The ANBU Shadows
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Chapter 2
Disclaimer:I don't own Naruto, but I do own this fic as well as any original techniques and the like.
(So before I start, I'm gonna say that I will be jumping the time period ahead about 3 years or so, just before Naruto's 9th birthday. I'm doing this because I think it'll be a bit easier to write seeing how Naruto will have aged some more and will have gained some more experience with the basics of ninja training. That and I will finally be able to give the mask that I had Yuu get for Naruto as a gift. So without further ado... )
(Romaji edited 7/17/17)
"Niichan, why are you pushing me to master this technique so hard? I'm getting tired." Naruto complains. He is having a hard time performing Bolting Blossom. It is a fairly simple, yet deadly technique that doesn't require any Chakra, so Yuu of course is able to do it; although with Chakra it would be a lot more devastating.
"Come on Naruto-kun, it's a fairly simple technique. If you can master it by tonight I'll get you your own ninjato for your upcoming birthday, plus I'll take you out for some ramen; you know, the good stuff. How does that sound?" Yuu tells Naruto knowing that anything to do with ramen will get the boy motivated.
"You mean that niichan? Awesome!" Naruto shouts with sparkles in his eyes. He then crosses his fingers and says: "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." With that, around 200 Narutos now stand on their private training field. Yuu does the same, and creates around the same amount as Naruto so that the clones of the boy can have sparring partners. He knows that any experience the clones gain, when dispelled, return to the caster of the jutsu.
Next thing that Yuu knows is that he's getting attacked by 3 Narutos. He quickly goes on the defensive, sidestepping one clone that tries to punch him in the face, before grabbing said clone and throwing him into one of the other two clones. Both clones dispel in a poof of smoke, leaving Yuu facing the real Naruto. "So what are you going to do now, brat?" Yuu taunts, knowing that Naruto hates being called a brat, and that by doing so, pushes Naruto to work harder.
"I'm not a brat!" Naruto shouts, with that he calls upon the chakra of the Kyūbi going into his Bijū Mode, and lunging faster than the speed of sound at Yuu.
Yuu knows he hit a soft spot since Naruto went Bijū Mode. 'Great, wasn't trying to do that. Oh well, time to get serious.' "Kyūmon: Iyashino-mon. Aita! (Second Gate: Gate of Healing. Open!") Yuu shouts. With that being done, a green glow appears around Yuu. He then takes off, rocketing towards Naruto. When they finally clash, the impact is so strong that it shakes the entire ANBU complex and leaves a giant crater in the floor. They jump apart from each other, before jumping back and trading punch for punch, kick for kick. Naruto then shunshins behind Yuu, and kicks his legs out from under him. Yuu then falls flat on his back, having the wind knocked out of him. 'If this keeps going I'm gonna be in trouble. I can barely handle him when he's like this. I should end this now." After taking a breath and preparing himself, he climbs to his feet and concentrates. "Saimon: Jinsei nomon. Aita! (Third Gate: Gate of Life. Open!") Yuu growls, then lunges at Naruto, knocking him into the air. He then performs Kage Buyo to get behind the boy, and performs Ura Renge, slamming the raging boy into the ground, effectively knocking him out. He hates using the Ura Renge because of the pain that comes with it, for both him and the victim; but it is the only thing he could think of that can stop Naruto's rampage. They are both gonna be sore afterwards though.
Yuu slowly and painfully gets up, and after watching the Bijū Cloak vanish from Naruto, goes to and carefully picks up the boy before shunshining back to their room in the secret portion of the ANBU HQ. He lays the boy on his bed, before stripping the boy to his boxers-for the umpteenth time. He checks the boy over to make sure he isn't injured too badly, then covers the boy up with his blanket. He then heads into the bathroom to take care of his own injuries. After taking care of them, he hops into the shower to wash away the sweat from their 'exercise,' and to just allow himself to think.
Naruto wakes up all kinds of sore. He notices he was in his bed, and knows Yuu had brought him back so that he can rest and recover. He hears the sound of running water and knows that Yuu is taking a shower. He gets up slowly, strips, and goes to join Yuu in the shower; they had showered together many times before, so it wasn't anything new. As he enters the bathroom, he notices Yuu sitting on the shower floor just letting the water run off of him. He notices the multitude of black, blue, purple, and even yellow bruises covering Yuu's body.
Seeing the bruises, he knows exactly what Yuu had done; Ura Renge. 'Great, looks like I went on a rampage again.' Naruto knows that whenever Yuu is covered in bruises like he is now, it was because of him going on a rampage. The thing is...he never rememberswhat happened during said rampages. He slides the shower door open and joins Yuu. After he sits down across from Yuu he finally speaks. "So I see I went on another rampage, what happened this time?"
