AN: Okay another big thanks to my beta for cleaning up some parts and adding a few details that really make a difference in this chapter. ShadowFaux has been an excellent beta reader and help in some of the fine tuning of this story also he has given me some great feedback when I bounce an idea or two off him. With that said I know some of you are like WTF Hinata ANBU. I want to point out that this is a slight AU. Most of what happened in cannon did happen I'm just tweaking a few parts here and there that are minor, but will bring big and small impacts. With that said please keep an open mind when I introduce something or someone and don't immediately explain how they got there. I mean figuring out how they got there is half the fun with some of these fanfics out there right? Anyways I hope you keep enjoying this.


Naruto flopped down into a bunk in the sleeping quarters that the boys were shown to after a trip to the mess hall. It was one giant barracks with bunks lining the walls with a main aisle going down the middle. The girls had there own barracks in a separate part of the building. The facility seemed to be in full operation, as ANBU were running around on various missions.

"Man! How awesome is this?! Baa-chan not only gives us our own team of special instructors to make us the best, but we also get this awesome ninja facility to use!" Naruto shouted to the others in the room.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered lazily as he tried to nap in a bunk three rows down from Naruto.

"Idiot. This is far from an awesome facility to be trained at. Right now, I wish we were back in the village." Sasuke complained from a bed across the main aisle.

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"She sent us to some shitty hole in the wall facility!" Sasuke sneered.

"Huh?" was Naruto's intelligent reply.

"We're in a guard area adjacent to the prison."

"Cool!"

"What the hell do you mean cool?!" Sasuke shouted. "We're practically going to be trained to be prison guards!"

Naruto scratched his head for a moment.

"But don't those guards have to be strong? I mean, most of those prisoners are dangerous. Besides, ANBU are guarding them with the Chunin, right?"

Every head in the barrack turned at that moment of intelligence from the class clown and idiot.

Sasuke acknowledged the query with a 'Hn' before lying down in his bunk.

The rest of boys then settled for sleep as and instructor with a bear mask called for lights out.


Naruto was up bright and early, since their instructors had been kind enough to let them know when they would be coming by to pick them up to start training. He figured an introductory test was in order to make sure they were qualified to teach such awesome ninja. The blond had strategically placed a bucket of blue paint he had borrowed from a supply room on top of the door. All that was left is for the test to be administered on the unsuspecting victim.

For this inaugurating event, Naruto had gone the extra mile in coordinating some feathers to add effect from Kiba. While the others had not actively taken a part in this prank/test, they were interested in the resulting outcome. Neji had been the only one to reprimand the childish actions, but made no move to hinder the preparation.

If nothing else, their instructors were prompt. At five on the dot, the door to their barracks was slammed open by an instructor.

This one was about their height, and was clearly female, as certain assets could be seen under the ANBU garb that tended to fit their member's like a glove. She wore the standard black ANBU attire, including the scultped armor plate over the chest. Like all other ANBU, her face was hidden by a mask that depicted an animal, particularly a mouse. However, instead of the traditional black ninja sandals, she wore black combat boots.

Due to the violent intrusion, the bucket started its descent on the unsuspecting victim. Every eye in the room watched as the bucket fell from its perch onto the unsuspecting trainer.

The anticipation was almost palpable as they painstakingly watched the bucket's descent. Just inches before it made contact, a flash of chakra was briefly seen before their vision was miraculously turned blue. It took a moment to register what was now a part of their new fashion. Paint that was the color of the mid-afternoon sky covered the boys with their new ANBU gear as the instructor cocked her head to the side.

"I was told you guys would be down and blue, having found out about this facility's function, but I didn't think it was meant in a literal sense." Her thoughts were voiced in an overly sweet and innocent tone that grated on Kiba's nerves. He'd be damned if he let her get away with ruining a perfectly good prank!

He tossed the bag of feathers he was holding, and once again, a burst of blue chakra was witnessed before feathers were sent into his face.

Once again, she cocked her head to the side. "I can't be sure, but I thought pillow fights were more of a girl thing. Wait. Does that mean I win?!" She suddenly asked in a cheery tone. Giddily, she clapped her hands together while jumping up and down.

The boys could only dumbly nod as the sheer absurdity of their situation. Blinking, they turned their gaze from the instructor to the idiot who had instigated the situation. "Naruto!" Several of them yelled, glaring at the boy.

Instantly, the instructor switched from an innocent, if slightly weird, girl, to a demon from the pits of hell!

"Alright! That's enough! If you have enough time to yell at your comrades, then you don't need any time to change! Let's go everyone! Out to the field! Move it, move it, move it!!!" Yanking them off the ground, she practically hurled them into the hall with barely dried paint and feathers. Some of them tried to protest to their state of dress while being moved.

"You think you're going to get time on the battlefield to make sure you look prim and pristine? We're training you to be fighters! Not how to look good for a prom! NOW MOVE!"

Naruto was scrambling to join his comrades before a slender, but firm, hand landed on his shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"

Naruto nervously turned to smile over his shoulder, and came face to mask with their oh so sweet instructor they had just met. "To do as you said, ma'am."

"I don't think so, Fox. Since this was your idea, you who gets to clean up this mess." She motioned with her free hand to the paint that was on the walls and beds with white feathers as more decor.

"You have 2 hours to clean up all the bunks before ANBU getting off shift come in to sleep. If you don't, well, I don't know WHAT I'll do to you. Are we clear?"

Naruto nodded repeatedly to show that he understood. "2 hours? No problem!" Right as he brought his fingers and started to mold the required chakra for his favorite jutsu, the instructor produced a toothbrush.

"With this."

Naruto stared at the object for a moment, before he blinked rapidly to make sure he was seeing a toothbrush. "Huh?" Was his intelligent response.

Mouse nodded. "It's not punishment if effort isn't involved." Naruto's head dropped.

"Fine...I'll get right to it."

Nodding, Mouse hopped onto one of the few clean beds.

"Don't you have to you know… go teach them stuff?" The blond queried as he scrubbed at the floor with the utensil usually used for hygiene.

"The other instructors have it covered. What makes you think I can trust you to complete this task? Besides, I don't want to have to explain why a fresh group of trainees got gutted by a seasoned ANBU trainer."

"Why isn't Kiba being punished with me? He used the feathers." Naruto grumbled as he began alongside the dozen clones he had made in order to start cleaning the paint from the floor and walls with only a toothbrush and buckets of water to wash the brush. Another group of clones had taken to clearing and remaking the bunks.

"Because, Fox, it was your idea. Wolf was merely following orders. In our line of work, when you lead the mission, it's your responsibility, whether it be success or failure." Mouse explained.

Naruto looked up at her for a moment before asking a question. "Ki- err, Wolf doesn't really listen to anything I say, except when it's an idea to pull a prank. Isn't it their responsibility if they choose to follow?"

Even though Naruto couldn't see it, Hinata smiled behind her mask. There was the relationship between the leader and the ones who chose to follow.

