---
Alaric left the Hokage's office, the ANBU guards parting before him like the Red Sea, their earlier hostility replaced by a wary, unnerved silence.
As he walked through the quiet, torchlit corridors of the tower, he could feel them, three distinct chakra signatures detaching from the shadows, following him at a respectful distance. He didn't mind. He wasn't here to cause trouble. For now.
He found a nearby ryokan by the street, its paper lanterns casting a warm, inviting glow in the night. The innkeeper, a stout, friendly woman, barely batted an eye at his towering frame or his fine crimson coat, her only concern being whether he could pay, and he did. He rented their largest, most expensive room for the night, the feel of the Ryo bills in his hand a strange, satisfying novelty. 'I should probably aim for being a trillionaire here… if that's possible. Hundred billion is more realistic.'
Inside the room, the simple elegance of tatami mats, a low table, and a futon was a contrast to the opulent luxury of his own home. 'I should find a house to buy around here,' he thought, a familiar, almost instinctive urge to establish a proper base taking hold. 'Or just a lot. I could build my own.'
He could feel that the ANBU had taken up positions on the surrounding rooftops, their presence a silent, watchful perimeter. He yawned, the long day finally catching up to him. He undressed, the crimson coat and fine shirt replaced by a simple yukata, and lay down on the futon, sleep claiming him almost instantly.
---
The next morning, the Hokage's office was once again the stage for a familiar scene of chaos. Team 7 stood before the Sandaime's desk, along with their former academy instructor, Iruka Umino.
"I've had it!" Naruto Uzumaki yelled, his arms crossed stubbornly, his back turned to the Hokage in a dramatic display of petulance. "No more D-Rank missions! I'm a real ninja now, and I want a real mission, dattebayo! Something exciting, where I can show off how awesome I am!"
Sasuke Uchiha, standing off to the side, let out a quiet "Hn," though the flicker of agreement in his dark eyes was unmistakable. Sakura Haruno, ever the mediator, wrung her hands. "Naruto, be quiet! You're being disrespectful to the Hokage!"
"So be it," Hiruzen sighed, the sound a weary plume of smoke from his pipe.
The room fell silent. Everyone stared at him, their eyes wide with surprise.
"Since you're so determined," the Hokage continued, a faint, almost mischievous smirk on his lips, "I'm going to give you a C-Rank mission. You'll be bodyguards on a journey."
"Really!?" Naruto spun around, his earlier anger completely forgotten, his face alight with pure, unadulterated joy. "YES! Who is it!? Who are we guarding!? A princess? Some busy councilor?"
"Don't be so impatient. I will bring him in now," Hiruzen said, taking another puff from his pipe. "Send in our visitor!"
The office door slid open, and a man stumbled in, a half-empty bottle of sake clutched in his hand. He was old, with a towel wrapped around his head and a thick, grey beard. He reeked of cheap liquor.
"What the…" the old man slurred, his bloodshot eyes scanning the room. "A bunch of little snot-nosed kids!?" He took a long, gurgling swig from his bottle.
"And you," he said, pointing a trembling finger at Naruto, "the little one, with the idiotic look on your face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"
"HAHAHAHA, who's the little one with the idiotic look on their f-" Naruto's triumphant laughter died in his throat as he realized everyone was staring at him. He was, by a considerable margin, the shortest one in the room. His face turned a furious shade of red. "Ah! I'll demolish you! Let me at him!"
"You can't demolish the client, Naruto. It doesn't work that way," Kakashi said, his voice a lazy drawl as he effortlessly grabbed the back of Naruto's collar, holding the flailing genin at arm's length.
Just outside the office, hidden from sight behind the wall, Alaric listened to the entire exchange, a wide, nostalgic grin on his face. 'Damn,' he thought, a wave of pure, fanboyish delight washing over him. 'Naruto's exactly like the anime.'
After the commotion had died down and the mission was formally accepted, Team 7 and their new client, the bridge builder Tazuna, departed. Alaric waited a moment, then sighed and simply… stepped through the wall.
He phased into the office, his form shimmering into solid reality, a move that once again sent a jolt of alarm through the ANBU hidden in the ceiling. They dropped down instantly, surrounding him, their chakra flaring, their hands already forming seals.
Hiruzen just sighed, a long, weary sound. "What do you want now? I'm busy."
"Huh? Who's he, Hokage-sama!?" Iruka, who had stayed behind to discuss academy matters, stared, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and alarm.
"Just some passerby, Iruka Umino," Alaric smiled, his gaze shifting to the Hokage. "Old man… I'll go with them."
"...Why?" Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "It's a C-Rank mission. I have already given you a substantial amount of money."
Iruka's jaw dropped. 'I-Is this man extorting money from the Hokage-sama!?'
"Nothing like that," Alaric chuckled, pulling out a cigar and lighting it with a snap of his fingers. "I have something to do in the Land of Wave. Might as well go with them. They can protect me while they're at it."
"Protect you?" Hiruzen stared at him, then let out another long-suffering sigh. "I will not be paying you for this. Team 7 will receive the full amount of the mission reward."
"I said, it's not about the money," Alaric sighed, a flicker of genuine annoyance in his voice. "I can even pay for a C-rank mission, like that bridge-builder Tazuna. I just need to get to the Land of Wave. That's it."
Hiruzen stared at him for a long, silent moment, the smoke from his pipe curling around his head like a shroud. "You do know that you are not a shinobi of this village, correct? You could simply walk there on your own. You do not need their protection, and you know it."
"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Alaric smirked. He reached into his coat and unsealed a thick wad of Ryo bills, placing them on the Hokage's desk. "Here. Fifty thousand Ryo. Just make an official scroll adding me to the mission, and I'll give it to Naruto's uncle."
Iruka gasped. 'Kakashi, Naruto's uncle?' The thought was absurd. But Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. He understood the hidden meaning. The casual, almost throwaway line was a clear signal: I know Naruto is Minato's son.
"Fine," Hiruzen finally grunted, a wave of resignation washing over him. This man was an enigma, a force he couldn't control or comprehend. It was better, perhaps, to keep him close, to observe. "Have it your way."
"Here," Alaric said, pushing the money forward. "Upfront payment. I'm a good client, ain't I?"
"Yeah, yeah," Hiruzen muttered, taking a blank scroll and a brush. "What was your full name again?"
"Oh, it's Alaric Jonathan Kenway," the blonde smiled.
"Okay," Hiruzen nodded, his brush flying across the parchment. He stamped it with his official seal and rolled it up. "I've stamped it. Just give it to Hatake Kakashi. The rendezvous is at the East Village Gate in one hour."
Alaric took the scroll and smiled. "Thanks." He then turned, walked towards the solid wall of the office, and, without breaking stride, phased through it like a ghost.
Hiruzen sighed, a deep, weary sound that seemed to carry the weight of his entire life. Iruka, on the other hand, was completely gobsmacked, his mind struggling to process what he had just witnessed.
"Umm… Hokage-sama," he finally stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "Who… who is he?"
"..."
"..."
"I don't even know."
.
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