Yuu opens his eyes and looks at Naruto before sighing. He chuckles. "Heh, it was my fault you went on a rampage. I called you a brat, so that it would rile you up, but I didn't expect you to go Bijū Mode on me. So I did the only thing that I knew would stop you; I used Ura Renge, and man do I hurt everywhere."
"Wait. You mean I went full on Bijū Mode? Damn. How much damage did we cause this time?" Naruto asked.
"Well after you went Bijū Mode, I opened the Second Gate, but was still no match for you. As you know, you only get stronger when you go Bijū Mode. When you kicked my legs out from under me, I had no choice but to open the Third Gate. And well, you can see the result of me doing that all over my body." Yuu replies to the young boy.
Naruto sighs, knowing that he's always causing Yuu problems when they train. The two just sit there enjoying the feel of the water falling upon them for about another five or so minutes, before Yuu gets up to turn off the shower. He gets out and starts to towel off, followed by Naruto who does the same. They both then head to the kitchen after they're dressed in clean sweatpants, so that they can grab a snack.
It was two hours after their little talk in the shower; and Yuu and Naruto had gone out to Ichiraku's to grab lunch. Even though he had seen it plenty of times, Yuu still didn't know where the seven year old put all the food that he ate. "You know Naruto-kun, for a boy your age, you really can eat. Where the hell do you put it all?"
Naruto just slurps another mouthful of his 'food of the gods,' not answering with words. Yuu rolls his eyes and just thanks the fact that because of being an ANBU, he gets S-Class and SS-Class jobs that pay really well. The amount of food the blonde boy eats costs a fortune.
"You can have one more bowl Naruto-kun. Teuchi-san, can I get the bill?" Yuu asks the small ramen stall's owner. Teuchi adds the price of one more, large bowl to the bill before passing it to Yuu. Yuu pulls out his wallet, counts out the proper amount, and pays the bill. "Teuchi-san, would it be possible for me to talk to you about something, separately?"
Teuchi leads Yuu into the back of the ramen stall. "So what is it that you wanted to talk about Yuu-san?" He asks the white haired ANBU.
"I was thinking. Do you think that it would be possible to get a membership of some kind for Naruto-kun? His birthday is coming up in a month, and I think that a gift dealing with Ichirakus would make him happy." Yuu explains to the ramen stall owner.
"Hmm... Like what kind of membership do you have in mind?" Teuchi asks, a little curious.
"I was thinking something along the lines of; say Naruto-kun buys ten large bowls of ramen, he can get an extra-large one for free on his next visit, or something along those lines." Yuu replies.
Teuchi thinks for a moment before he replies. "I think I could do something like that. You guys are regulars here anyways, and the boy eats more than his fair share. Come by tomorrow, and pick up the stamp-card or whatever it is that I can come up with. I don't have anything made for memberships since we don't normally do them, so I need to come up with something.
"Thanks Teuchi-san. I think that this would make a great gift for Naruto-kun. If you put it in an envelope, with like the Ichiraku symbol or something so he can identify it, I think it would be all the better." Yuu tells Teuchi. "Well, anyway, I think Naruto-kun and I should get going. Thanks for the food Teuchi-san. Oh, and tell Ayame-chan I said hello, would you?"
Teuchi nods his head. "Not a problem Yuu-san. And yea, I'll tell my daughter that you said hello." He leads Yuu back to front of the ramen stall to wait for Naruto to finish his ramen.
Naruto drinks the rest of his ramen broth, thanks Teuchi for the food, hops down off the stool, and follows Yuu out of the stall. "So what are going to do now niichan?" Naruto happily asks.
"Let's see. Why don't we go and see if Hokage-sama will allow me take you on a mission. Of course, it would be anything crazy like assassinations or the sort, but it should be enough to gain you some decent experience. Sound good?" Yuu replies the Naruto's question.
"Really? A mission? That would be awesome!" The young blonde replies giddily.
Yuu just shakes his head at the boy's enthusiasm. "Ok then, grab my hand Naruto-kun and I'll take us to Hokage-sama's office." Yuu then extends his hand out to Naruto so the boy can take it. Naruto grabs the offered hand, and the next thing he knows, they are in the hall of the Hokage Tower outside of the Hokage's office. Yuu knocks on the old oak door that they appeared in front of. "Come in." They hear reply, and they enter the room.
Naruto looks around they enter, having never been in the Hokage's office before. On the right side of the room, there's a scroll rack filled with numerous scrolls of various sizes. On the left side of the room, there are a multitude of pictures and paintings hanging on the wall, depicting various places around the Elemental Nations. On the far side of the room are five huge windows, possibly big enough for two of him to stand side-by-side and still have room to spare. Above the windows are four pictures, each one a painting of the four different Hokages. In front of the windows is a large, old, oak desk. Papers, scrolls, books, and other various objects were neatly arranged on the desk. Seated behind the desk was none other than the Sandaime Hokage himself. He is currently taking a long drag from the old ivory pipe he was holding.
