Disclaimer: Refer to chapter 2 if you give a rat's ass about it!

"Talking"

'Thoughts/conversation with Kyuubi'

"Akane/Kyuubi/Summons talking"

'Akane/Kyuubi/Summons thoughts'


Sarutobi shook his head as he gazed out on Konoha. Behind him 3 Shadow Clones worked on the paperwork, allowing him to finally see the top of his desk. This clearing of the desk revealed to the aged hokage that someone managed to stick a replication seal on the bottom of the 'inbox' tray. He destroyed it and simply continued on his way. Moving on, he was shaking his head at the arrogance and ignorance of the population. Several times over the past 3 years that Project Outcasts had been running, the civilian council tried to call for the execution or banishment of Naruto Uzumaki. They were denied several times and only increased their anger/rage. Thinking of the blonde, Sarutobi couldn't help but smile. In order for the 'enigma' idea to work, he sent them off to see one Yukie Fujikaze for acting lessons. After about a month, she sent them back with a letter stating that if they ever wanted to leave the shinobi lifestyle, she would help them get started. They were the first people that she 'kinda' opened up to.

And they were good.

Hinata 'became' the stuttering failure of the Hyuuga clan that was prone to blushing and fainting when Naruto was around. Shino was quiet and didn't interact with anyone unless he had to. Choji became the boy that constantly ate and hung out with Shikamaru. Naruto became the wearer of an insanely orange jumpsuit and a pair of googles. He pulled pranks on everyone and unleashed terror upon the ANBU at times. Sandaime had to tighten up the ANBUs training due to Naruto being able to sneak in and put paint bombs around the place.

He never said how he managed to put the orange paint bomb in the women's locker room.

That particular prank had both Danzou and Hiruzen rolling on the floor laughing, or rather Hiruzen was laughing on the floor while Danzou only let out a few chuckles. He did have a reputation to uphold. Naruto even 'became' infatuated with Sakura Haruno, who had declared her self the number one fan girl of Sasuke Uchiha and had earned the infamous nicknames Billboard Brow and Banshee. Naruto and the others called her something more colorful when they were alone as well as the Pink Howler Monkey from Hell.

But moving back to the group, Akane had driven them into the ground with a training workout she called The Inferno. They were forced to run courses filled with death traps and other sorts of goodies that Ibiki and Anko set up themselves. They wore training weights forced them to move by walking only at first. Needless to say they were extremely sore the next day. But they grew in leaps and bounds.

Akane modeled Shino and Choji after old warriors she knew from a long time ago. Choji earned the nickname 'Juggernaut' due to his favorite jutsus, Iron skin and Velocity no jutsu. Iron skin no jutsu did just that: made his skin like iron. He could still be injured, but it took a lot more power. Velocity no jutsu allowed him to start running in a certain direction and the longer he ran, the faster he got and the harder it became to stop. More than once he caused an avalanche in one of the nearby mountain ranges in Fire Country as he trained. They discovered his primary element was earth and Danzo, Hiruzen, and Akane provided him with a plethora of jutsus to use. He chose 10 of the offered but promised to look up the others at a later date. Away from the public eye he wore armor in the form of a chest plate, greaves, and gauntlets from Naruto. He asked about the seals imbedded on the back and Naruto just smiled and said that that was a surprise.

Shino was modeled after a warrior Akane only knew as Cloud. Shino wielded 7 interlocking swords that could be combined to form one large sword. Danzo had suggested that all of the blades be made of chakra metal, but Akane refused and with the help of Naruto and Choji made it so that in order to channel chakra into the blade, all 6 swords had to be connected. Shino never named the blades. He just simply called the end result Yukensetsu. Shino wore a simple red duster with the same armor format as Choji. Shino's elements were discovered to be earth, fire and wind, but he could only wield one in conjunction with his beetles. In turn he could only wield fire and wind with Yukensetsu, but that did not keep him down. He turned to Yuugao and Hayate for kenjutsu training and sparred with them every week to stay sharp.

Hinata had grown in leaps and bounds. At the beginning of the training, Akane would go with Hinata once a week to the local hot springs and spend some quality girl time together. Her fellow teammates could only guess that Akane was teaching her the finer points of the kunoichi lifestyle. When she was with the group, she wore an outfit similar to her sensei Anko. She wore an orange and indigo tank top over the mesh shirt and black shorts under the skirt. She was their torture expert, but she could hold her own on the field. Naruto was experimenting with seals and discovered that using the right combination he could create self sustaining chakra blasts. The draw back was that he had to make the seals before hand and each seal could only do a certain number of shots. Hinata wielded 6 of these seals/weapons and knew how to use them very well. She wore the same armor format provided by Naruto.

