AN: Hey everyone thanks for sticking with the story thus far and also thanks for the reviews! I appreciate them all! Just an FYI, this is a bit of a spoiler (not that big of a deal to the story) before you read the chapter. I guess it won't really matter after you read this chapter but I'll finish this AN at the bottom of the page just incase.
Chapter 22
Knock Knock.
"Enter." Hiruzen said with his back turned as he continued to stare out the window at the village. After receiving permission Haku, Kimimaro, and I walked into the room and closed the door behind us. We all stood beside each other and then knelt down on one knee as we waited for Lord Third to turn and greet us. Hiruzen gave a puff of smoke with his pipe before he turned to look at the three young shinobi in front of him with a thoughtful look. It had been a few days since the attack on the Hidden Leaf, but thankfully do to everyone's efforts the damage done was minimal and things with the Hidden Sand village were dealt with accordingly.
"Rise." Hiruzen said.
The three of us stood up and awaited to hear the reason why Lord Third summoned us to his quarters. Hiruzen then said, "Haku. Izaya. Kimimaro. I have some things that I wish to discuss with you all, but first let me fill you in on the situation of the Hidden Leaf. These past few days I have met with the council of the Feudal Land of Fire. After what has happened with the village I have decided that I am indeed too old now to properly manage it. I have decided to abdicate the position of Hokage for the Fifth Hokage."
"AH?!" The three of us were instantly shocked at this new development.
"Hahaha, now now, it was to be expected. I can't be Hokage forever. After a long debate and discussion we have decided that the Fifth Hokage will be Tsunade. She was one of my personal disciples back in the day alongside Orochimaru and Jiraiya. Her current whereabouts are unknown, however Jiraiya has volunteered to find her."
"...Then...Lord Third, is the reason you've called us here so we may assist in something?" I asked.
Hiruzen gave a thoughtful look before saying, "Hmm...Well, perhaps. Allow me to explain further why I have invited you three here and only you three. First, Haku. Izaya. Congratulations, it's been decided that the both of you will be officially promoted to Chunin. As for Kimimaro, I know of your sickness and you have also yet to show your true skills to the other Chunin and Jonin of this village, therefore you have not yet been granted this title. No need to fret though as with your skills, it's only a matter of taking the test as a formality."
Haku and I were startled and elated at this news and bowed respectfully saying, "Thank you Lord Third." Kimimaro also saluted Lord Third and said, "I understand."
"Mn. It is as it should be." Hiruzen replied. He took one more puff of smoke before continuing, "There is still something I wish to discuss. First. Izaya. Not only am I aware that you can utilize the Wood Style, but I am truly surprised that you have the capability of utilizing the Flying Thunder God Jutsu of the Fourth Hokage. Then again I can understand. One must be an outstanding sensory type shinobi to use this skill alone. I may be a sensory type shinobi myself but my skills in this area are subpar at best. You however have a great talent in this area. You also have a formidable comprehension ability of sealing techniques. I remember when I first met you all those years ago you were only 7, but you had already been able to place a sealing technique over your blindfold to conceal your eyes. With your sensing skills and Sharingan, you can recognize patterns and see the intricacies of sealing techniques. Then by using your formidable comprehension ability, you can understand the techniques usage.
You also used this talent of yours to easily create your own unique sealing formula pertaining to spacetime which you then used to fuse your chakra with. This also means you have a formidable comprehension of the concept of space and time. And finally, your control over your chakra. You have a lot of chakra for your age and the fact that you cannot deactivate your Sharingan means it constantly drains your chakra. For you to keep the drain on your chakra to such minimal levels so it doesn't interfere with your life as a shinobi means that your ability to finely control chakra is extraordinary. All of these factors combined make you suited to learn the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
By activating your technique you can transport yourself into your own unique space. By using your powerful sensing abilities you can detect which of your markers with your unique chakra you wish to fly to. You can then connect your chakra with your unique chakra on the seal to appear at those locations. Even though I understand the concept of the technique, not even I can execute such a Jutsu hence I am not merely spouting nonsense, I am thoroughly impressed. I will not ask how you were able to come by this technique. You have, after all, saved my life and perhaps contributed the most merit in this recent attack on Konoha.
This brings me to the second thing I wish to discuss. I have decided that I will grant one request of yours without fail. You need not worry about Kimimaro's condition. I promise that I shall help monitor his health so don't waste your one request on something like that. Now tell me, is there anything you might want?"
