Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... but I do own any original ideas that do appear in my stories!

I think I should stop putting too many lengthy author notes and just keep focused on my stories, I bet you all get sick of hearing my excuses of my lack of updates anyway. Short and simple, I need to get paid and writing fanfics does not get me paid. So I had to get a part-time job at a local restaurant and it has been keeping me busy.

Also major note here: My enlistment into the army has been confirmed, I will be entering on the thirteenth of June this year. That means I will be stuck in camp with no internet at all for an extended duration lasting up to a few months. After that I will be free to leave the camp on weekends though that is still far away, thus I will try to update as much content as possible within this few weeks.

This idea kind of suddenly popped into my head for no real reason... just had to get it out.


Prologue: Black Ops and Backstabs

Silence permeated the darkness of the night, the only source of illumination being the silvery glow of the moon hanging in the night sky. Its ethereal glow casting shadows onto the foliage covered ground of the forest below, the wind rustling through the leaves causing the shadows to dance in tandem. The silence was deafening, the silence was unnatural as the sounds of the forest inhabitants were not present as if they had all fled.

Several of the burly security guards shifted nervously from foot to foot, their eyes warily scanning the shadow-strewn darkness before them with their hands resting on the hilts of their katana. Their orders were simple, the prevention of any unauthorised entry into the small compound behind them. The compound was home to one of the major black market investors in a shady crime syndicate run by business tycoon Gato of Gato Shipping Corporations, which was just a cover-up for his real black market dealings.

"So... anyone else regrets signing up for this bodyguard job? Cause I sure as hell am..." A tall bald man with tanned skin asked as he glanced at his fellow guards.

"I wouldn't even be here if not for the ludicrous amount of pay that was offered..." A broad-shouldered thug-like man replied as he hefted his double-sided axe onto his shoulder.

"Shh... did you guys just see that?" A lean effeminate man with long black hair whispered as he squinted into the shadows of the forest surrounding the compound.

"See what?"

"I thought I saw something move in the trees over there..." The effeminate man pulled out a pair of kunai as he crept slowly over to his destination.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." The bald man said as he fingered his katana, sheathing and unsheathing it in a nervous habit.

"You always have a bad feeling about something..." The thuggish man growled as he scanned the area with extra caution.

Upon reaching the trees, the effeminate guard cautiously peeked around each trunk and sighed in relief at finding nothing but shadows and leaves. He slipped his kunai back into his thigh pouches as he turned around and waved to his fellow guards to relax.

"Must be the lack of sleep, my eyes are starting to play tricks on me..." The man muttered to himself.

"See I told you there was nothing to worry-"

The thug man was interrupted midway as they witnessed the effeminate-looking man lose his head as blood sprayed out from the stump of his neck, the head landing in front of them with eyes wide open in shock. Several seconds of silence followed before shouts and screams could be heard from the remaining guards as they all drew their weapons.

"What the fuck?!" The thug shouted as he grasped his axe in his hands, eyes darting around in an attempt to spot their unseen enemy.

Several flickers of movement in the shadows to their right immediately garnered their attention as the group advanced as one with weapons at the ready, this left their left flank completely unguarded and they paid for it dearly. A cloaked figure dropped down into the clearing behind them, moonlight glinting of the pair of wakizashi in his hands as well as the porcelain mask over his face. His arrival was soundless and his assault swift and deadly, all but one of the guards lay dead at his feet before the last one even noticed.

"What... how... who the fuck are you?!" The bald man stuttered in shock as he dropped his katana and backed away rapidly, only to bump against something.

Turning his head around slowly with a gulp, he came face to face with another white-porcelain mask with a demented grinning expression pictured on it.

"Your death..."

And the man was dead before he even hit the ground due to a quick snap of the neck, his death signifying the last of the exterior guards as two other cloaked figures dropped down into the clearing. Now that they were out of the darkness and shadows, the moonlight fell freely upon the figures and illuminated their appearance. All four wore the same black, dark grey and grey camouflage-patterned cloaks. The wind blew open their cloaks to reveal similar black bodysuits covered with matte-grey armour over their chest, forearms and shins.

