Chapter 2

" When was the last time we did an escort mission, huh? We always have to clean up the trash," Tenten laughed as Team Guy approached The Hidden Sand village which signified the success of their escort mission.

" I have to admit that it was a rather easy one and surprised that it was classified as an A-rank mission," Neji said calmly as he followed closely behind their client.

" Fear not my fellow friends for I'm sure that our burning desire to complete a more challenging task will prove useful to us in our upcoming battles," Lee pumped his fist in the air while his other two teammates just rolled their eyes.

" Sure thing. Just as long as you don't use it all up on this mission," Neji sniffed as Lee gave him the thumbs up and flashed him his signature smile- brimming with confidence and joy.

" Alright team, we will be spending the night here and be leaving for home at the crack of dawn so I expect you three to get a good night's rest and recuperate while I accompany our client to the Kazekage's office," Guy grinned and ushered them to their respective quarters.

" You have a very disciplined team there, sensei," his client smiled politely and Guy puffed up in pride as he basked in the single compliment he received.

" Thank you sir and that's only the tip of the iceberg. My team is the most fearless, youthful, energetic and courageous team you will ever meet. The training regime that I put them through…."

" Ahem…." Kankuro smirked as he interrupted Guy's passionate diatribe regarding his team.

" Gaara's waiting for the both of you in his office. He requests to see the both of you immediately," Temari chimed in as she lead them into the Kazekage building.

As the sun set, the few thin strips of clouds on the horizon turned shimmering gold and the streets began to clear as the village inhabitants were busy preparing dinner for their family or heading home from work.

Neji didn't join the rest of the team for an early dinner as he was moderately full from consuming a plateful of sweet buns during tea. The lingering light was obliterated by the rapidly falling night. The once salmon and purple sky transformed into a vast expanse of jet-black that engulfed the town. A canopy of luminous stars materialized amongst the ocean of blackness. Some were dull, merely flickering into existence every now and then, but there was an adequate amount of shimmering stars to illuminate the dark, moonless night. The lake glistened, mirroring the dazzling assemblage of glittering stars and the luminescence from the restaurants and brightly-lit houses.

The mouth-watering scent of yakisoba from a nearby stall forced his way through his nostrils and delved into his head as he couldn't help but head towards the direction of the stall.

" Yes madam, I would like a plate of udon and some fish croquettes please," Neji smiled courteously at the old stall manager while he fished a few dollars from his wallet.

Neji was about to sink his teeth into his scrumptious looking dinner when he heard a tutting sound behind him.

He spun around to find a figure clad in a dark blue, tight and chainmail-style uniform, with orange underpants on the outside orange gloves that almost extend to his elbow, orange boots which are folded and last but not least, his mask which was half dark blue and orange with the right eye covered and the other eye showing at the orange part. A Promethium sword was strapped across his back with two pistols in their holsters on each side.

" You gave me a hard time finding you. I thought that you would still be hanging around in the dump of a village you call Konoha but it seemed that you were here on a mission" Naruto mused and advanced towards Neji who dropped his food and assumed a fighting stance.

" Who are you and why do you dress like that? Are you part of the Akatsuki?" Neji growled as the veins in his forehead began to be visible.

Deathstroke gave a cruel laugh and snorted in disgust. " Don't associate me with such weaklings. They are nothing but scumbags, waiting to be picked off one by one. As for you, Neji, that's the last meal you're going to eat in this lifetime," Naruto said as he drew his Beretta 92 FS' and began firing quick rounds at the ninja.

" Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!" Neji called out as he began spinning around at a high velocity while being enveloped by a chakra shield. The bullets were easily repelled by the shield and Naruto whistled as he drew his Promethium sword and tossed a hand grenade towards Neji.

Neji's eyes widened as the grenade detonated-its impact sending him hurling back into a brick wall. Neji crumpled onto the floor and wiped the trickle of blood from his nose.

He proceeded to activate his Byakugan but he was shocked as he could not see the chakra networks on Deathstroke.

Naruto did a graceful jump before bringing his sword down towards Neji who rolled away just in time. Neji sent Naruto reeling with a strong uppercut before a flurry of punches and kicks began raining down on Naruto.

Naruto staggered and Neji lined up for another blow to the face but Naruto caught his fist in his hand and proceeded to slowly crush all the bones in his fist. Neji let out a grunt of pain and tried to wriggle free but it was futile.

" You can't beat me with such basic attacks. Let me rephrase that, you piece of shit. Don't ever dream of beating me. I've beaten you when we were kids but only this time, I'm going to put a bullet through your empty skull," Naruto growled and sent Neji sprawling with a powerful punch to the face.