"That's true. Why do you think it is he listens to your ideas when it involves pranks, but doesn't when it comes to other issues?"

Naruto was thinking hard as he scrubbed. He had an idea, but couldn't form it into words. Finally, the instructor spoke.

"Orders only go so far. It's the respect and the belief that people have behind the one giving the orders that truly ensures they are followed." Mouse leaned forward a bit. "The fact that Wolf follows your orders when they come to pranks revolves around your former effectiveness and reputation as class clown. On the flip-side, that's why he doesn't trust your judgment when it comes to other matters. If you truly want your dream of being Hokage one day, you not only need to earn the respect of your classmates, but that of your instructors."

Mouse got up and walked towards window and was facing away from Naruto. "Fox, you started earning mine when ANBU used to watch over you, even though I got that job only a couple of times. Your actions when we captured you during that test boosted it up a couple of notches. I see great things coming from both you, and Hawk. Our commander has seen them. That's the only reason why you're here."

Mouse turned her head towards Naruto, who had his mouth hanging open. "Take this training seriously, and you will reach your goal of becoming Hokage before you even know it." Mouse walked over to Naruto leaned down and used her finger to snap his jaw shut.

"You shouldn't act so surprised when someone tells you it's possible that they believe you can achieve what you dream. Just promise me, no more pranks." Mouse patted Naruto shoulder as she started towards the door.

"You have ten minutes to make it to the field before I start popping clones. You have to catch up to the others." Mouse commanded. Whether Naruto understood the double meaning to her last statement or not, was unknown to Hinata.

Naruto briefly smiled at her, before snapping his mask into place and bolting out the door, intent on making it to the training ground as soon as possible. Mouse only got to pop a few clones before he made it to the group. He almost stumbled when the memories of a particular clone came back to him when it was killed in a more...intimate manner.


Once again, Naruto slipped in the mud. Even after five weeks of not using chakra in the physical exercise made it extremely difficult during the occasional storm. The only thing that helped him not take in a mouthful of the delicious substance was the mask secured to his face.

By now, code names were used to identify each other. The instructors had been kind enough to briefly share their identities.

Bear was an average sized man with brown eyes, brown hair and the kind of face that was pleasant one moment, and scary-as-fuck the next. His background was a bit shady, but he went by the name Tenzo, and could use techniques involving wood. When this was mentioned, Kiba remarked that he must get a 'shit-load of gay jokes' hurled at him. Needless to say, an extra four hours of training was added to Kiba's plate for a week.

Cat turned out to be a woman in her mid-twenties who had an ardent fervor for swords. She had gray eyes, purple hair, and a stand-offish personality that practically oozed apathy. Apparently, her boyfriend had been killed during the sound-sand invasion, and she was still grieving. Due to her specialty in weapons, TenTen had immediately taken a liking to her.

Most surprising, however, was Mouse. Behind her mask, she was a (mostly) ruthless figure slightly taller than Naruto. With her mask off, however, she was a girl slightly younger than the fox boy that looked as if she couldn't bring herself to hurt a fly. Pale lavender eyes identified her as a Hyuga, and ink-blue shoulder-length hair with two sideburns that hung to her collar bone further imposed a sense of royalty. Despite being two months Naruto's junior, she had a figure that most women would kill a kage for. It was later brought to attention via Neji that she was the heiress to her clan.

These three were to be their instructors in the basics until the group was turned over to other members for specialized training. They were merciless and made them train physically, rain or shine.

Hell he'd bet they would even make them do their training if a battlefield suddenly erupted on the training ground adjacent to their training facility.

"Fox! Hurry your ass up! You're always going to be second best if you keep laying there." Hawk taunted as he blew by his friend.

Naruto picked himself up with a few more pounds of mud on his uniform. "Shut it, bastard! I'll win if it kills me!"

"Enough talking, maggots, or I'm going to double the regular routine!" Mouse shouted out. Most of the recruits groaned, but to Naruto, that angelic voice was music to his ears.

"Ai-aye, Captain!" Naruto shouted, putting extra strength into his stride.

Mouse allowed the corners of her mouth quirked up as she eyed the trainee that had answered her call to greatness with a fervor that dwarfed anything she had seen. The boy sure had heart and had learned quickly despite being so far behind in the basics.

Her small smile quickly formed into a frown as her eyes went across the line of trainees and landed on a pair of kunoichi bringing up the rear. They were practically leaning against each other.

She idly watched as the pink-haired one finally tumbled into the mud. The blond she was leaning on let out a cry of surprise. Quickly, she stifled it before the instructors could hear. The two were falling behind; too far behind to be of any use to this unit. Even the Commander had taken notice. He was pressuring the three instructors to find their calling.

Just surviving the ANBU basics was not going to cut it, especially if they were going to take on the Akatsuki. Hell, even the Akimichi and Nara had gotten the message after the first week, and were frantically scrambling to iron out their deficiencies. It was either train, or die trying; the days of being pampered were long gone.

Hinata started towards the pair as she watched Owl start to hobble while being supported by Salamander. "Owl, Salamander, freeze!"

The two trainees stopped dead in their tracks. The others glanced over their shoulders before they continued on when the other two instructors yelled at them.

Hinata glanced at Salamander and noticed that, while breathing heavily, she could still go on for a few more paces.

"Salamander, set Owl down and keep going." She commanded before turning her attention to the injured trainee.

Salamander did as ordered, but she whispered a good luck before attempting to catch up to the main group.

The instructor and trainee just sat there in the rain for a moment , with Owl's eyes trailed after her friend and the main group.

Hinata knelt down and examined the right ankle. Activating her Byakugan, she saw that is was fractured. Without a word, she carefully lifted the trainee up and started towards the facility that had been their home for the past five weeks.

Hinata actually looked back on the opening days of the training program and had to suppress the chuckle that tried to form. The Commander had led the introductions to the new recruits, and sounded almost welcoming. That illusion had been ruthlessly crushed the next day when the instructors threw the recruits headlong into their new training routine; a crash course in the basics of ANBU.

They would refine their instincts later through live exercises that were already being planned out. They just needed the entire group at a certain level before starting them on the real training. It just wouldn't do to lose any on training missions or live exercises. The Commander wouldn't survive the political backlash from the council if that were to happen.

Mouse's eyes widened slightly as she noticed the Commander standing at his office window, watching her bring in the trainee in once again. He seemed...angry. She wasn't sure if his agitated mood was from the recent messages from the Hokage, or from the handful of trainees lagging behind in various areas. The time-line they were working with was damn near impossible. To try and take a group of genin from greenhorns to an elite unit that could take on pairs of unknown S-class ninja in three years was insane.

Stifling her thoughts for the time being, Mouse met Shizune at the infirmary. She had apparently been contacted before hand, and was presumably waiting on the two.

"Broken ankle." were the words out of Hinata's mouth as she laid Owl on the operating table. Shizune nodded before starting her own examination. She was careful to roll up the leg and clean the area up for a better view.

When Salamander slipped into the room, Hinata wasn't surprised in the least.


