Hello readers! I know that it had been awhile since I worked on Gleam of Silver and I wish to apologize. I lost motivation to write it, decided to rewrite the whole thing from scratch, and then waited a little bit to post it. I promise however that this story is completely different from the last one and maybe better. The first chapter is similar to first story's chapter, but please read it to the end. Once you get past that part it's a new story. As always, enjoy the read.

Note: The picture used for the cover is created by ezalen on DeviantArt.

Chapter One

Birdsong and the rustling of leaves echoed throughout the forest of Konohagakure; the massive forest that stood guard outside the city's tall walls. Just inside the gate, two shinobi sat in boredom. One of whom was reading an Icha Icha book whilst the other polished his weapons. Pausing upon hearing the sound of someone singing, both guards leaned out of the guardhouse They stare down the road to be met with an interesting sight.

Singing aloud, two people sat on a wagon pulled along by a large Clydesdale bay. The young teen on the cart seemed to be a bit miffed. Her mint green hair alone could draw temporary attention, but it was the hairclip, the exact shade of orange as her eyes that kept it. Her caramel-colored skin offered a sharp contrast to the white short-sleeve shirt and pants that she wore.

Sitting next to her was the most strangely dressed man either shinobi had ever seen. His pale skin hid under a dark red suit, its tails resting underneath his butt. His pant legs covered the top of shiny black shoes, while a red top hat crowned his head of dusty white hair and a monocle sat over his silver right eye.

The shinobi exited the guardhouse and blocked the wagon's way, though once it was in front of them, they realized the wagon itself was an oddity. Constructed of weathered wood, it had seen many years. Evident from the fact that even the bolts holding the wheels in place were rusted. Yet, there appeared to be no visible entrance into it. It was just a great big box on a set of wheels.

Taking his hat off, the driver bowed to the pair of shinobi. "Good afternoon gents. Do you need anything?"

"Just to check who you are," said one of the shinobi.

"Ah, I am but a humble merchant who wishes to sell his goods here…" The merchant reached over and patted the vedette on the head. "…And this girl here is my daughter."

"Father," grumbled the girl, "I told you I'm not a dog."

Wrapping an arm around her, the merchant yanked her into a hug. "But you're so lovable! I'm surprised a passing kami hasn't snatched you up yet."

"Excuse me, sir," said the other shinobi, "but do you have a passport?"

Letting his daughter go, the merchant waved a hand. "Yes, yes. Give me a moment." He took his hat off and reached inside of it. Yanking out a pair of books, the merchant tossed them to the shinobi duo. "There you go."

Catching the two passports, the Shinobi opened them and frowned, glancing between father and daughter. "…Silver Dollar the Third and Fu Dollar…?"

"That's us." The girl named Fu jabbed a finger at her chest.

"Where the hell is the Confederacy? This can't be real." The words had just left his mouth before a loud whack sounded. The shinobi, now rubbing the back of his head, stared at the merchant.

Cane gripped firmly in hand, Silver waved it over his head as he shook his fist. "You dare insult my home country? Granted, it is hundreds of miles away from here, but it is real all the same!"

"Sir, put your cane away before I haul you to jail. Assaulting a loyal shinobi is a criminal offense in this village."

Huffing, the merchant placed his cane onto his back. "Sorry, my good man." He offered a grin. "The past few days have been rough for me. You see, my little girl and I have been attacked by rogue men and forced into a rather uncomfortable position."

"That and my dad is a bit of a nut case." Shrugging at her father's glare, Fu flopped onto her back. "It's true."

"Well." The shinobi handed the passports over. "Everything seems in order." Silver took the passports and placed them back in his head. "Interesting jutsu you got there."

"My family taught it to me."

"And your daughter?"

"Neither of us are shinobi. We just know a couple jutsu to keep us safe." Leaning over, Silver patted his horse on the back. "Isn't that right, Rubric?" Chewing on the grass, Rubric snorted. "You're quite right; we must get going. Need anything else gentlemen?"

"What are you selling?"

"Exotic items and merchandise… luxury mostly."

"Behave yourself and there will be no problem." Bowing to the Shinobi, the merchant got Rubric moving again.

Sensing no more shinobi about, the vedette snorted. "Really Father; did you have to hit the guy?"

"He was accusing us of being liars." Looking about, the merchant grinned at the multi-story tall buildings as a steady flow of people explored them. "I've never told a lie…" That got a snort. "…I never will."

