"What do you think?" Sarutobi asked with a serious expression as a masked ANBU shinobi materialized before him.
"It's possible, Hokage-sama. I have met men before, politicians and spies who were able to act and speak with complete sincerity and honesty, yet I knew they were holding something back. I vaguely sense that here. But are you sure about this, sir? He is such a young child, after all."
"I know. I wonder as well, but something just doesn't add up. What are the chances an elite ANBU unit would stumble upon a brutal massacre mid-occurrence?" Sarutobi asked.
"None," the ANBU answered simply. "It's too much of a coincidence. Do you think he knew of it beforehand?"
The Hokage shook his head violently, refusing to accept that implication. "You saw what he was like. He was as shaken and shocked as everyone else. Haruto is not one to carry a grudge. If he knew beforehand, he would have tried to save all of them."
"Perhaps Kakashi-san would be of more help. He is a master at looking 'underneath the underneath.'"
The Hokage shook his head regretfully. "Alas, Kakashi is still haunted by his past. I fear he has not recovered from the loss of his sensei enough to be impartial toward Haruto."
"I see… but then, maybe we are reading too deep into the boy's actions. Maybe he was doing what he claimed. Maybe he was simply teaching the clans a bit of humility? After what happened today and after what almost happened to the Hyuuga heiress, I would say that they've learned their lesson," the ANBU offered.
The Hokage froze.
"Hokage-sama?"
The Hokage motioned for a moment of silence as he organized his thoughts. After almost a minute of inaction, he smiled as his eyes took on an excited gleam.
"Months ago, Haruto asked about the secret techniques of the clans, specifically the Sharingan and the Byakugan. He noted how despite the uniqueness and importance of these abilities, it was surprisingly easy to gain access into the Hyuuga and Uchiha complexes. I didn't believe him and honestly didn't put much thought into it. But then, Haruto's pranks on the clans started. Remember the first time he used a technique to turn the entire Hyuuga compound pink?"
The ANBU agent gave a soft chuckle as he nodded. "I was on guard duty at the council meeting that night when Hiashi-sama yelled himself hoarse. I have never seen a Hyuuga turn red so quickly and then stay red for so long."
The Hokage smiled fondly at the memory. "The next day, the guard detail around the Hyuuga compound tripled in size. Less than a month later, the failed abduction of the eldest Hyuuga daughter occurred."
Silence reigned as both Hokage and his ANBU considered the implication.
"He didn't know what exactly the dangers to the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans were, but he knew what their vulnerabilities were. He did exactly what he said he would do: 'teach them a lesson,' a lesson about how vulnerable their own residences were. Quite remarkable considering no one caught on," Sarutobi noted.
The ANBU remained impassive, but considered his leader's words.
After all, it was too much to be a coincidence. This line of reasoning would also explain perfectly why the boy was so distraught. He had tried so hard to prove to the Uchiha clan how vulnerable they were to sneak attacks. To have his fear confirmed by the actions of his hero must have hurt in more ways than one.
"I always knew he was a gifted youngster. Now, I have a clue as to how gifted he may be. I'm sure this is not all there is to him," the Hokage remarked.
"Hokage-sama, I wonder if it would be possible to give the young boy some personal guidance. It would have to be discreet, since I doubt the general public or the council would approve."
The Hokage concealed a smile. He had been hesitant to bring anyone in to talk about Haruto at first, but now he was quite sure he had made the right choice. "It could be tricky. Haruto is still an exuberant child," he noted.
"Maybe to the outside world, but if you are right about him then he is already a veteran at hiding sensitive information from others. It would be a travesty to let someone like him go to waste. Surely the academy will not sufficiently train him even if its instructors were inclined to do so," the ANBU replied. This was a harsh, but true statement. But then again, members of ANBU often had less than supportive words for the shinobi that staffed the Konoha ninja training school.
"Very well. I assume you are willing to take up the task yourself?"