Owl groaned in frustration as she lay down. "Why don't they just kick me out of this program? I'm obviously not cut out to be here."

"You do know that if they did that, it'd mean that I'm stronger." Salamander said as she flopped herself into an adjacent bed. It didn't matter that she doused mud all over the covers via her uniform.

Shizune quickly came over. "The usual?" she asked.

Salamander gave a nod. "I hate these stupid I.V.'s." Sakura complained as the needle was inserted into her arm.

"Well, maybe if you didn't allow yourself to become so dehydrated when running, maybe you could go one time without having to come in for one." Shizune chastised.

"Well, if I wasn't always dragging a big fat pig on my back all the time, I might be able to remember to keep hydrated. Not to mention all this gear they have on us!" Salamander sneered. They both knew they were falling behind their friends.

Owl turned her head away. "Sorry." She mumbled.

She felt a hand land on her forearm and give a comforting squeeze. Salamander had leaned off her bed to reach. "Hey, I didn't say I minded doing it for a friend. I know you would do the same for me, since you helped me just as much."

Owl nodded, before sighing. "A lot of help that has done for either of us."

A silence settled over the two after the statement was made, and Salamander went to laying down. Shizune tried to give them some encouragement, but the two trainees seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

She simply went back to preparing some of the experimental scrolls the commander had requested for. Looking at her two patients, Shizune was surprised to see Ino watching her.

"Interested in medicine, Salamander?" the medic asked. She was probably the only one here that wasn't going by a codename, and wasn't going to officially stay a part of this unit once it became active. An alternate had already been found that could take her place. She had to admit the boy had a talent for healing; polite to. He would make a great medic, both on and off the battlefield. It wouldn't hurt to have more than one capable medic within the unit. Actually, these two they had some of the best control of all the trainees.

Shizune allowed these thoughts to wander as she prepared the rest of the materials.


Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chouji were walking to check up on their injured friends.

They had been worried when Sakura had rejoined them for the rest of her training once she had been cleared to return by Shizune.

Sakura had seemed distracted, and confessed that she was worried about Ino when Naruto had pressed the issue.

To be perfectly honest, Naruto wasn't really all that close to the blond; mainly because there wasn't much reason for them to associate. Sure, she was a friend of Shikamaru and Chouji, but that was the only real connection Naruto had to her. That, and she was a former classmate that was being trained for the same ANBU unit.

Shikamaru stopped them just as they were about to round the corner into the infirmary. Naruto opened his mouth to ask what was up, but immediately clammed up when Shikamaru used the hand sign for silence. Using another hand sign, Naruto asked the question on all their minds: 'What's up?'

Making a head motion, Shikamaru told them to quietly look for themselves.

The three glanced around the doorway to find that Ino was talking to Hinata. Neither had their masks on.

"Ino. I came to talk to you about your performance these past few weeks." Hinata started, not quite sure why she had come to the girl.

Ino sighed. "I know I'm screwing up. I pro-…" Hinata cut her off by raising her hand to silence the girl.

"I didn't come here to hear your excuses. I came here to explain something to you. I came here to give you a...perspective." Hinata finally remembered what she had come here to do.

"I can see it in your body language. You are unsure of yourself, and because of that, you are starting to hesitate. That is why you see the gap widening from your peers." Hinata explained.

Ino started to look downcast as her problem was bluntly laid in front of her. Hinata continued on before Ino could wallow too much in her problems. "Did you know I was not always so disciplined and self assured?" Hinata asked.

Ino's attention was drawn to the other girl, giving her a questioning look. The Hyuga weren't exactly known for their self-esteem issues.

A gentle smile from Hinata spoke volumes to those that could see its subtle appearance.

"When I was younger," Hinata began, "I was not adept with my clan's style. I didn't wish to hurt my family members that I sparred against. Even though I tried to tell myself that they were far more skilled, and that I couldn't hurt them, I always held back. I hesitated, and that infuriated my father, the clan head. He drove me deeper into a shell that I was slowly constructed for myself after my mother died. He always chastised my mistakes, and had never given praise to my fighting style. That is, until one spar."

XXXXXXX Flashback XXXXXXXX

A seven year old Hinata was sparring against her father. They were in the Main House's dojo, and the clan head was becoming increasingly annoyed with the pathetic attempts with which his daughter was trying to strike him with. He weaved around another strike, and the only thing she successfully came into contact with was what little of his traditional robes that fluttered by when he twisted around her hit.

His eyes were boring into her. Those calculating, emotionless, white eyes of her father that were always measuring her worth; and finding her continually lacking

As she sparred him during their daily sessions, the look of disappointment in his eyes never left. Finally, he voiced his opinion.

"You are weak. You lack the drive to be what a clan head needs to be. You will never be anything but a failure, doomed to become a servant in the branch family."

Hinata knew why he had grown so cold to her. She had been too weak when she was three, and it had cost him his brother because of the kidnapping attempt by lightening country. She also was a spitting image of her mother, which made him keep his distance in order to not be reminded of his departed wife. She knew her father once held a warm side, but it had been driven behind a wall of coldness in order to do his duty as clan head. In her father's eyes, that was all he had left.

Finally ,seven year old Hinata snapped. It did not matter that it was her father. The way he treated her was below the dirt he walked on. At one time, she had been compared to Itachi. She had been well on her way to equaling, if not surpassing, his progress, when their mother had perished. The entirety of her world had crumbled in an instant, and was spiraling in the gutter. Enraged, Hinata renewed her assault upon her sire.

She could tell her eyes were strengthening, as his chakra points became clear and defined. Her body began to move on its own in her fury. Her father's face showed surprise, before being wiped clean as he began to move to counter her strikes. She closed off a portion of his torso and left arm, before twisting to render the other useless. Suddenly, she felt her entire body surge with pain and go numb.

Hinata uselessly tried to move, but her body would no longer follow her commands. She had studied the brief theory of this technique before she was considered unworthy. It was the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms that was the prized offensive technique of her clan. In controlled hands, it could be deadly. In the right hands, it could be used to merely incapacitate an opponent.

Her father's head came into a view, looking over her fallen form.

"You must learn to control yourself, or you will forever be a failure. Perhaps there is hope. As you will not be able to move for the next few hours, I will have an attendant take you to your room so you may rest. I expect better tomorrow."

It wasn't exactly praise, but it was better than being called useless. She was not the best at reading people, but she could have sworn the undertone in his voice was of pride.

XXXXXXXXX End flashback XXXXXXXXX

"From that point on, I had what I needed from him. The knowledge of self-worth, and the ability to mold the Gentle Fist into my own style. I became another clan prodigy, second only to Itachi to this day. He was prized for his superb use of genjutsu while mine is more towards taijutsu. Do you know what I'm trying to convey to you, Ino?"

Ino mulled over the tale a bit before speaking.

"So...you're saying I should go beat some sense into our new commander about his insane physical training schedule?" Ino asked.

Hinata couldn't hold back a bark of laughter at the mad idea. Only fools and the Hokage would even think about assaulting the Commander. The smile on Ino's face was all that Hinata needed to know that she was alright.