"Keep telling yourself that." Sitting up, Fu rested her chin on one of her hands. "So, when do we get started?"

"We first need to find a busy intersection; preferably somewhere that a lot of people will pass by." Yanking on the reins, Silver brought the Clydesdale to a stop. "This place will work as well as any."

Nodding, Fu slipped off of the wagon. Silver leapt off as well, reaching over his shoulder to take his cane off his back. One whack silenced the people around him. A second one drew their attention. The third caused the wagon to glow a faint blue. The wood stretched outward and upward, a large window forming in the front while a door took shape in the eastern wall. Carved into the door were two overlapping coins.

Silver leapt onto the wagon, permitting people to peer inside as plenty of items caught their attentions. Pikes, swords, and flintlock guns leant or hung on the walls alongside pictures. A series of shelves sat on top of cabinets while grinning bejeweled skulls shared their space with well-made artistic cups and vases. A shelf above those, a figure depicting a naked woman dancing on a shell was displayed next to a jeweled necklace, accompanied by neatly folded shirts. Weapons, clothing – both fancy and practical – paintings, photos, jewelry, statues, cooking wares, spices and many more trinkets sat there; most of which the crowd of people had never seen before.

The merchant leaned dangerously on his cane over the edge of the wagon. A smile forming on his face as people started to gather inward. Civilians and shinobi alike stared at the wares.

"Do you people like what you see?" asked the merchant eliciting a general yes from the crowd. "Would you buy it if I sold it to you?" Hearing the affirmative response of the crowd for the second time, the merchant grinned. "Then step right up." The merchant almost kicked a shinobi in their head, leaping into the wagon through the window before a crash sounded. "Ow, misjudged the distance."

Silver's arm grabbed hold of a plain white apron and a round, flat straw hat. "Give me a moment." Seconds later, the merchant hung his jacket and hat and stood up wearing his new wares. "Now, who will make the first purchase?"

"Hold up a second." A young kunoichi stormed up to the wagon. Her purple hair had been pulled back into a ragged ponytail while her tan trench coat sat on top of a fishnet shirt and an orange skirt. Around her head she wore her headband depicting a leaf; the symbol of Konoha. Chewing on a stick, she took it out of her mouth before flicking it at Silver. "Are you allowed to sell here?"

"Do I need permission?" The merchant's eyes roamed over the kunoichi's body, taking note of her rather ample chest.

"You need to go through the merchant's guild."

"Maybe later. You're a shinobi, correct?"

The kunoichi tapped her headband. "Aren't you sharp?"

"Do you need a new weapon to fight with?" Darting under the counter, the merchant yanked out a roll of cloth. Placing it on the table he unrolled it, displaying the large variety of knives tucked into place by straps of cloth. "I've got everything from the standard kunai to the most exotic of blades."

Biting down on the stick again, the kunoichi pulled a knife out by its wooden handle. "What's this?"

Silver took the blade and traced his finger across the curved back of the bone knife. "This is from a tribe of people who refused to use metal; something about it being evil. Yet they know a method of using chakra to reinforce the bone, hardening it to point that it might as well be steel."

"How much?"

"18460 yen."

"How about 15000?"

"18400."

The two went back and forth, haggling for a while.

Clapping his hands, the merchant offered a stern grin. "17500 yen and that's my final offer. If you won't take it, enjoy traveling half the world to get it."

"Alright." The kunoichi placed her money on the counter, trading it for the knife.

"Thank you. Do you plan on bloodying that blade?" Licking his lips, the merchant grinned. "That would be a sight to see."

"Don't know. That depends whether you plan on seeing the other merchants by tomorrow afternoon or we'll see exactly how well this blade you just sold me works."

Waving a hand, Silver nodded. "Yes, yes. Move along and let me see my other customers." With a shake of her head the kunoichi left. Leaning out of the window, the merchant glanced to his daughter as she sat on the road, playing with a ladybug. "Oh little miss; aren't you supposed to be doing something?"

With a sigh, Fu reluctantly rose. "Where can I get a bucket of water and hay?" A helpful man pointed the correct way out to the vedette. Thanking the man, Fu patted Rubric on the neck. "I'll go get your meal so just stay put alright?"

So far, the young blonde was having a decent day. He started his day a bit late and ate his way through several bowls of ramen. Feeling little need to go to the academy, Naruto stared at the Hokage Mountain for a while before a light bulb went off in his head. Grinning as he grabbed several buckets of paint, he couldn't resist chuckling to himself as he put some "decorations" onto the faces. The fact that it took several hours for anyone to notice these "decorations" never failed to amaze him.

