Hi everybody! I'm starting this new story just because the idea was in my head for a long time and it started gaining traction to the point where I became distracted from writing The Joker, the Beast, and the Destroyer of Worlds. I'm not giving up that story or putting it on hiatus but I want to at least get started on this idea and hopefully it will put me at ease and I can work on both stories.

So, this is AU (if you didn't catch it from the summary), the setting of this story is sort of in some modern era if magic/ninjutsu had worked alongside science in the development of the world. A lot of characters will act differently than what you are used to from the manga/anime. There isn't really a good reason for OOC and I honestly just chose the cast of Naruto to act in place of this story and I sort of used their story relations to place them into this cast accordingly so bear with me.

The inspiration for this sort of story came because I've been revisiting a lot of different Final Fantasy's as well as Mass Effect and the exposition for both was something I enjoyed greatly and I decided that it might be fun to try something like this. No, the plot won't be some weird amalgamation of the games with a Naruto twist but rather it's something I plan on playing around with in my head to see where the story will develop. Unlike TJ, TB, ATDOW, this isn't something I planned out very thoroughly before starting so development of this story might be quite slow.

Chapter 1: Pre-Flop

Sasuke tried to control his breathing as he was exhaling rapidly. He looked up from his battle stance and glanced across over to Naruto who was smirking at him while also covered in bruises and breathing rather hard. Sasuke wiped some sweat from his face before gazing around at the endless field and blue skies and then proceeded to dash forward towards Naruto. Naruto smirked and slammed both his hands at the ground which caused his arms to glow with Chakra for a bit. As Sasuke got closer to Naruto, several silver chains burst out from the ground and darted towards Sasuke to throw him off course. Sasuke quickly unsheathed a knife hidden by his leg and began using it to swat away the incoming chains as he kept dashing towards Naruto.

"Hah, show me some respect Naruto, such a trick is beneath you," declared Sasuke as he closed in on Naruto who was still crouching over.

"You should know that I show you more respect than anyone else," smirked Naruto as a single chain burst out from between Naruto and Sasuke and darted directly at Sasuke.

Sasuke quickly leapt back and gathered some Chakra into his blade before swinging it and splitting apart the newly visible chain. He then scoffed and dashed forward again and aimed a roundhouse kick at Naruto. Naruto quickly ducked beneath it and turned around and delivered a kick of his own which Sasuke blocked with his wrist. Sasuke then slid inward and threw a punch at Naruto's midsection but Naruto then arched his body to the side and aimed a punch at Sasuke's gut. Sasuke grunted as the blow knocked him back a bit before Naruto seemingly stumbled forward and aimed a kick high up towards Sasuke's temple. Sasuke quickly blocked and caught Naruto's leg before throwing him over his shoulder. As Naruto landed he quickly lashed him arm out and released a blast of wind at Sasuke. Sasuke quickly turned his head away to avoid the blow and rolled to the side before lifting his head back up to reveal a cut that left a sizeable blood smear across his face.

"Are we having fun yet?" Smirked Naruto.

"…..The time of MY LIFE!" Yelled out Sasuke as he also smirked and drew out another hidden dagger and swiped upward.

Naruto quickly jumped back and managed to avoid the direct attack but still got cut across the nose which caused blood to flow across his face. Both fighters looked at each other for a moment before Sasuke stuck out his right arm and gripped his right wrist with his left hand. Naruto then stuck out his left hand and began gathering Chakra. A ring of Chakra formed around Sasuke before it gathered up to his right hand and exploded outward in a discharge of electricity whereas the Chakra gathered in Naruto's hand formed into a dense ball over his left hand. Both of them made eye contact and smirked before dashing at each other and thrusting their arm forward.

CHIDORI!

RASENGAN!

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and was greeting with the sight of a white ceiling and the steady rhythm of a beating hospital machine. He rubbed his eyes a bit and sat up as he tried to piece together what had happened.

"Ngn….where am I?" Sasuke asked to no one in particular.

"You're in the hospital….AGAIN!" Scolded an older blonde with pigtails.

