A/n: Just a new story idea I had floating around. I know I have several other stories up, and I can't complete them for one reason. My writing when I was writing them was horrendous at best. I cannot bring myself to read them the entire way through, much less finish them myself. But this story came to me, after many years of not writing, and I felt the need to write it down. Why? I don't know, who knows it may go somewhere and it may not, but good news is I have the first few chapters planned out already, so no worries on that.
Anyways, read and review guys, and enjoy, Unit.
Unit
Chapter 1
One Simple Thing.
One Simple Thing.
On Simple Difference in a Story set in Stone.
On Simple Difference, Can change the course of everything we have known.
Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinjuriki of the Kyuubi, Ninja of Konohagakure, and Genin level Shinobi. Many words could be used to describe the young blonde boy, impatient, stubborn, and loyal. But if one were to ask said boy what he would use to describe himself at this current point in time, exactly, he would choose but one word.
Bored.
Complete, Total, Inhibited boredom conquered the young man's mind as he waited for his team. He sighed gently, his eyes wandering upwards as he sat at the Training Field, waiting for Sakura-Chan, That Bastard, and his Cyclopes of a Sensei. It had been a total of three days, Three days sense they had returned from the wave mission. Three days sense his eyes had been opened up to the horror of the Shinobi world. Three days sense he had felt the total weight of what he had chosen to do for the rest of his life.
He wouldn't change one thing about it.
Lifting himself up with a grunt, he glanced around the training field, his Orange jacket rustling softly in the wind, before he rubbed the back of his head. Maybe he had gotten the time wrong, when they were supposed to meet, he wasn't sure. He had a habit of doing that, forgetting things at the most inopportune moments. Shrugging gently he lifted his body upwards, preparing to start his personal training for the day, and deciding to work on his Taijutsu. He would get so good at it; he would completely dominate that bastard Sasuke. Grinning softly, Naruto thrust his hand into the hair, speaking loudly as he did so, with a little hop in his step.
"Ha! Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll get soooo good at Taijutsu that I can beat that little prick Sasuke and Sakura-Chan will finally start loving ME, instead of that bastard. Let's get this sta—"His ears perked up, his sentence stopped mid motion. He had sensed something, at the edge of his mind, and the only reason he had was because of years and years of detecting danger in the form of the villagers.
Danger.
Warning.
Hostile.
These words flashed through his mind, all in a matter of seconds, as his hand discreetly started moving towards his Kunai holster. He let it inch along, being very careful to not alert whoever was watching that they had been discovered. If it was a villager looking to hurt him, they would never notice the small actions he was making. If it was a Shinobi however, he would be in trouble.
His hand strayed ever so close to it, his hands moving towards the button on the holster, preparing to unbutton it. He heard the soft clicking sound, signifying that he had successful gotten the button off. Any Shinobi would be on top of him by now, so it must be a Villager.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you boy…"
Not a villager.
The voice had come from his far left, and upon hearing it Naruto spun on the balls of his feet, his hands dipping slightly into this pouch to grip a few shuriken in his fingers. In one fluid motion, he flung the Shuriken at the bushes to his left.
Suddenly, a figure moved out of the bushes. A male figure, based on his stance and movement, Naruto deduced. Said figures hands moved upwards swiftly, snatching the shuriken out of the air and launching them back at Naruto. Naruto's eyes widen, his sense's flying off the charts at the impending danger, his body moving quickly to react. Forget a fancy dodge to show off his skill as a ninja, those Shuriken where moving so fast that he would be unable to dodge save for one thing. Launching himself in to action, Naruto put all his strength into his next move.
He fell, onto his butt.
Hard.
"Heh, having a little trouble there kid? Lemme teach you something about tossing shuriken. You don't hold them in your fingers. Place them in between your knuckles, grip them, and twist your wrist while you throw them. Twist your hips while you do, and release. Like so." The male Shinobi in front of him let his hand drop suddenly into his Kunai pouch, his hands producing several shuriken in an instant. Naruto's eyes widened once more, as his body launched into the air, the Shuriken that he hadn't even seen the male release sailing under him.
Landing with a grunt, Naruto glared at the man in front of him, taking in his features with one glance. Soft brown eyes, black hair, and a no headband signifying a relation to this village what so ever.