The four of them lowered their hoods but left their masks on, revealing many different hair styles and colours. The dual-wakizashi wielding member turned out to be a female with long dark purple hair tied into a simple ponytail, her white porcelain-mask bore the likeliness of a rabbit.

The second member that had snapped the neck of the last guard had black spiky hair that swept backwards; his white porcelain-mask had the resemblance of a grinning demon. The man seemed to not be armed in any form other than his weapon pouches and a standard issue tanto.

The third member had a mane of dull-blonde hair and a clearly male muscle build, his white porcelain-mask was designed in the image of a lion which matched his hair. He was also unarmed except for his weapon pouches and the standard ANBU-issued tanto.

The fourth and final member had spiky blood-red hair with bangs that fell over his mask slightly; the porcelain mask itself was designed in the likeliness of a fox and was a dark grey in colour with red markings. A katana could be seen strapped to his waist on the inside of his cloak; he also exuded a confidence and charismatic aura that easily defined him as a leader.

"The guard detail was pathetic..." The lion-masked figure scoffed as he kicked at a corpse.

"The head honcho must not like spending the big bucks to hire at least some decent guards... probably using the money to get himself laid or something gahaha!" The demon-masked man laughed at his own statement, getting a slap on the back of the head by his superior.

"Keep your voice down Akuma (Demon); remember to stick to codenames since we don't know if anyone is eavesdropping on our conversations."

"Hai Kitsune-taicho..." Akuma replied with a sigh.

"Shishi (Lion), pilfer those corpses. Hopefully one of them has the key to the compound; I'd prefer not forcing our way in if it can be helped..." Kitsune muttered under his breath but loud enough for them to pick up. "Usagi (Rabbit), create two Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clones) and scout the area around the compound before dispelling them. I know we have the basic floor plan of the compound and the area but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Hai taicho!" Usagi saluted him before forming a cross-shaped handseal with her fingers, creating two solid doppelgangers of herself that dashed off to either side of the compound.

The fox-masked captain turned his head slightly to address his remaining squad-mate, "Akuma, you're in charge of setting up our escape route. I will leave it to you to secure an emergency escape route if our plan happens to be compromised."

"Aye sir!" Akuma gave him a lazy salute.

"Taicho, I managed to find this set of keys on one of the guards!" Shishi reported as he tossed the ring of keys over to the redhead.

"Good job, from now on we will revert back to silent protocols. Use the radio only when it is an absolute emergency, otherwise communicate with hand signals." Kitsune told his squad before motioning for Akuma to stay back whilst the rest of the squad advanced into the compound.

The inside of the mansion was typical of a rich businessman, full of excessive grandeur and splendour. Expensive paintings hung from the walls, antique vases and various other collector items sat upon marble pedestals. The entire floor was carpeted with thick red furry carpeting, which had a similar advantage and disadvantage. It rendered all footsteps completely silent, meaning that while their own footsteps could not be heard, the same could be said of any guards within the building.

Fortunately, Shishi was an adept chakra sensor that could sense any chakra source within a hundred metres. So unless there was a person capable of high levels of chakra suppression, the ANBU squad would always have the element of surprise. With the lion-masked member in the lead, the trio stealthily swept through the mansion whilst eliminating any guards they came across.

Finally approaching a pair of large wooden doors, Shishi signed that their target was on the other-side of the door with four other hostiles. Kitsune gave a curt nod of acknowledgement before pressing a palm against the door, noting that it was locked and how heavy and thick it was in addition. Slipping a hand into his supply pouch, he pulled out a simple slip of paper before slapping it against the wooden surface of the doors.

With a series of rapid signs, he conveyed his orders to both his subordinates and they both gave him a sign of understanding. Holding three fingers up into the air as they braced themselves against the side of the door, he slowly lowered each finger as they waited for the silent countdown.

3.

2.

1.