" Before I forget, my name is Deathstroke and no hard feelings about this buddy. But I'm a mercenary and someone paid me to kill you so I'm just doing my job," Naruto said as he succeeded in making Neji double up again with a roundhouse kick to the gut.

" Who is this guy? After all those punched and kicks that I inflicted upon him and yet, there isn't a single scratch on him. Furthermore, he looks as if he's actually having fun?!"

Neji jumped up and threw a few kunais at the anti-hero but Naruto just chuckled as they impaled his body.

Neji's eyes widened and he began to curse. " Ten knives in his body and he still looks as if he's taking a stroll in the park" Neji thought as he dodged another blow from his sword.

" Neji, why don't you just save us the trouble and stop fucking around?" Naruto said as he grabbed Neji by the throat and increased the pressure on his throat. Neji squirmed but it was useless as Naruto hurled him through the wall of a wooden house.

Naruto strolled over to the still body of Neji lying among the debris and pulled out his Beretta, aimed at the back of his head and squeezed the trigger.

" You used to be my friend Neji but I all that changed when you began ostracizing me and boycotting my family. I hope you suffer in hell," Naruto said but the bleeding body disappeared into a puff of smoke and Naruto's eyes widened.

" What? A clone?"

" Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" the real Neji roared as he began striking Naruto relentlessly for sixty-four times and the latter couldn't help but feel slightly dizzy.

" Well, Deathstroke, I hope that you regret for underestimating the power of the Hyuga clan," Neji said calmly before stepping back and moving his arms forward.

" Gentle fist!" Neji uttered as he planted a fist to the mercenary's heart- the sounds of his ribcage cracking and organs splitting echoing through the street as the impact blew Naruto through the food stalls.

Neji wiped the sweat from his eyebrow and clutched his sides. His ribs were broken and he had fractured his nose but he began to hobble back to alert his team.

However, the sound of gunshot rang in the night as Neji stumbled forward with Naruto standing triumphantly behind him while brandishing his Beretta. Neji winced in pain as his calf was bleeding profusely from the bullet embedded in his skin.

" How could you have survived that attack? That should have severed your vital organs and kill you instantly?" Neji said through gritted teeth but Naruto just shook his head and shot his other leg.

Neji screamed in pain as Naruto stepped on his stomach and cocked his head to the left.

" Ho could I have survived? Well, simply because I'm in a different league than you assholes. Once you guys are depleted of chakra, all you have left is your half-baked hand-to-hand combat which is pathetic. I hardly broke a sweat in today's battle and here I was, expecting the great Hyuga prodigy to give me a good workout," Deathstroke feigned disappointment and aimed the barrel of his Beretta at Neji's forehead.

" I'm surprised that you can't see through my costume with your Byakugan, Neji. ," Naruto chuckled as Neji squinted at the masked mercenary and his jaw dropped.

" No way…..It cannot be. Naru…." but Naruto clamped his mouth shut and he hissed.

" One of these days, you're going too get yourself killed because of that big mouth of yours," Naruto said as he punched Neji across the face once more.

" Why are you doing this? Why are you dressed like that? Naruto, please answer me," Neji gave a hoarse plea but Naruto just released his foot from Neji's stomach and turned away.

" Why, you ask? It's because I have ten million dollars waiting for me back home," Naruto said and shot Neji in the forehead without looking back.

Deathstroke looked at the crowd of villagers surrounding him and they began muttering in fear but he just ignored them and prepared to head back home.

" Stop! You murderer! Come back and face me!" Lee roared in anger as he ran towards the mercenary at full speed but Naruto calmly dodged his lightning quick punch, drew his Beretta and shot him in the thigh. Lee crumpled to the ground and clutched his thigh in pain.

" Lee!" Tenten shouted as she prepared to charge at Deathstroke but Guy stopped her and slowly looked at Naruto square in the eye with a never seen before aura of rage and power. Tenten slowly backed away from Guy who clenched his fists and called out to him.

" Konoha will capture you and we will bring you to justice for killing one of our own," Guy said calmly as Tenten wept over Neji's bloody corpse.

Deathstroke just looked bored and placed his Beretta back into his holster.