"Where's….Naruto?" Murmured Sasuke.

"He left about an hour ago….now….WHAT did I tell you two about sparring with heavy duty techniques?"

"Not to do it….Dr. Senju," murmured Sasuke.

"…and WHAT did you do?" Growled Tsunade.

"…Spar with heavy techniques."

"Bah, if you were Naruto, I would bash you over the head."

"…..So Naruto recovered already?"

"This is only the thousandth time that you two have damaged each other equally and you begin to grumble as I explain that Naruto just heals faster than you."

"…Can I go yet?" Asked Sasuke with a rather bored look.

Tsunade loudly sighed as she tossed Sasuke a small box filled with some basic first aid before pointing him towards the door. Sasuke slowly got out of the bed and grabbed the box before bowing slightly at Tsunade and walking out of the medical room.

"Finally out, eh?"

Sasuke looked towards the source of the voice and saw Naruto sitting in a chair glossing over the magazine.

"How do you heal so quickly?" Asked Sasuke.

"I don't know, Dr. Senju once mentioned it might be because of my huge Chakra reserve," shrugged Naruto. "Not everything healed all the way though."

Naruto put the magazine away before using his left hand to gesture at a diagonal scar left above his nose from Sasuke's knife. Sasuke looked over at a mirror hanging in the medical lobby and noticed that he had a mirror scar right above his face as well. Sasuke shrugged before he gestured at Naruto to follow him.

"C'mon, our last class before the exam is about to start," reminded Sasuke as he headed towards the center of the institution.

Naruto nodded before tossing the magazine back on the rack and walking out with Sasuke.

"It honestly saddens me a bit that you can go even against me but your standings in the class rankings are merely above average," mumbled Sasuke as he and Naruto walked through the academy.

"If you know your enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles," grinned Naruto.

"….Do you even know what that means?" Asked Sasuke rather incredulously.

"Eh, kind of. I saw the quote in the magazine and thought it would seem cool to say," shrugged Naruto.

"You're continuing to depress me with your display of knowledge," grunted Sasuke.

"We grew up sparring, you used to beat me badly all the time. Can't expect me to just not get better," shrugged Naruto. "Plus, unluckily for you, I just happened to naturally grasp onto battle styles that naturally counter yours."

"Yeah, sure. Naturally," grumbled Sasuke.

"Meh, isn't going even against someone who has a stylistic advantage technically something you should be proud of?" Pondered Naruto as he scratched his chin and looked at the ceiling.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," grunted Sasuke.

"…..and remember class, tomorrow is the evaluation exam; prepare for it well," instructed Iruka as he dismissed the class.

Naruto yawned as he grabbed his handbag and swung it over his shoulder before exiting the class with Sasuke.

"Did you pay attention at all?" Asked Sasuke rather incredulously.

"What difference does it make? It's a live mission that we have to partake in….I already know the usual stuff. Not like listening to a lecture is gonna improve my combat skills," shrugged Naruto.

"It is unwise to take something so lightly…..the risks are very real," murmured an individual wearing a rather large coat and sunglasses.

"Oh, hey Shino. Yeah, the risks are real but I think I'm prepared enough for this as it is," yawned Naruto.

"S-s-still, y-y-you s-should be c-careful Naruto-kun," stuttered a voice behind Shino.

"Meh, Hinata, let him learn the hard way when he loses his arm," chuckled Sasuke as he looked at the redness that suddenly was displayed on Hinata's face.

"Regardless, we were going to meet Kiba in the cafeteria. Would you care to join us?" Asked Shino as he readjusted his sunglasses.

"Nah, I'm tired from Iruka-sensei's class. I think I'm gonna just head back to the dorms and catch some rest," replied Naruto as he yawned again and waved goodbye to his friends before walking off.

"Better fall asleep in the right room this time," grumbled Sasuke as he turned his attention to Hinata and Shino. "Sorry, I'm gonna head to the marketplace and see if I can purchase some more equipment, maybe some other time."

