(A/N: This fic is rated T for insinuation of extreme violence and gore. I do not own Naruto in any way.)

Well, I own volume 30 but that's it.

I read so many stories with Danzo as a primary antagonist…I really don't get it…honestly, Danzo was overly controlling, and a bit of a megalomaniac, but let's review the things he accomplished:

1. Danzo helped Hanzo eliminate early members of the Akatsuki.
2. While Hiruzen was trying (and failing) to peacefully stop the ENTIRE Uchiha Clan from rebelling, Danzo realized that obviously they weren't going to stop the coup' d'état, and got Itachi to kill them all (minus Sasuke) before they decided to strike first.
3. As Sixth Hokage Candidate, Danzo ordered that Sasuke should be a missing-nin (for fuck's sake, he's been gone for 3 years) and should be killed if encountered (um…no shit?).

That being said, Danzo is also a fascist and a bastard, but at least he gets shit done. Now let's look at Hiruzen Sarutobi:

1. Failed completely and utterly to provide any sort of emotional support to Naruto as a child. At the very, very least, Naruto could have lived with Sarutobi, and at least he'd have someone to talk to him on a daily basis.
2. Failed to help in any manner whatsoever during the attempted kidnapping attempt on Hinata by Kumo. What the fuck? The ambassador is on the Hyuga property, has the heiress in a sack on his shoulder, and is killed…how the hell is it Hiashi's fault? Hiruzen clearly could have politically resisted Kumo's demands…but didn't.
3. Failed to keep track of Orochimaru's experiments. Later, when Hiruzen and a group of ANBU caught Orochimaru red-handed, Hiruzen and the ANBU could have killed Orochimaru right then and then…but Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to kill his favorite former student. Orochimaru went on to join Akatsuki and found the Sound Village, probably killing hundreds if not thousands in the next few decades. It was probably a difficult emotional conflict…but what needed to be done, should have been done.

Then again, Hiruzen is a bit more humane than Danzo…but he doesn't…actually do much.

11/17/10

He hadn't slept in over 24 hours. He hadn't eaten in over 18. He hadn't sat down in the last 6.

He was busy now. Busy hunting.

Hunting a man.

The mission was simple. Get in, get out, leave no major trace of his presence except for the one life that needed to be taken.

The mission details provided a plethora of information on the target. Name: Reimaru Meikamako. Height: 175 cm. Weight, 71 kg. Light brown hair, green eyes. No known shinobi training. Occupation: Carpenter/blacksmith.

The facts rushed through the assassin, the shinobi's mind as he pretended to sip his sake. He eyed his target, flirting shamelessly with a barmaid in the shoddy bar they were in. From her body language and the slight smile on the barmaid's face, the man's efforts were not unappreciated.

The shinobi didn't understand the difficult things that were emotions. He was fine with that, he didn't need to. He could read body language, determine if someone was happy, sad, scared, or suspicious. He could tell if someone had martial training from the way they walked. He could read every twitch of the eye or face and accurately predict if someone was lying, but he himself could not feel. The only thing he felt…was apathy.

It was good that the assassin felt nothing, for the client requested that this man be killed in a very special way. A very brutal, bloody way. An assassin could not feel such emotions such as squeamishness or disgust.

The shinobi did not feel tired, or hungry, or exhausted. Perhaps, the closest thing to emotion that he felt was excitement as the barmaid whispered something into the target's ear. The man stood up, and the woman led him into a corridor, and the assassin lost sight of then as they rounded a corner.

The blonde man threw a few coins on the bar, more than enough to pay for his drinks. He headed towards the bathrooms, which were conveniently located just across the corridor from the target his room was in. Surreptitiously looking back once to make sure no one was watching, the man picked the lock. He ignored the feminine giggle inside the room as he wiggled the steel implement, looking for the catch. Upon finding it, the assassin threw the door open.

He became a blur. Years of training had made him a perfect fighting machine. Even the highest ranking shinobi from other villages knew to flee on sight if they ever met him in combat. Operatives with critical information were ordered to commit suicide on the spot, lest the 'Second Yellow Flash' effortlessly capture them and ruthlessly torture the information out of them. Among untrained individuals, they might have well been statues trying to grasp a bolt of lightning, for all their speed and reactions matched up with his.

In a blink, the blunt end of a kunai struck the woman in her temple, knocking her out. The shinobi's fist shoved several of the man's teeth down his throat. Before the first drops of blood hit the ground, the assassin had shut and bolted the door. Walking calmly back over to the bed, he picked up the woman. She was not the target, he had no need to kill her, but she was not a VIP, so he felt nothing approaching guilt when he dropped her on the floor. The soft smell of strawberries permeated his nostrils, but failed to provoke any arousal.

As the man finally finished spitting out his teeth, he looked up into those terrible, emotionless blue eyes. Looking into those eyes, Reimaru knew he would die this night. He tried to scream, but the hand constricting his throat muffled even that. Reimaru struggled fruitlessly as the kunai descended upon him.

"Reimaru Meikamako. Assassination contract accepted November 13, at 1500 hours. Primary objective: death. Secondary objective: extreme mutilation of the genitalia, removal of the eyes, ears, fingers, toes, tongue, nipples, and small intestine, all preferably before death."

The shinobi stood in front of his leader as he gave a review of his mission, and its result.

"Reason for contract: target accused of several counts of rape of women whom he drugged, and also several counts of rape of a minor. Client: Hokuko Futago, father of one of the target's alleged victims. Mission: Complete."

This time, the assassin felt a flicker of emotion, and his whisker-lined face twitched upwards in a smile. Satisfaction.

Sometimes, emotions are what make us human on the most basic level. Other times, they just get in the way.