Disclaimer: Any and all claims that the writer of the piece of fanfiction owns Naruto have been proven beyond a doubt to be complete BS
Naruto sitting in front of his desk looking at the papers that Ebisu had handed him an hour ago. According to Ebisu, Naruto's performance during the test along with his academy grades had prompted this unexpected situation. Ebisu had also assured Naruto that this was not just some political jockeying intended to show off the Namikaze heir. When Ebisu had asked why Naruto thought that such a thing could be occurring he simply said, "Observe a single council session. Most of the people on the council would pole dance on hot coals if they thought it might help their political position."
After Ebisu had visited the bathroom to remove his lunch because of the image of Kaharu pole dancing, he had pulled out Naruto's Shinobi rulebook and show the clause that was being used. Ebisu had also pointed out that the clause had been used in the past so while Naruto would be in a rare situation within the ninja force, it wouldn't be a unique position. With that explained, Ebisu had left Naruto alone vowing to find a way to pay Naruto back for that horrible image. Of course Naruto wasn't really worried that Ebisu would succeed. A genjutsu master, or someone trying to gain that rank, needed to have a very good imagination and be able to pay attention to details.
Returning to the matter at hand, Naruto looked at the three forms trying to decide what he should do. Going back to the Academy left a very bitter taste in Naruto's mouth. Also, the though of the pitying glances that the villagers were practically guaranteed to give him because he was the "Yondaime's Son" who had been sent back because his teammate was a mistake made him ill. However, if he went back to the academy he would be able to socialize with his new potential teammates and learn more about them.
Next he could go onto the reserve genin list. The thought of basically being in limbo with regards to being a ninja didn't sit well with Naruto. A genin without a team could only do D rank missions and everyone knew that those missions were a special level of hell that was reserved for pain in the ass ninjas who didn't know their place. Still, it would give him time to train further in his abilities and give him access to several resources that were unavailable to academy students. That would allow him to progress until he was able to join a team.
Finally, there was the Hunter Corps offer. If he accepted it then he would be fully 'in' the ninja force, have access to training that he wouldn't have otherwise until he was at least a Chunin, and would be steeping out from his father's shadow. However, the downside to the Hunter Corps offer were the facts that he'd be committed to them for the next two years before he could transfer out and that his missions would almost always involve death. Fitting really, Naruto morbidly thought, considering what his bloodline was like and who created it.
Each option before him had its own benefits and disadvantages. Such was the way of the world. The question, Naruto thought, wasn't which choice had the most benefits or the least disadvantages. It was which option was the best one for him and his career. After carefully looking at each form Naruto's gaze drifted to a picture on his desk of him and Koyuki. That picture reminded Naruto that he and Koyuki had promised that they would always help each other. Being reminded that she would support him no matter what, Naruto was able to make his choice and he pulled out the appropriate form.
The sun was just starting to shine as Naruto walked into the Hokage Tower. In his hand was the proper paperwork to make his choice completely legal. Due to how early it was the young Namikaze didn't encounter anyone in the halls as he walked towards the mission assignment/multi-purpose registration room. As expected the night shift operative, because one never knew when a mission might be needed, was still at his desk. Naruto walked up the semi-sleeping Chunin and said, "Excuse me."
Walking up from his dreary state the Chunin said, "Huh? Oh, hello there Respectable Heir. What can I do for you?" Naruto immediately handed over the paperwork to the ninja who started to inspect it. As he was inspecting the forms the ninja said, "Hum interesting. So you're joining the Hunter Corps? Strange, not too many young people want to join them. Still, with the options you had I guess I can understand. You sure you want me to fill this for you? I could shred this if you wanted and give you another form to go on the Genin Reserves."
Naruto quickly shot the secretary a look that told the man to just shut up and file the paperwork. Out of the three choices that he had the Hunter Corps was the best choice. Or rather, it was the choice that he could live with the best. Going back to the academy would have been hell to Naruto and the thought of being on the reserve list just didn't sit well with him. Sure Naruto didn't like the idea that every mission he would be on out of the village was guarantied to be an assassination mission. However, he could live with that.