Sasuke glossed over the shelf of items and equipment and pondered over what would be the most logical and optimal bundle of items to purchase given his finances.

Hmmm…..we're never given a heads up for the nature of the live mission…..I suppose it wouldn't hurt to by a little bit of everything that I don't normally use too often…I could use an extra set of knives too….

With that train of thought, Sasuke grabbed some lock picks and some smoke bombs before looking to pick up a new pair of knives.

"I recognize you….another set of knives? What do you do with all the other ones you purchase; play knife smasher?" Asked the cashier as Sasuke put down his bundle of items.

"They dull out quickly through sparring," answered Sasuke a bit sheepishly as he looked off to the side.

"…..Are you sparring ten hours a day with steel or something? I'm Kazaki Tenten by the way," spoke the cashier as she offered a handshake.

"Uchiha Sasuke, and my sparring partner has the ability to summon chains made of really strong metal," answered Sasuke as he shook her hand.

"Oh, I recognize that name, you're in the class that's about to take the practical right?"

"Yeah…..are you an academy student too?"

"Oh, no. I graduated last year, but I'll be a part of tomorrow's mission. Maybe I'll see you?"

"Oh…maybe…wait what? You're going to be there?"

"Of course, it's a live mission meaning actual Leaf members will be participating."

"Really? So I'll get to work with actual Leaf members?" Pondered Sasuke as he scratched his chin.

"Well yeah, it's nothing super serious so your leaders will be people like me; fresh Leaf members that are of the lowest ranking. Be careful though; it still is a live mission meaning people who aren't careful may lose their lives," warned Tenten.

"What kind of mission is this?" Asked Sasuke.

"Pretty sure I'm not supposed to tell you; be ready for anything," smirked Tenten.

Sasuke smirked back before completing the transaction and bidding Tenten farewell before taking his items and exiting the store. As Sasuke walked through the institution, he took note of some of his fellow students who were practicing out in the quad. He saw Yamanaka Ino, floating in a meditative position next to Nara Shikamaru who appeared to be sleeping. A couple of apples fell from the tree above them and Shikamaru's shadow suddenly rose up and intercepted them before it could interrupt both of their concentration. Akimichi Chouji proceeded to do one-handed pull-ups above them on a tree branch while his other hand was used to munch on some chips that were stuffed away in his pocket. Seeing even Shikamaru doing some lightweight practice managed to make Sasuke chuckle a bit.

Guess everyone is a bit nervous for what's to come tomorrow….

Sasuke was a bit lost in thought as he walked down the halls towards his dormitory and arrived in the small section that he had called his home for most of his life. As he arrived he noticed Naruto sleeping on the couch rather than his own room. Sasuke quietly walked through the communal area shared between him and Naruto to deposit his own equipment in his room. When he was done, he exited his room just as Naruto murmured a bit and opened one eye to see Sasuke.

"So…..prepared?" Asked Sasuke as he sat down on a stool by the kitchen counter and began to look around while drumming his fingers on the counter.

Naruto stayed silent for a few moments and all that could be heard in the room was the rhythmic sound of Sasuke's fingers on the counter.

"Stop worrying yourself, you're top of the class for a reason; you'll be fine," chuckled Naruto as he closed his eye.

"I wasn't worried," lied Sasuke as he stood up to go look in the fridge for something to eat.

"Then why were you fidgeting?"

"…..Die."

Naruto snorted as Sasuke took out a pan from the cupboard and some eggs from the fridge before turning on the stove.

"Scrambled, please," requested Naruto as he smirked while keeping his eyes closed.

"Go fuck yourself."

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and yawned before proceeding to stretch. He proceeded to get out of bed and into his academy uniform in preparation for the mission. As he finished brushing his teeth, he exited out of his room and saw that Sasuke was eating a bowl of cereal while looking at his phone.

"Finally calmed down?" Smirked Naruto as he sat down and grabbed an apple from a nearby fruit bowl.

"Whatever happens, happens. I've decided to change my focus to simply not dying," shrugged Sasuke.

"That's the spirit….although I'm not sure what we're doing will be THAT dangerous."

