Blonde Justice!

by Hell Atsche

Two different worlds are threatened with annihilation and only through the actions of the heroes from both worlds will the end be averted. Faced with new challenges and receiving the help and attention he so desperately craved, Naruto is pushed into a war with destiny and is raised to do the impossible for both his world and the world just beyond. If only he knew that last part...

A/N : This is my first fanfic in a long long time. I deleted all my previous fics before and this shall be the first in a series I'm planning.

This story is a cross-over of Naruto and one of my favorite series.

You WILL have MANY questions on this prologue and they will be answered in the next one to two chapters.

Update times will vary but I never give up on a story once I've started it.

Please review if you wish and may God bless you all always! ^_^

This story shall be AU in a sense.

I don't really write long Author's Notes unless you have many questions, a horrendous waste of font most of the time.

And now, for your reading pleasure...

Naruto And The Heroes of Ooo!

Prologue

Fireworks.

The night sky above Konoha was illuminated with the greatest display of pyrotechnics in the Land of Fire, only seen once a year on the anniversary of their near-annihilation. To many, October the tenth marked a day of hope, where the citizens of the Village Hidden in the Leaves were saved from certain destruction by arguably, the most powerful Shinobi of their time, the Yellow Flash as he is known by most. On this holiday, the Bane of Iwa is hailed as a hero, for it was he who faced down the demon and sacrificed himself for the village, as expected of any Hokage, and sealing it away in his own son.

Most of the populace gorged themselves on Festival Delicacies native to the Land of Fire. Children were playing games in the many booths and quite a number of Shinobi volunteers filled the streets in overseeing some of the events. Others, were keeping vigilant just in case, it was a Hidden Village after all. Almost no one was home, everyone was either out in the streets or in one of the many parties happening all over the village.

As the spirit of celebration filled the hearts of the citizens of Konoha, there were also those who considered this day, a day of mourning. Some, mourned for their Shinobi brethren lost during that fateful night.

Others mourn for family members, loved ones who simply had no chance against the Demon Fox. Although hope was a significant theme for the festivities, some, simply suffered too much during the Third Shinobi War and with the climactic events of the Kyuubi's Attack, most veteran Shinobi simply couldn't find it in them to be happy today, after all this celebration was primarily meant for the civilians, a distraction if you would from the fragile lives they lived.

The pain and anguish of losing all those you cared for was a common cocktail of emotion among Shinobi, it's basically part of the job. They all knew that. However, one cannot truly prepare for the loss of a loved one. As most people of Konoha partied through the night, others were more concerned with safety and security... Or the ghosts of the past.

"Some people could never hope to understand the pain and suffering we go through..." A tall figure thought bitterly... "so they can sleep soundly on their futons and wake up with their heads still on."

These words filled the head of Inu, an ANBU Captain on duty tonight.

His silver hair gracefully followed the motions of the breeze. Standing atop the Hokage monument, he watched impassively as the fireworks display illuminated the night sky. Behind his mask, his features move into a slight frown, "It should be a quiet night. A small repose for those lost." Shaking his head slightly, he spares a glance at his partner.

Beside him, a female ANBU Operative wearing a Cat Mask readjusted the clip on her long purple hair. She also shared slightly similar thoughts with him. Already on-duty for fourteen hours thanks to the Holidays where most of her colleagues were on leave and thus only a skeleton patrol roved around the village, she just wanted to rest.

They weren't supposed to be up here anyway, but a sudden flare of chakra had called them here, but it turned out that it might have been some stray Katon Jutsu someone must've used to celebrate, or light up some fireworks, too weak to be anything else, at least according to the sensors.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly. "Just another round of patrols..." She could already imagine what she'd do after her patrol. The warm waters of her shower beckoned, along with some hot food before finally collapsing on her bed. "Or maybe just straight to bed..." She thought. Feeling her partner's eyes on her, she looks up and tilts her head in a silent query, but he just looks away.

Just as she was about to respond, their radios crackled to life. "Team 3, status?"

Bored

Well not exactly, that was just half of it. The other half? Grim? In Mourning? Dead. "Yeah, sounds about right." Thought Inu. Although instead of expressing his feelings like a grown man, he opts to just bring out his little orange book.

A dark scowl crosses Neko's face, though there is no outward expression on her form, she was on-duty after all, which meant that she couldn't go beating her perverted colleague up, no matter how inappropriate he may be sometimes.

"Pervert. I thought I burned that."

She presses the button on her headset and responds, "Cat here, area is secure. Both grunts still up."

The ANBU Adjutant replies in his usual monotone, "Roger that Cat, proceed to Sector Five after the display. Enjoy the view."

Inu scoffs at that as Neko replies. "Ten-four command, over and out."

Now the silver-haired ANBU's face was in a full frown. "Enjoy the view... Hn..."

Before he could get lost in his memories, which Neko was sure he would at any second, the fireworks display that had been going on for the past half hour had stopped. "Inu, Sector Five." She says.

"Hai. Let's make a quick stop at Sector Three first." Came the emotionless reply, though she could've sworn he heard his voice tremble a bit, it wasn't really any of her business to pry, she already knew what she would find and hear and it would just awaken her own aches.

"A quick stop at the Memorial Stone I guess huh Kakashi?" She didn't voice her thoughts though. A quick detour would be okay, she was sure the fallen would appreciate the respects they were about to pay. Yuugao also wasn't so keen on going to Sector 5 right away, the abandoned buildings and empty roads in that district brought up unpleasant memories.

Trouble never brewed there anyway.

A quick shuffle of their feet and they were gone in a swirl of leaves.

After descending the Hokage Monument, they leapt onto the roof of a nearby Office Building and started down Sector Four of Konoha, moving at speeds so fast and silent, none of the citizens celebrating below would have heard or seen them even if they tried. With one Shunshin after another augmenting their speed, no one was the wiser as they passed.

As the cold hair kissed Kakashi's neck and well-toned biceps his sharp nose picked up the distinct smell of Sake and various alcoholic beverages, the smell of cigarettes and fried food, all mixed together as they passed by several bars in the Entertainment District.

The two ANBU Operative's thoughts rounded on one common denominator. "I could use a drink."

But not now.

There would be time in the wee hours of the morning after their patrol. Right now, they had a duty to perform and so they continued to speed through the rooftops, on guard for any threats or disturbances that would arise on their watch. As silent and stealthy as they were one particular patron noticed their presence on instinct, given his many years of experience.

Seated at a small grill stand along the main road, clad in red, mesh clothing, a giant scroll strapped to his back, and wearing wooden sandals, was a hulking figure, with long white hair, who'd just downed his fifteenth saucer of Sake. Not even buzzed with the alcohol in his system he ordered another and absentmindedly swirled the drink in his hand. It was October the tenth and he wasn't even supposed to be back home, but he received a tip from his source that he knew Old Man Sarutobi wanted to hear, hopefully it was worth all the trouble of taking a few days off from his precious research.

"Oh my pretties, don't worry, The Gallant Jiraiya will be back soon enough! Land of Hot Springs GET READY!"

A small smirk crosses his face at that, but sadly he can't bring up his signature lecherous grin. In fact, he's ashamed he's even thinking such thoughts...on this night.

Wiping his bleeding nose, he downs yet another round before taking out a small photograph from his pocket.

A young boy, barely five years old, smiles for the camera. Even at a young age, his blue eyes already say so much. It hurt him to know most of them weren't positive.

Pain.

Loneliness.

Confusion.

Yet, just like the moral of this night's story,

Hope.

He was a child full of dreams, wild ideas and antics, as Sarutobi puts it. "He's just like you Minato." He muses.

A small package on his lap eagerly awaits delivery. A small token for the kid. He knew it wouldn't make up for neglecting his duties as Godfather, but he knew the child would just about appreciate anything given to him, seeing his circumstances that is.

You could have done more

"Have I even done anything?" Thoughts of regret swirl inside Jiraiya's head. Guilt even greater than anything he's ever felt, boils like Lava at the pit of his stomach, threatening to spew-

"Kami knows I can't care for a kid and run the Spy Network." He tried to convince himself of it, and even saw some semblance of truth in it, but he just wished he could've done more for the kid.

He downs three more saucers of Sake in quick succession, lays more than enough Ryo on the counter and takes to the rooftops before the bartender even had time to turn around. He holds the small package containing his gift on his right hand, which was now trembling.

Sweaty Palms.

Hypertensive heartbeat.

"Snap out of it Jiraiya! What do you think you're doing? Proposing to Tsunade?!"

The very thought sent chills down his spine. Perhaps that was more dangerous than talking to his Godson. The ring would probably be sent up his ass and out his mouth anyway.

He had never spoken to the kid, hell, he doubted the kid even knew he existed, or at least knew of Jiraiya's status as his Godfather. What would the kid ask and what would he even say?

"Why is this so damn hard?!" He mentally screams.

He tried it before, but even from a distance, but he just couldn't bear to look at the child. It pained him that seeing Naruto reminded him of all his mistakes and all his friends he failed.

The student he failed.

The teams he failed.

The family he failed.

"If I had been here... I should've been the one to call the Shinigami. Not Minato." He had seen and done so much in his life. He should've been the one to go, not the Yondaime. Not his friend. Not his student. Not his family.

I have to keep Konoha safe

Konoha's future depended on it. It was a Cold War these days and this is how he knew it was fought, in the shadows. Like a true Shinobi.

"Like how I've always done. For Konoha." He laments.

Minato had so much to live for, so much to do. For him to perform his duty as Hokage at such a young age was just heart-wrenching for him. Yes, he died for his village. He damn near saved everyone too. All that talent, lost, when he died. It didn't help that Minato was secretive with his Jutsus and that in honor of his passing and to prevent such deadly skills from falling to unworthy hands, the Third had it all burned and or destroyed. Kakashi was lucky he was able to save one of the Three-pronged Kunai. A risky move, but no one but him and the scarecrow knew there was still one in existence.

"Maybe Minato would Hiraishin away from the Shinigami's stomach?" He snickers as the very thought of it was absurd in every sense.

Suppressing a sigh, Jiraiya upped his pace and sped towards Naruto's apartment in an area of Konoha still slightly devastated by the Kyuubi. Though he took comfort in the fact that there weren't many people living here to torment the kid.

