AN: Here we GO!

…..

"I'm sending you guys on a C-rank mission… think you guys are up for it?"

Shiho nearly leapt for joy. She and her team stood in front of the Third Hokage's desk here for their first mission. Shiho had steeled herself as she crawled out of bed that morning that no matter what type of D-rank mission they got, she would not complain. She would do the D-rank missions, as many as they took, to get out of the village and live that life that she craved for. A life filled with adventure and action, quite different from spending hours sitting on her butt looking over old manuscripts and reference books. But she had never expected a C-rank mission from the Hokage on their first day.

Sarutobi had thought long and hard about this. The team was comprised of three highly skilled individuals. Yamato was a former member of the ANBU unit, his duty suspended only because of this special mission to watch over the three genin. Sai, a member of ROOT and he was no doubt just as talented if not downright a genius. Danzo wasn't someone who tolerated incompetence and he wouldn't give a boy who was Sai's age a mission without being sure of his skill as a shinobi. Naruto had trained under a Samurai for the last four years and he was no doubt more than capable of handling himself. He had almost felt bad seeing Shiho on this team but he knew Yamato had a weak heart for kids and would train her thoroughly even if that wasn't his actual mission.\

He didn't want to waste their time by giving them D-rank missions. Besides Shiho, they were more than capable of handling themselves in a fight. Besides he wanted Yamato to report back to him about Naruto's capabilities.

"Here's a scroll." A man known as Iruka handed them a scroll, describing the missions that they had to accomplish. "You are to deliver this scroll to a temple on the border of fire country and earth country. There you will hand it to the head monk who will give it to a Iwagakure representative. You shouldn't make any contact with their representatives if all goes all."

"I was actually going to give this mission to Team 7," The Hokage explained. "But they've taken a different mission. So I'm giving this one to you guys."

Naruto wasn't really listening, trying to remember the man. He had been in the academy since he was a little boy and he remembered being taught a little from the chounin. But he wasn't too sure if this man was the same man who was his teacher from the years back.

"But even if you do make contact, don't be too alarmed." Iruka continued. He found the blonde's stare a bit… disconcerting but he ignored it. "They'll be a genin team as well or a team of chuunins at best. There shouldn't be any conflict on this trip as our relationship with them have been good as of late." He smiled at them. "Good luck Team 13."

The four walked out of the Hokage Tower like the day before when they had just met each other.

"I'll meet you guys at the South Gate in an hour." Yamato put the scroll deep inside his flak jackets inner pocket near his heart. "I'll see you then. Focus on essentials such as a sleeping bag, medical supply and a water bottle. You won't need much else since we'll make stops along the way. I'll see you guys soon." The jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I'll see you guys soon." Naruto muttered, waving to his teammates. Then just as he was about to leave someone called out to them.

"Hey losers, are you guys the new team that we've been hearing so much about?"

Naruto and Sai turned towards the source of the voice. Shiho had already been facing that direction and snapped her head towards the ground, staring right at the space in between her shoes.

The boy walking towards them had an arrogant air to his walk. He was wearing a beige colored jacket with fur around the hood. He had black hair and eyes that belonged more on a wolf than a person. There was a tiny puppy that was walking near his feet that seemed to have the same smirk as his master. The boy had a triangular mark on either cheek. He was followed by two genin, most likely his teammates. There was a girl with clear opaque eyes, wearing a beige jacket. She had dark hair that ended a bit before her shoulders. She, like Naruto, had her headband tied around her neck. The other boy's features were hard to see due to the high collar of his jacket and the sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He had bushy dark brown hair, the hiate on his forehead keeping it in check.

Naruto vaguely remembered the boy and the other two. He remembered a boy who always came to the academy with a white puppy. It looked a bit bigger than he remembered but it had been four years after all.

"Hey Shiho…" The boy had a cocky smile. "I thought you were going to sit at the cryptanalysis lab and stay there like the good little nerd you are."

"H-hi Kiba-kun…" Shiho inched away from the view of the boy. Her stare of the floor never left.

Naruto frowned.

"Heh… can't believe you have a team now… not that they look that strong anyways." He laughed, loud and harsh peering at each of them. "I mean, no one worth a damn would want to team up with a talentless shinobi like you anyways… are you guys off to pick some potatoes or something?"

Naruto's eyes turned flat and he looked at Sai who was smiling, ignoring the jibes. Shiho was too shy or scared to make any reply.

"I'm going to school this boy."

The boy with the dog had his hands in his pockets and he came up right in front of Naruto, practically shoving his face to Naruto's. He bent down a little, looking up at Naruto form the corner of his eyes. "So you're that kid who went to the Land of Iron… to become a samurai no less."

"So is it true what they say?" The boy growled, a glint of humor in his eye. "That you guys are savages?"

"Kiba-kun…" The dark haired girl whispered.

Ignoring him, Naruto turned his face the other way, never taking his eyes off of the boy and fake whispered to his teammates. "Hey… this guy's breath smells like dog… is he trained? If I tell him to go away will he go away? What about sit?"

Kiba's eyes widened in shock then narrowed, beginning to growl at the blonde. The sound came from deep within his throat actually shaking the ends of the boy's hair.

Naruto stared at this, pleasantly surprised. "Sit?"

The boy's eyes widened in shock once more.

"How about roll over? Play dead? I bet a coward like you is really good at playing dead while letting your teammates do all the work."

