Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to update. Since September last year I've moved house, broken my external hard drive, had my laptop murdered by my toddler and had something else that was very bad happen. I was a little depressed over the last few months and didn't feel like writing but I'm back to myself again. So enjoy!
As I've mentioned before, Naruto does not belong to me!
I've done a few edits on the first chapter if anyone wants to take a look back, nothing major.
To save confusion, Toruna is Naruto's undercover name, basically just an anagram of Naruto.
Undercover Mission…
Late September, Four years ago
"I can't believe I'm stuck back on FUCKING D-ranks, again. I swear I'm gonna kill that damn cat. Nii-chan, it's not FAIR, dattebayo!"
"Don't swear Toruna, it's unbecoming of you!" Kakashi said, before lowering his voice for the rest. "And you're undercover, keep your personal thoughts to yourself and your voice down... And don't call me 'nii-chan', what if the others heard you" Kakashi hissed to Naruto, sighing.
"Argh, remind me again why I took this mission?" Pushing his black hair out of his eyes, Naruto rubbed the angry red scratches across his nose. "Damn jiji, if I'd known I would be stuck doing stupid Genin duties for three months or longer, I WOULD HAVE SAID 'NO', in fact I would've said 'HELL NO'. In fact I did say 'HELL NO' 'ttebayo! Watching the gate with Kotetsu and Izumo is better than this! Making sure Ero-Sennin isn't going all peeping-Tom is better than this! Listening to you giggle like a perv, as you read those dumb books is better than this! And like they'd hear, the Uchiha has a stick shoved so far up his arse, it's interfering with his ears and Pinkie doesn't care about anything that doesn't concern said Uchiha with the duck-butt-hair over there."
Naruto pointed to his teammates as he said this. Haruno Sakura had long pink hair and green eyes, she looked entirely too pretty to be a ninja. Her personality wasn't much better, while excelling in the theoretical side of being a shinobi, her practical application of said knowledge was lacking. She was bossy and had a killer temper to boot, which Naruto had been on the wrong side of since day dot. The boy was, for lack of a better term, a genius, but he had an arrogant attitude, was a know-it-all and was emotionally constipated. The rookie of the year, Uchiha Sasuke was the last of his clan left in Konoha, after (rumour had it) his brother went crazy and killed the entire family, extended and all, before tormenting Sasuke and going on the run.
"Mah, Naru- ah Toruna… -oh, never mind, Naruto! Wasn't Sasuke your self-proclaimed rival and I remember you use to have a crush on little miss Pinkie over there, once upon a time?"
"Shut up, Kakashi, I thought I told you never to mention that ever again dattebayo!"
"Oh, that's right, you're a serious ninja now. You don't have time for rivals or crushes anymore, do you? But I think you're lying, you're still just as in love with 'Sakura-chan' now as you were when you were eight. Unless you have a new crush now? Why don't you tell your poor nii-chan who she (or he) is" Kakashi too had seemed to give up on berating Naruto on swearing or volume control, in favour of his second favourite pass time (after reading aforementioned books); teasing him.
"I do NOT have a new crush!" Naruto hissed angrily at Kakashi, before realising just what the Jounin had said. "And if I did, it most certainly will NOT be a HE dattebayo! Damnit nii-chan, you're so mean to me!"
Roughly three months earlier
"Urgent summons from the Hokage, for Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto."
Naruto had just been enjoying a nice day off when he was told to report to the Sandaime. Quickly slurping the last of the broth from his miso, pork ramen he handed over his money before making a hand sign and disappearing in a puff of white smoke. Reappearing on the roof a few building away, Naruto took off toward the Hokage tower.
"What's up, jiji?" Asked Naruto, as he entered the office through the window.
"Ah, Naruto-kun, how are you my boy?" Time had not been kind to Sarutobi Hiruzen, his once dark hair was now white and his face was adorned with wrinkles and liver spots. The so called 'Professor' was old, there was no denying it. Naruto answered by saying he was fine.