Running through the streets, the spiky-haired blond let a smirk spread across his whisker marked cheeks as his sky blue eyes glanced behind him. A pair of shinobi chased after him. They were running as fast as they could but at the rate they were going, they would never be able to catch him. It wasn't just that they were slower than him. Naruto just knew these streets better and was more than willing to use that knowledge to his advantage.

Turning the corner of a fence, the blonde ran around it before slamming into a mass. With an uff, the pair fell onto the ground as sprays of water fell on the blonde boy.

"What the hell?" A pair of hands shoved him off. "Are you blind?"

Offering a wide grin, the blond scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, but I'm running from a group of men."

"Why?" Standing, the vedette with a startling set of orange eyes stared at the blond.

"I pulled a prank and some guys didn't take it so well." Glancing over his shoulder, he gulped at the sound of approaching feet. "Can we hurry this up? These guys are going to beat me up if they catch me."

"Can I see this prank for myself?"

"Sure. Anyone in the village can."

Fu grabbed Naruto, tucking him under her arm and, before the blond knew it, they were a dozen feet in the air. He caught sight of a pursuer, probably startled that someone dared to help the little blond. The ground rushed up as his butt slammed into it.

"Over here!" The vedette darted over to a bunch of bushes. Biting his lips, the blond glanced to the fence.

"This is the best you can think of?"

"Nope. Now shut up and wait for the shinobi to come."

Plowing their way into the bushes, they crouched down, settling just in time for the pair of chūnin to jump the fence. The pair glanced over to the bushes and made their way over at a slow walk as one of the two commented that a demon must be insulting them.

The blond wanted to run, but the vedette held him down by the shoulder. Just as they reached the bushes the Shinobi yelped. Their hands batted away at their legs. Confused the blond sniffed the area, catching the faint scent of ants before a large army of said insects pooled around the shinobi and assaulted their feet.

"No way the brat can be in those bushes," said one of the shinobi. "He'd be eaten alive in a matter of seconds!" The duo retreated still brushing away at their pants.

Chuckling, the vedette stood up. "That should do it."

"You summoned those ants?" asked the shocked blond. He'll admit that he was surprised; although not so much by the ability to summon insect for there was a clan in the village that also controlled bugs. It was the girl's helpfulness that caught him off guard.

"Nope. There was already an ant hill here; all I did was ask for help."

"Really?" asked the blond. The vedette gave a curt nod. "Neat. So you can command bugs?"

"Yep." Smiling, she walked into the lot. The blond, trusting the stranger after her display of generosity, followed. "Those guys were lucky though. I know where to get legions of army ants. Nasty bugs. They can rush a horse and strip its flesh in five minutes flat."

The blond's eyes grew wide. "You're joking, right?"

"Hardly. I've watched it with my own eyes. Now, where is this prank you're talking about?" Leaping on top of the fence, the blonde pointed to the mountains. Fu pulled herself up to peer over and grinned. "You're kidding? How much time did it take to make that?"

"Several hours before dawn."

"And no shinobi bothered to look up?"

Grinning, the blond plopped onto his butt. "For some of the greatest shinobi in the world they were completely blind to it."

Chuckling, the vedette climbed over the fence. "Well, this was fun and all, but I need to get back to work."

"At what?"

"Feeding and watering my horse."

"Want help?" The blond landed beside the vedette. "I've got nothing important to do at the moment. Think of it as thanks for helping me.

The vedette grabbed a nearby bucket, shoving it into the blond's hands. "Fine. Though I would have forced you to help me any way. You knocked me over!"

Giving a lopsided smile, the blonde scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. You already know my excuse."

"Fu." With that said the vedette started moving away.

Blinking, the blond dashed after her. "Pardon?"

"Fu Dollar. That's my name. Yours?"

Naruto jabbed a finger at his chest. "Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage!" He gave Fu a quick sniff; she had a scent that reminded him of wet earth.

"Genin?"

"Not yet, but I will be soon."

The pair walked to a spigot. While Naruto chatted away about several different topics, Fu leaned on a nearby wall. She did her best to ignore all the stares tossed in her directions. Due to her exotic body features she was used to an odd stare or two. Yet it had been ages since she felt like she received a stare that felt like it separated her from her personhood.

"Hey Fu!" Naruto slapped a hand across the vedette's shoulder. Twirling around, she punched him in the arm. "Hey! I was just trying to get your attention. You spaced out there for a moment."

