Chapter One
A blond boy around the age of nine sprinted down a cobbled stone street as a large mob of villagers gathered their hatred and chased after him, roaring angrily with stones in hand. They tossed the blunt objects at Naruto, drawing blood with each successful hit. The kid was already sobbing when he turned a sharp corner into an alley between the Ichiraku Ramen Shop and the Shinobi Supply Store. He ran alongside the wooden fences and met a dead end after running for a few seconds.
"Get that fucking demon brat!" A villager bellowed when the large group had him in their sights. They pegged him with the rocks and the blond fell flat on his back, losing consciousness as stones pelted his head. The last thing he saw before passing out was a flurry of red.
The redness was the hair of a girl who threw three kunais with explosive tags at the crowd, killing them instantly with a huge explosion. The girl, Tayuya, walked over the blood-spattered bodies and pools of crimson liquid to reach the boy. She picked up his battered self with both arms, struggling. After all, she was the same age and barely capable of carrying eighty pounds. She jumped onto the rooftops and took him to the nearby training ground.
Tayuya laid Naruto down on the forest's edge and dropped down next to him in front of a tree, sitting back and relaxing. As soon as the blond stirred, the girl knelt over his body and he opened his eyes. "W-where am I?"
"Training ground. Now, explain what the hell happened back there." Tayuya replied.
"The villagers hate me," Naruto began. "and I don't even know why. Those bastards have always wanted to destroy me, ever since I was old enough to walk."
"Yeah, whatever." The redhead said, sitting back in her previous location near the tree. "Looks like your cuts and bruises are all better now." She observed his smooth skin that was bloody and scraped just ten minutes ago.
"I heal really fast, but I don't know why." Naruto informed the girl.
"You're fucking clueless, aren't you?" Tayuya mocked, smiling slightly. "What's your name, anyway? I'm Tayuya, by the way."
"Uzumaki Naruto." The blond responded, sitting up and rubbing his head slowly. "Where do you live? I don't think I've seen you around Konoha before."
"I'm from the shittiest place in the world." She told him. "The Village of Sound. I just passed through the North Gate a half hour ago and saw an pissed mob chasing you, so I thought I should help out a fellow troublemaker. I ran away from home, so I have nowhere to go. Both of my parents are dead." Tayuya grinned widely and let out a light laugh. "They were both fricken' assholes. I hated them..."
"Sorry about that. Well..." Naruto began. "Do you wanna come back to my place? You can stay there if you want, as thanks for saving my life. I feel like I owe you that. I think we could become good friends, too."
"Are you sure that's okay with your parents?" The redhead inquired further.
"My parents are dead as well." The blue-eyed kid answered, a bit sad. "I never knew them. They passed away on the day I was born."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Tayuya said, feeling a little sympathetic for the kid. "We should get going now. It's getting fucking dark." Naruto nodded in agreement and they both rose to their feet.
"Follow me." The blond told his newly acquired friend. They dashed across dusty streets until they reached an orange apartment complex. They slowed down and leisurely strolled up a flight of stairs until they reached the top floor, number three. Then, the two went down the narrow hallway until they reached room 3E in the middle. Naruto unlocked it with his silver key and he stepped inside with his friend.
For an orphan, Naruto had surprisingly nice furniture. He got some cash every day from the Sandaime for food, bills, and rent. The Sandaime thought that he should take care of the boy since his father, the fourth Hokage passed away. Only, Naruto didn't know why the Sandaime did that and he definitely did not know that his dad was the greatest Hokage that ever lived.
The interior of the rather large apartment had beige walls, a kitchen to the left, a bedroom ahead, and a couch with a coffee table in the living room that was there as soon as they entered the door. There was also one bathroom in the bedroom and another next to the entrance of the kitchen. Inside the bedroom, there was a soft bed with blue and white sheets and a thick navy blue comforter. A nightstand with a lamp also stood next to the bed and each bathroom had a bathtub, a sink, a toilet, and a towel rack. The kitchen was simple enough. There was just a stove top, sink, and a pantry.