" I have no time to waste on small fry like you. Your shit village can send an army to capture me if they want to but I promise you that I'll slaughter each and every last one of them. Normally, I don't kill without getting paid but I'll make an exception for my fellow villagers. Deathstroke is my name Guy and don't any of you fools forget that," Naruto said ominously before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

" Fellow villagers? How does he know our names? Is he from Konoha as well? I better report this to Tsunade immediately. This new foe of ours must be strong, if he managed to dispatch such an accomplished shinobi like Neji without breaking a sweat," Guy told Tenten who carried Lee to the hospital while Guy cleaned up the corpse.

"Deathstroke…..but his voice sounds so familiar." Tenten thought to herself.

" Here is the ten million dollars that I owe you Deathstroke," a burly man in a business suit said as he handed over a leather briefcase bulging with notes to the masked mercenary.

" I hope that the task wasn't too hard for you," the man chuckled as he lit a cigar but Deathstroke just snorted on the way out.

" You forget who you're dealing with here Mr. Goto. I hope that the Gato company will hire me again to eradicate more of those shinobi scumbags for they bring such satisfaction to me," Naruto said but Mr. Goto just waved him away.

" Don't worry Deathstroke, you'll get another chance to stick a knife through them again," laughed as Naruto's lip curled in satisfaction.

" I sure hope I do," Naruto muttered to himself and headed back home.

" WHAT?!" Tsunade roared as Guy stoically delivered the mission report to the enraged Hokage.

" This Deathstroke appears out of nowhere and kills Neji while putting a bullet through Lee's thigh? Guy, if this isn't the sign of revenge then I don't know what is."

" But he said that he only killed for money and that someone paid him to kill Neji," Tenten argued but Guy shushed her.

" I fear that she may be right. Our new foe may not harbor any ill-feelings towards us but was merely carrying out his job. Tsunade, we have to find out the party responsible for hiring him and the reasons for this vendetta before he strikes again," Guy said and Tsunade agreed.

" Perhaps we should capture this Deathstroke and interrogate him. Find out everything that is to know about his agenda and the whereabouts of his employer," Tsunade said.

" Kakashi, I want you to lead Team Three on this hunt for Deathstroke. Sai and Yamato are away on another mission and Team Guy is in poor shape. Bring him back alive using any means necessary," Tsunade briefed the silver-haired jonin who nodded and vanished.

" Shikimaru, Ino and Choji. Prepare for tomorrow's mission. We leave at 0700 hours. Remember, this is a S-class mission so I expect your full cooperation and teamwork," Kakashi told the three jonin. The three young jonin saluted and headed back to their own quarters while Kakashi went to console a distraught Hiashi and a depressed Hinata.

" I can't believe it. Neji is…gone for good," muttered Shikamaru as he flopped down on his bed.

Ino and Choji looked down at the wooden floor in silence and Ino let out a small sniff. " Although I found him irritating and too uptight sometimes, but he was a great friend and an excellent shinobi. He was part of our Chunin gang that grew up together and now, we didn't even get to say goodbye to him."

" Shikamaru, why would anyone want to kill Neji? He has never been a primary target for any of our enemies. Plus, how could he have been killed so easily?" Choji wailed to him but Shikamaru was already cracking his head-trying to piece things together.

" I'm not sure but one thing is for sure- and that the killer was out for revenge and probably a very skilled ninja as well. Kakashi told us that this was a S-class mission so he definitely isn't your average thug or rogue ninja. No, this man is dangerous and we are going to make sure that he gets what he deserves," Shikamaru vowed as he stared outside the window which reflected his grim expression.

At the Village Of The Hidden Mist…..

" So…this is the village of the hidden mist? Pretty damn gloomy and depressing if I dare say so myself. But…..a job is still a job and I have another poor bastard to kill so I'll make this quick," Deathstroke thought to himself as he crouched on top of the roof of a house.

"I don't have fond memories of this place but I guess the only person here I should be worried about is the Mizukage. She is strong, I'll give her that but when push comes to shove, the guy with the accelerated healing factor always wins," he chuckled to himself and disappeared into a dark alley.

Back in Konoha….

" Alright team, I have news that our target, the mercenary who goes by the name of Deathstroke was last seen en route to the Land of Waves. I'm guessing that he was probably headed for the Hidden Mist village. Our mission is to capture him alive by using any means necessary. Even if it means going all out in battle," Kakashi briefed his team who just nodded.

" That makes sense. We need to interrogate him first before punishing him for his crime. We need to avenge Neji, Kaka-sensei," Ino said determinedly as Shikamaru whispered into Kakahsi's ear.

" I was able to deduce that we have encountered Deathstroke before but as a different person. Judging from Guy's report on how Deathstroke only openly challenged our village and had won the battle without a single scratch on him, I'm guessing that he has encountered either Neji or our forces before. That way, he would be familiar with Neji's fighting style and could possibly harbor a personal vendetta on us," Shikamaru explained and Kakashi nodded.