"Hello Yuu, Naruto-kun. What can I do for you two on this fine day?" Hiruzen asks after noting who just entered.
"Hello Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun here and I just got back from having lunch at Ichiraku's, and I think Naruto-kun is a bit bored. So I thought I'd come here and see if it is possible for me to take him out on a mission. I think a C-Rank or even a low B-Rank mission should be enough to satiate his boredom. Naruto-kun is very capable, in fact he's possibly as capable as most Jōnin level ninja from what I have seen." Yuu explains.
"Hmm, if you're going with Naruto, I don't see any real problems with that request. But tell me something, what do you mean by 'Naruto is very capable?'" Hiruzen asks, intrigued by Yuu's claim.
"Hmm...I don't really know how to explain it with words Hokage-sama. I think it will be best for Naruto-kun to just show you." Yuu replies, and after seeing Hiruzen nod in approval, takes a step back from the blonde boy. "Go ahead Naruto-kun, show Hokage-sama your 'cloak...'actually, before you do that; Hokage-sama, do you think it's possible to place a Chakra Barrier and a Damage Control Barrier on your office? I don't want anything getting damaged, or want people freaking out from the Chakra that will be emanating from here."
Hiruzen is a little confused on the odd request by Yuu, but none-the-less, places the two barriers up on his office. Once he's done, he nods to Yuu who tells Naruto to go ahead.
Naruto takes a breath before focusing on the Kyūbi's Chakra. Once he is focused on it, he interacts with it; he molds it, shaping it to fit his small form, and overall controlling it. With that done, he forces it into shape and cloaks it around his body.
His body glows with yellow flames. A black line extends from just below his collar, about eight inches in length. It then branches to either side about an inch from the bottom of that line for about two inches in either direction before extending down the rest of his outfit. In the middle of the two lines there is a circle with the Uzumaki spiral in it, just above the hem of his shirt. On each shoulder there is a circle that is connected across the front of the shirt by a bracketed line. Just under the collar of the shirt are six tomoes. The irises of his eyes are a plasma yellow instead of the usual vibrant cerulean that they usually are. His hair also seems to be moving on its own from the constant flow of Chakra around his body.
To say Hiruzen is shocked would be an understatement. The amount of power that was radiating off the boy was immense, possibly even rivalling that of a Kage-level ninja. He now understands why Yuu had him place the barriers. When Naruto first activated that form of his, he felt himself get shoved into his seat. The other reason was because of how similar the Chakra coming off the boy was when comparing it to the Kyūbi no Yōko.
"This power...it's incredible. Naruto, what exactly is this power that you have, called, if I may ask?" Hiruzen asks the boy.
"I believe Kurama called it the Bijū Cloak, or Bijū Mode." Naruto replied.
"Hokage-sama, Kurama is the official name of the Kyūbi no Yōko. What you are seeing is called the Bijū Cloak. This is only a thing between the Kyūbi and its Jinchūriki host. Naruto has full control over all of the Kyūbi's Chakra, but can easily lose control due to any emotions similar to anger. Anger leads to a different cloak, one where Naruto has no control of his actions what-so-ever. But back to the current cloak of Naruto, as you can tell, because of it being made entirely from the Kyūbi's Chakra, it feels very similar to that of the Chakra of the Kyūbi itself; which is the reason I had you place the Chakra Barrier. I didn't want to frighten the villagers when Naruto-kun powered up. There are upsides and downsides to the Bijū Cloak however. The upside is that the Bijū Cloak increases Naruto's power exponentially, as you have already seen. The downside is that, although he gets stronger the longer he's in Bijū Mode, he also becomes less aware of his surroundings and starts to lose control, as well as the massive toll it takes on his body after he leaves it; leaving him exhausted. I have been helping Naruto-kun learn to control his Bijū Cloak, and as of now, he can maintain it for thirty minutes before he starts to lose control. When Naruto loses control, it's very hard to stop him. You know I hate doing this, but I've had to open the Inner Gates in order to subdue Naruto-kun. The most I've opened is the Third Gate, and you know what opening that gate usually leads to, I presume?" Yuu explains what he has learned in heavy detail to Hiruzen.
"You mean to say that you've had to open the third gate and use the Ura Renge against Naruto, he's that powerful?" Hiruzen asked, shocked that Yuu had to resort to that technique. Hiruzen could sort of understand though, in the few minutes that have passed since Naruto powered up, he's noticed the boy's power steadily climbing. It was unbelievable how powerful the boy was.