"Wow!" Tayuya exclaimed as she stepped inside, took her sandals off, and examined the apartment. "Never thought a house could look this damn good."
"Well, the third Hokage pays for the rent, bills, food, water, and furniture." Naruto explained, thinking about what to say next and also taking his sandals off while he stepped inside. "He says that he owes it to my father to take care of me. I don't even know who my dad was, but I mentally thank him every day."
"Sweet." The redhead spoke. "So, where do I sleep?"
Naruto thought for a little and then answered. "My bed's kinda big so we could sleep on different sides. You could sleep on the upper side and I could sleep on the lower. That leaves about four feet between us. Does that sound good with you?"
"Only of you don't try to feel me up like a perv." Tayuya chuckled. Naruto looked embarrassed that she even said that, but shook it off.
"Hehe I wouldn't do that." Naruto replied. "Well, I'm going to change and go to bed. Good night." Naruto walked to his room, took his pajamas from his closet and went to the bathroom to change.
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4 years later Naruto: Age 13 Tayuya: Age 13
Naruto spun and swung his arm in an attempt to land a blow on his redheaded sparring partner. His fist barely missed as she jumped into the air with tremendous speed. She landed and dropped to the ground spinning around, and swiping a leg under Naruto's, knocking him to his back. He rolled backwards and found enough footing to stand back up and narrowly dodge a well-aimed kick to his abdomen. He countered with a punch to the side that actually hit and his best friend flew a few feet she stopped and rubbed her side.
"That was a damn good workout. Nice hit." Tayuya spoke. She began to stretch and Naruto did the same.
"It was and thanks." The blond replied. "We should head to the academy for graduation now." Today was the day that the two friends would take the graduation tests and show off their skills. They had only showed up to the academy for the minimum amount of time for them to pass the class. The two hopped up onto a roof and dashed towards the school, racing each other. Tayuya arrived there a split second before Naruto. It didn't surprise either of them because the redhead practiced speed a little more than anything. They smirked at each other and entered through the double doors.
The two found the other Genin sitting at their desks conversing with their friends. The only thing that was unusual was the group of fangirls hanging around Sasuke Uchiha. They walked past him to the only two empty seats and the very back row and he mouthed 'Please help me.' Naruto and Tayuya chuckled quietly and ignored the kid with cockatoo hair. They sat down and leaned back in the chairs, waiting patiently for their sensei, Iruka, to appear. He strolled in through a door in the back and walked up to the front.
"Shut up, please!" The scarred man yelled, in an attempt to silence the class. Everyone sat down in their chairs and waited for instructions. "Okay, first you will take a written test. Then, you will be put with a partner and spar." Iruka quickly ran to each desk and put a single page and a pencil down in front of everyone. The only people who didn't start to scribble answers down were the mentally retarded fangirls that only bothered to stare at Sasuke and didn't know a thing about being a Kunoichi.
The blond and the redhead finished before anyone, besides the class genius Shikamaru Nara. That pineapple head finished after only ten minutes, three minutes before Naruto and Tayuya. They put down their writing utensils and laid against the back of their chairs. After twenty more minutes, the test's time had expired and everyone but the fangirls had finished.
"Pass up your tests and head out to the back field when they are all at the front." Iruka ordered, pacing back and forth in front of the class. Naruto used his wind-type chakra to blow his and his best friend's papers down to the front row and land it neatly on the pile. He and Tayuya walked to the back door, walked down the hall, and exited out into the field. All of the students waited in the middle near the pond and Iruka joined them shortly.
"Now, I'll pair you up with a random partner. Whoever wins will advance to Genin level if the written test is also passed with at least sixty percent. If the loser aced the written test with one hundred percent, then they with also advance to Genin level. No fatal hits, no jutsus, no weapons, and whoever is knocked to the ground first loses." The sensei informed. Naruto was matched with Sasuke and Tayuya was set up with Hinata. They both wished each other good luck and smirked, certain that they could beat the opponent. There were going to be fifteen matches and Naruto was up second while Tayuya was going to be fourth.
