A/N: Before You start, you should know the smut and lemons will be after 5-7 chapters. This shit has plot so enjoy the buildup as it leads to even better fulfillment.
...
For him time stood still as the three shinobi lunged at him.
They were slow, pathetically slow.
How did the Tsuchikage think about making them jōnin? This was insulting to say the least.
With all the time in the world, he reached for his tantō. His grip tightened around the handle, a soft 'click' came as he unsheathed it and ran at them. He'd kill them for Konoha, for his Kage, for the next generation.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
His jagged, untamed blade sliced through the air and their throats. Like a waterfall, blood traveled down their chests, staining their clothes and flak jackets. Normally, the change would be hard to notice since Iwa's shinobi wear a maroon colored outfit, but he had seen enough blood and enough of their lot to know when that particular shade emerged. Slowly, their clothes became darker, their bodies shook crazily; one of them was trying to close the wound with his bare hands.
"Captain," he turned around to see Bird – just as blood soaked as him – panting a bit. "Everyone's been taken care of."
"And their leader?"
"He spilled everything; Snake got every bit of information out of him."
"Of course she did." The captain shook his head. He sighed under the white, shapeless, blank mask. His was unique, and even had an additional part in the rear which covered his hair, down to his neck. "I can assume he's mincemeat now?"
"Yes, Captain. Snake didn't find any further use."
"Go get Rabbit. We move out in three."
"Sir." Bird nodded before jumping away. The Captain, Ghost as he was called, looked up at the sky. It was dusk, he really planned to finish this before it was late noon. There was an extra special coming up on TV regarding how to properly cook basil chicken.
The things I do for peace.
Ghost looked at the three, now very dead, men and opened up a scroll. At least he could cash in their bounties. A little extra money never hurt anyone, and honestly…he was bored. The Captain began to seal up the bodies thinking about his duties.
Same old ANBU, same old murders in the name of protection and the same old stupid shinobi who thought they could kill him because he seemed younger.
Had they never hear of Cold-Blood Kakashi? Or Itachi the Kinslayer? Heck, the Fourth Mizukage came into power when he was what? Fifteen? Sixteen? Age, very rarely, affected the outcome unless the opponents were equally matched and were, frankly, old. Ghost was sure that Sarutobi-sensei would be able to 'rek' the Tsuchikage if he was a mere ten years younger. Ōnoki had a cheat code, but wasn't unbeatable; Danzo-sensei made sure to research his little Jinton well.
"Oh Captain~" the voice was melodious, husky and seductive. There clad in tight – very tight – ANBU armor a female, lay on the grass, reeking of iron, as she looked at him. He was sure she was licking her lips under the snake mask. Visually raping him too. "What's taking you so long? I can't wait to get back and take a shower with you."
One of these days, he would fuck Snake. He would fuck her so hard she would wear a chastity belt from that point onwards.
"I'm done," he said picking up the scroll, ignoring the clearly attractive female on the ground. There was a time and place for everything, and this was not one of them. "Let's go."
He ran with impressive speed and saw the other members of his squad, Bird and Rabbit, ready to head out with Snake just behind him. He didn't bother saying anything. They all followed suit, though he was sure that Snake would bother him later.
"I think I misheard you."
Ghost stood, ramrod straight trying not to let the words get the better of him. For a minute he thought he heard the esteemed Sandaime Hokage, the Professor, the man who lived through three great wars tell him that he was to be retired from ANBU. Surely the previous, attempted, jutsu where that Iwa dude tried to crush him with two boulders around his head caused him to hear stuff wrong. Yes that was it.
"You are to be retired from ANBU."
Apparently he wasn't deaf.
"Permission to speak freely, Hokage-sama?" Ghost, S-Ranked ANBU, a man heralded as one of the strongest in the village respectfully asked his leader.
"Of course," the wise and elderly man replied. It was just the two of them in the room.
"What the fuck have you been smoking, dattebayo?"