"Eh, dangerous enough to warn us that people die. That cashier lady, you know, with the buns. She's gonna be taking part in the mission today and she graduated last year. So individuals with at least a year of field experience will be out there. Gotta be kind of interesting."

'Oh yeah, I think I know who you're talking about. Don't know her name though."

Sasuke shrugged before attaching a small pouch to the back of his pants and double checking that he his small item holster was attached to his thigh before gesturing at Naruto to start walking to meet up with everyone.

"Looks like everyone showed up in uniform," noted Naruto as he looked at all the students wearing black polo's that had the Leaf inscribed over the heart and a red spiral on the back while also wearing black pants that had dark red lines going down the sides.

"We were instructed to do so….dumbass," muttered Sasuke as he facepalmed himself.

"Oh really? I guess I lucked out!" Chuckled Naruto rather sheepishly as he put his hands behind his head.

Before Sasuke could retort, Iruka appeared before all the students and gestured for silence and their attention as he began to explain the task at hand.

"Alright everybody, listen up! You're all going to be assisting actual Leaf operatives in a liberation mission of a small town that has requested our help. Actual combat will be involved so I suggest you take this very seriously so that you don't carelessly throw your life away. You will all be separated into three-person teams for this mission with a fully-fledged Leaf operative acting as your captain. You will be monitored by your captain as well as hidden members of our very own STF in order to evaluate whether or not you will graduate. Any questions?"

Iruka paused for a moment as he gazed around to see if there were any hands raised amongst the sea of students.

"Who are the STF?" Whispered Naruto as he looked at Sasuke with a face of confusion.

"….It stands for Special Task Force, it's the intel and recon division Leaf's black ops. Don't you EVER pay attention?" Asked Sasuke as he facepalmed himself again.

"Hehe, why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" Responded Naruto rather cheekily.

Iruka cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention before proceeding to read the names of the teams.

"Now, once I've read your team, report to the front gate to prepare for travel," instructed Iruka.

"Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino. Your acting captain will be Kazaki Tenten."

"Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura. Your acting captain will be Hyuuga Neji."

"Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji. Your acting captain will be Rock Lee."

Sasuke had heard enough before he realized he no longer cared. He tapped Naruto on the shoulder and made eye contact with a girl that had pink hair before they exited the classroom and made their way to the front gate where a number of individuals wearing similar outfits were standing. The only difference was that they had a dark green flak jacket as well as a headband with the Leaf insignia. Sasuke looked around a bit before he caught the attention of Tenten who was standing around one male with closed eyes and rather long hair and another who had rather thick eyebrows and a determined look.

"Hey Sasuke! Are you in my group?" Asked Tenten as she waved.

"No, we're looking for….Hyuuga Neji?" Answered Sasuke with a rather questioning tone.

"That would be me…..let us depart," answered the long haired individual who had his eyes closed and his arms crossed."

"Yes sir," saluted Sasuke as he stood straight up.

"Oh uh….right…sir," stumbled Naruto a bit as he adopted Sasuke's stance.

Sakura merely remained silent as she too saluted and put her book away. Neji nodded rather curtly before gesturing the three to follow him into a nearby vehicle. The four got into the sizeable vehicle before they each strapped down into a seat. Neji then knocked on the inside door a few times before the vehicle roared to life and began driving down the road. A rather uncomfortable silence filled the air as Neji adopted a rather similar posture as to when he was waiting for the academy cadets.

"I take it you've all been briefed about the mission?" Asked Neji as he kept his eyes closed.

"More or less," answered Sakura rather quietly.

"Hmph, good. I suppose now would be a good time to be acquainted with our abilities so that there are no surprises in battle and we can react accordingly," suggested Neji.

"Okay! I'm a bit of a brawler in close quarters. Although I don't necessarily have sloppy form, I draw most of my technique primarily from an external form of Long Fist; I go for unpredictable aggression. I have a basic grasp of Wind manipulation and I can create Shadow Clones. I also have the ability to summon rather tough steel chains from my hands and can split them but their durability is affected the more I split my chains. I don't really think their durability is worth utilizing once I go past six chains. I'm more suited to short to mid-range battle," explained Naruto as he recounted his abilities.