The development of the situation was different from what I had expected. I thought that Lord Third would question why I would be able to utilize the Flying Thunder God but I guess not. Instead, he is rewarding me. What should I ask for. I momentarily paused and contemplated what would benefit me and then I had a thought. "Lord Third...If I may be so presumptuous to ask, there is one thing I wish for."
"Mn. Speak." Hiruzen nodded and said. I hesitated for a moment before bowing my head and said, "Then, my one request is that you grant me the permission to study the contents in the First Hokage's scroll of sealing." Hiruzen gave a surprised and thoughtful look before replying, "Hmmm...The scroll of sealing. The only ones who have seen the full contents of that scroll are those enacted as Hokage. A few exceptional Jonin have also seen the contents, but even then they are only allowed to view part of it."
A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of my head as I thought to myself, did I ask for too much?
"Hahaha!" Hiruzen laughed amiably. He then said, "Very well."
"HUH?!" Haku, Kimimaro, and I were instantly surprised at this unexpected answer.
H-He agreed? I mentally thought in wonderment.
Hiruzen smiled at our shocked expressions before speaking again. "Ahem. Well, you truly know how to make a difficult request Izaya-kun. I can show you some of the scroll of sealing, however, it will only be some parts of the scroll. I know I said I would grant any request without fail, but I hope you can forgive this old man for not being able to completely fulfill your request."
I shook my head and said, "Not at all Lord Third. In fact, I merely made that request on a whim. I never expected to actually be granted the chance to view it. Being allowed to view even just some parts of it is already more than I could have imagined."
Hiruzen nodded his head in approval. "Ahem. The next topic I wish to discuss with the three of you is actually a presumptuous request of mine."
Eh? Haku, Kimimaro, and I were a bit dumbstruck. There's actually more that Lord Third wishes to speak to us about we all silently thought.
Hiruzen continued, "This request of mine. Since I will soon leave the position of Hokage to Tsunade that means I have more free time. I was hoping that I may take you three on as disciples of mine."
"AH?!" All three of us were instantly shocked. "A-Are you sure?" We all said.
"Oh? Of course, that is, if you three are willing." Hiruzen replied. At that moment all three of us knelt and saluted Lord Third as we said, "Please accept our greetings sensei!"
Hiruzen had a smile on his face as he watched this scene and said, "Mn. I have accepted your greetings. You may call me Hiruzen-sensei. Rise. I will send word for you when I wish to begin a lesson. Now this brings me to the last thing I wish to discuss."
Ah? There's still more after all of that? The three of us collectively thought. We all waited for Lord Third to continue. "Ahem. The last thing I wish to discuss. First off, due to your health Kimimaro, it is unwise for you to take on any missions or perform any strenuous activities until you are fully healed. When Tsunade arrives in the village I will have her take a look at your condition. Most likely it may take a few months, perhaps more to completely rid you of your disease even with Tsunade's skills. In this way the three of you can no longer form a three man team. For now at least I wish to make one more presumptuous request of both Haku and Izaya. Will you both become a part of my temporary Anbu division?"
Once more the three of us were stunned. Especially Haku and I. We both looked at each other and then also at Kimimaro and had come to a silent tacit agreement. We both turned to face Lord Third and cupped our fists before answering, "We humbly accept your request."
Phew. Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief. "I thought I might have to try a bit harder to persuade you both but it seems that won't be the case. Very well. From this day forth you three shall be my disciples. Haku and Izaya shall also be Anbu under my command whilst Kimimaro shall focus on being cured of his disease. As Anbu it does not mean you need to stop your other duties or daily tasks. You only need to perform your duties as Anbu when I ask for it, otherwise you may continue your daily tasks as you see fit. Haku, I hear from Yamato that you have mastered the Hidden Mist's Silent Killing technique. From this day forth your Anbu name shall be Silent Mist. Izaya, you have learnt the Flying Thunder God technique and have the greatest speed allowing you to appear and disappear at a moments notice. From this day forth your Anbu name shall be Ghost."
Haku, Kimimaro, and I nodded. Hiruzen looked at us with fondness and said, "Very well. Kimimaro, I want you to head to the Konoha hospital first. Tell them I sent you and they will know what to do."