The explosive tag detonated with a resounding boom, cleanly blowing the large doors apart into splinters. Without wasting a single moment, two sphere-like objects were tossed straight into the room and immediately started belching out thick grey smoke into the air. The squad of elite ANBU stormed into the room using the smokescreen as cover, Shishi unloading a volley of kunai at the locations where he had sensed the chakra signatures.

Kitsune had leapt straight for the bed with his hand already on the hilt of his katana, unsheathing it in mid-air, he plunged it straight down onto the sleeping form wrapped up in the blankets. While he was prepared for the slight resistance as the blade slid through the muscles, he was definitely not prepared for the feminine gasp of pain that escaped from under the covers. Due to his shock, he instantly withdrew his katana which pulled the blankets off together with it.

He had seen many unpleasant things in his career as a shinobi, some things so vile that it would make any sane person throw up whatever meals they had eaten beforehand. The sight before him could be listed as another of those, for lying on the bed was a teen girl that was bound at the wrists and ankles with a gag over her mouth. Her body was bared for all to see, which included the multiple bruises and lacerations along her form. Not to mention the white stain marks all over her body.

Right in-between her budding breasts was the new stab wound from his katana, blood flowing out at a steady pace as her chest heaved and jerked with her dying breaths. However the gruesome sight did not cause the experienced ANBU captain to falter in the slightest as his mind raced through the various possibilities pertaining to the situation, his eyes slowly widening behind his mask as he pressed his fingers together in a single handseal.

'Futon: Seiten (Wind Release: Clear Skies)!'

A fierce wall of wind chakra pulsed out from his body, clearing the air of the smog generated from the two smoke bombs. Kitsune immediately noted that the other chakra signatures in the room were various women in the same predicament as the one he had stabbed, all of them with a kunai lodged in a vital area. He noted how Shishi faltered for a moment before slipping back into his blank persona, there would be time for mourning and regrets later. His mind generated only one possible scenario.

"Disengage! It's a trap! Fall back to the rendezvous point! Akuma, we need that back door now!" Kitsune barked over the radio as the trio dashed over to the nearest window.

Just as they reached the window, a subtle genjutsu dissipated to reveal the glass panel coated with mining-grade explosive tags all primed and counting down. Without even reacting, Shishi jumped in front of both of his squad members and knocked them aside just as the tags went off. The captain only being able to watch in horror as one of his closest friends was vaporised by the roaring explosion of flames before the shockwave knocked him into the wall as the ceiling collapsed around him.

"Nii-chan... I'm scared..." A shivering red-haired girl whimpered atop the shoulders of a young red-haired boy.

"Don't worry... Onii-chan will always be... here to protect you." He grunted out in reply with a smile as they trudged through the rain.

"... Meeting Baa-chan?"

"Yeah... we're going to meet Mito-baa-chan... have to tell her about Uzushiogakure..."

"We can't go home?"

"...we'll be staying with Baa-chan from now on."

"What about Kaa-chan and Tou-san?" The red-haired girl asked quietly.

"They... will be going somewhere far away."

"Why aren't they coming with us... do they hate us?"

"No, they love us more than anything but... they are tired and have to rest for a long time. Don't worry; we'll see them again eventually." The red-haired boy replied in as cheerful a tone as he could muster.

"...I love you Naruto-nii."

"Love ya too Kushi-chan..."

The image of the two red-haired siblings smiling faded out as it was replaced by an impressive cliff face with three large stone heads carved onto it, the setting sun casting a warm orange glow over the monument. Sitting atop the third stone head were two figures, one a red-haired male teenager and the other a purple-haired female teenager.

"I wish we could have more moments like this... just sitting around without a care..." The purple-haired female whispered as she leaned her head onto her companions' shoulder.

"The life we live as shinobi is not meant to be carefree... we knew that the moment we signed on for the program. Even more so when we accepted the invitation into the elite Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (Special Assassination and Tactical Squad)..." The red-haired male replied with a sigh as he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer.

"Speaking of which, didn't our squad receive another mission to take out one of Gatou's black market investors?"