Neji raised his eyebrows at the mention of steel chains but then proceeded to nod before directing his attention towards Sasuke.

"Hn….I have a more defensive style that relies more on defense and countering as opposed to Naruto's aggression in close quarters. I draw my technique mostly from the style known as Interceptor Fist. I have a rudimentary grasp of Fire and Lightning manipulation. I also use a myriad of weapons ranging from a whip chain to knives depending on what the situation calls for. I have a very underdeveloped Sharingan and all it really allows me to do is see through basic illusions and predict enemy movement slightly better. Overall, I'd say I'm well rounded in defense and offense and somewhat prepared for all battle ranges," muttered Sasuke.

"Hm….jack of all trades but a master of none? Not bad, every team could probably use at least one," noted Neji to which Sasuke merely grunted.

"I'm not very good in close quarters when having to deal with numerous opponents. I utilize mainly deception in my movements and have a very loose fitting form because my guard is not particularly strong. I draw a bulk of my technique from the Lost Monkey style. I have no ability to manipulate elements but I am capable of casting basic illusions and other techniques of deception. I also have the ability to fire out sound waves at a rather wide decibel range. While I am probably at least competent in close quarters, I prefer mid to long range combat. Also, as a rather last resort, I can summon an avatar of myself made entire on my Chakra which amplifies a lot of my offensive options. However, such a technique is incredibly draining and I'd rather not use it often," spoke Sakura rather quietly.

This seemed to pique the interest of the three males but Sakura's facial expression clearly showed that she was no longer interested in going to further explanation of her supposed trump card.

"Well, I suppose I should explain a bit about myself. My abilities are focused mostly on close range as I draw a bulk of my offensive capabilities from close-quarters from my family's traditional fighting style. The Gentle Fist renders my close-quarters prowess rather deadly. I know a handful of defensive techniques that can extend to long range in case I am faced with a rather unfortunate opponent for myself. I have competent Earth manipulation and my Byakugan renders me a good scout as well as a rear guard to check for multiple blind spots within the squad," explained Neji.

Right as Neji finished a summary of his abilities, the vehicle came to a halt and the door was opened up by the driver who was an individual in a black business suit and sunglasses.

"This is as far as we can take you, you have to arrive in the destination by submarine. It's a rather short trip," explained the driver.

Neji merely nodded before he got out of the car and waited for his team to get out. As they did, they transitioned over to the small submarine that was waiting for them. When they all got on, Neji knocked on the front part of the interior again and the engine suddenly began make noises before the vehicle submerged underneath the water and began darting forward towards the destination.

"Listen up, we're about to enter a battlefield hot meaning that active combat will be going on between the resistance group in the town as well as the enemy mercs that are undoubtedly crawling across the place. Although there shouldn't be an enemy that merits a huge amount of concern given all the training you should all have undergone, do not take this lightly. If you do not treat this seriously there is a chance you may simply just die on the battlefield. On another note, I am your captain, my word is law in the heat of battle. If you wish to question my plan during the formulation stages, that is fine. In fact, I welcome discussion in this part to help develop your tactical skills as well as the off chance that I perhaps gain insight. However, on the battlefield in the heat of the moment you are to listen to me without question and execute my orders without hesitation. Any slipup or desync within our movements could get us all killed or put in a terrible position. Everyone heeding a questionable plan is better than 4 headless chickens running around trying to solve things their way. Understand?" Asked Neji.

Sasuke and Sakura merely nodded while Naruto gulped rather loudly. It seemed that the severity of the mission was finally getting to him. Seeing this, Neji merely sighed as he attempted to offer words of encouragement.

"Now, don't worry too much. As long as you do not perform acts of insubordination I can almost guarantee you that no tragedy will befall us. While it is not unheard of, most students do not die on this and typically the worse that happens is merely heavy injuries amongst a few. Try to relax, we'll be there in half an hour or so." revealed Neji.