Kiba threw a punch.

Then doubled over in pain.

Naruto had grabbed his sword by the scabbard right below the sheath and slammed the end of its handle into the genin's stomach.

The genin backed up clutching his stomach, wheezing for breath. "Y-you bastard…"

"You know guys," He explained to his teammates. "You gotta show dogs who's more dominant or they start trying to take over the house you know. Got to train them right these days." While he had been speaking he had taken out his sword from the sash around his waist, holding it by the scabbard.

Kiba yelled in anger and ran towards Naruto one fist cocked behind his head.

Naruto sidestepped the punch neatly, sticking his foot out and tripping the boy. Kiba fell on the ground, managing to keep himself from smashing his nose on the floor by putting his hands out. He looked back, his eyes screaming bloody murder until Naruto struck right in between his eyes with the sword. Kiba fell back, screaming in pain and clutching the head. Naruto had the same smile on his face, spinning the sword with both arms, using it like a staff.

"Is your dog going to join the fight? Because if he doesn't I'm pretty sure I'm going to kick your ass."

"You bastard!" Kiba stood up, swaying to each side a little. His eyes were tearing up with pain and there was a big red mark in between his eyes where the bridge of his nose began. "I'll kill you!"

The boy launched himself towards Naruto taking out a kunai out of his holster and holding it in front of his body in a reverse grip. He swung it in front of him trying to slash Naruto across the chest. Instead of blocking the slash as Kiba had wanted him to Naruto jerked his body backwards narrowly dodging the strike. Before Kiba could react, Naruto's hand whipped forward like a snake with a thrust, the sword stabbing into Kiba's Adams Apple.

Kiba made a choking sound, trying to grasp his throat with his hand however Naruto pressed forward. The Inuzaka began to back paddle trying to gain distance from the blonde. However the blonde walked faster than Kiba could walk backwards, continuing to press down on the boy's throat. Kiba fell backwards and grabbed the end of the sword trying to move it but Naruto leaned forward, placing his hole weight on it so that the other boy couldn't even budge the weapon.

Naruto leaned down, whispering into the choking boy's ear.

"I don't even need to unsheathe my sword in front of you scum… if you diss me or my teammates ever again… I'll show you what I can do without the scabbard." The blonde withdrew, taking the point of his sword away from Kiba's throat. Kiba began to roll around to the side, holding his throat and choking. Akamaru padded over, whining and licking his owner's blue face.

"N-Naruto…" Shiho thought, her hands gathered together. "That was… so touching!"

Sai watched this and for once his smile was gone. "I couldn't see his real skills… but now I know he's not a normal genin at least. The way he wielded the sword… it was clearly above genin level yet to him it looked like he wasn't serious. I wonder how strong he actually is."

Hinata made a movement to go over and help. Shino stopped her with an arm.

"He deserved that Hinata… he'll learn from this. Never engage an enemy until you are aware of their strength." The Hyuuga heiress fidgeted for a moment in indecision before following her teammate's advice.

"Come on guys," Naruto left the Inuzaka behind. "We've got to pack."

….

Naruto arrived at the east gate, seeing the rest of his team waiting for him. But the scene that greeted him was less than satisfactory to him.

Yamato sat on a rock, his arms crossed in front of him. His bag pack was next to him left on the ground and apparently forgotten. Yamato had a stern expression on his face and as the cheerful Naruto skipped out of the gate he froze, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. Both Sai and Shiho was in front of Yamato kneeling in front of him. Shiho looked like she was about to cry, her hands trembling and clutching the cloth on her knees. Sai was… smiling as usual.

Yamato didn't need to say a word. He just looked at Naruto and at the ground next to Shiho.

Naruto walked over to Shiho and stood next to her, the sweat drop on his head bigger than his head itself.

"Kneel."

Naruto obeyed, feeling like something bad was going to happen if he didn't.

"We've been a team for one day," Yamato closed his eyes and began. "And already you guys are causing trouble… Naruto… your teammates haven't ratted you out but the Inuzaka boy clearly pointed towards you as the main… attacker."

"Naruto didn't do anything!" Shiho spoke up. "Kiba-kun started it first."

Yamato silenced her with a look.

"Anything to say for yourself Naruto?"

The blonde sighed. "I mean… I could say I'm sorry… but I hate to lie… but I'll say it to the dog boy if it'll make him feel better."

Yamato groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Naruto… I'm starting to think that the only thing you learned under the Samurais was to mouth off."

"Maybe I did," He shrugged. "Maybe I didn't."

Yamato's face was suddenly only inches away from Naruto's. Something had happened to Yamato's face. There were some shadows on his face that weren't there before. His eyes were wide and emotionless. The three genin, each of them shocked, surprised and scared more than they had ever been before.

"I'm not above ruling through terror… and if I have to, I WILL rule this team through terror." Though his face was only aimed at Naruto, both Shiho and Sai felt scared as well. Sai's smile had actually melted off of his face.

"O…OK." Naruto agreed, his eyes wide. "I-I'm sorry…"

Yamato returned to his normal face, flashing a grin at the genin. "Ok as long as that's understood." He picked up his back pack, putting it on and holding the two straps with both hands. "Shall we start walking? We have a long journey ahead of us."

The three genin traded looks and gulped. Mostly Shiho and Sai stared at Naruto, clearly telling him through telepathy that it was his fault that they had gone through the ordeal.

