Wow, it has been a while… last time I updated this, I said had inflammatory arthritis and since then, I've been diagnosed with SLE, gone through a whole slew of test, been put on a bunch of medications which I'm going to be on forever now and also finally became a doctor. Funny what can happen in two years.

Another thing I've started doing recently, is doing previous chapter summaries at the start of all my new chapters, to refresh your memory on what happened before. Just because it has been so long though, I would suggest rereading the story if you don't remember what happened (I know even I was fuzzy on the details). That being said, here is an abridged story summary so far:

Naruto went to the Uzumaki shrine and met Death and Kushina, where he learned about Kushina's life. He was teleported to Mist where he saved Pakura and killed 100 people, as a task for Death. Naruto is also more intelligent and has a good understanding of medical jutsu, poisons and antidotes. In addition to this, he has his scythe, created for him by death. Naruto currently holds the essentially comatose body of Izumi Uchiha (Itachi's girlfriend) in his lab and Mikoto Uchiha's soul following him and Sasuke around. Itachi has also massacred the clan at this point and Naruto has confronted Sasuke.

Previously:
Naruto activated his Sharingan and decided to learn more about Minato's lineage, to see how he possessed Uchiha blood. Naruto, accompanied by Mikoto's soul, would visit Sasuke to see how he was dealing in the aftermath of the massacre. Naruto would rile up Sasuke, telling him to train instead of brooding, before leaving him with the promise that he would back. Mikoto would stay to watch over Sasuke, while Naruto would go to get ramen. Elsewhere, Danzo and Hiruzen would argue over Naruto's lack of training, with Danzo criticising Hiruzen for not training him as a weapon. Hiruzen would later join Naruto for a bowl of ramen, where Naruto would express his desire to train in poisons and antidotes, as well as medical ninjutsu, with Hiruzen deciding to arrange for some special tutors. Naruto would later revisit Sasuke, finding him training. After riling him up once again and fighting him with the intent to kill, Sasuke awoke his Sharingan again. Following this, Naruto would offer Sasuke a partnership to destroy the Leaf, revealing that they are the ones responsible for both of their clans being massacred. Sasuke would accept, which led to Naruto asking to see the Uchiha Clan records to determine his lineage.

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Naruto anime/manga all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

'Heavily demonic voice'

'Fox or Death talking'

"Fox or Death thinking"

*expression*

Jutsu

Flashback

Chapter 8 – Clouded perception

Naruto and Sasuke had made their way back to the Clan Head's house, in other words, Sasuke's. The dark-haired boy was still somewhat suspicious of the blond-haired boy's motives and statements, but if he did turn out to in fact be an Uchiha as he claimed, Sasuke had at least one more living family member. He was also suspicious of the boy's claims that his mother was alive, but that was another issue altogether.

'So, why do you think you are an Uchiha? You don't look like one.' Said Sasuke, as he made his way to his father's room.

'I mean these eyes aren't contact lenses. I doubt any non-Uchiha has Sharingan that can be turned on and off like a light switch.' Said Naruto, briefly activating and deactivating his eyes to prove a point.

'Why haven't you come here before?' Asked Sasuke, as he searched around for something, opening drawers and looking under everything.

'I mean, I only activated them yesterday. A few hours after you in fact. I didn't know I was an Uchiha before yesterday.' Said Naruto, avoiding Sasuke's question.

'What makes you think you are an Uchiha then?' Asked Sasuke again.

'Because I don't know my lineage completely and I might have Uchiha blood in there. It would make the most sense, given that I have the Sharingan, or do I need to flash them again.' Said Naruto, sounding slightly exasperated.

'Found it.' Said Sasuke, pulling out a long, yet thin scroll.

'What's that?' Asked Naruto.

'Uchiha family tree. I knew it was here somewhere, just needed to find it.' Said Sasuke, before taking it back to the kitchen, Naruto silently following behind.

Sasuke placed the scroll on the table and opened it up. Naruto and Sasuke both looked over the scroll carefully, looking for anything odd.

'Wait, why aren't we doing this with Sharingan?' Asked Naruto after a moment.