Abandoned buildings lay silent in many of the streets. Whole blocks were deserted, but surmised that it meant no one would bother the kid as much as when he was out and about in other more populated areas. The moonlight and a few functional street lamps illuminated the few houses still inhabited by other citizens. Patches of grass and a few sprouts line some of the roads as they grow unchecked.

"Honestly I'm surprised the kid hasn't even unleashed the Kyuubi on us. Though maybe the demon is still asleep."

As he took to a more conservative walk along the streets lined with uninhabited buildings and cracked roads, he tried to prepare himself to meet the kid...to no avail. He honestly wasn't even certain of what he'd even say. Introducing himself as his Godfather would raise many questions. But it had to be special in a way, after all, it was Naruto's seventh birthday.

"You knew my parents?!"

Oh, the one question he dreaded the most.

He couldn't afford Naruto asking about them, Sarutobi would have his head on pike, well that and the fact that his student practically decimated the Iwa Ninja Corps in the Third Great Shinobi War and we have what's called a political shitstorm, as his sensei so put it. As he neared the Apartment Complex his Godson stayed in, Kushina suddenly crossed his mind.

"The brat is just like his mom, loud and obnoxious."

The way Kushina and Minato went down was so unfair to him. It reminded him of his Genin days. No matter how much he trained, he didn't seem to be going anywhere, only his determination and the Will of Fire got him to where he is today. Faced with God-like opposition, what's a Shinobi to do? Such battles could only end with both sides down for the count.

Down the street, he saw his destination. A modest ten storey Apartment Complex, in the middle of the relatively long street. No lights were on, unsurprising since there were festivities all over the town, the residents must have gone out. But he had a feeling Naruto would be home, the lights would be turned off for a reason. He grimaces as he remembers the stories Sarutobi told him of what happened two years ago. No child should ever go through what Naruto has gone through on that day.

"Bastards. He's only a kid." He thinks bitterly. "It's a good thing the ANBU or some other Shinobi found him fast enough."

Maybe in his own small way, he could make it up to Naruto somehow. Sadly, his pessimistic side got the better of him and he just decided to leave a note and the gift at Naruto's front door. "He might be asleep already anyway."

But, as he finished his Shunshin to the building's main door, a sudden chill ran down his spine. The door to the Apartment Complex was forcibly opened, judging by the broken hinges and splinters all over the porch.

The grim part was the rusty scent of fresh blood which permeated his nose as well as the many scattered footprints in the hallways. He thought of the worst. He sped up the steps and made his way to the unit Naruto occupied.

"Fuck." Was the sole thought on his head and not in the way he usually did. "Please let it be a woman on her period who forgot her napkin!"

He cursed inwardly as he saw the state Naruto's home was in. The door had been kicked down and the furniture strewn about. A lonely plant was on the wooden floor below the window sill with it's vase cracked beside a small chocolate cupcake.

He turned on the lights and his heart stopped at the sight. Spray painted on the living room wall, "Demon." He growled and clenched his fist. "NARUTO!" He shouted into the apartment, but no response came. Various pieces of furniture and appliances lay strewn about.

He entered the doorway on the right and entered Naruto's bedroom. He gasped when he saw the bed stained with blood. He searched frantically but couldn't feel any presence in the apartment, but he wasn't the least bit relieved, who knows if Naruto was taken or where he might have run off too. He searched the bathroom but found no traces of Naruto.

"Kyuubi should've burned this place to the ground."

Pushing such thoughts of murder aside for the moment, he sped off following the trail of blood and struggle. He had to act fast. Naruto was missing and there was definitely a sign of a struggle in the apartment. "I'd be damned if I don't find him. I'll find him Minato, Kushina, I swear it."

After scribbling a note down on a small scroll, the Toad Sage quickly ran through a set of hand seals he's used countless times, Jiraiya briefly slams his palm on the ground. A small purple toad emerges from the puff of smoke. "Hey Jiraiya! What can I do for ya?"

"Gamasaki, bring this scroll to the Hokage, it's urgent." With a salute, the Toad quickly leaps away, towards the Hokage's Residence.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya steadily follows his instincts, the smell of blood and extends his senses to feel the chakra signatures around. "Come on brat, where are you? Give me a sign!" He creates five Kage Bunshin and sends them in different directions. He shunshins atop a nearby water tower to get a better view. In the distance, he can make out his clones going around the different areas the trails go.

He turns towards an intersection, one block south of Naruto's apartment and notes the relatively fresh footprints on the road as well as the amount of them. "It was entire mob of idiots." He growls to himself. "Where are the ANBU that are supposed to be patrolling this area?!" He shouts to no one in particular.

That was another thing. Surely, a mob this size and causing this much commotion would have warranted the attention of any nearby ANBU Patrols and given the circumstances surrounding Naruto, the Hokage would have their heads if anything happened to the child. He understood it was the holidays and there were fewer patrols in almost unimportant districts such as these, but look where that lax nature has gotten them.

If only the Uchiha weren't killed off a few months ago, then maybe his wouldn't have happened. "We could really use a police force right about now."

He was cut off from his thoughts when, out of the corner of his left eye, he sees something small glistening in the moonlight. "Shinobi." He says to himself as he carefully picked up a bloodied Shuriken with his handkerchief. Sealing it away as evidence, he follows the path the mob took even further.

"It's a good thing we still have the death penalty over here." Jiraiya's heart was racing now. If there were Shinobi in the mob after Naruto, then the kid would have little chance to escape even if he tried.

"No." He says firmly to himself. He would never allow anything to happen to Naruto, especially if he had the power to do something about it.

As he leapt onto another rooftop he could see why the mob was confident enough tonight. If this district where Naruto lived weren't enough of an incentive, then it was the fact that the area was thoroughly deserted because of the festival tonight, everyone would be out.

Just as he decided to land on the ground, he spots another Shuriken, also bloodied. "God damn it!" He says gruffly. Sealing it away, he moves faster as he sees the trail being more pronounced. He notices spots of dried blood on the road along with fiercer footsteps.

Suddenly, he stops abruptly kicking up dirt and dust around him. "Kami no..." He pleads to no one in particular as he goes wide-eyed and for the first time in a long time, feels afraid of what he might find. A strong scent of blood fills the air, even stronger than in the apartment earlier and it came from just around the corner, on a small access road in between two buildings.

Taking a deep breath, he quickly sprints towards the area he knows he might find the corpse of his Godson. Sweat drips down every part of his body. It was so quiet in this particular district that he could make out the sound of his heartbeat. Every step he took sounded like a hammer on anvil on the dirt.

"Please be alive..." He beseeches the grace and mercy of every Kami he knew of.

As he arrives in the middle of the access road he stops and takes in the scene before him. "They were definitely here." He surmises.

He notices that on one side were several footprints huddled together. "Must be the mob." He concludes.

There was a large pool of blood at the center, slowly coagulating on the dirt. At this point, Jiraiya was almost sure all that blood was Naruto's. Under the moonlight, he could see a small indent on the wall opposite the crowd's footprints and the pool of blood.

He moves for a closer inspection and sees streaks of blood running down the wall. "They weren't here long ago." His eyes move back to the pool of blood and he swallows down his fear.

"If that is Naruto's blood, he wouldn't be conscious for long, even with the Fox healing him." He muses grimly.

He also picks up residual chakra wafting around the area. "Jutsu?" He whispers as he takes a closer look at the scene before him.

He takes note of Naruto's small footprints near the wall and the fact that they don't seem to go anywhere unlike the mob's footprints which looked like they dispersed quite suddenly in all directions.

He also sees that from the pool of blood, a trail of the red liquid also moves away from the area, further down the road. He follows it briefly and sees more blood over the footprints leading away from the center of the pool of blood, too big to be Naruto's. There also more blood on the wall leading away from the center of the scene, most likely whoever lost this much blood was leaning on the walls for support.

"This might not be his blood!" A spark of hope lights up within the Toad Sage's heart. "Where are you kid?" He asks himself.

Taking one last look at the scene before leaping to the rooftop of the nearby building, he also bears in mind that there was another set footprints, this time they looked to be in front of where he surmised Naruto was propped up against the wall and if he'd be damned if a peculiar set of prints right beside Naruto didn't belong to a dog, too big to be an ordinary one though.

"Inuzuka?" He thinks to himself. Maybe an Inuzuka saved Naruto, that particular clan was one of the few who had a sensible opinion of the kid. Last he heard, Tsume's son and Naruto were friends.

"Whoever saved Naruto must be from Kami himself, assuming Naruto is truly safe." Jiraiya wasn't a fool to quickly believe in false hopes, but it didn't hurt to think that someone out there could be looking out for his Godson.

The wind has picked up slightly from earlier and the Toad Sage's long white mane now flutters wildly in the strong breeze. He squints slightly to avoid anything getting into his eyes. "Give me a sign Kami." He says under his breath.

"KITSUNE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. JINCHUURIKI MIA. LOCATE AND SECURE!"

He allows himself a small sigh of relief as he hears the alarm, no doubt activated by the Hokage.

Jiraiya winces as one of his Kage Bunshin dispel after it accidentally used too much of its Chakra. As the short memories flood back to him, he notices a trail on the rooftops that the clone noticed before it inadvertently dispelled.

He moves another block north, heading towards the livelier districts of Konoha, the direction where he hypothesized the clone was in before it dispelled. A crowd with those intentions wouldn't dare touch him in that environment.

"If he's really your son, then he has to be alive. He'd never give up." Jiraiya knew well enough that a child Naruto's age would never outrun a group of adults, especially with Shinobi in the ranks, no matter how hopped up on alcohol most of them may have been, judging by the scents he picked up at Naruto's home earlier.

He didn't know how long he'd been searching for any sign of a commotion, but just as he was about to move on, he spots a faint light in a wooded area of an old park that he was sure was abandoned on the outskirts of the district, close to the village walls. Adrenaline courses through his veins as he breathes, "There!" a few clicks away from his position, peculiar for a night like this, and besides, "Who would go camping in this place anyway? " He focuses his senses and feels Naruto's chakra in that area.

He jumps to the tiled rooftop of the nearby house and quickly makes his way towards the park. In the distance, he can hear voices, shouting indistinguishable words, but his heart races as he gets closer and the light in the distance glows brighter and brighter. He leaps from rooftop to rooftop, avoiding all obstacles in his path.