"Okay Naruto-kun, you can power down now. I don't want you getting too tired on me now." Yuu tells Naruto, who shifts out of Bijū Mode a few moments later.
Naruto looks at Yuu and gives his signature foxy grin while rubbing the back of his head. "Niichan, you act like I get exhausted really easy. You should know by now that I have a tremendous amount of Chakra."
Yuu just ignores Naruto's smart-alack comment and turns back to face Hiruzen. "So Hokage-sama, do you think it would be possible to allow us to go on a mission now that you know that Naruto will be perfectly fine?"
Hiruzen looks at what missions he has currently available, and now that he has seen the power the young blonde gives off when in Bijū Mode, along with knowing that Yuu has been training the boy, he decides to give them a B-Rank Infiltration mission. "I think that you two will be able to handle this mission. Yuu, I'll have a special outfit sent to your room for the mission."
Yuu reads over the mission details, and thinks that this would theoretically be the best mission choice for Naruto. Although he emits a boatload of Chakra when he's in Bijū Mode, when he's powered down, he gives about as much Chakra as any civilian does. "We accept Hokage-sama. We will succeed no matter what." Yuu says.
Yuu looks at Naruto and offers his hand, of which Naruto takes. They then shunshin back to their room, where Naruto lets go of Yuu's hand and asks, "So what kind of mission are we going on niichan?"
"We are going on an infiltration mission Naruto. This is a B-Rank mission, but can quickly escalate into an A-Rank or even an S-Rank if we are discovered. That is why I need to know, will you listen to any order that I give while we are on this mission, no matter what? If I tell you to run, then you better run. If I tell you to hide, you better hide. Is that understood? I need to know Naruto. If not, I am going to leave you with the Hokage. Do you understand Naruto?" Yuu asks seriously.
Naruto doesn't know how to respond. He has never seen Yuu so serious before. It kind of scared him. He takes a moment to gather his nerves before responding. "I understand niichan, I will follow any and all orders that you give, even if I have to throw down my own life."
Yuu nods. "Good Naruto, because it's very important that you do." A knock on their door is heard. Yuu knows what that is, and goes to the door to open it. On the floor in front of the door is a set of ANBU armor, albeit much smaller than the armor the rest of the ANBU wear. There is also a mask shaped like a fox. He smirks, 'Crazy old man, I should've expected this.' He thinks, then picks up the outfit and heads back inside. He hands the outfit to Naruto before proceeding to strip himself. "Put those on Naruto." He then proceeds to put on his own black ANBU armor.
Naruto is surprised. Yuu had just handed him a set of ANBU armor –– A legit set of ANBU armor. He never thought that he of all people would get to wear one... not yet at least. He puts the outfit on his bed before proceeding to strip out of his current clothes, so he could put on the new ones. After donning the armor, he is surprised to see that it fits him perfectly. Snug fitting, but flexible and aerated. That's when he notices the mask. He picks it up and looks at it, noting how it kind of reminds him of Kurama. He brings the mask to his face and notes how it seems to conform to the shape of his face, as well as stick to it on its own.
Yuu dons his lynx shaped mask, and grabs two ninjatos. His own personal one, and the one he loans to Naruto whenever they train. He turns to Naruto and is surprised to see how ANBU the boy seems to be while wearing the outfit. He had to admit, it suited the boy. It makes him look older than he really is, more mature. He holds out Naruto's ninjato, then shows him how to strap it to the armor, as well as how to put the armguards on properly.
"Naruto-kun, while we are on this mission, you are to refer to me as Lynx. Is that understood? You will be known as...Kitsune. No honorifics what-so-ever, is that understood?" Yuu asks Naruto, who replies with a nod. Yuu places his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and they shunshin back into the Hokage's office.
"Ahh, Lynx, I see you got the outfit. That's good, does it fit him?" Hiruzen asks when Yuu and Naruto reappear in his office.
"Yes Hokage-sama. I've already briefed Kitsune on the mission on the mission details. He knows what to do should we get into a sticky situation." Yuu replies.
"Kitsune, eh? It suits him. But enough about him, I have one more person that shall be joining you. Inu, you can come out now." Hiruzen says.
A figure appears out of nowhere. He is dressed in a standard ANBU outfit with a mask in the shape of a dog. His most noticeable feature is his spiky silver hair. He looks at Yuu for a moment, before saying, "So this is the legendary Shadow? Hmm, it seems your reputation belittles you a bit. Who's this?" He asks after noticing Naruto. "Doesn't he seem a little young to be an ANBU Hokage-sama?"
"Inu, I believe you already know who Kitsune is. His hair should be a dead giveaway, since there are so few with that hairstyle." Hiruzen replies.