Team 13 walked through a well worn dirt path. Though it was nothing new to Naruto who had traveled into Konoha only a day or so ago, to Shiho it was a scene that she had been envisioning her whole life. The thick forestry fascinated the girl who stared at everything with absolute wonder and scrutiny. Though her eyes were hidden behind the glasses with swirls tinted on them, through the movement of her head Naruto could tell that the girl was trying to look at everything without missing a single detail.

"Wow…" Shiho muttered. "This is so cool… it's like we're characters in some fantasy novel or adventure book! I'm so excited!"

"Is this your first time out of the village?" asked Sai, flashing her a smile.

"Yeah." Shiho, once they got to know her, had been a nice enough girl though she was a bit strange. Naruto assumed that she had been bullied in the academy, whether it was for her personality or lack of talent in ninjutsu he didn't know. But it was clear from her reaction towards Kiba, who was probably one of them, that she had not enjoyed her academy years. So Naruto tried to be extra nice to her.

"I always wanted to leave the village but…" Shiho sighed. "My parents' jobs don't really let them leave the village too much. My dad used to be part of the cryptanalysis squad with my mom but now they just run the Konoha library. Not much travel in my family. But that's why I wanted to be a shinobi so bad! That's why when Yamato sensei asked me if I was interested in being a normal genin and go on missions like everyone else I was super excited."

Naruto made a sympathetic noise. "So… that means you're not really a battle oriented ninja huh?" Though the comment had been made in a casual manner Naruto had meant every word. He was truly curious about the kunoichi's capabilities as a shinobi.

Yamato began to pay attention to the conversation sensing it becoming interesting. Sai did the same.

"Yeah…" Shiho hung her head. "I'm not really… good at ninjutsu… or taijutsu… and even my chakra control is terrible… I barely passed the genin test. The reason why I went to the cryptanalysis squad was partly because my parents thought I wouldn't be able to survive out here…"

Sai stopped reading the book in front of his face, giving Naruto a chance to read the title. It read 'How to make Friends,' seeing the title Naruto sweat dropped.

"Everyone has something they're good at and stuff they're bad at. I'm sure you've yet to find something that you're good at." Sai smiled as he said this.

"This team's completely dysfunctional…" Naruto thought. Even without looking he knew that Sai was doing what the book had told him to do.

"Yeah… but I already know what I'm good at." Shiho seemed even more depressed than before. "I'm good at analysis of riddles and words… that's all I'm good at. A useless skill in battle."

"Well Glasses," Sai began to read the book once more. "That maybe you shouldn't be here." Then he hid his face behind the book and began to read once more.

"D-did he just call you glasses?" Naruto asked Shiho.

Shiho sighed. "Yeah… he named Kiba mutt, Shino faceless and Hinata dark creepy weirdo. I think he does that to everyone. He's been referring to you as blondie with the mouth whenever you're out of earshot."

"The book says that nicknames could help bring one closer to another person and make rapid progress in their friendships. Nicknames are reserved for the closest of friends." Sai looked at each of them, peering from the top of his book. "Since we are a team I only thought it natural that I give you guys nicknames."

"Uh… yeah," Naruto deadpanned. "You do that."

The team continued to walk making small talk and general bickering until the sun set. They had walked a pretty long distance away from Konoha. The trees became more sparse and thinner as they neared Earth Country. The path became less dirt and more rock until the trees were replaced with rocks, the greenery becoming less and less frequent as they continued to walk. The road became more of a uphill and the genin began to tire, the day's fatigue wearing on them, the uphill track making it even more tiring. They made the hard uphill track too tired to make any type of noise along the way.

"S-sensei…" Shiho was the first to break the silence. "Can we rest please?"

"Sorry Shiho." Yamato found that he was sweating as well. They had been walking the whole day with the heavy backpacks and if he found it to be a bit harder than expected, he could only imagine how hard the genin had it. "But this place is too open. We're very close to Earth Country now and around the borders roam a lot of missing nins."

The blonde turned his head to the side. "What are missing nin?"

"You didn't learn about that during your samurai training?" Yamato had thought Naruto had been trained thoroughly in everything. But he had forgotten that samurai were taught in a different manner than shinobi. Since Samurai rarely had contact with other ninja they wouldn't have to have much information about them.

"I learned about being a samurai." Naruto deadpanned. "They didn't exactly cover ninja terms during training."

"Missing ninja are shinobi that have betrayed heir villages. As a result a lot of them end up defecting for other villages, selling their village secrets or working for underground associations. The villages usually declare a bounty for these ninja." Yamato looked at Naruto, making sure his meanings were clear. "Missings nins are the most dangerous things out there since they work for no one and have no clear allegiance. You can never know what it is they want or be sure of where their loyalties lie."

Naruto's eyes turned flat.

"What's wrong Naruto?" Shiho asked the blonde, seeing his expression.

….

"Get back Naruto." Takezo muttered to the blonde, his arm holding him back.

The blonde fell back on his butt, and was already in the process of falling when the attack had began. Naruto stared, eyes wide at what had just happened to him and his master. He was also shaking from the sheer aura of the man that stood before them. The man's killing intent… no, killing intent was when the person wanted to kill you. This man just wanted to battle and nothing else, he was here to test his skills against his master and defeat him… but if that meant he killed Takezo, then so be it.