The ANBU tilted his head in a nod. "Of course, Hokage-sama. I believe I can also convince an associate of mine to participate as well."
"Excellent. I will make the necessary arrangements."
With a quick nod, the ANBU puffed out of existence, leaving Sarutobi to his thoughts. The Hokage found himself feeling lighter and freer than he had in a long time. He had done what he could for the young child. The rest was up to Haruto.
Sarutobi's only remaining concern was that exposure to ANBU might have detrimental effects on the young child's mental growth. On the other hand, was holding the young genius back any better? He sometimes wondered if the stringent, Spartan constraints he had placed on Orochimaru were what ultimately drove his brilliant student into the abyss.
I think we can expect great things from you, Haruto. But please, for all our sake, be careful.
Haruto trudged along the road at a sedate pace. Being midday, the streets were sparsely populated, which was good for Haruto, as it meant he didn't have to contend with hostile mobs giving him the evil eye. He'd noticed that when it was like this certain people would smile at him or give him a sympathetic look. However, when he faced a crowd, those same people would readily turn on him. The young boy found it all very confusing so he tried to avoid crowds whenever possible. He wondered if those long scrolls on that subject called psychology might shed some light on this anomalous behavior.
Presently, however, the normally cheerful blond was thinking about his meeting with the Hokage… and someone else. His enhanced senses had alerted him to the presence of the other person, a man, hidden in the shadows. Based on how difficult it had been to identify the man, Haruto suspected that he was a very skilled ninja, possibly an ANBU.
Just like Itachi. Haruto shook himself free of that line of thinking. No, Itachi is gone now; hopefully forever. It hurt, it really hurt, but it wasn't going to break him.
For months now, the young blond had subtly tried leaking a bit of his talent out, to convince the Hokage to cultivate his skills more actively. He was at a point where more active guidance was required if he was to become a skilled shinobi. There was only so much he could learn from books and scrolls. But for a while, Haruto wondered if he was being too subtle. It was not until today that his efforts finally bore fruit.
Haruto was sure that the old man had finally grown suspicious of Haruto's random and wild acts of mischief and had called for a silent observer to evaluate him. Whether he passed the evaluation or not remained to be seen, but the young boy believed that he'd done enough to pique their interest. Time and time again, old man Sarutobi had come through for him; an act of grace that Haruto knew he could never properly repay. It also drove the young boy's fiery determination. If all worked out well, Haruto would be one step closer to his goals by the end of the week.
It had to have been an ANBU. His assumption was not without logic. If the old man had figured out what he did and found his actions to be noteworthy, then he must have logically sought out someone who might then discreetly aid him. Or so Haruto hoped.
Haruto quickly ran over other possibilities for the mysterious man in the Hokage's office. Throughout the course of many flights from the shinobi of Konoha, Haruto had gained a pretty good grasp of what the village's ninja were capable of. He was certain it couldn't have been a normal genin or chuunin. The stealth abilities of the two lower ninja ranks were, on average, atrocious. Jounin was a possibility, as the illusion was very well crafted. Even at the end of the meeting, Haruto still could not pinpoint where the guest was located.
I suppose it could have been a jounin with a specialty in illusions. Haruto found that possibility to be just as desirable. He had recently delved into the subject of illusions and mirages and had become immediately hooked. The display today just reinforced his desire to learn more about the shadowy techniques. Sure, genjutsu had less flash and color than ninjutsu, as well as less grace and power than taijutsu, but the potential for subversion and misdirection was enormous. Haruto could just imagine all the tricks he could play on others, like those ninja that chased after him following his every prank. A semi-sadistic, foxy grin crossed his boyish face.
So enthralled was he by his sweet fantasy that he did not notice the little girl clutching a giant rubber ball darting out in front of him. She crashed into him with a cry and the next thing Haruto saw were stars in the clear blue skies.
"Ow!" Haruto moaned as he rose in a daze, only to meet the glaring pupils of a child roughly his age. She was just a smidge taller and had long, pale, blonde hair.