"Didn't mean you had to slap me!" Rubbing her shoulder, the vedette pouted. "What's so important?"

"Why do you have a horse? Do you travel often?"

Rolling her eyes, Fu opened her mouth, but before she could answer his questions an unfamiliar voice cut her off.

"Hey kid." Tensing up, the blond glanced over to something behind Fu. She followed his gaze and resisted the urged to form a fist. A small group of men had formed around them. Based on their clothing and rough hands, she guessed that they were part of the working class of the village. "Is the brat bothering you?"

"Whiskers was just being an idiot. He'll be more careful next time."

"Yeah." Naruto chuckled uneasily. "I wasn't thinking… Wait! Whiskers?"

The vedette poked the blond on the cheeks. "You got whiskers. Whiskers a fine name. Now, stop the talking and get a move on with the water! My father is going to be upset with me."

Grumbling, the blond nodded, darting away with the full bucket wrapped snugly in his arms as his eyes glanced to the group of men behind them. He tried to make sure Fu missed it, but unbeknownst to him, she saw it regardless. Although instead of prying any further, she chose to start chatting about her travels with her father. She reminisced over the times that they had seen the heights of the Land of Lightning's mountains and the adobes of the Land of Wind, as well as everything in between.

Watching as Naruto set the bucket in front of him, Rubric started to drink the cool liquid after giving the blond a nudge on the shoulder. As this happened, another customer left, satisfied with their buy. Leaning out the window, the merchant clicked his tongue.

"What took you so long?" Silver jabbed a long finger at the horse. "He was about ready to run off for water."

"Sorry about that." Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto gave the best smile he could and prayed for the best. "I ran into her and knocked the water out of her hand."

"Oh." The merchant jumped out the window and offered the blond a hand. "Thank you for helping my daughter. You appeared to be a bright lad."

Though a bit stunned by the compliment, the blond's grin widened. "Gee, thanks!"

"What's your name, young man?"

"Naruto."

"Naruto, I need someone to show me around town. I'm new in the area and I plan on seeing the sights. Care to give us a quick tour? I'll pay you a little something for your trouble." The blond opened his mouth.

"Naruto!"

Yelping, the blond made a run for it, but a shinobi appeared right behind the young man. Wearing the standard Konohagakure shinobi outfit, the scarred man picked Naruto up. Naruto tried to struggle, but the man kept a firm grip.

Iruka-sensei!" exclaimed Naruto. "I was just helping these guys out and got distracted."

"For two hours!" Shaking his head, Iruka smiled at the merchant. "Sorry about this. He can be a handful at times."

"But he was helping," said Fu. "Even if he did cause trouble."

"Hey!"

"Iruka-sensei?" The merchant hummed. "You're a teacher."

"I am." Placing Naruto down, the teacher shook his head. "And this is one of my less attentive students. He didn't do anything to you then?"

"Haven't known him long enough for him to."

Sighing, Iruka walked off. "Have a good day." Dragged along the blonde shouted, complaining about having a right to freedom of movement.

"Well that was interesting." The merchant returned to his wagon. "Fu, where is Rubric's food?"

"After I get it, can I explore the town?" Fu glanced to a tall area in the distance. "I would like see what this place has to offer."

"Food first."

Leaning on the window, the merchant offered the next customer a smile. "Welcome to my humble store. What can I give you today?"

"I can give you advice: stay away from the boy."

"Why? Is he a troublemaker?" Glancing to the mountain, the merchant smirked. "Though if that the extent of his misfit, then I see no reason not to reproach him."

"Trust me, merchant. You don't wanna know."

"Why?"

Biting his lower lips, the villager looked away. "Just trust me on this: that kid is more then he appears to be."

Shrugging, the merchant turned around. "Whatever you say, my friend. Now, what would you like to buy?"

Naruto ignored Iruka's lecture the best he could. Yes, he understood that his grades would be better if he stayed in class though he kept them about average. Why did it matter anyway? Knowing the different clans of the village or why they carve faces in the mountain was unimportant, when the time came for him to be a shinobi. A shinobi needs to be the fastest, strongest, and bravest guy around. How else would they achieve their goals? Especially considering his was to become the Hokage.

Though the blond did admit that to become the leader of the village, he had to pass this year's graduation test as he took a seat at his desk. While Iruka lectured, he let his thoughts wander to how easy it would be to pass this year's test. He was certain he'd pass the written portion and the substitution and transformation Jutsu were in the bag. Creating the clones would be difficult, but he was getting help.