In return, the Sandaime laughed. At his anger, his rage, his lividness. Ghost's anger was no match for Sandaime's casualness. The ANBU had very little to threaten the man with, unless he took desertion into account. Suddenly, shinobi going rogue from their respective villages made sense now. Senile old men and their senile ideas, they drove a man crazy to the point he would forsake love, patriotism and honor to be free of the madness. Then again, shinobi had no honor. He himself was a dirty, deceitful death dealer.
"Oh, Ghost, how I missed thee."
The Sandaime was speaking in the ancient burn language too. Sometimes, Ghost honestly thought he was underpaid for this job.
"Hokage-sama, I don't see the point of you removing me from the ANBU."
"There is a good point," the Hokage said. Sarutobi's features hardened a bit, reminding Ghost who he served. Now, this was better. "You'll be becoming a jōnin sensei."
"And you ruined it." Ghost sighed, shaking his head.
Suspension of disbelief could only go so far. He was S-Ranked for Log's sake! Granted he was new in that pretty circle of killers, unlike a certain white snake, but still! Him, Ghost, one of the three strongest shinobi loyal to the Leaf…was to become a jōnin sensei?
Teach genin?
He was hardly teaching material. ANBU trainees were different. Recruits knew they were going to live the shittiest lives and let the wet-works become their main life. There was no need to mold them into understanding what a shinobi or kunoichi was. Not to mention the fact that the next batch of students the Sandaime was talking about included people of his own age. Ghost was ninety-five percent sure it was the one he belonged to. Where he was treated unfairly, the stupid batch where the Sandaime finally saw logic and decided to train him –properly. Like a shinobi, like a true human weapon should be. Minus the mind-control garbage Danzo had a raging boner for.
After all, who in hell could control him?
"You're phasing out aren't you?"
"Say what now?" Ghost intelligently replied. "I'm sorry I was just thinking about how important I am to the village, and how they can be put to better use without me teaching children."
"They're of your age."
"True, but I'm an edgy teen with issues –lots of issues. And a large body count behind me."
"You're right about that and your recent psych evaluations seemed to indicate that," Sarutobi picked up a random file, one Ghost hadn't paid any particular heed to. "Ah yes, 'Unmotivated, moderately depressed, and potential flight risk'. Yes, very interesting the mind is."
Now the Hokage was just trying to fuck with his mind. Him? Leaving the village? Where would he go?
"Who made that report?"
"Inoichi."
The overly-affectionate psycho-analysis mother. Ghost thought about the Head of T&I with a slight scowl. Sixteen years, and the thought had crossed his mind but he never ran. There was no point, especially after the whole truth about his life was revealed to him. "…There must be a reason why you're doing this."
"Indeed, Sasuke Uchiha is graduating. I can't help but see him going rogue at one point."
Itachi's little bro. He remembered the younger Uchiha, good shinobi in the making but he kept a distance from everyone.
Then again, most Uchiha were just like that. Of course, considering what the kid went through that one bloody night, it was no surprise. Ghost himself didn't know how he'd respond to something like that. His parents were impaled to death by a giant fox barely an hour after he was born. Itachi, one of his few friends and one of the original members of Squad Delta, did ask him to keep an eye on Sasuke. Ghost did so if only to honor their friendship and Sasuke's mother – Log bless her soul – a person who was kind and treated him like a proper child.
He missed them. Mikoto was dead, along with Shisui, and Itachi was gone –labeled as a genocidal traitor.
The things we do for peace.
"Okay, so I'm going to be his sensei. I can-"
"You're not his sensei." The Sandaime cut him off, and Ghost had the urge to break that ancient pipe from which smoke emerged. "Kakashi is going to be his sensei."
"Not that Kakashi-senpai wouldn't be a perfect fit," he began, "but where do I fit in?"
"Teams are going to be rigged this year." Sarutobi smoked a bit more. "Not to say I'm sabotaging them, but there's one team I want you to personally look after."
"If it's not Sasuke Uchiha, who could be more important?"
"These three," the Sandaime pointed three files before him. He beckoned for Ghost to come forward and the ANBU picked them up. All of them female, all of them pretty, all of them easy to kill.