"How is your training going? Jiraiya told me he started you on fuinjitsu, how's that going? Are you hoping to master the Hiraishin?" Sarutobi pointed to the chair.
"It's okay, Ero-Sennin is just mainly getting me to read a lot, says he's not going to actually start teaching seals until I have the theory down first. But it's just so boring 'ttebayo! You know me, I'm not book smart, I learn better by doing! But yeah, the goal is to master 'tou-chan's Hiraishin, hopefully." Naruto replied, taking a seat.
"That's good, that's good. Anyway Naruto-kun, I have a mission for you. It's at least high B-rank, maybe even an A. You're the only one who can do it."
"What? Seriously! That's awesome!" Yelled Naruto, "What's it for? Rescue mission, espionage, what?"
"It's undercover, possibly long term, minimum six to eight months, max a year, hopefully."
"Undercover? What's a 12 year old do undercover? I can't be an adult, so what, another pre-teen? The only 12 year olds I know are students, civilians or Genin. Playing a student is out (why would you need me to be a student, same thing with the civilian. That leaves… No, no, no, no, no… Hell NO!" Naruto stood angrily and began to pace around the room, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. But you're the only one. Your Godfather's spy network discovered a plot to invade Konoha during the next Chuunin exams in six and half months. We don't know all the details so we'll need someone on the inside who's not an inexperienced Genin. The plan is to have you enter the graduating class and take the Gennin exam with them next week before being sorted into a team. Entering so late in the year, you will be given the dead last position no matter what score you get."
"You will be placed into a team with Kakashi again. Uchiha Sasuke and-," the Sandaime paused to check the paperwork on his desk. "Haruno Sakura will be your teammates, at least going by their past scores and if they get roughly the same marks in the graduation test. You'll do some missions, mostly D-ranked, yes. I'll try to slip a C-rank or two in. Don't give me that look, you look like your mother when you do that. Team Seven (that's you) will be entered into the Chuunin exam in January."
Throughout this Naruto had been pulling a face akin to having been told he could never eat ramen again.
"No, no, no, no, NO! I don't wanna. I hate D-ranks, and that's all new Genins get. You want me to be a fresh faced, starry-eyed, snot nose, new Genin again?! That's not fair, I'm a Chuunin! And a damn good one at that. In fact, I'm this far away from taking my Jounin exam dattebayo!" Naruto held his hand up, showing his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart.
"Talented as you may be, Naruto-kun, you are still at least a year (if not more) off from successfully taking your Jounin exam and passing. Not to mention, you're the same age as these 'fresh faced, starry-eyed, snot nosed, new Genins' anyway, you would have been one had you not graduated early."
"But that is beside the point. You are the ONLY one who can take this mission. You will be in close range with Doujitsu users. Not just Sasuke, there will be at least two Byakugan uses in the exam and having a henge up, (like anyone else would with this assignment) would attract their eye seeing the charka surrounding the disguise and they will look beneath it. If it's you, we could change your appearance without needing any chakra, they won't look too closely to see under the dye or make-up. Please Naruto?" The Sandaime looked at Naruto, imploring him to accept.
"Fine," Naruto said, defeated. "Okay, I'll do it. But just... keep me away from that damn cat. My butt still hurts from that time I found it… by sitting on it."
"Oh, that reminds me, no jitsus are to be used if they will give your identity away. So no kage bushins! Or Rasengans! And try to rein in your 'dattebayos'!"
Present time
"Oh, my cute Tora-chan. I was so worried about you!" Madam Shijimi said as she attempted what looked like a smothering of 'Tora-chan'.
'Justice' Naruto thought, as he watched the cat struggle to escape again. While out loud he said, quietly "Serves you right."
"No wonder he ran away…" Haruno Sakura muttered out loud to her teammates and sensei.