Naruto nodded rather hesitantly as he exhaled rather loudly to calm himself down. Silence fell amongst the four again as the only sound was the low hum of the submarine as it continued to travel towards the destination. Naruto began fidgeting and tapping his legs for a few moments before he was met with the harsh glare of Sakura.

"…What kind of enemies will be present?" Asked Sakura as she stopped glaring at Naruto.

"Based on reports, it seems like basic mercenaries. Some cheap hired thugs and at worst maybe some trained weapon wielders. There's nothing that you shouldn't be able to handle based on our recon, but stay on your guard," answered Neji.

After a period of time, Neji looked at a wristwatch around his left hand before inserting an earpiece into his right ear and looking at his phone.

"This is Hyuuga Neji of the Leaf reporting in. My squad is briefed and accounted for. We are rapidly approaching the designated drop off point, can you give me an update on the situation?" Asked Neji as he waited for a moment while static seemed to blare in his ear.

"This is the ground resistance! There are a number of enemies scattered around the drop off point, they're trying to secure the area to prevent the backup from adequately reinforcing the town. Suggest you find a different way other than the docks or else you'll be coming in hot! There might be –," the voice on the other end cut out as the sound of an explosion was heard followed by radio static.

Neji spoke a few more times to see if he could reestablish connection before swearing and then slapping the door to the cockpit a few times. The vehicle suddenly came to a stop before Neji opened up a compartment to reveal several aquatic devices and tossed several over to the cadets.

"Do any of you have devices that can't handle water or basic aquatic pressure?" Asked Neji to which the three cadets merely shook their heads.

"Good, hold on to the rebreather. We're gonna go the rest of the way via swimming and hope to get the jump on the enemy. We aren't far away so this shouldn't take long. When we arrive, we are there to SECURE the area. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT chase the enemy if stragglers begin to flee out of the drop off zone. We left earlier than the other teams so we need to provide a safer spot for everyone behind us," instructed Neji.

"Bah, why can't we just enter in like we planned on doing, a few mercs aren't going to stop us," whined Naruto.

"Negative cadet, we didn't get a clear summary of the enemies waiting at the drop off zone, they could be ready with some heavy weaponry or technique designed to destroy vehicles for all we know. That would compromise the mission so I'm not going to risk it. Now, let's move!" Ordered Neji as he opened the hatch above them.

Neji climbed out and stayed low as he activated his Byakugan and the veins around his eyes became more prominent.

"Looks like the destination isn't too far from here," noted Neji as he pointed off to the smoke in the distance. "Can you all competently walk on water?"

The three cadets nodded to which Neji returned his attention back in the direction of the destination and began darting his vision around to find a strategic point of entry.

"We can dash until about halfway then we put on the rebreathers and approach from under the water. This should keep our element of surprise. Aim for that sandbar off to the left instead of the docking area, we can sneak around and easily take out the opponents from there. When we arrive, Naruto, I want you to charge forward and create several clones to grab the attention of the enemy. Sakura, mask Sasuke's and I's presence then do anything you can to support Naruto. Sasuke, while Naruto and Sakura have their attention we will circle around and sandwich them to suffocate their ability to respond. Are we all clear on the plan?"

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all stood up straight and saluted Neji.

"Yes, sir!" Answered all three of them simultaneously.

The four of them dashed off across the water as they sped across the sea and closed the distance towards the original docking area. After a few moments of running, Neji made a downward gesture with his hand before he put on his rebreather and dove underneath the water and the three cadets followed in suit. As they all swam forward and propelled themselves forward, Neji kept his Byakugan active to keep track of the sandbar and continued to lead the group via hand signs. As the depth of the water got shallower and shallower, Neji pointed at the surface before rising up and his squad rose with him. As they stood up at the sandbar they looked to their right and saw a number of armored individuals darting around and aiming weapons into a covered position that was backed up against the dock. Neji looked at Naruto who only nodded back before dashing forward and making a cross symbol with his left and right index and middle fingers.