Naruto and Sasuke stepped up to the middle of the small crowd of spectators and took their stances. Naruto and Tayuya's hard work and training would definitely pay off. Naruto charged at the emo and caught him off guard. The blond landed a solid blow to Sasuke's ribcage and knocked the wind out of him, causing him to kneel. He managed to stand and lash out with a punch, hitting his rival in the side of the face, making him jump back a foot or two. Then, Naruto decided that this was over when Sasuke began to cough up blood. He ran and kneed Sasuke in the groin and the emo collapsed on the ground, holding his bruised kid-makers. Iruka ran to Sasuke's side and picked him, putting him by the pond and telling him to walk it off.
Naruto smiled and walked away, another battle occurred, and now the redheaded ninjutsu user was up. She stepped in the middle of the circle of shinobi and faced Hinata. The shy girl activated her unique bloodline technique and the battle started. Hinata nearly sprinted towards her enemy and met her in the middle. Hinata jabbed towards Tayuya's chest but the redhead performed a perfect flip over the blue-haired girl and quickly spun around to land a blow on the base of Hinata's spine.
Said Hyuga jumped forward and did a forward handspring back onto her feet. She twisted around to find her opponent leaping towards her. Hinata successfully landed a kick on the redhead and Tayuya slid back a few inches, grabbing and holding on to her attacker's leg and sweeping her foot out from under her. The Hyuga landed on the dusty ground with a soft thud and the redhead was proclaimed the winner. Another twelve duels were held and Iruka spoke up.
"Okay!" He began, scratching his scarred nose. "Everyone head inside and converse with your peers while I grade your written tests. The results of this graduation examination will be announced at the end of class."
"Hey, Naruto." Tayuya addressed her best friend. "Don't you think this was too fucking easy?"
"Definitely." The blond replied. "I thought at least Sasuke would be strong enough to put up a fight, but maybe I'm just that damn awesome." The blond laid back, grinning, and received a light punch on his shoulder from his friend. Quickly enough, Iruka began to talk again, which compelled everyone to become silent.
"I will now list the students that have passed the test. Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, and Tayuya." Iruka informed the class. "You eight will report to the Hokage's office immediately." The newly promoted Genin cheered and Tayuya let out a bit of celebratory profanity as the group exited through the double doors after collecting their Leaf Village headbands and trying them in various places, leaving their disappointed classmates behind to sulk and spend another horrible year at the school.
Tayuya and Naruto dashed ahead of the crowd, hopping from rooftop to rooftop until they reached the Hokage Tower. The two best friends rushed through the wide door and scaled the staircase to the top. They greeted the secretary and he let them through the large wooden door, where they waited for their classmates and the Sandaime. The rest of the newly appointed Genin entered the small circular office and stood around until the leader of Konoha came in through a hidden door behind his mahogany desk and sat down.
"I'd like to personally congratulate you eight for passing the graduation exams." The old wrinkled man told them, smiling widely. "The tests have been made more difficult since the last time, due to the large amount of deaths of Genin and Chuunin who were not ready and barely passed. I would truly like to say that I'm proud of you." This made the Genin smile and high-five each other, turning their attention back to the village leader. "Now, all that's left is to assign you to a Jounin sensei that will lead your two three-man cells and one two-man cell."
Three puffs of smoke appeared and when it dispersed, there were three tough-looking Jounin. The first, a white-haired man with his headband covering his left eye and a mask hiding his face, greeted them with a "Yo." The second, a man with sharp brass knuckles, a blue beard, spiky hair, and a cigarette meet them with just a nod of acknowledgment. The third was a man who no-one had ever seen before. He had a black cloak, an ANBU Black Ops mask in the shape of a wolf with red crescents around the eyes, and tight-fitting black long-sleeved shirt and pants. He did nothing to show that he even noticed their presences in the room.