A palm to the face was his eloquent response as he groaned, "Don't remind me, I don't even see why they need an ANBU Black Ops team for a simple mission like this..."

"Well the client asked for the best and had the cash to back it up..."

"I swear I will throttle Hiruzen-jiji for interrupting out time together like this..." He sighed in frustration, only to get a playful punch to the shoulder from his companion.

"No insulting the Hokage. Plus in times of peace like this, ANBU squads like ours hardly get to see any real action. So be glad that we're getting paid for something simple like this."

"I guess you're right..."

"Aren't I always?"

The male snorted in amusement at that before their heads slowly leaned together, lips meeting each other just as the sun set on the horizon.

The pale illuminating glow of the moon was the first thing that greeted him upon his awakening, quickly followed by the sharp pangs of pain that travelled throughout his body. Attempting to move his limbs, he cursed upon discovering that they were bound together expertly using high-grade ninja wire. Deducing that his mask had been removed by the feel of the cool night breeze on his face, he looked around to find himself back in the forest.

"Look who has come around, you alright there chuckles?" A familiar voice asked with a snicker.

"Akuma! What's the meaning of this?!" The redhead shouted at the unmasked visage of his spiky black-haired squad member.

"Oh no need to be so formal with those stuffy nicknames, we're all friends here right? Naruto-taicho?"

"Uchiha Toraka, you have ten seconds to get over here and untie me..." Naruto growled warningly as he started to channel his chakra, feeling the numbness in his muscles starting to dissipate.

"Ah ah ah, I don't think you would want to do that... especially not when I have her." Toraka taunted as he stepped aside to reveal the bound up form of the unmasked Usagi.

All the built up chakra instantly vanished upon noticing the blades positioned at her throat, the owner of said blades being a couple of blank-masked ANBU members. The redhead recognised them based on their appearances instantly; they were ANBU under the Root program.

"Danzo..." Naruto hissed as his field of vision made out several more Root shinobi in the forest, bringing the total count to almost twenty excluding the Uchiha in front of him.

"Oh yes, you see... you were becoming too strong. Too powerful with being the Jinchuuriki of the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko after all, yet for all your strength... you have yet to show a single shred of loyalty to Konoha. And you see... Danzo does not like that. Not one bit, you are too much of a loose cannon he says." Toraka mocked the bandaged elder's voice.

"Konohagakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Leaves) was an ally of Uzushiogakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Swirling Tides) but they abandoned us during the Second Great Ninja War, leaving the village and the Uzumaki clan to fend for themselves. Hard to give your loyalty to a village like that wouldn't you say?" Naruto snapped back sarcastically.

"Danzo doesn't care about your reasons, only that you aren't the village. And frankly speaking... I don't care about either of those! I just want you to suffer... to see you bleeding out on the ground before me!" Toraka cackled in glee as he slapped the redhead's face playfully a few times. "I was in ANBU long before you came along, some no name vagabond with his stupid little sister. Yet you rose through the ranks faster than I did, entered ANBU at an earlier age than I did and the next thing I knew... I was taking orders from you..."

"..." Naruto could only stare in disbelief at the seemingly insane shinobi in front of him.

"Could you believe it? Some no name upstart managed to surpass me?! An Uchiha? I hated every moment that I was in your squad, every order you gave me was like a step on my pride as an Uchiha! You got the rank, the fame and the girl that I wanted!" He shouted with a hand flung wide in the direction of the tied up female, who had just regained consciousness. "Oh look who decided to join us!"

"Leave Misa out of this!"

"Uzuki Misa... why did you never look at me the way I wanted you to?" Toraka whispered as he cupped her cheek gently before pulling back and slapping her across the face. "Instead you chose that... that piece of trash over me! ME, A PUREBLOOD UCHIHA!?"

"That's exactly one of the reasons! You are so full of yourself just because you are an Uchiha, thinking that the whole world revolves around you! For all the bluster about the Sharingan, you can't even see the truth when it is laid bare right in front of you... you aren't even half the man that my Naruto is!" Misa spat at him with a glare.