Naruto shook from the battle spirit of the man that filled the small wooden clearing.

His master and he had been on the road to a small village on the outskirts of the village in the Land of Iron when the man appeared in front of them. Naruto didn't even get a good look at the man as he simply drew his sword and slashed towards them. Takezo had blocked the strike and saved Naruto in the process.

The only thing Naruto saw…

Were the man's lavender colored eyes with rings going around them.

"Musashi…. No, I mean Takezo." The man muttered, his sword drawn. "I will defeat you here and end this cursed tradition."

Takezo drew his sword the Hanakage, a guard made of eight rounded shapes resembling flower petals. The blade, unlike other katana though it was shaped like one, was straight including the scabbard.

"It seems that the day has finally come…" Takezo placed himself in front of Naruto, his legs spread to either side. "I was hoping my disciple would be the one to defeat you…"

"That whelp? He's but a child." The man's eyes widened and his voice gained a new edge. Before it had been filled with a different type of tone, low and threatening. But now he sounded surprised.

Takezo nodded. "But I can't leave the curse of our generation with our disciple… I'll end this with us... my fellow disciple-"

…..

Naruto hissed in pain clutching the side of his temple. "It's nothing… just remembering… a rather unpleasant memory." He glanced at Yamato. "So they're like vagrants in the samurai world? Swordsmen who move without honor, without loyalty to anything and… just cuts down those who they wish."

"In a sense, yes." Yamato agreed. While they had been talking the uphill road had smoothed into a flat one, though it was still littered with stones and the occasional large boulder. There was an open space in between the rocks, large enough to situate the four of them. Yamato glanced and this and at his students. "Since we're tired why don't we rest here for today."

"Finally." Shiho whispered, her body drenched with sweat. She fell forward, clutching her bag. "Just… let me rest for a bit on this nice patch of ground…"

Naruto leaned on a rock grimacing at the prospect of sleeping on the hard floor littered with stones. "It's going to take awhile to get rid of all the rocks." The blonde sighed.

Yamato smiled at his students and knelt down, forming hand seals while his students looked on in interest.

"Mokuton: Shichuuka no Jutsu." (Wood release: Four Pillar House Technique) The jounin whispered placing both of his hands on the ground, palms open.

Naruto stared, his jaws dropping as wooden pillars began to rise out of the ground, accompanied by low rumbling resembling a small earthquake. The pillars, though made of wood, moved as if they were rubber twirling and winding around each other like snakes. Sai put a fist to block his face from the debris that were flying towards them. However he didn't have to do it for long. The wooden pillars had finished moving and in their place was a two story house. In front of the house was a small plate above the doorway with the Konoha's insignia on it.

"Welcome to your lodge for the night." Yamato smiled seeing the surprised looks on his student's faces. He turned towards Shiho. "There's a hot tub in the back so you guys can wash yourselves there."

"I thought there were rogue ninja running around this country side." Naruto's eyes were glued to the house but Yamato saw him choosing his words carefully. "Isn't this like an open invitation… like telling them that we are right here."

"No I've made sure to make precautions." Yamato said with an air of confidence. Shiho had already disappeared into the house as soon as he had mentioned the words 'hot tub.' "Let's go and get ourselves situated too. But don't worry, we'll be taking watches throughout the night." Team 13, minus Shiho who had already gone in, entered the house feeling a new sense of respect for their sensei.

They missed the a single figure who stood in the rocks observing them unseen. He was covered in shadow due to the size of the rocks, and because he stood in the shadow of one. The moon was also conveniently covered by the clouds. But as the team entered the lodging the moon came out from the cover of the clouds, its light piercing the prevalent darkness and revealing the figure who had been watching them.

He was of medium build, or so it looked because of his loose clothing. He had a shark-like top complete with a hood which resembled a shark's jaws. On his back there was a dorsal fin, completing the shark like look. There were red marking on the side of the hood similar to the red markings on either side of his face. He was wearing dark pants, his hands shoved into the pockets.

He had a smirk on his face while looking at the house.

"So that's the genin that Orochimaru wants me to test…" He took out a hand from his pocket and gripped the house in his hand in his eye, the distance making it seem as if he was crushing it. "He did tell me to try my best… don't blame me if I end up killing him."

He closed his fist, and in his eyes, the house had been broken into splinters.

…

The three genins slept in their sleeping bags, comforted by the warmth and the knowledge that their sensei was watching over them. In actuality, Shiho was the only one who slept in her bedroll. Sai was on the rooftop, drawing some pictures on his pad. Naruto sat in the corner, dozing lightly, his arms crossed in front of him, his hands in the opposite arm's sleeves. Lying against his chest was his sword.

Sai looked into the sky, drawing a picture of the moon outlined against the clouds. Slightly below the sky lay the landscape, each brushstroke capturing a rock of a hidden trail that he saw. He was so absorbed in the drawing that he didn't even notice that Yamato had snuck up right behind him and was peering from behind his shoulder. Sai continued to draw, even working up a bit of sweat from the concentration. Yamato stared for awhile longer, staying behind Sai.

"I read from the book that it's rude to stare." Sai muttered continuing to work on the drawing. He had noticed the jounin minutes ago. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." Yamato cleared his throat as Sai began to pack up his stuff. "There's some stuff we need to talk about."

Sai remained silent, continuing to put stuff back into his bag.