"I'd like you to meet your three senseis." The Sandaime started. "The first cell will be composed of Asuma Sarutobi, Shikamaru Nara, Sasuke Uchiha, and Chouji Akamichi. The second group will have Kakashi Hatake, Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka. The final and only cell to ever have an ANBU will be the ANBU Black Ops commander Kairei Hedishi, Naruto Uzumaki, and Tayuya." The others glanced at the members of the small team and the leaders strolled over to their respective teams. "Now, head out to the training grounds and get yourselves situated."
Without a word, Kairei leaped out of the wide open window and his pupils followed suit. They tracked him down to Training Field 13 and landed at the entrance. He turned around to face them and talked in a rather soft voice, like a twenty-year-old.
"So, let's just get to know each other." The dark-clothed man spoke. "We'll go around in a circle and talk about what we like and what we don't, since we already know each others' names."
"That's bullshit, let's just train!" Tayuya spouted.
"Shut up and listen, Tayuya." Naruto chuckled as the redhead punched him lightly in the shoulder.
"I'll go first." Kairei informed the two. "I love animals and I despise the cold. Your turn, Naruto."
"I like ramen and Tayuya and hate vegetables." Naruto spoke to the group. The redhead hit him in the shoulder, called him a perv, and then he realized what he said. "Oh, wait, no! I meant it like we're best friends!" She laughed her ass off at his embarrassment and then her turn began.
"Well, I fuckin' like weapons and Naruto as a friend." Tayuya began, glancing at her partner. "And I hate people who think they're better than me."
"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I think you should come with me." The masked sensei instructed the two best friends. After walking into the dense forest for approximately ten minutes, the group of three found a large three-story building. They entered via the revolving glass door and met with a secretary who directed them to the top floor to meet with the head of the building. They entered a large room and an elderly man sat behind his desk while a boy around Naruto and Tayuya's ages was sitting in a gleaming chair next to it. He had black hair that covered his blue eyes, loose-fitting dark pants and a shirt, and standard Shinobi sandals that every Shinobi was naked without.
"Hello, Kairei." Spoke the leader, addressing the masked man who was bowing before the elderly man. "Ah, I see you've brought the Genin we've been monitoring. Ediz, meet your new teammates." Said kid stood up and was interrupted by Tayuya.
"What the fuckin' shit?!" She yelled. "This punk-ass bitch is gonna be in our group?!" Everyone but Naruto flinched at the use of that foul language and the blond smirked at their reactions to a cursing thirteen-year-old.
"Whatever." The black-haired boy muttered. "Just deal with it."
"Fuck off, shit stain." Tayuya responded absentmindedly. Now it was their sensei's turn to talk.
"This is a newly formed organization of the very best Genin fresh out of the academy." The cloaked man explained to them. "Only skilled Shinobi and Kunoichi are brought here to form a team and trained to become masters of stealth, infiltration, and assassination."
"Sweet!" Naruto and Tayuya shouted simultaneously. Ediz just stood next to the blond, emotionless. This had already been told to him and he only found it exciting the first dozen times he thought about it.
"Now that this is over with, you are dismissed." The head of the organization informed the group of four. "Also, you will report here when ready to take on missions that not many kids your age can say that they have done."
"Wait, I don't understand why we were picked, though. What makes us more special than the other Genin that we just graduated with?" Naruto told the elderly man.
"We have been observing you three from afar and you have improved much in the past four years." Came the reply from the leader. "I must say that you have even reached high Genin level, if not rookie Chuunin. That is exactly the reason why I have selected you three. And Naruto, you will see why I picked you very soon. Does that answer your question?"
"Somewhat." The blond said, content with the answer.
"Good." The organization head said, a little smile playing on his wrinkled face. "You may leave now." Tayuya sighed and the four of them spun on their heels, leisurely exiting the office, descending the stairs, and leaving the huge building. They walked through the forest again, occasionally stumbling over some fallen branches in the dark. They must have been in there for an hour or so because the sun had disappeared below the horizon and the moon was up high in the middle of the sky, amidst all of the bright stars.
The now complete group split up and the two best friends went to the apartment, falling asleep just as they changed their clothes and hit the soft and comfortable mattress.
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A/N: The characters Ediz and Kairei Hedishi belong to me. Also, please review so I can see how people like this story so far.