Enemy Ninja then, infiltrator of the village. Naruto had to stop him, before he could proceed with whatever nefarious plans he had. Dropping his body low, Naruto charged at the man, bringing his arm around for a quick right cross on the man's face. The man snorted once, before slapping his punch aside, and slamming his fist into Naruto's face.
It was the hardest hit Naruto had taken to date, and it sent him flying backwards. Growling in pain, his vision swimming, Naruto set his stance hard. Creating a base to keep himself balanced, he glared at the man, who stared at him with something akin to slight surprise.
"Well now, you are an interesting child aren't you… what's your name?" The male spoke, his body shifting from an on guard position to a relaxed one. Naruto's eyes shifted slightly at the action, this meant the man didn't seem him as a threat. Growling out, Naruto formed the hand signs for Kage Bushin, and spoke.
"Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to kick your ass. KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTUS". With that, the small training field was filled with copies of the Orange and blue ninja. The male in front of him whistled softly, glancing around the clearing at the number of copies.
"Impressive… At least fifty copies created from such a young boy. This will be slightly entertaining." With that, the man let his hand move to his pouch once more. Naruto growled out, his body shifting, as he watched the man produce two Kunai, holding one in each hand.
Then suddenly, the man vanished.
Naruto's eyes widened slightly, his gaze shifting around the clearing, as puffs of smoke started appearing. His mind filled with images of the man appearing for a brief second, taking out a clone, then of the same man vanishing again. He didn't understand what was going on, how one person could move so fast. Suddenly, Naruto's vision was confronted with a body in front of him. His eyes widened, his body twisted, but it was all too slow.
The last thing Naruto felt was the back end of a kunai against his temple, before his body dropped to the ground, unconscious. The rest of the clones, with the destruction of there creator, dispelled in one large puff.
The man sighed, looking down at the small boy, then scratching the back of his head, he spoke.
"Mah, didn't realize that was the original… Oh well. Gotta go see the old man now about this boy… He could be useful." With that, the male twisted on his heels, and with a simple Shushin, Vanished.
Naruto wouldn't awake for another hour, and when he did, he would immediately move to find the old man, and warn him about a Shinobi infiltrating the village.
-Hokage's Office-
"Absolutely Not. He isn't ready, he's still just a Genin and recently graduated at that. There is no way in hell I'm going to approve your request Shinji," Sarutobi spoke, his hands folded in front of him, as he looked at the Shinobi in front of him. Shinji sighed gently, before taking a seat and letting legs rise to rest on the arm rest's, "And isn't an arm rest for your arm, not your leg?"
Shinji chuckled lightly, before shaking his head. He had to focus. Moving his legs back down to the floor, he spoke, his voice rising slightly as he tried to explain his reasoning to the old man.
"Sarutobi-Jiji, he is perfect for it though. He has incredible Chakra capacity, his speed is far above normal in danger situations, and he observed several details most Chunin would miss. Hell the boy took a hit that would take out most ANBU, and shook it off like it was nothing. He's new, and doesn't know much, I'll consent that. But that's exactly what we need! We need a fresh slate, something to mold into what we can use." Shinji spoke, his voice alive with passion. Sarutobi sighed gently, his arms moving up to rub his eyes.
He was way too old for this shit.
He let his body move backwards, resting gently against his chair as he sighed once more. There where perks for this, Naruto would grow quickly, but he would be subject to things most Shinobi didn't see in their entire life. He would be brought into a family, one that would care for him and watch his back, but he would be leaving the presence of his peers.
His through process suddenly stalled.
Peers? Most of the Genin Naruto's age treated him more like a burden more than a friend. They made fun of him, insulted his skills, and took him for less than he was worth. Far less. This assignment would change all of that. They didn't discriminate, they didn't hate. They where their own breed, and the more Sarutobi thought about it, the more he realized.
This would be exactly what the boy needed. But, he reasoned with himself, only if Naruto agreed to take the Transfer.
Opening his mouth to speak his consent, along with his parameters, he was cut off when the door suddenly burst open and Naruto ran in, his arms flailing as he spoke.
"OLD MAN! OLD MAN! THERES A ENEMY NINJA IN TH—"Naruto stopped mid sentence, staring at Shinji, his mouth open and his arms still above his head. Sarutobi briefly entertained the thought that he looked like a monkey.
