-Midnight. An office building in Konoha

Shadows covered the Ja-Pennies office complex; there were none around save a lone figure entering the tower. He cast suspicious glances about as he moved into the elevator, and reeled in his glances for a less suspicious cast.

"Come on, come on," the man grumbled as the elevator slowly made its way up to the sixth floor. He leaned over to the service window and peaked out. "Could ya hurry it up buddy?!" The small Asian man operating the pulley for the elevator nodded nervously and pulled with renewed vigor.

When he reached his office, the man wasted no time going to his office. His heavy coat swept the floor, something the dirty offices desperately needed. He pulled down the hood of his coat as he walked in his office and clicked on the lights.

"Hello, Kiba."

Kiba froze at the voice.

"The hokage doesn't mind if you're making money on the side…" another man was sitting in Kiba's office chair. He was dressed in the uniform and mask of the Anbu ninja assassin. Each Anbu had to make his own mask as the last step to initiation. This one was clearly a labor of love, not talent. The papier-mâché mask had been recently made, with a face painted similar to Tony the Tiger. It was still wet.

"She just wishes you weren't making it selling secrets."

The Anbu paused for dramatic effect, something he'd learned in Ninjary school. After waiting several long seconds, he got up and glared at Kiba.

"Well aren't you going-oh for Christ's sake, you can unfreeze now!"

The block of ice around Kiba cracked in half. As he shook off the last bits of the broken pun, he met the Anbu's gaze.

"So, this is it then? I see you're a new Anbu. You've already had your first kill then?"

"Yes," the Anbu lied, remembering vividly the Elmo doll he viciously eviscerated. Its laughter would no doubt give him nightmares for some time.

"But to be an Anbu," Kiba stated plainly, "it takes two…"

The assassin laughed behind his mask, "TO TANGO!"

"Ye-…wait, what?"

Before Kiba could react, the ninja clapped his hands and an up-tempo, deafening version of Por Una Cabeza began playing through the building's Muzak system. The Anbu assassin grabbed the confused traitor and pulled him into a tight – yet very proper – tango stance.

"Place your hand on my shoulder," the assassin instructed as he placed his own hand on Kiba's waist.

"Mm, I don't think this is how you assassinate peo-"

"Shut up and dance."

The pair twirled, sashayed, cha-cha'd, and did many other tango-y things. The ninja dipped Kiba low, and he took a moment to think how gentle his mysterious dance partner was. A spin followed, and he twirled in to the Anbu's embrace. He rolled out once more and they came together chest to chest, stepping in unison across the room.

"You, um, move gracefully," Kiba stammered.

"Thank you!" the would-be murderer said, "I practice a lot."

Kiba didn't have time to dwell on that as he felt himself dipped once more. The assassin turned and slid him between his legs and back up on his feet. Kiba could feel the Anbu's breath coming through his mask. It stank of ramen and acrylic.

"What paint did you use for your mask? I know some good places with competitive prices."

"I doubt you could beat what I paid for it. Got it from some Chinese guy in a mini-van, it's called Lead Dead Neverdry."

Kiba gagged slightly on the air in front of him. That voice….high and scratchy. It sounded so familiar. The assassin dipped him again, and Kiba felt one of his legs go up.

"Um, do we know each other?"

"It'd be pretty awkward to dance with a stranger, wouldn't it?" The ninja said in a giggle.

The music ended, and the two dancers separated. Ringing silence permeated the air for a long moment.

"So, uh…is that it then?" Kiba asked at last.

"Yep, all done," Replied the assassin. Somehow Kiba could hear his grin.

"So you're not going to kill me then?" Kiba said with a sigh of relief.

"Oh no!" the assassin said with a laugh, "I'm still going to kill you!"

"Uh huh, I…WHAT?"

He began walking towards Kiba, "I just never get a chance to practice my dance moves with different people. Sorry! You were really good though!"

Kiba frantically looked around for something to defend himself with. He opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out his small six-shooter and pointed it at the assassin. Again, he laughed.

"Don't be silly, we don't have guns!"

Kiba looked at the pistol in his hand again. Sure enough, it was a stapler. He moaned in despair; it was a frustrating world he lived in. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"NO!" Kiba shouted. The Anbu stepped back in surprise. "I am not about to be murdered by a complete stranger after he DANCED with me!" he declared, and promptly threw himself out the window.

"Huh….I wonder if that still counts as a kill," said Naruto Uzumaki, as he pulled off his Anbu mask and inspected the still drying paint job.

"Needs more orange," he murmured, and skipped out of the office.

Naruto Uzumaki in

Konoha Royale