Once the paperwork was properly filed, Naruto was handed a transcript that stated that the paperwork had been filed and told to give it to the receptionist at the Hunter Corps floor. Letting out a small grumble about bureaucratic shenanigans, Naruto took the transcript and headed towards the Hunter Corps floor. Five minutes later the young ninja was standing in front of the Hunter receptionist dealing with that stopping point of bureaucratic hell.
Finally after what seemed like hours, even though it was only about twenty minutes, Naruto had everything set to go and was told to go to the Headhunter's office. Just like everyone else who had ever heard the title of the person in charge of the Hunter Corps, Naruto let out a groan and wished that the Shodai's bad pun would be put to rest. Naruto quickly made his way down the hall and knocked on the Headhunter's door. Almost instantly he got a polite but short, "Come in."
When Naruto opened the door he saw the Headhunter Azusa Uzuki sitting behind his desk working on an assortment of documents. Azusa looked up from his paperwork and said, "You're a little early Namikaze, try to keep that up while you work under me. Now that you are in the Hunter Corps I expect that you will conduct yourself in a manner that befits a Hunter Ninja." Azusa then turned to his right and called out, "Yuugao come in here."
A few seconds latter a purple haired girl, which Naruto suspected was related to Azusa since only the Uzuki clan had that shade of hair, walked in and kneeled. Azusa then said "Yuugao, I am hereby assigning you as Namikaze's mentor. Take the boy down to the armory, get him a mask, and start his training regime. I want him on the active list in 60 days. Is that clear?"
Yuugao bowed her head and said, "That is understood Sir." She then got up; turned to Naruto, and said, "Follow me." Once they were out of the office and the door was closed Yuugao said, "I hope you weren't too put off by my uncle's manner. Azusa believes that everyone who joins the Hunter Corps is to be treated as a newbie no matter what they've done as a ninja before joining. Until you prove your worth to him, he'll only refer to you by your last name in that slightly disdainful tone of his."
Naruto gave a small smile and said, "No apologies are needed Ms. Uzuki. Actually, I prefer your Uncle's attitude as it's a lot more practical then the villagers' attitude. As long as he judges me based on my own merits I'll be happy."
Nodding her head, Yuugao calmly said, "I understand Naruto. Please, when we're not in the field call me Yuugao. I don't like standing on formalities and I also feel that people in a student/mentor relationship should be able to feel at ease with each other. Now follow me, the Hunter Corps armory isn't part of the Hokage Tower but is in one of the buildings nearby."
Once they got to the armory Yuugao said, "Now Naruto, just go over to one of the crates and pick up a blank mask. Remember, until you have at least 10 kills under your belt C rank or above you can't decorate the mask." Although most the villagers assumed that only ANBU wore painted masks, the Hunter Corps also used painted masks. Unlike the ANBU, painted hunter masks were all custom jobs designed by the hunter in question. These unique masks were a common way that people outside of the Corps referred to hunters out in the field.
After Naruto had collected a blank mask Yuugao said, "Since I'm your mentor I'm going to start from the basics Naruto. There are six classifications of missing ninja used by Konoha and most other Hidden Villages. Those six are: S, A, B, C, D, and E. S-rank missing ninjas are the most dangerous and are considered to have the power of the average Kage or someone like the Sannin. A-rank missing ninjas are considered to have the power of an average Jonin and so on down to E-rank which are runaways and dropouts of the Ninja Academy who decide to use their incomplete training to cause trouble."
"Currently you are only qualified to hunt D- and E-rank targets by yourself. As you progress in your skills you will become qualified to hunt higher ranking enemies. Also, you may at times be called upon to participate in a pack hunt. Usually pack hunts are only called when an S-rank criminal has been spotted nearby and you won't be called for any of those hunts. However, pack hunts for A- and B-rank criminals do happen when we need those criminals dead ASAP and all we have available are hunters who are only qualified for lower ranking targets."
"Now, for next 60 days or so you're going to be reporting here every day for a stick training regime. This regime will include physical training, jutsu recognition, the study of common tactics used by missing ninjas from various countries, and memorization of all hunter codes and information drop points. While you are only qualified for D- and E-rank targets, each and every hunt must be conducted with the utmost seriousness. Knowledge that a missing ninja has improved his or her skill is sadly almost always paid for in hunter blood. I don't want you or any of my acquaintances to have to be the ones who pay for that information Naruto."