" That possibility seems very likely but we should not jump to conclusions. He may be part of an organization like the Akatsuki. Whatever it is, we are going to stop him cold in his tracks," Kakashi replied.

" Alright. Let's move out!"

" I don't know who the hell you are but I know damn well that the Gato company sent you after me. I'm sorry that you have to pay for their naïve and gullible mistakes because I'm afraid that I will have to kill you now," the target smirked as his henchmen formed a circle around Naruto.

" These are some of the best bodyguards that money can buy so don't underestimate them because they can snap your neck like a twig in a matter of seconds. I'll deliver your head to the company as a souvenir," the target said and waved his hand dismissively at his henchmen.

"Such big talk for such a small and spineless man. The only person that is going to meet his maker today is you so I advise you to run while you still can because I'm going to clean up the trash soon," Naruto said as he drew his sword.

" Trash? Who do you think you are you bastard? We are specially trained bodyguards and we are not scared of some guy in a clown suit," one of the henchmen laughed and he charged at Naruto.

Naruto merely drew his sword, did a back flip and split the man in half with a swing of his sword.

" What a waste of my time. You guys are as weak as children!" Naruto taunted them as he drew his Beretta's and emptied his magazine on them. The bodyguards dropped dead like flies as a hurricane of bullets blew through them.

" Stay the fuck away from me!" the target screamed in fright as he scrambled away from the bloody carnage but Naruto just shot him in the leg and strolled up to him.

" Don't bother begging for your life or telling me some sob story about how you have a family waiting for you at home because I couldn't give a damn," Naruto said coldly and shot the man point blank in his forehead before he even had time to respond.

" Another easy assignment for five million dollars. Sometimes, I think that I'm overpaid but why do I care? Although I do admit that I'm thirsty for a real fight," Naruto thought to himself as he slipped a fresh magazine into his pistols.

Suddenly, Deathstroke jumped into a bright spot as he drew his Beretta's once more.

" Shikamaru, did you really think that technique would work against me, Naruto laughed as he saw Shikamaru's shadow retract back from the bright spot that Naruto was standing in.

" Damn it," Shikamaru muttered to himself.

" Deathstroke, we are assigned to take you back to Konoha for interrogation and you are charged with multiple counts of murder with the death of Neji Hyuga being the most recent. Don't think that you'll be leaving this village without a fight," Kakashi warned the mask vigilante who whistled in amusement.

" So you're out to seek redemption for your poor friend? You shinobi are so foolish for believing that killing me will bring him back because it won't. Anyway, I'm a professional mercenary and hence, do not kill without getting paid so wait until my boss confirms you as my next targets. Then, you can think twice about challenging me to a fight," he laughed.

" Shut up! You know nothing about Neji! What kind of a cold-blooded killer are you? Do you not understand how we feel?" Ino raged but Naruto just tapped his foot impatiently.

" I do but I don't care because emotions only get in the way of my job. So blondie, you should think twice before running into the battlefield with your head up in the clouds because you are likely to die faster," Naruto said and prepared to leave when Shikamaru threw a kunai at the mercenary who easily swatted it aside.

" I know for certain that you happen to be a shinobi that we have encountered before. Remove your mask and fight us with honor," Shikamaru growled but Deathstroke glared at him.

" You know nothing about me, boy , so shut your mouth before you piss me off."

Kakashi activated his Sharingan and scrutinized the man in the costume and he narrowed his eyes.

" Deathstroke or should I say Naruto, that's where you disappeared to. A life of crime. I thought I would never see the day. Ex-student or not, you're coming with us back to Konoha," Kakashi continued and drew his kunai at which Naruto shook his head and advanced towards them.

" Be on your guard team. Looks like we hit a nerve."

Deathstroke drew his sword and sniffed contemptuously at the four of them.

" Kakashi, looks like you just pushed my schedule up because now I have to kill you. I can't let anyone else know my secret identity because that would ruin my plans."

" Plans? What plans? Naruto, we are your friends. We can help you!" Choji burst out suddenly.

Naruto merely ignored him and brandished his sword at his former sensei who was glaring at him. " Correction. You were my friends. Now? You're just the weaklings standing in the way of my job. No hard feelings but I'm going to enjoy tearing you from limb to limb."

A/N That was chapter 2. I didn't follow the manga or anything so please forgive me for some errors in my facts. Don't forget to review and comment. See you guys soon