Spider and Fox

Inu leaned over the Hokage’s shoulders, eyes skimming information in much the way he would a mission report. Sandaime gave no hint he knew the ANBU was present but Inu wasn’t fooled.

“Hatake-san,” the Sandaime’s voice was level though the warning was there.

Inu didn’t care. He hummed, eyes scanning the words again, “Hokage-sama.”

“Kakashi-kun,” his superior growled this time.

The ANBU arched a brow before plucking the scroll from the old man’s hands and jumping to the opposite side of the desk. Was this insubordination? Absolutely.

Did he care?

Maa, he had a pack at home he didn’t want caught up in any fighting. Which if he were going off this scroll, there would be blood spilled in the coming years. Instead of a retort he went with, “You should move the Uchiha back into the center of the village.” 

By the way the Hokage was choking on his pipe, Inu knew he’d made the right choice. 

“I-I can’t just move the Uchiha,” his superior gasped, as he fought for air. After a moment, he set the pipe down and leveled a glare at Inu. “Do you realize the chaos that would ensue on the council?”

This time, Inu raised his eyes above the scroll, leveling his own knowing look at the Hokage. “And doing nothing would end in the same. If anything bring Fugaku in on your meetings. Sasuke’s always talking about how his father complains about not meeting with you.” Granted, it had been in Uchiha grunt, but the kid was still much more expressive then the older people in his clan. 

To his surprise, Sandaime actually sat back, running a wrinkled hand down his beard as he thought. “That could work…”

Inu shrugged. The more he kept the Hokage distracted on something or another, the less chance the old monkey would send him on a suicide mission. “What did you need me for anyway?”

He’d plucked a scroll straight out of the old man’s hands, Inu felt he deserved at least a little familiarity with the man. 

Sarutobi blinked, visibly reordering his thoughts. “Oh, yes, I wanted to ask for an update on your mission.”

Inu glanced at the ANBU guard, feeling them take off without the order from his superior. Already used to his tactics, his superior activated the privacy seals. Once the world went quiet, he grinned behind his mask. “It’s going well. The pink glitter was a nice effect if I say so myself.”

Pink sparkly glitter that Shisui had somehow made permanent to the point they could track Danzo from a mile away in the dark. A mission that had been going three months already and if the way their target was only now getting twitchy, would be going for a few months yet. 

Hiruzen arched a brow, “Do I want to know?”

“Do you want plausible deniability?” Inu shrugged, but the question, as innocent as it was, seemed to add ten years to the Hokage’s already advanced age. 

He sighed, and leaned back in his seat. “There’s been too much plausible deniability as of late.”

That made Inu grimace. Tenzo had been good on that front. While gathering information on Danzo’s daily whereabouts, he’d stumbled across several files about a month back that had been…enlightening. In the worst way possible. 

Further proof of the War Hawk’s mechinations, linked with the disappearance of several children as well as explaining several other issues that had been lying beneath the cheery veneer of the Civilian Council for several years now. While Hiruzen had taken care of that real quick, his team were still planning on how to steal back the children Danzo had kidnapped, two of which were clan kids and didn’t that rankle?

Taking orphans was one thing. While it was frowned upon, especially considering the values upon which the village was built, there was nothing the Hokage could do without inciting a civil war. Something that would weaken Konoha and leave her open to the other Hidden Vilages. 

No, if they were going to handle this, it had to be his team to do it. Even then, he didn’t know where they would put the kids. He couldn’t take them to the pack. While Kōri-san was apt at handling six budding pups, that was as big a litter as a Den Mother could handle. Any more and she would be stretched too thin even with their help. 

Dragging his mind back on topic, Inu pulled a piece of paper from a pocket and set it on Hiruzen’s desk. “Naruto found a book on fuinjutsu in the library. He left it below my tree one night. It was written by Minato-Sensei detailing various storage seals and the different timers one could write into the array. While I don’t know much about seals, I remember enough from my lessons to at least mimic them. Shisui’s been having a time using them. Between he and Itachi, it was the break we needed to truly drive Danzo.”

The Hokage picked it up, arching a brow at the simplicity belying the genius of such seals. “Has Naruto-kun picked up fuinjutsu already?”

Ah, yes, Inu hadn’t had the chance to inform him of that update. And hadn’t that been interesting? To watch his Sensei’s son picking up the same hobby. 

“Yes, he has. It’s an innate ability for him. Even the book I mentioned really is only a stepping stone. He’s taken to practicing in the afternoon after their reading sessions. From what I understood, he and Gumo are storing smoked meat for the upcoming winter that way.”

Hiruzen hummed, setting the seal down so Inu could take it back, “How long has he been practicing?”

“About a month at this time.”

“And the seals are sturdy enough to last until winter? That’s another four months away at least.”

Having expected the question, Inu pulled a scroll from his vest, handing it to his superior. “Naruto created this one a week after receiving the book. He didn’t understand what all the book was speaking of, not having an official foundation of basic fuinjutsu to work with, but he understood the gist.”