Naruto was powerful. He had mastered all of the seals made available to him by the books he read and was currently waiting for Jiraiya to come along and help him fine tune said skills. Akane had taught him 7 different elemental jutsus and sent him off to master them to the point of being able to do said jutsus with only 2 seals and only had 4 of the chosen jutsus down. He wore a duster similar to Shino but pure gold in color outfitted with numerous self-repair seals and storage seals for him to use. He wore the same armor as the others but it had different seals on it. The group inquired and Naruto simply said that it was a secret. He never stopped pranking and the others just encouraged him.

For example, during one prank he created a glider, and using some Fuuton seals managed to stay aloft as he carpet bombed the entire village with paint. After the seals failed and he crashed into one of the trees by the wall, ANBU came across Naruto hanging from his makeshift parachute and started poking him with a stick as they laughed their asses off. Naruto later revealed that the paint was Shadow clones and when dispelled left everything as it was before the bombing. He pointed out a major crack in security of the village and got a prank out of it. Then not even a week later someone *coughDuckbuttcough* had to insult ramen. By now Naruto practically worshipped ramen and took great offense. He rebuilt the glider and bombed that person with old ramen in water balloons.

The civilian council tried to convict him of that prank, but no one knew the identity of the bomber as he had wore a mask to keep his identity a secret.

Due to the fact that they couldn't accept missions, the Outcasts were forced to take missions that Danzou only sent his ROOT on. Sarutobi's eyebrow twitched. If rumors were true, then some how the group managed to procure an entire pirate ship. Whether or not they retrofitted it for their needs was a different matter entirely. They did small jobs like eliminating bandit camps or what ever Danzou found. And they gained allies within the village.

Outside of the Outcasts, Naruto managed to get a job at a failing weapons shop and sales shot through the roof. Naruto was working there whenever you didn't find him with Sandaime, learning at the Academy, or eating at Ichiraku's. In order for the boy to get the job, Sandaime was forced to bring Kaito Makika into the group. Kaito was ecstatic that Naruto had friends and told them that his shop would always be open to them. Unknown to the group except for the 2 old geezers *Author breaks off as he runs from Danzou and Sarutobi who are threatening to give him an ass whooping. Author returns after 15 minutes and continues writing*, Kaito was one of the supporters of the 'Naruto is Naruto, Kyuubi is Kyuubi' idea and had helped the boy on numerous occasions. He also brought them a new member named Toshiro. But they had a slight problem.

Toshiro had a kekkei genkai that was extremely unstable. The kekkei genkai allowed him to transform into a poisonous form of energy (in large doses and long periods of time) and to wield said energy in various ways. There were times he transformed by complete accident. With the help of Naruto, Akane, Danzou, and Kaito, they created a metal body for the boy to use. Due to his powers, he gained the name of Reactor from everyone else and now worked with Danzou away from the public eye. Akane worked with him from time to time to help him gain a semblance of a shinobi's life.

As for allies outside the village, the Daimyo was informed of the formation of the new group and rather excited to meet the new team. He was wary of Akane despite reassurances that she would not harm him. After some days talking with the Daimyo, he supported the idea and scolded Danzou for continuing ROOT even after Yondaime ordered him to disband it. Danzou took the scolding like a man and simply apologized to him. The group also made contact with one Zabuza Momochi and Haku Momochi during a mission that took them relatively close to Zabuza's stomping grounds. After a few bouts, both became honorary members of the Outcasts and of Konoha. Sarutobi sent them the necessary documents and heard shortly afterwards that the group procured that pirate ship.

Now Sarutobi had not been idle as this new group rose. Nay, he was working hard on devising plans with in the laws he made if the advisors and civilian council crossed the line. Now a plan was beginning to bear fruit.


In a bar near the land of Wind and the land of Rivers

A woman looking to be in her early twenties with blonde hair and pig tails downed another cup of sake as the dark haired woman next to her tried to make her stop.

"Lady Tsunade, you should really stop and focus on your health!" the woman scolded.

Tsunade scowled at the woman. "It's my money Shizune, let me use it as I want!"

A mandrill with a walking stick appeared in front of her, startling the two. "Are you Tsunade?"

After picking herself up off the floor, Tsunade scowled at the primate. "I'm not going back. Tell Sensei that and that is final."

"Hiruzen thought that may be the case, and told me to tell you this: 'If you don't return to Konoha, I will revoke your travel rights as a Sannin and put you in the Bingo Book and send Hunter nins after you until you return here and speak with me. I will also be sending frequent reports to the debt collectors on your location.' Now, I would hate to see your lovely assistant get caught in the crossfire, wouldn't you?" The mandrill's eyes bored into the Slug Sannin's.