"I'm almost there, just hold on Naruto!" He picks up the pace until he finally enters the trees, moving towards the source of the light.

The voices were gradually getting louder and louder. He reaches the last layer of the overgrown foliage. "I'm here Naruto!" He shouts. Palming a Kunai he rushes forward to save his Godson.

15 MINUTES EARLIER

On the other side of the village in the Hokage Mansion, Hiruzen Sarutobi was having a relatively agreeable night, but only barely so.

As Hokage, he had to deliver a speech to formally open the festivities earlier and it would have been fine, but as usual, like every year, half his words threatened to bring lunch back up, but of course he strikes it down as soon it starts, he had to look strong for the villagers.

No, Sarutobi Hiruzen most certainly didn't have stage fright. It was merely the callousness of the speech, the way his speech writer worded the opening remarks. Half of it was a lie he knew, he couldn't necessarily go into detail about the finer points of what really happened that night seven years ago. Even if it was the truth.

He glances to his left and sees the pile of paperwork he still had to go through and is tempted for a second to use a Katon Jutsu on the damned things.

He sorely wished Minato didn't have to give the hat back to him, not like there was any choice in the matter.

Danzo?

"Now I'm really going to throw up." The very thought of such a thing would make him roll in his grave should he kick the bucket early. If only Tsunade had taken the hat.

He let out a heavy sigh and adjusted his position on the balcony and decided to lean against the railing. In the distance to the west, he could make out his ANBU Guard by the tree line, vigilant in their duty to protect him. Taking a puff from his pipe, he looks east and a sad smile graces his face as he looks toward the center of Konoha. Bright lights and a few fireworks illuminate the serene night sky in celebration of that fateful day all those years ago.

"If only I knew. Something so simple as the Shiki Fuuin... It didn't have to be you Minato." He snorted at that though. Only the Professor would be confident,

"Or foolish?"

enoughto be so cavalier of such a pact. But then again he also knew that he might not have been strong enough to complete the sealing anyway, maybe he'd only gotten the Kyuubi's legs.

Now that's a thought.

Despite Minato's final request to him for the villagers to see Naruto as a hero who had helped defeat the Kyuubi, only he and a few of the villagers honored his request. Everyone else instead resented him for containing the beast that had destroyed their home, some even seeing him as the fox itself. Hiruzen had lost his wife Biwako on that night all those years ago, he damned well knew the meaning of loss.

"Such ignorance." He thinks bitterly.

Furthermore, Hiruzen made a decree to prohibit any mention of Naruto's nature as a jinchūriki in the hope that the other children would not resent him. However, even without knowing the reason, most of the children followed their parents' example and ostracized Naruto. The social isolation caused Naruto to develop a need to be acknowledged through mischief. A small chuckle escapes from him as he remembers the many pranks Naruto had pulled.

"Well at least it's a nice quiet evening. I might just turn in early and-"

He was suddenly snapped out of his musings as he heard something squishy flopping next to him on the railing. He raised an eyebrow at the purple toad holding a small scroll out to him. "Sarutobi-Sama, an urgent message from Jiraiya-"

Gamasaki was abruptly interrupted as the Sandaime swiftly snatched the scroll from him. Though miffed at having been interrupted, the toad watched as the old man's eyes suddenly widened, his face contorted in alarm. With a simple hand signal, three ANBU appeared beside the Hokage kneeling. "Hai Hokage-sama?"

Swiftly and without pause, Sarutobi gave the ANBU orders, "Naruto Uzumaki has disappeared, possibly abducted, signs of a struggle were discovered in his apartment by Jiraiya. In light of tonight's proceedings however, this will be a covert operation. As of this moment, we are at Offensive Condition Two, the Kitsune Protocol is now in effect. MOVE OUT!"

At his command, the ANBU left as swiftly as they had appeared and the Hokage sent out a pulse of chakra which lit up a seal on his bedside table. As the seal faded into the woodwork once again, a silent alarm sounded throughout the village, heard only by ANBU, Shinobi Commander Shikaku Nara and the ANBU Commander.

"KITSUNE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. JINCHUURIKI MIA. LOCATE AND SECURE!"

The Kitsune Protocol was now in effect, an ANBU-drafted contingency plan that when activated, immediately put into motion several plans made for the exact purpose of locating, securing, protecting and or neutralizing Konoha's Jinchuuriki in case of the said individual breaching containment for the express reason/s such as, but not limited to a Night Wing Instance (unknown forces abducting the said Jinchuuriki), a Fallen Leaf Situation (the individual's voluntary defection and or desertion), the compromization of the individualin any way such as, but not limited to a Manifest Destiny Event (The Jinchuuriki's seal has been sabotaged and the Tailed Beast is in danger of escaping.) and or a Turned Leaf Instance (The Jinchuuriki's state of mind has been subverted by the actions of the tailed beast and is no longer in control.), etc., all these possible scenarios give any Shinobi of the Leaf, the authority to terminate the Jinchuriki.

Sarutobi prayed it wouldn't come to that, and picked up his pace even more, with himself already taken to the trees and was well on his way to Jiraiya's last known location, according to Gamasaki. His heart raced to a degree that would be considered detrimental to his health given his age, but he didn't care. Nothing would happen to Naruto on his watch. He wanted to alert the entire village and all his Shinobi, but it was a Holiday, and he didn't want to cause a panic and bring even more fire to Naruto.

As he leapt from branch to building, he took out his Scrye Crystal and searched for Naruto. He growled in annoyance as the child in question did not appear. Pocketing the object, he traveled for a few more minutes before he came to Jiraiya'a last known and continued searching from there.

He couldn't find anything until he came in view of an old abandoned park in Naruto's district that he was sure he ordered rehabilitated months ago. Feeling Jiraiya's massive Chakra Signature, a ray of hope struck him as he Shunshined towards the tree line.

"Tell me you got there in time Jiraiya."

He felt a strong pulse of chakra from Jiraiya, big enough for a Jutsu and leapt towards the source of the light without a second thought.

Shikaku Nara was having a very troublesome night. Not only had his wife invited all of her friends for a party he was against in the first place, but now the house was as noisy as the center of the village.

He clicks his tongue at the commotion below him. "Tch. Women." Well at least on the roof of his home he could stargaze in peace and watch as the bright balls of gas burn in silent harmony throughout space. How he wished he could be like a star. Unseen in the day, and at night, just glowing like no one cared.

"Yeah, that would be nice." He whispers,

A crash below forced him to shift his view slightly. It appeared Shikamaru had accidentally overturned the punch bowl and was getting an earful from his mother. Literally. Seriously that woman could pull off your ear from the way she would drag you around.

"SHIKAMARU NARA!"

The elder Nara closed his eyes in hopes of falling asleep, he would deal with his wife in the morning.

As the wind blew through the trees, he took solace in the soft rustling of the leaves, the harmonious howl of the wind and the silent alarm that sounded-

"KITSUNE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. JINCHUURIKI MIA. LOCATE AND SECURE!"

"What?!" Getting up from his position, he listened as the alarm repeated itself for the last time. "What've you gotten yourself into now Naruto?"

In a single movement, two ANBU, one of them, the ANBU Commander, clad in a brown hood and the usual regalia of the black ops, and the other an ANBU Operative with a Weasel Mask, materialized beside him.

Before Shikaku could speak, the ANBU Commander spoke, "Shikaku-san, this is not a drill, Sandaime-sama and the others are already searching. We are at Offensive Condition Two, Covert Kitsune Protocol Operations have been authorized." Ryu handed him a radio ear piece.

Shikaku nodded as he placed the device on his ear, "What do we have so far?"

"I don't have all the details, I know as much as about anyone right now, but for Hokage-sama to raise the alarm, it means something serious has happened to warrant an all out search. Teams are already searching through most of the sectors. Sandaime-sama and presumably Jiraiya-sama are already scouring through sectors four and six respectively. I'll be heading back to headquarters to mobilize more of our reserve assets and better coordinate with our Sensors."

Shikaku looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I'll be handling Field Command. Keep comms up for any developments."

The three Shinobi disappeared into the night in search of their Jinchuuriki, leaving Shikaku's very flustered wife plotting all the chores she would have him do for leaving her alone at their party. With a low growl she turns on her heels and goes back to the party. "Wait til you come home...DEAR..."

As he leapt through the trees, a chill ran down Shikaku's spine for some reason. He lets out a grunt and focuses on the matter at hand. "Troublesome."

Kakashi and Yugao had just finished paying their respects to the ghosts of the past when the alarm sounded.

"KITSUNE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. JINCHUURIKI MIA. LOCATE AND SECURE!"

For a moment, both ANBU Operatives stilled, then the next second they were staring at each other with the same thought in their heads.

"Did we just fuck up?" The masks hid their faces, but they didn't have to take them off to know that they had the same wide-eyed expression on their faces. Sector 5, where Naruto's residence was located, was where they were supposed quite a bit of time ago.

"Just my luck...!" Thought Kakashi bitterly.

"Attention all operatives." The firm voice of ANBU Commander Ryu filled their ears through their headsets and they unconsciously straightened. "In light of the Hokage's activation of the Kitsune Protocol, Konohagakure no Sato is now at Offensive Condition Two. This is not a drill. Repeat. This is not a drill. Target's last known position was northbound along Sector 5. All conditions of the protocol apply, except this will remain a strictly covert operation until further notice. All Operatives report to your pre-designated positions and or routes and await further orders."

Their radios suddenly again crackled and a the voice of the adjutant-on-duty snapped them out of their stupor. "Inu! Cat! What's the situation along Sector 5?" The two black ops operatives looked at each other again and for one second contemplated on bending the truth, but years of discipline and harsh training under the ANBU made them do otherwise. "Repeat, what's the situation along Sector 5? Any sign of the target or any tangoes?"

Kakashi and Yugao had already Shunshined away from the memorial stone and were on well on their way to Sector 5.

"Cat here sir, we were delayed, but are en route. E.T. minutes."

"Roger that Cat." There was a brief pause before the adjutant's voice returned, sounding grave. "The Hokage is going to want to see you later."

Inu unconsciously clenched his fists. "This is Inu. Noted command."

1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES EARLIER

It was his birthday.

Naruto Uzumaki turned seven years old today...not that he cared too much about it of course. What's the point of celebrating a nobody's birthday?

"What's so special about birthdays anyway?"