Once class ended the blond went straight home. His plan for the evening was to practice his clone Jutsu for as long as it took to master it. He paused outside his apartment complex; the old building was worn but still standing. An ominous air surrounded it.

Gulping, the blond climbed to the top of the complex and paused outside his door. Looking the door over, he checked for anything broken and sighed with relief. It was locked and free of marks. It seemed that the civilians had avoided his house today; though a shinobi could've easily snuck in.

The blonde pushed the door open and peered in. Seeing everything in place, he sniffed the air. All scents remained the same. With a shrug he entered the room with a large smile.

"Well, time to eat some ramen." Going into his kitchen, the blonde heated the water while placing the cup of ramen on the table. After he poured the boiling water in, he cupped his hands. "Alright. Three minutes and I'll be-"

"Bleeding profanely on the floor and begging to be killed?" A sharp edge pressed against the blond's neck. "That can be arranged." Tensing up, the blonde cursed himself. How could he have missed the smell of dango and snakes? He offered the purple haired kunoichi a smile. She had a bone knife in her hand.

"Hey Anko, I thought you wouldn't be here for another day."

Swiping the ramen off the table, the kunoichi marched over to the window. With a foot she held Naruto back. He begged Anko for mercy, but the ramen flew out the window. Collapsing onto the floor, the blond whimpered.

"My ramen!" The blonde jabbed a finger at the kunoichi in an overly dramatic way. "You're an evil woman."

"And you're going to be a shrimp all your life if you eat nothing but ramen." Putting the knife away, the Kunoichi marched over to the counter carrying a bag filled with groceries. "Now, knowing you, you haven't cooked a single homemade meal since I've been gone. Instant ramen doesn't count. I just got back from a hard mission and would rather sleep it off then be here so you're going to have a simple meal of rice and vegetables."

"Fine." Dragging himself back to the table, Naruto sat down. A smile appeared on his face as he set up. "I've been working on my jutsus! Mostly on my clones, but I also worked on my summoning; got plenty of throwing practice in and study as of late."

"Good to hear." Anko got out a rice cooker and pan. "You should also work on your cooking; come to think of it, I need to drop you off in the Death Forest sometime. Should help that ramen habit a bit. I'm not going to act like your mother all the time."

"When do you?" Naruto grinned as he ducked the salt shaker that Anko threw at him.

Anko may be slow to show it, but the blond knew she cared for him. Three years ago, she severely punished a group of adults bullying him. She asked where his parents were and when he stated he had none, one thing lead to another and here she was. Though she was away from the village more often than not, whenever she had the time, she would often come over to train him.

Of course, now was the time to badger the kunoichi for all the details of her mission. "So what did you do this time around?"

"Nothing special. Hunted down a group of mercenaries. Took a few days longer than I thought it would but it worked out fine."

Placing a plate on the table, Anko returned to the food to put it on the counter. "Serve yourself tonight. Besides marking our great leaders-" Naruto snickered, "-did you do anything of interest today?"

"I meet a couple of people who treated me like a person."

"Oh?" Anko sat down at the table.

"A girl name Fu and her father Silver talked with me." Serving himself, the blond returned to the table. "Might be nice people, but I don't think they'll stay around long."

"Right on that: Silver, the traveling merchant. I met them earlier as well; made quite a show coming here." Leaning in her chair, Anko smiled. "Though that just shows you that there are good people out there. You just need to keep an eye out."

"Yeah." Nodding, blond kept eating his meal. A thump drew his attention to a kunai embedded at the edge of his plate. "What?"

"Clone Jutsu." Crossing her arms, the kunoichi offered a wide smile. "Create two of them now or get chased by Muba."

Gulping the blond leapt to his feet. "Yes ma'am. Clone jutsu." Smoke filled the room. When it cleared two pale Naruto lay on the floor while the original chuckled nervously. "Well this work." That earned a sigh from the violet-haired jōnin. "Hey! I had been begging you to teach me a substitute for this!"

"I know and I'm still trying to get permission." Twirling a kunai with on her finger, Anko glared at the ceiling. "But I'm trying to convince people to teach an academy student to use a forbidden Jutsu. No offense Naruto, but you haven't given them much of a reason to do so."

Puffing out his cheeks, the blond crossed his arms stubbornly. "Even if I summoned a snake?"

