The ANBU Shadows

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Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own this fic as well as any original techniques and the like.

(He is only known as the Shadow. No one knows very much about him, in fact, very few even know that he exists. Those who do only know that he is very efficient at what he does. He has never failed to complete any mission that was assigned to him, even when outnumbered. But what happens when the mythical Shadow turns out to have a soft side, underneath his normal emotionless façade?) (Naruto, OC, Friendship, Bonding, Semi-Strong Naruto, Some OOC-ness) (Rated M to be safe)

(Romaji edited 7/17/17)

Lynx is feeling an odd emotion that he couldn't remember the last time that he had felt. He is currently in his room at the ANBU HQ, lying on his bed, just looking at the lynx ANBU mask that he wears. He is currently lost in his thoughts, thinking that he had killed all his emotions as he had been trained to do; but recently he had started to feel something that he couldn't really remember how to describe.

Lynx gets up and changes out of his ANBU outfit, then leaves his room and starts to leave the ANBU HQ. No one else is in the halls of this portion of the HQ; in fact, very few even know this area exists within the ANBU HQ. It is the reason so very few ever see him, and why he is revered to as a myth. He comes to the end of the hall he is walking down, exits through the hidden door in the wall, and steps out into the bright afternoon sunlight. He takes a deep breath of the fresh air, before shunshining (body flickering) to his closest companions back balcony, before quickly rapping on the glass door of his companion's home, then waiting.

Iruka is currently working on grading exams from the students of the Academy, when he hears knocking on his back balcony door. He gets up to let his guest in, already knowing who it is, seeing as how this person is the only one to ever knock on his balcony door. He gets to the door, and opens it, allowing the person to enter. "Yuu-san, what are you doing here?" Iruka asks. (Lynx's real name is Yuuzuki Tataki, but like most ANBU, his real name is known to very few.)

"I'm actually here to speak to you about something." Yuu replies.

"About what?" Iruka asks.

Yuu takes a breath and sighs, something Iruka has never seen him do before. "I don't know how to explain it, but I have had this strange feeling as of late. As you know, I've killed my feelings like all ANBU are trained to do, but I still have this strange feeling that I just can't describe."

Iruka looks a bit surprised at what Yuu tells him, since he seems to always be so passive and never seems to feel nor show emotions. "That's a bit of a surprise; can you describe it in any way?"

"I really don't know, but it feels as though I'm missing something in life; like there's a hole that needs to be filled. I've never had any problems like this before, so I don't fully understand it." Yuu replies.

Iruka ponders Yuu's statement for a moment, but then thinks he might know what it is that Yuu is likely feeling. "I think I may know what is that you're feeling, but it might sound a bit odd."

"Why do you think it may be odd? It's just a feeling so it shouldn't really be that big of a deal, should it?" Yuu asks.

"Well I think what it is that you're feeling is... well, loneliness." Iruka replies.

Yuu just blinks, "Eh? What do you mean loneliness? Why would I be feeling loneliness?"

"Well, I'm no expert but I think it may be because of the fact that you are always by yourself, and don't interact with very many people." Iruka replies.

Yuu thinks about that for a bit, not really sure what to make of his current predicament. He has always wondered what it would be like to be a bit more open about his life, and to interact a bit more with other people; but he has always been more focused on his duty to protect the village than anything else.

"Well it's really up to you, but if I was in your situation, I would possibly try finding an apprentice or something along those lines." Iruka states. "However, if you do take that route, I have someone I can recommend, since he is somewhat in the same boat as you. Just know that he is still a boy, and it will be difficult to train him; but he's actually a very fast learner."

Yuu thinks about what it would be like to have an apprentice for a while. Yuu himself is no expert when it comes to genjutsu or ninjutsu; he has trained himself in taijutsu and swordplay, with a little bit of ninjutsu and kenjutsu mixed in. Even then he knows only a few ninjutsu; bunshin (clone), kage bunshin (shadow clone), henge (transformation), and kawarimi (substitution). "I guess that having someone else around could be interesting, but I don't know if I will be able to handle it."

