Sarutobi sat in his office, staring at the report Jiraya had just handed him. This was, easily the worst news he had gotten in a while. He closed his eyes and took a drag on his pipe.
'' And you're positive that this information is accurate?''
'' One hundred percent.''
'' But you don't know who is going to lead the attack?''
Jiraya shook his head. '' Jimbei's informant was killed before he could get the name, but we're already ahead, we know it'll be during the Chuunin exams.''
Sarutobi sighed. '' Barely. We have no idea who our enemy is. Why was Jimbei's informant killed? The enemy doesn't know does he?''
Jiraya scratched his chin, '' Well, we don't know why he was killed, but we're pretty sure it wasn't for being suspected of being a spy, so the enemies plans shouldn't be changing.''
'' What we need,'' Sarutobi began, '' is someone to take the exams, someone who can survey and attempt to discover who our enemies are.'' Sarutobi sat up quickly and summoned his youngest ANBU captain. '' Thank you Jiraya, I'll summon you if I need anything, but for now I need you to go and try to find out any information you can.''
Jiraya nodded, and swiftly left. About a minuet later, an ANBU captain, gama, walked. He wore the normal garb of the black ops with a white mask that had faint green paint around the eyes and mouth. He looked like a seasoned shinobi, everything about him oozed professionalism. Everything, except, for his size. He was about the size of the average thirteen year old, and he was, in fact, only 12. He kneeled before his commander and bowed his head. '' Hokage-sama.'' He said tonelessly.
'' At ease gama-taicho.'' Sarutobi said. '' I have a special assignment for you.''
The young ANBU stood up and nodded. Sarutobi continued.
''We have received word of a possible attack during the chuunin exams. We don't know who our enemy is or how many strong their army may be. We need someone who can take the chuunin exams and relay information to us.''
'' You want me to be that informant yes?''
Sarutobi nodded.
Gama nodded. '' I will accept any mission given to me, Hokage-sama. When will it begin?''
'' Today.''
'' So soon?''
'' Yes, the new genin are graduating today, you are to report to the academy in about 2 hours. I'll inform the sensei of the class. You're first assignment is to get your team mates to chuunin level for the tests. You're team will be taking it weather their ready or not, however, I hope you understand that if they're ready, it'll make your job easier.''
'' Understood. What of my current team?''
'' You'll still be doing your ANBU missions up until 2 months before the exams, then you're fuke-taicho will take over temporarily.''
Gama bowed. '' I will do my best, Hokage-sama.''
As he was leaving, Sarutobi grabbed his shoulder. '' Naruto, make some friends will you? Some friends your age.''
Gama, or Naruto, turned around and removed his mask. He smiled at the elderly Hokage. '' You don't have to worry about me, old man, I'm perfectly happy as I am without friends my own age.'' He fastened his mask back over his mask and bowed, '' I'll get to visit you more often, ne?''
Sarutobi smiled as he watched Naruto leave. ' Good luck.' He thought to himself.
Naruto sighed as soon as he left. This was gonna suck, plain and simple. An attack on Konoha was possibly the worst thing that could happen, but pretending to be a genin was easily almost as bad. He shuddered as memories of D rank missions floated through his mind. Although he had only been a genin for three months before being promoted to chuunin at 7 years old, he remembered the terror of D ranks well.
' I don't have time for making friends, old man.' He thought to himself as he made his way to his apartment. ' I have other things to worry about.' he frowned as he thought of the implications of failure. The tide of the attack could sway either way depending on what he is able or unable to achieve during this mission.
He entered his apartment and fell on his bed, taking his mask off and throwing it across the room onto his desk. He rubbed his temples and groaned. He had a little less than an hour before he needed to start getting ready. He was reluctant to give up his ANBU garb, so he decided not to. He added a rusty orange tank top over the black jump suit. Since it was orange, he would look green enough to pass as a genin, but the burnt orange wouldn't stand out so much. Besides, he so loved the color. He nodded, happy with the result. He held his ANBU straight sword in his hands and sighed. That would stand out and he would have to leave it while not on ANBU missions. He sighed, he loved that damn sword.
30 minuets later he found himself on the way to his newest assignment. He summoned his fuke-taicho as he walked.
'' Taicho, uh, what are you wearing?''
Naruto scowled. '' I have to pose as a genin, what do you think usagi?''
Usagi snickered. '' Orange eh... well it's definitely a rookie mistake. Why does Hokage-sama want you to pretend to be a genin?''
