Perfectly Imperfect Love

Comfrontations and The Decision

Naruto knocked on the Hokage's door gently. A voice called him in, and he turned the knob.

He walked in; Kakashi and Yamato were, somehow, already there. A slight smirk was on Tsunade's face. Her golden blonde hair shone in the morning sun that poured into the main window of the office.

"So, I guess you came to a decision?" She asked, earning a stiff nod from the blonde. He walked over, glancing at the two folders she had laid out.

He picked up the one on the right. "ANBU." He stated simply. Kakashi and Yamato tensed, and Tsunade's face grew serious.

"Are you positive? This is the most important choice in your entire life. Once you're in; you're in for good. At least until your probationary period is over." She said.

His eyes became determined. "For sure." He said. With the approval of his Hokage, Naruto opened the folder and began filling out to forms.

A half hour and an aching wrist later, he was done. "Take off your jacket; I'm going to give you the tattoo that marks you as one of our Elite." Tsunade said, and he complied. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her as she pull out a small scroll.

After reading through it a couple of times, she lifted up the short sleeve that covered his right bicep, ran through a half-dozen handseals, and pressed her palm onto his arm.

He hissed a little when he felt the burn of the ANBU symbol being engraved onto his skin, but said nothing.

"There. You're a member of Konoha's best and brightest. Naruto, from here on out, you are to be secretive; stealthy, silent. I know that contradicts with your loud and proud nature, but-"

"I know. These past few months...hell, these past years have really taught me that I can't be loud and proud anymore, and that emotions aren't things for the battlefield. Don't worry. I'm very serious about this." He interrupted, his face determined and unyielding.

The three elder shinobi allowed themself to smirk, an image of a 12 and 16 year old Kyuubi container running through their minds. Naruto had changed, but for better or for worse, they couldn't tell.

"You begin training with us tomorrow, Naruto. Unlike what most people believe, we aren't just special forces. We are the forces. The regular shinobi get missions that are high profile and come with large profits for the village; they allow us to execute our strength, and promote our village in order to get more missions." Yamato started. He was leaning on the wall, his arms crossed.

"But then there's the ANBU; we're the ones that do the dirty work. And you will get dirty. You will kill, you willtorture, you will live and breathe the mission. Everything we do is under direct orders from Hokage-sama. We do the things that directly benefit the village and that alone."

"Kill?" Naruto asked, a little unnerved at the idea of ending another's life. They nodded.

"Of course. ANBU isn't sunshine and lollipops, Naruto. It's something you'll have to deal with and overcome on your own. Like we said...you're in for good." Kakashi stated.

Tsunade then pulled out a scroll, and bit her thumb to draw some blood. She swiped the liquid across the seal on the object, and it popped open with a plume of smoke.

Naruto walked over, and his eyes gleamed with a strange sort of happiness when he saw what the scroll contained. A standard ANBU uniform was there; it contained a pair of knee high shinobi boots that had cleats on the soles of them for rough terrain, a few pairs of pitch black, loose fitting shinobi pants, a few sleeveless turtleneck shirts and a grey armored vest. Also, there were a pair of fingerless, plated gloves, much like Kakashi's, and silver forearm bracers.