Chapter Text
This is odd, you think.
And the sentiment only grows when you shunshin in front of the Hokage's office door and you're greeted with the typical personal guard rather than any members of your squad.
Judging from the reactions of the guards — a curt nod, instead of a quick and bloody mess — they've been expecting you. You know that the others aren't being held up by the front office or struggling with checking in for an appointment, since the ANBU are among the only members of the village allowed to shunshin straight to the Hokage's office without being killed on sight (shinobi are largely the kill now, ask questions later type).
Your lips quirk up just slightly from behind your mask at the mental image of any of your colleagues having to wait in line.
One of the guards knock on the door. When a faint come in filters through, he opens it and steps into the room.
"Hokage-sama, an ANBU operative is here to see you."
Lord Third glances up from a stack of paper work. "Yes, I called for her. Is it Python?"
"It is, my Lord."
"Bring her in."
The guard steps out of the doorway and gestures for you to go through. You pause and reach up to adjust your mask, partly to fix yourself up before speaking with who was essentially your only commanding officer, but also to give yourself a moment to recompose yourself.
If I don't move soon, I'll look disrespectful. Not to mention stupid.
So you walk into the Hokage's office, steps silent as the door quickly clicks shut behind you. Once you've reached an appropriate distance to the desk, you take a knee and dip your head.
"Lord Third," you greet respectfully.
He nods. "You may rise, Python. I have a mission for you."
You stand. So it is a solo mission. Normally, this wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary. It's far from your first. You're proud to say that, despite your age, you are one of the more experienced members of the ANBU. But you've just returned from a different operation, and that one had been individual as well. While you're no stranger to back to back assignments, they're usually arranged so that shinobi returning from a solo run have a team or squad-based one next and vice versa. You know for certain that there are people who haven't had an independent mission for a few months. You shouldn't be first in line.
Meaning that you're best-suited for the mission, regardless of logistics. The thought sends a little thrill down your spine, how exciting, but outwardly you remain composed.
"Understood."
"I have your mission brief here," the Hokage continues. Wizened yet undoubtedly powerful hands slide a thick manila folder across the desk, and you step forward to grab it. While the appearance is unassuming enough — it could easily be mistaken for a civilian's office papers, or a store clerk's records — it only responds to your chakra and yours alone. "I believe you will find it very informative. This mission is a bit more complex than what even you are used to. If you have any questions, you may return to my office and I will offer you whatever I can to make the operation smooth-sailing. You have approximately three weeks to prepare."
This catches your attention. In the hundreds of missions you've been assigned by the Third Hokage, he's never said anything about additional questions. The way the folder feels in your arms makes you think that the packet must already be at least a few dozen pages long, so the idea that you might need even more context... It's definitely some infiltration mission.
(You find that you're almost excited to begin reading the brief. It's usually just an assortment of boring blocks of information that you force yourself through, but maybe it won't be this time.)
You simply jerk your head. "Understood," you say again.
The Hokage lifts his pipe to his mouth. "Dismissed."
Another nod, and you're gone.
And maybe the entire hour you spent trying to get the last of the blood out of the grooves of your armor drove you crazy, but you swear you see the hint of a smile curling around the Hokage's pipe.
The air barely moves as you shunshin back to your apartment building. It's funny how even though the ANBU live such secretive lives and carry out the village's dirty work, all of you go back to your homes by the end of the day and walk around to grab dinner without your masks on. A bit counterintuitive, but as long as it stays in the village, you suppose it doesn't really matter.
You slip out of your uniform and into more comfortable clothes (the underarmor stays on, always!) so you can get to reading that brief. A tiny trickle of your chakra, and then the folder slides right open. You ignore the cover page, curling up on the couch with a familiar ease.
...!
The disbelief spreading through your chest only seems to grow faster as you make it through more of the packet. The mission objective is so different from what ANBU members are usually expected to carry through, and not only that, but...
The nine-tails jinchuuriki. He really is the little blond boy with the goggles you had seen in the village before. There's a variety of details that make it quite obvious, and you pride yourself on your information-gathering and deductive prowess. Still, seeing the words spelled out in writing almost makes you uncomfortable.
Not the One-Tail or the Two-Tails or even the Six-Tails, but the Nine-Tails. The very tailed beast that destroyed Kohonagakure a little more than ten years back. The very tailed beast that killed—
That's enough of that, you think. A soft sigh escapes your lips, and you slouch back into the couch. Your expression is deeply contemplative as your mind flickers to one of the other major players in this mission. An Uchiha? Why can't those guys ever leave me alone?
Yes, you know of this particular Uchiha boy. But he wasn't aware of that.
The night is not a time for such thoughts. You flip back to the mission overview.