'' I'll give you the details tonight when we meet for our mission.'' He pulled a scroll out of the supply pouch on his hip and handed it to his comrade. '' This is today's training schedule, you're in charge until I'm finished for today.''
'' Understood taicho.'' Usagi bowed slightly and disappeared. Naruto sighed once again, and quickly took to the roofs in order to make it to the academy on time.
He walked in the door and surveyed the students, more than slightly annoyed with the volume in the room. He sat down and tuned out the children surrounding him. ' How could that old man expect me to make friends with any of these people?'
A chuunin walked in the room and the noise went away. Naruto was ready to hug that man. The sensei looked up at the class and smiled. '' The hokage has decided that an already active genin will be added to one team, since there is an uneven number of graduates. You're all shinobi now, good luck on your journey, and always keep your guard up. This is a dangerous profession, but I believe you're ready for the first step, every one of you.''
He began calling out the names for the teams when he finished his speech. Naruto thought his speech was nice, but not truthful. Many, if not most, genin die before they even reach chuunin. If everyone of the genin who pass the second test were to live to chuunin, he would honestly be surprised.
'' And Uzumaki Naruto, please report to room 301.'' Naruto stood up to leave, getting looks from the rest of the class as he walked out.
After two hours of listening to some annoying girl whine about how late their sensei was, he was getting fairly annoyed. He looked at the mission scroll for what must have been the five hundreth time, cursing Kakashi for putting him through this and Sarutobi for assigning him the jounin with the worst sense of time in the village. The other boy on his team hadn't said a word, in fact he'd barely moved. Naruto was about to suggest a light spar when the jounin finally walked into the room. He surveyed the students and did a double take when he saw Naruto.
Naruto shook his head, using the ANBU hand signs to tell Kakashi not to say a word. The jounin understood and started to address them. '' My first impression of you... I hate you.'' He said dryly, '' Meet me on the roof in five minuets.'' Kakashi disappeared and the team walked to the roof.
'' Okay.'' Kakashi said, '' Lets start with some introductions shall we? You go first, pinky.''
'' Why don't you, so we know what to say.'' She responded.
'' Well, lets see, my name is Hatake Kakashi, my likes, well I have a lot of dislikes, my hobbies.. uhm I have dreams. You, with the pink hair.''
'' My name is Haruno Sakura, I like...'' She looked at Sasuke, '' I dislike Ino pig, my hobbies, well.... my dream is to..'' She squealed and looked at Sasuke again. Naruto groaned quietly. Kakashi pointed to him next,and he decided to have a little fun with it.
''I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like the great tree, and dislike those who are a danger to it. Interpret that as you will. My hobbies... I like to eat ramen and my dream, is to be the greatest hokage.''
Kakashi nodded and pointed to the last boy. '' I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I dont like anything and I dislike everything. I have no hobbies, and my dream, no my ambitionis to restore my clan and kill a certain someone. ''
Naruto did a double take. 'An Uchiha?! of coarse, he looks just like one. Must be Itachi's little brother.' The thought of the traitorous Uchiha brought a frown to his face, but he quickly shook it off.
'' Most genin teams have to take a second exam to determine weather or not they will become true genins. However, Hokage-sama told me that you all are to become genin without taking the secondary test, he told me I'd know why. I have yet to see that reason, so I expect you to be leaps and bounds above your peers when I test you to find out your true ability. Meet at training ground number seven tomorrow at seven. dismissed.''
Naruto jumped off the roof and waited in the ally, waiting for his 'sensei' to show up.
'' If you haven't figured out why we pass unconditionally by now, then I think I may have overestimated your intelligence, Kakashi-san.'' Naruto said as he leaned against the wall. Kakashi dropped down in front of him and leaned against the opposite wall.
'' I've figured it out, don't worry. What I want to know is why you're here.''
Naruto tossed the mission scroll to him. ''Hokage-sama wants all the bases covered. There should be a formal meeting held with the jounin and chuunin in the coming weeks.''
Kakashi nodded. '' We should find a more secure location to talk about this. lets go to my apartment.''
The two shunshinned to Naruto's apartment in order to throw off any would be persuers. Naruto activated a sound proofing jutsu and laid the mission scroll on the table.
