A/N: Yo, I've been a fan of Naruto for a few years now and I've had the idea for this fic swimming around in my head for awhile so I decided to kick myself into gear and start actually writing it, I hope you all enjoy!

The main differences from cannon other than the obvious is the ages, Naruto is fourteen at the beginning of this story and Konohamaru is only a year younger than him other than those most of the details will become apparent quickly!

'Thoughts'

'Kurama's Speech."

It was a rather serene night in the forests surrounding Konoha, he leaned back resting his back against the trunk of a tree as he watched the forest floor beneath him. The moon was out in full force, a huge beacon in the clear nights sky, providing him with more than enough light to make out the small details of nocturnal animals darting between the underbrush. Mist pooled in front of his face as he exhaled in a sigh.

Kumogakure was visiting once again after war time. A show of peace they had described it, which meant the entire Anbu was more than on guard around Konoha's borders. He sighed again, almost wishing Kumogakure would try something so he'd be able to move a little.

He grimaced and let out a quick snort of a laugh as he shook his head 'There's no way Kumogakure would do something that stupid.' He thought simply with a sigh as he settled back into his small roost amongst the treetops.

Almost an hour went by before he heard the sound of sandal's clatter against a branch not far from him, his eyes darted towards the origin of the sound, a man in the standard Anbu uniform, mask already pulled down over his face. The captain of his squad, Inu.

"I'm taking over this watch, you can move east. Don't let your guard down," Inu spat with barely concealed hatred "Kitsune."

He reached his hand up and pulled his mask down, it slid over his golden blonde hair and locked into place over his bright azure blue eyes. He smirked beneath his mask as he leaned forward and kicked in the direction he'd been ordered to go, silently making his way east from his position towards the Northern mountains of Konoha's border.

He couldn't have gotten farther than a mile from his original position before he stopped, pausing before he jumped to the next tree he frowned underneath the white mask he wore 'These positions were assigned by the Hokage, pops set this up intentionally. The captain doesn't have the authority to change the watch positions.' He sat for a moment as he thought 'The Hyuuga family are the ones hosting our guests from Kumogakure, it's supposed to be a show of good faith on our part. We know Kumo's been after the Byakugan since the war…' He spun on his heel and launched himself back in the direction he'd come 'Something about this feels off. I'd better confirm this before I do anything rash.'

"You'd think the Hyuuga would be able to keep a better eye on their young heiress," A male voice chuckled loudly as he darted along the forest floor "Isn't the Byakugan supposed to have the best vision of anything?"

"They were hosting us to show how much faith Konoha has in this alliance," The other male returned, face hidden behind a white bandana and the headband of Kumogakure tied over his arm "It just proves their trust." He finished with a cocky chuckle.

"We aren't out of Konoha yet, don't let your guard down," The third male spoke quietly as his scanned the trees around them "This isn't our turf, don't get cocky we don't know how quickly they will react."

"I wouldn't worry about that," A new voice cut in quickly as another man wearing Konoha's Anbu uniform dropped in beside the group of Kumo's ninja "I already cleared the way, everything's going perfectly to plan."

"Heh, you don't feel bad about betraying your countrymen?" The first Kumo ninja asked as he shifted a small figure on his back, a small girl with dark indigo hair currently ruffled from the wind and forest around them, she was bound tightly with rope and a blindfold was affixed tightly over her eyes. He shifted her unconscious form slightly again as he darted around another tree, watching the Konoha Anbu member closely.

"I've had enough of this village, their insistence on letting that damned demon fox do as he pleases. Maybe this will be a wakeup call for them, when they discover your group slipped out of Konoha in the area he was supposed to be on watch, I'll be in charge of the group sent to retrieve Lady Hinata. From there's it's as simple as killing my companions in their sleep and rejoining you." The captain explained "They might even execute the demon for his failure, I'd love to be able to see that before I leave."