"Shut up! That boy could never hope to even hold a candle to me, a pure-blooded Uchiha descended from Madara-sama's family tree! In fact... maybe I should prove to you right now how much of a man I am." He licked his lips with lust in his eyes as he ran a hand along her cheek down to her neck.

Naruto ground his teeth together as he watched the Uchiha grope the bound female, his anger rising as he saw the tears flowing down his lover's face. Fortunately, the scene came to an end when a pair of Root shinobi appeared by Toraka's side with their arms placed on his shoulders.

"Danzo-sama gave us strict orders that only Uzumaki Naruto be terminated, any further threats or harm are not to befall your teammates. The loss of the Yamanaka sensor was unfortunate as it is; we hope that you would not attempt to weaken Konohagakure any further... Danzo-sama would be most displeased." The blank-masked man spoke in a monotone voice causing the Uchiha to sneer at him before shrugging their hands off.

"Bah fucking joy-killers... well I can always have my fun with her when we're back in the village! You on the other hand, you're going to die right here!"

"What's stopping me from pounding your face in now that I know that you aren't allowed to harm Misa?"

"Oh you got that right, I'm not allowed to harm her but... if you even as so twitch in the wrong direction. Swish! There goes Misa-chan's head!" He mimicked a swinging motion with his hands.

"..." The redhead could only seethe at Danzo with his cunning and ruthless ways; he obviously wanted the Uzuki clan's secret kenjutsu techniques by inducting Misa into his Root program.

"I was ordered to kill you but I still want to make you suffer for all the humiliation you put me through, I can't really do any lasting damage since Kyuubi would just heal all your wounds... and since I was never a stickler for rules in the first place. The only thing I could figure out that would really cause you to suffer... was this!" Toraka screamed in rage as he spun around whilst unsheathing his tanto and thrusting it out, aiming it directly at the wide-eyed Misa.

"Katon: Danro no Yari (Fire Release: Roaring Fire Spear)!"

Naruto could only watch on in horror as flames flickered to life along the blade before shooting forward in a lance-like movement, forming a spear of roaring flames. He watched as the spear pierced right through the heart of his beloved, watched as the light left her eyes, watched as her lips struggled to whisper her last words to him.

"Naruto... love... you..."

"Misa..."

"Hahaha! How does that feel! How does it feel to have what you loved, what you wanted, be ripped away from your grasp! Do you know how I feel now?!" Toraka cackled madly as the Root shinobi hesitated, unsure of what actions to take following that event.

"Orders taicho?" The Root shinobi turned towards their designated squad captain.

"We proceed according to Danzo-sama's will; eliminate the Jinchuuriki before he has a chance to recover!"

Without so much as a second of hesitation, seven Root agents appeared in whirlwinds of leaves around the shocked Jinchuuriki with their tantos poised to strike. On a silent command, their weapons thrust forward and impaled the redhead in seven different fatal locations. He did not even bat an eye.

Toraka dropped into a crouch so he was face to face with his self-proclaimed nemesis, "How does it feel taicho? To have everything you loved ripped away in an instant? Want to know something even better?"

"..." Naruto seemingly ignored the insane ramblings as his eyes were fixated on the fallen form of his beloved, it did not deter the Uchiha in the slightest though.

The man leaned forward until his breath was tickling his ex-captain's ear, "Danzo did not act alone, no he didn't... you see... this entire thing was condoned, of course not officially. That would stain Konoha's golden image and we can't have that can we, so it has been classified as an S-ranked secret... and you know who is the only one who can do that... that's right..."

The red-haired male coughed out blood as he painfully swivelled his head to the side, dulled eyes slowly regaining life as his mind begin processing the words whispered into his ear. Toraka chuckled darkly as he licked his lips; the next words were soft but impacted the hardest.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, the man you affectionately called 'Jii-san', condoned this entire operation..."

