naruto to go though this test. As Naruto had understood it, it wasn't a viable option in a normal interrogation because the one subjugated to it had to do so willingly. A person's mindscape was very private and could only be accessed by an outsider if the person being accessed was willing.

“I'll begin then”, the Yamanaka stated. He was obviously eager to leave Naruto's mindscape as soon as possible. Naruto couldn't really blame the man. The dim corridors were really daunting if you weren't used to them.

“Your name is not really Mumei Rei?”

“No.”

The Yamanaka nodded, expecting the answer.

“Do you use a pseudonym because you are wanted for a crime in any of the five great shinobi countries?”

“No.”

“Do you have any ill intentions towards Konoha, its Hokage or its citizens?”

“Not unless they are traitors to the village, no.” Naruto answered.

The Yamanaka nodded approvingly at the answer.

“Would you consider yourself an ally of Konoha?”

“Yes.”

“Would you welcome an alliance with Konoha and its current Hokage?”

“Yes.”

“Would you consider yourself a subject of Konoha?”

“Yes.”

“Would you be willing to swear fealty to Konoha?”

Naruto hesitated.

“Not at this moment in time, no.” He finally answered.

The Yamanaka raised an eyebrow but didn't comment further.

“Would you be willing to swear fealty to the current Hokage of Konoha?”

“Perhaps.”

“Would you ever consider willingly and knowingly betraying Konoha?”

“No.”

“What would you consider worth dying for?”

“My dreams, my friends, my friends' dreams…” Naruto trailed off.

“Do you have any friends who would wish harm on Konoha?”

It wasn't a pre-agreed on question, but Naruto could understand the sudden necessity of it and answered anyway.

“No.”

“Are you well versed in the teachings of the shinobi?”

“Relatively, yes.”

“Where did you learn?”

“On travels with shinobi in Fire Country and some of the other shinobi countries.” …Which was true. Naruto had learned from both Jiraiya and other shinobi while travelling with the white-haired sannin. He'd only excluded that he'd learned in Konoha proper as well.

“Who did you learn from?”

“Various shinobi. Two of them from Konoha, none of which are able to confirm my statements at this moment in time.”

“The Konoha shinobi who taught you, do you believe them to have been loyal to Konoha?”

“Yes.”

“Is there anything else you wish to say that you believe may improve your evaluation?”

Naruto thought for a second before he answered.

“I'd be willing to offer my services to Konoha as long as it wouldn't interfere with my own agenda. If I come across information that could help Konoha, I'd do my best to inform the Hokage as soon as possible. I do not believe my own agenda to go against Konoha's wellbeing; in fact I believe it to be in service of the village.”

Yamanaka waited a moment longer to see if Naruto had more to say. When it was obvious that he had said his piece, the Yamanaka brought his hands up in a hand-seal to dispel the jutsu.

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At first it was disorienting for Naruto to suddenly find himself back in the waking world again.

The Hokage gave both Naruto and the Yamanaka time to gather themselves before he asked the Yamanaka to recount the answers Naruto had given to each question and also any other information that had come to light.

When all of the formalities were done with, the Yamanaka was dismissed and Naruto was alone with the old Hokage in his office. Minato had left with Yamanaka as his duties were done for the moment. If the Hokage needed his advice, he could always summon him later on.

“Well then…” The Sandaime murmured, eying Naruto speculatively.

Naruto stared right back, refusing to back dawn from the unvoiced challenge. He loved the old man dearly, but that didn't mean that he'd take any kind of challenge directed at him lying down.

Finally giving a decisive nod - Naruto didn't know why the old man was nodding at him, maybe he was satisfied with what he saw - the old man took the pipe out of his mouth as he finally gave his verdict.

“After your honesty and willing cooperation there seems to be no reason for me to hinder your free movements in Konoha. You obviously do not have any ill intentions towards the village.” The Sandaime stopped as he pondered something. “Tell me Mumei-san… for what reason did you accompany Team Seven back to Konoha? And tell me the real reason please, not the half-hearted excuse Minato came up with.”

Naruto frowned thoughtfully.

Finally he decided on an appropriate and true answer. “I need information.” He stated. “Information concerning the seal placed on me more specifically, or anything else that I think may be relevant.”

The Sandaime nodded. “It seems we are both in need of information then.”

Naruto didn't answer, instead keeping his face carefully blank in front of the perceptive leader.

Turning around, the Hokage stepped over to the huge windows adorning the office. He was regarding his beloved village as he began to propose a solution for both of them.

“The information you seek - information about fuinjutsu - is costly, valuable and hard to get to.” The old man cast a covert look back at the blonde behind him as he spoke. “No doubt you'd go about acquiring this information in less then legal manners if you had to…” He left the sentence open for personal interpretation.