Iruka heads back into his office and grabs a file out of his file cabinet. He then heads back out to sit across from Yuu as he places the folder on the small table in between them. "It really is up to you, but if you do decide to go this route and accept an apprentice, this file here is everything I have on the person I recommend. He really could use a father figure, or even a brother figure in his life. He has grown up without a family, and has been harassed since he was born. If you read the file you will know why that is."

Yuu grabs the folder and opens it, and the first thing he sees is a 5 year old boy with spiky blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and three whisker-like marks on each cheek. He is wearing a white t-shirt with an orange spiral on it. His pants are black with an orange stripe running down the length of the legs, and he has on a pair of black sandals. "Iruka-san, isn't this the boy that the Kyūbi no Yōko was sealed into?"

"Yea, it is... I don't think it's fair that the villagers treat Naruto as badly as they do. The Yondaime Hokage originally sealed the Kyūbi no Yōko into Naruto, in the hope of saving the village from destruction. He succeeded in that, but his second hope-the hope that Naruto would be viewed as a hero when he grew up-was in vain. The villagers view Naruto as the Kyūbi disguised as a human, which is why the villagers treat him the way they do." Iruka says.

Yuu was a bit surprised at that, but didn't show it. He never knew that Naruto was treated as bad as he is. He was one of the few who fought alongside the Yondaime Hokage against the Kyūbi; but he wasn't around when the Yondaime sealed the Kyūbi into Naruto. (Yuu doesn't know that Naruto is the Yondaime Hokage's son yet.) "Sounds like Naruto really has had a tough life. That settles it then, I'll go talk to the Sandaime Hokage later, and see about apprenticing Naruto."

"You actually mean that you'll apprentice Naruto? That's great. Wait until Lord Third hears about this, he's gonna have a heart attack. You're the last person he'll expect to apprentice a kid, let alone Naruto." Iruka said. "I have a feeling things are about to get a lot more interesting."

Yuu gets up, thanks Iruka for the talk, and heads for the balcony door. After he steps onto the balcony, he takes a breath of the cool afternoon air and shunshins back to the hidden ANBU HQ door. He opens the door, and heads back to his room; then changes back into his ANBU outfit, and dons his mask. He then shunshins to the outside of the Hokage's office in the Hokage Tower, and knocks on the old oak door, then waits for the reply, which comes moments after.

The Sandaime looks up from his desk, and is a bit surprised that Lynx of all people has come to speak to him. Lynx never comes just to talk so he thinks something big must have happened. "Lynx... It's a surprise to see you here. What can I help you with?"

Lynx doesn't really know where to begin, but since his face is covered by his mask, you couldn't tell that he is thinking how to word his question. "Hokage-sama, I have been thinking about something for a while, and after speaking with Iruka about what I was thinking about. I have come to the decision that I wish...to take on an apprentice."

Hiruzen was not expecting that. His face was that of pure shock. He never, in his wildest dreams would have thought that Lynx would want to take on an apprentice. He takes a moment to get over the initial shock, and takes a breath. "Really...? I never would have expected that from you, knowing that you prefer to work alone; but if that is what you wish to do, then I don't see the harm in it. Have you decided who it is that you are going to take as an apprentice?"

Lynx is little taken aback by how well the Sandaime Hokage is taking the news of him wanting to take an apprentice. The real question though is; how will he react to the choice? "Actually yes, I have Hokage-sama. Although it may not exactly be someone you would expect someone of my stature to take as an apprentice."

Hiruzen becomes intrigued at who it is that Lynx is going to choose as his apprentice. There are many in the village that look up to the ANBU and their mythical Shadow, and would kill for a chance to be apprenticed by any of the legendary ANBU that defend their home, let alone, the ANBU. "I see... than can you tell me who it is Lynx?"