He'd seen other kids celebrate their birthday with their parents. He had been envious of the gifts they received, all the junk food their parents allowed them to eat. But most of all, he knew that when someone had a birthday, it was a family thing.

Family

Aside from being Hokage, that was his greatest dream actually. He had friends sure, Kiba, Shikamaru and a few others. But he knew families were special. You have a bond with them that no one else has. You grew up with them. It was your mother that bore you. Your father who taught you. Your siblings who looked out for you. You were with them for most of your life and it was both nature and their nurture that made you into who you were. Without them...you're incomplete.

Blood

You were bound together whether you liked it or not. And Naruto was sure he would've loved it. Being alone was one of the most painful things one could possibly experience in life. No one to talk to about your problems. No one to share smiles with. And certainly no one to have birthday with.

Naruto was always alone and even more than that, the villagers resented him for some reason and he didn't know why. He noticed it one day and just silently wondered whether or not he did something to make them treat him the way they did.

Kids his age and especially the adults took a good distance away from him whenever he was around. Half the shops wouldn't even sell to him. Half of the other half of shops always over-charged him. It's no small thanks to Teuchi and Ayame that he has a full three meals most days. He was thankful that it was his favorite dish, a nice hot bowl of ramen, or two, maybe three, no make that ten.

At the Academy he was always trying to get attention. By-product of not having anyone acknowledge you, save for the cold stares and glares he gets daily.

"Those don't count." He glares at the white ceiling above his bed and adjusts his position.

"Why did my Birthday have to be on this day of all days?" A sad look graces his face as he reminisces on his previous birthdays. Some at the orphanage, those memories weren't pleasant.

He silently cursed his parents for that.

Parents

If he couldn't have any, Naruto wished he knew who they were. That would give him comfort. He also wanted to know why they thought he could grow up alone.

"Is it their fault?"

"No, I don't think I can blame 'em." He mused. Whatever they did, he believed it had to be a good reason. Seeing the parents of all of his friends, he couldn't even begin to imagine a parent hating their own child. Instead, he liked to think his parents had to make he most difficult choice in their lives, difficult enough for them not to be here for him.

For his all his Birthdays.

For his life.

He mostly wondered about why the villagers treated him that way. No matter how extreme some were, it couldn't have been all the pranks he'd been pulling. A mischievous grin crossed his face as he remembered the latest prank he pulled. He wonders if the Hyuuga would ever get the color out of their teeth after he put a bagful of Beetroot dye in their Tea. Just the thought of Hiashi Hyuuga smiling those Pearly Purple teeth brought out a laugh that he sorely needed. Sure the Hokage didn't let him hear the end of it, but for him it was worth it. That'll teach them to glare at him with those creepy eyes of theirs.

He turns off the lights so that no one would know he was home and proceeds to turn on a small frog-shaped nightlight beside his bed. Some assholes had the gall to torment him even in his own home. "Bastards." He curses.

Snickering to himself, he gets up from the bed, walks towards the window, and turns his gaze to the center of the festivities along the main road, as the celebration officially started.

Lights.

Fireworks.

Music.

Fun.

It was so beautiful.

Naruto wished he could join. It looked like a lot of fun, but he knew better. There were so many people out on the street, and he doubted he could enjoy himself anyway. With everyone staring at him and pushing their children away from him, it woudl've just been another cold day. He fixes his black shirt and ties the knot on his khaki shorts before slipping onto his frog slippers and moving towards the dining table, taking one of the two seats.

He at least wished he could go with his friends to it, Kiba even offered earlier today, but he was forced to decline out of fear...as usual. He remembered last year and all the other years he tried to go. He just got chased off, almost beaten up, if he wasn't so skittish and quick-witted.

"Stupid villagers should exercise more." Laughing to himself as he remembered a rather plump man tried to chase him away from one of the booths last year, only for the idiot to fall into one of the food carts.

Just then, an idea crossed his mind. Maybe he could try a prank next year! "Itching powder in the fireworks and everyone would be doubled over scratching themselves silly in seconds!" He cackled evilly and started plotting the prank of the century. Hopefully he could make it work, it would seal his title as the prankster king of Konoha! They'll acknowledge him for sure once he dethroned the Red Devil or whoever that was.

"Now if only the gag shop sold an entire barrel of itching powder, I'll be good to go." The smile on his face promised pure torment.

Pranking dreams aside, his thoughts move to a more pressing matter.

The blonde decides to get started on his own small celebration...party of one.

Naruto lets loose a smile as he takes out a treat he bought himself today with his savings. Now seated beside the dining table, the blond takes out a small pink box from the plastic bag he had on the table. Inside was a simple Chocolate Cupcake with a candle shaped like the number seven on it that he bought from a kind old lady's bake shop down the street, who was even nice enough to give him a free candle.

He cherished these moments of peace he had. To others it may seem small, but to Naruto, it meant the world to him. He reminded himself to thank the old man for the birthday money he got earlier today. Even if he was alone, at least it was quiet and he was safe from the sadness and loneliness that plagued him.

Taking the match taped to the side of the pastry box, he lights it and allows the flame to touch the wick of the birthday candle. He says a short prayer and sends off a silent wish into the night, ignoring the loud steps and muffled voices that seem to be coming up the stairs outside his apartment.

"Not even midnight and they're drunk." Using his almost Inuzuka-like sense of smell, which he was sure was both a gift and a curse form Kami, he could smell the alcohol and...fire?

Shaking his head and ignoring the noise down the hallway, he blows out the candle and smiles to himself. "Happy Birthday Naruto Uzu-"

CRASH

His door was violently thrown open and a rather large crowd of men and a few women started screaming at him, pointing at him, overturning his furniture-

"DEMON!"

"DIE!"

"YOU KILLED MY SON!"

A loud voice from the back of the crowd suddenly drowned out the rest, "BURN HIM!" The crowd cheered in agreement and was now surging towards Naruto. The crowd tossed his small dining table aside with the cupcake flying away and landing somewhere in the living room.

All the while, tears were streaming down Naruto's eyes. He was frozen in place as a torrent of emotions flooded him, anger, hate, confusion, but most of all...

FEAR

The small and frail blue-eyed blond seven year-old boy was afraid. He knew he was going to die. He wouldn't be able to get away this time. He was cornered. Maybe this is what he deserved anyway.

Was there any meaning to his life?

Sad and dark thoughts flooded his head as everything around him happened in slow motion. The crowd rushing forward, moving to grab him. Those hands, waiting to tear him apart for something he didn't even know or understand. Most of the crowd reeked of alcohol and wondered how much did some of them even have.

Whether it was adrenaline or just simply the will to live, Naruto would never know, but at that moment just before he thought he was going to die, using sheer willpower, he leapt away and ran into the bedroom, but not before something cold pierced him on his side, just below his lower-left rib. Blood started rushing down his side as he jumped on the bed and shimmied up the window above it.

He felt the rush of cold air outside hit his face and his heart raced at the prospect of getting away.

"I got him!" A crowd member shouted as he held Naruto's foot with a vice grip, refusing the child exit from the hell that was now his apartment.

"This is it, isn't it?"

He already had half a mind made up to just let go and get it over with. But another side of him screamed to live, it was almost an unnatural voice in his head, almost like a roar. His fingernails were scraping against the woodwork of the window frame, threatening to snap off his fingernails. Without the slightest pang of regret, Naruto kicked the man holding him in the face and a sharp crack was heard.

Pushing himself through the window, he landed in a heap on the soil. He chuckled for a second at his luck and the man's broken nose, but then heard the crowd rush down the staircase of the Apartment Complex.

"Kuso..." He cursed, as He jumped over the rusty metal fence and started down the dimly-lit dirt road. As he ran, he suddenly felt a sharp pain and clutched at his side. He felt something sharp and metallic. Wrapping his fingers on the sides, he pulled hard and growled in pain, "Shuriken?!" He frowned as he realized there must have been some Shinobi in the crowd. He also had several scratches on his leg that were bleeding, aside from the deep wound he had on his sternum, he silently hoped the rib where the projectile hit wasn't broken.

"There he is!" A shout from the corner brought him back to reality and he started down the next road at an even faster pace, his young legs burned with the strain, as some of the crowd were fast on his heels.

Shinobi

Naruto wasn't sure what set them off this time, but it had to be something big. He was sure it wasn't the Hyuuga or any of the Ninja Clans because if they wanted him dead, he would already be dead and it wouldn't be something as flashy and chaotic as this.

"Arrggh!" Pain shot through his back as another projectile buried itself his right shoulder blade. He almost stumbled forward and it was only through luck that he pulled it out and ran even faster than he thought possible. He knew he wouldn't last any longer, especially in this part of town where most areas where deserted, coupled with his injuries.

"I guess I'm not safe anywhere." But he had to try. He turned at yet another corner and sped off in the direction of the center of the celebration along the main road, hopefully the mob would give up when he ended up in a crowded area.

"Don't let him get away!"

"He's heading for the square!"

Naruto was more afraid than ever. He was getting tired and his destination wasn't getting closer fast enough. The Shinobi would catch up to him any moment, he had to lose them somehow. He must have already been going three blocks when the noises behind him were slowly dying down.

The sounds of the crowd's footsteps were getting louder and louder. He heard them screaming for him to stop and accept his punshiment, but it only served to strengthen Naruto's resolve and he unconsciously began pumping chakra into his legs to augment his speed. He ran past a sign informing him of the distance from the center of Konoha and near the horizon, he could see the number of tall buildings steadily increasing.

Smiling at his luck, he turned the corner into a small access road going in between two abandoned apartment blocks, hoping to make it to the river where he could cross the bridge and be at the Hokage Tower in minutes, he would be out of Sector 5, as the ANBU called it.

"More like hell now."

But it was not to be.

OOOMPH!

Naruto was suddenly introduced to the ground, face first. It was a Shinobi by the way he literally got the drop on him when the bastard came down on him like thunder from the roof of a nearby building. Naruto swore he heard his right arm crack and if it wasn't broken, which he thought it was, there must have been at least a fracture. He tried to scream but the pain from his arm was so strong, it was like the air had left his lungs.

"I got him!" The Shinobi announced to the coming crowd who cheered in barely restrained malice. He was straddling Naruto at this point and the blond haired boy could only make out the man's short brown hair and black eyes staring at him with a hint of satisfaction.