He waited for Hiruzen to summon what the scroll contained before he added cheerfully, “He filled it with a deer haunch.”

The unimpressed look his superior shot him as blood, fresh blood leaked across his desk was worth it. Resealing the meal fit for six growing pups, he handed it back to Inu as well.  “What of Sunagumo-kun?”

“Gumo’s…” A fucking wild child with that wolf of his. Quiet as a mouse, but damn if he couldn’t climb like a monkey. “He’s taken to Kōri-san’s teachings especially well. They’ve created a blended Uchiha-Wolf style of taijutsu that is startling effective. Their routine has changed as well.” 

Hiruzen arched a brow, “What caused that?”

Instead of answering, Inu asked in return, “Are you aware he has a kekkai genkai?” By the surprise in his superior’s expression, he took it as a solid no. “He has the ability to manipulate sand. Rather well actually. After their reading sessions in the morning, he’ll practice in it while their Den Mother takes their siblings for hunting school. That’s why Naruto does his fuinjutsu at the same time, they refuse to leave any of their siblings alone. At any point in the day they’re always around at least one other wolf.”

That was the only positive that came from the run in with the ROOT agent. The pack as a whole had inconceivably grown closer. Always within hearing ranging, checking in periodically through out the day. If the wards weren’t in place, Inu was sure the village would be thrumming with rumors of a wolf pack having moved in. 

“After the wolves return, they stop for lunch and that’s usually when Sasuke shows up. After that, they disappear into the forest. They’ve turned the entire Hatake estate into a sparring ground. Their favorite game seems to be hunting each other but with the introduction of taijutsu they’re basically mimicking capture and detain missions. At least they were. Kōri-san is transitioning them into night training as of the past week. They end up sleeping away the afternoon and play their games once the sun goes down.”

As he spoke, Hiruzen picked up his pipe, setting it to his lips before lighting it with a flame on one finger. When Inu finished, he puffed on it a few times, before leaning back in his seat and staring at the ceiling. 

Silence grew, adding on to the already quiet air provided by the privacy seals. Inu let it. There’s only so much he can observe from the outside. He’d thought about ignoring Hiruzen’s order and teaching the pups himself but they’re…wary didn’t even begin to describe it. 

Their nightly excursions to infiltrate the village were always taken so seriously, ever on alert, always on the look out. Their teamwork was phenomenal in a way he’d never seen from almost six-year olds but the fact he knew the reason for it is what concerned him. 

Inu hadn’t spoken to his superior about it, knew it wouldn’t go over favorably, but once Danzo was dead, Inu would step in. Introduce himself to them, help them become more comfortable around humans and become a part of the village because for all they were pack, they were human as well. He remembered their parents who’d adopted him as their own. Naruto and Gumo would never acknowledge their human ancestry if they didn’t come to terms with it. 

“Very well.” Drawn from his thoughts and spinning plans, Inu focused on the present, watching Hiruzen shake off his ponderings as a dog would water. “The academy is opening in a month’s time for the new year. While they’re old enough to enter, I’d like your input. Do you think they’d benefit from attending or would they be better off.”

Instead of answering immediately, Inu gave it the thought it required. The academy. School for Shinobi hopefuls and the future of the village. If Inu said he’d thought about it before, he’d be lying. In the past six months, he’d been more worried about Naruto and Gumo surviving then their futures. 

As of now however…

“No,” he shook his head. “They’re too wary of humans after the ROOT incident. Add to that, the civillians haven’t forgotten about what happened at the orphanage, it would only drive them further away.”

“Then what would you suggest?”

Ah, that’s why he was asking. This was more involved with the second condition of the Hokage allowing Inu to hunt Danzo then genuine worry for the brothers attending school. Again, Inu put thought into it, going over everything he knew about the pups as well as what he remembered from the school curriculum. 

Human interaction for one. Some of which they were already receiving from Sasuke but others would help as well. They already knew Inu’s scent, knew he was considered safe by pack standards and that they could call on him if something were to happen but perhaps…

“Slowly introduce other trustworthy shinobi to them, allow them to become familiar with their scents and then meet them face to face. Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi would be welcome in that regard. Since they’re related to Sasuke, they share scent markers which would lower hackles. From there, it would be expanding on the knowledge they have currently and go from there. As young as they are, Naruto and Gumo have almost as much chakra as a Jounin. Starting them on chakra control exercises would only be beneficial. I’d also introduce Inuzuka Hana.”

Hiruzen nodded, following along with his train of thought, “Yes, Hana-kun’s medical knowledge would do them well along with the Inuzuka’s experience working alongside ninken.”

No kidding, she had three. Inu had seen more then a couple training sessions where the four could do some severe damage when they got to it. 

“Very well, I’m leaving their teaching in your hands, Kakashi-kun.”

Recognizing the dismissal for what it was, Inu bowed as the privacy barrier fell away, “Yes, Hokage-sama.”