Naruto and his companions were just about to take their leave, when a presence behind them made herself known.

"Why the fuck are you dick-less shit stains huddled around the door like a pack of eavesdropping, tree-hugging mutts?" she yelled.

The reaction was satisfactory, as the three boys jumped out from behind their hiding spot, wide-eyed at the kunoichi's ability. She hovered over them as they sank back, allowing her small height advantage seem far greater than it actually was.

Hinata sighed, knowing the three boys had been there all along. The two selected bodyguards of the Commander were still being trained, but had some unique characteristics.

"Is there something you came here for, Rodent?" Hinata kept her voice monotone, but she enjoyed the growl that was emitted by the other ANBU.

"The name is Rat, and I did come here for something more than just terrifying these fucktards." Tayuya said, clearly irritated.

Hinata glanced at the three boys, and motioned for them to leave.

"Duly noted. However, I will not act on it if you continue to act like a neophyte." The three boys promptly left as Rat became distracted, not wanting to spend any more time within the insane ANBU's presence.

"Neophyte? Don't you dare group me with these weaklings, or I'll force feed those words right down that pretty little princess throat of yours." Tayuya growled.

Hinata just nodded. "I'll keep that in mind for future reference. Now, what did you come here for?"

Rat nodded towards Ino. "Commander wants to see the stupid fucking fan girl that can't seem to do anything right other than literally break her damn leg. He also wants to see Salamander, who's passed out in her barracks. If you want to, you can fetch the pansy, since you seem to be warming up so well to the screw-ups. Have them there by 21:00 hours."

Hinata glanced over at Ino, and brought her some crutches.

"Here's hoping that it's only a stern scolding, and not a boot out the front door." Hinata said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Ino nodded towards the captain. "I'll be sure to get Sakura. At least the two of us will do it together." Hinata quietly watched as Ino hobbled towards the sleeping quarters of the facility.

She then quickly made her way towards the Commander with the intent of making a stand for the members of their unit.


"Enter." was the monosyllable command of her superior after she knocked on his door.

He was busy studying medical records, and if Hinata wasn't mistaken, the last name was Rock. The commander put away the primary record into the bottom left drawer of his generic desk. The facility, while state of the art, was far from displaying any taste towards fashions of the time. It was built for functionality, and the only semblances of luxury were the windows and the occasional balcony that dotted the structure. Hinata had been in this room a few times, and noted his bodyguards were always present, concealing themselves to the point the only way she knew they were there was if her Byakugan was active.

She always did a preliminary scan, before entering any room. It had become a necessary habit for survival that also conserved her chakra as much as possible. If she took more time to admire the room, she would find it devoid of any other signs of being lived in, except for the two desks that had several scrolls strewn about them, probably for the bodyguards to continue their studies in their arts. The room was almost as none-descriptive as any other office within the facility. This was to make it that much more difficult to locate the primary office.

Izuna looked at one of the most effective, and, by far, the most rebellious of his captains. "What may I do for you today Mouse?" He brought his hands together in front of his face as he leveled Hinata with a calculated stare.

Hinata had thought greatly on how she was going to breach the subject without being blunt, but had come up with little to start with.

Seeing her contemplative state, Izuna decided have a bit of compassion and lead the talk. He stood and went towards the sliding doors that lead to the balcony outside and one of the lower rooftops of the facility. The doors were situated so that they created a small alley way that would funnel any enemy attempting to use as a way in.

He slid the doors open. "Let's get some fresh air." He walked out onto the balcony, and pretended to admire the evening sky. The sun was well behind them, as the balcony faced towards the east. Stars were just starting to become visible in the growing darkness.

Hinata joined the man out on the balcony, and he turned towards her, leaning back against the railing. He waited until she had positioned herself beside him, before he breached the subject he suspected she had come to see him about.

"You have been becoming closer to Salamander and Owl over the last week." He said it so casually, Hinata wondered if she was really that transparent in her intentions.

After coming to the conclusion she was, she sighed before speaking. "I guess you could say that. Commander, I don't know why you called them up here, but just know they do have a great deal of potential. They just…aren't..." She wasn't quite sure how to make herself sound as if she wasn't making excuses.

"Used to actually training, instead of ditzing around?"

Hinata gave the man an annoyed glare. "Yeah, I don't know what it is about those two, but I can kind of understand where they are coming from; just realizing how far behind they are."

Izuna nodded at her explanation of the connection they shared. "I do believe I read briefly you were not always the flawless prodigy you are now. You know I never did care much for the traditions of a clan." Izuna finished in a voice that sounded like he knew exactly how her life had been like.

"You almost sound like you know how strict a clan can become when they are imbedded in their traditions." Hinata jested. She turned towards her commander when he didn't respond.

He seemed to be staring off at nothing in the distance. He was remembering something, that much she could tell. He didn't even move as a lone tear ran down his cheek. "Sir...are you...crying?"

Izuna was quickly brought back to reality at the shocked voice of Hinata. "Yes, I'm crying from the torture of seeing such sad excuses of ANBU being trained." was the intelligent reply he gave. He had almost not been able to think of a witty comment to redirect the conversation away from what he had really been thinking about.

After a brief moment of silence, Izuna cleared his throat. "Rest assured, Mouse. They will leave here alive, and only slightly traumatized."

Hinata nodded her head, and then looked over her shoulder. "It sounds like they are finally here. I guess now would be as good as time as any as to start my evening training."

Izuna nodded. "You are dismissed." As soon as the words left his mouth, Hinata vaulted over the railing and straight down the thirty foot drop to the soggy ground below. He watched as the ANBU Captain made a beeline for a slightly drier spot within the training grounds that had been previously occupied by their trainees.

An epiphany hit Izuna at that moment. He signed for Rabbit to get the door, while slipping on his mask in order to keep his identity hidden from the rookies. He would have too much fun screwing with them when they were finally ordered back to the village, and if they didn't know what he looked like, well, why pass up such potentially entertaining down time?

Rabbit led the two trainees out to the balcony where Izuna watched the brief blue streams of chakra as Hinata went through the various forms of her modified gentle fist.

"Sir, you asked to see us?" Salamander asked tentatively, as if afraid to bring his wrath upon her.

Izuna glanced over his shoulder, and motioned the two to join him. As the two walked up to his right he pointed towards Hinata in the distance.

"I'd like you to watch her for a few minutes." Izuna instructed, pointing out the blue streaks.

After they had admired the beauty of the dance-like moves that Hinata was performing as she trained.

"She's not the only Captain training at this moment." Izuna said. "Cat and Bear are doing light sparring in one of the indoor rooms. I didn't bring you here to watch Mouse train all night, but I do hope you understand the message I'm trying to convey." He glanced at the two trainees beside him, and noticed their heads drop.

"We are falling behind our comrades." Ino put it bluntly.

Izuna nodded. "The injury to your ankle isn't going to help you catch up, either."