"You're totally heartless," The Kumo ninja with the bandana over his face laughed "But you get us over the border and you're as good as a Kumogakure Shinobi!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Sorry, but I don't think I can just allow that," The group slid to a halt as a boy dressed in the dark black Anbu uniform landed with a light thud in a small clearing ahead of them, his mask pulled down and his bright blue eyes flashing in the moonlight as a weak wind pulled at his golden blonde hair. His hand rested on the short bladed tanto on his waist as he eyed the group "Surrender Lady Hyuuga back to me," He paused a moment before his mouth split into a wide feral grin beneath his mask "And I might just consider letting you live."

With that his blue eyes shifted, narrowing to cat like slits as the irises dyed themselves a deep crimson read. Dust picked up around his feet and bellowed outwards as he glared towards his former captain and the three Kumogakure Shinobi.

"An Anbu captain and Three Kumo Jonin are more than enough for a brat!" The Ninja with the bandana over his face shouted as he rushed forward.

"Wait!" The Anbu captain's warning fell on deaf ears as the Kumogakure ninja drew his own large katana and darted forward. Kitsune's eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted appearing less than half a step behind the enemy Shinobi with his eyes still locked onto his old captain.

His opponent staggered a few steps forward before a gout of blood spilled from his side, Kitsune sheathed his weapon with a quiet clatter of metal as the Cloud Ninja fell with a heavy thud.

"Who shall I end next?!" The dark voice that bellowed from the throat of the lone Anbu operative caused the remaining three combatants to take a reflexive step back "Come on now, don't be shy. Any volunteers?" The murderous intensity of the boy in front of them grew as he slid his foot forward slightly, the grin on his face now showing in his eyes. He paused and took a long breath before his eyes snapped open, once again their beautiful bright blue before he spoke again an eerie calm in comparison to the voice before.

"Here I come." He announced plainly before he disappeared from in front of them, the three men drew their weapons in an instant and jumped towards each other, placing their backs together and their target in between all three of them.

The longest moment any of them had ever experienced transpired as their eyes darted in every direction, waiting for the next attack "You said you got him out of the way!" The cloud ninja with a dark scar along his right cheek and part of his chin shouted angrily towards the Anbu captain.

"I did, he must have heard you all laughing like idiots!" The captain snapped back.

"Stay focused, he could come from anywhere! The little bastards fast!" The one with the Hyuuga girl slung over his back shouted quickly.

He felt it before he saw or heard it, the rope that held the girl bound to him get cut, as his head whipped around, his eyes locked with the bright blue eyes of the boy. Moments later a black sandaled foot collided with his fast, whilst simultaneously he struck at the back of his former captain. The third man spun and brought his Kunai up as the blonde Anbu pulled back, the Kunai scraping a shallow scratch in the mask. The blonde spun using the momentum he gained from kicking the two either side of him to plant his feet on the third man's chest and kick off, cradling the Hyuuga girl to his chest with his free hand. He flipped back, landing softly about ten feet from his opponents as they recovered. He pulled the blindfold down and gave the girl a nanosecond once over as she finally awoke from the jostling of his rescue.

He spun quickly, planting his feet either side of her and drawing his blade, the steel glinted in the moonlight as it rested flatly against his arm. She began to struggle against the rope that bound her, if she could get away, she could get help, call for someone. She just needed to get away from here, she felt like she was suffocating.

"My Lady Hyuuga," She paused, the levelness of the tone managed to enable her to take a breath for what she felt was the first time in an hour, she craned her neck to look at the back of the person standing with his back to her, his frame standing locked against the moonlight "Please remain calm, I will protect you without fail."

She could hear the smile in his voice, her breathing leveled and became easier. She'd never met this man before in her life, she couldn't see his face or any discerning features other than the blonde hair that hung around the strap that held his mask in place. But for some reason she had complete faith in him, she knew she did not need to panic and despite the situation she felt perfectly calm.

"You'll protect her?" The scarred Cloud Ninja scoffed "Well, looks like we've got a hero here. You think you can defeat all of us on your own?!"