Inu takes a long look before realizing who it was. "Hokage-sama, is that who I think it is? But... didn't he disappear two years ago?"
"Technically yes, but at the same time, no. What I am about to tell you does not leave this room, is that understood Inu?" Hiruzen asks earning a nod from Inu. "As you know, he did disappear, but that is not entirely true. He was accepted as an apprentice by Lynx. He has been living with, and has been getting trained by Lynx ever since he 'vanished' two years ago."
Inu was surprised; he never would have expected the legendary Shadow to take an apprentice. Everyone knows that the Shadow is brutal, ruthless, and the like. So to see that he also has a soft side is a bit overwhelming. To think he would take an apprentice, well that was just unthinkable.
"Enough of this though, you three must get going on your mission. I expect all of you to return safely, especially you Kitsune. You know why." Hiruzen stated to the older ANBU and the young boy.
"Yes Hokage-sama." The two older ANBU say. Yuu places his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and all three vanish from the room in a poof of smoke.
The mission was simple. Infiltrate a laboratory unnoticed, find the information storage room, destroy said information, and escape the laboratory unnoticed. It was simple, or at least, it should have been. What Yuu, Naruto, and Inu didn't know was that there are nuke-nin mercenaries guarding the laboratory that they are supposed to infiltrate.
Yuu may not be a ninjutsu or genjutsu specialist, but he had a knack of being able to sense the Chakra from people when he focused his senses. Things just took a turn for the worst. Yuu holds up a hand closed in a fist, signaling the group to stop. "I count five ninja. Three of them have at least Jounin-level Chakra, while the other two are at least Chūnin-level."
"Great, that means this mission just became at least a high A-Class to low S-Class, depending on if we get noticed. Just what we need." Inu says with a sigh.
Yuu thinks for a moment, then has an idea. "Kitsune, this is gonna be difficult, but you are the least likely one to attract unwanted attention; so you are going to be the one to infiltrate and find the data. You shouldn't worry though. If you get in a bind, channel some of your chakra into the seal on the hilt of your ninjato after doing a small blood sacrifice; you know what I mean. When you do that, it'll act as a beacon for me to be able to shunshin to you. I will be there in an instant to help. Do the same if you make it to the room where the information is held, and I will help you set up the tags to destroy it." Yuu explains. "Inu, I want you to place a henge onto Kitsune to make him look like one of the laboratorians. I would do it, but I'm not very efficient with Chakra, and Kitsune would light up like a signal flare if he did it."
Inu nods before making a half-tiger seal. "Henge." Inu whispered. With that done Naruto disappears in a cloud of smoke, only to reappear as a man in a laboratory coat. His voice had also changed to match his henged appearance, and his ninjato was also masked by the henge.
Naruto then leaves the two ANBU and begins his trek towards the laboratory. He makes it inside with no issues. He isn't even asked for his identification by the gate guard. 'What an idiot, he didn't even bother to check and make sure that I even am a real laboratorian and work here." He thinks, then notices a map, and with his good memory, memorizes the whole thing within ten seconds.
He makes his way through the lab, one step at a time, always aware of his surroundings. Following the mental image of the map, he takes a left, then a right, then another right. He goes down a floor, walks straight until he comes to an intersection, turns left, and walks down the hall entering the last room on the right side of the hall. He is in a large room filled with shelves upon shelves of scrolls and books. He senses around, and satisfied that that no one else is around; he releases the henge, bites his finger and channels a small amount of Chakra into his ninjato. A few seconds later, Yuu appears next to him.
"Nicely done Kitsune." Yuu tells Naruto quietly. "Now to place the Flame Tags and get the hell out of here." Yuu pulls around fifty tags from one of the weapon pouches he has, and hands about half to Naruto, who goes around carefully placing the tags in the most effective, yet secretive spots. After placing all the tags he had, he makes his way back to Yuu, who grabs his shoulder, and then shunshins them both back to Inu just as the door to the room opens. The two people entering look around, thinking they sensed someone in the room. When they are satisfied that there is no one in the room, they leave.
Yuu and Naruto both appear next to Inu in a poof of smoke. He looks to Yuu, then to Naruto with a silent question. Yuu just nods his head. Yuu forms a half-tiger seal. "Kai! (Release!)" Yuu growls. The next thing that happens is an enormous fireball shooting into the sky from the direction of the laboratory. All fifty Flame Tags combust at the same time, destroying all of the data, not to mention the entire laboratory.
'I think I might've had some experimental explosive tags in there that I forgot to remove. Oops.' Yuu thinks, while scratching the back of his head. 'Kami! That was stupid of me not to check the tags. Oh well, it got the job done, that's all that matters.'