Lynx takes a deep breath knowing this is one of the biggest decisions he's ever going to make in his life. Not to mention it'll probably cause the Sandaime to have a heart attack at the person he's chosen. "Hokage-sama, the person that I've chosen is Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko."

Hiruzen just sits there stunned, not sure if he heard Lynx correct. He then leans forward with a serious look on his face, "Let me see if I heard you right. You said Naruto Uzumaki, correct?"

Lynx thinks things just went sour, very quickly. "Yes, I said Naruto Uzumaki. I wish to take him as my apprentice, per recommendation of Iruka Umino."

Hiruzen sits back and just looks at Lynx, not sure what to say. First, he was definitely not expecting Lynx to choose Naruto. Second, why would Iruka recommend Naruto-of all people-to Lynx, the legend of the ANBU? And third, what was the council going to say about this? He was truly and utterly at a loss for words.

A few minutes go by; then the silence is broken by Hiruzen. "You do know what you're asking right Lynx? You know what will happen if the council finds out about this right? The council will not allow anyone to apprentice or interact with Naruto, and no one on the council with think anything other than the fact that you are trying to gain power, or are plotting against the village; if you take Naruto as your apprentice. The risk that you are taking has a very high price, you realize that, correct?"

Lynx only replies with a nod of the head.

Hiruzen sighs, then grabs his pipe and adds a pinch of tobacco to it before lighting it. He takes a long drag on the pipe while thinking over what he should do in this situation. He doesn't know what to do. On the one hand, if he allows Lynx to take Naruto as his apprentice, Naruto won't be harassed, or have his life put in danger anymore; but on the other hand, if he allows Lynx to take Naruto as his apprentice, things could become real ugly for Lynx and him real fast. Then again, if nothing happened soon, Naruto could possibly end up losing his life from the beatings he takes from the villagers.

"Alright, here's the deal. I'll allow you take Naruto as your apprentice, but he must be ready for the Academy exams in 5 years' time. He will not be placed on a Genin team; he just needs to be there for the exams. He will also need to take the Chūnin exams. He will be placed in a temporary Genin team, or a team of your choice, in order for him to take the exams. After that, I will leave it up to you when he is ready to become a Jōnin." Hiruzen tells Lynx.

"Thank you Hokage-sama, though I do have a request. I wish for Naruto to be given an ANBU mask. It may seem like a strange request...but instead of Naruto becoming a Jōnin, I wish him to become part of the ANBU program. I believe he would be of more use there, than leading a team of Genin." Lynx says to Hiruzen.

"I won't be able to grant that request right now, but when Naruto becomes a Genin, maybe I'll have an answer for you then, on whether or not that'll be possible. As for Naruto becoming an ANBU, you know good and well what it will take in order for that to happen. The ANBU program is not something to be taken lightly, you should know that yourself." Hiruzen tells Lynx.

"Yes, I know Lord Third. As for my methods, will you leave it up to me how I deal with Naruto and how I train him? He will be living in the secret section of ANBU HQ, near me. And as for the mask, I'm pretty sure I can find a cheap one that'll satisfy Naruto's personality, until it's possible to get him an official one. I plan on healing him from his tormented lifestyle, and turning him into a commendable young shinobi of the Hidden Leaf." Lynx replies.

"I will leave it up to you with how you train Naruto. He is your responsibility now, so I expect good things, do you hear me Lynx? Also...are you going to reveal your true identity to Naruto, or are you going to keep going by Lynx?" questions Hiruzen.

"I'll go by my real name, but I'm going to drill it into his skull that he is only to call me that when I'm not wearing my mask; because you know as well as I do, that an ANBU's identity is their greatest secret." replies Lynx.

"Ok. Well then, I guess we're done here. I do hope that you know what you're getting yourself into Yuuzuki. That boy is a handful, whether he means to be or not." Hiruzen replies, purposely saying Lynx's real name.

"I do as well, Hiruzen-sama, I do as well." Yuu says, using the Sandaime Hokage's real name as he shunshins back to his room in the ANBU HQ.