"YOU! You're the guy who kicked my ass! Old man, this guys an enemy ninja from another village! He might be trying to kill you!" Sarutobi's eyebrow rose at Naruto's words, his lips twisting up slightly into a smile as he saw Naruto's posture shit to on guard. Waving his hand gently, he spoke softly to Naruto.
"If he was an enemy Shinobi, wouldn't he be trying to kill me as we speak, and not sitting at my desk talking to me?" Naruto deflated slightly at the old man's words, before his body shifted to an even larger danger posture, indicating he was ready to move in an instant.
"He could just be pretending to talk, and when you let your guard down, he would act." Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed with Naruto's deduction skills. Chuckling gently, the aged Hokage waved his hand slightly, and waved it off.
"Naruto, this is Shinji. He is a Ninja of Konohagakure." Naruto's head shifted to the side lightly, as he studied the man in front of him, who raised his hand and spoke slightly, waving.
"Yo! How's the head kiddo?" Naruto growled softly at Shinji's words, his body shifting out of the on guard posture, and to what Sarutobi called the "Naruto Pissed" Posture.
That is, one hand on his side, the other pointing at the perpetrator, his head rose slightly and turned to the right. Sarutobi had to fight back the urge to laugh at the young boy.
"Yeah yeah, you kicked my ass! You got lucky, and got the drop on me! Gimme one reason why I shouldn't beat you up!" Shinji laughed gently, his eyes twisting to look at the Hokage. His body followed his head, as he let it rest against the chair, relaxing his posture.
"See? Add another to the 'what we need' list. Balls. Big Brass Solid ones." Naruto blinked, his hand moving to rub the back of his head, as he glanced at the old man.
Now Naruto was not, by any means, and idiot. Slow, stubborn and ignorant yes. But his mind was capable of a very quick thought process, which he only ever put to work when he felt he needed to. He could sense, he didn't know how but he could, that there was something more going on in this meeting then he was being told. And he also, by the words the man said about him, guessed it had something to do with him. Letting his body shift out of any posture, he looked at the old man he considered a grandfather, and spoke.
"Ano… Jiji-san, what's going on…?" Both men turned to look at Naruto, before Shinji smiled lightly and stood. Stretching gently he lifted himself out of the chair, and waved at Sarutobi, before turning to Naruto and speaking.
"It would be a pleasure to have you in our family." With that, Shinji walked past Naruto, patting him gently on the family as he did so. Naruto, meanwhile, was shocked at what he heard. Family? Did that mean someone wanted to adopt him? But that would make no sense, and he didn't want to be adopted anyways. He was rather attached to his last name, and he wasn't sure he trusted the man just yet. Moving his body silently to the chair, he looked at Sarutobi, and spoke.
"What's he mean…?"
Sarutobi sighed gently, and pulled out his pipe. Lifting the bag of tobacco, he took a small pinch and placed it in the pipe. Moving his hand to the drawer, he lifted a match from it and pushed some chakra into it, igniting it instantly. Moving it over the pipe, he drew in softly, before exhaling softly. Any harder and it would extinguish the flame, and weaker and it would not light. He knew he was making the boy wait for what he was going to say, but he had to think over the exact wording in what he wanted to get across.
"Naruto, Shinji… Has asked me to transfer you to his Unit. He saw something in you, something that has made him interested in you. But, "Sarutobi lifted his hand to cut off the boy's voice, "It is completely your choice. I cannot tell you any more about him or the Unit for which he works, other than that in it… You would be accepted as family immediately. You would be one of them, and every single one of them would watch out for you. They would watch your back on mission, teach you, and help you grow to be the strongest possible Shinobi you could be."
Naruto's eyes widened at each statement his Hokage made. Family. Friends. Strong Shinobi's to teach him everything he ever dreamed of. It was perfect; it was exactly what he wanted. To be accepted, to be taught and cared for.
But…
"Hokage-sama… If I may have a day to think about it, I would gladly tell you my response as soon as I have decided." Naruto spoke, his head raised to look at the old man. It was incredibly rare for Naruto to use such a formal tone and to address his authority was unheard of, but Sarutobi nodded his head.