'What would be the point?' Asked Sasuke.

'Haven't you ever heard the expression, "use it or lose it"? Besides, it would be good practise and this way we won't miss anything.' Said Naruto, causing Sasuke to nod at his logic, before both activated their Sharingan.

Looking over the scroll again, they both memorised the names as they worked their way down, before both spotted something odd.

'Why does that section look out of place? Like something was written there but got removed.' Commented Naruto, indicating to a small faded section a few generations up.

'Kagami Uchiha… looks like he is Shisui's grandfather… he was one of Itachi's friends and killed himself only a few weeks ago, although the clan believed Itachi killed him.' Explained Sasuke.

'Why would they remove someone from a couple generations ago. Isn't the whole point of a family tree to have everyone on it?' Questioned Naruto.

'You're not on it.' Pointed out Sasuke.

'Yet. Not on it yet because I need to be sure where I am supposed to go.' Corrected Naruto.

'What is the one thing that could make the Uchiha Clan remove the name of a potential link to another clan?' Questioned Naruto after a while.

'Why would I know?' Asked Sasuke.

'Oh, I was talking to myself. The answer, the Senju Clan. Uchiha and Senju hate each other, so it would be the only reason I can think of for the Uchiha to alter their own family history. Guess that means I have more searching to do.' Said Naruto, before walking away with a sigh.

'Where are you going?' Asked Sasuke.

'To do my own research. Don't let it bother you too much, you should focus on training for now, especially with your Sharingan.' Said Naruto, before leaving.

Naruto was making his way to the exit of the Uchiha Clan district, only for Mikoto's soul to catch up to him.

'There you are Mikoto. Come on, I need to head back and check up on our friend.' Said Naruto, before he and the soul of the Uchiha Matriarch vanished.

-line break-

'Well Hiruzen, what have you requested my presence for?' Asked Danzo, as he entered the Hokage's office.

'Before I get to that, Danzo, I know you have a great capacity for lying and deceit, but I demand the truth as your Hokage.' Started Hiruzen, causing Danzo to crack his eye open slightly in surprise.

'Have you approached Naruto and suggested the idea of training to him?' Asked Hiruzen, causing Danzo's eye to narrow slightly again.

'I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I said I had not, even though it is the truth.' Commented Danzo cautiously.

'That depends. If you were to train Naruto, what do you believe he should learn first?' Asked Hiruzen.

'The obvious answer for any Jinchuuriki would be Ninjutsu, to fully utilise the massive chakra of their Tailed Beast.' Answered Danzo.

'I see… Danzo, I will allow you to train Naruto in some aspects of Ninjutsu for the year. This is conditional on the fact that you also find someone to train him in the use of poisons and medical ninjutsu, of which I will also find my own tutor for each domain to teach him as well.' Said Hiruzen, causing Danzo to close his eye again and frown slightly.

'What use does medical ninjutsu serve a Jinchuuriki? A complete waste of time. Furthermore, poisons would at best have minimal effect.' Questioned Danzo in disdain.

'Those are my terms.' Replied Hiruzen firmly.

Danzo took a moment to think about this, before giving his response.

'While short-sighted, I find those terms agreeable.' Said Danzo.

'In that case, I would like you to report to me who you will use to train him before commencing.' Requested Hiruzen.

'I will cover the ninjutsu portion, Torune Aburame will cover the poison portion and Magire will cover his medical training.' Said Danzo.

'I see… and you just happened to have these names prepared with no notice?' Questioned Hiruzen suspiciously.

'I know my soldiers, Hiruzen.' Said Danzo.

'As do I, Danzo, all of them, even you. You would do well to remember that.' Said Hiruzen pointedly.

'I will arrange for Naruto to meet you here tomorrow. You can begin instructing while I consult with my own choices for Naruto's tutors.' Said Hiruzen.

'Very well.' Said Danzo calmly, before leaving without a fuss.

-line break-

'Hmm.' Hummed Naruto, noting a close proximity of shinobi around the red-light district, seemingly taking up positions around his house.