Naruto didn't answer at first, all too aware of how he was prepared to sneak into the restricted shinobi library to get what he needed. In the end he gave a slight nod, indicating that the Hokage were right in his suspicions.

The Sandaime only nodded and turned back to look out the window.

“Seeing as you've already voiced your willingness to aid Konoha if you have the opportunity, would you be willing to take it a step further for something in return?” The question was voiced with a possibility of mutual gain in it.

Naruto straightened. “I'm listening.”

Turning back to face the blonde fully, the Sandaime sized him up carefully as he came with his proposition.

“As you know, Konoha is being threatened by traitors with a lot of power in the village. My problem is that if I start an internal investigation of my ranks and its leaders, I may very well tip my hand to the spies. The only ones I can truly trust fully at this point in time are yourself, Minato and his team. The junior members of Team Seven are still too young and inexperienced to deal with a matter of this degree, which leaves you and Minato… maybe even Kakashi if he proves himself. He is a stickler for rules after all.” The last part was mostly mumbled and Naruto suspected that the Hokage was talking to himself in that instance.

“No matter,” he continued. “The fact is that I have a dire situation on my hands and very few people that I trust to know of it. With one Iwa-nin captured alive and two dead ones, it will be difficult to gain any reliable information from them if one of the traitors is high up in the ranks of the interrogational squad. As the situation is now, the stone-nin are worthless to me. Minato is not a professional interrogator and for all your acting ability, I suspect that neither are you.”

Naruto nodded in confirmation. He was well aware that he didn't have the sadistic mindset needed to be successful as an interrogator.

“As a conclusion I have two persons with which I can trust the recent information, one of which is a high profiled jounin and one of which is an anonymous and unknown stranger. Can you see where I'm going with this, or have I overestimated you completely?”

Naruto frowned at the implied slight against his intelligence, but in the end he let it go since he'd probably be a bit doubtful himself if he was in the Sandaime's current position.

“You wish for me to discover who the spies are. Namikaze-san is too well known for it to go unnoticed if he suddenly starts to snoop around in the higher-up's business.” It wasn't a question, but a statement.

The Sandaime nodded and his smile showed that he was pleased with Naruto's conclusion.

“Exactly. I will of course make it worth your while.” The Sandaime assured him. “If you do this, I'll give you full access to Konoha's shinobi library and all personelle files. You must realize how unorthodox this is, but I feel the situation warrants it.”

Naruto's eyebrows rose at what he'd just heard. For the Hokage to give a complete stranger full access to all personelle files was completely unheard of. If the Council got wind of this, the Hokage himself could very well be accused of high treason. The fact that Naruto had answered favourably on an interrogation Yamanaka-style would hardly help the Sandaime if he was tried under Konoha's martial law.

“Are you aware of the risk you're putting yourself at with what you are saying?” Naruto asked incredulously.

The Sandaime nodded gravely. “Of course I am, but you must realize that the village always comes first. The spies can very well bring down Konoha from within before I have a chance to do anything about it and with the growing conflicts with Iwa I cannot afford to waste time.”

Naruto could barely keep himself from gaping. “You'd risk your life for the taunting words of a Stone-nin? There might not even be any spies.” Naruto pointed out. “He could've just said that in a ploy to sow doubt in Konoha in the event that I managed to survive. Actually, that may very well be the case.” He continued. “Those nin were talkative and careless beyond anything I've ever encountered before. There's no way they'd have revealed information that vital to a possible enemy.”

The Sandaime smiled ironically. “I have considered that of course, but the risk is there and I cannot let the possibility go un-investigated. Being Hokage means to put your life on the line no matter what if the village is in danger. I applaud your concern, but seeing as you've never been an official shinobi yourself - and certainly not a Kage - there's no way for you to understand my choice in this matter.”

Naruto winced at that as a feeling of guilt and shame suddenly swept over him, but it went unnoticed as the Hokage continued his speech.

“I have thought of the possibility that the Iwa lied, but I still think this is the best possible choice I can make considering the current situation. What do you say?”

Naruto chuckled humourlessly as an amused grin graced his face. “You know? I had a friend that would've given anything for free access to the shinobi library. She was such a book-worm. If I said no to this opportunity, she's skin me alive if I ever get the chance to meet her again.”

Naruto thought fondly of how Sakura had pouted and raged over the fact that she wasn't allowed free access to all levels of the library. Even as the Godaime's apprentice, she hadn't qualified for the top-secret scrolls and files. Those were only open to the Hokage and - if the Hokage gave the personal go - higher ANBU ranked shinobi.

“It is good to know that some people still have their priorities in order.” The Hokage commented.

Naruto chuckled again, this time with a more humorous tone as he realized that it wasn't for nothing that the Sandaime had been nicknamed “the Professor”. Of course the old man would love studying.

