"You've got to be kidding me!" I shouted at the council. Since the third Hokage died it's been their soul mission to make my life a living hell. They have mastered the art of ticking me off so completely that I could almost feel the fire in my eyes as they spoke. They were sending one of their top ANBU black ops on most insultingly easy missions they could possibly manage to come up with. I've made a few exceptions because they just lost a 'close friend', but I draw the line here. I might as well be a Genin with these stupid assignments, and now this, it's unacceptable.

The elders and I have never actually had a… stable relationship with each other, unless you count each of us hating each other stable. They torture me and I torture them. It was an understanding we had between them and me. They didn't mind it too much as long as I didn't push it too far. They felt the need to remind me that they were in charge a lot.

"You begged us for a harder assignment, Kiyomi. Now, when we give you one you complain at us. It's either this or guard duty," the elder said.

Is she joking? Guard duty! They could get a chunin to do guard duty, and they were legitimately offering to an ANBU member? Do they know how they're confining me? It's like trying to domesticate a wolf; keeping it locked in a house until it forgets how to fend for itself. I needed a harder mission. I could feel my skills getting rustier by the second from lack of use.

"Guard duty," I hissed, making the word sound like a profanity leaving my lips. Their muscles tightened at the anger in my voice, silently telling me to tone it down.I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "So, that's it. My two choices are babysitting the knucklehead and the perverted sanin or stand by a gate and try not to fall asleep?" I asked, trying level my temper.

"Yes," the old woman said firmly.

"And if I choose neither…" I trailed off. I technically couldn't refuse an order but I was in a daring mood.

"Then, I suppose we will have no choice but to elect you as our new Hokage. You aren't even close to being as strong or as experienced as our previous leaders, but I'm sure we could put you to good use until we find a more suitable person to take your place."

There was no way they would talk me into doing a stupid desk job. I'd sit behind a desk signing papers and giving out orders from the comfort of an armchair while others got to go out and have all of the fun. I'd barely get into the field now. I need field work; it is my life. A good fight will make my day. Sitting in front of a desk answering whatever stupid questions people can conjure up for their own amusement, responding to the petty whims of the townspeople, assigning missions, meetings just thinking about it depresses me. Naruto can have it.

"Not on your life," I growled. My eyes met there's with a defiance that I have rarely ever used before.

"So then you're going to accept guard duty?" The other one asked with a hint of a smile on his face. They hate me, I decided, they truly hate me.

Of course, they already knew my answer, they just wanted to show me that they had won, and I had lost. It was how they entertained themselves. "No," I said grudgingly.

"Then you will go with Naruto and-"

"Yes, Fine, WHATEVER, I'll go!" I yelled, infuriated. I stormed out of the room not missing the smirks painted on their faces as I did so.

Stupid Council, downsizing my abilities like this is foolish and they know it. I could have helped the old man if they had let me guard the Hokage as I originally asked in the last Chunin exam. Then they make me go help Naruto fight Gaara, a Genin. I felt so sorry for the sand ninja I ended up healing him outside of the village gates. Next they put me on clean up duty, picking up bricks and boards. You can pay non-ninjas to do that. I could have spent that time hunting down Orochimaru. I could have caught him in his injured state, and I could have won as long as his accomplice didn't get in the way. Now they have me babysitting to thoughtless, perverted males. They've hit a new low. One more mission like this and I'm gone… I don't care about loyalties anymore. This is pathetic.

It wasn't that I minded Naruto; he was alright for a kid. It was more of his mentor that I truly disliked. I'm sure that deep down he is a nice person, but I really didn't care to get close enough to him to find out.

My feet met the ground and I was off. It was lunchtime, and running was the only assured way to get people out of your path. They take one glance and move out of the way before they're run over.

I slowed to a walk when I got to the river-walk, I couldn't resist the beauty of the water. There was no one there either. It was quiet, peaceful. I had to get as much of that in as possible before it was ruined, as it always is. I closed my eyes, completely content with the peace here.

A muffled bang intruded on my silence. Stupid kids, I thought as I moved my ANBU mask in front of my face. It'll make my order more undeniable. They were always experimenting with new paper bombs near the water. I used my own Genjutsu technique, making me invisible to the naked eye; I want to see who I'm punishing and for what before they see me. I quickly rounded the corner…