OPERATION WHITE LOTUS
Assigned Operative(s): Python
Mission Type: Infiltration
Start Date: XXXX/XX/XX
End Date: As neededObjective: Given Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha's vulnerable statuses (as the nine-tails jinchuuriki and one of the last members of the Uchiha clan respectively), join their three-man cell diguised as a fourth genin and protect them from potential dangers until they are capable of doing so themselves.
And the papers go on. In much more detail, if you may add. Apparently, whenever a four-man cell is necessary — there's only been one other instance in the past — it's always assigned to Team 7. You find out who the third teammate is (a girl named Sakura Haruno), who their jounin leader is going to be (Kakashi Hatake, you know that name). You have no doubt that their sensei had been made aware of your role as well.
He used to be the pride of the ANBU, after all.
The briefs were almost psychoanalyses, pages upon pages about their personalities, pasts, current situations, Academy records, skill levels and statistics, and more. It takes you the entire day to finish reading the brief, but once you're finally finished, you put it down and try to think this through.
Since you would be disguised as a genin, you would not be able to use all of your power. You aren't too worried about that, given that the Hound, Kakashi Hatake, would be watching over them too. It'd certainly be an inconvenience, however, and you'd have to be very careful.
The concern isn't that they might recognize you as an infamous shinobi. The mask serves a purpose, after all. But you're rather used to having it on during missions, and it provides you with a sense of comfort. The knowledge that no one can see your face or the expressions you're making, and that they can't associate your deeds with your identity.
Hm. There's an easy fix. You perk up, an idea taking root in your mind as you hurry to send a letter to someone.
Tomorrow, you'll go to see the Hokage.
Two new guards are waiting at the door this time. When you shunshin in, they both already have their weapons out. Thankfully, they clock the mask and the familiar uniform before lowering them.
"Here to see Lord Third?" one asks gruffly.
No, you want to say. I'm just here to analyze the paint on his door. Obviously. Why would I go out of my way to come to his office if I was going to talk to him?
You don't say any of this. Instead, you simply nod in assent.
It's a familiar process that ends with you on one knee again. The Hokage inevitably waves you out of that stance, and finally, finally you can ask the questions you've thought through.
"I presume you're here with some of those questions I mentioned?" he asks.
"Yes."
He chuckles. "Go ahead, then. Ask however many you want; I don't blame you."
In that case, you can go straight to the point. You ask, "Why is this operation necessary?"
"Elaborate."
You bow your head again. "Apologies. I don't mean to say I doubt your judgement, my Lord. What I meant to say is that if Kakashi Hatake is going to be their sensei, will my presence have a significant effect on the situation?"
Another rumbling laugh. "Sharp as ever, Python. You think that Kakashi is strong enough to watch over them himself?"
You hate that you have to word things so diplomatically. "Yes."
"Haaah." He takes a slow drag of his pipe. "How should I put this? My concerns about young Naruto and Sasuke aren't simply rooted in the physical sense."
That throws you off balance, just slightly. The mask covers your expression. "You're worried about their mental states?"
The Hokage shakes his head, still smiling. "You really are an ANBU, aren't you? Capable of immediately understanding everything about a situation, but it takes you that tiny bit longer to grasp at the human aspects."
You don't know what to say to that. "It's an area of improvement for me. I'll be sure to master that skill in the near future."
He hides another smile. "There you go again. However, it's not as if my words will make you stop. It's simply a part of your nature."
...Is he still talking to you?
"In any case, I think that you'll find this mission very helpful, as well as... eye-opening for both you and the squad that you're assigned to. There are aspects to Operation White Lotus that are not, ah, explicitly written in the brief."
You think you feel your eye twitch. Didn't he say he'd answer my questions? These hardly count as answers. I'd be better off looking for directions in tea leaves. Of course, all you say is:
"I understand." That smile from last time, you realize. This is what Lord Hokage was all giggly about.
From the glint in his eyes, he definitely knows you're frustrated. "Any other questions?"
"Is there a specific identity I am meant to take? The briefing did not mention one."
"I see. No, there isn't. You may even use your real name, if you prefer. That makes it much easier for us to falsify your records."
That just rings more alarm bells in your head. Using your real name in an infiltration? What is the Hokage up to?
"...I understand," is all you say. If that's what they want, then that's what they'll get.
"Wonderful. And?"
"Would it be possible for me to meet with Hound— or, Kakashi-sensei before the mission takes place?"
"Tada," Kakashi says lazily, gesturing at the results of the tiny barrier jutsu he just performed. There's a simple, faintly blue wall encasing the rooftop of the building you picked at random. It thrums with chakra.