"Now Kakashi, Team Seven's next missions are… babysitting, grocery shopping in a neighbouring town, helping pick vegetables or -" Sarutobi's list was cut short by a yell of "NOOOOOO!"
"Nah huh, no way, I'm not doing it! No thank you! I want something more exciting, please. Pick something else, ji- ah Sandaime-sama." Naruto had had enough of finding Tora, painting fences, watching brats and whatever else!
'He has a point,' thought Sasuke.
'I knew he was going to do this, it was only a matter of time.' Kakashi mused, exasperatedly.
"Alright Toruna, I'll allow it this once. If your sensei thinks you three can handle it, Team Seven may do a C-rank. It's an escort mission." Kakashi nodded his consent to Sarutobi. Raising his voice, the Hokage called, "You can come it now, Tazuna-san."
The door behind Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura opened and a man entered, he was wearing glasses, had grey hair and a beard. He took a long swing from the bottle in his hand, and Naruto was sure the clear liquid wasn't water.
"What? They're all kids, are you sure they can do it." Tazuna asked, after he swallowed his drink. "The shortest one looks like a bit of an idiot, is he really a ninja?"
"The shortest one," Naruto muttered, before deducing it was him. "What? Me, I'm gonna kill you!" He went to run at the old man, but was stopped by a hand grabbing the collar of his jacket. Still screaming his death threat, Naruto struggled with Kakashi's grip.
"You can't kill the one you're meant to protect, baka."
Two and a half months ago
"I will now announce the teams." Iruka-sensei as a teacher was exactly how Naruto remembered.
It had been a just over a week since Naruto had received his mission, he'd taken the exam last week under the false name of Namimaki Toruna (Jiraiya had come up with the name). His usual spiky, blond hair had been dyed black and tamed a little. The visible skin on his face was unmarred by his unique birthmark, that having been covered by make-up. He looked different, yet still simular.
Naruto sat in a class room, surrounded by people his own age, kids he use to eat lunch with. He could not believe how some of them had stayed the same, while how much some of them had changed.
"Team Seven will be… Namimaki Toruna, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. Team Eight… Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino. Team Nine has…" Iruka's voice died out as Naruto focused on his new team.
After splitting into their teams the Jounin senseis began arriving, Naruto sat back and got coumfortable. He knew Kakashi was assigned to them and his nii-chan had a tardy streak a mile long, he's show up in an hour or two with some lame excuse
The room emptied until it was only Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura left, "Argh, where is the sensei?" she asked out loud roughly an hour and a half after the last of the Genins had gone.
Naruto swung his legs off the desk that he had them resting on and jumped to his feet, "I'm gonna prank him."
Sasuke looked on in distain while Naruto fixed an eraser between the sliding door and the jam. "It's his own fault for being late." Naruto said out loud, inwardly he thought, 'ha, I'm gonna get you, Kaka-nii, you baka.'
Without moving, Sasuke said, "A Jounin is not going to fall for that."
"Yeah Namimaki-san, you're underestimating our sensei." Naruto quickly found out that the small crush Sakura had had on Sasuke as a child had exploded into full blown hero-worship, without the hero part. She agreed to everything he said and listened with apt attention whenever he spoke. This was the main reason Naruto's own crush on Sakura had dampened.
'Well, I KNOW you're overestimating him.' Thought Naruto as the door open behind him and Kakashi got a head full of chalk dust.
"Haha haha, he fell for it! He fell for it datt-!" Laughed Naruto, but was cut off quickly by Sakura, thankfully, since he'd been about to say the forbidden word.
"I'm sorry sensei, I tried to stop him. Namimaki-san didn't listen to me."
Kakashi, meanwhile, didn't look as if he was even paying attention to them as he bent to pick the eraser up off the floor. As soon as he open his mouth, Naruto knew what he was going to say. "My first impression of you is… I hate you."
'Called it,' Naruto said to himself, 'he said the same thing last time.'
