The Hokage's office was filled with paperwork.

Really, the Hokage's desk was surrounded by literal mountains of stacks of never ending paperwork. Some of the stacks reached the ceiling, and many others had collapsed into other stacks of paper, most of the ones that hadn't leaned precariously. The only space in the room that could be seen was the Hokage's desk and a small walkway leading from said desk to the room's exit.

Despite all this, Sarutobi Hiruzen, The Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, had his mind on other matters.

He sat at his desk, head held tightly in his hands, looking like the definition of defeat. For indeed he had been defeated.

Not by the paperwork, mind you. No, he couldn't give a damn about the blasted things.

Rather, the Hokage had been defeated in a matter more pressing, and much more serious.

Danzo Shimura had effectively ruined poor Naruto Chan's life. And there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing that wouldn't play the poor girl straight into the man's greedy hands.

Danzo has effectively turned the entire village against the poor seven year old. Someone had leaked the girl's secret when she was only a babe, and things only went downhill from there. At first, it was just mild paranoia, the citizens of Konoha may have felt worried over the new Jinjuriki, but it was just mild worry. They lived in a ninja village, they recognized the effects with seals. But then the rumors started.

People began to question things, less people started believing in the strength of the seal, and when that doubt came to light, new rumors were spread. Suddenly, the seal was no longer a seal that had been made years in advance by the best of the Uzumaki, now it was a seal that had been made on the spot, using experimental sealing components.

Over the years the rumors had changed, adapted, grown. It got to the point where even the Hokage's desperate reassurances were pointless, because the citizens were too full of doubt.

And then came the changes of attitude.

People began avoiding the child like the plague. Kicking her out of stores, not accepting her money, cheating her of her allowances, some even became downright antagonistic towards the girl. And all this started when the poor girl was barely three! If it wasn't for Hiruzen's influence, then Naruto wouldn't know how to speak correctly! As it was, she couldn't understand certain concepts, such as family or friends. The Hokage was seriously worried about the girl's mental state, both currently and in her future!

Things kept building, and someone kept feeding the flames. Finally, just this morning, the powder keg erupted.

At 11:35 am, on this Wednesday morning of April 5th, a group of civilians actively attacked Naruto Chan.

They actively attacked Naruto Chan, and she defended herself. And she injured all four of the civilians, one of which died of his wounds. Witnesses reported otherwise, but there had only been the slightest sliver of the Kyuubi's chakra leaking out of the seal. Just enough to allow the child to augment what she had learned that year, her first and only year in the academy.

The civilians were out for blood, and the ninja clans who normally sided in agreement with Hiruzen, agreed that something had to be done. Naruto Chan would not be able to go back to the academy. She couldn't wait five years before she could be safely integrated into the shinobi forces. Hiruzen had to put the girl into Anbu now. It was the only way to be sure the girl wouldn't be snatched up by Danzo.

There was no proof the man had done anything, there never was. And yet, despite the lack of evidence, Despite their past roles as friends all those years ago, Hiruzen knew that Danzo was responsible. No one else would stand to gain anything. And Danzo knew it too. His fake pretense at consolation was just that... Fake. He never felt remorse whenever people fell into his machinations!

With a heavy heart, but with swift movements, Hiruzen got to work signing. Danzo would not have her! He may have bested the Hokage, and he may have made civilian life impossible and dangerous for Naruto, but Danzo would not have her! Anbu would be safe! As an Anbu, Naruto could be assigned to his side at all times, and Hiruzen would be the sole voice regarding Naruto's deployment!

Danzo May have won this battle, but the war was not lost. Hiruzen would fight to his own literal death if that's what it took to give Naruto as normal a life as Hiruzen could grant!

Still, as Hiruzen finished signing for Naruto's draft into Anbu, Hiruzen could not help feeling grief and foreboding.

Danzo read the report with amusement. So Sarutobi thought he could keep Uzumaki Chan away from him?

Well, no matter. His ultimate goal was not to have the girl under his thumb. It was to make her a weapon worthy of Konoha. There were other ways to draw the girl into positions that would forge her into a proper tool.

Danzo stared outside his office window. The view, while not as spectacular as the Hokage's office, was still beautiful. He could see most of Konoha from this position. However, Danzo while was staring at the view, he was not appreciating its beauty. Rather, he was wrapped up in his own thoughts.

He loved Konoha, perhaps more so than the others, including Hiruzen, would like to admit. Everything he had done had been for this village, whether the methods to reach those goals were despicable or not. Someone had to do the dirty work of the village, and Danzo was the only one who could do it and still love Konoha.

Sometimes, his love of the village did not extend as much to its citizens, and sometimes, he had to sacrifice some of them to ensure the safety and security of Konoha's prospects.

"Bear."

Immediately after Danzo had spoken, a slim figure appeared in a brief flicker of leaves. She landed in a crouch, showing absolute subservience.

"Hai Danzo Sama?"

"You are to take a team of covert agents and infiltrate Iwagakure. Begin stirring up civil unrest. I want them ready to go to war and bloodthirsty by the end of the month. It is time for Konoha to sharpen its blade again, we cannot become too lax, after all."

"As you will it, Danzo Sama." The woman disappeared in a flicker of leaves, leaving Danzo alone. He continued staring out into the village, planning.

Yes, it would be unfortunate to go to war again, but he would be running covert operations to keep the war under control the entire time. This would be a controlled war, all in favor of sharpening the village's weapon, the Jinjuriki of the Nine Tail Demon Fox.