Shadow Clone Technique

Naruto suddenly split into 7 before they dashed forward and grabbed the attention of the mercs. Sakura closed her eyes for a second and concentrated her energy before releasing a pulse of Chakra. After doing so she turned her attention to Neji and Sasuke.

"You two should've blurred out of sight for those individuals," explained Sakura before she charged forward.

Sasuke and Neji took a wide path and ran around the chaos of Naruto and his clones engaging the mercs while Sakura dismantled their formation with illusions and shuriken tosses. Neji and Sasuke found themselves behind the enemies and then ran forward and began striking and stabbing individuals from behind. The remaining mercs began to turn around upon hearing the muffle cry of their allies only for Naruto to jump up and fire out six chains that bound the remaining mercs. Naruto then lifted them all up and smashed them against each other before throwing them roughly at the ground to do away with them.

"Good job, that was solid execution," nodded Neji in praise before he turned his attention over to a set of warehouse boxes that the mercs were surrounding.

"Hello, this is Hyuuga Neji of the Leaf. We spoke over the radio earlier, we're here to help," explained Neji as he walked towards the boxes.

A sigh of relief was heard as several poorly equipped individuals stood up and nervously walked over to Neji.

"Give me a status report on the situation," instructed Neji.

"The mercs….they pushed us back. We've lost a lot of ground. They've taken control of our main communication tower," explained one of the individuals as they pointed at a rather tall tower a bit off from them.

"Okay, are there any other resistance members or survivors?" Inquired Neji.

"There were a number of is in the town square but mercs swarmed through the area maybe 45 minutes ago, we've lost contact and have been separated since then."

"Okay, my squad and I will check that out. You guys reconstruct a defensive position and arm yourself with the weapons of the fallen. There are more of us incoming so we need this landing area secure," ordered Neji.

The resistance members nervously shook their head as Neji gestured for Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to follow him. The four of them dashed through the remnants of the town as there was a lot of debris and destruction around them. After several minutes of running, a pair of voices blared loudly through Neji's earpiece.

"This is Kazaki Tenten, we have arrived!"

"This is Rock Lee, my squad is up and accounted for!"

"Lee, Tenten, my squad and I are headed to town square to survey the area. We were informed that this was the last known location of rather large pockets of resistance members. I suggest searching the surrounding areas for possible survivors. My squad will secure the center," said Neji.

A comply of affirmative was heard between Tenten and Lee before Neji gestured for his squad to continue traveling. The two continued down the ruin roads of the town before finally coming across a fountain surrounded by a number of small and large buildings.

"This seems like the town square those resistance told us about…spread out and look for-," instructed Neji before he was cut off.

"Over there! Its members of the Leaf! The resistance must've hired them! Take them out!" Yelled a rather loud voice from an alleyway before it was swarmed by sword wielding individuals.

"What he said; take them out," ordered Neji as he dashed forward and avoided a sword swing before palm striking the individual in the chest.

Naruto nodded before he smirked and jumped up and released some chains that darted forward and began to strike at nearby individuals. Sasuke quickly turned his attention to the alley before going through a series of handseals and then proceeded to take a huge breath.

Fire Style: Grand Fireball

Sasuke blew out a rather large smoldering fireball that incinerated the alleyway and cremated a bulk of the mercs that were still trying to exit out. Sakura ducked under a sword swing and did a roundhouse kick that knocked away the attacker before she did a backhand spring and a backflip to get out of range of multiple pursuers.

"Hehe, whats the matter girlie, stop running and fight us!" Sneered one of the mercs as he continued to swing at Sakura.

"Okay," replied Sakura rather smugly as she jumped back even further and got into a fighting stance.

The five mercs that were chasing her all brandished their blades a bit before smirking and charging forward. As they got closer, Sakura merely laughed before gathering Chakra into her palms causing them to glow white. She then thrust both of them forward and released two sonic waves that smashed through several support columns causing the roof of a building to come crashing down and crush the mercs.