“So, was that a `yes'?” The Sandaime questioned as he suddenly turned completely serious.

Naruto followed suit and nodded. “Yes, that was a `yes'.”

The old leader's smile had a trace of relief. “Good. Now we have to flesh out the paperwork to make this operation as legal as possible. I may be willing to die for my village, but there's no reason to not do my best to live to save another day.”

Tension he didn't know he'd had rushed out of Naruto as he laughed freely at the Sandaime's latest joke. Somehow he had the impression that things were not as hopeless as they'd first seemed.

He may have been stranded in the past without full use of his chakra, but now at least he had the possibility to both serve Konoha and himself at the same time. He hadn't relished the thought of abandoning Konoha and the Sandaime in their hour of need, while he scampered off on some foolhardy scavenger hunt for clues about the seal he'd created and the situation he'd landed himself in.

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After many hours of fleshing out the paperwork needed, Naruto was dead on his feet and he suspected the Sandaime wasn't fairing much better. The sun had set and the Hokage-Tower was as empty as it ever got, meaning that the skeleton crew consisting of four ANBU to guard the tower and the Hokage were present somewhere outside the soundproof room. In addition a couple of chuunin working night shifts were responsible for accepting reports from missions that were completed during the night. The only other people in the tower were the cleaning personelle.

Everyone working in the tower - weather they were working day- or night-shifts - were periodically forced to undergo psychology tests to ensure that they were loyal to the Hokage and the village. The tower didn't contain the most restricted of records and information, but strict security measures were still enforced since the tower symbolized the heart and the strength of the village. It would bring down moral if the tower was broken into.

“I think we have it all.” The Sandaime finally said with a relieved sigh.

Naruto stifled a satisfied yawn as he looked the documents over one last time.

Instead of going with the standardized Contract of Servitude, they had decided to write up something more specified and advanced. When Naruto and the Hokage signed the contract, Naruto officially took on the status as a Konoha shinobi again (though the Sandaime didn't know that Naruto had been one since he was twelve). His status as a shinobi was far from standardized though. Naruto couldn't be labelled with the normal ranks ranging from genin to jounin anymore. In effect, Naruto was a shinobi operating outside of the regular system because he was sworn directly to the Hokage and not to the village as a whole. This didn't interfere with the shinobi's loyalty to the village (unless the Kage was corrupt) because the Hokage's wishes essentially became the shinobi's wishes. Thus the balance of loyalty was kept between village, shinobi and Kage.

Naruto saw it as an irony to his newly selected name that his new status would make him a ghost to the system.

It wasn't unheard of for a Kage to take on personally sworn shinobi, but it was something that wasn't talked about and that shinobi under the rank of jounin never heard of. The only ones knowing the true identity of a ghost-shinobi would be the Kage himself, and only him.

If the Hokage died or was replaced before Naruto's resignation of the position, the next Hokage would be informed by documents sealed behind by the previous Hokage. The new Hokage would then call the ghost-shinobi in for an evaluation - where both parties evaluated each other - and then both of them had to decide if they wanted the ghost-shinobi to swear himself to the new Hokage to continue his work.

“Yes, it seems we're finally done.” Naruto answered as he reached for a kunai in order to properly sign the document.

It was regular procedure to sign important documents such as these by pressing a bloodied fingerprint infused with chakra to the paper. Fingerprints weren't kept on record by the shinobi except by the hospital in case it became needed to identify a corpse by the use of finger prints. Otherwise, that particular form of identification was found wanting because most shinobi (those worth their rank) took steps to never leave their finger prints behind even at home in their own apartments. This was done by a copious use of gloves, fake fingerprints glued to the tip of their fingers, or, for the more refined, constantly manipulating chakra at the needed area to distort their own prints. Only in death (or when willingly applied to seal a deal) were fingerprints to be counted on.

Having signed the document, Naruto handed it over to the Sandaime for him to add his own chakra-infused, bloodied fingerprint.

When that was done, the Hokage rolled up the scroll and pressed his Ring of Office to it while he sent his chakra through the metal of the ring. This would ensure that only a person carrying that exact ring (the Hokage since he was the only one allowed to even touch it) would be able to open the scroll and read it. The system was nearly fool proof, seeing as the Ring of Office would only accept a new owner if all the twenty owners of the Rings of Service (given to the Council members and the ANBU Commanders) channelled chakra through the Ring of Office at the same time. This only happened when a new Hokage had been selected. To attempt the procedure outside of its permitted area of use was equivalent to being executed for high treason. No-one had attempted to meddle with the ritual yet.

All the Rings were made of platinum with a black, obsidian stone engraved with the symbol of fire. The only differences between the Rings could be found by examining the Rings' inner band for specific stones that referred to the status of the owner.

The Hokage's had a diamond fastened on the inside, the ANBU had rubies and the Council had emeralds.