Ten minutes later on the roof, Kakashi asked if they would introduce themselves. "Your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams. For example; I'm Hatake Kakashi, I'm not going to tell you my likes or dislikes. My dream is… (To read pervy books all day, every day, thought Naruto) and I have a few hobbies. (Yeah, reading pervy books… and teasing me!)"
"All he really told us was his name."
Present
"Yes, yes, yes! All right, let's do this." Naruto and the rest of Team Seven plus Tazuna were standing at the village gates, ready to leave.
"What are you so excited about?" Sakura asked.
"It's out first C-rank and I haven't been out of the village in ages." Naruto answered.
"That's right, you're not originally from Konoha, are you, Toruna? Where was it you were from again?" Sakura had been trying to get Naruto to spill the beans about himself since showing up at the academy one week before graduation. If that wasn't mysterious enough, no one knew who he was or where he came from.
"None of your business."
Tazuna looked to Kakashi and said, "are you sure this kid is up to it?"
"Don't worry, I'm a Jounin. I'll be on this mission, too. You have no need to worry." The Jounin answered in a lazy drawl.
"Hey, don't underestimate me! I'm a great ninja who will eventually be Hokage, dattebayo! My name is Uzu- um I mean my name is Namimaki Toruna, Don't forget it!" Naruto had stuffed up a few times and he was sure Sasuke and Sakura had noticed by now.
The old drunk hadn't had enough yet, "Hokage is the best ninja in the village, right? I don't think a kid like you could make it."
After a brief argument between Naruto and the client, again, which ended with more death threats from Naruto, Team Seven set off.
"You know what, Toruna? You remind me of someone, he used to be in our class at the academy. He graduated early and was actually really smart, bit dim, but once he got something, well... You'd never guess by his attitude, though. He was a prankster and use to yell at the top of his voice that he would be Hokage." Sakura said, while Naruto and Kakashi exchanged horrified looks. "You even look a little like him, don't you think so Sasuke-kun? Don't you think Toruna reminds you of Naruto?"
"Yeah, a little, I guess." Apparently Sasuke wasn't a big talker. But Sasuke had been thinking this for a while, too.
"Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto (that's the guy you remind us of) was the son of the late Yondaime, did you know, Toruna."
Naruto said he didn't and then remained quiet, he hadn't expected them to deduce his identity so quickly, and he was going to have to let them in on his mission soon if they kept this up.
Team Seven walked in silence until Sakura started asking questions about Nami no Kuni, hidden ninja villages and their Kages.
"-and so the Kages are the most powerful and respected ninjas in their village." Kakashi finished, only to add after he saw questioning and shocked looks on the faces of his team. He added, "you just doubted our Hokage, didn't you?"
They were walking by a puddle a few minutes later when the Jounin paused for a split second and looked at it, before continuing.
Just after Naruto felt a shiver up his spine as he turned, just in time to see Kakashi ripped to shreds by two chain wielding ninjas wearing Kiri Hitai-ate.
"Nii-chan!" Naruto yelled.
The two shinobi appeared behind Naruto, marking him as the next target and Naruto was too late in reaching into his pouch for a kunai, when Sasuke sprung into battle.
Throwing a shuriken at the chain connecting the two Kiri Nin, it connected, pinning the chain to a tree. Sasuke took his kunai next and aimed for the hole in the shuriken. One of the Kiri Nin detected the chain from his gauntlet and ran towards Tazuna, only for Sakura to jump in front, kunai out.
"Get behind me, Tazuna-san." She screamed, before Sasuke got in front of her to intercept the blow.
The other ran at Naruto, ready to end his life. At the last second Naruto dropped, the sharp fingers on the gloves of the enemy just scraping the back of his hand. Naruto readied to kick up at the masked foe, but was stopped at the last second when a familiar hand reached around the neck of the Kiri Nin and held him in a choke hold.
Kakashi quickly did the same to the other one just before his hit would have got Sasuke, effectively stopping the attack. "Hey," he muttered.