"Good eye Sasuke, nice strategy Sakura, ….brutal….and kind of maniacal…..but effective," praised Neji as he looked at his squad and then to Naruto who was laughing to himself while smashing mercs together with his chains.

Naruto blushed a bit and chuckled sheepishly as he dropped the mercs and regrouped with his team.

"What now?" Asked Naruto as he looked around at the debris and bodies. "Do we go for the comms tower?"

"No, we should secure this area first and wait for more help to arrive before we attempt to go further into the town, we lack intel of what we're up against," explained Neji.

Before Naruto could protest, a rather loud explosion was heard and a number of buildings off into the distance collapsed as well as several new columns of smoke began rising from the sky. Neji narrowed his eyes for a moment before he dashed forward to the newly created giant pile of debris. As they got closer, they noticed an individual lying face down and not moving.

"Shikamaru?! What're you doing here? Are you okay?" Cried out Naruto as he turned the body over to the front.

"Ngnn….man, that explosion knocked the wind out of me…," groaned Shikamaru as he slowly tried to sit up.

"Hold still cadet, you said you were near an explosion? Your senses are probably a bit disoriented from that. Here, this will help," said Neji as he pulled out a syringe from his jacket and inserted it into Shikamaru.

Shikamaru groaned for a bit before his eyes suddenly shot open and he sat up rather quickly. His gaze darted around rapidly as he took in his surroundings.

"What…what was that?" Asked Shikamaru.

"Adrenaline…now, what happened to you?" Asked Neji.

"My squad and I were with Lee, we dispatched a group of mercs and tried to scout out the area for survivors. Then this strange individual appeared before us in a black cloak and red clouds. This guy made clear rather quick that he was the enemy but he didn't answer any of Lee's questions. He was about to defeat all of us but I made a plan out of desperation that barely worked and I managed to bind him. Right as Lee went in for the kill, the individual started glowing….and he exploded. That attack separated all of us I think," explained Shikamaru before he stood up and dusted himself off.

Neji nodded before he put his hand up to his ear, "Hey Lee, I have Shikamaru with me. He's largely unharmed. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, this is Lee. That's good to hear, the rest of the squad is accounted for but we're caught up with some mercs right now, we can regroup later."

"Lee! Neji! This is Tenten! I got an update from the higher ups. This mission is WAY more dangerous than we thought it would be! A mercenary group formed by some of the world's most dangerous criminals are here. STF operatives are already heading onto the scene to try and contain the situation! I'll send over the meet up coordinates to you over the navigation device, we've been delegated to…."

Tenten's voice seemed to fade away into static before Neji groaned in frustration and called out Lee and Tenten's name a few times to reestablish connection.

"Bah, that damned comms tower they're controlling is probably jamming our signal," spat out Neji as he glared at the tall structure in the distance.

All of a sudden, a voice began broadcasting over the remaining communication devices scattered across the city that made Sasuke and Naruto freeze up on the spot.

"Hello remaining resistance members. This is Uchiha Itachi….you might recognize that name from any top 10 most wanted list. I'm here to announce that we have secured key areas of this town and that you should all surrender or we will be forced to brutally kill you…this is the only warning you'll get," warned the voice of Itachi before the broadcast cut off.

"He's here…..," muttered Sasuke.

Sasuke took several steps in the direction of the tower before he was cut off sharply by Neji.

"No, I don't care about your personal vendetta, you are to listen to MY orders. We were not told to assault the comms tower so don't even think about it Uchiha," reprimanded Neji.

"But we don't know our orders….if we went to the comms tower, we could try and re-establish connection with the rest of our squads," pointed out Shikamaru.

Neji thought this over for a moment before he slowly nodded and then glared over to Sasuke, "Alright, we'll head over there with the purpose of unjamming our communications…and NOTHING else….are we clear, Sasuke?"

"Yes….sir," muttered Sasuke with a half-hearted salute.

TBC

Whew, this is a work in progress as I've said and I haven't played around with this idea to have a full structure and understanding of the plot just yet so updates will be a bit slow…however, what do you guys think of this premise? Interesting?