Naruto dropped his head forward as this revelation hit him, his trademark Uzumaki red bangs casting a shadow over his face and hiding his expression from the world. However they did nothing to hide the droplets of water that splashed onto the soil below, tears of grief, disbelief and anger. Toraka basked in the broken form of his most hated rival, relishing in the pain and anguish that he had caused him.

'I knew Konoha was untrustworthy... but Jii-san too...'

'Crush them, show no mercy...'

'Kushina... she's still trapped in there... she doesn't know...'

'Save her, get to her before their lies and treachery poisons her mind...'

'I have to save her... she's the only one I have left.'

'That's right... give into the hatred... tap into my power!'

Toraka and the Root shinobi tensed when they felt a wave of pure malevolence burst forth from the bleeding redhead, a blanket of pure terror and dread settled over the area. Even the emotionally stunted Root shinobi shivered from the feeling, their first real grasp of what fear felt like. The seven Root closest to him stumbled back when their blades were violently ejected from his body, tendrils of crimson energy leaking from the wounds and mixing together with his blood.

"Quick stop him before-!"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"

"Time to go..." Toraka gulped as he hightailed it away in the direction of Konohagakure.

A cloak of opaque blood-red chakra formed over the Uzumaki captain as his skin boiled off due to the corrosive chakra, a maelstrom of crimson chakra swirling around him and batting his opponents with gale force winds. He dropped down onto all fours as the Kyuubi's chakra formed into four swishing tails behind him, his face having transformed into two blazing white almond-shaped eyes and a gaping maw.

The Root shinobi had already reacquired their fallen weapons and made a desperate charge to take down the enraged Jinchuuriki before he could regain his bearings. Unfortunately for them, he was already fully aware of his surroundings thus resulting in four of the seven Root members getting impaled through the chest by his tails. The remaining three put on a burst of speed to appear within his guard, only to blown back by a wall of air pressure that emanated from the beast's roar. Withdrawing his tails, the beast went on the offensive.

Blood flew through the air and stained the forest floor as the crimson visage of rage tore through the Root shinobi like a wind-enhanced kunai through butter. Kunai and shuriken were easily batted away by the tails, trying to get in close to attack with swords was a suicidal idea and jutsus just seemed to enrage the beast further.

"All of you hold it off, you two come with me. Collaboration jutsu number three!" The squad leader announced as two other Root members joined him in the trees and began performing handseals.

"Katon: Karyuu Endan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bomb)!" The leader blew out a massive flaming dragon head at the pre-occupied Jinchuuriki.

"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Running Fire technique)!" The second member blew out a steady stream of fire into the first jutsu, increasing its size and potency.

"Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" The third shinobi puffed up his cheeks and unleashed a large blast of air into the dragon head, further fanning the flames and increasing the speed as it barrelled towards its intended target.

Naruto grabbed a retreating Root ANBU by the head and smashed his face into the ground before lifting him up and plunging his other hand into his chest and ripping out his still beating heart. A loud roaring noise garnered his attention as he turned around to see the massive collaboration technique coming straight at him, the beast merely stood its ground as the jutsu detonated against him and bathed the area in a roaring sea of flames.

"All on guard, it would take more than that to take down a Jinchuuriki." The squad leader ordered as the remaining members of his team regrouped by his side, a total of nine members remaining.

He was proven right when a powerful roar split the sea of flames apart, revealing the skeletal armour that had formed around the beast as well as two newly grown tails. Naruto cracked open his maw as crimson energy started building up inside it, prompting the Root members to start diving for cover. Not a second later did a volley of crimson chakra bullets, each the size of a human head, peppered the area where they had been standing.

Naruto roared in fury as he charged forward and leapt into the air, crimson energy building up around his form as he started curling his body up and plummeted back to the forest. His descending spinning form wreathed in the corrosive chakra of the Kyuubi slammed into the ground causing a quake as the chakra was released in a wave of crimson death. Uprooting trees and scorching the hidden Root members, the forest suddenly had a new shinobi-made clearing.