Ino's eyes widened slightly at the implication. "I'll do twice the training once I'm back on my feet, sir!"

Izuna chuckled at the ridiculous promise. His laugh sent the kunoichi into silence.

"Don't say something you are unable to deliver. You can't even make it completely through one training routine without collapsing. Hell, Deer and Ox even struggle with it, and Sai is only slightly better than those two. Let us clear away any delusions that make you think that a pair of fan girls like you will be able to close the gaps that have already started forming in such a short amount of time."

Izuna turned his full attention on the two kunoichi. "I just want to make sure you two understand exactly what your position is. Shizune has requested you two to begin being trained in the basics of medical training to diversify your support to this unit." Izuna looked directly at Ino. Although his face was hidden by his mask, he could easily tell by her fidgeting that she knew he was looking right at her. "And you Owl will also begin your training in the art of interrogation. Do you have any objections to this extra training?"

"No sir!" the trainees replied in unison.

"Good. Don't fuck up this chance to close the gap. Your instructors will know your new schedules. Dismissed." Izuna turned back to watch the night sky as the two made for a hasty exit.

Rabbit came up beside the leader. "That was… kind of you, Dragon-sama."

Izuna snorted. "Like I'd let those two slack off because they can't keep up with the physical training. Damn fangirls need to stop trying to diet, and actually build the muscle they need to survive. If they have half a brain, they should prove to be able to compensate with this extra training."

"Still, it was a small mercy to them. It may even save them later on down the line." Rabbit persisted. Izuna only nodded.

"Makes you feel so insignificant, doesn't it?" Izuna said a bit after his star gazing.

Rabbit looked at the Commander. "Sir?"

Izuna nodded towards the sky. "The stars. There are so many of them. If one were to disappear, you really wouldn't notice. I think it's the perfect perspective of life. If one individual is snuffed out, no one will notice. But if a whole group were to go…" Izuna left his thought unfinished.

Rabbit nodded, before making an amendment to his commander's statement. "No one will notice, so long as the star is not a part of a constellation, a marker, or goes out in a blaze of glory."

"I swear. Sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by pussies rather than cold blooded killers. Especially with Bunny there." Rat spoke.

Izuna allowed the corners of his mouth to turn up. Nothing was ever boring with his new pair of bodyguards.

"I really wish you would call me by my proper codename." Haku said, voice edged with frost.

"Ah, but Bunny suites you so well!" Rat argued.

Izuna just shook his head at the antics of the two.


Everyone knew something was wrong the moment an explosion rocked the grounds of the adjacent facility. The origin was quickly found to be the prison down below. It took only two minutes before the first squads of ANBU were seen leaving from the medical facility's main entrance.

Bear came forward and shouted for everyone's attention. "Everyone is to proceed back to the medical facility. We are to help with any injured that come from the prison. We'll break you down into groups in which we will be assigning shortly."

Suddenly the instructors went rigid. "Change of orders. We are to provide containment. Fox, Sparrow, Owl. You will go with Cat and cover the northern breach.

"Salamander, Panda, Hawk. You will follow Mouse to the southern breach. Support the guard as needed."

"Deer, Wolf, Ox. You're with me. We are going to assist the Commander."

"Goat, Raven. You will be with the commander's guards. Rat and Rabbit, follow their orders. Let's move!"

The ANBU trainees started moving along with the few straggling ANBU units that had just gotten underway. Soon enough, they were nearing the prison compound. The high walls made it hard to see until they made their way through the breach. Almost instantly, they were thrust into a battlefield that was one of the five separated courtyards surrounding the primary building in the dead center.

As Naruto glanced at the building he could see prisoners cheering and beating on the bars that held them in their cells. Several of the ANBU behind Naruto brushed passed him along with his Captain. She glanced at him and gave a single order. "Move out!"

Naruto flashed his favorite hand sign, creating a couple dozen clones ordered to help the ANBU currently engaged.

His efforts quickly turned the tide, but all fighting stopped as an explosion of chakra came from one of the adjacent courtyards, and, soon after, the wall to their right crumbled as the body of an ANBU smashed through it. The masked warrior tumbled once, before he managed to right himself and stand up.

In that split second, everyone could see his mask was already gone, probably smashed to pieces by whatever sent him through that wall.

His face gave no hints to his condition as his black eyes tracked his target speeding towards him. His right arm was hanging limply from his side, covered in so much blood, his arm-guard was dyed red from it. What was left of it, anyway. The thing look like it had been hit with a sludge hammer a few dozen times before being hit by a crane.

An object that could be compared to a speeding bullet flew from the opening the in wall towards the ANBU. The ground was torn up in a manner similar manner to when Lee opened his gates.

In a rare moment of realization, Naruto knew that the man was fighting a true master of the strong fist style. Naruto watched the bullet, which turned out to be a beast of a man that easily dwarfed the ANBU.

True to the form, the man horizontally kicked the ANBU into the air, launched himself after the ninja, wrapped him up with a couple of bandages, and at the peak of the ascent, began rotating downwards as their descent began. It was over in just a second, as the man smashed the ANBU head first in the unforgiving ground.

The separation the man used just before the ANBU hit the ground made him land a couple feet from the corpse. That was a mistake, because not landing further away cost the fight as the ANBU exploded.

Naruto saw the taijutsu master thrown nearly forty feet, before rolling to a stop. Over the roar of the fire of the burning guard towers, he could hear the man's screams of pain. Pitifully, the prisoner tried to stand up, but his severed legs effectively prevented that.

"I got to get up… g't t' up." Naruto briefly heard of a voice that reminded him of a panicked child. The shock of his severed limbs and explosion were taking their toll on the man as he started to crawl on his knees and elbows along the grass. That is, until one of his arms was yanked under the grass, and his cries were silenced as a pool of blood started to form near the man's head. His throat had been slit.

Naruto just stared as the ANBU that had nearly been beaten to death emerged from the ground, one arm still limp, and began to engage the enemies around him in hand to hand combat. In that back of his mind, Naruto knew he should be fighting just like the other ANBU, but he couldn't pull his eyes away from the pair of red eyes with three tomoe. Naruto wasn't brought out his own little world until he was yanked back quickly by Cat as she saw he was about to be decapitated by a prisoner as he simply stared after the Commander.

"Wake up Fox, before you become just another body bag! This is no time to stand around with your head up your ass!" Cat roared at Naruto, cutting down the prisoner who had tried to end his life. Naruto quickly remembered where he was and began to engage the loose prisoners, subduing them or killing them. With his limitless clones at his disposal, he was a force to be reckoned with.

When the fighting slowed, Bear's squad finally came through the opening making their way towards the commander. Cat also ordered them to make their way as he cut down prisoners near the doorway leading into the prison. The massive double doors had been latched shut, and it was highly unlikely they were going to be able to break through.

After the two squads had joined him, Izuna ordered them to cover him as he seemed to examine the door. The unhealthy pool of blood forming at his feet from the arm wasn't lost on them. "Sir, maybe you should get your arm looked at." Cat said.

