from Academy to Anbu by theriku260

chapter one

Commander Dragon whistled. "Damn, that's talent." He was impressed; after watching the whole scene between Naruto and the traitor Dragon couldn't help but imagine having that in his forces. The kid could outrun-and out prank- his men since he was ten, and the young Jinchuuriki was known to be stealthy even in orange- perfect for ANBU. And after creating hundreds of clones like nothing, Dragon knew his services would be invaluable. Pity he was so young, the Hokage would be near impossible to convince.

"Yes, his chakra capacity is huge and with his solid henge- a shape shift, really- he has more potential than any of the graduates." Sarutobi chuckled and lit his pipe. Dragon whipped his head up.

"Impossible. Shapeshifting, as in not an illusion?" He drooled slightly when the Hokage nodded, and knew right then. Screw the age, shapeshifting took huge reserves and even then only a few blood line holders seemed to be able to use it. It was probably the fox, and as such had unlimited uses if Naruto could figure out how to transfer his abilities to become animals or even objects.

"I want him" Dragon clipped. The Hokage and the ANBU guards gaped at him, wondering if their commander was finally losing it. Sarutobi quickly squashed the idea.

"Absolutely not! He's"

"A genin now, according to Iruka's headband on him, and thus can become ANBU. Hokage-sama, surely you see how much latent talent he has? And those academy reports show he should have graduated three years ago?" Dragon smirked at the slight wince on his boss's face. Sarutobi had called upon Naruto's file after he failed that afternoon- needless to say he was pissed at the revelation that the boy should have graduated at nine- not fail three times. Contrary to popular belief failing the ninjutsu portion didn't stop one from becoming a genin- you had to fail three sections. Apparently Mizuki and other teachers would intentionally alter the tests before Iruka saw yet were stupid enough to keep the originals in the file cabinets. Nobody had ever asked for the orphan's real file, and thus his scores reported a moron. If Naruto hadn't stolen the scroll he would have been given an honorary graduation in the morning. Sarutobi knew he failed the boy greatly- but letting him in the darkness of their world so early was not something he should allow, no matter the talent.

"He just made the rank, though. Naruto will be placed under Kakashi. I'm sure he will learn plenty there and you can recruit him in a few years." He said with a voice of steel. Normal men would let it drop- Dragon was not normal. He faked his death for his village, changed his fighting style in many ways for the ruse. He once faced ten Iwa chunin and jonin with three kunai and barely any chakra- he still hasn't spent their bounties completely. Dragon knew not what "backing down" meant- not when it came to the village's safety.

"Kakashi is inept in teaching and life at the moment. His teammate will no doubt be the Uchiha, who we both know is a flight risk. Having our Jinchuuriki make bonds with a potential traitor is foolish." Sarutobi faltered. Good. Just a little more. "Also, being in ANBU- who only answer to the Hokage- would protect him should anything ever happen to you. And let's be honest: keeping Naruto away from public eye for several years could finally let their hatred die down. When he leaves he will be given whatever rank he deserves." What Dragon didn't say was that a 'few years' would hopefully be at least ten- he viewed this as a sort of long term investment. Why train three ANBU that would leave within a couple of years due to stress or wanting something else in their career when you can mold one amazing ANBU and have them for over a decade? It worked with Tenzo, who was still in the forces without showing a sign of burnout. Of course, Dragon wouldn't tell his leader that, nor would he mention that he planned for the kid to become captain level within two years- Sarutobi didn't take too kindly to rushing a ninja's training, but Naruto's ability with shadow clones just begged to be abused.

"…Very well. I will consent to this for a time. What squad do you suggest?" Sarutobi sighed. He sensed it was for the best, for all parties involved- especially the boy he failed-, and maybe the squad he was assigned would turn Naruto into a fantastic shinobi.