Bones creaked as the creature stalked across the battlefield, past the scorched and deformed bodies of the deceased Root shinobi. The bone and chakra-clad form stopped before the fallen corpse of Uzuki Misa, tears of blood flowing from the blazing-white almond-shaped eyes. Once again the gaping maw cracked open again, only this time there was no build-up of energy nor did a roar of fury emerge.

The only thing that emanated from the creature was a keening wail of sadness and anguish. Easily digging up the soil in the ground with his tails, he used the skeletal portion of his body to nudge the corpse into the hole before filling it back up again. Pressing his face up against the cold soil one last time, he looked up into the night sky before dashing off in the direction of Konoha.

He had traitors to kill and a sister to save.

Within Konohagakure no Sato, Hokage's office

Sarutobi Hiruzen was enjoying a nice break after finishing the last of his paperwork for the night when the door to his office burst open to reveal a panting ANBU member he recognised as Uchiha Toraka. Worry instantly filled his being when he noticed that he had returned alone without his team.

"Akuma, report!"

"Hokage-sama! Kitsune-taicho lost control of the Kyuubi during the mission... he destroyed the entire mansion and killed all the guards! Then... then he proceeded to kill Shishi and even... Usagi. I managed to escape when he was busy fighting off a bunch of unknown shinobi that had appeared, you must prepare the village! He must be after revenge under the Kyuubi no Yoko's influence!"

"Naruto... thank you for informing me Akuma. I will rally all available shinobi and alert them that a possible containment failure might occur, luckily all three Sannin are within the village..." Hiruzen sighed as he tossed off his Hokage robes to reveal his black shinobi outfit underneath. "Inform your fellow ANBU colleagues about the imminent threat to the village, dismissed!"

Toraka smirked under his mask as he vanished from the office, leaving the Sandaime to collect his thoughts. Placing his hand under his desk, he channelled a miniscule amount of chakra into a hidden seal that immediately triggered an entire network of warning seals placed throughout the village. Situated along every street and upon every major landmark, the village-wide Fuuinjutsu Warning System illuminated in a bright crimson colour signifying the immanent approaching threat to the village. Every available shinobi stationed within the walls of Konoha instantly tensed before vanishing in their respective Shunshin (Body Flicker) techniques, all heading towards one location as specified within the Shinobi Handbook.

Standing clearly atop the giant wooden gates of Konohagakure no Sato, Sarutobi Hiruzen swept a hand through his short-cropped brown hair as he looked towards an approaching storm of crimson energy. At his sides stood his famous students, the Densetsu no Sannin (Legendary Three Ninjas). Jiraiya, holder of the Toad contract and Fuuinjutsu master. Senju Tsunade, the heir of the Senju clan, world-renowned Medical-nin and holder of the Slug contract. Orochimaru, prodigy of his generation and holder of the Snake contract.

"Sensei... did Naruto really lose control of the Kyuubi?" Tsunade asked as she crossed her arms over her impressive bust.

"Yeah, the kid is a shinobi on the same calibre as us... plus he doesn't seem like the type who would suddenly snap for no reason..." Jiraiya mused as he discreetly cast glances at his blonde teammate's bust.

"I concur with my team's observation sensei. The facts do not seem to add up, there are definitely unknown circumstances that we are most likely not aware off." Orochimaru offered his own input with narrowed eyes.

"I may be getting older but I'm not that old yet!" Hiruzen joked lightly before a serious façade settled over his face. "I am not known as the Professor for nothing. I am aware that Naruto would not lose control of the Kyuubi, he has been a perfect Jinchuuriki along with a perfect track record of controlling the Kyuubi with his family's Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit)."

"Then what do you suggest we do sensei?" Tsunade asked.

"Regardless of the reason, our immediate concern is to subdue Naruto before he can cause any harm to the village and the villagers. He will be extremely aggressive due to the Kyuubi's chakra, though that does not diminish his threat level as he has been shown to posses his strategic thinking even whilst in his Jinchuuriki form." The Sandaime said before he turned to address the mass of shinobi that had gathered below the gates. "Attention Konoha shinobi! Our Jinchuuriki is currently on a rampage towards our village due to an unknown cause, I want those with Doton (Earth Release) ninjutsu to step forward. Yamanaka Inoichi, please link my mind to my three students as well as those shinobi that have stepped forward."