His eyes glanced in her direction before looking down at the arm. "We don' have time. We need to get into the warden's office and activate the failsafe suppression seal, before we kill every last prisoner here."

"You're already dead on your feet. If you pass out in the middle of battle while in those corridors, you know as well as I do making it to the office is going to be a big enough pain." Cat continued.

The Commander, ignoring her, stomped on the ground, dropped into a solid stance, and then nailed the door with his good arm. The door resonated with the strike, before going silent.

The man glanced over at Cat, sighing. "Put a tourniquet on it to slow the blood flow. I'll get you through the doors, but I'll leave the fighting to your squad."

Cat nodded, quickly producing some bandages and wrapping the arm along with a tourniquet. Once that was done she was back to issuing orders. "Fox, your clones have point. Sparrow, you're to go with him and coordinate his clones. Owl, you're staying here to watch over the Commander."

Izuna looked back at Tenzo. "Bear, your squad is to keep this door open, just in case we bite off more than we can chew on our way up to the office."

"Yes sir!" Tenzo saluted before issuing orders to his trainees to switch out with providing cover for Cat's squad.

Once this was done, the Commander nodded to Cat, letting her know he was about to open the way.

He dropped into the same solid stance as before, cocked his leg back, and slammed it into the door way causing the same resonating sound to occur. As he dropped the leg down, Izuna slammed the door with a punch. It wasn't quite as effective as the punches Tsunade threw, but it was enough, because they began to see layered cracks where the hinges were bolted into the stone walls.

Dragon balled his hands to grip some invisible object, and quickly yanked the door forward. Before it could fall on top of them, the man spun on his heel, and delivered a powerful back kick to the center of the door, blasting it into the hallway. If the assorted puddles of blood, and the occasional severed limb were any clue, a welcoming party had just been crashed.

Naruto bolted forward, summoning a dozen clones with Neji right behind him.

Soon enough, Neji alerted them to a target. "There are two prisoners out in the open, preparing an ambush at the next intersection."

Naruto nodded as the sent three clones ahead of them. The prisoners were able to dispatch the three clones, but not before an explosive tag was used to seal them off from their path.

"Please, for the love all that is sane, try not blow up too many corridors. We do have to make it to the office." Neji said.

Naruto mumbled out a brief 'party pooper', before getting a small smack on the back of head from Cat. "Focus. We have a mission to accomplish."

Naruto shut up, and nodded, making another three clones to replace the ones just lost. "Is Dragon keeping up?"

"He's keeping pace just fine…" Sparrow paused for a second.

"Captain! His chakra is starting to fluctuate. I don't think he's going to be able to stay conscious much longer."

Cat didn't even glance over her shoulder. "If he goes down, Owl will take care of it."

Sparrow didn't say anything, but Naruto did. "What if a couple prisoners find them before we get the seal activated?"

Cat shrugged, not really caring that Naruto wasn't looking at her. "Owl can handle it just fine. You would have seen that if you weren't ogling the commander after seeing him fight."

Naruto's head snapped around so quickly, Yugao thought he might have snapped his neck. "I'm not gay! I wasn't ogling him! I was just shocked that another Uchiha is alive, since Sasuke has been alone since his family was murdered."

Yugao quickly slapped a hand over his mouth while looking around. "Don't let Dragon hear you call him an Uchiha. It may be the last thing you get to say. The man belongs to no clan."

"Excommunicated?" Neji asked.

Yugao shrugged. "No one really knows anymore. Tsunade and him seem to have a history, though."

"There are three more inmates guarding the warden's office, and two more inside." Neji commented as they surprisingly met little resistance. "Most inmates must be in the courtyards, fighting to escape."

Naruto nodded, his clones rushing forward only to find the corridor full of traps. As the clones cleared the way Dragon and Owl were able to catch up from the slow progress. The commander moved from being helped by Owl to leaning and quickly being caught up on the situation by talking to Cat. He gave a brief nod before he looked over at the three trainees that had so far preformed well beyond any expectations of them for this situation.

"Fox, you will make another dozen clones and support Owl and Sparrow in making a choke point in this corridor.

Naruto glanced at the other two there. "Dragon, you can barely stand up in your condition…" Dragon stood up and straightened and cut Naruto off before he could voice what everyone was thinking.

"I didn't ask your opinion on the matter, Fox. You will follow my orders." Izuna's harsh tone left little room for argument.

Fox didn't seem to want to back down, but reluctantly nodded.

Everything was quickly set up, and the breach was made with Izuna on point. His Sharingan flared to life, forcefully shoving the three guards into a genjutsu induced slumber.

What the two found was not exactly what they had expected. The two remaining inmates were studying the seal that activated the failsafe; one looking more like a religious leader than a prisoner of the facility and the other had an intelligence hidden behind dark eyes. From what Yugao could see, they were modifying the seal. She chanced a glance at the Commander, and idly noted that his Sharingan was no longer active. His stance shifted to a relaxed position, but she could tell he was ready to act in the blink of an eye.

"Well, if it isn't my old friend, Izuna!" The religious looking inmate exclaimed as he got up. He lifted a piece of jewelry from his neck that had an emblem of the Kyubi from its position around his neck.

"I have spread the words of wisdom you spoke to me about the Kyubi." He lifted a shabby looking journal up for him to see. "Be blessed are those that can burn away the very being of damnation and hate on this earth, for from those ashes will come forth a peace that will only be fulfilled by everlasting life!"

"Sir, what's he talking about?" Yugao whispered as she saw Izuna slap his palm to his face.

"You could say I had an extended stay here, until the warden found out I indulged in inspiring this idiot's delusions and fantasies of being a prophet for the 'damned souls' of the prisoners here." Izuna grumbled out from behind his hand.

"Look, we are just about ready to send our brothers to their salvation!" The man pointed towards the seal where the other inmate looked like he was finishing up the modifications to the seal.

Yugao started to slowly walk to flank the two. Izuna took the invitation to get a closer proximity to the two in order to see what the aim of their rebellion was. His eyes widened a fraction as realization hit him. Yugao watched as he searched for an answer both around the room before his eyes landed on the small journal and then he looked back at the man who was a religious leader.

"I see, but I don't think having them commit mass suicide will bring their souls salvation. More like snuff it out, like a breeze does to a freshly lit fire." Izuna commented.

The leader seemed to ponder his words. "But by using the burning hatred of their society upon their souls, it will allow those flames to consume their sins, thus leading them to a higher level of existence!"

Izuna's right eyebrow twitched as he swayed slightly on his feet. The blood loss was clearly starting to affect him some. "What hatred would that be, when… all that…" Izuna swayed more heavily this time. Yugao cursed. He was going to lose consciousness at a time when he could negotiate.

Izuna grabbed his head with his left hand willing the world to stop spinning. This religious debate with the nut job was getting annoying. Screw humoring this suicidal fuck. "Damn it, Inabi! Your tinkering is going to do nothing more than use the suppression system to kill a bunch of people. What salvation is there if it's not done by Kyubi himself? I told you that the beast has so much hatred flowing through his chakra that it would consume the very sins of your soul as you slip into the afterlife. If you want salvation, go find Kyubi, and have it kill you!" Izuna finally shouted.