"Mn." He nodded. He looked at us one more time before heading out for the hospital. Hiruzen then turned towards us and said, "Your masks are over here on the table as well as your Anbu gear. I have placed the same concealing technique on your mask Izaya therefore you can remove your blindfold so others will not know it is you. I know I am asking a lot but I have a mission for you both. Please get dressed in your gear after you hear my mission. It shouldn't be too difficult, but you never know. For your first Anbu mission I would like the two of you to move together and do some reconnaissance of the surrounding area of the Leaf Village. You may use your own judgement as to how far and how extensive your search needs to be. I shall await for your report. Many of our other Anbu were sent out to the other villages to check on their situation before the final Chunin exam began so I can only leave this to the both of you. As I want this mission completed as soon as possible I will have you both complete your formal Anbu training when one of the senior members I trust return. I trust that both of your current skills should suffice for a mission like this."
Haku and I saluted Lord Third before changing into our Anbu gear and disappeared from the room.
Swish!
Silent Mist and I were headed towards the village gate to perform reconnaissance on the surrounding area of the Leaf when I noticed a disturbance on the road that was leading outside the village in a different direction. I quickly stopped moving forward which prompted Silent Mist to stop as well. He looked at me and said, "What's wrong Ghost?"
I turned to him and said, "Silent Mist, I sensed something off in this direction. Let's head out of the village this way instead of through the main gate."
"Mn." Silent Mist nodded as we dashed in the direction of the disturbance. I instantly knew what had happened when we arrived at the scene. Instead of showing ourselves we hid our presence and stood in the shadows of the forest as we watched the scene in front of us. Kakashi was being carried over Guy's shoulder as Asuma and Kurenai followed behind. Looks like Itachi and Kisame have already come and gone. If that's the case then they should of just left. That means we aren't far behind. This is a good chance for me to speak with Itachi.
"Silent Mist, follow me." I quickly disappeared from my hiding spot as Silent Mist followed suit. Using my sensory perception I was able to track their location which wasn't that far away. After they had dashed off from their earlier fight by the river and made it outside the village, they began to walk again at a leisurely pace making their way to where Naruto and Jiraiya would be just as I remembered it. Since they were walking it made it easy for Silent Mist and I to catch up. Before they could go any further I threw a kunai down 10 feet in front of them which prompted them both to stop. Itachi and Kisame just stood there with indifference as they waited for their pursuer to show themselves. Not a moment later Silent Mist and I appeared in front of the kunai.
"Oh? Anbu from the Leaf eh? What should we do Itachi?" Kisame asked his partner. Itachi stared at these two Anbu for a moment noticing how young they were. In fact, he noticed that these two Anbu seemed to be almost as young as he was when he first joined the Anbu.
When I first joined the Anbu I was only 11. I became a captain of the Anbu at 13. These two in front of us seem to be somewhere between the ages of 12 and 14. If that's the case then they must be quite skilled Itachi silently thought as he observed us for a moment longer. Kisame just patiently waited for Itachi to finish his thoughts and give some orders. "You both are quite young for Anbu." Itachi commented.
"You are Uchiha Itachi aren't you. And your partner there is Hoshigaki Kisame of the Hidden Mist correct?" I said with a steady voice that showed no hostility nor servility. Itachi noticed this and was a bit surprised that this Anbu in front of him didn't seem hostile. He took notice of my partner Silent Mist and couldn't help but feel amused inside. For some reason he felt that these two Anbu were similar to Kisame and himself. He would usually be the one to give orders while Kisame simply obeyed and he felt it was a similar situation with these two Anbu.
"So you know our names. What do we call you?" Kisame asked curiously.
"You can address me as Ghost. This is my partner Silent Mist." I simply replied.
"It doesn't seem like you are here to capture or kill us." Itachi said testing the waters.
"We were simply given the orders to survey the area." I replied neither confirming nor denying his statement.
"If you are simply surveying the area then we will take our leave, however you stopped us for a reason, I presume." Itachi stated.
"I did." I replied. I then took one step forward and said, "Uchiha Sasuke."
Itachi slightly flinched as I mentioned his younger brothers name but didn't say anything as he waited for me to finish.
"What are your plans for him?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" He responded.
I simply sighed. "Well, I didn't expect an actual response anyways. I just wanted to see how you would answer."
"Itachi, this guy is way too ambiguous. He might just be wasting our time here until more of his guys can show up. Let me lop off his legs and you can just use Genjutsu to get your answers." Kisame said as he smiled and showed off his sharklike teeth. Silent Mist stood forward at that moment as he played with a long senbon needle in his hand, irritated by what Kisame said so he fired back, "Ghost, how about I just incapacitate them. We can interrogate them after. It's no big deal." Sparks flew in the air between Kisame and Silent Mist as they stared at each other with hostility.