'Well Mikoto, it seems something is happening. I would strongly recommend you remain here for the next day or so until I return.' Advised Naruto, causing the soul of Mikoto to move up and down.

Naruto quickly tidied up the lab, before stepping out and making his way back to the manhole, refraining from using chakra, so as to not alert his new watchers about his secret hideout.

"I'm almost sure these people are Danzo's ANBU, but why would the old man be okay with them being so obvious? I doubt they've actually caught on to my ultimate plan… is this the training they are going with? I really doubt those two would be able to come to an agreement on anything, let along something as polarising as myself… oh well, guess I'll just need to find out for myself." Thought Naruto, as he popped the manhole open and entered the village again.

It was currently late, but not too late, as the last few rays of the sunset were still illuminating the village. It wouldn't be too strange for Naruto to still be out and about at this time, but it would probably be a good idea for him to go home soon. The trick was how to do so without giving too much away, to what he assumed was Danzo's men. After all, Naruto entering through his usual method would surely raise questions and bring into doubt just how skilled he was. Even entering through the window would raise some eyebrows. That being said, he did have a failsafe in place, just in case. Entering the red-light district, Naruto noticed the increased level of activity for the current time. Normally, the early evening would not feature so many people, generally waiting for the cover of darkness to engage in debauchery. It was as Naruto fully entered the district and started to keep track of the actions of those around him, that he realised why the district was so busy.

"So the old man doesn't trust Danzo at all and sent his own people to watch them. Probably me as well I'd guess. It is a real wonder how a village with two old men who can't trust each other, actually manage to keep a place like this going." Wondered Naruto in amusement.

Naruto eventually made his way to his apartment, noting some of Hiruzen's men had followed, with some watching him, while the other's eyed Danzo's men. Naruto walked up the stairs to his apartment, before leaping off it halfway, grabbing onto a rope hanging down from it. The rope was very short, meaning, unless you stood under the apartment and looked up, you would never find it. Naruto had it rigged to open a small trap door into his living room, while also serving as a way for him to escape, in case anyone tried to find him. Behaviour completely in line with something a prankster would do. Upon entering his abode, Naruto found that the ANBU had not infiltrated, something which surprised Naruto, but with everyone watching everyone, a big move would be illogical right now.

'Oh man, I'm beat * yawn* time to get some rest.' Said Naruto aloud, before heading to his bed and going to sleep, knowing dozens of people were watching him.

-line break-

Naruto awoke the next morning to find his guard had not lessened. If anything, now there were more people watching him strangely enough. It was almost as though his life was a show and these people were his viewers. It did make Naruto wonder how so many people could enjoy staring at a building with a person asleep inside it, but that wasn't Naruto's issue. It was time to make an impact, although Naruto hadn't decided how yet. A big flashy display, or something suggesting at his true intellect. Whatever the case, he was interested to see who would be training him, after all, he was always open to learning from skilled individuals. With that being said, Naruto questioned the skill and for that matter intelligence, of the average individual in this village, but surely those handpicked by experts in their field would be good enough.

Naruto had just stepped outside, when he immediately felt two ANBU leave. No doubt, each one going to alert their leader, in this case, Hiruzen and Danzo. It was strange that Naruto felt so comfortable, being watched by those whose demise he was secretly plotting. Naruto noted with some amusement, that if they could read his thoughts, they wouldn't be so keen on teaching him anything. Not really having much to do, Naruto got himself some ramen and waited for his eventual summoning. It didn't take long, as after two bowls, an ANBU agent made themselves known to Naruto, intervening in the moment Naruto had finished his bowel and Ichiraku had taken it back to wash, while Ayame attended to another customer.

'Naruto Uzumaki, your presence is requested at the Hokage Tower.' Said the ANBU in a business-like tone.

Naruto wasn't entirely sure if this ANBU was Danzo's or Hiruzen's, as the mask seemed rather plain, but did have some design to it. Naruto merely shrugged this off though, deeming it not important at this time.

'But I didn't do anything.' Protested Naruto.

If Naruto could see their face, he would have seen the ANBU raise an eyebrow, that Naruto's first response was defensive.

