Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO
Chapter One: Demoted
Naruto looked over the papers in his hand, eyes clearing showing confusion. If you could see under the porcelain fax mask covering his face.
"Why?" Naruto asked looking over the file to the old man smoking a pipe behind a desk cluttered with papers and scrolls waiting to be read and signed.
"Naruto", the old man sighed with smoke streaming out of his mouth, "you are too young to be in this line of work. You should be in school with children your own age rather than going on dangerous missions everyday."
"But why do I need to go to the ninja academy, I already know all the ninja basics you learn there. Couldn't you just demote me to Chuunin at least?"
"You still wouldn't be with children your own age. And I want you to just have the taste of the normal life of a six year old boy."
"But what will I do for money?"
"I will give you a monthly allowance that is the average amount of money you would of made in ANBU a month."
"No."
"What was that?"
"I don't accept."
"Who said it was an offer?"
"I refuse the mission."
"This isn't a mission, it's an order."
"Bu-"
"No buts, it's an order and soon to be law that no one under the age of 13 may become a ninja. Especially after-"
"The Uchiha Itachi Incident?"
"Yes." The old hokage looked at Naruto examining the way Naruto looked. Naruto was dressed in a standard ANBU uniform, albeit smaller to fit his smaller body. Covering his face was a porcelain fox mask hiding his entire face from view with his unruly blonde hair covering the top of his mask.
"We, meaning me AND the council are worried of an other incident like that happening again."
"But he-"
"Yes, but he started out at your age."
"Fine," Naruto sighed in defeat.
"Naruto, you are to turn in your forehead protector and show up at the academy tomorrow at 8 o'clock sharp. You may keep your mask though. No one else seems to want it so until you are allowed to keep your mask as it is no longer an official ANBU mask."
"Hai, OLD MAN."
The Hokage smirked. "You haven't called me that for two years."
"Actually, two years, three months, one week, 5 days, 11 hours, 37 minutes, and 57 seconds as of 4 sec- 5 seconds ago."
"You remember the time exactly?" the old hokage asked very surprised.
"Hai, Sarutobi-ojii, and I missed saying it sooo much."
"You are dismissed, Naruto."
Naruto walked up to the desk with forehead protector in hand, even though he did not take off his mask, and placed on the hokage's desk.
"Hey ojii-san, just because it's law, don't think I won't get you guys back."
With that, Naruto left the office and on with his business.
The Hokage however turned on his intercom connecting himself to his secretary.
"Rai-san,"
"Yes Hokage-sama?"
"Would you send some extra ANBU guards to my office and to all the council members please?'
"You're expecting any attacks Hokage-sama?" Rai asked worriedly.
"No, just Naruto."
"Oh, okay. Oh, by the way sir, a few days paper work from the hospital were misplaced and have been found. They are being sent over now."
"Thank you Rai," the Hokage said through gritted teeth.
"My pleasure Hokage-sama."
The hokage released the button and proceeded to slam his head into the table.
Naruto had been in ANBU every since he was four. Every since he had an encounter with gang of drunk citizens on his 5th birthday and sought out how to learn how to protect himself. So he proceeded to go the public library (where the librarian was surprisingly nice) and proceeded to check out all books and scrolls on taijutsu, chakra control, and weapons training and even several scrolls for kenjutsu to train on. After his accelerated learning speed through the shear need to survive, he was to the level of a low chuunin in taijutsu and kenjutsu, and had the chakra control of a high chuunin. He started borrowing jutsu scrolls with the permission of the hokage and blew straight threw all academy, genin, and low chuunin jutsu. He also stumbled upon Kage Bunshin no Jutsu when a lazy intern let the scroll fall from a cart on his way to the restricted section for jounin only.
Naruto's only quadrupled 25 times from then on. Naruto had become mid jounin level in several styles of taijutsu and kenjutsu, chakra control, and nin jutsu, and high chuunin level in genjutsu. And he had an intermediate knowledge in seals. But despite all his talent, he had no experience. Several people around him noticed Naruto's strength and was soon brought to the Hokage's attention. Seeing as some of the more corrupt members of the council would try to use Naruto for their own goals and some of the more hating villagers would use it as a reason to beat him more, the Hokage decided to put Naruto in ANBU at the tender age of 6.
Of course Naruto wasn't sent on missions right away. For his first year of service, he was trained by ANBU in all aspects of ninja skills and nothing else. He did get a small enough knowledge of math, literary skills, science, and history as to make sure he could survive in the ordinary world. Not that it would be much use to him, seeing in as how when in disguise, he would be a little boy who should be barely grasping at adding, writing sentences with more than 5 words, and how to sing the months in order. During that year, he also spent time doing C-ranked missions and slowly got to B-ranked mission and right before he joined an ANBU team, he got a solo A-ranked mission. He broke the previous record of youngest ninja to every complete a solo A-ranked mission by 3 years, he was seven.