"Stop it." Itachi and I said at the same time.
Kisame and Silent Mist just sighed and turned their heads away not wanting to bother with each other anymore. Itachi looked at me once more and said, "You're implying that you know something." I stood there without making any movement and said, "I suppose I shouldn't interfere in the matters between brothers. I just wanted to meet you. You remind me of a painful memory I once had. And I wanted to say that I understand a bit of your pain. That's all." I then turned to Silent Mist and said, "Lets go."
"Wait." Itachi said quickly. "You and I do not know each other. How much do you know?" He asked suspiciously.
"Too much." I replied.
Silent Mist and I disappeared from our spot an instant later. Kisame turned to look at Itachi with a super confused expression and said, "What the hell was that all about? Weren't those Leaf Jonin trying to kill us earlier? Yet these two Anbu come out of nowhere and speak as if they're our friends."
Itachi was deep in thought. Does he know the truth about me? I heard Lord Third survived Orochimaru's attack, then did Lord Third tell this Anbu? But if that is the case, why did he do that? Itachi furrowed his brow but he couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. He let out a soft sigh and said, "Let's go."
Kisame gave Itachi a sideways glance wanting to glean something from his facial reaction but didn't find anything abnormal. They both dashed off as Kisame said, "Well, I did find that one called Silent Mist a bit interesting. I feel like we might've actually hit it off."
As Kisame and Itachi dashed away Silent Mist and I reappeared at the spot of our meeting and watched their retreating form slowly fade away.
"Ghost, are you alright? Your mood seems a little depressing after talking with that guy Itachi." Silent Mist commented. I just continued to stare at their retreating form even after they had disappeared completely. A memory from my past life resurfacing.
*Flashback*
"Hey Izaya, I want ice cream today." Said a little boy no older than 5. I smiled and rubbed his head then said, "Ok ok, go wait by Mrs. Tang's shop, I'll go get the goodies."
"Mn." He nodded with a big smile before running off to Mrs. Tangs.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
I looked down at my watch. My body inwardly shook when I saw that it read 047. I pressed a button on the watch that deleted the number and pulled out an encrypted cell phone and dialed 047. The phone rang for only a second before someone answered on the other line. A deep, gruff voice spoke at that moment, "Your 3 year mission is over. Wipe the town clean. Leave no survivors." Click.
My body inwardly shook at that moment. I stared at the phone in my hand for a good few seconds before I put it away and walked to a secluded area of the town. I stood there alone in the darkness as I let my tears fall for a good minute. I thought about that boy who wanted ice cream. His name was Kai. He always visited me and asked me to play with him. The stern face of Mrs. Tang when she scolds me for going outside without a jacket in the winter. The face of Haru the farmer. The face of Ren, and Tsuki, and many others. The town I spent 3 years of my life in, only to receive an order I had hoped I wouldn't ever receive. I wiped away my tears and steadied my breath as I steeled my heart and rid myself of all emotions. All I had was a blank stare. A face of absolutely no emotions as I walked back to complete the order I was given.
*End Flashback*
"...Ghost?" Silent Mist asked with concern. Without facing him I said softly, "Silent Mist. Would you hate me...if you found out I was a monster?"
Silent Mist was taken aback at this question, but reigned in his emotion and said, "I'll just be a monster too! That way you don't have to think so hard and worry so much."
"Ah?" I turned to look at Silent Mist for a moment and said, "I won't let you become a monster."
Silent Mist smiled behind his mask and said, "If you won't let me become a monster, then that means you will never be a monster, because I will always be your family. I follow where you go. If you become a monster, then I will become a monster. If you won't let me become a monster, then naturally you also can't become one yourself. That means it'll all be okay."
I stared dumbfoundedly at Silent Mist's logic and let out a small laugh, "Pfft!"
"Eh? Did I say something weird?" Silent Mist asked.
I shook my head and smiled beneath my mask, "You always know the right things to say to cheer me up. I'm glad you're my family." I patted his head before rushing off into the forest to finish our reconnaissance.
"Hey! Why did you laugh? I was serious." Silent Mist asked as we dashed off.
"Not telling." I said.
"Not fair." He replied. "Tell Me."
"No."
"Please."
"Leave it alone Silent Mist."
"Hmpf. Not fair." He pouted.
AN continued: When Haku and Izaya are in their Anbu attire I will have them continue to be referred as by their Anbu names. Haku's Anbu name is Silent Mist. Izaya's Anbu name is Ghost.