Yugao stood still, damn near speechless at the debate. She never wanted to remember the malice that she felt as a little girl when the Kyubi had come within a couple miles of Konoha.

Inabi seemed to blink a few times at what had been said, before his head dropped. "Heh. I seemed to have forgotten that tidbit. Shintsu, let's give them back their prison and continue to spread the message of our salvation."

The little man sitting behind the seal didn't seem to hear the man, as he hadn't stopped his modifications to the seal. When Shintsu didn't stop, Inabi grabbed one of his arms. "Shintsu I said stop."

Shintsu ripped his arm from the leader before hitting the man who dared stop his masterpiece of work. "Like hell I'm going back to being a prisoner! I'll crush those fuckers to death, and burn them!"

He had just about started to write the modification that would burn them up, when Yugao rushed the man.

She wasn't quite fast enough as he activated the seal with a burst of chakra as she tackled him to the floor. She slammed his left arm down with a kunai buried to the hilt, but found his body went ridged as the suppression seal activated. He was not going to be getting up any time soon and as he started to laugh she knew something had to be wrong. She glanced over at her commander to find him on the floor as well. "Shit!"

She quickly went over to his side to find him still conscious, but being affected by the seal. "Stop the feedback loop that's amplifying the gravity." Izuna grunted out as the gravity acting on his body started to make it hard to breathe.

Yugao glanced at the seal. "I don't know how. I'm not a seal expert, and don't know what he did to it."

Izuna lifted his head just enough to see the seal and activated his eyes. "Swipe a smear of the warden's blood across the column in the upper left side of the triangle that is laid within the circle. Then you need to rewrite a modified outlet to store the chakra that is creating the feedback. Hopefully, that will release the gravity."

Yugao nodded, springing into action. Slowly, but surely, the chakra within the seal bled off to her modified storage seal. However, it wasn't sticking. "It's not staying within the storage steal! What do I do?"

Izuna barely lifted his head to see what was going on. He squinted, and then shouted. "Use your sword as a median, moron! Any chakra conducting material will work!"

Yugao grumbled something about elitist sealers, before flipping her ninjato down and through the center of the seal.

She watched as the portion of her storage steal climbed up the sword, and embedded itself into the weapon. The surplus chakra caused by the feedback loop was quickly diverted, and slowly, the seal deactivated.

Yugao walked over next to Izuna while she radioed for medical assistance.

Izuna was sitting there, breathing heavily. "Good...work…you're… not… a… complete… idiot."

Yugao grunted as she took a seat next to him. She glanced over at the injured inmate as he groaned, not quite killed by his own insanity. As he realized that he wasn't quite dead, he started to shout obscenities towards the two ANBU.

For a brief instant, Izuna and Yugao exchanged a look, and a moment of understanding passed between them. Yugao grumbled at her commander. "If you weren't bleeding out, I'd make you do it yourself."

Slowly, she crossed the room towards the inmate, and delivered a swift kick to the side of his head, silencing the bastard. She checked on the unconscious religious leader, who had passed out from the strain caused by the suppression seal. He was fine.

Once Yugao returned to her Commander, she noticed he was starting to breathe considerably shallower than he should. "Broken ribs?" she asked.

The glare she received could've made Orchimaru piss in fear, and was all she needed to know it was a stupid question in his opinion.

She leaned over him, and slung him over her shoulders, reminiscent of a sack of potatoes. She probably handled him a little harder than intended, but she thought the asshole could use the pain to keep him awake.

He grunted in agony when he settled, and his eyes started to droop. He was fighting a losing battle, as his eye lids kept closing, each time taking longer to open.

"Thanks, Yugao." His soft whisper was almost missed, but she heard it as he slipped into darkness.

Quickly checking to make sure the bastard was still alive, she sighed in relief when a pulse was felt.

She brought her hand to the short wave radio transmitter, and spoke once more. "Owl, Sparrow, Fox, get to the warden's room and secure the prisoners."

Within three seconds, the three ANBU were in the room, securing the prisoners. "Fox, use your clones to make sure the inmates make it back to their cells. Sparrow, keep watch until the medical team arrives."

Owl looked around. "What about me, ma'am?"

She pointed towards Shintsu. "Make sure that little shit doesn't talk anymore."

Owl nodded, and produced a roll of medical tape, which she used liberally in making sure the man could not voice his opinions upon waking up. She received a nod from Cat, who was monitoring their commander closely.


Conversations in the mess hall that night were about the recent prisoner riot.

"Dude, I'm telling you, that he's supposed to be some mass murder. I mean, did you not see how he completely blew those guys away without a second thought?! Not to mention that we're just trainees, and we were used as a primary force to subdue a prison riot!" Kiba exclaimed, shoveling food into his mouth, before chewing.

Shikamaru, who had been trying to nap, decided to put his two ryo in. "You're conclusion is based around one incident in which he was trying to reestablish order. Killing a few here and there pretty much happened everywhere in the courtyard."

"I concur. He took the most logical course of action. These were desperate prisoners with little to lose. They would have killed to get out. He took the actions needed to save the life of the guards that lived through the initial riot, while seeking the path with the least loss of life for the prisoners. Also, the facility houses far more inmates than guards." commented Shino.

Kiba stared at Shino. "Dude, that is, by far, the longest I have ever heard you speak about anything!"

Shino gave no visible response, other than to adjust his glasses.

"He's not cold-hearted. At least, not completely. If anything, he's over protective." Naruto had been surprisingly quiet through the conversation until now.

Every head at the table turned to him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?! He didn't hesitate to blow the unsuspecting prisoners away! They didn't even get a chance to see it coming!" Kiba argued.

Sasuke seemed to answer for his friend. "The dope means we are ANBU now. Hesitation means death."

Naruto nodded to show he agreed with Sasuke. That's one thing the instructors had drilled into them: never hesitate. "That's part of it, but I do think he looks kind of peaceful when unconscious. In a none gay sort of way."

"What did a blind shinobi like yourself think you saw?" Came a voice from behind the blond. He looked up to see a masked Rat standing over him.

"Uh, well, I thought the commander looked kind of detached, as if he didn't want to feel remorse after he killed those prisoners." Naruto said.

There was silence between the group and Rat, before she burst out into laughter. She had to set her tray down on a nearby open spot in a table before she dropped it as she held her sides.

"Really?" She kept laughing. "That man?" She continued to guffaw in hysterics as she tried to speak. "Show remorse?"

Slowly, she was able to get her laughter under control. She ruffled the blonde's hair. "Thanks for that laugh kid. I really needed it."

Naruto folded his arms over his chest, muttering. "I was being serious."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when Rat knock him upside the head. "Let me help you little shit stains get one thing straight: Our commander is someone who has seen so much death that snuffing out a few insignificant prisoners' lives won't faze him. That man is barely capable of mercy, let alone remorse, when dealing with someone who is an enemy or criminal. Just pray you never find yourself fighting against the Commander, or you might find your lives unduly shortened."

