Disclaimer: In case you forgot, Naruto is owned (among others) by Viz while Buffy's Mutant Enemy's.

Warnings: See chapter 1

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this out, but the characters weren't really in the most cooperative of moods. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long.

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"Ninjas." Xander pointed out.

"Yes." Tsunade agreed. Her patience was well past the point of starting to wear thin.

"Seriously. Ninjas." Xander reiterated with disbelief.

"Yes." Tsunade ground out through gritted teeth.

The past couple of days had been… not as horrible as Xander could have imagined. Sure they hadn't been a cake walk, but they were far from the complete and utter hell he'd expected.

At the entrance to the village he'd been separated from his impromptu guide. While his guide had rushed the injured boy he was holding off to the hospital via the roofs, Xander had been told to wait until an escort came for him. His escort turned out to be a trio of masked men in matching armor, who guided him silently on a twisting path through the village that had him lost not even five minutes in (which, Xander figured, had probably been the point). They brought him to a rather non-descript building and pretty much shoved him into an interrogation room that wouldn't look at all out of place in an American police station (at least, as far as Xander could tell from TV).

The actual interrogation had been… interesting… to say the least. Lots of waiting around with only himself for company interspersed with increasingly intense, disbelieving, and (at least as far as one of his interrogators was conserved) belligerent questioning. Oh, and pain. He couldn't forget the pain from the torture they threw in with their questioning. Granted it wasn't a cakewalk, being actual physical torture and all, but it was still a refreshingly far cry from the wringer Angelus had put him through back in Junior year.

But in the end they finally believed that, yes he was from a different world where ninja didn't exist (at least, not the way they did here) , no he had no idea how he got here, and no he had no idea how to get back to where he came from. And no, he wasn't crazy – although from what he'd seen of this place so far, being sane might've been a bit overrated anyway.

So, now that he'd been firmly ousted from the troublesome category of 'possible enemy' the question became what to do with him. They couldn't exactly chuck him out to go back where he came from seeing as where he came from kinda sorta didn't exist (in the way that Summons lived in a space that was not really a space, only slightly off in a somewhat distantly related cousin kind of a way – at least according to the current popular theory regarding Summons, and maybe someone should be asking the Crows that because if nothing else maybe that thrice damned magpie knew something no one else did since kami-sama knew the flighty thing was nuttier than any oak around…). Tossing him out so he could go live anywhere but there was just not a good idea since there was no telling what kind of trouble the boy'd fall into out there plus they'd almost be practically forcing the boy into the arms of the enemy - and if there was one thing they did not need right now thanks to the defection of the last Uchiha, it was yet another enemy. And forget about just killing him; they were not Kiri after all, so the slaughter of innocents – even the most inconvenient ones – was right out. Which left only one real option, that being welcoming him into the freak show that was one of the strongest and most prosperous hidden villages with at least somewhat open arms. At least, until he proved he actually was a threat or enemy, in which case the whole killing him idea would be reopened (if it turned out that he actually was crazy, well, then he'd fit right in with some of the higher level shinobi. Sadly, when it came to her ninja – especially those of high rank – sanity was never a requirement. You could be as crazy as you liked as long as it didn't actually interfere with a mission).

All of which brought Xander to where he now was; an 'intimate' meeting with hokage and all of about a dozen or so of her 'closest' subordinates. A hokage that was this close to revisiting the death idea with her own hands and damn the (moral) consequences. Did it still count as a stain on Konoha's reputation if the other villages didn't know about it?

"You claim that demons and vampires are real, and that you actually fought them in the world you came from, but can't accept that ninja are real?" Shikamaru asked, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation. He was tired, and worried about his friends in the hospital, and this whole mess had passed troublesome at a fast clip ages ago. As if he didn't have enough crap to deal with…

Xander opened his mouth to answer and then shut it with an audible click, head hanging down in defeat. When it was put that way, it did seem pretty ridiculous that he believed in real vampires but didn't believe in real ninja. And to be honest, he really didn't have a good reason why he didn't – mostly because there wasn't one.

"Now that we've established the existence of ninjas," Tsunade began, shooting a withering glance at Xander when it looked like he was about to object again. Xander visibly deflated and did the smart thing of keeping his big mouth shut; despite what some people would think, he could learn "perhaps we can continue our discussion?"

When no more interruptions came, Shizune continued with her lecture "As I was saying, as a Hidden Village, Konohagakure is divided into two basic sectors; ninja and civilian. While both sectors are under the authority of the Hokage and bound by her laws, there are differences between the two mostly in terms of legalities and legislature. For example, a civilian is considered to legally be an adult at age eighteen while a ninja is considered a legal adult upon becoming registered as an active genin and is rewarded all the freedoms and responsibilities that come with the position. Unlike some other Hidden Villages, the authority that a ninja holds over a civilian is not absolute; mostly dealing with emergencies and village law. In addition, there are no prohibitions against someone from a purely civilian background becoming a ninja provided they can pass through the training, which normally starts at age six and runs until they either graduate or wash out of the program – at which case they will be mainstreamed into the civilian school until they reach the age of eighteen or begin an official apprenticeship at age sixteen.

"There are a few conditions to your being granted citizenship and being allowed to stay in the village. Obviously, given your age, you will not be required to attend school however, there are a few things that all citizens must know. Regardless of whether or not you decide to become a ninja or remain a civilian you will be tested to see where you stand on basic math, science, and literacy; you will be tutored in any subject that you are lacking, as well as village law, history, and geography. Should you decide to remain a civilian, you will be expected to find work, although your options there might be limited to unskilled labor unless you are fortuitous enough to find someone willing to offer you an apprenticeship. If you decide to become a ninja, you will be privately trained in all the skills you will need to become an active genin. This is highly irregular and a special privilege as virtually all ninjas have completed their basic training by the time they reach your age, and you would best advised to treat it as the exceedingly rare opportunity it is.

"Now, I realize that this decision is not one to be entered into lightly, but it is also not the kind of thing that can be put off indefinitely. Therefore I am going to give you a week to decide."

"I want to be a ninja." Xander replied without waiting a beat.

"Are you sure? It won't be easy; you will get wounded, badly probably and with the possibility of permanently disabling, and there is a high chance that you will get killed which will increase as you advance in rank." Tsunade cautioned. Despite the glamorous and exciting image being projected, there was actually little glory in being a ninja. Ninjas were thieves, killers, and spies who were lucky to see twenty five – never mind thirty. Few ever made it to retirement, and those that did tended be those who were too injured to return to duty or kunoichi who had stopped in order to raise a family.

Xander was resolute. He'd stood by Buffy even when she pushed him away for being too normal, and did his damndest to keep his home safe from the monsters the Hellmouth drew to it despite his total lack of training. He wasn't one to idly sit by while others risked their lives to protect his home, and until he – or rather Willow since he and magic still didn't mix – found a way back to Sunnyhell, Konohagakure was his home. "I want to be a ninja."