Naruto did his best to break free, tugging at the man's Chuunin Vest, but it was no use, he couldn't do anything.

"I'm might die tonight."

The reality Naruto was in right now shook him to the very core.

He was so afraid.

All the pain and anguish to come, what these people would do to him. He believed there wasn't anything they wouldn't do to him. He just took a morbid appreciation of the fact that after this they wouldn't let him live to see his eighth birthday come to pass.

His heart was beating even faster than when he was running a few minutes ago. Blood poured out from his steadily healing wounds. His clothes were slowly being torn apart. Dirt got in his eyes at one point. Then came a sharp pain to the head as someone tried to smash his face in with a rock, but he managed to moved to the side so it grazed his temple instead.

He tried to bring his arms up in a futile attempt to defend himself. He even managed to slip away from the Shinobi straddling him, but someone else caught him just as easily. One of the crowd, presumably the Shinobi threw him against the aluminum wall of one of the buildings and his back hit it rather hard.

"Please... Stop... I'm sorry... Please!" His small plea fell on deaf ears as he crowd was slowly closing in on him again.

He was already numb at this point, the pain from his shoulder and his rib cage all but forgotten in his dire fate. His eyes slowly turned glassy and slowly but surely, his mind was somehow detaching itself from reality. His body was reacting almost as if it had also given up.

His fate rescinded, a small whisper escaped from the blonde child's lips, one that even he could not hear with the shouts of the crowd surrounding him. "Guess I got my wish... See you in a bit Mom... Dad..."

His fear replaced by acceptance and the prospect of seeing his parents again he ceased his struggle, beckoning for the Shinigami to grant him a swift end.

As he sat with his back against the wall, bleeding, broken, tossed around and beaten like a rabid dog, he wiped a small amount of blood from his mouth and dared to look up the crowd in front of him, ready to pounce again and put him through hell

A drunk man on his right pointed his broken bottle of Sake at him and leered through broken teeth, 'You're gonna die tonight demon!"

"You're gonna pay for what you did!" Shouted a woman in the crowd.

The Shinobi in the crowd stepped forward, wearing the Konoha Chunnin Vest with his Hitaite on his forehead, gleaming in the moonlight. He pushed his brown hair out of his eyes to allow Naruto to see the madness within. The shinobi's smile promised pain and a slow death. He pulled out a Kunai and the crowd cheered behind him. "Say goodnight demon."

Naruto closed his eyes and raised his head, exposing his neck, hoping the Shinobi would slash at it and just end his miserable life once and for all. "Good nigh-"

SLASH!

CLANG!

The sound of metal slicing flesh was heard as well as something hitting dirt.

A few seconds afterwards a guttural scream tore thorough the evening air.

"AAARRHGHH!"

Naruto opened his eyes in shock and saw his would-be executioner kneeling in front of him, tears streaming down the man's face as he closely clutched his left arm, which was now devoid of a hand. Blood rushed from the cleanly sliced wound and Naruto could see the man's bone and flesh in all it's bloody mess. As a pool of blood formed around the man, the crowd stared wide eyed at what or who appeared in a flash. Naruto turned his gaze to his left where the crowd was now openly gaping and staring at in pure unadulterated fear.

"Who the hell are you?!" Someone in the crowd actually had the guts to yell.

The person in question, who Naruto now praised as his savior turned his head slightly to the right to face the crowd.

Naruto notices that the man, "No, boy." , he corrects himself, had his right arm outstretched in a seventy degree angle, with a green sword held firmly. Naruto notes that the sword looked like a blade of grass with a cross hilt and also sees the tip of the blade covered in blood.

Naruto's savior had fairly light skin and was roughly over five feet tall with muscles that were reasonably toned for his age. He wore a light blue short-sleeved shirt that had a white hood, with small dog ears that was draped over the boy's head, slightly covering his eyes, but Naruto could still see streaks of blonde hair hanging down the boy's forehead. A green fatigue backpack was strapped to his back. The boy also had on dark blue fingerless gloves with matte metal plates on the back of the hands, which matched his midnight blue shorts and black combat boots.

Naruto's eyes widened and his heart was filled with even more relief when he saw that the boy also had a Kunai holster strapped to his right thigh on the lower half of the dark blue shorts and he swore he could also make out a belt with a small pouch on the boy's left hip. Naruto could also see a Hitai-ate around the boy's waist with the Kanji for 'Justice' on it.

"Thank Kami..." Naruto couldn't believe it. One moment he was sure he was going to die and the next, this kind boy saved him at the last minute.

The level of Killing Intent oozing from the boy was enough to freeze except the most hardy of the mob.

The boy's blue eyes were as cold as ice as he stared the crowd down, just daring them to do something. One of the crowd stepped forward and was helping lead the injured Shinobi away. Just as someone in the crowd mustered the courage to speak, Naruto's savior beat him to the punch.

"Leave now." Anger was evident in his tone, like venom and acid, although if one listened closely, there was also evidence of a foreign accent in the way he spoke. Looking down at the severed hand, he picks it up and throws it at the Shinobi who was hit solidly on his face with it. "All of you deserve to lose a limb or two, maybe more. How could you do this to a child, an innocent one at that, who did nothing to any of you!" The boy's hands were trembling as he shouted, his sword gripped tightly on his hand.

He took a step forward and the crowd took one back with some of the members of the group making a break for it. The boy regards the runaways with a fury in his eyes. He would have loved to chase them down but decided it was a waste of time. "Justice will be served soon enough." He thinks to himself, now focusing on the mob still in front of him.

Another one in the crowd, a young Genin by the looks of it, whow as a small girl with her Hitai-ate on her left shoulder, just below her orange hair. A newly minted Genin by the looks of it, she was just as tall as Naruto. She stepped forward defiantly and pointed at the hooded boy, "This is none of your business-"

Whatever the Genin was about to say was cut short as a dark figure suddenly materialized on Naruto's right side, it was a girl this time, who looked a bit older than the boy beside her.

She had light blue-gray skin and long, midnight black hair that reached to her back. She also had two marks on her neck, which looked like two skulls, with the one overlapping the other. He could tell she was growling under her breath and while bearing her teeth, she looked like she had a pair of small fangs. Like the boy, she looked like a Shinobi, but at the same time she faintly resembled a rock star from a Manga he read.

She was wearing an onyx black tank top with a Hitai-ate bearing the kanji for 'Soul' wrapped around her left bicep. She also had on the same fingerless gloves as the boy, also with backhand guards. She wore dark blue pants that had three utility pouches on the left and a Kunai Holster on right. The pants were tucked inside her dark red combat boots, which had two buckle and straps wrapping around them running parallels to one another.

Naruto swore for a second her eyes were green, before he saw them glowing red in the moonlight, matching her face which contorted into one of anger and disdain. "I should kill all of you for this." She says icily to which her companion nods in agreement. Naruto also vaguely notices her strange accent. Her killing intent now palpable in the air.

In one fluid movement, the scary chick, as Naruto now dubbed her, pulled a Kunai from her holster. He noticed that it was thinner and more pointed than standard-issue ones he practiced with at the academy. What he didn't know was that he was right about that. In fact the Kunai was designed almost exclusively to be thrown and not for close combat.

One of the men in the crowd raised his fist at the girl and shouted, "You wouldn't dar-"

SLICE!

Naruto didn't even notice the girl move, but he saw the man reach for the side of his head, to which his eyes widened at what he felt.

The man in question had stopped his rant as he reached for his left ear...which was now absent from its fixed position and instead felt warm liquid flowing down the side of his head. The man started trembling and when he saw his ear, or what was left of it, on the ground beside him, covered in his blood.

"NOOOO!" He let out what had to be the second loudest scream of the night.

That's when all hell truly broke loose.

"RUN!"

"THEYRE GOING TO KILL US ALL!"

"HELP HELP! THE DEMON HAS FRIENDS!"

The crowd started running in a frantic motion to get away from the two sadistic Shinobi they had just encountered. Scrambling away from the scene of the crime, some tripped and others ran over each other, moving as fast as they could.

The hooded boy let out a heavy sigh he forgot he was holding and turned towards -

"Gah!"

He lets out a grunt as the child he just saved tackled him to the ground and started hugging the life out of him.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Naruto could honestly say he was the luckiest orphan in the world.

He really thought he was going to die, but it looked like fate had snapped out of her stupor and decided to save the day. He didn't realize it yet, but he'd already started crying again, thoroughly damping the other boy's shirt in tears of and relief.

For a second, the other blonde was frozen as he just stared at Naruto with sympathetic blue eyes. The child was still showering him with thanks and...tears? "You're welcome kid." He says with a smile as he ruffled Naruto's golden locks of hair.

The dark-skinned girl on the other hand simply smiled at the two and knelt down beside them. She patted Naruto's head and said, "Hey, what about me? I helped too!" She pouts playfully.

Naruto, realizing his mistake suddenly stops and turns towards her. Her cold heart just breaks at his smile and tear-filled azure eyes. She doesn't stop him when he moves to hug her and soak her in tears. "Thank you kunoichi-san..."

"You're welcome kid." She giggles.

The hooded blonde smiles at the two in front of him. Suddenly, a voice beside him says, "Good job bro. You found him just in time."

"Yeah." He replies, "We did." He smiles as Naruto places a small kiss on the girl's cheek making her blush and laugh at his antics.

Only when he was sure there were no stray Shinobi from the crowd trying to sneak on the roof did he jump down from his perch. Beside the hooded Shinobi sat a large golden dog, about as big as a full-grown Inuzuka hound. He'd arrived along with the girl earlier and watched everything unfold from the roof. The dog had a dark blue collar around his neck with a peculiar symbol on it, it almost looked like a letter, but it sure wasn't in Kanji. Also on the dog's neck, overlapping the collar, Naruto saw a Hitai-ate hanging, with the Kanji for 'Peace' engraved on it

The hooded Shinobi turned towards the dog and asked, "Where are the other two?"

The dog doesn't avert his gaze from Naruto. "In the hideout." He says.

The girl was now patching up the mildly serious wounds the boy received or what was left of them anyway. Most of the wounds had already healed and his arm was still sore, but she could tell the bone was mending.

"No doubt the Kyuubi's doing. At least it's good for something other than ruining his life." She muses.