Naruto is currently being chased by the villagers again for supposedly being the Kyūbi. It makes him sad to know that no matter what happens, the villagers will always treat him so badly. His clothes are in tatters, he's missing a sandal, and he has a long, deep cut on his left arm from defending himself from a woman with a kitchen knife. Naruto takes a wrong turn and finds himself in a dead-end alley. As the mob closes in on Naruto, his short, 5 years of life flash before his eyes. Naruto thinks for sure that he is going to die then and there, when a black-armored figure suddenly appears between him and the mob. He then passes out from the blood loss and exhaustion.

"By order of the Sandaime Hokage, you are to return to your homes immediately. If you fail to comply, I will be forced to take unpleasant measures." The figure commands.

The crowd of villagers were surprised by this newcomer who had just appeared out of nowhere between them and the 'Demon Child.' A majority of the people disperse, but there are some more stubborn ones, that refuse to budge. One of the villagers ignores Lynx, and tries to bypass him to get to Naruto. Lynx would have none of it, and in the blink of an eye, the villager that tries to get to Naruto loses the hand that is holding knife. A few seconds pass before the villager realizes what had just happened. The villager then clamps his other hand on the stump that was his wrist, and cries out in agony. He backpedals away from Lynx, fearing for his life, as do the rest of the villagers that had stayed. After the rest of the mob finally disperses, Lynx turns around to look at the unconscious Naruto. He sighs, and kneels to pick the boy up, then shunshins back to his room in the ANBU HQ, where he lays the boy down on his bed. He then strips the boy down to his boxers before nursing and bandaging the numerous wounds that the boy has. He then covers the boy with the nearby blanket and goes to take a quick shower, after stripping and hanging up his armor.

After the shower, Lynx dresses and checks on Naruto, then examines the clothes that Naruto had been wearing. After memorizing the sizes of the clothing the small boy wore, he shunshins—out of uniform—to a clothing store, to buy clothes for Naruto. The clothes that he buys aren't anything special, just some simple black and grey shirts, pants, boxers, and 2 pairs of sandals. He also buys a mimic ANBU mask that was shaped similar to a fox head. He then seals everything into a storage scroll, and goes to grab lunch.

Naruto stirs in his slumber, signaling that he is getting ready to wake up. As he opens his eyes, he notices he is on a bed under a blanket. He also notices that the wounds that he got from the villagers are bandaged. He sits up, albite slowly, so he doesn't hurt himself and reopen any of the nursed wounds. He looks around the room, and takes in his surroundings. He isn't in his own room, he can tell that much. There are Fuma Shurikens, Kusarigamas, Kamayaris, Chigi-rikis, and many other ninja tools mounted on the walls. There are many different ninja vests, hitai-ates with the Konoha symbol, shinobi sandals, fingerless gloves, masks of all types, and many other articles of ninja gear on armor stands and shelves. Naruto sees that one mask peg and armor stand is separated from the others. On it is a mask that looks like some kind of cat, what looks like the armor that an ANBU wears, but is black in color instead of the traditional grey, and the handle of a ninjato, just barely showing over the right shoulder of the armor.

Naruto gets up from the bed, and goes to the bathroom to relieve himself, taking care not to disturb anything in the room. When he enters the bathroom he notices that there are kunai and regular shuriken on a shelf on the wall opposite the shower stall. After relieving himself, he goes and sits back down on the bed, and finally realizes that he is only in his black and orange boxers. He looks around the room, but can't find the clothes that he had been wearing. He sighs, and lies back on the bed, and starts to think. 'Where am I? How did I get here? Why did someone rescue me? I thought that everyone in the village hates me, except for Jijī and Iruka-sensei that is.' He lays there for a few minutes, until a man poofs into existence in the room. Naruto instantly sits up and presses himself against the wall, thinking that he is in danger.

"Ah, so I see you're awake. Are you feeling better?" The man asks.

Naruto is too scared to answer the man verbally, so he just nods his head, still pressing up against the wall.