As the trio starts to make their way back to Konoha, Yuu senses that something is amiss. "Heads up you two, I think that we've got company inbound." As soon as the words leave Yuu's mouth, a hail of kunai and shuriken fly from the trees off to their left.
After dodging, all three take up defensive positions with their ninjatos drawn, and held in front of them. Three nuke-nin then appear from the woods where the kunai and shuriken had come from, and land in front of the trio. "Who are you, and why are you here?" One of the nuke-nins ask.
Yuu carefully studies the three nuke-nins before replying. "It's none of your concern." Yuu was a little on edge about the nuke-nin that asked the question; something seemed oddly familiar about him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"We order you to drop your weapons and to surrender, if you fail to do so, we will be forced to take drastic measures." The lead nuke-nin says to the trio.
"Well that is not going to happen. Inu, Kitsune...scatter." Yuu instructs. With that, the three Konoha ninja jump into action; Yuu taking the lead nuke-nin, Inu taking the right-most nuke-nin, and Naruto taking the left-most nuke-nin.
"So they sent a brat after me? This is bullshit! Who the hell do they think I am? Oh well, it's your funeral brat." The nuke-nin forms handsigns. "Katon: Karyūdan! (Fire Release: Flame Dragon Blast!)" A giant dragon comes from the mouth of the nuke-nin and rushes at Naruto, who dives out of the way just as the dragon slams into the ground where the boy had just been standing.
Naruto rolls to his feet and quickly makes handsigns; he only knows a few jutsus, which is why he mainly focuses on taijutsu. "Fūton: Shinkūdama! (Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!)" Naruto takes a deep breath than slams his hand onto his stomach, launching a heavily compressed ball of wind at his opponent.
The compressed ball of air slams into the ninja like a truck, flinging the ninja away. Naruto knows that the attack was just lucky; his opponent probably wasn't expecting such a young kid to know such a high level Fūton technique. "Not bad kid, I gotta give credit where credit is due. But you're in for a world of hurt now." The nuke-nin says after recovering from the attack.
The nuke-nin goes through a bunch of handsigns. "Katon: Hibarashiri!" The ninja's legs become engulfed in flames, and he takes off in a blur of red, orange, yellow, and grey. He appears in front of Naruto "Honokyoku!" He kicks Naruto with a flame enhanced leg, sending Naruto flying and slamming through trees.
Naruto recovers, and stands sideways on the trunk of a tree he stopped near. He looks at the nuke-nin, but his eyes are different. They are no longer a solid, piercing cerulean; they were more of a crimson color on the outside and fading back into his piercing blue color near the pupil. He has two tomoe in his right eye, and three in his left. The eyes are also divided into 3 circular segments, with the tomoe in the second segment. "Akumagan. (Demon Eye.)" Naruto says barely above a whisper.
With his Akumagan activated, everything appears more clear and easy to decipher. It is as if his visual senses are on overdrive. Drawing on the Kyūbi's Chakra, a ghastly red aura appears around Naruto's legs; then he shoots forward like a bullet towards the nuke-nin, leaving the tree and the ground the tree was rooted in, destroyed. "Kitsune no Koenga! (Fox's Blazing Fang!)" Naruto says, while jumping, then front-flipping and delivering a devastating Kyūbi Chakra enhanced axe kick to the head of the nuke-nin. He then goes through hand signs. "O'odama Hōsenka! (Giant Phoenix Flower!)" A massive Kyūbi Chakra enhanced flame blasts from Naruto's mouth, engulfing the nuke-nin in an inferno of flames. As the flames die, Naruto sees that the ninja is now a blackened pile of writhing flesh. 'I doubt he's gonna be moving while in that condition anytime soon.'
Naruto hops back, and as he touches the ground his Akumagan fades, leaving the boy panting. 'Damn, I forgot how much Chakra the Akumagan uses, but whatever, I think my job her is done. Now to see if Yuu or Inu need a hand.' As he walks away, he gets about ten steps before he feels a sharp pain between his shoulders. He looks back and sees that the nuke-nin is still alive, and is kneeling with his arm slightly extended.
'This bastard doesn't know when to give up and stay down, does he?' Naruto thinks to himself. He pulls out his ninjato and shunshins behind the kneeling ninja, then proceeds to slit the nuke-nin's throat. The ninja collapses to the ground, dead. Naruto then starts walking away to locate Yuu or Inu.
Naruto walks for around five minutes before he senses a Chakra signature about two hundred yards from his location. As he heads towards it, he is surprised by the devastation around him. Toppled trees, destroyed boulders, craters pockmark the ground, kunai and shuriken are scattered everywhere, and the ground is heavily scorched. It looks like a war zone that he has stumbled upon. Kneeling on the ground about twenty feet away was Inu, panting trying to catch his breath. Lying on the ground behind him, with a hole where his heart should've been, was the nuke-nin that Inu had fought.