Taking this as a sign to continue, Yamato began to explain.

"I know you're here on Danzo's orders Sai," Said Yamato. "That you were placed here to observe Naruto."

Sai finished packing up his stuff. He quickly stuffed the scroll into a holster and his brushes into a case, putting it into his bags. He turned towards Yamato his smile wiped off of his face. From the time that Yamato had seen him, it was the most serious that he had ever been.

He noticed that Sai had a hand behind him, trying to keep it out of sight of Yamato.

Yamato sighed. "Sai, frankly speaking there's a big difference between us in terms of strength. But I also know that you were in the ROOT training division and is one of the best that Danzo had to offer or you wouldn't be here." Yamato looked at the moon. "I just want you to know Sai… that it doesn't have to be on Danzo's orders that you are here." He smiled at the genin, shocking him. "Here, you have a chance to make bonds, friends and family… and become stronger." He placed a hand on the genin's shoulder.

"Yamato-san." Sai turned around, brushing the hand off and plastered a smile on his face. Yamato grimaced. "In ROOT, we are taught things. One of the most important lessons of ROOT is what is unneeded. Emotions, family, bonds and a sense of self… there exists none of those things. What exists is not ourselves, but the mission itself and on a greater scale the protection and safety of the village. That is the purpose of us ROOT members."

"We may not shine in the sun as the bright leaves of Konoha, forming bonds and helping one another sustain the tree," Sai continued. "But we are the roots in the darkness, isolated and dirty. We are the underbelly of Konoha. Though some might consider us to be evil or tools… isn't that what a shinobi is? Leaves fall during the winter time, Yamato-san, but the root remains. The root is what keep the tree balanced, whether summer or winter, the root is what takes the nutrients from the ground and provides the energy for the tree and for the leaves."

Yamato watched as the boy spoke.

He rattled off as if these were facts that he had repeated to himself so many times that it was now simply a part of him. Sai had thought and said these things to himself so many times that he didn't care if it was true or not, it was his reality and nothing more. But Sai's words had a ring of truth to them, it was true that Konoha needed the ROOTs, despite how they were despised and looked down upon, they were an important part of Konoha. They never did anything to hurt the village, they simply looked at things in a more cut and dry way, black and white. It was either a danger to the village or not. It was a dangerous way of thinking yet Hiruzen Sarutobi had allowed their existence because they too were Konoha Shinobi that worked to protect the Will of Fire.

"Sai…" Yamato whispered. "I don't doubt that ROOT is necessary. However there is no need for you to isolate yourself and mask your emotions like this."

"A shinobi must had no emotions." Sai whispered. "The shinobi laws must be kept… or you are useless, no worse than useless."

Yamato felt a smile tug on the corner of his lips.

Yamato stretched back up to his full height, stretching his back and looking at Sai in the eye.

"You're right," He said. "Those who break the rules are trash… but a great man once told me… those who don't protect their comrades… are worse than trash." Leaving those words for Sai to mull over Yamato left.

Sai looked at the palm of his hand, his head cocked to the side.

"Friends… and family…" He mused. "Family…"

Naruto stood at the entrance of the house underneath the nameplate, his sword cradled in the crook of his arms which were crossed in front of him. He had heard the whole conversation, though it was unknown to the two shinobi. He looked up at the moon.

"Rules… and emotions huh," the blonde mused. "Is that what a Shinobi is?"

….

The four konoha ninja had resumed walking. Shiho had bed hair and slouched over, still feeling the aftereffects of being deep in sleep. Naruto showed no difference while Sai just looked to be deep in thought, the fake smile from the day before having been wiped off of his face. Yamato stood in the front, walking as though nothing had happened. He paused once in awhile to point something out to his students, explaining things about Iwagakure no Sato and the Third Shinobi War.

"We're very near the battle field where the Fourth Hokage earned the nickname, The Yellow Flash of Konoha. It was the first place where he displayed the technique that he is famous for, Hiraishin no Jutsu." (Thunder God Technique) Yamato explained, pointing off to the distance. "It was the first time his jutsu was displayed. Many people were doubtful that such a technique was possible for it defied logic."

"Do you know who the Fourth Hokage is?" Shiho whispered to Naruto who seemed to be lost in thought. The blonde nodded.

"Vaguely. In our history lessons we go over the Third Shinobi War because it was one where even the Samurai were involved." He narrowed his eyes. "It was a war where Konoha made a lot of underhanded deals that ended up involving a lot of different villages. In the end it was Konoha that came out on top and became the superpower that it is today."

Shiho listened to Naruto's explanation fascinated. It always amazed her to hear the other side's opinion, the thoughts of the underdog. She had read enough history books to know that they were all written in the opinion of Konoha ninja with the facts twisted a little bit. It didn't make her disappointed in Konoha one bit, after all, all ninja villages did this to a certain extent. It's just that Konoha Shinobi were a bit more hypocritical of this than other villages.

"What other things… did Konoha do?" Shiho asked.

Sai stopped musing and turned his attention to the two, even Yamato pausing in interest.

"A bunch of things." Naruto folded his arms behind his head. "Konoha was a frequently in the midst of a lot of chaos. The Fourth Hokage, as well as the three sannin of Konohagakure. These four were possibly the four strongest shinobi of that time, not to mention Konoha had the two most fiersome clans in terms of doujutsu, the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. They divided their forces with devastating results, emerging victorious in almost every battle."