"Thank you…" With that, Naruto turned and left his office. Sarutobi stood softly, and moved to the window, his mind moving over the day's events. Part of him hoped the boy would stay with his team, but a larger part of him hoped that he would take the transfer. He didn't understand why, considering what it would entitle, what it would cost the boy.
He sighed gently, his body resting against his window as he thought over the changes to the boy that would happen if he took this. He would see the horrors of the world, and the impact could change his very being. He would experience things, horrible things that even ANBU didn't normally partake in. His body would be strained, and his mental will tested. He would experience firsthand, the horrors of Murder, Genocide, Slavery and many other unspeakable terrors.
And yet… He would have a family; he would have friends who would always have his back. He would have a place to call his own and the prestige of serving with one of the best fighting forces in the Elemental countries, even if he could never boast about it. He would never have to feel alone anymore, and any of the before mentioned things would not isolate him, but make him one of them. They where the few, the survivors of untold horrors, the men and woman who could always relate to anything he could possible see.
The more Sarutobi thought about it, the more he realized that Naruto needed this, more than anything he needed so far. He needed friends, and family. He would get both if he chose to join. He just prayed to the Kami above that Naruto realized it as well. If not, he feared for what would happen to the boy in the long run. Sure he might turn out alright, but there was a high probability of him being shunned and neglected for the entirety of his Shinobi Career.
Sighing gently Sarutobi left the balcony, returning to his chair and the evilness that was paperwork.
-Hokage Monument-
Naruto let his head raise slightly, taking in the clouds above him. His mind was a sea of thoughts, many regarding the opportunity he had in front of him. Sighing softly he let his body hit the ground behind him, feeling the faint trace of the rocks on his back. He knew in a few moments it would become hard, and he would feel the jagged edges of said rocks in his back, but for now it was a welcome bliss.
A family, Friends, people to train him to his full potential. It was what he always wanted, always dreamed of having, and yet he didn't want to leave team seven. Sure Sakura-Chan hit him all the time, and was mean and yelled at him for everything, and fawned over that bastard Uchiha all the time. And sure Sasuke-teme was an asshole, and was almost never nice to him, and the few words not intended to cause harm where all derogatory in some way or another. And sure Kakashi-Sensei barely seemed to have taught him anything.
They where his team? Right…?
But how could he even call them his team, with the way they treated him. With the way they resented his presence 'Sakura', or with the way they thought he was useless 'Sasuke', or with how he was basically ignored 'Kakashi'. He almost never got any real training done when he was with his team, and even when he did; he was always overshadowed by Sasuke. How, in Kami's name, could he ever call them his team with how they treated him?
He had seen the other teams, how they all got along, all worked together beyond what he could ever imagine his own team working like. How they had each other's backs, routinely went out to lunch together with their Sensei's, how they acted like friends and not just… Co-workers.
Like how his own team treated him.
But he had hope, god damnit that it would all get better. That Sasuke would stop being an ass, Sakura-chan would stop hating him, and Kakashi would realize how brilliant he really was. That they would become an unstoppable force one to be reckoned with and feared, one to be respected.
But… The more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed it would happen.
Groaning softly, Naruto lifted his body up, as the ground had become once again uncomfortable. Sighing gently, he stood and walked to a tree, where he then let his head flop forward.
Thawp.
Thawp.
Thwap.
-Hokage's Office-
"You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?"
The feared Sharingan Kakashi, User of over a thousand Jutsu, and open pervert alike, said as he walked into his superiors office. Sarutobi glanced up at him and motioned for him to have a seat. He just had to finish this last piece of paperwork.
Kakashi took the seat without another word, and the only sound that filled the air was the soft scribble of a pen on paper, and then seconds later a stamp being pressed down on the paper. Kakashi watched as Sarutobi moved the paper to the 'out' box with a slight shuffle, before he turned his attention to Kakashi. Sarutobi knew there was no way that he could beat around the bush with this subject, so it would be better to come right out and say it.
"I may be transferring Naruto from your team." Kakashi's visible eye widened in surprise, and his face contorted in something akin to anger. He let his body lean forward softly, and spoke with a slight edge in his voice.