Azusa looked at the report on his desk and then up at Naruto. The bearded Headhunter then said, "According to Yuugao's report, and two independent observations, you have achieved basic competency for your rank in the Corps Namikaze. However, it is time to see if your skills in the field are the same as they appear on the training ground." Azusa reached into on of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a large think manila folder. He then handed the folder to Naruto and said, "This is your first mission Namikaze, don't disappoint me."
Naruto took the folder from Azusa and said, "Yes sir." Thanks to Yuugao's mentoring Naruto knew that his boss like things to be brief and direct. Apparently the quickest way to get on Azusa's bad side was to be a 'wind bag' as Yuugao put it. Once Naruto was out of Azusa's office he headed down the hall to one of the free cubicles. Space was limited on the hunter floor of the tower so only high ranking hunters who had been in the Corps for a long time got the honor of having or even sharing an office. Everyone else had to make do with cubicles.
Finding an open cubicle, Naruto sat down and opened his mission folder. He then pulled out a small report on his target and began to read.
Name: Ami Uzuki
Age: 13
Rank: E possibly low D
Place of Birth: Konoha, Fire Country
Reason for Extermination: Ami Uzuki was a bully in the Ninja Academy and was kicked out of the ninja program. She ran away from the Uzuki Clan compound 3 months ago with several low level family scrolls. Since leaving Konoha Ami Uzuki has taken up the life of a mercenary for higher helping out various gangs in Fire Country. As of last week Ami Uzuki was responsible for the loss of 250,000 ryo in cash and an additional 300,000 ryo in property damage.
The report went on to state where Ami had been spotted the past three months and other information that help Naruto figure out where she might head to. When the Hunter Corps went after someone, they didn't just show a hunter the picture of a target and tell him or her to go after the target. That sort of thing was the stuff of pulp novels that had no real basis in fact. In real life the Hunter Corps would provide a hunter with all the information that was available on the hunter's target. This was not only common sense, but it also helped to cut down on hunter deaths.
After thoroughly reading all of the information in the packet, Naruto resealed the packet and headed to the receptionist's desk. He then handed the packet over to the receptionist and left to start his hunt. Unlike the other branches of the ninja forces, the Hunter Corps had a good deal of flexibility in terms of mission start times and the duration of the mission. This was because the Hunter Corps missions were very different then client assassinations or any other sort of mission that a ninja could take. Naruto figured that he head home, pack for a three week mission, put everything in order for his leaving, and then head out tomorrow morning.
Koyuki walked into Naruto's apartment using the spar key that he had given her and saw Naruto's back as he was leaning over and packing something. She then let out a polite cough to get Naruto's attention. Even though both of them knew that the other was in the room, it would be rude for one to start talking without making sure that the other was paying attention. Naruto stopped packing a moment latter and turned around to face Koyuki. In his usual friendly manner Naruto said, "Yes Koyuki, is there something I can do for you?"
While Koyuki was nodding her head she said, "Yes Naruto there is something you can do for me? You can tell me when you were planning on telling me that you had a mission." Her tone as she said this was a cross between anger and worry. She had known for over two months that eventually Naruto would be going out on a mission. However, even though Koyuki knew it was coming it didn't make today any easier for her.
Naruto gave one of his usual smiles and said, "Don't worry Koyuki everything will be fine. I was going to tell you that I got my mission just as soon as I finished packing. You just came over a little earlier then I was expecting. After all, there's no way I'd leave Konoha without talking to you first Koyuki."
This honest statement put a small smile on Koyuki's face and she said, "I know that Naruto. It's just that I'm worried about you." Koyuki's face became a little sorrowful as she continued on, "You're precious to me Naruto. Even though I know that you have enough skill and common sense to complete this mission without getting too hurt I'm afraid that something will happen to you."
Wanting to reassure Koyuki, Naruto walked over and gave her a hug. As the young Namikaze hugged her he said, "I know how you feel Koyuki. Every time you leave the village on a mission I feel the same way. Even though I know you are an extremely skilled kunoichi I always become afraid that something terrible will happen to you. That fear doesn't go away. However, over time I've learned to put my trust in you and know that you'll come back to me."
To Naruto's complete surprise Koyuki kissed him on the lips and then said, "Thank-you for telling me that Naruto. I'll let you finish packing now. Just promise me that you'll let me know as soon as possible when you'll be home. I'll make sure to prepare your second favorite meal for dinner since I'm sure you'll grab plenty of ramen while you're on your mission." This earned Koyuki a little pout from Naruto as his ramen craze was a common joke between the two.