"Kirigakure no Sato, possible the only village that could match Konoha simply because of the sheer amount of shinobi that they had, began to descend into further chaos which eventually erupted into the civil war afterwards. They blame this on the Mizukage, who was told to have a special type of chakra." Naruto sighed. "We were heavily involved in battle with Kirigakure no Sato and Amegakure no Sato. We didn't make much contact with Konoha or the other three villages."

Shiho nodded. Yamato was impressed with the extent of Naruto's knowledge, he had a feeling that though Naruto was missing the necessary details to really explain what happened, he had a general understanding of the war. For someone who had no lived through it, it was an impressive display of knowledge. He looked at Sai, gauging the genin's reaction but if Sai was surprised he did not show it. When Naruto had mentioned underhanded deals, although it was unknown to him, he was talking about the ROOT division of Konoha. The ROOT division had been in charge of making deals with other villages, though allowed by the Hokage, behind the village's back. This allowed the village to be free of any responsibility that the other villages might try to pin on Konoha. It was an underhanded method but a necessary one in order to protect the village.

"Well in the war Konoha got a very advantageous position," Yamato mused almost to himself. "Which is why we have a flow of clients. Konoha has always been a very powerful village but after the war more so. You could say that it was only because the war ended that we could have missions like this without a sense of danger so close to another villages borders."

"I wouldn't count on that."

A man appeared on top of the rocks in front of them. He was wearing strange clothing that resembled a sharks. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest and was looking down at them, the sun at his back.

Yamato instantly gazed at their surroundings. They were surrounded by huge rocks and he saw enemy ninja appearing, fast. He cursed himself for not noticing them earlier but the rocks absorbed vibrations from the ground. Also these shinobi had appeared without a sound. He didn't have a sense of smell like other ninja but he should still have been able to sense their presence before being ambushed in such a disadvantageous position like this.

Other ninja began to appear from behind rocks and on top of them. Yamato counted around ten. Among them two of them showed extraordinary chakra signatures.

There was a boy about Naruto's age that had three tufts of orange hair. He wore a sleeveless tunic with a weird ying-yang symbol engraved on it. The boy was fairly tall and wide for his age, and his eyes showed an air of arrogance that was rare in someone so young. That meant that this boy was not only fairly confident in his own strength, he'd proved it many times before. He had a purple rope around his waist tied into a ribbon at the back.

The other was a boy with dark skin and black eyes. One thing that struck Yamato as odd was that the boy had two extra pair of arms, adding up to six arms on his whole body. He wore the same clothes as the other one, except that he had a hiate on his forehead with a melody note on it. He had a cocky smirk on his face just like the other one.

"This is bad." Yamato looked around them. Along with the three ninja who were obviously the stronger ones, there were three other shinobi around them all of them bearing the marks of Otogakure no Sato. Although they had four on their side, realistically Shiho was useless in this battle. Yamato had not had time to really train her in anything. He looked at Sai and Naruto who was staring around them with their eyes narrowed.

"Kajika-san," The fat one said to the one wearing the shark outfit. "Which one's our target?"

The man nodded towards Sai. "That one in the black." He smiled at Yamato. "I'll take care of the jounin… Jirobo," He gestured to the fat one and then the one with six arms. "Kidomaru, you two take care of the blonde and the girl. The other three can take Sasuke…" He sent a look to each ninja. "Orochimaru-sama wants him alive… remember that."

Yamato narrowed his eyes.

If they had been looking for Sasuke… it was no secret about Orochimaru. For Yamato especially, he made sure that he was up to the latest news and gossip that involved the Snake Sannin. Rumors were that he'd set sights on a new body… the Uchiha Boy. He remembered back to the Hokage's office when he heard him say that Team 7 was supposed to get this mission.

They had a spy in Konoha.

Yamato gritted his teeth.

"Naruto… I suggest you unsheathe your sword." Yamato muttered then he looked at Sai. The genin nodded and took out a paint brush and paper, drawing a picture on it before anyone could say anything.

"Ninpo: Choju Giga." (Ninja Arts: Super Beast Imitating Drawing) Sai whispered. From the scroll emerged a gigantic lion. While seemingly cartoonish in nature because of its color theme, black and white, when it roared there was nothing funny about the drawing coming to life. Sai quickly leaped on top of it and the lion gave another roar before leaping over the group of sound nins and running away, leaving sounds of its paws padding on the hard rock surface.

"After him." Kajika said with flat eyes to the three nameless oto ninja. They obeyed immediately, making great bounds and leaps over the rocks to chase after their 'sasuke'.

Naruto remained silent.

Then the battle started.

Yamato and Kajika, as an unspoken rule, leaped out of the clearing both of them wanting to battle without interruption from the other weaker ninja.

"I'll be back soon… please be ok."

….

Naruto gripped the handle of his sword as the ones called Kidomaru aad Jirobo jumped off of the rocks. Shiho took out a kunai, holding it in a reverse grip. Though she looked determined she was shaking so bad that it Naruto wondered if she would faint from sheer shock.

"Hey… the girls mine." The one called Kidomaru licked a thumb. "I love it when they scream… Kajika-san told us we can do whatever we want with these ones right?"

Jirobo nodded. "Then I guess I'll take the blonde one." He gestured towards Naruto. "Come on trash. I'll kill you painlessly."

Naruto sighed and looked at Shiho.