"No, absolutely not, you cannot take him from my team! He is my student, and my solider, and I have worked pretty hard to get ANY semblance of teamwork out of the ramble of what I was given. Naruto is the only reason I even teach them. Sakura's useless till she gets her head out off Sasuke's ass, and Sasuke's useless till he gets his out of Itachi's, the only one not useless is Naruto! I absolutely refuse to let him go!" Kakashi let his body fall backwards, his eyes holding a dangerous glint to them as Sarutobi watched him. He was about to speak once more to the old man, when the old man cut him off.
"I'll be Transferring him to Unit."
Silence. Kakashi sat there and stared in shock at what the Hokage had said, his mind running at thousands of miles a second. Finally, he decided on what to say, his eyes twinkling softly as he spoke.
"Ah, well then that's fine. I can't wait to see what our brightest fire has to show us then. If you'll excuse me Hokage-Sama, I really must be getting back to my book." With that, Kakashi stood and left without another word. Sarutobi chuckled lightly under his breath, surprised that that went as good as it had. Letting his hand drop to his desk drawer, he withdrew his pipe.
Now it was all up to Naruto.
-Hokage monument-
Naruto sighed gently, his head hurt from the over thinking of everything that was going on around him, but he had finally come to a decision. Letting his body move to the edge of the cliff, he stepped off and let his body plummet to the ground.
He was a Shinobi, so he wasn't in any real danger. But he loved the feeling, the complete weightlessness that came with falling. The way the air moved around his body, hugging him like a blanket, or an Embrace. Maybe that was why he loved it, because he never knew the warm embrace of a mother or father. Maybe, but that was a thought for another time. Twisting his body mid-air he landed on his feet, and started making his way to the Hokage Tower.
Pushing open the first door he was confronted with the secretary, who after years and years of fighting with Naruto, just waved him in. it would be useless to deter the blonde boy entry, she had tried many many times, and if he was walking into something he shouldn't be then that was his fault. Maybe he'll learn to follow the rules.
Sarutobi glanced upwards as a familiar blonde head peeked into the doorway, before smiling and speaking.
"Ahhh Naruto, come in come in!" Naruto smiled softly at the old man's exuberance, and let himself enter. Feeling the soft click of the door behind him, he walked with a subdued presence to the chair. Taking a seat he looked at the old man in front of him, and spoke two words that forever changed the course of history.
-Konohagakure; Hidden Compound-
"Aye Ghost, we got a new report in. Seems like clouds up to something, troops are mobilizing and the Hokage wants us to go check it out." Said one Shinobi, his eyes scanning over the mission papers and smiling gently. He loved his job with a Passion.
"You heard the man gents, let's get this party started! Claws up in twenty, suit for combat condition 4, were dealing with cloud here. Possible interaction with a Jinjuriki so have all your shit together, especially those seals! I don't want to be taking you home to mommy explaining why you shit your pants. Get your Rollers and your Launchers ready gents. Its gonna be a bumpy ride." Spoke another Shinobi, his voice gruff. There was a flurry of activity by them all, as 9 Shinobi moved into action. Body armor was strapped on, Launchers where equipped, and weapons pouches checked and double checked.
"Aye Ghost, when we getting our last member? We're one short sense Talon bit the dust." Said one Shinobi, busy sharpening his sword as he watched the leader move. Ghost turned to him and smiled softly, making a soft sign for their fallen brother, before speaking gently.
"Soon gentlemen, we should be getting another member. He's a young one though, and it's up to use to train him to the best of our ability. Now enough chit chat you fucking pussies, Get your shit together and let's go!" The rest grunted in response, and laughed, after all you don't live forever.
And every mission could be your last.
What they did was the black listed missions, the missions that had to be done, but couldn't be known about. They where the best at what they did, and no one could touch them. They didn't exist, officially, and they never would. They where experts at moving undetected, taking out targets, and stealing information from the most highly secured facilities. They could get anywhere in the elemental countries within a few hours, no matter the distance. They had the best and brightest of the past two generations, and had another joining their ranks soon. Anbu? Those children had nothing on them. They where the best of the very best and this is what they did.
- Hokage's Office-
Taking a seat he looked at the old man in front of him, and spoke two words that forever changed the course of history.
"I'm in."
-End Chapter One-
A/N: Review. Gonna have to wait till next chappie to see what happens folks, but I'm already starting to write it. This is a story that has basically limitless potential, and all ideas are welcome. It'll be quite awhile till I get the story rolling, so no worries on ideas. Review gents.