She softly cradled the child's head in her hands and smiled. "You're safe now Naruto. From now on, we'll keep you away from anyone who tries to hurt you."

The hooded blonde stands up and proudly declares, "That's a promise Naruto. You won't be alone anymore." He gauges Naruto's reaction and is slightly disappointed when the boy only half-smiles. "What is it dude?"

Naruto stayed silent and looked between the boy and the girl and even spares a glance at the giant golden dog. "For real?" He said quietly, expecting a negative outcome, equivalent to what he usually got.

"Yes Naruto. We never go back on our word." The dark girl said giving him a reassuring smile.

The hooded blonde nods in agreement. "Never and we know you don't too. You can trust us Naruto. We care about you. The injustice and self-righteousness in this world will not harm you anymore!"

A glimmer of hope passes through Naruto's eyes. What these strangers were saying was too good to be true, things like this never worked out for him.

"But when has that stopped me?" A voice inside him suddenly says.

Naruto turned to look the hooded teen in the eye, blue meets blue. "Really?"

Before either of the two people could speak, the golden dog, quiet until now stepped forward and extends his right paw towards Naruto, who notes that the paws looked more like clawed hands in a sense.

"Where we come from Naruto, we don't let the weak perish, we try to look out for them, especially my friend here," he gestures towards the hooded blonde boy with his snout, "He never breaks a promise. Even when I act like a total ditz with the attention span of a candy squirrel, he's still there for me, just like we'll be there for you from now on."

At first Naruto is shocked that the dog could speak, but remembers some of the Inuzuka dogs could too. Although the dog also had that funny accent the other two seem to speak in, almost as if they were from another continent.

Naruto is unsure of what to make all of this really, it all just seems too convenient, things never worked out this way for him before. He saw their Hitai-ates, they weren't Konoha Shinobi. But then again, what value would a couple of foreign Shinobi see in him anyway?

"They had no reason to help me. They couldn't have possibly cared less of who I was." Naruto realizes. If these people were trying to trick him, then why would they go through such an elaborate stunt. People, who Naruto has never seen before.

"In fact, I don't think they're from around here." He muses. Judging by their accents and the way they looked, especially the girl who had an almost dark gray tinge to her skin. The boy looked quite familiar though, but he just couldn't place it.

It couldn't hurt... Could it?

Naruto looked at the boy with a questioning look. "But why? What's so special about me that you'd care? And how do you know me? I'm nobody..." Naruto's eyes turn glassy as he says the last part.

All the strangers' hearts broke at that statement.

Naruto doesn't notice it, but the girl stiffens at the question, but the reassuring smile on her face doesn't even buckle.

"I understand your pain kid..." She tells herself. "But you're strong."

Before she could open her mouth, her blonde companion beats her to it. "I for one Naruto, know what it's like to be alone. Where I come from, believe it or not, I'm the only..." He pauses for a second, almost slipping from his intended storyline.

"I'm the only Human..."

"shinobi in my town..." He laughs at that. Saying it out loud was kind of funny and sad for him at the same time. "But I bet you know what it's like growing up without knowing who your parents were or why you grew up without them in the first place? It's like you missed half of your life and you don't even know it half the time."

Naruto stares at the hooded teen with an empathetic look on his face. "I've had a fun life, but it wasn't always easy. I can't even remember who my folks were, I lost my memory of them when they died...traumatic experience or something like that was all the doctor said. Hell, I don't even know exactly where I came from. Being the only Shinobi left in my town made me sort of an outcast. Sure people are nice, but you just can't relate with them properly... It's like you're in a glass box... They see you, but don't understand you. Sometimes they're afraid of you." The teen's eyes slowly fill with a few tears.

The golden canine unconsciously moves closer to his best friend.

Naruto slowly stands up and takes a step forward. He could sense the truth and the pain in the the other boy's words. "Really? I... I... I thought I had it bad... At least there are people here you can really relate with somewhat." Naruto lets out a half-hearted chuckle remember his many escapades with Kiba and Shikamaru.

The blonde teen laughs at that and places a reassuring hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Believe me Naruto, I know how hard it is to have nowhere to place yourself and everywhere you look, you seem so out of place, like there is nowhere you could possibly fit in. But you know what?"

"What?" Naruto asks meekly thoroughly intrigued and empathetic with the stranger's confession.

"I have a really good friend. My best friend, who's family found me and raised me." The blonde teen places a hand on the golden dog's shoulder. "His family raised me and we've grown up together ever since. He saved me from the never ending pit of loneliness and grief of why I ended up as the last Shinobi in the small town of Kadokawa in Mizu. All of the Shinobi who lived there had Bloodlines...and...well, they were forced to leave..." The ominous tone he used suggested a far darker tale.

"Oh... I see... Wait, isnt he a dog?" Naruto asks with a genuinely confused look on his face.

"No shit!" The canine says in jest.

Everyone laughs at that and the girl bops Naruto lightly on the head. "Excellent observational skills kid, you'll be a fine Shinobi."

"Yeah, his family found me out in the woods when I was very young and we've been together ever since! And I met this awesome chick right here along with two more of my friends now and the rest is history." The blonde teen stands up and starts telling a short story on one of their adventures together, the one about the grass sword he carried.

As Naruto listened intently, the hooded teen was in a swirl of emotions. He had never really spoken of any of those things out loud, but seeing Naruto and knowing what the kid has gone through all his life struck a very melancholic chord within him.

"We're sort of alike actually..." He smiles inwardly as he sees the boy in front of him, all hope restored with just a simple gesture.

He regards his best friend, the dog, seated next to him. "We could actually make this work. I know Naruto can do this. With him, we might actually succeed."

Before his memories could gobble him up completely, he quickly gets to the awesome parts of the story, as he calls them, mainly he and his best friend kicking ass all over the place.

The dark haired girl on the other hand was simply happy she got to save such a sweet innocent soul's life, although majority of her emotions were still entangled in anger over what the child went through a scant half hour ago."What kind of village is this? If I had my way everyone in that crowd would be banished to the Nightosphere along with most of this forsaken place."

She was, for all intents and purposes, a creative and sadistic bitch, even more so when when she put her mind to it, the kid's pranks probably wouldn't even compare to her own - She grins inwardly for a moment as she already had started planning all the things she would teach her new apprentice. Not only was she the Vampire Queen, she was also the Queen of Pranks, but it seemed as though it was time for a king to rule beside her. Cackling madly within her mind scape, she would definitely leave her mark in this universe.

On the other hand, the only canine of the group was quite happy with the results of their adventure so far, but he was quickly getting bored of just sitting around. Attention Deficit Disorder aside, he was actually just hungry, having spent the last few hours combing the village for this kid really worked up an appetite. It also didn't help that he liked food more than he liked people, but he kept that last detail to himself.

Events of the past half hour but a dark blur on his mind, Naruto laughed with his newfound acquaintances for a bit before he interrupted the story with a question. "Hey wait! You still didn't answer my question! How do you know who I am?"

The group stops for a second, before the hooded teen places a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "We'll get to that Naruto, right now though, it's your birthday isn't it?"

At this Naruto looks sullen. "Yeah... It is..."

The girl and the teen share a look for a second before the dog rolls his eyes at the two and says, "We know you haven't had the most..." The dog struggled for a moment looking for the right words, before the girl kindly supplied them.

"We have a surprise for you Naruto, one that would make you love your birthdays from now on!" She smiles at Naruto and extends a hand towards him.

The blonde teen pumps his fists into the air and grabs Naruto's hand. "It's gonna be the best dude, and you'll never forget it!" The teen cheers excitedly.

Before Naruto could say anything, the dog suddenly and literally stretches one of his limbs and scoops Naruto up and places the child on his back. "Hold on Naruto!"

"Wah!" Naruto shouts as they suddenly moved at break-neck speeds with the hooded teen and the girl following suit, just as fast.

Naruto was cheering for the dog to go faster and jump higher, to which his newfound friend graciously obliged. As they ran through the night, the stars and the moon lit their path for them like runway lights to paradise.

They hopped over the rooftops for a a minute or two before entering a forested area, which Naruto recognized as the park he used to play in a lot before the academy. His keen senses kicking in, Naruto sees the faint glow of a flame in the distance and he could practically smell the wood burning.

"We're almost there!" The dog shouts.

"You ready Naruto?" The girls asks him.

Naruto looks at her quizzically, "For what kunoichi-san?" The dark haired girl just giggles and points forward.

Naruto stares ahead and at that moment they entered a large clearing in the forested area. In the span of a single second, Naruto was like a kid in a candy store. Mouth watering, eyes wide in delight and indecision, his entire body was shaking with anticipation and excitement at what he saw.

At the center of the clearing was the biggest bonfire Naruto had ever seen burning furiously. Something smelled absolutely delicious in the giant iron pot which was about five feet tall and was placed over the flames. It had to be Ramen, couldn't be anything else. "It's a GIANT pot of RAMEN!"

Tohis left, he saw six black tents, lined up next to each other with their flaps open and fluttering in the soft breeze. Over on his right was what looked like a makeshift table, made of tree stumps and tree bark where bowls of food from salad to fresh fruits were laid out beside paper plates and plastic cups. Placed on to the side of the buffet table was a soda vending machine, that looked like it was forcibly and maliciously opened. Needless to say it was very much stolen. Naruto laughed at that and looked up at the many colorful party streamers and the banner hung over the buffet table that said, 'Happy 7th Birthday Naruto!' in the worst handwriting he'd ever seen.

"And I thought mine was bad..."

Different kinds of lanterns and streamers were also hung all over the many tree branches in the area, some looked familiar to Naruto. He was proven right when he saw one that said 'Ichiraku Ramen' on it and another which had the logo of a convenience store he was quite familiar with on one side. It was a surprise party and hastily put together by the looks of it. But Naruto either didn't notice or care about any of that. He was giddy with excitement and still couldn't believe that all of this was for him. Just as he was about to rush towards the giant pot full of ramen, two figures that he didn't notice until now stood up from their places around the bonfire and quickly approached the group.

"Naruto?" The hooded teen's voice snapped him out of his stupor and he looked up to see the boy smiling at him and making his way in front of Naruto where the group was now lined up in front of him. "Before anything else, we'd like to introduce ourselves."

Naruto looked at them all expectantly.