When Inu finally notices Naruto's presence, he looks up and notices that the boy doesn't seem too injured. "Ah, Kitsune. Glad to see that you are okay. I take it that your fight wasn't too much of an issue?"
Naruto looks at Inu before shaking his head. "It was a tough fight, but he was probably the weakest of the three. He actually forced me to activate my Akumagan. But in the end, he still perished." Naruto replies, before realizing that he just told Inu about his dōjutsu.
Inu doesn't know what the Akumagan is, but he assumes from its name, that it is some form of dōjutsu. 'I wonder what the Akumagan is. I wonder if it's similar to my Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye) or the Hyūga's Byakugan (All Seeing White Eye)... Maybe it's something completely different altogether. I'll have to remember to ask him about it at a later time.'
Inu stands up slowly, and heads over to Naruto, quickly checking over the boy's injuries before they head out to find Yuu. After walking for about three minutes they feel the ground rumble, then see a plume of dust in the air. The same thought crosses their mind. 'That's Lynx. / That's Yuu.' The two then begin jogging in the direction of the dust plume.
When the two arrive into the destroyed clearing, they see Yuu slowly walk out of the giant crater in the ground. His exposed skin was a light-reddish hue, and he had a faint greenish glow around his body. Naruto knows exactly what it is the moment he sees it, having seen Yuu use the Inner Gates before. However it takes Inu a moment to recognize what it is.
'From the power emitting from niichan, I'd say that he opened just one gate. That means that the large explosion we saw was likely the Omote Renge (Primary Lotus)...great, just after he recovered some from the Ura Renge he used on me too.' Naruto sighs. He knows Yuu would only open the Inner Gates if the opponent was too much for him to handle with his normal taijutsu and swordplay.
The two ninjas see that the glow is fading, and that the exposed skin is slowly returning to normal. Yuu then falls to one knee, panting. 'That was a bit harder than I was expecting. But thanks to Naruto-kun always keeping me on my toes when we train, at least I'm not out of shape. But I am always sore, that's for sure.' He then notices the two Konoha ninjas coming towards him. 'Naruto-kun seems fine other than a few burns and scratches, but Inu looks as banged up as I do. Looks like Naruto-kun got the weakest of the three nuke-nins.'
"Lynx, are you okay?" Inu asks when he's close enough to not have to shout.
"I'm fine Inu, just a bit banged up. What about you and Kitsune? How are you two holding up?" Yuu asks his two companions.
"We're both fine Lynx. Do you want me to check your wounds over?" Inu asks Yuu.
"That won't be necessary Inu, we really should get going though before more ninja show up. All the Chakra that was flaring around is bound to attract unwanted attention." Yuu says standing, and then the three Konoha ninjas begin their trek back to Konoha.
"We have returned Hokage-sama." Yuu informs Hiruzen after gaining permission to enter his office.
"Welcome back Lynx, Inu, Kitsune; how did the mission go?" Hiruzen asks the three ninjas.
"We managed to succeed, however the mission is no longer a B-Rank anymore Hokage-sama. There were nuke-nins from different villages that were hired as mercenaries to defend the laboratory. We still managed to get in, destroy the intelligence, and get out with zero issues. However, as we were returning, we were attacked by two high-class Jōnin and one high-class Chūnin. We were forced to engage and eliminate the enemy ninja. All three of the nuke-nins that attacked us were eliminated by their respectful opponent." Yuu briefs Hiruzen on what happened during the mission.
Hiruzen takes a drag from his pipe. "I see, well then I suppose I will have to tell the client so that you three can get the appropriate compensation. As for Kitsune, well done on your first mission. I had a few doubts that you would be able to handle a Chūnin to Jōnin ranked mission at so young an age, but I see that doubt was in vain. You've made an old man proud, young man."
Naruto nods. "Thank you Hokage-sama, I appreciate your words of praise."
Hiruzen and Yuu are shocked. They both know Naruto never called Hiruzen anything other than Jijī. 'It must be because of the fact that he's currently in the role of an ANBU. Whatever the case, I approve of it.' Hiruzen thinks. Yuu smiles behind his mask. 'Huh, the boy seems to be growing up. It might be because of the current situation, but whatever the case, Naruto-kun is growing up.'
"You three are dismissed. Once I contact the client and work out the payment amount, you will each receive your share of the reward." Hiruzen says to the three, before returning to the paperwork on his desk.
The three ninjas all reply, "Yes Hokage-sama," before shunshining to their respectful homes. Naruto walks to his bed and takes off his mask before falling face first onto the mattress. "That was tiring niichan. I knew there was high possibility of the mission rank changing, but still, I wasn't expecting to be thrown into a fight against a Jōnin by myself." He says, his voice muffled by the mattress.