You recognize this jutsu, of course. It's a simple, low-stakes privacy barrier, designed so that outsiders can't hear or see what's going on inside. Convenient for discussing confidential information. Confidential information like the things you want to talk about right now.
Like you did with the Hokage, you don't bother to beat around the bush. "You know about Operation White Lotus?" you ask while biting down on your lollipop. It's more of a statement than a question.
"You really shouldn't do that, y'know," Kakashi replies instead of answering. It's been quite a few years since the man left the ANBU, but it seems that old habits die hard. You're quick to ask, but he's just as quick to deflect.
You don't bother to call him out. "Shouldn't do what?"
"Chew on hard candy." He's got that stupid orange book open already. Kami knows where he keeps it, because every time, it looks like he just pulls it out of thin air. Weird old man and his weird old man magic.
"My kill count is pretty close to yours," you reply, giving him the stink eye. If there's one thing about Kakashi, it's that he never fails to make you finally act your age. You don't have any siblings that you know of, but your relationship instinctively feels like that of an older brother and younger sister relationship. It's... nice, but you'd go on twenty missions in a row before admitting that to anyone. "Don't treat me like a child."
"You might have almost the same number of kills, but you're going to have way less teeth if you keep that up."
There's another biting retort sitting on your tongue, but you swallow it together with the remains of the candy. You might as well get used to referring to him like he's your teacher. "I'm gonna take that as a 'yes, I know'?"
"Hm."
"Is there anything you can tell me to make my job easier?"
Kakashi shrugs. "Dunno. Haven't even met them yet."
"So..." you prompt.
"So..." he mimics.
"If you're trying to get a reaction out of me, it's not gonna work," you inform him.
"Such a boring kid." He reaches out to pat your head, but you're fast, and he grasps at empty air while you appear on the other side of him.
You sigh. "How do you plan to test them? Aren't you famous for having never passed a squad?"
"Yeah, 'cause they all suck."
"I'm getting the Hokage."
The book snaps shut. "Okay, okay. There's a little teamwork test I do as part of the genin initiation exam. I take two bells and say that only those who get a bell from me within a certain period of time will be allowed to continue as genin. Or, well, I have two bells most of the time. In this case, I suppose I'll need three."
"And it's a bluff."
Kakashi nods. "It's a bluff. What usually happens is that they fixate on grabbing a bell for themselves. But at this point in their training, they can't even come close to grabbing a bell from me on their own. And then it's just fail, fail, fail."
"That's actually pretty good. So the point of it is teamwork, right? Genin focus on team building."
"Ding ding. I suspect you might struggle with that."
You roll your eyes and snap your fingers. The chewed up lollipop stick in your hand lights on fire and crumbles into ashes, floating away in the wind. "Well, now I know. So it won't be a problem."
"Lucky you," Kakashi shrugs. "For the others it still will be, though."
You look at him now, almost puzzled. "You want me to help them? I wasn't planning on interfering. My directions are to keep them safe, not fast-track them to a level they might not be prepared for and get them killed."
"Hardly. Ehh, they'll probably figure it out. If not, less work for both of us."
You pause, thoughtful. At the silence, Kakashi glances at you, but doesn't prod. He knows how you are. What he doesn't know is how much of this relaxed playfulness coming off of you is real. You really are an ANBU member, through and through.
Spending formative years in that organization would do this to any kid.
He doesn't realize straight away, but now he's thinking too. You two sit in silence for a couple more minutes before you break it.
"If you hadn't told me just now... do you think I would've passed?"
Kakashi is almost startled. "What, the bell test?"
"Mhm."
"Does it matter?"
"No, but I'm curious." The tattoo on your arm, an indicator of your service, seems to sting and burn. You ignore it. You know you're imagining the sensation.
"You would've gotten a bell from me. Probably with your kekkei genkai or some sneaky, underhanded strategy, but you would get it."
That was not what you were asking about. Both of you know that. But you just nod, standing up and brushing off your hands. "I'll be leaving now. I should probably start to prepare." You make the handsign to dispel the barrier, and it melts away instantly.
Kakashi rolls his eyes. "Show-off."
You stick your tongue out at him. "You can't say such mean things to your student, sensei."
He gives you a disbelieving look. "Since when did you call me that? Did they actually demote you to genin? Hey, are you sure you didn't just screw up really bad and this 'operation' is a farce so you can pretend there's an epic, noble reason to—"
"No, they didn't," you cut in, already tired of listening to him talk. "But everyone is supposed to think I'm a genin. I can't join the squad and then start ordering you around. Not that ANBU have authority over jounin, anyway."
"I still think you've been kicked out of ANBU and sent back to the Academy."
"You're so funny, sensei."
"Okay, that's weird. Stop."
You cross your arms. "Is that an order from my superior?"