The blonde haired teen stood in the middle while the giant dog sat beside him. The dark haired girl stood a bit to the left, beside a pink-haired girl that looked about as old as she did. The pink-haired girl gave Naruto a cheeky smile.

She wore a matte gold Hitai-ate on her forehead that had a small red jewel in the middle of the kanji for 'Logic'. She had on a fuchsia-pink one-piece shoulder-less battle kimono that stretched down to the top of her knees and had sleeves starting from just a little bit above her elbows, as well as a matte gold sash around her waist. If one were to look closely enough, one might notice at least three small tubes, senbon launchers, hidden along the sleeves of her battle kimono covered by a thin translucent veil of tightly woven micro wires, most likely chakra activated if the lack of a visible launch system was any indication. Finally, she wore a pair of dark blue Shinobi sandals.

To their right knelt a green haired...boy? Girl? Naruto was thoroughly confused. This person had to be the most androgynous individual he's ever met.

"Too pretty to be a boy, but at the same time his... or her body looks like it belonged to a teenage boy." The clothing the person wore hid his body well.

Naruto wasn't really sure, but decided on a male paradigm of the person in light of the said individual's color scheme. He... Or she, had a small smile directed to him. Naruto wasn't sure if it was forced, it looked sincere, but it was like the person wasn't really used to smiling, whatever it was, it looked awkward to say the least.

The person had medium-length green hair tied up with a black silicon band in a ponytail, which couldn't have gone further than his shoulder. He also had black eyes that looked slightly grayish in the evening light.

He wore a pair of dark green khaki cargo pants as well as a dark green short-sleeved shirt with a dark brown vest on top of it that had shoulder guards on it, almost similar to Suna's if not for the less robust appearance and the metal plating on the pockets. Aside from those, he also had on a pair of dark brown Shinobi Sandals. A small scroll was strapped onto his back via a brown utility belt. He wore his Hitai-ate around his neck with the kanji for 'Truth' emblazoned on it.

The five of them had now formed a 'V' in front of Naruto, who now looked at them expectantly and with a mix of excitement and anxiety.

"Naruto." The Pink-haired girl spoke first. "We're so happy to meet you. I'm Prin- eh - Well, my real name is too long, but my friends here simply call me Hime. I hail from Tanzaku Gai." She extended a hand to Naruto, who took a few seconds before he shook it reluctantly.

"The pink princess." Thought Naruto. "Her hair is even pinker than Sakura's!" Naruto also noticed that she didn't speak with a heavy accent like the others.

Stepping in front of Hime who now looked a bit annoyed at being sided, was the 'Scary Chick' as Naruto dubbed her , who was giving him a very toothy grin. "I'm Onitaka Kurai. But you can just call me Oni for short. I used to live in the Land of Iron before this pink powder puff and blondie over there piqued my interests. Anyway, great to meet you Naruto!"

"She is scary, best not to piss her off." Naruto nodded towards her and smiled as best as he could, but he couldn't shake off his mind how much a few of her teeth looked like fangs.

Then came the golden canine who literally stretched his paw out to Naruto, much to the said child's wonder and amazement. "I'm Gōrudo, my bud and I are from Mizu! But he was from around here before he came." Naruto shook the outstretched paw, which was extended about five feet from it's original position.

Then, the green-haired teen was suddenly at Naruto's side. For a while, he just stared at Naruto in the eyes, long enough to add to the child's nervousness and make the blonde feel even more uncomfortable. Just as Naruto was about to suffer an anxiety attack, the pink-haired girl spoke up.

"What are you doing? You're freaking him out!" She said as she pulled her companion back a bit. The others sweat dropped at their friend's oddities.

"I'm merely establishing trust and familiarity through direct eye contact. After all, they are the windows to the soul are they not? I'm also attempting to make him comfortable by letting him see through me."

"No, you're violating his personal space and creeping him out!"

At this the green-haired boy moved an arm's length back. He looked to Hime, who gave an approving nod. "Much better."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still a bit wary of the weird teen before him. "Uh, Hi..." Was all he managed as he gave him a sheepish smile.

"Hello." Came the slightly monotonous reply. "I am Beemo from Kusagakure! Nice to meet you!" The older boy tried to sound happy, but it sounded like it was forced to Naruto. Suddenly, the green-haired teen took him in a tight hug, something which made the blonde's ribs hurt a bit.

Seeing the look on Naruto's face, Hime moved to pull the other boy away from Naruto before he could choke the kid. "Ok, you're familiar! Let go!"

Beemo did as he was told and dusted himself off as he stood up. Naruto on the other hand was still trying to catch his breath.

"He's stronger than he looks!" Naruto was still busy sucking up the oxygen when the final member of the group took a knee and smiled brightly at the blond.

"Naruto." The said kid smiled warmly as he gazed at the teen in front of him. "We're all glad to finally meet you! We came a long way here just for you."

Naruto's smile faded and looked confused again. "Um... About that. Thanks for all this, but... I'm still pretty confused." Naruto was a child, but he was not so naive as to believe complete strangers right away, even if he sensed they had no ill intent. " You see, I'm an orphan, and..."

Everyone's hearts sank at that, and they all turned expectantly to the blonde teen.

Sensing the question, the other blonde placed a reassuring hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Why?" He supplied.

A meek nod from the child in front of him was all he got. "Well Naruto, it's a long story. But before that, let me introduce myself. I'm Finn. Finn Namikaze. I was from right here in the Land of Fire before my parents decided to move to Mizu. I'm your cousin." Naruto knew he'd heard the boy's last name from somewhere before, maybe at the academy, and he was even more shocked by the last sentence, but he was cut off from his thoughts when-

"NARUTO!" The teens jumped out of the way in time to avoid a hail of Kunai that pierced the ground where they were standing a just seconds ago.

A split second later, just as Naruto was about to turn to the sound of the voice, he felt a sharp breeze and he fell to the ground as a huge man appeared in front of him. Clad in red with long white hair and a scroll on his back, the man was glaring daggers into the group of young adults. His right hand was outstretched and Naruto was mesmerized by a swirling blue ball of energy suspended over the man's hand.

The group of teens moved as soon as the large man had entered the clearing, they were now in a semi circle around Naruto and the newcomer, with various weapons drawn. Finn had his grass-like blade extended towards the man, while Hime stood to his right, both arms parallel to her body, revealing Senbon Launchers poised to strike at any moment. The other members of the group were also ready for anything with Gōrudo having put his paw into a half Ram Seal, something that didn't go unnoticed by Jiraiya. He could feel the chakra pooled in the dog's body, ready to be unleashed in the form of a Jutsu.

"A dog, with opposable thumbs?" Jiraiya quickly scanned the rest of the strangers.

He also spotted the slightly odd looking girl with dark gray skin who had her left hand extended towards him. From that angle, he could clearly see an odd pattern that he knew he saw in a book somewhere before. They were two black diamonds, with one overlapping the other. In between the fingers of her right hand were from what he could tell, three Hayabusa Kunai, deadly when thrown by an expert, although ancient by modern Shinobi standards, no one really valued the most basic Ninja Art of Thrown Weapons anymore.

Beside the girl was the cutest teen he'd ever seen. "Oh crap, she's a boy. Or? Hmm..." He decided he could think on that later and focused instead on the scroll wielded by the boy, which was unfurled towards him revealing an intricate pattern of characters packed in several small circles. Being a Fuuinjutsu expert, a quick glance told Jiraiya what would be released from the simple seal could be a gas or maybe even mist of some sort. If it was poisoned, it would be more trouble, especially to Naruto.

"Five to one. But their chakra signatures aren't Jonin level, mid to high Chuunin at least. Still no match for a Sannin." But Jiraiya knew that if it came down to it, he had an extremely dim chance of getting injured since he had to protect Naruto and fight five unknown opponents at once, who looked like they knew how to work together.

Jiraiya performed a quick analysis of the situation. The boy in front of him would no doubt rush him with the sword, while the dark skinned girl would pepper him with Hayabusa Kunai from afar, side by side with the pink-haired girl with the advanced Senbon Launchers. The dog was an unknown, but the Ninken would most likely provide close-range support side-by-side with the blonde teen in front of him. Finally, the green-haired one would most likely unleash whatever was in the scroll and while the area was shrouded with Kami knows what, take the opportunity to grab Naruto.

But then again he could be wrong. And he knew overthinking was just as bad as underestimating one's opponents.

The group in front of Jiraiya had also taken in the man in front of them. Judging from the chakra they could feel from him and the Jutsu on his right hand, coupled with the age of the hermit, they knew he was out of their league. They were trained for instances such as this, and it would only be through teamwork that they could hope to defeat this man if it came down to it. Then again, whoever this was, he had power they knew none of them possessed individually, but together, just maybe, they could do something if ever the shit hit the fan.

They took quick glances at each other, but mostly towards the pink-haired one of their group, who was glancing at the androgynous-looking teen. Jiraiya noticed this and sensed that they somehow were deffering to her and she to the green-haired boy. She didn't look like a leader to Jiraiya, but he knew not to underestimate his enemies. Meanwhile, the said girl turned a calculating gaze towards him.

The teens would not let anything happen to Naruto, not after what happened earlier.

Similar thoughts also crossed Jiraiya's mind. "Naruto..." He growled. "Just stay there, I'll handle them. I won't let anything more happen to you."

Naruto was confused, one minute he was getting to know his new acquaintances and the next, this big old guy was trying to protect him or something. He was shaking and trembling as killing intent oozed from both parties. He felt like he wanted to bite off his wrists with a Kunai but instead, opted to keep quiet.

The teens took a concerned glance towards Naruto, then switched to determination as they eyed the stranger who proclaimed he was going to protect Naruto. Jiraiya spared a quick sideways glance to assess Naruto's condition then turned back to the group.

The pink-haired girl, sensing no ill intent from the man towards Naruto spoke up first, and slowly lowered her arms in a way that was as non-threatening as possible, even showing the man her hands. "Shinobi-San. We are of no threat to you, Konoha, and especially Naruto. In fact, we saved him earlier from those you Shinobi of the leaf claim to protect! We only want to help Naruto. Please, hear us out." She said in a firm, yet cautious manner.

Jiraiya detected no lie in what the pink-haired girl and was slightly relieved but still guarded as she slowly gestured for her companions to lower their weapons. Everyone reluctantly did so, but Jiraiya did not release the Rasengan, he'd be damned if these strangers got the drop on him.