'You aren't in trouble.' Said the ANBU.

Naruto questioned how the ANBU knew this, given it wasn't customary to tell an ANBU why they had been sent to retrieve someone. This led Naruto to conclude they were either of very high rank, or were one of Hiruzen's personal guard, who likely would have been present when this matter was discussed.

"Maybe they have shifts to look after the old man." Thought Naruto, before nodding his consent to the ANBU, who quickly whisked them both away to the Hokage Tower, in a single body flicker.

'Wow, that was so fast!' Exclaimed Naruto, inwardly impressed with the ANBU's abilities.

The ANBU didn't say anything, simply gesturing for Naruto to follow him. Naruto was quickly led up the Hokage Tower, with the ANBU knocking twice at the door.

'Enter.' Said Sarutobi, before the ANBU let them both into the room.

Inside the room were Danzo and Hiruzen, both waiting expectantly for Naruto it would seem.

'Ah Naruto, how are you?' Greeted Hiruzen.

'Great, what's up? I didn't do anything wrong did I?' Asked Naruto.

'Oh no, quite the opposite. Do you recall how yesterday you expressed your desire for some training?' Asked Hiruzen, causing Naruto to perk up.

'No way, really? You're going to teach me?' Asked Naruto.

'Ah, not quite I'm afraid. I simply wouldn't have the time to properly supervise you, but both Danzo and I have arranged a few suitable instructors.' Said Hiruzen, before turning to Danzo.

'I will train you in ninjutsu. Two of my associates will also train you in medical jutsu and the use of poisons. I will have one of my shinobi gather you when it is time for a lesson. You will train under me and my associates three times a week for two hours each day per tutor.' Said Danzo, before turning back to Hiruzen.

'On alternating days, you will train with those I have handpicked for a similar duration. You will also still have a day to yourself to rest and enjoy yourself. Does that sound acceptable to you, Naruto?' Asked Hiruzen.

'Acceptable? It sounds awesome!' Exclaimed Naruto.

Danzo frowned at the emotional outburst, while Hiruzen smiled.

'In that case, I will leave you to it, Naruto. Danzo has requested an extra hour today to introduce you to your tutors, as well as make clear his expectations of you. Of course, if you believe anything is too unreasonable, come to me directly.' Said Hiruzen kindly.

Danzo internally snorted at this but understood Hiruzen's message. He wouldn't be able to indoctrinate Naruto into Root properly, but he would be allowed to mould him a certain way.

'Come with me.' Said Danzo simply, before leaving the office, expecting Naruto to follow.

Naruto spared a glance for the ANBU to his right, before giving the Hokage a wave, as he followed after the other wizened man. The ANBU who had led Naruto here closed the door and waited for further instruction.

'Remove your mask please.' Requested Hiruzen, to which the ANBU officer complied, revealing a pair of mismatched eyes.

'Kakashi, with what has happened recently, I believe there is another role better suited for you. I thank you for your years of service in ANBU, but I would like you to take a more active role as a teacher, in this case, a tutor. I would like you to teach Naruto ninjutsu and also ensure he is not swayed by Danzo's teaching. This will be a yearlong mission, should you choose to accept.' Said Hiruzen.

Kakashi looked down at his mask in thought. Kakashi had failed to teach Itachi the importance of friendship and it had disastrous consequences. With someone with as much potential as Naruto, the same outcome would lead to far graver consequences. With this in mind, Kakashi made his decision easily.

'I accept, Lord Hokage.' Said Kakashi, placing his mask on the Hokage's desk and bowing.

'Take some time to rest, Kakashi. I will see to it that Naruto comes to you last so you can also keep me updated on his progress. You will have six days including today, to rest and prepare. I would like a weekly oral report at the end of your day of training and a monthly written one the day after that. Good luck, Kakashi.' Said Sarutobi, to which Kakashi nodded, before leaving with a body flicker.

'Neko, please retrieve Anko Mitarashi for me.' Requested Hiruzen, causing a purple haired ANBU member to appear in front of him in a kneel.

A curt nod was all the response provided, before the ANBU also disappeared in a body flicker.