Koyuki then left the slightly confused Naruto alone to complete his packing and headed back to her apartment. Once she was in her apartment and the front door was closed the princess ninja let out a sigh of contentment. Not only had Naruto managed to calm her fears over his first mission, but she had managed to get Naruto's first kiss. That kiss was also her first kiss, much to her teammate's great annoyance. Koyuki gently placed a few fingers on her lips and smiled. Just a little longer and then Naruto would be hers.
Still a little high on her success, the princess walked over to the corner of her apartment where she had set up a small family shrine. Koyuki then offered a little incense and said, "I hope you approve of Naruto father. He's a very sweet and kind young man who sees me as Koyuki Kazahana his friend instead of Koyuki Kazahana princess in exile of Snow Country. Out of the boys and men I've met, he is the only one I've met who I know I can trust with my heart. Naruto is also the only man I want to father my future children."
Naruto sat at a table in a small village about 30 miles away from Konoha nibbling on a bowl of ramen and was keeping an eye out for his target. According to what Naruto had been able to learn this town was Ami's 'home base'. From what Naruto had overheard from some people who knew Ami, the girl only left town for a week or so for her "delivery runs". She apparently led the people of this village to believe that she a partner in some sort of retrieval business. The last bit of useful information Naruto had managed to glean from that particular conversation was that Ami was due back in town any day now and that she usually headed over to Renji's Bar for a drink after every run.
That was why Naruto was sitting in the restaurant nibbling on his noodles under a minor genjutsu to disguise himself from any prying eyes. He was waiting for Ami to come to him instead of wasting time and energy hunting her. This particular tactic didn't work unless the hunter had a really good Intel on the target, but for Ami who hadn't bothered to hide her tracks at all it was easy. After a few minutes longer sitting there Naruto finally spotted his prey. Ami was walking along the sidewalk in a boastful manner with one hand on her sword. Just like he had heard, the runaway headed into Renji's Bar.
Knowing that he needed to move, Naruto place enough money on the table to cover the cost of his meal with a generous tip left over and got up. He then headed over to the bar and weaved his way among the crowd. Sticking to the background, Naruto carefully watched Ami as she had her drinks. This bar was too crowded to attack her in so the new hunter would have to wait until she left.
Much to Naruto's annoyance Ami spent the next hour or so in the bar getting drunk and being a pest. Finally the bartender decided that Ami had had enough to drink and she was 'escorted' out of the bar. Naruto dutifully followed Ami from the shadows and waited for the best time to strike. That time, Naruto thought, would be either when Ami was in her home or she passed out in an alley. Given how wobbly Ami was walking, Naruto figured that she was more likely to head into an alley.
Naruto's hunch quickly came true as Ami staggered into an alley and proceeded to vomit. Once Ami had finished vomiting she passed out and fell to the ground in her vomit. Quickly looking around to make sure that no one was looking in Ami's direction, Naruto hurried over Ami's passed out form. He then ripped the back of her shirt off and slammed his open hand into her back to begin draining Ami's vitality. With a cold detachment that he had learn by draining wild animals and a few condemned prisoners, Naruto watched as Ami withered and died.
After Ami was dead Naruto pulled out a tanto and cut off her head. He then picked up the severed head and forced some of the collected vitality into the head returning it to its 13 year old looks. It had been a skill that Naruto had discovered by accident about a year ago. Since the cells in a person's body continued to live for a while after a person died, Naruto had the ability to 'youthen' a recently dead person's body. When energy costs were factored in this was great deal for Naruto because he could drain his targets, present their normal heads over for identification, and still have a great deal of processed vitality left over.
Now Naruto had one last chore to do before he could head home: destroy Ami's body. If this kill had been done in the countryside disposal would have been a simple fire jutsu. However, any form of fire jutsu was too attention grabbing for disposal in the city. Even if did get rid of the body, the jutsu would have been noticed by the villagers and that would alert any nearby missing ninjas that a hunter was in the area. That could mess up someone else's hunt and that was a major taboo in the Corps.