Yuu takes off his mask before heading over and sitting on the edge of Naruto's bed. "You did very well Naruto-kun. I knew you would be able to handle a mission like this if things had gotten out of hand. I didn't sense your Bijū Cloak while we were fighting. How come you didn't use it?" Yuu asks, curious.
Naruto rolls over and sits up, before crossing his legs. "You don't know this yet niichan, but I have a dōjutsu; as well as the Bijū Cloak. It's called the Akumagan." The boy says, while focusing Chakra into his eyes. "It is a dōjutsu that can only be wielded by the Jinchūriki host of the Kyūbi no Yōko."
Yuu takes a long look at Naruto's eyes, having never seen a dōjutsu quite like it. He could feel the malevolence radiating off the boy, but it was miniscule when compared to that of the Bijū Cloak. "How long have you had this Naruto-kun?"
"I've had it for about two months, although I don't use it very often because of how fast it burns through my Chakra stores. I can only manage to keep it active for about eight minutes at most, before I become completely exhausted." Naruto replies.
"I see. Well, I guess the more you learn about your abilities, the better. I think you should get some rest, Naruto-kun. It's been a long day, and I'm sure you're exhausted." Yuu tells the blonde.
"Okay niichan." The boy replies before getting off his bed. He strips out of the ANBU armor and tosses it onto the bed, then heads to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
Yuu sighs, then proceeds to strip out of his own armor, before putting on a pair of sweatpants. He grabs Naruto's outfit and leaves the room to toss the armor into the wash. He re-enters the room and heads for the kitchen to grab a quick bite. He makes two bowls of instant ramen, knowing that the boy will be hungry when he gets out of the shower.
Five minutes later Naruto walks out of the bathroom in a pair of shorts, his hair sparkling from a lack of a thorough drying. He sniffs the air and smiles, smelling the ramen that Yuu had prepared. He walks to and sits down at the table to eat while Yuu heads to take a shower of his own.
As Naruto eats, he thinks about the day's past events. He is a little curious to know more about Inu, but figures he will find out more in the future to come. Finished eating, he tosses the empty bowl into the trash before heading to his bed and lying down. He hangs the mask resting on his bed on a headrest post, before quickly falling asleep.
Yuu walks out of the bathroom ten minutes later, and heads for his bed. He notices the blonde boy sleeping on top of his covers, and rolls his eyes. He goes over, picks up the sleeping boy so he can access the blankets, and pulls them to the foot of the bed. He then lays the boy back down before covering him. He smiles before turning to head to his own bed. He crawls under the covers before quickly falling asleep himself.
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(And with that Chapter 2 is done. I hope my fight scenes were good enough to satisfy your guys' tastes, they aren't easy to write. +Rep to those who can write some amazing battle scenes, they're just not my forte. Also can anyone guess who the ANBU Inu really is? Props if you guess correct. Ja ne.)
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Bolting Blossom: The person executing this kenjutsu/taijutsu hybrid dash at the enemy and slashes them with their weapon before kicking their opponent airborne; before jumping above the opponent, then delivering a heavy blow, sending the enemy crashing into the ground. (It is used in Naruto Shippūden: Naruto vs. Sasuke by Sakura and Sasuke)
Kage Buyo: Dancing Leaf Shadow
Dai ni gēto: Iyashino-mon. Aita!:Second Gate: Gate of Healing. Open!
Dai san gēto: Jinsei nomon. Aita!:Third Gate: Gate of Life. Open!
Ura Renge: Primary Lotus (Requires the Third Inner Gate to be released)
Kai= Release (Usually used when setting off a non-timed paper bomb, or dispelling a genjutsu)
Fūton: Fūryūdan: Wind Release: Wind Dragon Blast
Fūton: Shinkūdama: Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet (Think of the move Shukaku does when battling Naruto and Gamabunta during the Chūnin exams)
Katon: Hibarashiri: Fire Release: Running Fire
Honokyoku: Blaze Kick (Doesn't require any hand signs since the user has to have their legs engulfed in flames for the technique to work in the first place)
Sharingan: Copy Wheel Eye or Mirror Wheel Eye
Byakugan: White Eye or All Seeing White Eye
Tomoe: Comma shaped
Akumagan: Demon Eye (Similar to that of the Sharingan and Rinnegan in design, but has six tomoe and only 3 segments when completed, as well as the abilities of both the Sharingan and the Byakugan.)
Kitsune no Koenga: Fox's Blazing Fang (Can only be used when Naruto has the Akumagan active)
O'odama Hōsenka: Giant Phoenix Flower (Can only be used when Naruto has the Akumagan active)
Omote Renge: Primary Lotus (Requires the First Inner Gate to be released)