"Rat, you make it sound like he's not even human." Sakura piped up.

Rat chuckled. "I'll let you decide that when you get to spend a little more time with him."

Sakura seemed to gain a little more confidence. "I have spent some time with him with Ino. He does have an intimidating presence, and he is strict, but he seemed like a good man. What he did…"

Rat interrupted. "Is what a man would do to accomplish the mission: kill all feelings. Someone who does that will do what it takes to accomplish the mission because the end justifies the means." The others didn't have much to say to that. He did seem like the kind of man that would do just that.


Izuna made his way down a corridor towards one of the indoor training facilities.

During his research on the curse seal, and performing some experiments for Tsunade in helping her develop an interesting theory on muscle regeneration, he had been neglecting the fundamentals of his training. Twenty years in prison had limited his abilities to train; shaking the rust off his skills was only just beginning. He had been able to recover some semblance of consistent elemental manipulation with his forms, and with luck, he had been able to retain the instinctual transition from one form to another without interrupting the manipulation.

The recount of his training was cut off as he arrived at his destination. He was standing at the entrance to one of the more remote training facilities within the building, and, by his luck, it was being used by Yugao. At least there weren't any students about.

He supposed he could share if she was willing. The thought hit him that she might not welcome his presence, considering at their first meeting, he nearly killed her. Their second time wasn't much better, as he insulted her intelligence.

His momentary pause in the doorway was barely noticeable as he brushed the thoughts aside. Walking into the room, he noticed she had taken to the sparring mat. The area was a nice ten by ten foot area with some minor matting to provide protection in light to heavy sparring. It was situated along the back of the left wall. Along the right wall, there was a line of posts and target dummies built for shinobi to warm up and hone their skills. They were made of a hardwood that, while durable, was less costly than alternatives in the long run. The room itself was a twenty by fifteen foot square to allow for everyone to be comfortably spaced. The top of the ceiling was about sixteen feet above the ground, allowing for aerial attacks.

Izuna could sense Yugao's discomfort in having to share the training room with him, but she remained quiet about his presence, even as she turned to wail on a training dummy with her sword.

Izuna's amusement was only increased as he noticed the tension subtly began to alter the flow of Yugao's movements. Finally, he decided to see how she responded to a more interactive atmosphere.

"How are the recruits coming with their weapons training?" Izuna casually asked, walking over to the wall with more dummies.

"They are coming along nicely. At their pace, kunai and shurikan skills will reach your standards in about a week. Basic ninjato training has been going smoothly, and since Owl has returned to the unit from her brief break, she has been gaining ground daily. Fox had an interesting request, however.

Izuna's interest was piqued, since Fox's randomness always allowed for a broad assortment of possibilities. He faced the woman showing that she had his full attention. "And the request was for...?"

"To be taught how to yield a spear or naginata. I found it odd, considering he has had no history with specialized weaponry. He admitted that during a conversation with Panda, she had mentioned that his style suited a spear or naginata." Yugao explained. "I, unfortunately, do not have experience with those weapons, so I declined the request, and suggested he talk with Panda about it."

Izuna nodded thoughtfully. He supposed Yugao handled the situation properly, considering her lack of knowledge in that area.

He watched as Yugao went back to running through her forms. He was thinking more about when would be a more appropriate time to see to it that Naruto received the proper training, when he noticed something in Yugao's form as she used the momentum of a horizontal strike to spin on her forward leg to bring her back heel to head height. "You're leaving yourself open when you execute your transition."

Yugao promptly stopped the spin she had just finished in a guarded position. "You're seeing things."

"You're leaving an opening for your opponent." Izuna said firmly. "Run through it again, and I'll show you."

Izuna positioned himself to be her opponent and acted as any normal one would and bent back out of range of the initial slash of her sword. When she followed through, and began to transition to bring her back heel up, he positioned his knee so it was behind her forward leg near the kneecap. He grabbed a hold of her leading shoulder and reversed her movement, causing her to fall completely off balance. He followed through, and pinned her as she hit the ground.

Yugao's eyes had widened briefly in surprise, before she acted. With the flick of her wrist on the way down, she brought the edge of her sword against the man's neck.

Yugao landed with a satisfied smirk, since she had the advantage. She was pinned, but her sword was firmly against the man's neck. "I told you I wasn't that open." Yugao said, grinning.

"Not a bad improvisation for being put in a tight situation." Izuna said, quite amused that despite being taking off guard, her quick thinking did give her some leverage. It was quick thinking that kept an ANBU alive, and probably why this woman had lived long enough to achieve the rank of Captain.


Izuna nearly let out a frustrated sigh when he saw Shizune waiting patiently outside his office. He opened the door and ushered her in with his slowly healing arm.

He had to give the medic credit. Not only had she brought him back from the brink of death, but also gave him a fully functional arm after his brush with Konoha's former master of the Iron Shield style. He hadn't exactly expected the man's body to not only redirect, but amplify his own attack.

"Let me guess. Tsunade is getting antsy, and wants us back within the month." Izuna said as he walked around his desk.

"Actually, within the next two weeks. We've had nearly two and a half months, and she can't keep the council and their former instructors at bay any longer. Considering you have a majority of clan heirs, a sizable portion of the council wants to meet with you. Otherwise, she risks losing support in an already weakened government. As you can guess, public view of our ninja is not all that great, seeing that we seem to be breeding more problems than producing solutions."

Izuna nodded his agreement at the assessment. "Still, I wonder if they'll be ready. Sure they look and act like ANBU should, but they're not advanced enough in their skills to go into live exercises. Perhaps once we're back, it'll be time to start them on their real training. I must say, I'm surprised that Owl and Salamander have come as far as they have after our little chat. Those two can at least complete the route and exercises. I am satisfied with the improved times of the other members."

"Honestly, after their performance in bringing that prison riot under control, I would have thought that would show signs that they have grown more than you think." Shizune said with a smile.

"Oh yes. One more thing I was asked to mention. Your overgrown lizard has apparently been quite persistent and annoying. Tsunade asks that you please deal with the situation." Shizune said and if Izuna wasn't mistake a glint of mischief in her eye.

Izuna groaned as it hit him what lizard Tsunade was referring to.

"Very well. I'll have us depart in one week for Konoha." Izuna said, hoping that the response would pacify Tsunade.

"Good. Otherwise, she said she'd send a small army if you delay."

The annoyed twitch of Izuna's eyebrow was the only response Shizune got before she shut the door.


AN: It took a bit longer to get this out mainly because I just kept adding more and more to this chapter before finally I just threw my arms up and sent it to ShadowFaux to get beta'd. Hopefully this chapter gave you some insight and a peak at how Hinata did not develop with the rookie group. If you read TCS I'm taking that concept and molding it to this story since I thought it was a nice concept. I may continue that story, but right now I find myself at a loss for that story. Writer's block sometimes can be a real bitch.