"Yes, even if you summoned a snake the size of my arm." She waved a hand. "Now sit back down and eat. After that we can talk about training." Nodding in agreement, the blond resumed his meal. He would pass this test and he'd make Anko proud.

Naruto wanted to punch something at the moment. Up to this point, he did everything right. He went through the exam, replaced himself with a log and even transformed into his teacher. Yet his two clones lay dead on the ground: Pitiful and useless.

"Come on, Iruka," said Mizuki, "give the kid a break. He did create two clones and they might just distract the enemy long enough."

Sighing, Iruka shook his head. "It's a tough call, but we can't allow anyone who isn't ready to get through."

"But he had training with Anko and I heard that he can summon snakes."

"Well." Licking his lips, the scarred teacher shrugged. "I'm afraid to say it, but we're going have to postpone on the decision."

"Come on, Iruka-sensei!" exclaimed Naruto.

"I and the other teachers will talk on it. Once your final score is graded, we'll round up the result." Grinning, Iruka stood. "If you did well enough, then you'll become a shinobi. We'll tell you as soon as possible."

With a sigh the blond exited the school before walking over to the large tree and sitting on the swing. Where he stayed for a while, ignoring the parents and graduates who came and went with some of them commenting about his lack of a headband and how it was probably a good thing. Yet, these comments didn't bother him as much as Anko's potential opinion of this postponement.

Naruto promised her that he'd pass this year. He liked to think that he was one to keep his promises. Sure, Iruka may give him a fair shot, but he had his doubts of the other teachers. As he sat there idly swinging, lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice as Mizuki sidled up behind him.

Storming out of the tavern, the merchant waved over his shoulder. "It has been a good night; hope you all have a good life." Silver, squinting as the full moon offered him a source of light, strolled through dark streets.

Humming, the merchant thought back to his past few days. He had sold plenty of items to the villagers and retrieved just as much cash. It saddened him a bit that the blond never took him up on his offer. Yet his tour of the town had been nice, if a bit dull. Honestly, the village could go for a few more gambling halls. Overall, he could only see himself passing through.

At least that makes Silver's chores easier. His humming morphed into a sharp whistle. A trashcan nearby had been knocked over, but the darkness remained still. The merchant strolled toward the Hokage's Tower noting that the cylindrical building walls served only to separate it from the rest of the village.

A couple of shinobi stood guard at its entrance. "Sir." One of them stepped forward. "You need to leave; the Hokage's Tower is close."

"I know." Stepping forward, the merchant pressed a hand into the shinobi's stomach. Grunting, the shinobi glanced down to see a needle withdrawing from his gut. "That's why I came now."

The other shinobi started to move, but a wolf leapt out of the shadows, slamming into the guy's back, forcing him onto the ground. Before he could scream, Silver kneeled down and jabbed a second needle into his neck. Within seconds the grounded shinobi slipped to the next world.

Struggling to stay awake, the second shinobi tried to grab a kunai. "What d-did you do?"

"Tranquilizer." Silver stood and pushed the shinobi to the ground. "Don't worry. You'll see your family again, though I doubt you'll remember any of this." The shinobi opened his mouth, but his body went limp and he collapsed onto the ground. "Teruim." The massive black wolf glanced at the merchant as his tail bobbed and his golden eyes gleamed in the moonlight. "Open the door."

"On it." Teruim merged with the darkness seconds before the door opened up. "I can smell no one else inside."

"Of course not." Silver strolled inside. "The ANBU are only around when the Hokage is about. Keep to the shadows. If anyone tries to interfere I want them taken care of."

Nodding, the wolf became one with the darkness as Silver climbed up to the Hokage's office. The door was locked, but that was easily undone with a swift kick. Storming into the room, the merchant ransacked it. Anything that wasn't bolted to the floor, he moved to see what secret it might've been hiding. He tore down the pictures of the Hokage and found a safe behind the fourth. Reaching into his hat, Silver place a bit of gunpowder in the lock and blew it up.

By the time he finished, Silver swung the Forbidden Scroll over his shoulder. He also found a scroll with some odd kunai in the safe. He stuffed those into his hat.

"That should be of everything of interest." Strolling over to the window, the merchant opened it. "Teruim, shout if anything abnormal happens."

Just as Silver exited the room, Naruto entered via another window. Blinking in confusion, the blond scanned the area to see the second window open, swinging on its hinges. Someone just broke into the Hokage's office! Naruto thought, his mind racing as he leapt through the second window.

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