Several seconds later, the enraged form of one Uzumaki Naruto in his six-tailed form dashed towards the gates. Hiruzen immediately begin a set of handseals that were followed by the shinobi gathered at the entrance.

"Doton: Doryū Taiga (Earth Release: Earth Flow River)!"

The entire stretch of ground between Naruto and the gates of Konoha instantly turned into a thick river of mud that slowed his movement speed as his limbs struggled to move through the dense mud. Giving a loud roar of frustration, Naruto took a deep breath as he saturated the air within his lungs with the Kyuubi's chakra. The air was then released in a forceful roar that blew away a large section of the mud river, thus freeing his limbs.

'Tsunade now!'

"Tsūtenkyaku (Heaven Kick of Pain)!"

A sandal-clad foot slammed directly onto Naruto's exoskeleton back, driving his entire frame straight to the ground and decimating the ground around them into a crater. Tsunade back flipped away from the crater as Hiruzen gave another mental command to his remaining two students, sending Orochimaru in with several mud clones. The Snake Sannin sent his clones in to engage the disorientated Jinchuuriki in a taijutsu fight as he leapt into the air and performed several handseals in quick succession.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)!"

A barrage of about a dozen head-sized fireballs peppered the area where his clones were engaging the target, their explosions lighting up the area and kicking up a cloud of dust. A cloud of dust that obscured Naruto's vision as the final mental command was given for Jiraiya to engage. Before he could regain his bearings, the bulky form of the resident Fuuinjutsu master of Konoha appeared within his guard.

"Gogyō Fūin (Five Elements Seal)!"

Jiraiya thrust his hand, complete with purple flames glowing on his fingertips, onto the sealing matrix of Naruto's Jinchuuriki seal. Effectively disrupting the chakra flow between him and the Kyuubi, which had the side effect of the remaining corrosive chakra detonating in a flash of crimson that sent both parties hurtling across the clearing. Tsunade immediately rushed to tend to Jiraiya, who had some serious chakra burns, as Orochimaru led a team of ANBU to secure the knocked out Uzumaki.

"That went fairly well." Inoichi panted out as he released the mind-meld jutsu, it was rather chakra intensive as well as mind-taxing to bind that many people together even for a short duration.

"I agree. We were lucky that Naruto was so enraged by whatever had caused him to snap that he charged straight in with a single thought process. Otherwise this fight would have been much harder... along with the fact that he was fighting all three of my students at once." Hiruzen replied as he gazed sadly upon the bound unconscious form of the blond-haired teen.

"Would you like me to walk Uzumaki-san's mind as to ascertain the reason for his rampage?" Inoichi offered despite his weakened state.

"We are no sure what this prolonged exposure to the Kyuubi has done to the sealing matrix, as such it is too dangerous to attempt such a thing as the Kyuubi may be freely roaming his mindscape." The Sandaime sighed tiredly as he looked at the ponytailed man beside him. "Help me arrange an immediate council meeting, the civilians will want to know what happened as well as Naruto's fate."

Unknown to everyone, one Uchiha Toraka was part of the ANBU group escorting the unconscious Uzumaki towards his holding cell. And under the grinning visage of his demonic mask, was an equally large insane grin etched upon the man's features.


Well that marks the end of my first chapter of ANBU Ghost Squad: Betrayal. Thought I'd try something new with the whole shiftier side of shinobi life, the masked operatives that worked in the dark for the betterment of their village. Naruto is Kushina's older brother in this fanfic, I will have a detailed timeline settled by next chapter update so for now this is the rough estimate.

The Third Great Ninja War has yet to begin, though tensions are already rather high between the hidden villages. Minato and Kushina are already shinobi, Sakumo is still alive and Kakashi should have just entered the academy. Further elaboration on the whereabouts of Sakumo, Minato and Kushina during Naruto's rampage will be given next chapter.

Ja ne!