-line break-

Naruto followed Danzo quietly, gauging the man. He was deliberately taking the least common roads and Naruto could feel that as he travelled, an entourage of ANBU followed unseen. Eventually, Naruto was led to a more secluded part of the village, making Naruto question what was about to happen. If they wanted to kill him now, he would be powerless to fight back against the group and no other ninja were in sight. Luckily for Naruto, it was not his death that was planned, but rather, this was the jump point to their next location. The group of ANBU who had been trailing them made themselves known, the twelve of them dropping down and approaching the two in the centre, before the entire group vanished in a collective body flicker. When the new scene was revealed, Naruto thought for a moment they had taken him into the sewers, but it was too clean to be the case. Naruto scrutinised the area and noticed it appeared to be more of an underground base. There was also a path which curved upwards, no doubt, leading back to the surface.

Danzo carefully watched the Jinchuuriki as he surveyed the place. The entire walk here, Danzo felt as though there was more beneath the surface and his slow, methodical, examination of the area proved it.

'Boy, I will speak now and you should listen carefully to what I have to say. It is clear that you are more intelligent than you appear. Hiruzen may be blinded by numerous factors, however, I am not. If you are a threat to this village, I will see to it that you no longer are one, one way or another. When you are being trained by my associates or myself, you will obey all orders given to you. Is that understood?' Said Danzo.

'Sure, that's easy.' Said Naruto with a grin.

'Drop this façade of foolishness in my presence.' Ordered Danzo, causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow.

'Does that mean you want me to act like one of your soldiers, or do you want me to be astute. After all, I may have my own ideas about you and the old man for one thing. For instance, what you really do in the shadows?' Questioned Naruto.

'Leave us.' Ordered Danzo, causing his soldiers to vanish.

'Let me ask you something in turn, what is it that truly makes a village strong?' Asked Danzo.

'Since the questioned sounded rhetorical, why don't you tell me?' Retorted Naruto.

'The roots. The foundation. Whatever you choose to label it, a village is built from the ground up. If the ground is weak, the entire village crumbles.' Said Danzo.

'Let me guess, you are this foundation.' Commented Naruto.

'Indeed. However, in being the roots of a village, darkness surrounds you. It becomes you. You work in the shadows, so that those above survive.' Said Danzo.

'I don't know about you, but staying in the shadows forever sounds like a bad deal to me.' Said Naruto.

'It is, which is why eventually I will ascend to the top and you will be my guide.' Said Danzo.

'I know you only have one eye there, but you could be blind and still see I'm no one's ticket to the top.' Commented Naruto.

'Not yet, but you will be. You will take the world by storm with my training, unleashing all of your potential. Then, the roots shall bask in the light.' Explained Danzo.

'What's in it for me? I doubt your training could be so special that I couldn't get it any other way.' Questioned Naruto sceptically.

'Information, the likes of which you couldn't even imagine. Become my weapon, no… become my solider… and there will be nothing which we cannot accomplish.' Offered Danzo.

'The offer sounds nice, but I wonder how much security that gives me? Once you don't need me anymore, why keep me around?' Asked Naruto.

'A weapon is still useful even when not in use, if it acts as a deterrent.' Said Danzo, causing Naruto to pause for a moment.

'So, essentially, you don't care what I do, just as long as I keep the other villages scared of me?' Asked Naruto, only for Danzo to nod.

'Well, who can say no to that, I'm in.' Said Naruto, causing Danzo's expression to change ever so slightly, forming the beginnings of a victorious smirk.

-line break-

Following Naruto's introduction to the rest of Danzo's foundation, otherwise known as Root, Naruto went home to rest. Naruto realised that Danzo was clearly an obvious double-edged sword, where he would assist him, but only as much as it assisted him and if Naruto's true motives were revealed, Danzo would stop at nothing to put him down. However, that being said, Danzo wanted a boogieman, someone to scare the other villages. Naruto had no problem with that, as he already was the Demon of the Leaf, adding a few more villages to the list wouldn't be an issue. After all, he didn't want friends, he wanted to destroy his enemies, in no particular order. He could rise to fame in the Leaf, before setting it ablaze, or he could use them as an example. Only time would tell.