A fact kept secret from everyone else was that ghost-shinobi were also granted Rings. It was popularly and jokingly referred to (by the Hokage and his ghosts) as the Ghost Rings. They were identical to the other Rings, except again for the stone on the inside. A simple worthless piece of quarts, mimicking the diamond the Hokage had.

“Here.” The Sandaime said as he handed a small object over to Naruto. He'd previously channelled chakra trough his own ring and to this object before he handed it over. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the small ring he was gifted and the Sandaime took his time to explain its significance.

“This ring will let you enter all facilities in Konoha as if you were the Hokage. Nothing will be closed to you so I implore you to use it with caution. Simply channel chakra through the ring and to the metal-plate stationed on the right side of every restricted door you come across. The door's lock will open. No other ring but my own has this all purpose ability so try not to be seen using it at the most restricted areas. Those areas are usually deserted anyway so there shouldn't be any problems.”

Naruto looked startled and awed at the trust he was handed.

When he noticed Naruto's expression, the Hokage smiled. “You finally understand what it means to be my personal shinobi. You now have a lot of responsibility and I hope you realize that your actions may eventually reflect on me if you are caught.”

Naruto nodded gravely and the Hokage continued.

“The fact that you seem unable to channel charka outside yourself shouldn't play a factor, simply channel chakra to your blood and prick your finger on the quarts on the inside of the ring. It will function as if you'd done it the regular way as the ring will draw out the chakra in your blood.”

Naruto looked up startled that the ring had been designed to account for his disability and the Hokage smiled with a trace of humour. “Sometimes there are shinobi born with a disability to channel chakra. The Nidaime - who made the design for all the rings - thought it would be unfair to exclude some shinobi just because they had an inability to properly use chakra. He believed that such people could sometimes be more qualified than others because they often had an inborn ability to think outside the box.” The smile widened. “It seems he was correct.”

Naruto flushed at the implied compliment as the same time as he thought about Lee and his disability to channel chakra through his nearly non-existent coils. The Sandaime saw his sudden blush, but was decent enough to pretend that he didn't notice.

“Now, to hide the ring there's an inbuilt genjutsu. You only have to press the large black stone to activate and deactivate the jutsu.” The Sandaime used his own ring as an example as he made the ring disappear from view and become visible again with two hard pushes to the stone. “You have to use some force to press it down, otherwise it won't activate. It wouldn't do for the genjutsu to fail if someone were simply clumsy enough to bump into the ring.

Naruto nodded, more impressed than he could possibly express.

“There is one last thing I wish to give you before you leave my office.” The Sandaime began. He stood up from the desk they had been sitting at and went into an adjoined room. When he returned he had a sealed scroll in his hands.

“This is a forbidden technique that I believe may be of use to you in your new position. The technique requires an enormous amount of chakra, but it only affects your physical body so I believe it would be ideal for you.” He handed the scroll over, but didn't give Naruto an opportunity to open it before he continued to talk. “Other than that, I'm giving you a safe house, or rather a safe apartment,” he grinned at Naruto's flabbergasted expression. “I assumed you didn't have a place to stay and decided to pull some strings. Don't worry.” He stopped Naruto's protest before it could be voiced. “You can pay me back by doing your best to keep the village and its inhabitants safe. Oh, and before I forget, here is a forehead protector. If anyone asks you are to tell them that you are a chuunin. It may restrict your movements if you try to enter a particular restricted place while there are witnesses, but they'll either ignore you or speculate that you are from ANBU. Chuunin are the shinobi under least scrutiny in the village. We may `raise' your public rank as time moves by, but for now we'll see how this works out. Is everything clear?”

Naruto nodded, “yes, Hokage-sama.”

The Sandaime let another smile graze his features. “Call me Sarutobi. You deserve it for what you are willing to do for my village.”

Naruto's eyes nearly misted over but he managed to suppress the happy reflex. The gesture saddened him too because he dearly wished to reciprocate the gesture.

“As you wish Sarutobi-sama.” Naruto finally managed to say. “And you can call me Rei. Mumei-san makes me feel old… and respectable. I've never been respectable.” Naruto added vehemently.

Sarutobi chuckled heartily. “Rei, then.” He said. “I wish you the best of luck in your mission."

Naruto nodded and bowed to the old leader as he turned to make his way out of the room. “I don't need luck. I'll manage this on pure skill alone, and I won't disappoint you Old-man. It's a promise of a lifetime.”

As Naruto opened the door to step outside, he barely caught the expression on the Hokage's face. It was a mix between amused and disgruntled, and Naruto couldn't help but laugh out loud.

When Naruto made it downstairs to the exit, he walked passed an individual that had him blanking all expression from his face quicker than you could blink.

He'd just found one of the prime suspects for his mission.

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