The boy didn't answer, he just widened his stance slightly and readied himself calmly, eyes evaluating each opponent in turn quickly. They advanced towards him in unison, planning to box him in and come at him from all sides, he grit his teeth. It wouldn't be an issue if he could use his mobility, but he couldn't leave the Hyuuga girl to fend for herself, he hadn't managed to sever her bindings either so she couldn't run.

"Hm, I see. You right whatever shall I do," He almost sighed in response as he moved his hands together into a quick hand sign "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique.)"

As he finished the words a cloud of smoke erupted around him, she felt herself be picked up from the ground again, only this time she was not slung haphazardly over a person's shoulder, she was held close to the persons chest, she could hear his heartbeat thud in steady rhythm as he darted out of the cloud away from the fight, she could hear the sounds of fighting coming from behind him.

As he moved she realized something she hadn't noticed until they reached this moment of relative calm. This was the first time she'd been this close to a boy, granted he was obviously a professional ninja. But a professional ninja was currently cradling her to his chest! Her cheeks ignited the moment the traitorous thought ran through her head.

He came to an abrupt stop and placed her down leaning against a tree, in this light she could now see the striking blue eyes behind his mask as they stared at her with unconcealed worry and intensity "Milady Hyuuga?! Is something a matter? Did they poison you? You're running a fever!"

Her eyes widened in surprise as he ripped his mask off his face, she saw the three whisker like markings on each of his cheeks, the bright blue eyes and strong jaw line, slightly tanned skin and golden blonde hair, he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. His was quite cool in comparison as a mushroom cloud of heat erupted from her.

"N-N-No! I'm fine. It's a very intense situation. T-That's all it is!" She managed to get out rather strongly if not for her stutter.

His head snapped up, as if reacting to an unknown sound as he pulled his mask back on and cut the ropes that bound her "Please conceal yourself Milady," he drew a Kunai from his pouch and planed it in her palm "Only use this in an emergency, Run East, there should be another member of Anbu in that direction."

"Found you!" Inu exclaimed as he launched towards the pair.

The blonde clicked his tongue as he whirled around in time to see his former captain release a set of shuriken towards the Hyuuga behind him, his eyes widened as he dived. He felt the weapons dig into his back as well as his arms and legs. He grit his teeth as blood leaked from the wounds and he forced himself back to his feet in time to block his captains sword "I don't need the Cloud Ninja's anyway! I'll kill you myself and drag that fucking girl over to Kumogakure myself, the captain's mask had apparently been shattered in the fight with his shadow clones.

The pale mans blue eyes drifted over the girl, currently clutching his Kunai tightly in both hands, a fair amount of the blonde's blood had splashed against her short kimono. Inu's smile grew a fraction as his eyes glowed slightly darker "At least I'll have a nice pretty young girl to keep me company on the long road."

He grit his teeth as his eyes narrowed on his former captain "I am going to rip you to pieces." The demonic growl caused the captain's already pale skin to turn a shade whiter as the blue eyes dyed red once more, steam began to rise from the blondes body. The air around him seeming to boil with the heat and pressure he was giving off.

The blonde pulled his arm back and slammed it against his captain's chest, the man coughed, blood spattering against his Kitsune mask as Inu slid back a few steps "Heh, you really are nothing but a fucking demon!" Inu shouted as he launched himself forward.

The Blonde hadn't completely recovered as the man dashed towards him, he jumped back and parried as his eyes returned to their normal blue, he ducked underneath a sword slash and dived out of the way of the follow up. As he rose to his feet his captain appeared in front of him and whirled around, slamming his foot into the mask on his face. The mask cracked a spider of intricately woven clay began to fall away, leaving only the left half of the mask remaining over the blonde's face.

His face pulled back into a grin as his eyes locked with Inu, his canines elongated 'Alright fox, I'll grant you this one, finish him.' the steam bellowing from around him exploded outwards kicking up dust and dirt as the blonde's foot slid forward and his eyes darkened and narrowed into slits 'With Pleasure.' with that thought he launched forward, the ground beneath his feet cracked and erupted as he move.