So how was he supposed to get rid of Ami's body? Even if she had been an E-rank target, her body could still hold some clues to Uzuki clan jutsus that she stole. Speaking of stolen clan jutsus Naruto swiped Ami's keys so he could raid her apartment for those scrolls. Even if they were beginner level scrolls they needed to be returned to the Uzuki Clan. Finally Naruto figured out what to do so he could get rid of Ami. He grabbed her cooling corpse and using the Earth release: double suicide decapitation jutsu burrowed into the earth. When Naruto got about fifteen feet into the ground he let go of Ami's body and headed back to the surface.
It was the perfect idea really. Most people didn't even bother looking for the bodies of dead missing ninjas because those bodies were almost always destroyed. Also, no one would care to look for the body of E-rank 'trash'. Besides not even Ami's own mother would be able to recognize the girl's body if it was ever found which was highly unlikely. As he surfaced out of the ground Naruto thought mission accomplished.
Azusa sat at his desk looking at the scrolls that were lazily sitting on it. Those scrolls were the scrolls that his now deceased cousin had stolen. As much as Azusa didn't want to say it, he was proud of how the young Namikaze had handled that mission. It had been deliberately picked in order to see just what sort of hunter Namikaze would turn out to be. Part of Azusa had been expecting that Namikaze would have just dragged Ami back to Konoha. It happened more often than Azusa liked to admit when it came to D- and E-ranked hunts.
Since Ami was his cousin, it was very likely that anyone sent out to take care of her might try and spare her in an attempt to win his favor. Azusa had seen things like that happen all too often for his tastes. Sarutobi was a fair and just ruler, but do to his old age several of the department heads had been able to get away with small scale corruption. The corruption wasn't anything really major, just choice missions to favored workers and that sort of thing.
To Azusa's surprise and pleasure Namikaze had completed his mission and had recovered those scrolls that Ami stole. Truthfully the scrolls weren't very important since they didn't contain anything that family wanted to keep secret. Still, there recovery showed that Namikaze could think beyond just what was needed to complete his mission. That was a skill that Azusa didn't see too often even though he tried to cultivate it. After thinking about everything for a few minutes Azusa decided to called in Yuugao.
Once Yuugao walked in and was kneeling before him, Azusa said, "Rise Yuugao." As soon as she was on her feet Azusa continued on. "Your protégé returned an hour ago completing his mission. Namikaze was able to complete his mission above my previous expectations. This speaks highly on you since you are his mentor. I expect young Namikaze to continue to perform at his present level of competence."
While some people might believe that Azusa and Hiashi were having some sort of contest for most frozen leader in Konoha, Yuugao knew better. Her uncle's eyes and how he said everything showed that he was proud of her and Naruto. Saying that he expected Naruto to continue his stellar performance was the Headhunter's way of saying that he expected Naruto to make it far in the Corps as long as the boy applied himself. With a pleasant smile on her face Yuugao said, "I will tell Naruto this Sir. Good day."
Yuugao then left to go talk to Naruto leaving Azusa alone in the room. Once Azusa was alone again he opened one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out a faded photograph. There were five people in the photo: Azusa, Jiraiya, and Jiraiya's genin team. Azusa looked at the photo and stared at the image of his late sister Seto. His sister had died early in the Third Ninja War and Minato had been the one to bring her body back to the family. Actually, Minato had come back to Konoha half-dead carrying Seto's body and had refused to go to the hospital until he had delivered Seto to her family.
Before that incident Azusa had thought that Minato was a reasonable young man. In fact, he even considered the very remote possibility that Minato might be acceptable as a boyfriend for Seto. However, after that incident and after he had finished his grieving, Azusa had seen that special spark that Minato possessed marking him as a true leader. Azusa had followed and continued to follow Sarutobi out of respect and honor for the old leader. With Minato Azusa had followed out of admiration and a sense that doing anything else would be stupid somehow.
Whenever Azusa looked at the young Namikaze, he saw the boy's father staring back at him. It wasn't that the Headhunter was haunted by Minato image, but rather he saw an ember of what had made Minato so great in the young Namikaze. Azusa wanted to see that ember grow into a roaring and protective flame. In his own way Azusa was trying to help the boy by providing Namikaze with someone to impress under he own merits. It was the least he could do to try and repay Minato for returning his beloved sister to him when their teammate had left her body in enemy hands.