"Sorry about this."

Naruto disappeared from sight and appeared behind the frightened girl. He hit her in the back of the back with the handle of his sword, which was still encased in its scabbard. Shiho fell to the ground her eyes rolling back and most definitely unconscious.

Kidomaru cocked his head to the side. "You just took my prey from me."

"Then kill me first… you insect." Naruto smirked. "She'll just get in the way anyways."

"Jirobo… this one's mine."

"Hey… you just told me-"

"What was back?" Kidomaru looked back at Jirobo, his eyes bloodshot and crazed.

"Never mind." Jirobo turned his gaze to the ground. The world was ruled by strength and nothing else. He knew that was the way of the sound and it was enforced quite strictly.

"Come on you freak," Naruto whispered as he drew his sword. "I'll gut you like the insect that you are."

Kidomaru looked around at the surroundings. The rocks were high but not exactly ideal for his techniques. Then he stared at the genin in front of him. "No need to go all out…" He smirked and lowered himself to the ground before throwing himself at Naruto.

Naruto dodged the initial punch then weaved to the side as Kidomaru began to throw punches with all six of his arms. Naruto dodged every single one, ducking, weaving and constantly moving never letting a fist even scrape the edge of his clothing. The blonde didn't bother to use his sword finding that his speed was enough.

Kidomaru leaped backwards sweating and panting slightly. His eyes were wide with surprise and rage. "This kid…"

Naruto raised his sword to his side. "That's about done for the warm up… ready for round two?" He smirked at the oto ninja. "By the way… if you want to stand a chance against me… I suggest you come at me at the same time."

"I'm going to FUCKING KILL YOU!" Kidomaru gathered his six arms to his mouth, getting ready to use a technique.

Naruto didn't give him the chance.

Naruto stabbed his sword into the ground.

Right in front of Kidomaru a spike made of chakra exploded out of the ground, thin as paper yet skewering all six of his hands and holding them in place.

Kidomaru howled with pain, all six of his hands pinned by one chakra blade.

Naruto doubled over in pain as Jirobo appeared next to him and kneed him in the stomach. He felt tears stinging the corners of his eyes from the strength of the chakra enhanced blow. Then the oto ninja grabbed Naruto's face and threw him across the clearing, the blonde slamming into a rock and shattering into pieces.

Kidomaru kneeled on the ground, looking at the palm of his hands, each of them bloodied with a paper thin hole in them.

"Are you ok Kidomaru?"

"That trash fucking cut me," Kidomaru snarled, getting to his feet once more. He used a simple technique to make his hands stop hurting, something that was more mental than ninja art. "I'll fucking kill him."

Naruto walked out of the rubble, seemingly unhurt.

His eyes were flat.

"Let's go at him together." Jirobo muttered, feeling cold all of the sudden. The blue eyes were staring right at him. "I don't like this."

Kidomaru felt the blonde's aura change. Something was different.

"I'll snipe him from far..." Kidomaru nodded. He suddenly wanted to end this fight very badly.
"GO!"

Jirobo rushed towards Naruto again.

Naruto sheathed his sword partially and held it in front of him horizontally, one hand on the handle and the other on the scabbard. He left about an inch or two of the blade unsheathed.

"Sora no Mai: Engetsu." (Dance of Sky: Crescent Moon) Naruto snapped the blade shut, sheathing the whole thing.

Jirobo's body exploded into blood, flying backwards towards Kidomaru.

The spider boy stopped whatever he had been about to do and stared as his teammate's body landed next to him. There was a cut on his chest from one end to the other, perfectly straight and blood continuing to pump out of his body. Jirobo was still alive though and his eyes looked at Kidomaru, filled with unbelief at what had just happened to him. Even as his body continued to shiver and convulse he stared at Kidomaru, almost blaming the stronger ninja for sending him in first. He stared at Naruto who had sheathed his sword.

"All he did… was sheathe about two inches of his sword… and Jirobo wasn't anywhere near him… but something hit him… what the fuck…"

"Are you scared?" Whispered Naruto's voice from behind the ninja.

Kidomaru froze with fear, apprehension dawning in his face.

"Fast…"

Naruto stabbed his sword into the ground saying, "Ryu no Mai: Kuroryu Syouten." (Dance of Dragon: Black Dragon Ascension).

Chakra exploded out of the ground right beneath Kidomaru. Something unidentifiable grabbed Kidomaru and lifted him up into the air, formless and black. It was roiling and misty, like a pillar of black cloud yet it had been tangible enough to lift the oto ninja and carry him up into the air. In the air, the part holding Kidomaru turned into a dragon's head, its jaws wide open.

Then it snapped shut.

Kidomaru didn't get a chance to scream.

Kodmaru's body fell to the ground like a rag doll, falling on his chest and his six arms moving around lifelessly. His body sported numerous burn like wounds, different from fire but no less deadly. There was a bite mark that extended from his upper torso to his lower legs, resembling the jaw of a shark yet the holes caused by the fangs looked as if somebody had stabbed him with a giant pole. Yet his chest rose and fell with life, just as Jirobo's.

Naruto sheathed his sword, picking up the Shiho's unconscious body and walking towards the sound of battle.

Shiho shivered with fear, having witnessed Naruto's power just now.

….

Sai stood up, having stabbed the neck of the shinobi that he had just finished battling with. He stabbed his tanto into the dirst, wiping the blood from it. He drew it back and sheathed it.