Tsunade was stunned. The sensei she knew was soft and spoke softly. This threat was strong and he had the power to back it up. And as much as she hated to admit it, she did care for Shizune and didn't want her to get killed. She bowed her head in defeat. "Very well."

"Now I have a message for you from me!" the woman looked up at this. "Asante sana Squash banana, Wiwi nugu Mi mi apana!" The primate cackled.

"What the hell does that mean?" Tsunade demanded.

"It means you are a baboon! And I am not!"

Tsunade shook her head. "I think you hit your head when you were young."

"That I did, but I know who I am! You do not know yourself!" the mandrill poked. "I am the Monkey Elder for the Monkey summons, but I know I am a monkey and I face my troubles with my stick! The question is; who are you?" He prodded her forehead as he asked the last question.

"I am Tsunade Senju, Slug Queen of the Sannin and Legendary Medic!"

"Nuh-uh! That is what you are! I asked who you are! Tink about it and tell Hiruzen when you see him! And meet Jiraiya at Tanzaku Town in 2 days time and remember!" the mandrill chanted as he vanished into a puff of smoke. "Asante sana Squash banana, Wiwi nugu Mi mi apana!"

(A/N: If you can guess who the monkey is and where the quote is from, you get a cookie! You can only get a cookie if you get both correct! And no using Google or any other search engines!)

Tsunade just stared at the empty place that the primate had resided. "Shizune, pack your things, we are leaving now!"


Kumo hot springs

There is a secret hot spring in Kumo that none know about except a select few. The select few were kunoichi of the highest caliber. Yuugito Nii and the women of Kirabi's team were among the few.

How ever, unknown to the residing females, one sole man had found the spring and was currently scribbling on a note pad with tissues stuffed up his nostrils and a gag to keep his perverted giggles from being heard. He could already see the new book selling out like mad. This man was and is none other than Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin and self-proclaimed super pervert and author of the Icha Icha series.

The mandrill popped up behind the man and watched for a few minutes before quietly snapping pictures for Sandaime before screeching, "Jiraiya's here!"

Jiraiya didn't even have a chance to run from the fury of Nibi and several women.

One massive estrogen fuelled beat down later

The mandrill poked the twitching body of Jiraiya with a stick. "Did you run into Kami at some point and gain invincibility from the beat down of women? Cuz I haven't seen a beat down like that since Tsunade-chan caught you peeping on her?" the primate shook his head as the Sannin attempted to answer. "Don't know, don't care. Be at Tanzaku Town in 2 days or Sarutobi will revoke your travel rights and put you in the Bingo Book and send hunter nin after you. Ciao!"


36 hours later

Tsunade and Shizune were waiting outside the gates that faced the direction of Konoha as a large toad crashed on to the road. Jiraiya looked at the blonde. "Crazy monkey?"

Tsunade nodded. "Carried a large walking stick?"

"Yep. He interrupted my research."

"He threatened me with debt collectors."

Jiraiya nodded. "Let's find out what the old man wants. Hop on."


Konoha Gates

Kotetsu and Izumo were lounging at their posts when a large toad landed in front of them and dispersed, revealing the two Sannin and Shizune. Jiraiya looked at the two perpetual chuunin. "Do we even need to check in?"

Izumo checked for transformations and/or genjutsus and only found the one on Tsunade that covered her age. "Nope, go ahead."

After a short walk, they entered the Hokage tower and were shown in by the secretary. Both felt a chill go down their spines as they gazed upon the new Hokage. Gone was the weak old man that they thought had become of him. This was the Kami of shinobi, the Professor, the man knowledgeable in over almost every known jutsu, and the man that had survived 2 Great Wars. "Tsunade, Jiraiya, it's a pleasure to see you both." The old man said in a steely voice.

"What do you want, Sensei?" Tsunade asked with barely restrained venom. She jumped a foot in the air when he answered with greater venom and steel.

"Simple. I need you both here more than I need the two of you mucking around in the world." Both began to speak but were silenced by the killing intent he unleashed. "Now both of you sit down and shut up. Shizune, be a dear and go find Danzou and tell him this phrase, 'the wayward souls have come. Gather the Outcasts.'" Shizune nodded slightly worried but his eyes assured her she would be fine. "He knows what it means. He should be in his office by now."

Shizune turned and left as Tsunade rounded on Sarutobi with fire in her eyes. "Why the hell are you sending her to that war-hawk?"

"Some things have changed in Konoha, Tsunade. I'm pretty sure Jiraiya has heard of at least one or two rumors about a group of kids running around and doing missions."

Jiraiya looked at the man in shock. "What do they have to do with us?"

"Practically everything. The kids are the main team of a new group I formed named the Outcasts. Members are specifically people that are outside the usual circles of social protocol."

Jiraiya slumped. "Damn, old man. What did you do to them?"