"I'm gonna kick your ass," he replies, voice as lackadaisical as ever. "How old are you again? Ten?"
You think you hear some birds chirping. "I'm twelve. Bye, Kakashi-sensei."
With a step and a leap, you're off the rooftop and in the air. Then you're gone.
Kakashi sits down and opens his book. The strongest kids are always the most troublesome. He knows this already, but the next few years will prove it to him.
You had three weeks to prepare for this mission. It felt like an excessive amount, especially given that it seemed like the Hokage wanted you to prepare as little as possible for this, but the days flew by and now there was a mere three days left before you were supposed to meet your team.
You're in the last stages of preparation now. You gently pick up a box from where it's set down on your table and take off the lid.
Inside the box, packaged carefully for protection, is a simple mask. You don't want to go without a mask for this mission, but for obvious reasons, you can't just use your ANBU mask. So you had another one commissioned, this one with no specific animal motif nor the simple, geometric designs that characterized the Konoha ANBU. You slip it on over your face.
Perfect fit.
On the day, Kakashi drops by your apartment to pick you up. All parties involved agreed that trying to finagle you into the Academy so you could meet Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura without Kakashi there would be too difficult, so Kakashi is the one taking you to meet them. He's also a solid hour or two late, but that doesn't surprise anyone.
"Ready to go?" he asks, looking up from That Book. You nod, snapping the mask into place, and he raises an eyebrow at you. "You're gonna wear a mask?"
"Mhm."
"Won't that make you come off as, I don't know, weird?"
Dryly, you reply, "Do you need to step inside and use my bathroom so you can check the mirror?"
Kakashi raises his hands in surrender. "Woah, woah. Message received. Not what I meant."
You tilt your head at him. "Do you think they'll put the pieces together?"
He studies you for a moment before chuckling. "Probably not. They're dumb as rocks. Let's go."
Kakashi places a hand on the top of your head, and you scowl at him. He needs to grab you so that you two can shunshin to the location together — you wouldn't want the others seeing that you can perform the jutsu so proficiently on your own — but he really could've grabbed your sleeve or your shoulder or something instead of trying to flatten your scalp.
You two arrive in the hall, just outside a door. You hear (kind of) quiet chattering and giggles from inside the room, and when you glance up, you see a chalkboard eraser perched in the opening of the door so that when someone came in, it would fall on them. When you look to Kakashi, you see he's already noticed it. His thoughts are obvious from the small part of his face that you can actually see.
These kids are idiots.
Nevertheless, he steps forward and enters the classroom first, effectively "falling for" the prank. From the guffaws, you can tell that the squad is quite entertained. This is probably the best moment for you to make your entrance, so you step inside. Immediately, the room goes silent, and you turn to observe your new teammates.
Naruto Uzumaki. A friendly-looking boy with a smile that instantly raises blood pressure. His hair is so starkly blond that it frankly astonishes you that no one has figured out who his father is. There are whiskers on his face (courtesy of the whole jinchuuriki thing) and he's wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. You immediately want to make a snide comment about the outfit choice but refrain.
Sasuke Uchiha. He looks... like an Uchiha. Black hair, black eyes, black soul, the whole spiel. He doesn't seem like he's been laughing but you're well-trained and immediately note that he's been holding it back. The Uchiha poster boy, really. He's already observing you, probably trying to figure out where you stand in terms of power.
And Sakura Haruno. Not the least of the trio, by any means, but her body language indicates to you that she has priorities aside from becoming an excellent shinobi. That priority most likely starts with an 'S' and ends with an 'asuke.' The secret laughter is even more apparent on her face than it is on Sasuke's.
"You must be our new teammate!" Naruto exclaims, pointing at you. So loud... "Hey, what's your name? And what's with the mask?"
You want to turn to give Kakashi a smug look at the mask comment. Instead, you focus your attention on the boy. "Hi, nice to meet you," you start, settling into an easy personality as you raise your hand and wave. "I'm—"
"I got it!" he cuts you off, slamming his hands together. "Fukumen! Y'know, like "mask"! Disguise! Get it? We'll call you Fuku for short. Hiya, Fuku-chan!"
"She probably has a name, moron," Sasuke says irritably. Probably? "Why are you giving her a new one?"
"Yeah!" Sakura agrees immediately. You get the feeling it's not because she's trying to defend your honor and preserve your sense of identity. Oh, come on. Sakura, please.
"Ah..." you hesitate, putting a sheepish hand on the back of your neck. Actually, this might be good for you. It lets you skirt around the conniption you had over using your real name. "Actually, it's okay. Fuku is fine, haha!"
This is going to be a long, long mission. You just know Kakashi is laughing at you from behind.