Volume 1, Part 1, Chapter 3, Test Run

June 18, 487 RN; 1857hrs (Local Time); forest that borders outskirts of Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village),

The blur moved through the forest at top speed to the rendezvous point that had been set earlier. Heavy guard had defended the objective, fortunately, the intelligence was correct. But for all progress so far, something was off. After all those years of secret lessons he could tell in his gut. But Naruto couldn't place just what it was; it might not be because of the training exercise. Maybe he should have left more than a note at the lab…

June 18, 487 RN; 1858hrs (Local Time); Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village), North-Eastern Village. Business District 2

"WHERE IS MY TROOPER SUIT?" Mánagetsu roared indignantly at the empty case wear his recently 'relocated' project had been.

"Um," Sakemé said, producing a note. "It seems the boy has 'borrowed' it." The man sighed at his colleague; "It's your own fault for bragging and showing off to a child who has had practically no toy's in his deprived, Spartan-like lifestyle."

"Okay, Sakemé-san…" Mánagetsu turned to Sakemé significantly calmer than before. "I might not know what a Spartan lifestyle is, but did you see what he did to the Hokage Monument? The kid is either having the time of his life training or pulling of another stunt for a 'mission simulation'. And why can't they just call them what are? Unconstructive pranks!"

"You're just being biased." Sakemé crossed his arms pointedly. Mánagetsu had been a mark for several of Naruto's numerous simulations. "Those 'unconstructive pranks' have revealed multiple major security holes and failures that people have on their part for village security. If an actual enemy exploited those holes instead those pranks, the fallout would be… catastrophic."

"Indeed." Agreed Takará, walking up to the two men. "While his antics can be amusing and annoying, they are undeniable proofs of shortcomings of diligence. And for years he has been told to exploit such openings."

Mánagetsu gulped and shared a glanced with Sakemé. "Oh… hi boss."

"Hello." Takará replied and continued about their dear protégée. "Did you know that he wears orange to make it harder for himself? And yet still he is not stopped and is pursued only after the fact? That boy's speed and evasion are impressive." Takará put both of his hands on his cane and leaned forward slightly. "Now, did the boy do something to the suit new prototype?"

Mánagetsu looked down and sighed. "Yeah, he just took it and left a note saying he needed to borrow it."

"Not exactly proper paperwork and procedure for requisition, but at least it's something." Sakemé shrugged, half-joking about the sudden loss of possibly the highest quality combat apparel for a multi-year risky investment of a black-sheet project. "Can't help but wonder why he would take it now."

Takará raised an eyebrow at that. "How so?" he inquired.

"Prototype gear is still here. He has the dress, but he seems to be using older equipment. All the nonessential attachments are accounted for, I checked. He knows that this is light armor for basic protection and is easier to sneak around in than the previous suits we've had him try on. He is still a cadet so he only has blunts, (slang for blunted training weapons that would normally be razor edged) and he's only able to use the practice equipment, so he's running light." Sakemé summarized.

"So it's another stealth prank- um, mission simulation?" Mánagetsu asked. "He has gear to dash through a scrap and has been missing since this afternoon. What's the game this time, boss?"

"There is no game." Takará answered softly.

"Ah," the burly man replied in understanding. "Alright, keep your 'secret mission,' but if he wrecks my suit before I even have gotten to fin-"

"No, you misunderstand." Takará interrupted more urgently. "There is no 'secret mission'… none at all."

"Unsanctioned action with SPIRE gear?" Sakemé asked incredulously. "Naruto knows better then that, but if you-"

"Naruto was unable to create acceptable jutsu results and failed his Genin Exam today. I was talking to the Hokage about it earlier." Takará explained becoming increasingly worried. "Naruto was looking forward to graduating so much…"

"Then what is the boy up to? Probably letting off his emotions by training somewhere." Sakemé deduced before frowning, "But why the suit? Why would he steal the suit if it wasn't a SENTINEL training exercise?"

"We can just ask." Mánagetsu offered.

Sakemé turned to the burly engineer. "How do we do that? Telepathy?" Sakemé snorted sarcastically.

"The new helmet…" Takará said slowly grabbing the two's attention. "It… it has a radio in it."

Mánagetsu nodded, "It's still patchy but if he's still in the village we get a strong enough connection to talk. If he's not, we can send the 'Return/Regroup signal right? If it's on long enough, the helmet may still be able pick up enough for him to get the message."

"Do it." Takará ordered, "can we boost the signal outside the village?"

"We're getting a relay in two days, so we aren't ready to risk frying the Main Radio without the proper tools…" Mánagetsu explained apologetically. "We need Tsúyosa-san and his expertise for this, but he's the one bringing the relay."

"Sakemé! I want you to find Shímbô if Naruto-kun isn't in the village and try to reach him somehow. I'll see if Hánjô-san or Semái-san has seen him today. He opens up to them the most." Takará said seriously.

"HAI." The two men replied just as gravely.

June 18, 487 RN; 2103hrs (Local Time); forest that borders outskirts of Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village),

As a ranking ninja Hánjô was among the ninja scrambled when the alarm was raised. But when she heard the Hokage she could have sworn her blood froze. 'That blonde idiot! What does he think he's doing?'

"The scroll that he has taken is so dangerous that the very first Hokage sealed it away!" Sarutobi, the Third Hokage briefed the ninja. "If misused, in the wrong hands, it could be deadly!" Hánjô gritted her teeth as she heard her less Naruto-informed comrades all but demand permission to kill Naruto on sight. "It was taken half a day ago. We have to find him!"

There was no denying they had their orders. The ninja blurred out of existence as they scattered to locate the village pariah and the sensitive manuscript. Hánjô realized all to well that the Hokage hadn't given the order to kill the boy. But he didn't declare not to do so either. This was bad. Really bad. 'I have to find him first!'

"In any operation involving sensitive Intel, the need-to-know mantra is an annoyingly convenient truth. Letting people know certain things during certain parts of the mission can cause chaos and ensure failure. Trying to use mobs to cover operations is not unheard of. Whatever was happening had shaken the metaphorical hornets' nest. If you can't be invisible, many operatives will try to pin blame on someone else. What better way to distract a village of ninja then to hint that an asset as high-risk as a jinchuuriki is going rouge.

If you are dealing with a mole, jinchuuriki are likely to distract the village from the real threat. If you are onto the said mole, then you can set up a trap and hope that the scapegoat is able to take the heat while you are running a smokescreen. Such a gamble is less then ideal, but if you are going to take it dosen't hurt to have some insurance.

Such as being able to get a message that the jinchuuriki made contact with a trusted old friend and was going to catch the mole in his own set-up. Having a pair of ANBU Black Ops hiding nearby the meeting point should anything go wrong is nice too. After all, the mole was after sensitive Intel so giving Naruto a little back up should it hit the fan, is no way overkill."

-Sentinel Origin Memoirs

Sadly, Hánjô was not in on the whole thing…

Takará just knew that would come back to haunt him. But enough about that, currently Takará was rather proud that he was able to revive the surprisingly subdued Hokage. While he would in no way blackmail his leader, it did help convince Sarutobi to allow the project some… field training.

After all, Naruto took the suit. The two ANBU were going to see a pretty unique fight.

Unfortunately things don't always go as planned and an unexpected party happened to find Naruto first. Umino Iruka.