His former captain staggered back in fear as his eyes widened, realizing too late he'd sealed his fate with that unconscious movement. As the blonde drove his tanto through the man's chest, before rotating around him and slicing through taking the top half of his chest and head and sending it flipped through the air before it landed with a dull thud, followed moments later by the rest of the body hitting the dirt. He flicked the sword to remove the blood and sheathed it with a metallic clatter.

The blonde darted over to the still stationary Hyuuga, apparently she'd passed out at some point, he crouched and cut the bindings holding her before scooping her up and carrying her princess style, her head resting against his chest as she breathed calmly. He couldn't help but smile slightly at her visage, framed in the bright moonlight the calmness of her sleep form was…calming to say the least as he carried her back towards Konoha.

'Even you had to grow up eventually,' He heard the fox snicker in the back of his head 'I thought you'd be an even later bloomer.' He rolled his eyes "Quiet fox." He didn't realize he'd said that aloud till the girl in his arms stirred, her eyes snapped open he was afraid she'd push against him instinctively so he spoke again "Calm yourself Hime, it's all right now, your safe."

'Hime?!' The fox cackled loudly in the back of his head and his eye brow twitched ever so slightly, the stupid fox. Giving him stupid ideas.

"U-I-Y-U-Y-Yes!" She managed to squeak out as her cheeks ignited, then she recalled his injuries moments before a wave of murderous intent had hit her and she'd fallen unconscious "Y-You can't! You're injuries, please put me down!"

He glanced down at her, one eye clearly visible from the side of his broken mask "I am quite alright Hime. I assure you."

'Damnit, it's already a habit.' He thought in irritation, the echoes of his stupid guest still bouncing off the back of his mind.

'Why does he keep calling me that!' She thought wildly "Uh, of course. I will permit you to carry me through the forest at least then," She nodded to herself strongly, it wasn't because she liked being carried, she was simply in her pajama's and she'd had a very stressful night "In return I'd like to ask your name."

"Kitsune." He replied easily

"Not your Anbu name your real name," The girl demanded "I wish to know the name of the boy who saved my life tonight," She glanced up at him with the ever so slightest of pouts. It was an action she'd seen her younger sister use to get their father to give in to her demands "Can I not?"

'Oi, Oi, Oi! What's with that look, girls can do that?! Why do we even fight wars? Just get the feudal lords wives to do that and bam wars over!' He shook his head abruptly waving the thoughts away, he nodded slightly in acknowledgement "As you wish milady," He paused a moment "My name is Naruto, it was a pleasure rescuing you this fine evening."

"It was a pleasure being rescued?" She replied unsurely, before she let out a quiet laugh, she attempted to stifle it but that only made it worse and it snowball into a fit of giggling that also infected him.

As the laughter died down he smiled down at her, he'd never ever let anyone know that her laugh was the best sound he'd ever heard in his life "I am glad you are alright Hime." He voiced calmly.

'You damned sap, I refuse to swim around in a teenage brain full of hormones! You'll just infect me with your stupidity.' He rolled his eyes in response to the fox as they broke the forest 'It'll never happen fox, she's royalty. I'm not even a commoner in the villages eyes.'

"Hime, please hold on tightly." He instructed kindly as the sun began to rise on the eastern horizon, peaking over the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He leapt into the air, her hands balled into fights, tightly clutching the clothing in between the armor he wore. Her eyes tightly shut as the feeling of air rushing past them pulled at her hair.

After a few minutes she felt them land, before her stomach lurched as he leapt again and she forced her eyes open, the sunrise and the village and its surrounding forest spread out in front of her, all familiar sights bathed in a dark orange gold of the morning light. A warm smile fell across her face as she allowed herself the peace of the moment and the relief she felt at having been rescued.

"Kumogakure will pay dearly for this," Hiashi Hyuuga slammed his fist into the table "Has anyone found them yet?!"

"No sir!" Came the quick reply from one of the branch members of the Hyuuga clan "We've already sent men in every direction."