"Hey, watch where you're going! You should apologize," the girl demanded with a haughty sniff.
Haruto narrowed his eyes slightly as he answered, "Why should I? You were the one who ran into me!" he pointed out. But if he was expecting the girl in front of him to listen to reason, he was badly mistaken.
"Nuh-uh! My mommy said boys should always apologize to girls when they do something wrong."
"And what if girls do something wrong?" Haruto asked back.
"She didn't say," the girl replied innocently.
Haruto looked at the blonde, his jaw gaping. The girl laughed heartily in amusement at his expression.
"You look funny. But I'm still waiting for that apology." The young girl shifted the lightweight ball onto her shoulder and held it in place with one hand. She folded her other hand to her waist and proceeded to give Haruto the look . "Well…?"
Haruto gave an exaggerated sigh and let his shoulders droop. "I apologize…" he began. A grin of victory flashed across her face, but died abruptly when he suddenly snatched the ball from her. "… for taking your ball! Catch me if you can!"
Haruto laughed uproariously as he sped away from the surprised, shocked and angry girl.
"Get back here with my ball, you…!" The blonde girl immediately gave chase. Even though he was faster under normal conditions, Haruto was slowed just enough by the oversized rubber ball. As he ran across a grassy park, the girl finally caught up and tackled his legs. He grunted as he fell face-first and the ball bounced away.
"You meanie!" The girl then proceeded to rain playful blows on the hapless boy until he pleaded for mercy.
"Ok, ok, ow, stop hitting me. I'm sorry, ok?"
The blonde girl continued to glare at him even as she finally got off of him.
"Gee, you hit pretty hard," Haruto remarked with a sheepish smile.
"Well, you were being a meanie!" The girl crossed her arms while eyeing him indignantly.
Haruto finally got up, sighing, and retrieved the ball. "Here, I'm sorry I took your ball."
The peace gesture mollified the upset girl, who did an about face and gave Haruto a radiant smile.
"See, isn't that better?"
The boy mumbled something about annoying violent girls, but a small smile nevertheless crept up his face.
"Hey, you want to come play ball with me and my friends? By the way, my name is—"
"Ino…" Haruto completed. His face turned neutral as he spoke out the name.
"Yeah, hey, do I know you from somewhere?" Ino asked, her interest having been piqued.
Haruto remained silent.
"Want to come play with us, Haruto-kun?"
"Yeah, come on!"
"Okay."
"What are you doing here?!"
"Why did you bring HIM?"
"My parents said he's bad, that we should stay away from him."
"I'm telling!"
"Come on, let's get away and do something else."
The young boy turned away, blinking away the unbidden memories. "Listen, I'm really sorry, but I've to go somewhere."
"But why…?"
Haruto bit his lips. He knew he shouldn't take her up on her offer, knowing what was going to happen, but he also didn't want to make her cry. Indeed, the poor girl looked absolutely torn as her turquoise eyes began to water and her lips trembled. He looked at her, partly in sympathy and partly in frustration. The girl was too innocent for her own good.
"I've got to get back home or my parents will be mad," he lied quickly, but he almost winced right after. He could definitely do better.
"Ok, fine," Ino pouted. "But you owe me."
Haruto blinked in surprise. What in the world? The girl sure was forward about what she wanted.
"Um, sure, Ino-chan. I promise to make it up to you some time." This time, Haruto really did wince. What had he just done? With a heavy heart, he beat a hasty retreat without waiting for a response.
"Wait, you still didn't tell me your name," Ino whined after the boy. For the longest moment, she stood there pouting. "Aww… and he was pretty funny and cute too."
"Ino-chan, what are you doing? We're waiting for you, slowpoke."
Ino turned and immediately charged after her friend. "I'm coming, and don't call me a slowpoke, Sakura-chan!"
As Ino chased after her friend, the memory of the "funny and cute" boy settled into the back of her mind, not to be disturbed for many, many years.