She knew they were cornered and even if they tried to escape, not all of them would make it. She also hoped that this gesture would let Konoha show them mercy, because either way, they had a high chance of getting hurt or worst. Princess Bubblegum figured it was best to be humble and be as non-threatening as possible.

The clattering of weapons on the ground sounded throughout the now quiet clearing, with only the flickering of flames of the bonfire being heard.

"Please Shinobi-Sama..." She pleaded as she knelt down and lowered her head. "Naruto's been through enough tonight." She inclined her head towards Naruto who looked like he could pass out at any moment while at the same time, shifting her fingers ever so slightly to adjust the thin chakra strings she had attached to her Senbon Launchers.

One by one, the others followed her example and knelt before Jiraiya. Finn and Gōrudo were more hestitant in their actions, but tried not to show it too much. They were all nervous at this point. The Shinobi in front of them obviously knew Naruto and from what they'd learned, he matched the description of one of the Legendary Sannin they were taught about. As such, they were quite weary of almost completely leaving themselves defenseless, but they trusted in Hime's judgement, after all, she was one of the most logical of the group.

Feeling his opponents' killing intent dissipating, Jiraiya decided to do stop leaking his K.I. as well, for Naruto's sake. He also cancelled the Rasengan he'd be holding. In that instant, Naruto inhaled and exhaled like he hadn't been breathing for the past few seconds. The boy looked frantically between the big man in front of him and his newfound acquaintences for a while before his mind's fight or flight instinct kicked in. Unfortunately for those in the clearing, he chose the latter.

Naruto's fear got the best of him after being exposed to so much killing intent, reminding him of the incident earlier in the night. He ran away from the group and headed towards the foliage. Jiraiya and the group of five were just about to go after him, with the former about to drop Smoke Bombs to cover his pursuit, when two white blurs stepped in front of Naruto, followed by a third that shimmered still as quickly as it came. The seven year-old let out a grunt as he bumped into something hard and fell flat on his bottom. When he composed himself, he looked up and felt relieved when he saw the familiar dog mask-wearing ANBU who always watched him, looking down on him.

He also saw an ANBU Operative he'd never seen before, wearing a Cat Mask with purple hair reaching down to her shoulders.

"Naruto!" Came a tired old voice from behind the two ANBU.

The blonde child looked up and smiled. "Old man Hokage!" He shouted, feeling less scared now as he hugged the aged Hokage and began telling him how he was so scared and about the weird Shinobi in red and a bunch of other things Sarutobi didn't really understand as the child spoke in a nervous pace.

Sarutobi could tell the boy was scared and confused, he would be after going through such an ordeal. His heart ached as he saw the boy covered in quite a few bandages and traces of dried blood in some spots along the disheveled clothing the child wore. Then his gaze fell upon Jiraiya who looked relieved to see him, but was slowly turning around to face a curious group of young adults.

"It's ok Naruto, you're safe now." Said Sarutobi. He looked to Kakashi and nodded. "Inform Command, Kitsune Protocol Rescinded," He said, turning towards the strangers in the clearing, "However we are still at Offensive Condition 2." Without another word, the two ANBU Shunshined out of the clearing with Naruto in tow, using the said Jutsu to augment their speed and appear as if they had teleported in a swirl of leaves, but in essence, were just moving quite fast.

Behind Sarutobi, Shikaku Nara emerged from the foliage and took in the scene before him, his face was impassive and even had a hint of boredom, but his mind was already analyzing several obvious facts as well as plans and strategies regarding the strangers before him should they become hostile, plans to protect the Hokage and possible strategies against an unknown enemy force, coupled with plans on how to placate his wife in the morning.

As Shikaku stood beside the Hokage, Jiraiya relaxed slightly and turned towards the quintet of teens kneeling before him. "Jiraiya." Came the firm tone of the Hokage. "Join the ANBU and ensure Naruto's seal has not been tampered with in any way."

The toad Sannin hesitated for a moment before he nodded and Shunshined out of the clearing following Kakashi, after all, five Chuunin against a Kage and a Sannin was simply unfair all on its own, add to that the ANBU and it should be considered a crime.

After Jiraiya had left, Sarutobi's calm yet calculating gaze fell upon the odd group of young adults before him. "Curious..." He thought to himself.

Finn was afraid. Sure they hadn't done anything wrong, but the Hokage didn't know that. All the evidence would point towards them, however circumstantial they may be. The only proof that they had was Naruto and that's if the child told the truth of what happened. He knew Naruto wouldn't let them down, but they still had to convince the Hokage to hear them out. Beside him, he could feel the slight pants of anxiety coming from Jake silently and absurdly wished Konoha didn't have capital punishment.

They didn't know what exactly to expect from these Shinobi. Sure, from what they'd been taught, Konoha was more open-minded and compassionate than their counterparts in the other lands, but the fact that this was a Shinobi village still carried quite some weight on their heads, something which they all silently prayed they wouldn't lose in the next few minutes.

"We didn't come all this way to be executed! Or worse!" Thought Marceline as her right hand twitched with anticipation, her eyes covertly darting to the Hayabusa Kunai she dropped earlier.

She wasn't scared, well at least not as much as she felt the others were. When it came down to it though, she knew they had no chance of a clean escape. Between a platoon of ANBU she guessed was just in the woods around them, and the Hokage along with a man who just screamed 'Elite Jonin', they had no chance of coming out alive if it all went to hell, even if it was her domain. Some of them might escape, but at great cost. She respected the way Princess Bubblegum handled the Shinobi in front of them earlier, clean, simple and with undeniable sensibility. She hoped it would work a second time.

Beemo didn't feel comfortable without his scroll, along with the bracers he had grown used to wearing about a year ago. He didn't know what exactly he was feeling since being human was still quite knew, but he guessed he was afraid, if almost peeing his pants upon seeing the Hokage was any indication. His hands trembled as he swallowed hard and struggled to do his job and logically analyze the situation before them before subsequently relaying the orders to his friends via painstakingly-studied hand signals. Usually, he and Princess Bubblegum came up with the plans.

Using a discreet set of hand signals, he relayed his observations to his team mates. "One Kage-level Shinobi, One High Jounin, 15 High Chunin to Jonin-level Shinobi Concealing themselves three hundred-sixty degrees all around, possibly members of Konoha's Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai. Total Danger level at S-Rank."

"No shit!" Signed Marceline.

Beemo was a sensor, but he knew he didn't have to be one in order to know their chances. "Best possible strategy... Maneuver 8." He signed towards Princess Bubblegum he nodded discreetly.

Seeing this, Finn's eyes widened a slight margin as he signed shakily, almost revealing their silent conversation. "Maneuvery 8?! HERE?! I am not rushing the Hokage and that Jonin!"

"Jake will back you up." Came the response from Marceline. The golden canine signed back with a middle finger.

"Don't worry, I'll use THAT seal." Came Beemo's quick reply.

"Enough. Let me speak. But just in case, wait for my signal." Was all Princess Bubble Gum signed as she bowed low, her forhead almost touching the ground. "Hokage-sama. We surrender unconditionally -"

"WHAT?!" Finn suddenly jumped up and everyone in the clearing tensed and drew their weapons but he was immediately punched to the ground head first by Beemo.

"Shut up Finn, there is no other way!" Shouted Princess Bubblegum.

"Yes Finn, please be silent." Said Beemo as he continued to hold the blonde boy down.

She spared him a fierce glare which made him stop his struggle before she turned back to the Hokage, who had just gotten into a stance, "Please forgive him Hokage-Sama, he's a bit overeager. We will tell you everything you wish to know and we assure you that all the facts can be verified by Naruto. Rest assured that our group does not have any ill-intent towards Konoha or her citizens and shinobi alike. We accept any measures you see fit to put us under."

Sarutobi spoke in calm, yet assertive manner as he continued to analyze the scene in front of him. "Really now." It was more of a statement than a question, but it did not deter Princess Bubblegum in any way.

"Yes Hokage-sama." She paused for a moment before continuing with renewed vigor in her voice. "We also swear allegiance to you, Konohagakure no Sato and her citizens and shinobi alike. We are your soldiers." At this, the entire group bowed even lower, with the exception of Finn who was still as low as he could possibly get.

Sarutobi's eyebrow raised at the last statement. He silently wished all his adversaries had surrendered in such convenient ways, but he was still unconvinced. Living in the Shinobi world did that to people. The fact wass that Foreign Shinobi were inside his village somehow and had an encounter with Naruto, whom they had apparently set-up a gathering for on the day of his birth. Everything was all peculiar and all over the place at the moment. Sarutobi sighed inwardly as he felt his hair wither away some. He was getting too old for this. Either way, their surrender had been sincere as far as he could tell and between him, Shikaku and his platoon of ANBU, he was glad they saw reason. Although still weary of the strangers, but because of their seemingly sincere pledge, he would stay their execution for trespassing and hear them out.

It was all he could do without any more facts at the moment.

"ANBU." He commanded and in an instant, an entire platoon, had taken positions around the group who only seemed mildly startled by their entrance. "Place them under arrest immediately and have Torture & Interrogation take their statements. Shikaku."

The said Nara was instantly at his side. "Hai Hokage-sama?"

"I will speak with Naruto once he has recovered some. Turn them over personally to Ibiki and Anko for processing. In light of their unconditional surrender and seemingly cooperative and forthcoming nature, you will ensure that they remain alive until I decide their fate once we have a picture of this entire scenario."

"Right away sir." Said Shikaku as he gave a signal to the ANBU to detain the teens.

Everyone in the group quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Princess Bubblegum smiled inside as she had somehow succeeded. "Thank you for your generosity Hokage-sama," She started. "truly Konoha is worthy of its title as the strongest of the five."

Sarutobi let out a light chuckle as the ANBU proceeded to take away their weapons and bind them for transport. "Don't thank me just yet, nothing has been proven."

Princess Bubble gum just nodded and smiled weakly as the ANBU began to take them away. The last out of the clearing was Finn who was the only one escorted by four Operatives, possibly due to his outburst earlier.

The Hokage eyed the last of the group for a moment. His eyes widened momentarily as he locked gazes with the blonde teen for a split second before the ANBU holding the him leapt away from the clearing.

A single name flashed through Sarutobi's mind.

"Minato?"