The man sighs, before walking over to Naruto and kneeling at the edge of the bed. "There's nothing to be afraid of Naruto. The villagers won't hurt you any longer. You're safe here." The man says gently as not to frighten Naruto any more than he already is.

Naruto looks a bit less shaky, but is still pressing up against the wall, "H-how do you know my name? Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here?"

"My name is Yuuzuki Tataki. You are in my room, in a hidden area of the ANBU HQ. I rescued you from the villagers that were attacking you. You were in pretty bad shape, so I brought you here, then cleaned and dressed your wounds." Yuu tells Naruto.

Naruto looks at Yuu before replying, "But why would you help me? Everyone in the village except for Jijī and Iruka-sensei hates me. They're always chasing me around and trying to hurt me. I've been called 'Demon' for as long as I can remember, and I think it's because they think I'm the Kyūbi, but I don't know why that is. I've always just wanted to be left alone."

Naruto looks like he's about to start crying, so Yuu gets up so he can sit on the bed, and reaches for Naruto to pull him into a hug. Naruto flinches thinking he's going to get hit, but is surprised when he's not hit, but instead is pulled into an embrace. "Naruto-kun, you don't have to worry about the villagers anymore. I've talked to Hokage-sama and Iruka-san, and they both have agreed that you should become my apprentice. That is...if you want to."

Naruto is speechless. This man, this stranger whom he never met before, wants to take him as an apprentice? "Do you really mean that? Do you really want me as an apprentice?"

"Yes, Naruto-kun, I would gladly take you as an apprentice. I know everything about you. I know that you have been alone since you were born, that the villagers treat you horribly, and that you are scared for your life. I know everything, more-or-less." Yuu tells the young boy that he's holding.

Naruto finally breaks down and starts to cry, but they're not tears of sadness, they're instead tears of pure happiness. Yuu just sits there holding Naruto, rubbing the boy's back while he cries. He's never been in a situation like this, and tells himself that this is not going to be a common occurrence. He doesn't plan on going easy on the boy while he trains him. He plans on making it so that when the time comes, Naruto will be able to survive on his own, and will be able to look after himself. "Thank you, Yuu-sama." Naruto says quietly.

"You feel better Naruto?" Yuu asks after the boy finally stops crying, and pulls away from him.

Naruto nods, and flashes a foxlike grin, something Yuu may end up seeing a lot in the future. "Yes Yuu-sama. I've just never had someone actually care for me before. I mean there was Jijī and Iruka-sensei, but they usually just stopped by to make sure I had food, got my allowance, and to make sure that I was alright."

Yuu understands where Naruto is coming from, but he can't act like he knows everything that the Sandaime Hokage and Iruka did. He knows they paid Naruto visits, but that is all he knows. "Well now that you're feeling better, why don't we do something about that smell of yours?" Yuu says and pokes Naruto in the belly, making the boy laugh. "Go and take a shower, and I'll make you something to eat. Then we can talk a bit more on what you're going to be doing as my apprentice."

Naruto nods his head and gets of the bed. As he heads to the bathroom, he suddenly remembers that he doesn't have any clothes here. "Yuu-sama, what am I gonna wear after my shower though? I don't have anything beside the boxers that I'm wearing."

"Don't worry about that Naruto, just go take a shower. I'll find you something to wear for when you get out." Yuu replies, chuckling. He knows that he has stuff for Naruto; he just wants to surprise the boy. "Also, don't put the boxers back on, the clean stuff that I find will be sitting on the bed when you get out."

Naruto smiles, and runs to the bathroom to hop in the shower. The shower isn't that hard to use, it has one of those shower heads connected to a hose.

Yuu pulls the storage scroll that has Naruto's new clothes in it out, and pumps a small amount of Chakra into it. The clothes appear in a poof smoke, and Yuu places them on the bed for Naruto to find when he gets out of the shower. He picks up the toy mask, and looks at it, before placing it on one of the shelves, telling himself he'll give it to Naruto later. He then heads to the kitchen to prepare some food for himself and Naruto.