'' From what ero-sennin was able to get from his informant, we know that konoha will be attacked during the chuunin exams, unfortnatly, we don't know the party or parties involved. These holes may be filled, they may not. Thats where I come in. The old man wants me to be his eyes and ears during the exams, to find and eliminate potential enemies and relay any information I might find. Unfortunately, this means that Sasuke and Sakura are going to be dragged into the exams, weather their ready or not. Our job, more your job, is to make sure they are ready for the exams, to reduce the danger for them and prevent them from becoming a hinderance.''
Kakashi nodded. '' What about you? You're still gama-taicho aren't you?''
'' I'll be doing missions at night, mostly one nighters until about two months before the exams. Then usagi will take over temporarily.''
Kakashi nodded. '' It'll be a pleasure working with you, enjoy your D ranks.'' he said coolly. Naruto scowled. '' Don't remind me.''
Kakashi stood up and left. '' Well I have a book to finish. I won't get to the training grounds until around 9 pretty much every day, so make sure to get enough rest after missions.''
Naruto nodded. '' Thanks for the concern. See you tomorrow.''
After his pseudo sensei left, Naruto took off the orange shirt and added his mask and straight sword back to his outfit, and left for Sarutobi's office to pick up his mission for that night. He appeared in front of Sarutobi, bowing. '' Hokage-sama, Gama-taicho, reporting for duty.''
'' At ease.''Sarutobi said. '' There is a disturbance in the communication between our western watch tower on the border of Iwa, we don't know if Iwa nins have attacked, but we need to. You and your team are to investigate, I want a report on the status of the watch tower by morning.''
'' Hai, Hokage-sama.'' Naruto stood up and disappeared. He appeared in ANBU HQ and summoned fuke-taicho.
'' Usagi, have you spoken to the Hokage about my newest mission?''
'' No sir, I wasn't able to have a private audience with him.''
'' Read this.'' He handed the scroll to him. '' I understand. How long will you continue missions for?''
'' Three months, at which time you will take over temporatily until the exams are over.''
'' Hai.''
'' You can explain anything you believe needs to be explained to the rest of the team during training tomorrow. Use the same schedule as today until I have time to make up a new one.''
Naruto then summoned the rest of the team. After explaining the teams current mission to them, they quickly left, leaping swiftly through the trees toward the Konoha/Iwa border.
It took a little under two hours to make it, but when they did, the sight was not what they expected. Of the hundred or so ninja station at the tower, close to fifty of them lay dead or dying, the other fifty working diligently to keep the dying alive. Naruto quickly found the jounin in charge.
'' What happened?''
'' I-I don't know. It all happened so fast. They appeared out of nowhere, and just started attacking.''
'' Who?''
'' They wore black cloaks, and bore no village insignia. They used rather generic jutsu of every element, so it's impossible to pinpoint which village by their jutsu. They had incredible power, the chuunin and low level jounin were no match. They took out about half our men then just stopped and retreated into the shadows. They left just about ten minuets ago.''
Naruto bit his lip. He hadn't felt anything. '' did they put up a barrier? No one in my team felt any chakra usage.''
The man shrugged. ''It's possible. I apologize ANBU-san, but I wasn't able get much information on them.''
A loud boom ended the conversation. Naruto and his team moved out, each moving to defend the tower and the surviving shinobi.
Naruto's opponent was a rather large man who used raiton jutsu. ' Perfect, my fuuton jutsu should make quick work of you.' He thought as he powered up a few of his favorite fuuton jutsu.
'' Fuuton: Diotoppa no jutsu!'' Naruto blew a few balls of wind at his opponent, knocking him into one of the surrounding trees. He raced forward at incredible speed and begain to pound him with his quick and powerful taijutsu, the iron fist style he learned from gai. '' Konoha senpuu!'' The man fell to the ground and Naruto quickly pushed a pressure point to knock him unconscious. The rest of his team seemed to holding their own so Naruto decided to search the man. He took off his hood and gasped.
These.. men, if you could call them that, were obviously the result of some kind of experimentation. Naruto scowled. '' Kill your opponents, and seal them into scrolls, intact if possible. We'll take him back alive and see what information we can get out of him.'' Naruto yelled to his team. A series of 'Hai' filled the air as his team moved in to kill each of their opponents.
After the clean up and storage, Naruto left Usagi and Inu at the tower and took the rest of the team back.
Sarutobi frowned when he heard the report. '' Take the prisoner to torture and interrogation and take the bodies to the research center. I'll call you back when we know more.''
'' Understood, Hokage-sama.''
'' Dismissed.''
Okay, so here's the first chapter, tell me what you like and what I can fix. thankx=] Ja ne.