Hinata Hyuga. Heiress apparent, major self-esteem issues, extremely timid.
Ino Yamanaka. Another heiress, far too busy making herself look fabulous, overall lower potential considering her lineage.
Sakura Haruno. Daughter of a Civilian councilor, very, very low physical skills and…Kunoichi of the Year?
Ghost sighed, he sighed again. Then he groaned. "You know, Cat would be pretty pissed if she read this. Don't get me started on Snake."
"I know," Sarutobi said. "Times change, Ghost. We are closer to peace than we've been in the last fifty years."
But for how long? Ghost wasn't a strict skeptic, but he did like keeping an eye, his original eye, on his back –considering he lost one of them in his first mission. He was lucky he got a good, sharp implant. But he didn't like the way he got the extra eye despite the perks. "And you want to give them to me…because?"
"I truly believe you'll be able to make them into proper kunoichi." The Hokage brownnosed him. "They need to see the harsher side of life, I've lost too many kunoichi and shinobi in the last few years –most of them were genin."
"It's the curriculum." Ghost, dryly pointed out. "While I understand that you need to learn about topics related outside a shinobi's life, we could just reduce the time used on them. Not to mention the graduation age is too…comfy. Soon enough, genin become comfortable with their lives and think that outside the walls is a happy-go-lucky place."
"You're not wrong, but doing that would cause suspicion to rise in the other villages," the Hokage said, laying his pipe on the desk having finished his tobacco. "After all, they too are following the same pattern."
Ghost rolled his mismatched eyes underneath the mask. Sometimes he wondered if the cycle would ever end. Great, now I'm sounding like a wizened sage. "Anyways," Ghost said. "When is graduation and team sortings?"
"Graduation finished early this morning," the Hokage replied. "You'll meet your team in a week's time. Also, a certain chūnin seems to think he can steal the Scroll of Sealing and run scot free. Do take care of that mess."
"I want a raise."
"What?"
"You want me to teach kids, fine." Ghost began, a bit annoyed. Him…teaching girls of his age. Kill me, Lord of Logs. "But I want higher pay, it doesn't have to be the same as I got when I was in ANBU, but I want a good amount. Also, they're my students. What I say, goes. Let their parents know that."
"Two of them are heiress and one's a-"
"I know who they are, and you know who I am." Ghost clarified. "I'm sure their parents know about me, can't say the same for Haruno's parents though. Do we have an accord?"
"Fine, before you leave…hand over the mask and armor." Sarutobi ordered, Ghost slowly walked forward unclasping the straps of the armor, greaves and gloves. He reached for his mask, and his blond, wild hair frazzled.
Three whisker marks on each cheek, his skin was tanned, jaw angular. A scar ran over his right eye, he kept it closed as his other blue eye showed boredom. As soon as he reached for his tantō, Sarutobi spoke up.
"You can keep that, it was yours to begin with." The Hokage smiled, too widely. "Welcome back, Naruto Namikaze."
"Uzumaki," Naruto corrected his leader. "I've had that name since I was a child, and I'm not changing it –heroic dad or otherwise."
"Your mother would've been proud." Sarutobi laughed balefully. "She probably might've held it as a personal victory over Minato. You're more like them than you know."
"So you keep telling me." Naruto said, walking towards the door as he stretched a bit. "What about my squad?"
"Bear will be taking over." The blond nodded at his words. "Also, Snake will be joining T&I in a month."
"She got approved?" he asked, a bit surprised. Ghost, no…Naruto honestly didn't think they wanted more crazy in that particular place. Inoichi, Ibiki, and now Anko joined them. Talk about overkill.
"Yes, now go and take care of the mess."
"Fine, fine," Naruto waved. "Send someone to clean up the blood."
"Take care, Naruto and ease up a bit."
"I can see why Danzo-sensei thinks you're too 'childish' for the job."
"Oh he's just being a bitter old fuck."
"And you're an insane old fuck," Naruto opened the door. "See you tomorrow, Jiji-sensei. Take care."