Ten minutes later, Naruto comes of the restroom completely naked, heads to the bed, and looks at the clothes on the bed. He picks a grey shirt, black boxers, and black pants, and quickly slips them on. He notices that they are almost a perfect fit, just slightly larger than he is; but then again he is just really skinny from malnourishment. He then heads into the kitchen and finds Yuu preparing dinner.

"Do you feel better after that shower Naruto-kun?" Yuu asks without turning around.

"Yea, I actually feel a lot better. Thanks Yuu-sama. I noticed that the clothes you got me are a little bigger than what I was wearing earlier, did you do that on purpose?" Naruto asks after jumping up to sit on the counter behind Yuu.

"Yes, actually I did. I noticed when I was dressing your wounds earlier that you're actually a lot skinnier than most kids your age. I assume it has to do with the fact that you never had anyone to prepare a proper meal for you while you were growing up, and that you had to prepare your own meals with what little experience you know about cooking." Yuu replies to the boy sitting on the counter behind him.

"I see...well thanks for the new clothes Yuu-sama. What are you making for dinner?" Naruto asks after sniffing the air.

"I'm making Kamameshi, Naruto-kun. Also, you don't need to keep calling me Yuu-sama, you're making me feel old." Yuu says chuckling. "If you're gonna use honorifics, I'm fine with Yuu-san or even Yuu-sensei when we're training."

"Ok, Yuu-niichan." Naruto replies happily, glad to have someone who's willing to look after him. He is a bit curious as to what kind of training Yuu will be putting him through though. "Niichan, I noticed your armor out there on that armor stand. Are you a part of ANBU?"

Yuu rolls his eyes at Naruto's nickname, then smiles, knowing this was coming. "You're a smart boy, you know that Naruto-kun? I am an ANBU, but I'm a special type of ANBU. If you noted the color of the armor, you may have noticed that it's a different color from the normal ANBU outfit. Have you ever heard of the ANBU known as the Shadow?" Yuu asks Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widen when he hears the name. "Do you mean the Shadow, as in the legend? The one that the parents tell stories about, to their kids? I've heard stories while hiding from the villagers, of an ANBU known only as the Shadow. He is supposedly a last resort, and never fails his job. He's known as a 'God Amongst Men', because of his unrivaled ability in combat."

Yuu chuckles at hearing that. "Yes, Naruto-kun, I mean that Shadow. He's not as much a myth as he's made out to be though. He's like any of the other ANBU around, but he's just better at what he does than the rest. It is also true though that he has never failed a mission before, and he has never been bested in combat. He's even taken on the entire ANBU force, and still came away victorious. Care to guess who you think the Shadow is?"

Naruto wasn't expecting to hear that. Everyone knows that one ANBU alone was hard enough, but to be able to beat the entirety of the ANBU force was unheard of. Yet, here was Yuu saying that it had been done. Naruto thinks about it for a while. Then it comes to him. While he didn't want to believe it, there can't be any other possibility. The black ANBU outfit was more-or-less a dead giveaway since the ANBU all wear grey. "Yuu-niichan...are you the Shadow?"

Yuu turns off the stove, finished making dinner. "So you figured it out Naruto-kun. I knew you could. Very, very few even know my real name, and even then it's kept quiet. My identity is an SS-Class secret. Those who are lucky enough to know my name are; Iruka-san, Hokage-sama, Kakashi-san, and now you. You are very lucky to be given this privilege Naruto-kun, the rest of the ANBU have been trying to figure out my real identity for years. They know what I look like, but they don't know my name."

"I can't believe it! My big brother, the Shadow! That means you must be the strongest in the village if you can beat the entire ANBU force, the official bodyguards of Jijī. That is so cool!" Naruto pretty much shouts. Yuu can't help but laugh at the enthusiasm of the five year old.