"Ah, Hiashi," The Head of the Hyuuga house snapped around and bowed deeply at the familiar voice of the Third Hokage "You may call your men back, one of our Anbu members has retrieved your eldest daughter, he is on his way here now."

Hiashi's eyes widened slightly "Thank you sir! I had no idea the Anbu had already been notified."

"It pays to be cautious," The Hokage laughed "And just as it pays to be cautious I have something I wish to discuss with you, will you humor an old man with tea?"

Hiashi's eyes narrowed slightly at the Hokage "Of course, I will have some made immediately, please come inside."

The Hokage bowed his head as he was lead through one of the sliding doors into the Hyuuga estate, he took a seat opposite Hiashi and the two remained in a stoic silence until the tea arrived. The Hokage picked up his cup and sipped at it, closing his eyes and allowing the warmth of the beverage to flow into him.

"Sir, if you don't mind me being so forward, what is it you wished to discuss?" Hiashi asked impatiently.

The Hokage smirked as he leaned forward "What do you know of the Fourth Hokage's son?"

Hiashi lifted a brow "He's established himself as a very successful member of our Anbu Black ops, he's truly a valued member of our military." He answered honestly

"What do you think of him?" The Third asked simply

"I have never spoken or met him," Hiashi replied just as simply as he took a sip of his tea "His accomplishments alone warrant respect. A boy in his position rivaling an Uchiha is an impressive feat on its own."

"Very good." The Hokage nodded as his mouth split into a smirk "I have a simple plan…"

Hiashi listened intently as the Hokage began to speak.

By the time Naruto landed within the Hyuuga compound it was already well past sunrise, at some point Hinata had once again fallen asleep, the moment he landed he handed the girl off to one of the main family with a nod. As he began to leave, he received a summons to the Hokage's office, he glanced in the direction of his home before he launched in the direction of the office. Hopefully whatever the old man needed him for would be quick, fighting three Jonin and an Anbu captain was not nearly as easy as he may have made it seem. He felt like he could sleep for a week and his wounds still stung.

'Oi! Fox, can't you do something about this? He questioned irritably in thought 'Don't get mad at me cause you've in love with someone way out of your league.' Naruto sighed 'I'm not in love with her, sure she's cute. I could say that about half the girls in the village, it's my job to save her you know?'

There was a few seconds of silence before a dark sigh reached his ears 'Alright. Whatever you say, I'll heal you. You are going to need to sleep properly to regain the strength though.' Naruto nodded slightly 'Hopefully nothing too explosive will happen in the next few days.'

He landed with a light thud outside the Hokage's office window, he stepped up and bowed deeply "Sir! I received your summons what are your orders?!" He asked respectfully and clearly.

"Ah, Naruto," The Hokage started "Come in, take off that mask let an old man see you."

Naruto did as he was ordered and clambered inside "Alright Ji-ji, what's this about?"

"I've got an assignment for you," He handed Naruto a tightly sealed red scroll "Your eyes only, top secret you know all the usual fun red tape." The Hokage chuckled "Give that scroll a read after you rest. How are you?"

Naruto eyed the old man in front of him calmly, the kind smile on the Hokage's face caused him to sigh "I'm tired Ji-ji. The Anbu has been good to me, at least the higher members of the Village respect me enough to treat me as a person. It hasn't improved the general villages responses to me. I don't think the secrecy of what I do really helps."

The Hokage smiled and nodded "I agree, I think you'll like that assignment. Now go get some rest, you'll need it."

Naruto frowned as he pulled his mask back on and climbed out of the window "Oh and Ji-ji…Thanks."

"What's this? That sounded kind." The Hokage smirked at Naruto as the blonde scratched his head and sighed.

"Yeah, don't get to used to it.' Naruto chuckled as he took off in the direction of his home.

A/N: Well, there's the pilot, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I have no idea when I'll get the next one out as I work full time and have a few other responsibilities before doing this. Hopefully I can manage once a month at the latest though. I hope to see you all in the next chapter, peace!