There was a rustle.

Sai threw a few shurikens in that direction, redrawing his tanto and readying himself to rush towards his opponent. He stopped however seeing that it was none other than Yamato. But he didn't release the grip on his tanto.

"You killed them all I see." Yamato left the rest of the sentence unsaid, though he couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"Prove that you're Yamato." Sai's eyes were flat.

Yamato raised an arm and it turned into wood, swinging around the air for a bit before returning to its original form. Sai nodded, satisfied and sheathed his tanto once more. "They were sound ninja. They had to be killed."

"They weren't going to kill you." Yamato replied.

Sai shrugged. "I eliminate all threats to Konoha. Not just threats to myself."

Yamato couldn't really reply at that.

Naruto walked into the clearing, carrying Shiho on one shoulder.

"Naruto!" Yamato muttered, walking over to the blonde as he released Shiho, leaning her against a rock. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Naruto looked at the dead bodies then looked at Sai. "You did this?"

Sai nodded. "I did."

"Why? They weren't going to kill you… we all heard it."

"Because they are a threat to Konoha." Sai smiled at Naruto.

Naruto grew annoyed.

"Don't flash that fucking fake smile at me you bastard," He snarled. "I hate it when you do that. Don't you feel remorse? They're only our age." It was true, the sound ninja had been genin just like them. Yet Sai had killed them without blinking and he had the gall to smile.

"Remorse?" Sai cocked his head to the side, the smile still on his face. "What is that?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Y-you… you were telling the truth…"

Sai nodded. "Just as you eavesdropped on our conversation the other night… Yes. I am a member of ROOT. I have no emotions."

Naruto processed this.

"Why?..."

"Because it's necessary Naruto." Sai turned away from Naruto's blue eyes. Something about their clarity made him feel uncomfortable. "Because it's necessary."

Naruto looked at his sword and the two sound ninja he had just defeated. They had been strong… but they had underestimated Naruto. Naruto simply had not given them a chance to show their full strength. He had left them alive because he didn't really know anything about the relationship between Otogakure and Konohagakure except that it was bad.

He looked at Sai and at the unconscious Shiho, the first friends he had made in his entire life.

He closed his eyes remembering.

….

Naruto was swinging a wooden sword in front of Takezo who sat on a nearby rock, fanning himself with a small fan. Naruto's body was drenched with sweat and he had abandoned his shirt a long time ago. With a loud yell Naruto swung forward, bringing his sword down on the head of an imaginary opponent.

Takezo observed this. "Come on Naruto… you're trying to split his head open from head to toe… not give him a light tap."

The blonde stopped.

Takezo frowned.

"Hey… Takezo-sensei?"

"What is it?" Takezo by now should have thrown something at Naruto, called him a sissy for stopping because he was tired but something in the blonde's tone didn't let him.

"Why did you kill that man?"

Takezo nodded. He had been expecting the question. On their way to this forest they had encountered a missing ninja from Amegakure no Sato. He had attacked them with a speed and ferocity that surprised even Takezo. Reacting on instinct, Musashi had drawn his sword about three inches out of the scabbard and enclosed it again. He had used Sora no Mai: Engetsu (Dance of Sky: Crescent Moon) and cut the shinobi from head to toe instantly.

The shinobi never felt a thing.

Takezo had never panicked like that before but he had seen the shinobi's eyes. What he had wanted had been reflected in his eyes and it had scared him like never before.

He had been looking at the blonde child walking next to him.

Takezo mused wondering how to answer this question.

"I killed that man Naruto," Takezo smiled, unable to believe that he was about to say something cheesy. "Because I wanted to protect someone who was precious to me." He walked over and poked Naruto on the forehead. "You."

Naruto thought about this for a second. Takezo gave him time. He was still a child and the Samurai didn't expect a lot out of him.

"Am I your only precious person?"

Takezo crossed his arms, walking back to the rock and sitting down. "No… I once had a friend, a man that I would have called my brother. He was my friend… and I risked my life to fight for him and protect him. I still would… but he's no longer in this world." Takezo closed his one good eye, remembering the blonde Namikaze. He opened it again and smiled at Naruto. "I know you didn't really make friends at in Iron Country… but one day you will meet some people whom you can call friends. They might be annoying or not consider you as their friend but… they'll be your precious people. You might find yourself wanting to do irrational things for them."

"I don't get it."

"You will…" Takezo said with a sad smile. "You will. Friends are a precious thing… protect them Naruto… even if it is from themselves."

….

Naruto looked at Sai.

Never taking his eyes off of Sai, Naruto asked. "Who makes the rules in the village sensei?"

"That's Hokage-sama Naruto."

The blonde nodded.

"Sai," Naruto told his first friend. "We're not that close right now, but a man I consider my father told me this… that all friends, no matter who they are, are precious and should be protected. Even from themselves." He raised a fist pointed at Sai. "I'll protect you Sai… even from yourself. I'll protect everyone from this."

"I'll become Hokage… and make it so that you can have emotions again."

"I give you my word… Sai."

AN: Yay another chapter done. I displayed just a little of Naruto's fighting style to give you a glimpse of what it's like. There are three for modes for the Dance of Sky and as for the Dance of Dragon… well there's a lot more. REVIEW! THEY MAKE ME WANT TO WRITE MORE!