-line break-

The next morning, Naruto was told by one of the Hokage's ANBU to go to the hospital, where he would meet his instructor in medical ninjutsu. Naruto was quite sceptical of finding anyone in this village who knew more about healing than him, but he was always willing to learn. After all, there may even be something valuable hidden in this cancerous village.

As soon as Naruto entered the hospital, he noticed the patients all seemed to glance at him. It was in fact the first time Naruto had set foot into a hospital, having never been unwell or suffered an injury, which didn't heal within hours at the very latest. Seeing the reception desk in front of him, Naruto picked it as the obvious choice to acquire information. Making his way to the desk, Naruto noticed the clerk looked quite busy, looking over two separate sets of files, while also typing on a computer at the same time. Naruto stood in front of the woman, waiting patiently for her to notice him. After about a minute, the woman looked up and finally noticed him.

'Hello there, may I help you?' Asked the woman kindly.

Naruto was inwardly surprised at the politeness of the individual, having only received disdain from the villagers, barring the Hokage, Teuchi and Ayame.

'I was told to come here for training in medical ninjutsu.' Explained Naruto.

'I see, my name is Riko and while I will not be your instructor, I will show you around briefly.' Said the woman, before leaving the desk and walking out to the side, a replacement quickly stepping in to take her place at the desk.

Naruto blinked at this, before following Riko who gestured for him to follow.

'So why have you decided to learn medical ninjutsu? It is quite a challenging skill to master and requires much training.' Asked Riko.

Naruto paused for a minute to study the woman, while he processed her question. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties and was about half a metre taller than Naruto. She had long brown hair, the majority of which was braided and hung down her left side, with a small amount left free on the right, hanging down to just above her chest, framing her face. She also appeared to be in good shape, no signs of undereating or undernutrition, which Naruto knew was common in kunoichi who weren't serious about training. In fact, she appeared by all indications, to be quite healthy, if the not so subtle curves of her chest and bottom were any indication. Naruto looked up at her face, noting her brown eyes were not staring at Naruto, waiting for answer, but rather, were looking ahead. At this point, Naruto had to question if this woman even knew who Naruto was, given how comfortable she seemed with him.

Finishing his analysis of the woman, Naruto answered her question.

'I want to be able to help those close to me. If they are injured, I want to be able to help.' Said Naruto.

Riko hummed at this appraisingly and despite himself, Naruto was curious to hear her thoughts on the matter, having been relatively honest.

'That is admirable. Looking after those close to you is often harder than looking after strangers. It might sound strange… you would think looking after your friends and loved ones would be easier than looking after someone you've never gotten to know, but that also means you are the one who needs to see them in pain. It is even worse if you aren't able to help them, as then you take the failure personally. Have you given much thought on that?' Asked Riko.

Truthfully Naruto hadn't, but he doubted with all his abilities and experimental techniques, that there was anything he couldn't fix.

'No, but that just means I need to learn more and try other things. Eventually I'll be able to fix anything, believe it.' Said Naruto.

Riko smiled at Naruto's answer, causing Naruto to wonder if he had said the right thing or not.

'I see. Well then, I hope you succeed, Naruto. It would be nice if everyone could be well.' Said Riko, before knocking on the door.

'Just a moment.' Said a voice from behind the door, before movement was heard.

'I never told you my name.' Commented Naruto, causing the woman to smile.

'I remember ever child I've looked after in this hospital, Naruto Uzumaki. I'd be a poor Medical Director if I didn't.' Said Riko, surprising Naruto.

'Director Naori, I didn't expect you to be here.' Said a youthful boy, with ash-grey hair, upon opening the door.

'I was just bringing young Naruto here to see you.' Said Riko, gesturing to the boy beside her.

The boy pushed up his black rimmed circular glasses, which seemed to gleam slightly, before focusing his gaze on Naruto.

'Hello there, Naruto, my name is Kabuto Yakushi, but you can call me Kabuto. I'll be your medical ninjutsu instructor.' Greeted the boy.