"Kakashi-sensei. He's Alive." Sakura said, relieved.
"What a show off," Sasuke thought.
"Huh, then that was… a Kawarini no Jutsu?" Naruto looked around to the place where he saw his brother being torn apart, only to find half a dozen small logs there.
"Sorry for not helping out straight away, Naruto. I got you hurt, I thought your reaction time would be quicker. Sasuke, Sakura, good job," said Kakashi, momentarily forgetting to use Naruto's fake name.
"It doesn't matter about that, thank God you're okay, nii-chan." Naruto said as he stood from where he'd dropped.
"Nii-chan? Naruto? What the hell is going on here? I thought your name was Toruna." Yelled Sakura, looking between the two. Sasuke was also eyeing them suspiciously.
"Crap, busted!" Naruto made his way towards the rest of the group when Kakashi stopped him.
"Don't move, Naruto, the blades had poison on them, we need to get it out of you before it spreads. You two," he turned to Sasuke and Sakura. "We'll explain later, just for now, NOT. A. WORD. Got it."
Still holding the two Kiri Nin captive in his arms, Kakashi spoke to Tazuna. "Oh, Tazuna, I need to speak to you." After having tied the enemy to a tree, he continued. "These two are Chuunin shinobi from Kirigakure, they're known to not stop fighting no matter what."
"How did you detect us?" Asked one of them.
"It hadn't rained recently," noted Kakashi. "There should not have been a puddle in the first place."
Tazuna looked at the Jounin then, "If you knew we were going to be attacked, then why did you let kids handle it?"
"If I wanted to, these two could've been dead in a second. Naruto could've even given them a run for their money in the right situation. But I needed to see who the target was."
"What so you mean?" The old man asked.
"Well, was it you or perhaps one of us? We didn't know anything about you being targeted by shinobi, your request was to protect you from bandits and robbers. If we're dealing with other ninja, it's at least a B-rank. I understand you would've had your reasons, but why lie? Why put my team at risk from misinformation?"
Sakura was looking exceedingly more troubled as Kakashi's monologue went on, "this mission is out of our league, we have to quit. Besides we need anaesthesia to remove the poison form Toruna or Naruto or whatever your name is, too. Let's quit, go back to Konoha and see a doctor or Med-nin."
Naruto looked up from evaluating his hand, while Kakashi said, "okay, let's go back."
Naruto rolled his eyes and grabbed a kunai from his pouch, stabbing it into is hand. "This mission is still on, it's a B-rank, like hell I'm giving up a B-rank." He said this with a smirk at Kakashi, "someone give me a bandage before I lose too much blood."
"There's a word for what you are, Naruto. It's called a masochist," uttered Sakura, looking at Naruto's bleeding hand in shock.
Kakashi knelt to get a closer look at Naruto's hand. "It's too late, I think I have to cut off your hand," he joked.
"Shut up, nii-chan!"
"I'm kidding, Naruto." Kakashi wrapped the bandage around Naruto's hand, "It's already starting to heal." The last part was whispered to his otouto.
"Now that we have this sorted, why don't you two tell us why Naruto is posing as a Genin?" Asked Sasuke, as Kakashi dropped Naruto's hand and stood.
Dattebayo/'ttebayo: Naruto's catch phase, no real English translation. Akin to 'you know' or 'believe it'.
Toruna: Naruto's alias
Fuuinjitsu: Sealing
Hiraishin: Flying Thunder God technique
Kage Bushin: Shadow Clone
Nami no Kuni: Land of Waves
Kiri: Mist
Kunai: Throwing Knife
Shuriken: Throwing Star
Kawarini no Jutsu: Body Replacement Techneque
Kirigakure: Hidden Mist (short for Kirigakure no Sato, Hidden Village in the Mist)
Please review readers. Also, I'm looking for a beta if anyone has someone to recommend?
Thanks, Pascall.
Peace out!