"Nothing. Their sensei did that." Sarutobi allowed a smirk to grace his face.

Tsunade rounded on her teammate. "What have you heard?"

"There are is a rumor going around saying that someone hired a group of shinobi to get rid of a pirate that was harassing his boats. The kids left one evening and returned about 2 days later sailing the pirate's ship and all of the crew and the captain was hanging upside down on the hull, all alive. The captain was a missing nin from Water Country. He was listed as an A-class but was probably more of a B-class threat. He managed to steal a couple of important documents from the Mizukage before leaving." Jiraiya stared at the older man with tired eyes. "Those kids are strong."

"Your godson is the leader of the team."

Both Sannin bolted upright at this. Jiraiya was the first to recover. "Are you off your rocker?"

"No." Hiruzen replied. "He approached me one evening with the idea of creating a secondary team in case we need it. After a talk, Danzou and I discovered that it was Kyuubi that suggested the idea. Now before you protest," he raised a hand to stall them from shouting out. "Kyuubi is looking for a chance to redeem herself. So she is helping people who need friends."

Tsunade spoke in a disbelieving voice. "Kyuubi is a female?"

"Hai." This sent Tsunade into a little victory dance in chibi mode. "The project is for internal affairs should ANBU fail. The civilian council is getting too big for their britches and more than likely has several ANBU under their greasy fingers. They are to work side by side with ROOT, which has been reactivated under my order and is to work in the shadows. With luck, they'll never need to mobilize. Now," the man leaned back and steepled his hands. "I didn't just call you back here for this news. I have missions for you both. Tsunade, your dream of having a medic nin on teams will be initiated at the next council meeting and you will be put in charge of the hospital. Rebuild it from the ground up. I want new reports coming in here in a month."

Tsunade sat up and got excited. The medic nin idea was brought forward in a time of war and they didn't have the resources to fund it. Now that it was peace time, it was the perfect chance to start.

"Jiraiya, Naruto has shown an interest in seals and has already mastered all of the published books on sealing and wishes to study under you further. He isn't aware of his parentage yet, but I intend to tell him after he graduates and give him his inheritance."

Jiraiya looked up at this. "Then why is he doing missions?"

"Like I said, this is a separate team. Akane, or Kyuubi, has trained them and Danzou supplied small missions such as bandit extermination and hostage rescue that ROOT located before someone could send in the mission request. They do it quietly and never show their identity, but rumors go around anyways."

"Ah, they are that strong?"

"At the moment they are high Chuunin level. The training is to allow them to have jounin level skills while being genin. They operate within the system and hid their true skills. Only under extreme circumstances do they reveal their skills. And even then the battles have to be away from the others. This is a delicate project. Jiraiya, I also want you to find a way to get all of your information sent here and to set up a spy network in Konoha. Danzou has his but I want a second opinion on anything he finds. I want results in 2 weeks." Jiraiya nodded. "Alright, I do believe that it is time for you to meet the group." Sarutobi stood and motioned for them to follow. "Ruki, I'll be out for the next hour. Push back any appointments within that time period."

"Hai, Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi lead them out to the lower levels of the tower. Stopping at the space between two spaces, he bit his thumb and swiped it along the wall. Seals appeared and revealed a passage way. The old Hokage led them down the passage way. "Danzou set this up to lead to the training grounds of ROOT."

"How have you managed to keep anyone from finding out?" Tsunade inquired.

"It was hard at first. We had to raise their chakra levels to ANBU level to get them to make super charged shadow clones. One of Akane's ideas. After that, we just leave those to fill the other's lives." Hiruzen opened the door to the main training ground. The group stood, still in their 'civilian' clothes. "Hinata had to really charge hers due to the spars she has to do with her family."

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "You recruited the heirs of the Akamichi, Aburame, and Hyuuga for this?"

"We are outcasts outside of here." Shino answered. "I am because of my clan tradition of sharing our bodies with beetles. Chouji is due to his 'fluff' as we call it. Hinata is the black sheep of the Hyuuga clan. And Naruto is the village pariah. We don't have a social life outside of the Academy, or our clans, and in Hinata's case in the clan as well."

"Did you actually take a pirate ship?" Jiraiya asked curiously.

Naruto nodded excitedly. "Yep. I need more experience with making seals if we want to do what we want."

"Well," Tsunade rubbed her hands together. "Let's pull the wool over the village's eyes, shall we?"


Later

Naruto was extremely bored in the Academy class room. He already learned this with Akane and by the looks of the others they were bored as well. He yawned. Then a voice entered his head.

And it wasn't Akane.

'It is time.'

Intense burning erupted in his body, causing him to convulse and shout out in pain. As his head hit the floor, he could hear Hinata's whisper and Iruka's shout as his world faded to black.


Ja ne!