He joined a five man ANBU team. There were two men, one woman, and one he just couldn't discern the gender of. He never saw their faces or learned their true names, but they were the closest friends he ever had. Even though ANBU was to show no emotion, the rest of the team got pretty attached to Naruto. But there always a time where he asked what gender the one he came to call as Cat, and then proceeded to get chased by the Cat-masked ANBU. And to Naruto, it was a purely innocent question, and for a fast learner, he never learned.
During his time on the ANBU team, he had taken part in 19 A-ranked, 13 S-ranked, and 7 SS-ranked missions. All successful. Naruto also broke another record, being the first to take part in S- and SS-ranked missions at his age.
Of course all good things had to come to end. When Naruto's team found out, they were devastated, losing their favorite little brat, who knew who to kill a man 2,319 different ways, with his bare hands.
Naruto was walking to his team's usual meeting place. He saw it empty, as usual. He walked up to the tree in the center of the training field, and then proceeded to walk up it.
Naruto got to the highest branch that could support him and crouched on it upside-down.
Then they started to appear, one flickering into view, leaning on the base of a tree, one flickering into view, already lying down on the grass (no one knows how he does it), the woman, stepping out of a tree (yes, she is literally stepping out of a tree), and the final one…
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Again," everyone else sighed simultaneously.
The dog-masked one leaning on the tree scooted over about two feet allowing the poor Cat-masked ANBU to crash face first into the tree at a 45 degree angle.
Every one waited until the poor soul stopped twitching whilst his or her face (No one on the team knows yet) was stuck in the tree.
"Hm, new record," Naruto stated disappearing in a swirl of leaves, and reappearing next to the twitching body that is his teammate.
"Who do you think set it?" asked his dog-masked teammate while going over to kick his bird-masked comrade awake.
"From the looks of the bite marks, I'd say it was Anko," said the only official female on his team and because of the blank mask except for eyeholes and mouth-line, made her the team medic.
"Bite marks? I don't see any snake bites." Naruto said very confused.
"Who said it was snake bites?" the eagle masked man said, still lying down.
"They're Anko's," the med-nin said.
"Ah, so he's a guy," Naruto said, looking at the still twitching form. "Ugh, what were they doing?!" Naruto asked coming upon his own conclusion.
"But when did Anko ever need a reason to bite and punch a person, male or female?" asked his dog-masked comrade rhetorically.
"True," Naruto stated simply after thinking about it, "Well, time for a wake-up call."
Naruto reared his foot back and swung it at the rear end of his twitching comrade. Unfortunately for his cat-masked comrade, the kick sent him/her through the tree. The response from everyone else was to lean in and look in the hole. Even the eagle-masked ANBU sat up to look at it.
"New record," was all Eagle could say.
"I think, uh, Cat's in a coma," Dog said.
"No, I think, uhh, Cat's okay," Tora (med-nin's codename) stated.
"You know what, I'm tired of wondering what, it's, gender is!" Tora exclaimed pointing at their semi unconscious teammate, "And I'm gonna find out once and for all!"
With that, Tora pulled down Cat's pants and proceeded to find out.
After a whole minute of staring, Tora seemingly calmly put the pants back. No one knew what her reaction was because of her mask. All she said was, " He's male," in what everyone around swore was a dazed and perverted voice. And Naruto thought he saw a drop of blood fall from under her mask.
But all that aside, everyone was back up, and though two in slightly dazed phase, one from pain, and one through pure perverseness, they were about to have their last meeting as an official team with their favorite gaki.
"So gaki," said Dog.
"So puppy-san," Naruto said mockingly but somehow in a caring tone.
"We'll all miss ya kid," Eagle said.
"OH, come here you!" Tora exclaimed wrapping her arms and unknowingly forced his face into her bosom, which was fortunate and unfortunate because the little pervert in him, and probably out of him was really enjoying the experience, but hating the fact the mask was in the way. So taking the advantage of the long hug, he obscurely pushed his mask off with Tora's "endowments" and enjoyed the feeling as long as he could. And he also obscurely put the mask back on as to not get pounded for the look of pure enjoyment that was plastered on his face.
"So kid, you gonna finally give up your stupid quest?" asked Cat, not knowing what had transpired during his unconsciousness.
"No need to. It's been accomplished."
"Really?" Cat asked, intrigued, "How?"
"She looked in your pants and told us." Naruto stated mater-of-factly pointing to Tora.
"What!?" Cat just gaped at his teammate, even though you can't see it.
"WHAT?! NO I DIDN'T. I DID NOT!!!"
"She did." Eagle and Dog said simultaneously.
And then it ensued. Tora trying to prove her innocence while Cat just stood there gaping at Tora in utter shock, even though you still couldn't see it.
As Dog and Eagle just started to get better seats for their new favorite comedy, Naruto began walking away.
"Bye guys, I'll see you around."
"See ya Gaki," said Dog.
"See ya kid," said Eagle.
"I'M INNOCENT I TELL YA, I'M INNOCENT!!!" (wonder who that could be)
"…."
Naruto just chuckled and flickered out of view.
PLEASE REVEIW