Life in Konoha's ANBU by Shezza

Chapter 44: Operation HURRICANE: Part I

The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, his hands folded on top of his oak desk and his hat slid down to hide his eyes. It was hard to read any emotion on that indecipherable face, but every member of Team Sigma, spread out on the other side of the desk, had a sense that the old man was quite annoyed. At the head of the ANBU Team, Naruto waited his punishment with a blank face. He had disobeyed standing orders and intervened in a situation that was out of his jurisdiction, right in front of the elite ANBU of Kirigakure, no less. Although what he did was morally right, should the Fourth Mizukage take offense, it could set off a chain of events that, in the best possible scenario, had a negative impact on Konoha, and in the worst possible scenario, would lead to war.

He knew this. Uzumaki Naruto had been in ANBU for almost six years. He had been a Captain for over a year. He knew the regulations. He had passed his emotional conditioning course with flying colours. Still, some tiny, small, rebellious part of him stubbornly refused to see his actions as anything more than 'doing the right thing', and, for once, Naruto was content with that.

He had saved some lives. It wasn't often that he got to do that

That was why he would meet the gaze of the Hokage evenly, fully prepared to accept the consequences of his actions.

The old man in question let out a sigh, dropping his hands and pushing away the open scroll he had been reading- a detailed report on exactly what had occurred at Outpost Sierra. He puffed on his pipe a few more times, and then moved it from his mouth. Stern, unyielding eyes shot up and glared at the blond ANBU Captain.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured. "Are you prepared for the consequences of your actions?"

His quiet voice echoed around the office. The rest of Team Sigma remained still. Naruto could feel more than see Sasuke behind him, the usually stoic Uchiha barely restraining himself. Of all the members of Sigma, Sasuke had been the one who had approved of Naruto's actions the most. The raven-haired ANBU member had seen enough slaughter in his short lifetime, and he had had his fill of watching the defenceless and innocent being cut down by those stronger and more skilled. For Sasuke, anybody who would intervene and stop a massacre from happening was somebody who should be respected.

"I am, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied curtly.

Sarutobi nodded heavily, as if expecting the answer. The atmosphere of the office was tense and even Naruto swallowed heavily as the Hokage deliberated on exactly what his fate would be. The retribution that came was quick, sudden, and unexpected.

"Moron!" Sarutobi thundered.

His arm moved as a blur and before Naruto could react, a thick, heavy tome had slammed into his head and sent him toppling backwards to the ground. The rest of Team Sigma flinched, Daichi and Yuuka taking a step back as the Hokage towered over his desk, leaning forward to eye Naruto on the ground.

"Don't start wars, you idiot!" Sarutobi's voice resounded throughout the office. His annoyance was plain on his face. "If you want to start a war, step up and take my robes! Then you can do whatever you want! Until then, stop it!"

"...really?" Naruto groaned as he sat up off of the ground. He rubbed his face gingerly, silently thanking the headband that had absorbed a lot of the blow. "The face again?"

"There's nothing worthwhile about it," Sarutobi grumbled as he sat back down in his seat. He signed something and rolled it up. "If I threw it at your arms or legs, you wouldn't be able to complete your week's allotment of administrative duties."

"That's my face you're talking about," Naruto muttered sourly as he stood up.

"Like I said, nothing worthwhile," Sarutobi repeated.