"Speaking of Hokage-sama, why do you call him Jijī Naruto-kun? That's very disrespectful. Don't you know how important Hokage-sama is to the village?" Yuu questions Naruto.

"Yes, I know how important he is, it's just that I consider him like a grandfather of sorts. And to be honest niichan, he's an old man. That's why I call him Jijī." Naruto replies to the question.

Yuu blinks twice, then just rolls his eyes, knowing that no matter what he says, he's not gonna change the kid's mind. "Whatever Naruto-kun, let's just go have dinner, and then we can talk about what going to be happening over the next few years with you as my apprentice."

=====Timeskip 1 hour=====

"Starting tomorrow, I am going to start training you how to control your Chakra. As you get better at whatever it is that I teach you, we will move to the next lesson. Know this though, I am not very good when it comes to ninjutsu, so don't expect me to teach you how to use jutsu. I will be focusing solely on taijutsu and training you in the way of the sword. When you turn 6, I will give you a very special, but useful gift. I've accepted the Hokage's terms of what happens as you age. When you turn 10, you will go to the Academy and take the final exam to become a Genin, however you will not remain at the Academy. You will return with me, and we will continue training. When the Chūnin exams come around, you will be placed on a temporary team so that you will be able to participate in the exam. After the Chūnin exams are finished, you will once again return with me and we will continue to train." Yuu explains to Naruto.

"Ok, niichan. So when do we get started?" Naruto asks enthusiastically.

"We can start in a moment. I need to do something first. I'll be right back." With that said, Yuu shunshins to Iruka's house and knocks on his door. It is answered moments later.

"Yuu-san, what brings you here at this time of night?" Iruka asks tiredly.

"I want to know if you'd be willing to help me train Naruto with his Chakra since I don't know very much about Chakra. As you know I'm a taijutsu specialist, not a ninjutsu specialist, so I don't have to use my Chakra very often." Yuu replies.

"I see that you actually took my recommendation seriously and made Naruto your apprentice. I suppose I could lend a hand; besides, I haven't seen Naruto in a while, and I think he would like to see me." Iruka says.

"Thanks Iruka-san, just grab onto my shoulder and I'll take us back to my place." Yuu says to Iruka as he places his hand on Yuu's shoulder. With that, they both shunshin back to Yuu's place.

When they arrive, Iruka immediately gets tackled in a hug by a mop of blonde hair. "Iruka-sensei!" Naruto happily says.

"Hey Naruto-kun, how've you been doing?" Iruka asks as he ruffles the 5 year old's hair. "You haven't been causing Yuu-san any problems have you?"

"No, not at all Iruka-sensei. Niichan was telling me that I was going to be his apprentice. The apprentice of the Shadow. It's so cool!" Naruto replies giddily.

Iruka arches an eyebrow and looks at Yuu, who only shrugs. "I see he figured you out, eh?"

Yuu only chuckles whiles rubbing the back of his head. "Yea he did, but how could he not; the armor is a dead giveaway. Not to mention how could I hide anything from that innocent look of his?"

Iruka just rolls his eyes. "Don't be fooled by it, it may look innocent, but underneath there's a mischievous little prankster. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here to help Naruto-kun learn how to access and control his Chakra."

Naruto looked at Iruka, then at Yuu. "Why can't niichan teach me Chakra control? He is an ANBU after all."

"Yuu-san can't teach you Chakra control because he doesn't use his Chakra very often. He doesn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu; he uses taijutsu or hand-to-hand combat, and uses weapons like swords, similar to kenjutsu." Iruka explains.

"Oh. I see. Now I see why niichan went and got you Iruka-sensei. You do teach at the Academy, so you would be the better choice." Naruto says.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's start with me explaining what Chakra is. Chakra is energy extracted from cells that Ninja's need to be able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu. To use it correctly the ninja needs to mix their physical energy with their spiritual energy then use special hand seals to activate the technique that they want to use. A ninja must train their physical energy through battles and training, as well as their spiritual energy through meditation and mental exercises in order to control large amounts of chakra when using techniques." Iruka explains, having memorized the scroll that explains Chakra.

"So you're saying that all I have to do is meditate and try to focus on this inner energy, and then bring that energy to the surface?" Naruto asks.

"Pretty much Naruto-kun. But, in reality it's actually easier said than done. Then again, I'm not one to brag, seeing as my Chakra control is passable, albeit barely." Yuu says to Naruto.

What Iruka and Yuu don't know though was that Naruto already has a decent control of his Chakra. And even more of a surprise is that he and the Kyūbi have developed a strong friendship. In fact, their relationship is so strong that, Naruto has already mastered the controlling of the Kyūbi's Chakra and is able to use the Bijū Cloak. He even knows that the Kyūbi's name is Kurama, something the Kyūbi has never told any of his previous vessels. So you can imagine the surprise on their faces when he easily starts to channel his Chakra.

Yuu and Iruka look at each other then back to Naruto, a bit surprised. "Naruto...have you done this before? Because right now you are displaying perfect Chakra manipulation." Iruka says, curious as to how Naruto has so much experience when it comes to Chakra control.

Naruto opens his eyes and looks at Yuu and Iruka. He then cracks his foxlike smile and rubs the back of his head. "Heh-heh. I guess I should've said that I already know Chakra control... how do you think I've lasted as long as I have running from the villagers? Kurama-san, or the Kyūbi as you all call him, has been training me all kinds of things."

That was the last thing Yuu and Iruka were expecting to hear. "Naruto, you mean to say that you know that you have the Kyūbi no Yōko sealed inside of you?" Yuu and Iruka both ask at the same time.

"Yes, and to be honest I have known about it for about a year now, Iruka-sensei, niichan. I understand why it is that the villagers attack me, but it still scares me that they attack me, and confused me when they call me the Kyūbi. What can a 5 year old kid really do against more than 20 angry, and seemingly crazy villagers out to kill him?" Naruto asks a bit sadly.

"Well, I guess since there's nothing that I can teach you about Chakra, I guess I'll head back home to get some rest. I hope that you will consider joining the Academy, but seeing as who will be teaching you, there really won't be much of a point. The kids at the academy will never learn the kinds of things that Yuu-san here can teach you, at least not until they become Chūnin, but even then they won't know half the stuff that Yuu-san does. You'll be fine Naruto, although Yuu-san can be a bit hardheaded." Iruka says, dodging a smack from Yuu. With that said, Iruka vanishes in a poof of smoke, leaving Yuu and Naruto to get ready for bed themselves.

"Well I guess that's that Naruto. We will start your taijutsu lessons tomorrow. You can have the bed tonight; I'll sleep on the floor. I'm going to go get another bed tomorrow, since you'll be staying here from now on. Speaking of which, do you have anything that you need to grab from your old apartment?" Yuu asks the boy.

Naruto shakes his head, "No, there's nothing there that I need to get. I didn't have anything important to me besides the clothes I had, but they got destroyed in that attack earlier today."

With that said, Naruto crawls under Yuu's bed's covers and quickly falls asleep. Yuu heads to the bathroom and grabs the spare blankets out of the closet. He places the blankets on the floor, then moves Naruto's head from under the blankets on the bed to make sure that he can breathe freely, before lying down on the blanket that he placed on the floor. He falls asleep to the quiet snoring of the blonde boy.

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Kamameshi= Rice topped with vegetables and chicken or seafood, then baked in an individual-sized pot

Ninjato= Small ninja sword, similar to the one that Sai carries with him

Kusarigama= A chain with a weight on one end and a sickle on the other

Kamayari= A sickle spear, similar to a Yari but with an extra blade protruding from the main blade

Chigi-riki= A ninja mace; more specifically a Japanized version of the traditional flail

Shunshin= Body Flicker

Bunshin= Clone

Kage Bunshin= Shadow clone

Henge= Transformation

Kawarimi= Change of Body or Substitution